Moments Asunder with Dayton Ward

·1 hr 20 min·5 clips

Dayton Ward reveals how Patrick Stewart's return to Star Trek forced a massive rewrite of two decades of novels.

The episode begins with the hosts delivering sponsor messages for FanSets and Science Division before introducing the topic: a deep dive into the new Star Trek Coda novel trilogy. They welcome returning guest Dayton Ward, author of the first book, 'Moments Asunder.' Ward explains the trilogy's origin, tracing it back to early 2018 when he learned Patrick Stewart was returning to Star Trek, which threatened the established novel timeline set 20 years after 'Nemesis.' He describes receiving early information and scripts for 'Picard' and 'Discovery,' which conflicted with the novel continuity. Ward, along with co-authors David Mack and James Swallow, conceived the Coda trilogy as a way to transition the novel universe to align with the new TV shows. A primary motivation was to avoid the 'Star Wars effect,' where Disney decanonized the expanded universe, upsetting fans. The hosts and Ward discuss the trilogy's massive scope, inspired by 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Endgame,' involving countless characters and locations. Ward reveals the Daimons were chosen as the central antagonists because they were underutilized and offered creative freedom. The conversation is filled with spoilers, including the deaths of characters like Wesley Crusher and Ezri Dax. Ward explains the emotional difficulty and narrative strategy behind these decisions, emphasizing they were not made lightly. He also touches on the challenges of writing consistent technobabble and managing a vast web of existing lore. The interview concludes with Ward sharing where to find him online and the hosts promoting future episodes, including an upcoming interview with actor Doug Jones.

As heard by us

A spoiler-aware look at how three writers shaped a Trek trilogy and chose its threat.

The Trek Geeks Podcast turns the making of a Star Trek trilogy into the heart of the episode, tracing how three writers shaped the larger story, divided character focus across the books, and landed on the Davidians as the central threat.

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Why you'd press play

You get the Davidians, the three-book handoff, and enough recording-room mess to keep the lore talk from feeling like homework.

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