| TekWar | |
|---|---|
| Created by | William Shatner |
| Original work | TekWar |
| Print publications | |
| Comics | TekWorld |
| Films and television | |
| Television series | TekWar |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) | William Shatner's TekWar |
TekWar is a series ofscience fictionnovels created by Canadian actorWilliam Shatner,ghost-written by American writerRon Goulart,[1] and published byPutnam beginning in October 1989. The novels gave rise to acomic book series,video game, and later TV movies and aseries, both of the latter featuring Shatner.
The 22nd century universe is centered on "Tek"—an illegal, addictive, mind-altering digitaldrug in the form of amicrochip.[2][3] The drug creates asimulated reality (and in the films and TV series taps into "the matrix" hyperspace). In the later novels, a new version called "SuperTek" has improved efficiency, is less likely to cause brain damage in users, and features a shared reality, similar to the TV version's "matrix". Theprotagonist, Jake Cardigan, is a former police officerframed for dealing the drug four years prior to the start of the first novel. Having been sentenced to 15 years' cryo-imprisonment, his release is brought forward by Walt Bascom, the head of private investigation agency Cosmos, who has uncovered the framed charges and exonerates him. In return Bascom wishes to employ him as an expert in a series of Tek-related crimes, mostly inGreater Los Angeles, referred to as "GLA". In the first few novels Cardigan is portrayed as a recovering Tek-user with several lapses, but this aspect diminishes as the novels progress - in the first book Gomez comments that 70% of users relapse, while it is implied in later novels that to break the addiction for even a light user is impossible.
Partnered with the good-natured and charismatic Mexican Sid Gomez, the two make up agood cop/bad cop partnership with Cardigan's past continually being brought up as a foil for his new career - most honest people he meets distrust him, and most dishonest people attempt to kill him for perceived slights in the drug trade. However, the two prove an effective team and stay a core duo throughout the series, with input from a comprehensive list of informants, employees of both Cosmos, other detective agencies and Cardigan's son Dan and his girlfriend Molly - both of whom are enrolled in the GLA police academy and as such have access through their own informant to police files.
The 22nd century is populated with artificial intelligence such as integrated computer systems and "andies" which range from obvious metal robots to highly sophisticated simulacra, some of which are accurate enough to deceive an observer into thinking they are human.
Each novel covers a specific case, all are Tek-related, but most include sub-plots which involve non-Tek issues and travel out of the GLA, occasionally to other countries or as far as orbiting satellites. A shadowy government agency known as OCO - the Office of Clandestine Operations - is a frequent antagonist in the novels, albeit usually keeping to the background and supporting the particular novel's villain.
Shatner began to write notes that would become the novels on the set ofStar Trek V: The Final Frontier, with the original book an attempt to blend elements fromStar Trek andT. J. Hooker.[4][5][6]
In 1992,Tekwar was adapted into acomic book series.
A newTekwar comic book adaptation, entitledThe Tek War Chronicles, by Shatner and comic book writer Scott Davis with art by Erich Owen and colors by Michelle Davies, was released byBluewater Productions on June 24, 2009.[7] As of 2010,The Tek War Chronicles is available digitally exclusively through Devil's Due Digital.
Trading cards with comic book artwork were published by Cardz in 1993.[8][9]
TheTekWar novels became atelevision franchise with TV films in 1994, then a series.
| TV movies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title[10] | Original airdate | Runtime |
| TekWar | January 17, 1994 | 97 minutes |
| TekLords | February 20, 1994 | 96 minutes |
| TekWar: TekLab | February 27, 1994 | 105 minutes |
| TekWar: TekJustice | May 14, 1994 | 100 minutes |
The first three were adaptations of the books, whileTekJustice was an original movie.[11]
| TekWar TV series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Episode no. | Episode title | Original airdate |
| 1 | "Sellout" | December 22, 1994 |
| 2 | "Unknown Soldier" | December 29, 1994 |
| 3 | "Tek Posse" | January 5, 1995 |
| 4 | "Promises to Keep" | January 12, 1995 |
| 5 | "Stay of Execution" | January 19, 1995 |
| 6 | "Alter Ego" | March 2, 1995 |
| 7 | "Killer Instinct" | March 9, 1995 |
| 8 | "Chill Factor" | March 30, 1995 |
| 9 | "Deadline" | April 6, 1995 |
| 10 | "Carlotta's Room" | April 13, 1995 |
| 11 | "Deep Cover" | June 10, 1995 |
| 12 | "Cyberhunt" | June 17, 1995 |
| 13 | "Zero Tolerance" | June 24, 1995 |
| 14 | "Forget Me Not" | July 1, 1995 |
| 15 | "The Gate" | January 20, 1996 |
| 16 | "Skin Deep" | January 27, 1996 |
| 17 | "Redemption" | February 2, 1996 |
| 18 | "Betrayal" | February 19, 1996 |
Anadult animated adaptation/reboot ofTekWar was announced in September 2021. The project will be developed and written by Matt Michnovetz and produced by Pure Imagination Studios with Shatner's Shatner Universe.[12]
Tekwar was also made into a1995 computer game byCapstone Software using theBuild engine.