Review: Pon Farr perfume

The nice people at Palm Beach Beaute asked me if I'd like to review one of their new Star Trek fragrances (which I posted the details of previously). Alas I'm not much of a fragrance wearer myself, so I didn't feel in a position to give an informed review on the subject. Fortunately my very good friend, and fellow blogger, Natasja, is much more familiar with smelling of loveliness, so I asked her to do the honours. And so, here is the first ever guest writer on The Trek Collective:

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Pon Farr Parfum for women is a fragrance that will drive any male Vulcan wild. Every seven years a woman must have her way with a man so she can live long and prosper; this is where Pon Farr Parfum comes in. At first glance, it gives off a soft and subtle yet significant scent. It pulls you in for more.

When applied to your skin the delicate flowery fragrant becomes more powerful as the vanilla musk and sandalwood take over. It has a very pleasant and alluring smell that even I cannot stop smelling. After having done so for a while, the muskiness tones down a bit and the flowery scent returns.

Even the bottle plays with your mind; it looks simple and see-through but becomes a rich shade of purple depending on the angle. Pon Farr Parfum is easy to wear, seductive but not overwhelming, this makes it accessible to any event of your liking; bahan, fasan, taman and especially for those personal experiences. So, be ready to leave logic behind!

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Pon Farr, and the other fragrances in Palm Bench Beaute's Star Trek range, are available now from Entertainment Earth and Amazon.

If you're wondering, Natasja tells me bahan, fasan, and taman, are Vulcan words for various activities. If you'd like to read more of Natasja's musings on beauty, baking, and the trials of being a young woman, check out her blog, Eyes Painted Black. Her latest post is on a bit of a spacey theme too, featuring starscape nail art.

Latest Star Trek stuff around the home

Several companies have revealed new Star Trek stuff to use at home, and when out and about. Coming soon to Westland Giftware's Star Trek range is their latest cookie jar, and I think their best one so far; based on the USS Enterprise, they've filled in the gaps between the nacelles to make a warp effect, so there's plenty of room for cookies within:

Also new from Westland is something they've not done before, wine stoppers. They are launching three different TOS designs, the USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk, and Mr Spock. Their website also has an an image of what I believe is a counter-top display unit they'll have for these in shops:

Finally from Westland, their latest Star Trek clock:

It's normally a few months before new stuff Westland display on their websites is available, so I'd expect these to be turning up towards the end of the year. Meanwhile, they aren't the only ones make Star Trek clocks, earlier in the year Underground Toys announced a pretty big range of watch and clock designs. Things From Another World are now listing a selection of these, expecting them to come in August. Their listings include better images than those previously released.

From the watches they are offering the USS Enterprise saucer design, the command uniform watch, and a Captain LCD watch (although they haven't posted an image of the latter yet):

 

They have two of the clocks, both bell alarms, either an Enterprise-D image as the face, of a TOS Starfleet delta:

They are also offering one of Underground Toys' float-pen designs, the USS Enterprise. I particularly like their description for this one, sounds like an especially terrible Gold Key comic:

From Underground Toys! The starship Enterprise has become trapped within the shaft of this floating pen!

Finally, Vandor have added one new item to their Star Trek range as well, coming in August or September will be a ceramic travel mug, with the Starfleet delta on:

Details of Enterprise Season 2 on bluray, and movie DVD releases

TrekCore have posted details of the special features coming with Enterprise, Season Two, on bluray. As we've come to expect with these new season box sets, there will be a three part documentary, this time called “Uncharted Territory”. They describe it as follows:

...a three-part retrospective providing an inside look at the challenges faced by the writing staff and creators during the creative development of the second season, which ultimately inspired the controversial Xindi story-arc that kicks off in the season finale, “The Expanse.”

Another regular feature on these sets will be a reunion, “In Conversation: The First Crew” reunites the Enterprise cast for this set:

...a look at an intimate and candid discussion with members of the main cast and recurring guest stars, who reveal their most memorable stories from the set and their favorite behind-the-scenes moments. The reunion is moderated by series co-creator/executive producer Brannon Braga.

As with previous sets, the existing DVD features are also included. In addition there are a few new audio commentaries:

• Carbon Creek, with Chris Black and Mike and Denise Okuda.
• Regeneration, with John Billingsley and Bonita Friedericy.
• First Flight, with Chris Black and Mike and Denise Okuda.

See TrekCore for a full disc contents lists. In other home video news, Amazon have added loads of new DVD and bluray listings, all coming in September. The most original sounding is Star Trek: The Original Series - Origins. There is no information on what exactly this is; at about $25 I would guess a two-disc highlights set. Origins is a pretty flexible title, could be key character episodes, introductions to Star Trek species, or concepts in Star Trek? Sure we'll find out soon enough.

Also coming is the Stardate Collection, on DVD and bluray. This is the latest release of all ten prime movies, exactly the same as the sets already released in Europe earlier in the year.

Finally all the prime movies are also getting individual DVD releases. The most popular films got separate releases back in 2009, and now it seems the rest of the series is being filled out. Additionally they are releasing all ten films as five two-movie sets.

More international variation from the Into Darkness soundtrack, plus limited edition bluray in France

Last week in my round-up of all things relating to the Into Darkness soundtrack I posted details of five different versions of the track from the bar scene in the film - Depending where in the world you see the film, or buy the MP3 version of the soundtrack, you will get different vocals by local artists, over the same backing music. It appears I missed one though, as in addition to the US, UK, Australian, Mexican, and Brazilian variations, there is also a unique take on the track for French audiences. In France you'll hear "[I Wanna] Race With You", by I.V.. Here's what it sounds like:

I think I'll stick with the Mexican version as my favourite. Meanwhile, in other news from France, Into Darkness is now available to pre-order on DVD, bluray, and 3D bluray there from Amazon.fr. It is also available as the limited edition bluray with the phaser, so far the only country outside the US to offer that. That particular listing is using a poster stand-in for now, but does mention that, in France at least, the deluxe edition will also be coming in steelbook packaging.

One more little Into Darkness bit, check out a video Bad Robot poster on Twitter, showing how their screening room became multiple sets for the filming of various scenes in the film.

Universes collide in so many Trek crossovers!

Crossovers just keep coming to the Star Trek universe. It seems the TNG/Doctor Who crossover, Assimilation² is next in line to get the deluxe treatment from IDW Limited. The series artist, J.K. Woodward, has been tweeting unique artwork he has been working on, to be included in the higher end versions of IDW Limited's edition of Assimilation², Volume 2. He says he is working on one-hundred-and-thirty of these one of a kind pieces of art, which include Doctor Who aliens assimilated by the Borg, Star Trek characters being converted by the Cybermen, mirror universe doctors, and all sorts of other creative crossovers. Here are just a few of my favourites, check out Woodwards Twitter for many more!

Meanwhile, at the San Diego Comic Con, Bif Bang Pow! and Entertainment Earth will be offering a Star Trek/The Twilight Zone crossover, in the form of a pair of monitor mates in a lunch tin featuring William Shatner, as both Captain Kirk, and the character Bob Wilson from The Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. You can see more images of each element of the set on IGN.

Finally, Things From Another World have added a listing for another T-shirt in the Star Trek/The Big Bang Theory crossover collection. This new design features Sheldon doing his best Picard:

Latest Star Trek innovations from DST

StarTrek.com has announced a new variation of the Diamond Select Toy's Klingon Bird of Prey. Coming as San Diego Comic Con exclusive will be a cloaked version of the ship, made out of clear plastic plastic. Unlike the existing "partially cloaked" variant, this one doesn't include any of the electronics, giving it extra see-throughness. This version also comes with landing gear, which haven't been included before, but are expected with the HMS Bounty variant at some point in the future. There will be just two-hundred of the cloaked version available.

 

If you'd prefer a transparent Federation ship, the latest DST product to appear on Entertainment Earth might appeal. Expected in December is a TNG silicone ice cube tray. The tray includes combadge and Enterprise-D shaped molds, in two sizes.

Entertainment Earth also added a listing for the Spock bust bank, which they also expect in December. That listing includes the first photo of this Spock-shaped money box, which looks like this:

Latest Star Trek art

Bye Bye Robot have released two new posters in their range of Star Trek art. Their third piece from Drew Johnson, is his first TOS-era image, and his first not to feature a starship: Landing Party depicts the TOS crew beaming down to a planet, using a paint splatter effect as the transporter beams:

Meanwhile, Jeff Foster continues his impressionist style series with Bye Bye Robot's first depiction of Deep Space 9, in a piece called Terok Nor:

Bye Bye Robot aren't the only ones making Trek art, QMx's latest Star Trek creation is a poster print as well. Coming later in the year will be Ode to Spot, a piece by Jonathan England, featuring Data and Spot, sitting in Sherlock Holmes' chair:

September IDW Star Trek comics

IDW have released their solicitations for September, which for the fifth month in a row includes just one wholly new Star Trek comic, the latest issue of the ongoing series.Still no sign of that John Harrison prequel! It appears August's Gorn comic is a one-shot, with this latest issue picking things up with Klingons and Romulans again. Here's the solicitation blurb for Star Trek ongoing #25:

War breaks out across the stars as the Klingon and Romulan Empires fight for supremacy, with the Enterprise caught in the middle! Don't miss this epic all-new story set after the events of the blockbuster movie STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, overseen by STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci!

As usual, it's written by Mike Johnson, while Erfan Fajar returns to do the artwork again. Fajar will also be doing the cover, including a sketch version.

There is also to be a photo cover, offered as "subscription variant", which will be available "only for loyal subscription box customers". IDW released this photo with the solicitations, one of the existing promo photos for Into Darkness, although it doesn't seem to have been formatted as a cover yet:

Also listed in the September solicitations is the second book in the comic strip omnibuses series, the first time the US comic strips have been reprinted since they were first published in the early eighties! Amazon currently suggest this will actually becoming in early October. The cover is unchanged from the previously released version. Here's the slightly different blurb from the solicitations:

Collecting the second half of the rare daily and Sunday newspaper strips. Ten complete missions from October 26, 1981 through December 3, 1983. Stories by Sharman DiVono, Larry Niven, Martin Pasko, and Gerry Conway; art by Ron Harris, Padraic Shigetani, Bob Myers, Ernie Colón, Dick Kulpa, and Alfredo Alcala. Edited by Dean Mullaney with an introduction by Rich Handley.

Looking further ahead, Amazon now have a listing for the sixth ongoing omnibus, which they expect to arrive in November. Judging by the page count, and previous books in the series, this will probably include four issues; the three-part After Darkness story, and the Gorn one-shot.

Into Darkness Catch-Up Part 4: Artwork

The final part in my round-up of all things Into Darkness, having worked my way backwards through the production cycle I'm looking at the inception of the look of the film from the concept art (see previous entries on the effects, music, and promotion). Hopefully we'll get something similar to the last film's Star Trek: The Art of the Film book at some point, but until then the many artists that worked on designs for Into Darkness have been busy sharing their work online.

Comic Book Movie and Film Sketcher posted artwork from, and in the case of a latter an in interview with, Harald Belker, who worked on concepts for ships early in the pre-production of the film. He was instructed to develop some very exotic designs for Klingon ships, which featured towering structures.

 

Belker also worked on a design for a small Starfleet ship, which appears to be the basis for what became John Harrison's small-craft that he attacked Starfleet HQ with:

You can see more artwork for both designs on Comic Book Movie and Film Sketcher. Film Sketcher also posted artwork and an interview with Andrea Dopaso, who worked on location design for Into Darkness, including stunning stuff like this concept for Nibiru:

Dopaso also worked on the look for Qo'noS; his comments on that design give some interesting insight into what they were aiming for in the production:

Scott wanted to achieved a red warm, seductive atmosphere for the primitive civilization of the Red Planet. But for the Klingon world he was looking for a planet devastated not only by continuous war, but the nature of the planet itself, consumed by toxic eruptions and chemicals spills of all sorts. This created a miserable condition for the life of its inhabitants.

Clothes on Film and Film Sketcher have also done features on the costume design, featuring the work of Keith Christensen, Michael Kaplan, Neville Page, and Constantine Sekeris. Here are a few examples: Klingons, Starfleet space dive suits, and alternative looks for the Nibirans:

 

Finally, Inventing Interactive have done an extensive feature on Jorge Almeida's work on the displays and interface designs in the film. The article includes lots of images at the images used on the displays, giving us a great look at the design of these sometimes difficult to make out bits of artwork. Here are a few examples:

Almeida noted how they approached the design of the Vengeance monitors:

The “Vengeance,” like the “Enterprise,” featured 4 sets of monitors that wrap around the top half of the bridge walls and act as a 360º radar monitor. Some of the images Scott had provided us felt like nautical maps, so I kept that in mind when coming up with ideas. Thinking of the monitors as windows of a submarine, I tried to make what was happening outside feel slightly ominous and alive.

You can see many more examples of the user interface designs on Inventing Interactive, as well as Jorge Almeida own portfolio, and the company he work's for, OOOii's website.

Into Darkness Catch-Up Part 3: Production and effects

Next stop on my round-up of Into Darkness related bits and pieces (see previous promotion and music articles). This time I'm looking at the filming and effects of the movie; which with a film so effects heavy required close coordination. There are some great articles starting to show up on this subject now the film is out, but the most comprehensive and in depth by far is FX Guide's fantastic coverage. FX Guide TV has a brilliant twenty-six minute minute piece talking with members of the effects team, discussing their work in detail, they also have an article going through film sequence by sequence exploring how they made it. Some of my favourite facts revealed include:

• They were considering filming the Nibiru scenes on location, but still wanted to do a red jungle. They did tests, with the idea in mind that they could use make-up and costume designs in false colours, so they could then change the colouring of all the footage to shift the foliage to red, and make the characters the normal colours again! In the end they just built a red forest, but cool idea!
• Also from Nibiru, the animal Kirk shoots, McCoy's "ride" is in fact the "polarilla" from Delta Vega in the first film, they just took the hair off! They call this version a "niborilla".
• There was an animator on set when the attack on Starfleet HQ was filmed. They used animation sequences they had already planned to control the lighting rig that shone practical lights into the set, where the ship would late be added with CGI.

CG Society has also posted an article looking at Pixomondo's work on the film, in particular looking at the Qo'noS sequence. The article talks in depth about some of the technical challenges they faced building the huge digital city the ships zoom through, and also includes some beautiful stills showing off the new Klingon Bird of Prey, like these:

 

The Guardian has also had a look at the production of the film, getting several members of the crew to comment on various aspects of their work. Their article includes all sort of factoids, my favourite is an insight into the Qo'noS sequence: Production designer Scott Chambliss noted:

Kronos has quite a classical influence. The quadrant of the city where the action takes place is sort of an interpretation of the Roman Colosseum, the warrens below the Colosseum floor.

For a less in-depth look at the production, Paramount has released a slightly longer version of the making-of promo featurette:



For more on the production of the film, the July issue of Cinefex is set to feature Into Darkness, and also has an excellent starship filled cover:

Finally, Simon Pegg tweeted this photo, showing off his brilliant shirt from the bar scene!