Thursday 27 August 2020

Prop Store's latest auction offers Star Trek production pieces from across the universe

Prop Store are today auction of lots of movie and TV stuff in their Entertainment Memorabilia auction, and that includes a huge range of production pieces from all corners of the Star Trek universe. They have some great pieces on offer, including miniatures, matte paintings, concept art, props, and alien prosthetics. I've picked out a few favourites below, although if you want to get any yourself, you'll need to be quick, the auction is in progress today!

My personal favourite is this beautiful study model from the design of Earth Spacedock, from the production of The Search For Spock:


Lower Decks 1x04: Moist Vessel previews, and other series updates

This week will shortly bring us the fourth episode of Lower Decks, Moist Vessel, and ahead of its release CBS have shared lots of promo clips and images. Continue below for a taste of this episode, and all the latest Lower Decks images, video, and art:

First up we have the episode trailer, which as ever has been graciously uploaded to YouTube by Nación Trek:



Wednesday 26 August 2020

Hell's Mirror, mirror-Khan comic, covers and excerpt

Out this week is IDW's latest mirror universe comic, Hell's Mirror. The TOS story, a one-shot, features Khan Noonien Singh, with a suitable twist for his mirror-self.

The book is written by J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Matthew Dow Smith, and colours from Candice Han. You can find this in two different covers, either the main one, also by Smith, or a retail incentive by George Caltsoudas. Naturally both feature Khan.

By way of a micro-review, it's a cracking tale, with a very satisfying alternate life for Khan. My favourite of IDW's growing collection of mirror universe stories by far.

Continue below to check out the covers, and a five-page preview:

Saturday 22 August 2020

IDW's November Star Trek comics, latest Graphic Novel Collection titles, and more comic updates

IDW have announced their solicitations for November, which include the start of a new Voyager miniseries, and a Gary Seven origin story! Continue below for all the details of those, plus the latest books in Eaglemoss' Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection (including the first ever reprint of a super rare Brazilian comic), and other Star Trek comic updates.

The big news from IDW's latest announcements is that November will see the start of their first ever Voyager comic miniseries (and only second ever stand-alone Voyager comic, following the one-shot mirror universe tale Mirrors and Smoke). The four-part series will be focused on Seven of Nine, and is called Seven’s Reckoning, and will be written by Dave Baker, with art by Angel Hernandez, and colours by Ronda Pattison. Here's the blurb for issue one:
After Voyager encounters a damaged alien ship deep in the Delta quadrant, what at first seems to be a simple repair mission becomes much more complicated for Seven of Nine as she becomes involved in an ancient conflict that will put her newfound humanity to the test. From writer Dave Baker (Action Hospital, F*ck Off Squad, Star Trek: Waypoint) and artist Angel Hernandez (Star Trek: Picard Countdown, Star Trek/Green Lantern).
The first issue will be offered in at least three covers. Either the A cover by Angel Hernandez, a B photo-cover, or a retail incentive cover by Jefferey Veregge. So far just the Hernandez design has been revealed:



Thursday 20 August 2020

Star Trek Online's new support carriers

Star Trek Online have introduced a new range of "support carrier" ships to the game.

Available in designs from the Jem'Hadar, Romulans, Klingons, and Caitians (the latter the Federation entry), the large ships all feature two hangers, and come pre-equipped with a support frigate and squadron and fighters. In each case those support ships are repurposed pre-existing designs.

The hangers can each support either two support frigates, or six squadrons, if you get hold of more - The latter is a new function that operates a group of smallcraft instead of just one, so each carrier is able to hold six squadrons each, and so are able to deploy thirty-six fighters, plus two frigates.

Continue below to check out the details of each design, plus some other STO ship updates.

My favourite of the bunch if the Jem’Hadar Vanguard Support Carrier, because it's a cracking new Jem'Hadar design:


Wednesday 19 August 2020

DS9: Too Long a Sacrifice #2 covers and excerpt

Out this week is the second issue of IDW's DS9 comic miniseries, Too Long a Sacrifice. This time we get an Odo and Worf team-up, as the crime fighting duo try to find out more about the explosive start to the case, as seen in the previous issue.

The book, and series, is written by Scott and David Tipton, with art by Greg Scott and colourist Felipe Sobreiro. This issue is available in a choice of three covers: Either the A cover by Richardo Drumond, featuring Odo and an ominous shadowy figure. The B cover is a photo cover, also featuring Odo. And there's also a retail incentive cover, with art by JK Woodward, and you guessed it, Odo again, this time with a few suspects he's pondering.

Continue below to check out all those covers, and a five-page preview, plus some detailed on the Picard: Countdown omnibus, which is also out this week.


Tuesday 18 August 2020

Fansets launch more full size prop pins, plus all the latest character pins from across the Trekverse

Collectable pin makers Fansets have been busy as ever lately with lots of pins based on Picard, and the promise of lots of Lower Decks pins coming first. They've also got a healthy sprinkling of designs spanning almost every corner of the Trekverse too. Continue below to check out all the latest.

Fansets' newest thing is branching out into full size prop pins, which are strictly collectable pins and definitely not prop replicas (as they make a point of pointing out quite a lot, I dare say for licensing agreement purposes!).

Their newest release is one that should please 24th century fans, a full size reproduction of the Voyager combadge, also seen in DS9, TNG movies, and Picard flashbacks. This has a nice matte finish, just like the original prop, and a double pin-back to make it extra secure - But remember folks, this isn't a prop replica, no sirree. I mean, who would ever think of wearing this pin-on-able thing that looks like a prop often worn on a costume? What a weird idea that would be...


Monday 17 August 2020

Lower Decks round-up: Temporal Edict previews, behind the scenes, merch and more!

Got all the latest Lower Deck's bit and pieces here, including previews of the third episode, Temporal Edict, the latest clips, stills, and graphics, behind the scenes bits and bobs, and new merch, including the new weekly T-shirt design. Continue below to check it all out!

First up, a general season trailer, and a pretty funny one too, focused on Mariner (which is also on Instagram if you're geolocked out of the YouTube version):



Friday 14 August 2020

Star Trek novel news: A Contest of Principles cover, and More Beautiful Than Death and Die Standing exceprts

Star Trek novel news aplenty in this update, including new covers and new excerpts from TOS, Kelvin, and Discovery books. Continue below for all the latest.

First up a brand new cover, for the next TOS novel, Greg Cox's A Contest of Principles. This new design has just popped up recently on the Simon and Schuster Digital Catalog, and is a strikingly new take on Star Trek cover design. I like it!


Wednesday 12 August 2020

Non-Fiction previews: The Motion Picture, Dan Curry, and Voyager books

Lots of new previews for forthcoming Star Trek non-fiction books have been released, giving us a peak inside the new books dedicated to The Motion Picture, Voyager, and the wide ranging work of visual effects master Dan Curry. Continue below to check out preview pages from them all!

First up, the film that redefined the look of Trek in a way that echoes until this day, and brought Star Trek to the big screen. Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Inside the Art and Visual Effects is set to give us a look at how that film was created, and is packed full of beautiful imagery.

The book is written by Jeff Bond and Gene Kozicki, and will be coming from Titan Books next month (although some are in the wild already). Here's a reminder of the blurb:
The official guide to the film artistry of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Forty years ago, Star Trek: The Motion Picture brought Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew to the big screen and changed the course of the Star Trek franchise. Now, celebrate this landmark anniversary by discovering the visual artistry that made this an enduring science fiction classic. For the first time ever, explore archival material created by legendary Star Trek collaborators, including Robert Abel, Syd Mead, Ralph McQuarrie, Andrew Probert, and Ken Adams.

Monday 10 August 2020

Lower Decks round-up: Season trailer, Ready Room, posters, art, and more

With the series now underway, there's lots of ongoing Lower Decks promotion coming from CBS. Continue below for the return of The Ready Room, some fun character posters, clips and stills, and artwork from the series.

First up, the trailer for the season, with lots of new footage from future episodes. The ever helpful Nación Trek were good enough to get it up on YouTube, but if you prefer more official channels, you'll also find it on StarTrek.com and Instagram.



Saturday 8 August 2020

Paramount considering where to go next with Star Trek movies

It seems Paramount are taking a fresh look at their Star Trek movie options. According to Deadline, the new President of Motion Picture Group At Paramount, Emma Watts is apparently considering what path is best to take, in a hope of revitalising the movie wing of the franchise. Deadline's reporting of reveals new details of previously announced projects in development, and where they currently stand as prospects.

What Deadline have a feel of, is that while Paramount see some of the scripts they have in the works as good potential spin-offs - Working as stand-alones akin to Logan next to the wider X-Men franchise - They feel a need to first revitalise a core movie franchise, and to build on that.

Lower Decks Shirt Collective has begun

To mark the release of each episode of Lower Decks, the animation studio behind the series, Titmouse, are producing a special T-shirt, available for one week only, from their Titmouse Stuff store.

You can pick up each design weekly, or subscribe to the whole collection for a discount, and get an extra bonus design too. After each new episode airs a new shirt becomes available, and the previous design is vaulted for the rest of time - They only print what is ordered.
Continue below for a closer look.

Week one brings us aboard the USS Cerritos, and the T-shirt design supplies us with a "general purpose garment" for use on the ship. Here's how Titmouse describe it:
Welcome to Starfleet, ensign! Bravery! Leadership! Ambition! These are all concepts that you can forget about when you're relegated to the lower decks of the U.S.S. Cerritos. Don't complain, someone's gotta do the grunt work around here. Here's your standard-issue general purpose garment in glorious HEATHERED GRAY and mysterious FAIRLY DARK BLUE! Featuring the exterior top view of the ship that you're inside the bottom of!
And the neat thing about the shirts is, Titmouse promote them by having the characters model them:


Friday 7 August 2020

Picard soundtrack comes to vinyl

Lakeshore Records have announced the details of their forthcoming vinyl edition of Jeff Russo's Star Trek Picard season one soundtrack. The two-disc release, due in October, will feature 24 tracks from the first season's score, and is presented on striking Borgish-green splatter discs. Continue below to check out the package, and for the track listing:


Year Five #13: Guide of Fire, part 1 preview

Out this week from IDW is Star Trek Year Five #13, the start of a new story arc in the series, the Klingon-focused Guide of Fire. As well as Klingons, this issue is stuffed full of wider Starfleet goodies, which should please starship fans, with a whole fleet ready to welcome the Enterprise back to Federation space. The issue also sees The Motion Picture design elements starting to appear, including new uniforms!

The book is written by Year Five showrunners Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with Angel Hernandez on art duties, coloured by Fran Gamboa.

As ever for the series, the book is available in two covers: Either the main cover, by Stephen Thompson, which features a wide range of starships, and was coloured by Charlie Kirchoff. Or there's the retail incentive cover from JJ Lendl, with a retro style movie poster to kick off the new story-arc.

Continue below to check out the covers and a five page preview, plus some other Year Five updates:

Tuesday 4 August 2020

Lower Decks round-up: 23 weeks of Trek, international distribution, stills, clips, billboards, art, and more!

With Lower Decks soon to start, CBS have been busy pumping out lots of promo. Continue below for the latest images and clips, and update on (the hope of) international distribution, billboards and social media graphics, and some cool art from the creators of the show.

First though, new promos for both Lower Decks and Discovery promise a forthcoming 23 week period of new Star Trek. Here's the banner version:


And here's the trailer (also on Instagram if you're geolocked out), which features some new clips from both shows:



Saturday 1 August 2020

Volante Design's Captain Pike jacket

Volante Design, makers of cool jackets based on Starfleet uniforms, have dropped their latest design, the Starfleet 2257, aka, the Captain Pike jacket. The gloriously yellow jacket is based on the Discovery Enterprise command uniform, and is a pretty loyal recreation:


The jacket is made from water-resistant stretch cotton sateen fabric, which has a "luxurious brushed feel". Rather neatly, it has a badge backing pocket, to hold the magnet backer if you choose to wear it with a QMx magnetic replica badge (so you can ping the badge of without fear the back will fall away to places unknown). Improving on the actual uniform it has two external pockets, plus an internal one. Best of all, it just looks damn cool!

There's just one little catch, for the time being, they're only going to make 25 of them! So if you want one, better get in there quick. They're expecting to ship this month. Continue below to check out more pictures: