New IDW news from Mr Harris

Andrew Steven Harris has posted information on a whole bunch of new Trek stuff from IDW, that he expects official announcements for very soon.

On the DS9 front IDW apparently have an artist lined up, a painter, who has done covers for IDW Trek comics before (which gives a few possibilities, J.K. Woodward is the name that immediately pops into my head).

On the TNG front there's to be a new series titled Ghosts, which will be set in the TV era and see the TNG crew dealing with two warring factions on a world that wants to join the Federation (nothing like the soon to conclude TOS: Mission's End then...). The series will apparently take a CSI sort of style. That series has a writer, Alexander Cannon, and will have at least some covers by Joe Corroney (like that one>).

The previously mentioned Sulu-Excelsior story it turns out will be part of a new spotlight-style series called Captain's Log. Like Alien Spotlight the series will feature multiple creative teams, this time focusing on different commanding officers - Harris mentioned Jellico and Garrett, and fingers crossed for Riker on the Titan.

Beyond that Harris anticipates more omnibuses from IDW, and possibly deluxe reprints of the movie tie-in series to cash in on the DVD release. And looking at IDW's general approach wonders whether we might see an on-going Trek series some time soon, in line with similar series announced for other IDW properties.

Read all the details, here.

Mission's End #5 preview and Best of Kirk cover

TrekMovie have posted a five page preview of this weeks concluding issue of the (excellent) Mission's End series, here's one page:

See the rest, here. Which is where TrekMovie also revealed the finalised cover of the "Best of Captain Kirk" omnibus, which is also out this week.

New move comics, prequels, sequels and inbetwequels!

TrekMovie have posted an interview with Tim Jones and Mike Johnson discussing their various comic book tie-ins with the new movie. Highlights and newsoids include:

• Insights into their approach to the new movie adaptation; going back to early drafts of the scripts to find new angles on events and such.
• Confirmation the Nero series wont be repeated within the events of the adaptation.
• A few hints on Nero, which will feature "a sort of famous Klingon", a new Human character, and a Spock.
• Plans for a prequel to Countdown showing Data's return and rise to captaincy, and how the rest of the TNG gang have been moving about.
• After that a desire to do a post-Countdown TNG series.
• And the earliest hint of a potential for a Countdown-like tie-in prequel for the next film when it comes about.

The article discusses all those projects in detail, check it out, here.

Latest ship design from Star Trek Online

The Ships of the Line section of the Star Trek Online website has been updated with specs on a new Klingon super carrier, the Vo'Quv class.

This entry also seems to premier a new approach to ship pages; if you click on the main image you get a big angled view of the ship, and the article itself has several orthographic views.

More on new movie DVD

New and different packaging shoots for the new movie DVD and bluray release have been released, looking like this:

There's also a new website up with a preview video for the DVD; well worth a watch to wet your appetite.

Star Trek XI comic adaptation

The San Diego Comic Con is generating a few snippets of news on next year's adaptation of the new Star Trek movie. As Newsarama reports from IDW's panel, the writers apparently deliberately avoided doing an adaptation at first, but after much demand devised a way to do it as a fresh take on the story, making a "writer’s cut" with new take on the original script.

Care of IDW forum user Ro-Dan we also have a first bit of preview art for the series: UPDATE: Image removed at the request of TPTB, not approved yet apparently.

IDW in Germany and TNG after Countdown

Chris Ryall and Andrew Steven Harris have both released some new David Messina art used on the German versions of Intelligence Gathering and Mirror Images:

Additionally Mr Harris has been writing about a new TNG series he expects from IDW in mid-2010, set after Countdown. He anticipates the series will be written and illustrated by the Countdown/Nero collective of Tim Jones and Mike Johnson, with art by David Messina. Good times. He also expects some more TNG Alien Spotlight issues to be announced soon (and about time too!).

Wrath of Khan soundtrack

The Wrath of Khan, the film that keeps on giving, has generated another new product, in the form of a new extended soundtrack featuring all the wonderful music from the film. It has all these tracks:

1. Main Title (3:06)
2. Surprise on Ceti Alpha V (0:45)
3. Khan’s Pets (4:19)
4. The Eels of Ceti Alpha V/Kirk in Space Shuttle (3:53)
5. Enterprise Clears Moorings (3:33)
6. Chekov Lies (0:40)
7. Spock (1:12)
8. Kirk Takes Command/He Tasks Me (2:07)
9. Genesis Project (3:16)
10. Surprise Attack (5:07)
11. Kirk’s Explosive Reply (4:01)
12. Inside Regula I (1:35)
13. Brainwashed (1:24)
14. Captain Terrell’s Death (1:58)
15. Buried Alive (0:57)
16. The Genesis Cave (1:09)
17. Battle in the Mutara Nebula (8:07)
18. Enterprise Attacks Reliant (1:29)
19. Genesis Countdown (6:34)
20. Spock Dies (1:53)
21. Amazing Grace (1:26)
22. Epilogue/End Title (8:41)
23. Epilogue (original version)/End Title (7:29)

And is available from Film Score Monthly.

TNG, TOS and new-Trek DVDs and Bluray

There's all sort of DVD and Blurays on the way: The TNG movies released on bluray and DVD, the TOS movies already out on bluray on DVD too, TOS season 2 which is also already on DVD coming to bluray, and more on the new movie in both formats.

The TNG movies come in a box set (First Contact alone will be released individually). The both formats have lots of extra features, though the bluray set has a lot more. Highlights include commentaries on every film, most with two or three different commentaries. Various behind the scenes featurettes. A feature called "Brent Spiner: Data and Beyond" which is spread in four parts across the film series. Deleted scenes for all but First Contact. And a fifth disc "Star Trek Evolutions" which contains The Evolution of the Enterprise, Villains of Star Trek, I Love the Star Trek Movies, Farewell to Star Trek: The Experience, Klingon Encounter, Borg Invasion 4D and Charting the Final Frontier. For a full list of features check this article at DVD Active. Box looks like this:

DVD Active also have some (early) box art for the new movie, the 2-disc DVD and bluray looks like this:


And single disc DVD like this:

Additionally, Play.com have an exclusive "steelbook" packaging for the bluray on preorder, which looks rather nice:

2390 Online

The Star Trek Online website has been updated with the 2390 entry in The Path to 2409.

This year sees the Federation not having much effect trying to make the Klingons and Gorn stop warring. The over-stretched Klingons making less of an effort to attack vulnerable and not-very-threatening Romulan space. More arguing about holographic rights. And a hint of Species 8472 making incursions into local space.