A peak inside that new part-work that never was

A week or so ago I reported on Rick Sternbach's comments on a new part work magazine, which would have seen readers build up a technical manual of the Enterprise-D and build a detailed model to go with it. Now, thanks to an anonymous commenter on that post, I can show you a sample of this abandoned project.

It seems Rick Sternbach is currently selling all sorts of Star Trek stuff on eBay; something of an Aladdin’s cave for any collectors of Star Trek production art, props, and such. Amongst these items are a set of schematics, and a foam-core mock-up, of an Enterprise-D lifeboat. These were designed for the cancelled magazine, and the listing includes this teasing peak at what that publication would have looked like:

Here are a few of the pictures of the drawings and mock-up:

 

 

 

Both lots offer scans of the relevant pages with the items. I wonder if it's too late for this new material to be wrapped up into a new colour edition of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, in time for TNG's 25th anniversary next year...

STO goes free-to-play in January

An IGN article has announced the launch date of Star Trek Online's move to free-to-play, and that date is the 17th of January 2012. The article talks about the new in-game and real world economy that will accompany this move, and shows of the revamped intro movie:

Chain of Destiny

Simon and Schuster have updated some of their listings for David R. George's TNG-era duology, and now list the two books under his prefered titles Plagues of Night and Raise the Dawn (rather than the stand-in titles At the Prophet's Door and The Founder's Tears). The new listings also give the series a title: Chain of Destiny.

Thanks to TrekBBS user DarkHorizon for pointing it out.

HD TNG, SD for 13 seconds...

TVShowsonDVD.com have reported on an update issued by CBS on Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level, the TNG HD sampler bluray. While CBS have been restoring the episodes from the original negatives, it turns out there is at least one gap in the archive, meaning for thirteen seconds this release will be using upconverted SD footage:

"Sins of the Father" - 13 seconds of the original film elements for this episode have not been located and thus have been upconverted from Standard Definition videotape.

Let's hope it doesn't stand out too badly.

Amazon.de seems to remain the only place you can pre-order the set for now. While Amazon.com have (rather optimistically) added listings not just for TNG and Enterprise on bluray (which have been up for a while) but now for DS9, Voyager, and TAS too.

Check out Brazil's tinned Star Trek

Googling about, as I do, today I came across a Brazilian release of the complete Star Trek: The Original Series on DVD. Released at about the same time, it appears to be a lot like this year’s European DVD and bluray releases of the complete series – Same artwork, and even the same uninspiring artless grey discs. But the Brazilian version comes in a metal tin!

Inside said tin you get six normal DVD cases each containing half a season, rather than the flappy cardboard European version:

I think overall I prefer the European version a bit more as it’s very compact. But still, it’s in a tin; that’s cool!

First tiny preview of Ships of the Line 2013!

Andrew Probert has recently asked the trekkie community for thoughts on the registration code that might use on a Starfleet tug. Why? Well, one is to feature in his contribution to the 2013 edition of the Ships of the Line calendar. Here's what he told the TrekBBS about his new tug design, and the tiny preview image he released:

You're seeing a flat work/repair/recovery-storage area on the bottom (upside-down) and a 4-dock lifeboat recovery section on the other side (top), which includes a small shuttle bay at the back. These 'Tugs' are equipped with eight 'Sphinx' Utility Craft to assist in various ways, dispatched from a side bay.

Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #2 preview

StarTrek.com has posted a cover gallery and seven-page preview for this week's second issue of Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes. Here's Gabriel Rodriguez' retail incentive cover for the issue:

And, after the jump, the seven-page preview:

Behold, the USS Demeter

Mark Rademaker has been teasing us with hints at his design for the Theophrastus class USS Demeter, from the latest Voyager novels, for a while. And now at last he has given us the full view of his beautiful super-sleek Andorian/Vulcan slipstream ringship design:

Could this be the dawn of Starfleet's ringship renaissance...

UPDATE: Mark has been posting some interesting comments on the design:

The ring itself will stay in this form. The lighter uppper part is probably going to be a translucent or fully magnetic confined plasma stream.

And thoughts on the future of slipstream:

As for the ship design requirements of QSD: I would compare it with the first airplanes, they all followed a certain guideline. Most if not all with dual or triple wing design to get enough lift. Quantum Slipstream ships in this era all are made narrower to be more efficient within the conduit. I'm pretty sure that in a span of 20 years (in universe) the ships can have necks, full saucers and wider shapes again. The limitation in design will fade away because of evolved understanding and technology. However most Andorian and Vulcan ships have always been more narrow, so they probably wont change much anyway.

Second TNG deck building game coming from Bandai in January

Bandai have announced details of their next Star Trek card game, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Next Phase Edition, which can be played on its own or combined with their first set, the Premier Edition.

Here's how they describe this second set, which is out in January:

You are the Captain of a small Starship with a standard crew and basic weaponry. Will you use your crew’s experience to improve your ships systems or to recruit more experienced crewmen to your ship? Will you form diplomatic relationships or conquer civilizations in battle? Build your deck and explore the Star Trek universe!

Play these different scenarios or create your own!

[Free For All] Exploration – Explore the universe, interact with alien races, complete missions and experience the mysteries of space. Gain knowledge and power to become a legendary Captain!

[Teams] Reunification – Team-up and determine if you are in favor of peace or war in the Alpha Quadrant! What will be the future of the Federation?

[Co-op] Borg Invasion II – “I am the Borg.” This time the Borg Queen has arrived to assimilate planet Earth! Work with your fellow players to defeat the Borg and the Queen.

Bandai have also announced a game mat to play the TNG game on, featuring the Enterprise-D. That's out at the end of the month:

STO's latest starship variants

The Star Trek Online Cryptic Store has been updated with their latest remixes of classic ships, this time based on the Intrepid and Saber classes:

Bellerophon class

A variation of the Intrepid class, the Long Range Science Vessel Refit: Bellerophon Class takes its name from the U.S.S. Bellerophon, an Intrepid Class vessel commanded by Admiral William Ross during the Dominion War. The Bellerophon Class comes equipped with a Nadeon Detonator Module. This console modification allows you to alter a Photon Torpedo so it generates a Photonic Shockwave upon impact. The Nadeon Detonator Module may be equipped on any Science Vessel in any console slot.

Gladius class

A variant on the Saber Class that saw extensive action during the Dominion War, the Gladius has an updated look and technology for Starfleet captains in the 25th century. The Gladius Class comes equipped with an Impulse Capacitance Cell that can create an Impulse Burst, greatly increasing the ship's speed and defense in combat for a short period of time. This console may be equipped in any console slot of any Escort.