The Collectors cover

Just a few weeks away is the latest Star Trek ebook, The Collectors, the third entry in Christopher L. Bennett's Department of Temporal Investigations series, and first novella length story for Dulmur, Lucsly, and co. StarTrek.com have now released the cover for the new book, which follows the same swirly clock motif as the rest of the series:

I posted the blurb a few days ago, but in case you missed it:

The dedicated agents of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations have their work cut out for them protecting the course of history from the dangers of time travel. But the galaxy is littered with artifacts that, in the wrong hands, could threaten reality. One of the DTI's most crucial jobs is to track down these objects and lock them safely away in the Federation’s most secret and secure facility. When Agents Lucsly and Dulmur bring home an alien obelisk of incredible power, they are challenged by a 31st-century temporal agent who insists they surrender the mysterious artifact to her. But before they know it, the three agents are pulled into a corrupted future torn apart by a violent temporal war. While their DTI colleagues attempt to track them down, Lucsly and Dulmur must restore temporal peace by setting off on an epic journey through the ages, with the future of the galaxy hanging in the balance...

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp, iTunes.

Better look at the new Star Trek UglyDolls

Coming early next year is the new Star Trek themed collection of UglyDolls. Five characters will be available, offered as both large plushes, and small clip-ons. Entertainment Earth have now added listing for the whole range, with better quality images than those previously released. So continue below to check out Wage as Captain Kirk, Ox as Spock, Ice-Bat as Scotty, Babo as Doctor McCoy, and Tray as Uhura:

Star Trek Magazine #179 preview

Out in January will be the one-hundred-and-seventy-ninth (or fifty-second in the US) edition of the Star Trek Magazine. This issue is set to focus on Voyager, as the series enters it's twentieth anniversary year (!). Things From Another World have revealed both the regular and Previews exclusives covers, and posted a blurb:

Can you believe it's 20 years since the U.S.S. Voyager was thrown light years across the galaxy and into the unknown expanse of the Delta Quadrant? In issue #52 of the official Star Trek Magazine we look back at the seven-year run of this much loved series, featuring exclusive interviews with series co-creator Rick Berman, and stars Ethan Phillips and Scarlett Pomers. We'll also be talking Janeway, revisiting Voyager's comic book adventures, and trekking across the convention circuit to uncover what draws fans to these massive events. Plus your favorite features, competitions and the latest Star Trek news! Available in Newsstand and PREVIEWS Exclusive cover editions!

The Q Gambit, part 4 preview

As well as the final issue in the City of the Edge of Forever series, this week also delivers the fourth issue in The Q Gambit, the six-part DS9 crossover story in the nuTrek ongoing comic series. Continue below for a five page preview of this issue:

City of the Edge of Forever #5 preview

Out this week is the fifth and final issue in the comic book adaptation of Harlan Ellison's original teleplay for City on the Edge of Forever. Continue below for a five-page preview of the final chapter:

Review: Star Trek Pop-Ups

I love pop-up books. I only own a few, but they are probably the most frequently visited in my library, and the ones I like to show to friends. So I was delighted to learn I would be able to enjoy another thing I love in pop-up form, with the release of the new Star Trek Pop-Ups book. Continue below for my thoughts on this newly released book.

The book is huge, the largest Star Trek book I own, at 31x34cm. It also has a curious padded cover, which makes it a bit squishy to hold. Inside there are seven two-page spreads of pop-ups, designed by Courtney Watson McCarthy, plus another pop-up-free pair of pages providing an introduction. The book covers all the prime universe live action series, with ships and characters representing ordinary and extraordinary takes on Star Trek. The text of the book by Paula Block and Terry Erdmann (not credited in the actual book, but widely listed by online book sellers), is written from a real world perspective, with the introduction giving an overview of Star Trek, and each page then giving behind the scenes stories that led to the creation of the particular scene being brought to life in the pop-up.

The first spread in the book is a celebration of the original USS Enterprise, based on The Corbomite Maneuver, which means the beautiful remastered version of the First Federation ship Fesarius gets to feature as the bright yellow backdrop. A couple of the Fesarius' orbs also pop out with the Enterprise. The Enterprise is boldly presented as a fully 3D model, rather than just a flat image standing up-right - an ambitious decision given all the rounded shapes on that ship. Some of the pop-ups work from all viewing angles, some are better off seen just from the designed viewing angle of the book - The latter is true of this spread, but it looks fantastic from that angle, and the way it unfurls as you open the pages is quite delightful; it makes the Enterprise seem so alive.

The next spread is also TOS based, giving us the Kirk in a pile of tribbles scenes from The Trouble with Tribbles. This is technically the simplest pop-up in the book, made from several layered images that are made 3D with a single fold. But it's also one of the most effective renditions; the layers of tribbles give a really nice sense of their abundance.

The third pop-up takes us into the movie era, and is probably my favourite of the book, featuring the Klingon Bird of Prey swooping under the Golden Gate Bridge, from the end of The Voyage Home. Like the Enterprise, this has a very satisfying animation as you open the pages, and works even better here, as it seems the Bird of Prey is flying towards you, with its wings adjusting as you open. The delicate layers of detail in the background bridge make the whole scene seem very real too.

The Collectors blurb

Out next month is the third story in Christopher L. Bennett's Department of Temporal Investigations series, the first ebook novella, following the previous two novels. The blurb for The Collectors has now been released, and it seems like Dulmur and Lucsly are set for a grand adventure after an encounter with 31st century temporal agent, Jena Noi:

An all-new Star Trek e-novella featuring the Department of Temporal Investigations!

The dedicated agents of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations have their work cut out for them protecting the course of history from the dangers of time travel. But the galaxy is littered with artifacts that, in the wrong hands, could threaten reality. One of the DTI's most crucial jobs is to track down these objects and lock them safely away in the Federation’s most secret and secure facility. When Agents Lucsly and Dulmur bring home an alien obelisk of incredible power, they are challenged by a 31st-century temporal agent who insists they surrender the mysterious artifact to her. But before they know it, the three agents are pulled into a corrupted future torn apart by a violent temporal war. While their DTI colleagues attempt to track them down, Lucsly and Dulmur must restore temporal peace by setting off on an epic journey through the ages, with the future of the galaxy hanging in the balance...

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp, iTunes.

There's no cover out for this one yet, it should turn up soon, as there's less than a month until the book is out, but generally the ebook covers are released much closer to publication date than the print releases.

First look at Paramount London's Star Trek attraction

Paramount are busy working on several attractions around the world, with many to include Star Trek components. One of those is in the UK; Paramount London (actually located some way to the east of London), which is currently going through a consultation phase before work really gets going, towards a target of a 2020 opening. This is mostly for the benefit of people locally effected, with details of how the theme park will effect local life, infrastructure, employment, public spaces and such. But the latest presentations also include some new concept art for the park, including the Star Trek themed Starfleet Command zone:

Continue after a jump for a look at the concept art from other areas of the park:

This Month: November 2014

November is the thinnest month for Star Trek fiction in a while, with no ebook, and just one new comic release. But there's plenty of other Star Trek stuff to keep us going. Continue below to check out all this month's releases:

Fiction

This month's novel is a follow-up to The Fall, and much more. David Mack's Section 31: Disavowed picks up Bashir's story, and the Section 31 arc which has run through the books for years, in Section 31: Abyss, Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game, and The Fall: A Ceremony of Losses. And more still, as the book also picks up on the Mirror Universe story, some years after Rise Like Lions, and the Breen's devious plans from Cold Equations: Silent Weapons! Here's the blurb:

Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, and answerable to no one, Section 31 is the mysterious covert operations division of Starfleet, a rogue shadow group committed to safeguarding the Federation at any cost. Doctor Julian Bashir sacrificed his career for a chance to infiltrate Section 31 and destroy it from within. Now it’s asking him to help it stop the Breen from stealing a dangerous new technology from the Mirror Universe—one that could give the Breen control over the galaxy. It’s a mission Bashir can’t refuse—but is it really the shot he’s been waiting for? Or is it a trap from which even his genetically enhanced intellect can’t escape?

Purchase:  Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp, Forbidden Planet, iTunes.

We're between miniseries from IDW this month, which means there's just one new Star Trek comic in November, issue thirty-nine of the nuTrek ongoing series, which is the penultimate issue of DS9 crossover series, The Q Gambit. Mike Johnson continues as writer for the series, with Tony Shasteen on art duties for the miniseries.

It's the penultimate chapter of the "The Q Gambit"! Captains Kirk and Sisko must work together to fight back against the forces of the Dominion! Meanwhile, Spock attempts to free the Enterprise and her crew from the clutches of the nefarious Dukat! And just what is Q planning for everyone involved? The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance in this all-new story produced in association with STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci!

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Forbidden Planet. 

Phaser

The most notable of the other releases this month is the new phaser replica from The Wand Company. The phase is a fully functioning gesture control universal remote, but is also possibly the most impressive recreation of a TOS phaser you can get your hands on. Based on laser scans of an original prop, the type-1 phaser is detachable and includes a pop-up target scope, there are also light and sound effects, and it comes with a magnetic stand and a carry case. You can find out much more about it, in my previous report.

Comic bits: New Visions previews and nuTrek covers

John Byrne regularly posts previews and work-in-progress from his New Visions photo-comic series on his forums, and the latest, which appears to be the cover for the sixth issue in the series, is one of the biggest teases yet. Behold, Resistance:

Byrne has apparently re-ordered his planned release order, to bring this issue forward in the run. He also posted an image of the sphere on its own.

This issue is due out in April, but Byrne and IDW are already looking much further ahead:

Chris Ryall and I have been discussing the possibility of some kind of Pike/Kirk/MovieKirk "crossover" for the Fiftieth Anniversary in 2016.

Byrne has even already started to play with images, working towards a possible cameo from his Frontier Doctor series:

I got to musing a bit, this evening, about the ways a possible Pike/Kirk/Movie Kirk story might unfold itself, and I wondered if I might go so far as to indulge myself in the third chapter with an appearance by one of MY characters, namely Theela, from LEONARD McCOY, FRONTIER DOCTOR.

That set me to pondering on who, of the actresses who have signed off on the use of their likenesses, I might recast as my Andorian girl. Almost immediately there sprang to mind Barbara Anderson, whose face had the right shape and fullness.

Hm! Gave her Theela's black eyes, and she looks even less like Mz Anderson!

A fun element, if I should decide to use Theela at some point, would be to establish her for those who did not read FRONTIER DOCTOR by doing a brief flashback to that series -- with photographs!!

I have not yet given much thought to the actual shape of this possible story -- will there be any physical meetings between the three captains? (Is that my title? "The Three Captains" to echo "The Three Doctors"?)

Upcoming -- I think it's the fourth issue -- is a "crossover" with Pike's crew and Kirk's, but only in the sense that something of common interest draws both into the story. Again, no actual meetings.

Continue after the jump for more Star Trek comics news: