Incredibuilds wooden starship model kits revealed

Insight Editions are adding two new Star Trek releases to their range of Incredibuilds book and model kits. Featured will be the USS Enterprise from TOS, and USS Enterprise-D from TNG, both rendered in laser-cut wood, and coming with a 32-page book detailing each ship written by Star Trek novelist Dayton Ward.

UPDATE: Dayton has now blogged about these releases, including a description of what he has done in the books:

For both Enterprise editions, I took a similar approach, so you’ll get a brief rundown of the ship and their place in Starfleet history, as well as a look at each filming model’s design and creation for their respective television series. Lots of pictures are jammed into both books, as well.

As for the models: The parts pop out of a sheet of wood, and snap together with ease, following the included instructions, which also have suggestions for further crafting projects using the models (some of which are pretty cool as you'll see below). StarTrek.com and Australian retailer Dicebox have released images of both kits, continue below to check them out.

We'll start with the Enterprise-D, which for something made out of flat bits of wood is a pleasingly solid and curvy:

Voyager: Architects of Infinity previews

Out now is Architects of Infinity, the latest book in Kirsten Beyer's series of Voyager novels set after the TV series, during the Project Full Circle mission back to the Delta Quadrant. Here's a reminder of the blurb, and continue below to read and/or listen to excerpts from both the print and audio editions of the book.

As the Federation Starship Voyager continues to lead the Full Circle Fleet in its exploration of the Delta Quadrant, Admiral Kathryn Janeway remains concerned about the Krenim Imperium and its ability to rewrite time to suit its whims. At Captain Chakotay's suggestion, however, she orders the fleet to focus its attention on a unique planet in a binary system, where a new element has been discovered. Several biospheres exist on this otherwise uninhabitable world, each containing different atmospheres and features that argue other sentient beings once resided on the surface. Janeway hopes that digging into an old-fashioned scientific mystery will lift the crews' morale, but she soon realizes that the secrets buried on this world may be part of a much larger puzzle—one that points to the existence of a species whose power to reshape the galaxy might dwarf that of the Krenim.

Meanwhile, Lieutenants Nancy Conlon and Harry Kim continue to struggle with the choices related to Conlon’s degenerative condition. Full Circle’s medical staff discovers a potential solution, but complications will force a fellow officer to confront her people’s troubled past and her own future in ways she never imagined…

New silver starship coins from the Royal Canadian Mint

The Royal Canadian Mint are releasing a series of new starship focused designs in their ongoing range of Star Trek coins. The new releases feature the USS Enterprise-D, USS Voyager, and Enterprise NX-01.

All three designs feature colour prints of the ship, with glow in the dark spacey backgrounds and illuminated parts of the ships. Each coin has a face value of ten Canadian dollars, although they are all cast in silver, and so their actual value (and cost) is several times that ($65). There will be 10,000 of each coin minted. Continue below to check them all out.

Latest Star Trek novel covers and audiobook updates

A few book updates today, with news of the latest audiobooks and covers for forthcoming Discovery, Voyager, and Prometheus books.

We'll start with the first look at the cover for the third Discovery novel, James Swallow's Saru book, Fear Itself. A little oddly the cover has been revealed thanks only to listings of the audiobook on Amazon/Audible, which does mean this is the square format audiobook edition of the cover - The print version will most likely be the same sort of thing, but maybe slightly rearranged to crop it into the portrait shape.

Discovery bonus scene hints at Emperor Georgiou's future, plus season 2 updates

At the Wondercon Convention today a Star Trek: Discovery panel premiered a new bonus scene from the final episode of Discovery, giving us more than a hint of where we might next see Emperor Georgiou, and confirming what many have speculated about those mysterious black Starfleet badges. Check it out (US geo-locked stream):

In this EXCLUSIVE BONUS SCENE from the season 1 finale of #StarTrekDiscovery​, Mirror Georgiou receives a surprise invitation from Leland (@alanvansprang) to join a mysterious organization. *Spoiler Warning* Season 1 now streaming: https://t.co/KoUK3vJfGz pic.twitter.com/BVymEYr6Up

— Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) March 24, 2018

IDW announce a third TNG mirror universe comic series! Plus new comic covers

IDW must really have hit on something successful with their TNG mirror universe comics, as coming hot on the heels of their second mirror-miniseries, April's weekly released Through the Mirror, they have now announced a third miniseries in the ongoing saga: Terra Incognita, a six-part series to start in July. Here's how they describe it in the press release:

This six-issue miniseries reveals unique, focused stories where beloved characters find themselves in new, unfamiliar situations, in a format echoing the “done-in-one” nature of the television series. However, each issue also features a subtle throughline of an evil Mirror Universe crewmember established in the Mirror Broken and Through the Mirror series remaining on the ship, wreaking havoc while posing as his prime universe counterpart. Featuring the best of both the Mirror and original universes, Terra Incognita is a unique new step in this riveting saga.

Scott and David Tipton will be returning to write once more, this time joined by prolific Star Trek comics artist Tony Shasteen to illustrate.

Three covers for the first issue have been revealed already, via io9, which, without wishing to spoil things for you, do just ever so subtly hint at who the undercover mirror operative might be...

There is no B cover among these, so I would expect at least one more cover for this issue. So far we have a could-be-kinky cover A by Tony Shasteen. A cute Ten Forward scene by Elizabeth Beals for the retail incentive cover A, and a rather more menacing cast assemblage retail incentive cover B by J.K. Woodward.

New Eaglemoss starship models revealed: Niagara class, XL USS Defiant, Beyond Enterprise, Miranda variants, and more!

Eaglemoss have released their latest round of solicitations, giving us the first look at several new models in The Official Starships Collection. Continue below to check out those new models, plus new previews of other ships in the series, and hints of things to come.

Starting furthest ahead in the main series, issue 126, which should start to arrive in June, will be the latest in the fantastic miniseries of Battle of Wolf 359 kitbash ships we've been enjoying lately, the Niagara class USS Princeton. This quirky tri-nacelled ship looks rather nicer than I was anticipating, and we've got lots of images of it thanks to a Hero Collector blog preview as well as the solicitation image:

Closer look at QMx's Discovery cadet and black insignia badges

QMx have added new listings to their website for their forthcoming Discovery black and cadet insignia badges, with the option to sign up to be notified when both are available to order. With new listings come new images, so continue below for a closer look at both.

Both badges are based on the original costume pieces, and made from zinc alloy. Like all QMx's recent Star Trek insignia badges, they are held on with a non-damaging magnetic clasp. Here's the still mysterious black badge:

IDW's June Star Trek comics

IDW have released their solicitations for June, which include two new Star Trek comics, continue below for all the details, and other comics updates.

Succession #3
Written by Mike Johnson and Kirsten Beyer, wit art by Angel Hernandez.

Now it can be revealed! This miniseries, centered on the Mirror Universe of Star Trek: Discovery, delves deeper into the characters you only thought you knew…

The book will be available in four different covers, with the A cover by issue artist Angel Hernandez, and the B cover a photo-cover featuring Michael Burnham. There will also by two retail incentive covers, one by Yoshi Yoshitani, again featuring Burnam, and the other the latest in the series of ships cover by Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire. The two Burnham covers are the only ones so far released:

50 Artists 50 Years art, USS Discovery inspiration, production art, props, and more in latest Star Trek auction

Heritage Auctions are hosting an auction of entertainment memorabilia, with bidding due to start in a few days. Among the items are numerous Star Trek lots, including the artwork from the 50th anniversary travelling exhibition 50 Artists 50 Years, which CBS have been keen to promote in a recent press release.

But that's just one categories of Star Trek stuff available, the auction also features a host of Star Trek production artwork, props, costumes, and other behind the scenes bits and pieces, from most of the TV series and several films! Continue below to check out some of the highlights.

The stand-out lot for me is one of the mock-up models for the Ken Adams/Ralph McQuarrie concept USS Enterprise developed for the unmade movie Planet of the Titans. This ultimately appeared on-screen as a background ship a couple of times, but more importantly it was of course the inspiration for the design of our newest hero ship, the USS Discovery: