Review: Picard season one on bluray

I recently rewatched Picard, via the bluray edition of the first season(ad). Continue below for my thoughts on the season as a whole (some vague spoiler discussion after the first few paragraphs), and the offering of extra features on the bluray.

The Story

Despite hearing it from the producers repeatedly when the series was being promoted, what really struck me in the rewatch was truly how much the series is like a long film. Not just that it feels like a film, but is a much more engaging experience to watch that way. 

So much so that I now really wish they're released the whole series as four or five two-hour-ish episodes. It would have been a bold departure from the normal format for Star Trek that I think would have done the story a great service. But with that not being the case, the whole series now being available, on bluray or streaming, we can still watch it like that anyway.

I liked Picard a lot watching it as it came out, but viewing back as a whole I really love it. The word that keeps coming to me thinking of it, is beautiful. For several reasons.

Eaglemoss' Star Trek Universe starships series opens for subscriptions and teases future ships

Eaglemoss' new Star Trek Universe: The Official Starships Collection(ad) is now open for subscriptions in the US - UDPDATE: And now in the UK(ad), Germany(ad), and other parts of Europe(ad) too - and the revamped website is teasing several forthcoming ships in the series, which will be a mixture of ships from all the currently in-production live action Star Trek series; Picard, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds. Continue below to check out all the new previews, and newly revealed details for the series.

Lower Decks season one bluray and DVD on the way

Lower Decks season one is getting its home video releases this May, with bluray(ad) and DVD(ad) sets available, including a steelbook(ad) version of the bluray. Continue below for all the details of the extra features and all the different formats.

The two-disc set will of course include all ten episodes of the first season, along with a nice selection of behind the scenes special features, some two hours worth, exploring the production of the series - Very welcome given this hasn't been as much a focus of CBS's social media around the series compared to the live action series. 

These promise a look at the animation process, the design of the opening titles, music of the series, and discussion of various in-universe subjects. There's also an all out movie-style trailer for the movie-style episode Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta, and deleted scenes.

Voyager Documentary crowd funder flies through stretch goals in just its first day!

A crowd funding campaign to make a Voyager Documentary has got off to a phenomenal start, just about tripling its initial goal to raise $150,000 to complete the film, in less than 24 hours. It's already flying through several layers of stretch goals to make the film longer and more elaborate.

The Voyager Documentary (snazzier title awaited) is being put together by 455 Films, who previously brought us the similar format DS9 documentary What We Left Behind(ad), as well as other Star Trek documentaries For The Love of Spock(ad), Chaos on the Bridge(ad), The Captains(ad), and Get a Life!(ad).

The previous DS9 documentary brought together cast and crew to reflect on the production and lasting legacy of the series, and the new Voyager documentary will presumably take a similar approach. 

With the impressive start to funding, they've already raised enough to make a longer film, with some nice graphics, and additional footage, and are well on the way to adding in some original music. The DS9 film ultimately raised almost $650,000, which also allowed them to undertake HD remastering of select clips for the film; a real highlight, with DS9 and Voyager the only Star Trek series not currently available in HD - So I'm very much hoping that will be the next stretch goal for this campaign too.

Eaglemoss starship updates: Picard Romulan Bird of Prey, XL La Sirena, STO's USS Shran, and more

Eaglemoss' latest round of solicitations have given first looks at several new starship models, including a couple of Picard ships and the latest in the Star Trek Online collection. Continue below to check out all those, and other Eaglemoss starship updates.

First up, the third issue of the new Star Trek Universe collection, which will eventually include ships from all the currently in-production live action series. The first ten issues are all set to focus on Picard though, and issue three is the refit classic Romulan Bird of Prey(ad). Eaglemoss have released several images of the model, but alas teases that they are, they're not showing off the underside and it's Bird of Prey print just yet!

Star Trek novel updates: First Coda blurbs, details of next DS9 novel, and audiobook covers

More Star Trek novel news! Following the recent reveal of the 2021 line-up of Star Trek novels, Simon and Schuster have now updated their Online Catalog with blurbs for the books coming towards the end of the year, including the first details of the Coda trilogy. Continue below for all the details.

The Coda trilogy is set to tie-up the reality of the Star Trek litverse which has been told over the last couple of decades, but was alas shunted into an alternate timeline by the new canon events of Picard. All three of the new blurbs start with the following intro, which confirms we are getting one last enormous TNG/DS9/Titan/Aventine crossover:

The crews of Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Ezri Dax, and William Riker unite to prevent a cosmic-level apocalypse—only to find that some fates really are inevitable.

Book 1: Moments Asunder(ad), by Dayton Ward kicks off the trilogy in September:

REALITY ITSELF IS UNDER ATTACK.

The epic Star Trek: Coda trilogy begins when the unexpected arrival of an old friend triggers a desperate mission to avert a fast-spreading temporal disaster.

James Swallow continues in October with Book 2: The Ashes of Tomorrow(ad):

THE FUTURE IS AT WAR WITH THE PAST.

The epic Star Trek: Coda trilogy continues as friends become foes, the Temporal Apocalypse accelerates, and the catastrophe’s true cause is revealed.

And David Mack closes the trilogy in November with Book 3: Oblivion's Gate(ad):

THEIR MOST DAUNTING MISSION WILL BE THEIR FINEST HOUR.

The epic Star Trek: Coda trilogy comes to a shattering conclusion as the Temporal Apocalypse forces Starfleet’s greatest heroes to make the greatest sacrifices of their lives.

Temporal Apocalypse!! Blimey. Who is the mysterious old friend, what is the nature of the disaster, how will this all mesh the litverse with the canon reality? I cannot wait to find out!

USS Voyager-J Janeway class comes to Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online have revealed the first of the 32nd century Starfleet ships to join the video game, the USS Voyager-J type, Janeway class Command Science Vessel. Thanks to lots of pictures and video, that means we all get to enjoy our best views yet of one of the more prominent ships of Disco's future. Continue below to check it out:

First look at Prodigy's alien crew, plus other Trek TV updates

ViacomCBS have released the first image from the forthcoming animated Star Trek series aimed at younger viewers, Prodigy, revealing one of the most diverse cast of characters of any Star Trek series, which for the first time will have a main crew that's all aliens! Check them out below, plus some other Trek TV updates.

There are no additional details of these characters yet, but from we we can see, we've got a non-humanoid robot, a shorter humanoid with a cybernetic arm, a tall blue-skinned humanoid, with really interesting metal-work in their costume, a purple skinned humanoid, a blue-blob creature, and an enormous crystalline-skinned being. You can read from their expressions and attire a diverse grouping of attitudes and backgrounds, sure to cause some drama when the series begins later this year.

These are "outcasts", which together form "a group of lawless teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship and use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation." Part of that salvation will come via the leadership of Kathryn Janeway who returns in this series - It's not yet known when it is set (in relation to Voyager), or how she interacts with this crew of youngsters.

Year Five heads towards its finale in IDW's May comic releases

IDW have released their solicitations for May, which include a double dose of Year Five(ad), as the final three-part story in the series begins. Continue below for all the details of those, other updates from the series, and more comics news.

Year Five's finale, Ithaca, begins in issue 22(ad). The original creative team that began the series is returning; writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and artist Stephen Thompson. Here's the blurb:

For five years, the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew have journeyed to the edge of the known universe, tackling impossible challenges and menacing foes along the way. But the biggest challenge of all awaits them here at home... and no matter what happens, the lives of Captain Kirk and his crew will be changed forever. The grand finale of Star Trek: Year Five begins here with a new issue from showrunners Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly (Gotham City Garage, Green Arrow) and artist Stephen Thompson (Satellite Falling, Die Hard: Year One).

The book is offered in the usual choice of two covers, with Thompson also behind the main cover, which features Kirk departing the Enterprise bridge. Alternatively the rarer retail incentive cover is by JJ Lendl, who is this time drawing on the ancient Greek theme of the title:

Next Picard novel is a Rios adventure, plus titles for the mysterious C trilogy

Some Star Trek novel news today, with lots of new details for the next Picard novel, and teasing titles for the mysterious trilogy until now only known as Untitled C. Continue below for all the latest.

First up, Simon and Schuster have released the title, author, cover, and blurb for the next Picard novel, John Jackson Miller's Rogue Elements(ad). As the cover makes clear, this book will help us get to known the captain of La Sirena, Cristóbal Rios: