If for some reason your favorite pastime is reading Star Trek technical manuals and collecting back issues of Cat Fancy (and why wouldn’t it be?), have we got a treat for you!
In her second go-around at the scratching post, artist Jenny Parks has released Star Trek: The Next Generation Cats, a follow-up to her 2017 publication of Star Trek-infused cat art from Chronicle Books.
And as we said in our original review of her work, you really know what to expect when you pick up a book titled Star Trek: The Next Generation Cats. Lots of Star Trek. And lots of cats. But no matter how much you expect to find regarding either of those two worthy subjects, you’ll get even more in this creative tome for both Trek and cats.
Whether it’s Geordi LaForge pouncing on top of his engineering table to try and catch a blinking light in “Cause and Effect,” or Wesley playing “The Game” by actually biting and clawing at his wire-framed headset, Park’s art and deep-cut Trek (and cat) references continue to exceed our lofty expectations.
Her whimsical, artistic style is once again powerful and vibrant, and includes impressive layers of screen-accurate authenticity. In fact, the 50-plus pieces of art represented in this book cover a grand total of 26 episodes of Next Generation across its pages.
There’s Data pulling Wesley out of the water by his scruff in “Encounter at Farpoint.” And there’s Data again, pawing at one of his very own cat paintings (meta!). And there’s Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi with an early morning cat stretch in a particularly frisky scene from the third season TNG episode “The Price.” There’s no end to Parks’ clever juxtaposition of cats being cats and Trek being Trek.
(Of course, there are limits to how much we can take! The image of fierce tabby cat Tasha Yar hissing at the feline-shaped outline of Armus in “Skin of Evil,” made us immediately turn the page to avoid thinking about how that particular catfight was going to end!)
Parks’ art and deep-cut Trek references continue to exceed expectations, throughout. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen the literal fat cat, K’Mpec, the leader of the High Council, sitting on his throne in front of a clowder of Klingon cats, throwing side-eye shade at Worf and his Cat’Dich in “Sins of the Father.”
If kittens are your thing, Parks doesn’t miss a trick by including the transporter malfunction arrival of Picard, Keiko, Ro and Guinan in “Rascals” (with their oversized clothes and all). Elsewhere, Guinan and Ro are featured again with the introduction of the two fast feline friends in “Ensign Ro.” “My name is Guinan. I tend bar. And I listen,” purrs the fluffy bartender with the big purple hat.
And there is nothing better than seeing Scotty return to TNG, portrayed once again as a Scottish Fold (natch!), this time sadly clutching his bottle of green liquid catnip as kitty Captain Picard looks on.
If there is one major critique in this rendition of Trek cats from Parks (and it’s the first issue we’ve had with any of her creative choices), it was her decision to portray Picard as a hairless Sphynx cat. Yes, we get it, and we know that some people find Sphynx cats endearing, but Picard is majestic and handsome and proud, and a Sphynx cat is none of those things. It’s not a good fit beyond the obvious initial hairless pun.
And oddly, there is no mention of Spot or Ode to Spot, although a Horga’hn does make an appearance, as does Livingston the fish (but who knows how long he’ll last on a ship full of cats).
In what will be a surprise to no one that has read this far in a review of a Star Trek cat book, guess which mischievous foil to the Enterprise cats and crew shows up in the opening pages and closing pages of the book? Not even sure we have to say it, but he’s the kind of cat you just know is up to no good thing in any encounter with a laser pointer. And this Q cat’s luxurious robes and icy stare will not soon be forgotten.
In the end, any list of favorites from the scores of pictures in this great addition to the Star Trek oeuvre will likely include the final image of the entire TNG crew playfully at home around the horseshoe of the Enterprise-D bridge. The two-page spread purrfectly captures the verve of both our love for The Next Generation, and our love of cats.
Like its predecessor, Star Trek: The Next Generation Cats not only makes a great coffee table book, but is also a great gift for family and friends. The fun and vibrant art from Jenny Parks is clever, original and packed with deep cut Trek references — and is an absolute steal at its current $10.50 price point.