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Four New STAR TREK Hardcover Releases Set for 2020

TrekCore Staff
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138
Four New STAR TREK Hardcover Releases Set for 2020

If you’re a fan of Star Trek reference works, then you’re in luck today — as there are now four more planned hardcover releases focused on the Star Trek franchise scheduled for 2020, thanks to a new announcement today!

Unveiled today at the Birmingham, England Destination Star Trek convention, the team from CBS Consumer Products shared news about three new publications slated for next year’s schedule from publisher Titan Books — plus another one that we learned about from the team at Hero Collector earlier this month.

(NOTE: Temporary cover art.)

In April 2020, our first Star Trek: Discovery tie-in release is set to arrive — The Art of Star Trek: Discovery — from longtime Trek franchise writers Paula Block & Terry Erdmann, who have brought us some great reference publications in the past like the Deep Space Nine Companion and Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection.

The Art of Star Trek: Discovery, written by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, explores behind the scenes of the hit show, with cast and crew interviews, set photography, concept art and storyboards. With exclusive content from the first two seasons, this book is a must-have for every Star Trek fan.

(NOTE: Temporary cover art.)

In June 2020, celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager with a new hardcover from Hero Collector and author Ben Robinson, as Star Trek: Voyager – A Celebration arrives to usher in the silver anniversary of the television series.

Robinson told us on Twitter at the book was pitched as “The greatest [Star Trek] convention ever in a book [form],” and confirmed that the above cover artwork is a placeholder which will be updated pre-release with a new design (which will add Jeri Ryan / Seven of Nine).

 

In July 2020, the third “Autobiography of…” hardcover is set to beam down from author Una McCormack, this time focusing on the captain of the USS Voyager: Kathryn Janeway.

Following similar releases about James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard (and one for Spock that was pushed out to late 2020, likely due to Discovery Season 2), The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway tells the life story of the intrepid captain from Earth to the edge of the galaxy — and back again.

In The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, edited by Una McCormack, we get to hear the story of one of Starfleet’s greatest captain in her own words.

We’ll hear her side of the story about how she and her crew traveled further than any human ever had before, stranded decades from home while encountering new worlds and species. Explore how she brought together Starfleet and the Maquis as part of her crew, forged new alliances with species across the galaxy and overcame one of Starfleet’s greatest threats – the Borg – on their own remote and hostile territory.

And, we’ll get Janeway’s personal take on key characters such as Seven of Nine, her trusted friend Tuvok, new arrivals like Neelix and her second-in-command, Chakotay.

Finally, in September 2020, another longtime Star Trek artist is celebrated — following John Eaves, Joel Harlow, and the entire Kelvin Timeline design team — with Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry, an in-depth look at the many contributions that designer Dan Curry made to the Trek franchise during his decades of involvement in the franchise’s production. This book is written by Curry, along with Ben Robinson.

In 50 years of Trek history, seven-time Emmy award winner Curry is one of the franchise’s most enduring talents. His contributions have ranged from directing, title design and concept art, to practical on-set effects and weapon design.

From The Next Generation to Enterprise, Curry’s incredibly diverse Star Trek work has resulted in some of the series’ most memorable moments. The book reveals the many and varied techniques used to produce some of the most spectacular visual effects used in the various series, while Curry also goes in-depth to divulge the secrets of some of his own personal favorite creations.

The book includes photos and illustrations from Dan’s personal collection, along with contributions from various Star Trek cast members including Michael Dorn and Scott Bakula.

Summary blurbs for Titan Books publications The Art of Star Trek: Discovery, The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, and Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry from StarTrek.com.

These four new books add to the already-packed publication schedule for 2020, with a number of new novels on the way, along with the eagerly-anticipated look back at the first Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Inside the Art and Visual Effects, due out in May 2020.

Which of these new books slated for next year has you most excited? Do you plan to add any or all to your personal collection? Sound off in the comments below!

Prelude to PICARD — Retro Review: “The Valiant”

Alex Perry
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Prelude to PICARD — Retro Review: “The Valiant”

The Stargazer is sent on a mission to investigate the tales of a pair of visitors proclaiming to be descendants of survivors of the Valiant, presumed lost in an attempt to cross the Galactic Barrier more than three hundred years earlier.

On the edge of the galaxy, the Stargazer is ambushed by Nuyyad warships, leaving her second officer, Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard, with his first command, as his captain and first officer were casualties of the unexpected melee.

Now trapped on the wrong side of the Barrier, beyond hope of any help from Starfleet and the commanding officers he once served, Picard finds himself isolated and under siege, the crew’s trust his to win or lose.

He is caught between the suspicions of his mysterious charges and his bond with the stunningly beautiful and psychically gifted woman, which could be a bridge between the Federation’s past and his singular future. The fate of his own crew and possibly all of Starfleet weightily seated upon his inexperienced shoulders, Picard wrestles with his dilemma.

Can he trust her? Can he trust himself? Within such unforgiving fires, a future commander is forged.

We’re counting down to the January 2020 return of Jean-Luc Picard by revisiting some of the pivotal stories about the beloved Starfleet captain from across the last three decades of Star Trek: The Next Generation published fiction — welcome to the first entry in our retro review series Prelude to Picard!

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Michael Jan Friedman’s The Valiant tells the story of Jean-Luc Picard’s ascent to the rank of Starfleet captain. We know from The Next Generation episode “Tapestry” that Picard took command of the USS Stargazer – which he would go on to command for 22 years – after the previous captain of the ship was killed. The Valiant tells the story of Picard’s rise to command, the death of the ship’s previous captain Daithan Ruhalter, and the crisis that Picard must face after being thrust into the center seat.

Despite being the first chronological appearance of the USS Stargazer crew in the Pocket Books novel line, this release is actually the second novel to feature an appearance from many of these crewmembers. 1991’s Reunion, also from Friedman, was released years before The Valiant, but told the story of a Stargazer crew reunion aboard the Enterprise-D.

(Watch for that novel to appear in a future Prelude to Picard entry!)

The Valiant is a pretty wacky novel, to be honest: the name derives from one of the main subplots of the book, which is the ultimate fate of the SS Valiant — a callback to 1966’s “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” In that second Original Series pilot episode, Captain Kirk’s Enterprise encounters a message buoy from that ship released during its approach to the Galactic Barrier at the edge of the Milky Way. The opening chapters of The Valiant deal with that ship’s own encounter with the Galactic Barrier, and the decision to abandon ship.

Flash forward several hundred years, and descendants of the crew of the Valiant — who founded a colony near the Galactic Barrier, and developed telepathic abilities similar to the ill-fated Gary Mitchell — return to the Federation to warn them of an alien threat encroaching on the edge of the galaxy known as the Nuyyad.

The Stargazer is dispatched to assess the threat, with added help from a member of the Kelvans — returning from classic Trek’s “By Any Other Name” — who also inhabited a planet nearby.

If that seems like a lot… well, it very much is. The Valiant chews through story at a rapid clip. It is certainly a lot of fun, but with so many story elements crowding each other out it’s tough to give everything the time to breathe properly. And the character who suffers the most from that is Jean-Luc Picard.

There is some good development for Picard in this novel; we see his close relationship with his former captain, his grief at Ruhalter’s death, and subsequent steps towards figuring out being in command of the ship himself. Ultimately, Picard decides through the course of the novel that he is a different captain than Ruhalter, who was prone to trust only his instincts and shut out advice from his crew.

After Picard helps put down a mutiny — I told you there was a lot of story here — we do see some flashes of how Picard became the thoughtful captain of The Next Generation.

The Stargazer crew are a motley bunch. This novel went on to spur an entire Star Trek: Stargazer novel series that lasted through sic release, with the previously-mentioned Reunion being the end of the story for many of the crew a number of years later. I don’t recall many of the details of the later series, but within this book some of these characters work better than others.

Dr. Carter Greyhorse’s borderline obsession with his fellow officer, Gerda Asmund, is weirdly creepy, but the plucky yet eccentric security officer Pug Joseph is very easy to like.

The oddest part of this novel, though, are the villains. The Nuyyad are established as a serious threat to the Federation, who are beginning to encroach on the galaxy and gain a foothold. By working with the Kelvans and the descendants of the Valiant’s crew, Picard and the Stargazer are able to significantly reduce the Nuyyad’s forces in the Milky Way. But once the ship has destroyed a resupply depot for the Nuyyad the story just… stops.

What happened to the other ships? Why was that the end of the invasion? Where did they come from and what were they?

The book does not seem interested in answering any of these questions, which I find troubling as they are important questions given the story was set up to be a high stakes affair. I don’t mind races coming and going — appearing in a novel today but never used again — but within that novel their use must be justified and consistent. And ultimately when I think about the Nuyyad; what were we supposed to learn? We don’t know anything about them, really, other than that they are hostile and have powerful ships.

Meanwhile, the Galactic Barrier is more of just an odd nuisance in this novel. What is it? Where did it come from? Again, despite the Barrier being a plot point in the novel, it just sort of exists.

Through learning to trust his crew around him, Picard begins the journey towards the character seen in The Next Generation. And Picard extends greetings and cooperation to the descendants of the Valiant over the objection of his more suspicious staff, even though nobody can be sure those descendants are not as mad as Gary Mitchell was.

The Valiant is a noble effort, published in hardcover when it was first released in 2000. Two decades ago, a hardcover release was reserved only for a major releases and event books, so it is understandable that the stakes in The Valiant are high and the book is action packed. The problem, though, is that so much story has been crammed into this book that it is almost suffocated by its own plot.

Ultimately, you’ll enjoy The Valiant, but it’s likely not going to feature on your list of favorite Star Trek novels. Like the crew of the Stargazer forgot all about the Nuyyad the instant their supply depot was destroyed, you’re likely to do the same for the plot of this novel not long after you finish it.

New Admiral Picard Uniform from STAR TREK: PICARD Production Unveiled at Destination Star Trek Convention

TrekCore Staff
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New Admiral Picard Uniform from STAR TREK: PICARD Production Unveiled at Destination Star Trek Convention

We’re still a few months away from the launch of Star Trek: Picard, but for the first time, fans are getting a look at Jean-Luc Picard’s final Starfleet uniform thanks to a display at the just-opened Destination Star Trek convention in Birmingham, England.

The former Enterprise captain, we learned earlier this year, was promoted to the rank of a Starfleet Admiral before his retirement from the service — years before the events of Star Trek: Picard — and today, Admiral Picard’s uniform from the upcoming series was unveiled to fans at the UK convention, the first official look at a Starfleet costume from the new series.

Thanks to TrekCore correspondent Ronan O’Flaherty, we’ve got these great new images to share this morning right from the show floor in Birmhingham.

Clearly influenced by the many years of Bob Blackman Starfleet uniform designs seen on television and in film throughout the 1990s, this 24th Century uniform created by Picard costume designer Christine Clark is the first new senior service wardrobe design of that era introduced since the late-Dominion War years, as Admirals such as Bill Ross and Kathryn Janeway appeared in uniforms based off the grey-shouldered design introduced in 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact.

Admirals Ross and Janeway in the 2370s.

This new design for Admiral Picard also debuted today in a first look at Star Trek: Picard — Countdown #3, the third and final issue in the soon-to-launch prequel comic series coming from IDW Publishing in November.

Created by artist Sara Pitre-Durocher, the comic cover features Jean-Luc Picard wearing this same uniform in a story set to shed light on the years which lead up to the Star Trek: Picard era.

Curiously, we still haven’t gotten a good look at the new Picard-era Starfleet duty uniform outside of a few fleeting glances in the New York Comic Con trailer that arrived earlier this month, but perhaps we’ll get that chance between now and late January when the series debuts.

What are your thoughts on this new Admiral uniform design? Let us know in the comments below!

Hero Collector Previews DESTINATION STAR TREK Events

TrekCore Staff
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Hero Collector Previews DESTINATION STAR TREK Events

Tomorrow kicks off 2019’s Destination Star Trek convention in Birmingham, England, and as always, the UK-based Hero Collector brand will be on site to debut the latest new releases — an announce some upcoming plans — for the Eaglemoss line of Official Starship Collection models and more!

While all the biggest news will be coming out of Sunday morning’s “Hero Collector Presents…” panel — and there’s some good stuff on the way, so stay tuned for our Sunday post-panel roundup of still-secret announcements! — the weekend’s line-up starts Friday and runs through Sunday afternoon (local time)!

First up, starship designers Rick Sternbach and Ryan Dening will join longtime Eaglemoss boss Ben Robinson in a pair of panels covering Sternbach’s work through his Trek career, and Dening’s time working on Star Trek: Discovery.

Rick Sternbach will appear on the Voyager Stage on Friday at 16:00 (4:00 PM), and Ryan Dening will present on the Excelsior stage on Saturday at 14:45 (2:45 PM), with Robinson moderating both panels.

In addition, Sternbach will also be presenting a solo panel on Star Trek starship design on Sunday at 12:00 PM on the Excelsior stage.

Both artists will also appear throughout the weekend at the Hero Collector booth (photo above by Ben Robinson) for signings.

The main event, however, arrives Sunday at 11:30 AM, where Hero Collector’s Chris Thompson, Eaglemoss’ Ben Robinson, designer Ryan Dening, and more hit the Voyager stage for the big “Hero Collector Presents…” panel, where the crew will be discussing recent releases, as well as revealing their plans for the next several months of Star Trek debuts.

In addition to the panel, the Hero Collector booth will also be home to the year’s convention-exclusive model — the cloaked USS Defiant (above) which debuted at New York Comic Con earlier this month — as well as their special cover edition of Star Trek: Year Five #6 created by model photographer Nils Walter Khan.

If you’re going to be on site, you can also expect to see some first looks at a number of new Star Trek model releases — which, thanks to Hero Collector’s UK home debut in-country first — including the ISS Charon from Star Trek: Discovery, another round of Trek shuttlecraft, an early look at the XL-sized Deep Space 9 station and Klingon D4 battlecruiser, and the SS Conestoga from “Terra Nova.”

The newest shuttle pack — which includes Janeway’s armored shuttle from “Endgame,” the Sphinx work bee, the Defiant shuttlepod from “The Search,” and the Hawking-style shuttle from “Star Trek: Generations” — is already starting to arrive for collectors in the UK, with some fans sharing photos on social media this week.

Be sure to check back to TrekCore on Sunday after the “Hero Collector Presents…” panel to learn all about the new announcements out of Birmingham, and to get your first look at what’s to come from Hero Collector and Eaglemoss as we beam into 2020!

REVIEW: Eaglemoss XL — Klingon Bird of Prey Model

Alex Perry
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REVIEW: Eaglemoss XL — Klingon Bird of Prey Model

Swooping into your collection, straight from Qo’noS, is the first Star Trek alien addition to the XL-sized Official Starships Collection, the iconic Klingon Bird of Prey. Measuring over nine inches across the wingspan, the Bird of Prey is depicted in with wings in the commonly-seen ‘flight’ position, often used in Trek films.

Seen above Earth’s oceans in ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.’

Originally designed by Nilo Rodis and David Carson for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the Bird of Prey is one of the most iconic alien ships from the Star Trek franchise. It is fitting, therefore, that it is Eaglemoss’s first non-Federation release in the larger size.

At least one more alien ship has been announced in the last few months – the Next Generation-era Romulan Warbird is also now rolling out in the larger scale.

The Bird of Prey model is wide and weighty; its wings are die-cast metal while the central section, neck, and bridge area are plastic. There are almost no new details on the XL model that are not present on the smaller version of the ship available in the regular line, a function largely of the ship lacking many of the tiny little details present on Federation ships.

As a result, while this is a great model for Bird of Prey fans, if you already own the smaller version you won’t be appreciably improving upon the model, aside from its size. That is not a reflection on the XL model being poor, but rather a rare case where the standard version was more or less as good as any model could be.

As mentioned, the wing position for the XL ship is horizontal. For Eaglemoss, this is likely a practical decision. While it would likely be preferable for many fans that Eaglemoss produce the ship with the wings swept downwards, placing the wings in that position would require a larger box and therefore likely increase the company’s costs.

The flatter profile for the horizontal wing position is probably both a little easier to produce and to ship, and also feels more “cinematic.”

The original ship model built by Industrial Light & Magic had motors that controlled the wings. As the model aged, it became more difficult to change the positions, which is why the ship largely appeared with the wings down through The Next Generation and early Deep Space Nine before the physical model was retired in favor of digital.

The wide stand grips the model around either wing at the back. The fit is okay; not overly snug but not overly loose like the USS Voyager XL, which has a really difficult time remaining gripped to the stand. Once set up, this model is probably not going anywhere if you don’t bump into it.

The subscription-sized model in the regular Official Starships Collection has been produced in all three wing positions; horizontal, as with the XL, wings down, as is most commonly associated with the Bird of Prey in the 24th century shows, and wings up for landed.

It is unlikely that we will see other variations in the XL line, though given that the entire Eaglemoss line of ships pushes ahead with no end in sight, I suppose you should never say never!

Overall, the Bird of Prey is a great model for Klingon fans and completists alike. Though it may be lacking in many additional details from the standard release, it’s a great ship design and as a result is also a great model. It’s easy get, if your collecting tastes include alien ships.

Fans in the United States can order this model directly from Hero Collector’s US site for $74.95, while Klingon aficionados in the UK can pick it up for £49.99 from Hero Collector locally.

Keep watching TrekCore for all the Eaglemoss news set to beam out of this weekend’s Destination Star Trek convention, where the Hero Collector team are set to reveal even more about the next wave of Official Starship Collection products.

REVIEW: The Next Generation — “Collateral Damage”

Alex Perry
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REVIEW: The Next Generation — “Collateral Damage”

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours comes an original, thrilling novel set in the universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation!

The past returns to haunt Captain Jean-Luc Picard — a crime he thought long buried has been exposed, and he must return to Earth to answer for his role in a conspiracy that some call treason.

Meanwhile, the U.S.S. Enterprise is sent to apprehend pirates who have stolen vital technology from a fragile Federation colony.

But acting captain Commander Worf discovers that the pirates’ motives are not what they seem, and that sometimes standing for justice means defying the law….

David Mack has something to say.

Collateral Damage, his new Star Trek: The Next Generation novel, is the most topically allegorical Star Trek novel since his 2016 novel Section 31: Control. But the allegory rests far less in the character on the cover – Jean-Luc Picard – than it does in the storyline that runs parallel featuring the crew of the Enterprise.

Picard’s story is an important one, as it wraps up a storyline first started in the A Time to… series in the early 2000s, however Picard’s story is actually not the main thrust of the novel. In fact, like Available Light before it, the Section 31 fallout and the repercussions for Picard are actually the secondary story of the novel.

While that may ultimately feel like a smidge of false advertising, the main events of the novel involving the Enterprise are utterly gripping.

Collateral Damage is very well titled because it’s what both storylines in the novel are about. The book explores collateral damage from the fallout of the destruction of Section 31, the collateral damage of that organization’s assassination of Federation President Min Zife in the 2004 novel A Time to Heal, as well as collateral damage from the Borg invasion in David Mack’s epic 2008 Destiny trilogy.

Captain Picard during his days aboard the Enterprise-D. (‘Face of the Enemy’)

While Captain Picard appears before a formal Starfleet inquiry to decide if he should be forced to undergo a court martial, the Enterprise chases a group of renegade Nausicaans across half the quadrant to retrieve a weapon of mass destruction that they have stolen. With the help of a very surprising trio of characters (from the second and seventh seasons of The Next Generation, and a recurring role in Voyager) the Enterprise pursues the Nausicaans after a Starfleet Intelligence operation gone wrong.

But these are not unsympathetic villains. The Nausicaans, whose home was destroyed by the Borg invasion, are a desperate people. Mack imbues the race with significantly more depth and pathos than their previous appearances in the Star Trek canon where they were stereotypical thugs. And the resolution to the story is exactly the kind of resolution you want to see from Star Trek – learning, growing, and understanding. It’s a poignant story, made even more so by the strong parallels to real life.

Mack’s ability to make the plight of the Nausicaans more sympathetic is aided by his use of a fresh literary device (for Star Trek books at least); switching tenses between the first and third persons. The story of the main Nausicaan antagonist, Kinogar, is told entirely in the first person, which makes it much easier to feel for these characters and understand their motivations.

A Nausicaan harasses a just-graduated Jean-Luc Picard on Starbase Earhart. (‘Tapestry’)

The theme of Collateral Damage is about the impact that your choices can have on other people. But it also seems that one of the underlying messages is that not all villains are strictly villains. This is certainly true of Kinogar and the Nausicaans, but it’s also true of Picard’s adversary in the courtroom storyline, Federation Attorney General Phillipa Louvois.

Though she is largely portrayed as an unsympathetic character in the novel, ruthlessly prosecuting Picard for his role in a murder he knew nothing about, her motivations are neither altogether evil nor impossible to understand. After the final courtroom confrontation, there is a quiet scene between Picard and Louvois that explores how far their relationship has come, and what has been lost in the process.

The courtroom drama features a number of common court room tropes, like a ruthless prosecutor and a charismatic defense attorney. Ultimately, it’s also a little predictable, but it is also very well executed and will be an easy read for fans of lawyer shows like Law & Order.

And ultimately, the pomp and procedures are less important than the impact the legal proceedings have upon Picard. The most interesting parts of the Picard storyline are the moments of introspection and reflection of the character, and less the specific twists and turns of legal minutiae.

Picard reunites with Louvois during the events of ‘The Measure of a Man.’

On top of all that, Collateral Damage is absolutely chock full of references to previous Star Trek novels. It is unclear at this point what will happen to the literary universe that many authors have built over the last two decades with the premiere of Star Trek: Picard in January and the release of the first tie-in novel connected to that series, February 2020’s Last Best Hope.

At STLV earlier this year, Simon & Schuster editor Ed Schlesinger said that they were taking the fans’ longstanding support for this story very seriously as they considered what would come next. We don’t know exactly what that will be yet — though both David Mack and Dayton Ward have indicated they are conspiring together on… something — but if this is to be the last Star Trek novel in the current literary continuity it is as fitting an ending as one book can be.

While there are many storylines left hanging across multiple eras, Collateral Damage is a good end to several story threads from the nearly two decades of the shred continuity of Star Trek novels. This book provides suitable epilogues to the A Time To… series, the Section 31 series, the Destiny series, and even briefly the Star Trek: Titan series of novels.

There are also lots of easter eggs thrown in to appeal to longtime book readers that you’ll enjoy re-reading to find, including a sneaky New Frontier shout out I particularly liked.

The expanded cover artwork used for the ‘Collateral Damage’ audiobook.

Also, the cover art on this novel is really great. A lot of the book covers have been pretty hit or miss the last few years. Hopefully Collateral Damage signals a new design direction for the novel covers and if so, it is a very welcome one.

Collateral Damage is a typically great book from David Mack, with plenty of action, legal drama, and thoughtful exploration of topical social and moral issues. And ultimately, the book ends exactly how it should – boldly going where no one has gone before.

What better ending can you ask for than that?

SHORT TREKS Review — “The Trouble With Edward”

Claire Little, Executive Officer (In Charge of Radishes)
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SHORT TREKS Review — “The Trouble With Edward”

Short Treks have given the Star Trek franchise an experimental latitude previously seen only in some of its written works. “The Trouble with Edward” takes its experimental prerogative and runs with it, and while I appreciate the episode’s daring, it is an ultimately unsuccessful episode of Star Trek.

Seen off by a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Lynne Lucero (Rosa Salazar) is a newly minted captain, transferring from a science post aboard the Enterprise to her first command assignment on the Magee-class USS Cabot. The Cabot‘s mission is to bring planet Pragine 63, which is located uncomfortably close to Klingon space, back from the brink of famine.

During a crew briefing, we learn that the Cabot is ready to entertain any possible solution to this crisis. During this briefing we also meet biologist and “protein specialist” Edward Larkin (played by Arby’s spokesman and Archer and Bob’s Burgers voice actor H. Jon Benjamin).

“New boss, huh? Barf.” (Photo: CBS All Access)

Larkin, who is unprepared, awkward, and rather eccentric immediately brings another famously awkward Starfleet officer to mind: The Next Generation’s Lt. Reginald Barclay. However, Captain Lucero’s reaction to Larkin could not be further from that of Captain Picard’s.

While Larkin runs on about the delicious meatiness of tribbles — they’re like scallops under all that fur, notes the odd scientist — and insists that with a genetic boost to their reproduction rate they could be a solution to all of Pragine 63’s problems, the crew expresses their various concerns.

They’re too cute, they might be intelligent (Larkin helpfully offers to genetically induce brain damage), and no one except Larkin wants to eat them. Larkin’s obsession with eating tribbles gives him quite a few funny lines, but after a while it starts to feel like the writing is more focused on giving the Arby’s guy a chance to talk about meat than it is on developing the character.

Captain Lucero finally puts an end to Larkin’s presentation by announcing that he is no longer to pursue his tribble research. In fact, he’s no longer to pursue anything resembling his research as Lucero unilaterally transfers Larkin from biology to climate science.

“The conversation’s over. That’s the end.” (Photo: CBS All Access)

I can’t imagine any scientist taking well the compulsory transfer to a completely different discipline, but Larkin especially does not. He sends an angry communique to Starfleet command, complaining that Captain Lucero is, among other things, “dumb,” and continues with his tribble research anyway. Understandably displeased with Larkin’s actions, Lucero announces that he will be transferred off the Cabot two days hence and is completely unwilling to discuss the decision with a visibly upset Larkin.

Again, Larkin doesn’t take this well. Larkin often doesn’t take things well. But neither, I think, does Captain Lucero. At one point during the uncomfortable back-and-forth, she wonders aloud just how Larkin managed to make it so far in his career with Starfleet — and I have to say, I found myself wondering the same about Lucero and the command program. Even considering her inexperience, Captain Lucero seems to have zero understanding of or interest in conflict resolution.

Finally, Larkin gives up and heads to his quarters. In the meantime the tribbles, on which Larkin has of course continued to experiment, have begun exhibiting their characteristic fertility and are on their way to overrunning the ship.

A musical montage set improbably to Bing Crosby’s ballad “Johnny Appleseed” shows the crew’s futile attempts to contain the tribble outbreak (as well as a sheepish Edward Larkin in his underwear for some reason). Despite their efforts, including the development and construction of a wearable tribble vacuum — cosplayers, there’s an idea for you! — the crew is eventually forced to abandon ship, but not before Edward Larkin is killed by a tsunami of tribbles.

“This isn’t going to be good for you.” (Photo: CBS All Access)

Captain Lucero finds herself before the admiralty board being grilled about the events aboard the Cabot. In a nice bit of foreshadowing for the “Great Tribble Hunt” Worf mentions in Deep Space Nine‘s “Trials and Tribble-ations,” the admirals are also concerned about the potential fallout from a few hyper-fertile tribbles making it down to the surface of Pragine 63 alive, and so close to the Klingon border at that. More than anything though, the admirals want to know what happened with Larkin.

Captain Lucero responds simply “He was an idiot,” the episode cuts to black, and we’re left wondering just what kind of Starfleet captain calls an officer who died under her command an idiot.

“The Trouble with Edward” might be the first episode of Star Trek in which none of the Starfleet characters overcome their interpersonal challenges or even try to learn how to work together. Larkin sinks deeper and deeper into a mental breakdown, the crew continues to loathe and resent him, and Captain Lucero continues to think exercising her command means belittling Larkin instead of leading him away from the precipice.

Imagine if The Next Generation’s “Hollow Pursuits” had abruptly ended after Geordi LaForge announced that he can barely tolerate being in the same room as Barclay. Geordi would come across as impatient, Barclay as annoying, and both as unlikable, and neither of the characters would have learned anything about themselves or each other. What’s the purpose of an episode like that?

“How do you explain that?” (Photo: CBS All Access)

While Larkin wasn’t particularly likable, this was clearly deliberate on the part of the writers; I’m not so sure that Lucero was supposed to come across as even less likable but she did. An episode like “Hollow Pursuits” — shoot, basically all of Star Trek — demonstrates the value of looking beyond initial impressions and learning to appreciate that everyone has value.

“The Trouble with Edward” shows that if you set up an interpersonal conflict but don’t bother with its resolution, you end up with a story about a captain who unapologetically punches down. While Benjamin and Salazar put in solid performances here, I wouldn’t jump at the chance to work alongside Edward Larkin… but I would actively avoid serving under Captain Lucero’s command.

Maybe writer Graham Wagner wanted us to root for the tribbles this time around.

“If you take the fur off, underneath it’s all meat.” (Photo: CBS All Access)
  • The television commercial for Edward’s Tribbles breakfast cereal is, I believe, the first post-credits sequence in Star Trek’s history. This unusual sketch is an even shorter Short Trek, if you will. Does it take place in Larkin’s head (in 1993, if the VHS tracking lines are any indication)? Is this commercial canon now, and how does that work? Do I really have to think about little girls gleefully eating something called an “Edward™ Macronutrient”? I have so many, um, questions.
     
  • The science uniforms seen aboard the USS Cabot are a bit different than those we’ve seen on other ships. Taking heavy cues from the Enterprise’s uniforms but doing away with the fussy black fold-over collar, the subtle difference gives the Cabot’s uniforms a sleek feel.
     
  • The taxonomical name for tribbles is given here as Tribleustes ventricosus — native to planet Iota Geminorum IV — but a chart on tribbles hanging in Keiko O’Brien’s classroom aboard Deep Space 9 lists polygeminus grex. Perhaps the introduction of human DNA warranted a taxonomy change
     
  • Sarah (Lisa Michelle Cornelius), one of the scientists aboard the Cabot, is a Trill, making her the chronologically earliest Trill we’ve see in Starfleet.
     
  • This episode officially introduces tighty-whities to the Star Trek.  So much for the Starfleet-issue blue boxer briefs of Archer’s time…
“That’s the building blocks of life.” (Photo: CBS All Access)

Star Trek: Short Treks return in November, with the Captain Pike-focused tale “Ask Not” scheduled to debut on November 14 on CBS All Access in the United States, and CTV SciFi / Crave TV in Canada.

REVIEW — Official Guide to STAR TREK’s Animated Series

Alex Perry
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6
REVIEW — Official Guide to STAR TREK’s Animated Series

Star Trek: The Official Guide to The Animated Series from authors Aaron Harvey and Rich Schepis is a joyful look at an important part of the history of the Star Trek franchise; the first foray into animation in the early 1970s. The Filmation cartoon, which premiered in 1973, four years after Star Trek was canceled on NBC, is loved and loathed in equal measure by the fandom.

But in recent years, as elements from the show have increasingly cropped up in live action, particularly in Star Trek: Discovery, the show is getting a second look from a lot of the fans who dismissed it just a few short years ago. Including me!

I may not exactly be learning to love The Animated Series, but I am definitely learning to appreciate it. Harvey and Schepis, who we interviewed about this project back in August, are the right messengers for this sometimes forgotten chapter in Star Trek history, and it is hard not to find their joy and passion for the source material to be infectious.

And for those fans who were disappointed by the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, The Animated Series was a gift. Who, at that point, could have foreseen that there would be so much life left in the franchise? The Animated Series is a vital stepping stone along the path towards The Motion Picture and everything that came after it. So, it is only fitting that the show finally gets its own reference guide.

The book delivers. It is chocked full of lavish artwork from the series (say what you want about the animation – and you can say a lot – you cannot deny the art is absolutely gorgeous by itself), and plenty of fascinating behind the scenes details. This is likely the closest The Animated Series will see to something like the Deep Space Nine Companion treatment.

A guide to Episode 108, ‘The Magicks of Megas-Tu.’ (Image: Weldon Owen)

Harvey and Schepis place the show as a whole in the proper context of the franchise, and provide plenty of details about how the show was made, its links both back to Star Trek and forward to the subsequent shows, and provide looks at each one of The Animated Series’ 22 episodes.

The authors have also lovingly cataloged all of the show’s notorious goofs and bloopers, including the now iconic shot of Nurse Chapel wearing her blue science uniform with a red sleeve.

If there is one underlying message to the book, as it weaves you through great — and not so great — episodes, it’s that the team behind the show, led principally in the first season writers room by Dorothy ‘D.C.’ Fontana, never for one moment believed they were making anything other than a continuation of live action Star Trek.

Animation may have afforded them the opportunity to do things that a live action budget never could have afforded (An alien with a third arm! An episode set primarily underwater!) and the episodes may have been shorter, but this was Star Trek.

An illustrated guide to bringing ‘Star Trek’ animation to life. (Image: Weldon Owen)

Yes, perhaps it had an added element of being considerate of the Saturday morning TV audience, which included a lot of children — the authors include a “Something for the Kids” section for many episodes to explain the primary takeaways for a younger audience — but the show also did not seem to shy away from mining some of the more adult content of the live action version of the show. Hangovers, love potions, and hookups are all referenced, which even obliquely would have been very forward for a Saturday morning cartoon in the 1970s.

Supported by veteran TV and Star Trek writers like David Gerrold (“The Trouble with Tribbles”) and Stephen Kandel (“I, Mudd” and “Mudd’s Women”) many of The Animated Series’ episodes benefited from the creative genius that sat behind its live action counterpart.

Harvey and Schepis also had significant background material, which adds to the book’s depth. It is clear that they interviewed Dorothy Fontana extensively, as well as David Gerrold and other surviving members of the production team. If there’s anything missing that it would have been nice to include, it’s some memories or recollections of the surviving actors. The stories about the actors’ participation in the show are often parsed through the memories of the folks who worked on production.

Inside the legendary episode ‘Yesteryear.’ (Image: Weldon Owen / Amazon)

While it is probably very likely they would not have had too much to say – many of their lines would be recorded in a single afternoon – and the list of potential candidates who would have memories to share is getting sadly short, it does feel like there is a bit of a void there that could have been filled through archival materials or interviews.

Overall, The Official Guide to the Animated Series will sit very nicely alongside the Star Trek Compendium, the companions for the later series, and many of the other fabulous reference books about the making of various Star Trek productions that have been written over the years. It is an easy read, and worth it for existing fans of the show who want to dig a little deeper, as well as fans like myself, to get a better appreciation for the role The Animated Series played in launching the rest of the franchise.

Let’s hope it does not take 45 years to get this kind of great reference work for the next slate of upcoming Star Trek animated shows!


'The Animated Series'
on DVD


'The Animated Series'
on Blu-ray

'The Official Guide to
The Animated Series'

STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS Review — “Q & A”

Alex Perry
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79
STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS Review — “Q & A”

In addition to the big 90-minute panel at New York Comic Con, this past Saturday was a big day for Star Trek, as franchise head Alex Kurtzman announced during the panel that the first of this fall’s Short Treks, “Q & A,” was about to beam down to CBS All Access for subscribers to return to the 23rd Century.

And what a start! By the time it finished, “Q&A”  — written by Star Trek: Picard showrunner Michael Chabon — was far and away my favorite Short Trek to date. In a quick 14 minutes, set mostly in just a halted turbolift aboard the Enterprise, we got some of the heaviest and most concentrated character work in Star Trek: Discovery production to date.

Directed by Mark Pellington, the episode is a double act between Ensign Spock (Ethan Peck) and Lieutenant Commander Una (Rebecca Romijn) — just call her Number One — following Spock’s arrival for the first time aboard the Enterprise. The episode features small cameos from Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Lieutenant Amin (Samora Smallwood), but this is a Spock-Number One double act in the true sense of the word.

Ensign Spock’s first moments aboard the USS Enterprise. (Photo: CBS All Access)

I wasn’t sure that after 53 years there was more to learn about Spock, especially after the story told in Discovery this past season. And yet, Chabon has surprised me again by peeling back the onion on a small throwaway moment from “The Cage” that could easily have been dismissed as just a relic of a Star Trek that hadn’t quite figured out its own rules.

This is the youngest adult Spock we’ve ever seen, and it shows. Ethan Peck’s performance, once again, is masterful — channeling a 1964-era Leonard Nimoy, but also making the role his own. Peck balances Spock’s typical insightfulness, asking a great question about his new commanding officer, with an additional youthful uncertainty one would expect from an ensign boarding the Enterprise for the first time.

But the real standout in “Q & A” is Number One. This episode provides more development for the character than any of her three previous appearances on Star Trek: Discovery. Rebecca Romjin turns in another great performance, infusing Number One’s steely demeanor with wit and grace… and it turns out she’s a great singer, too!

Kindred spirits in a can. (Photo: CBS All Access)

This episode also gives us additional confirmation – in addition to the ADR’d throwaway line in “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part II” which both closed captioning (and many viewers) missed– that in canon, Number One’s name is Una, the name that originated from the Star Trek novels. Congratulations to authors Greg Cox, David Mack, Dayton Ward, and Kevin Dilmore for originating a new settled part of the Star Trek canon.

At its core, “Q & A” explores the inherent similarities between these two characters. When Majel Barrett’s Number One was eliminated from the cast before the Shatner era began in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” some of her character traits were shifted to Spock. But with both characters now interacting in canon, there are many similarities between the two. This episode demonstrates that they are kindred spirits, while also being fully unique and realized individuals at the same time.

And despite having absolutely nothing to do with Star Trek: Picard, this episode is a very encouraging sign for the next Star Trek show, which is set to premiere in a little over three months. In addition to being a Pulitzer Prize winning author, Chabon has one Star Trek writing credit under his belt already, last November’s far-future Short Trek “Calypso.”

Una introduces the “new boot” to the Enterprise’s captain, Christopher Pike. (Photo: CBS All Access)

Where “Q & A” differs from “Calypso,” however, is that his first episode did not include any established Star Trek characters. “Q & A” shows us how Chabon writes established characters, in this case Spock and Number One. But considering how well he does it, telling us something new about both characters while keeping both well within the bounds we already know and understand, it can only be an encouraging sign for taking on the task of writing Jean-Luc Picard.

“Q & A” is a fun and insightful. If the next few Short Treks are as good as this one, we’re in for a treat as we count down the months to the Picard premiere in January.

The next Star Trek: Short Trek tale, “The Trouble With Edward,” debuts this Thursday on CBS All Access in the United States, and on CTV SciFi Channel and CraveTV in Canada.

There’s no word yet on additional international availability, but we’ll be sure to let you all know if and when the new Short Treks make it outside North America.

A New Look at “The Trouble With Edward,” October 10’s New STAR TREK: SHORT TREK Tale

TrekCore Staff
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26
A New Look at “The Trouble With Edward,” October 10’s New STAR TREK: SHORT TREK Tale

While “Q & A” dropped as a surprise on Saturday afternoon — watch for our review shortly! — the 2019 run of Star Trek: Short Treks continues this week with “The Trouble With Edward,” the second of three Captain Pike-era tales set to arrive this fall.

This week features the return of those cuddly creatures from classic Star Trek — the tribbles — and the crew of the Starfleet ship USS Cabot, whose new captain finds the fuzzy furballs a bit harder to handle than expected.

H. Jon Benjamin guest stars as scientist Edward Larkin. (Photo: CBS All Access)

Along with the return of Captain Pike (Anson Mount), “The Trouble With Edward” also features guest stars Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel), pictured above, and H. Jon Benjamin (Archer, Bob’s Burgers) as officers aboard the USS Cabot.

Here’s a new preview for Thursday’s Short Trek:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XWUJtBPll/

THE TROUBLE WITH EDWARD — Newly minted Captain Lynne Lucero (Rosa Salazar) is excited to take command of the U.S.S.Cabot, until she meets Edward Larkin (H. Jon Benjamin), an ornery scientist who believes he has found a revolutionary new use for tribbles…

“The Trouble With Edward” debuts this Thursday on CBS All Access in the United States, and on CraveTV in Canada.

There’s no word yet on additional international availability, but we’ll be sure to let you all know if and when the new Short Treks make it outside North America.

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