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REVIEW: Eaglemoss XL — Excelsior-Class ENTERPRISE-B

Twenty-five years ago this November, Star Trek: Generations introduced the last of the unseen members of the lettered Enterprise lineage, Excelsior-class USS Enterprise-B under the command of poor, befuddled Captain John Harriman.

Eagle eyed observers of Star Trek: The Next Generation already knew that the Enterprise-B was likely to be a member of the Excelsior family, thanks to the display of golden Enterprise models which lived in the observation lounge for the first several years of the series.

The Enterprise-B, with its distinctive secondary hull ‘wings,’ flies around the Nexus.

The Enterprise-B, however, was not a standard Excelsior-class design: under the supervision of Herman Zimmerman and John Eaves, several modifications were made to the Excelsior studio model, most notable of which were the addition of a new pair of impulse engines on either side of the saucer, and fins along the secondary hull.

The changes were not just aesthetic, but also practical. Adding the fins to the secondary hull allowed for those fins to become damaged (when Captain Kirk saves the ship but is sucked into the Nexus) without affecting the original Excelsior model underneath.

The XL-sized Enterprise-B is a gorgeous, hefty model — nearly twice the length of the subscriber-sized model released a few years ago. Both the saucer and most of the secondary hull are die-cast metal, with only the neck of the ship that connects the saucer with the secondary hull, the top of the secondary hull, and the nacelles are injection-molded plastics.

The light aztecing across the length of the ship — more extensive than on the smaller release, extending all the way down the ship’s dorsal side — provides a sense of scale, and with many of Eaglemoss’ late 23rd century starships the combinations of light greys, blues, and reds combine together to really make the model come alive.

A number of fans don’t care for the modifications that turned the Excelsior into the Enterprise-B, but they work for me, and they add additional detail and interest to the model, and contribute to creating that sense of scale.

In addition to the aztecing on the dorsal side of the ship, the XL release of the Enterprise-B also includes the addition of a red stripe around the bridge module and additional molded detailing on the flat section of the nacelle pylon (with additional paint work to add the grey patterned lines.)

However, absent from the release — which the forthcoming XL-sized USS Excelsior seems to have corrected — are the blue stripes that should ring around the saucer section. These are clearly obvious features of the studio model, and it is disappointing that they were missed from this model. (This is a shared issue also impacting the XL-sized USS Reliant we reviewed a while back.)

In addition, other small details from the studio model that are not present on the model include grey coloring of some of the pitting around the sensor platform on the dorsal side of the saucer. The forward torpedo launchers are present on the model, but to be true to the original studio model they should be colored blue instead of the same grey paint as the rest of the saucer neck.

Those minor flaws, in addition to some obvious seam lines particularly on the nacelles and Eaglemoss’ usual issues with misaligned windows, do not detract from the overall appearance of the model however. This is a beautiful ship, and it displays well. The display stand is a little loose, but grips the model on either side of the saucer firmly without much worry of unintended slippage.

Overall, this is a really nice model, and while it may not add much to the original smaller version of the ship, the XL Enterprise-B it is a well constructed model that nicely contributes to rounding out the line of Enterprises on your display shelf.

If the Excelsior-class Enterprise-B is a ship you’d like to add to your personal fleet, you can get the 10.5″ starship model from Eaglemoss’ US web shop for $74.95, and in the UK you can pick it up for £49.99.

There are also a pair of new concept models on the way from Eaglemoss, set to debut for the first time at San Diego Comic Con this week: a pair of never-build shuttlecraft prototypes!

The first is one of Matt Jefferies’ early designs for the Original Series (NCC-1701/5), a rounded craft which would have been impressive on-screen, but difficult to build for production in the 1960s.

The second, a sleek design created for the cancelled Star Trek: Phase II series in the 1970s (NCC-1701/9), with fixed flight wings. If you’re at SDCC, they’ll be on display along with all of Eaglemoss’ other offerings at Booth #4337.

Review — STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 2 Soundtrack

In many ways, the second season of of Star Trek: Discovery was very different in execution and tone from the first year of the series, but in one way they were very similar. Both were impressively supported by the signature musical work from composer Jeff Russo.

Unlike the soundtrack releases for Season 1, which were split into a pair of separate collections to align with the first half and second half of the season, Discovery Season 2’s music has been compiled into one massive 39-track collection set to arrive Friday, July 19 from Lakeshore Records, with an expansive run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The album runs the gamut of the full 14-episode arc of 2019 Discovery episodes and includes the Original Series-infused version of the show’s theme that played so emphatically over the season finale’s closing credits.

This third collection of music from Russo is another stellar addition to the pantheon of great Trek music through the years, adding to it with his unique style that frequently comes across as both powerful and subdued, even within a few notes of each other.

One of the best examples of that power and subtlety can be found in “Flashback,” one of seven tracks compiled from Discovery’s season premiere, “Brother.” The track’s swelling horns and searching strings reach a dramatic conclusion when Michael Burnham realizes Spock’s secret regarding the seven signals, setting up the story for the entire season.

The suite from “Brother” also features “The Final Frontier,” arguably one of the least successful tracks on the album, serving as a moody backdrop for the season-opening montage of space exploration amid a Burnham voice-over and that never really catches fire. However, that track is followed by “Christopher Pike,” the perfectly named song to introduce the famed character with a mélange of pumping brass that gives Anson Mount the powerful, welcoming introduction he both deserved and would go on to earn during the season.

Much in the way it opens with seven tracks from the season’s first episode, the album concludes with a full set of 10 tracks from “Such Sweet Sorrow.” The two-part finale is probably the most cinematic episode of Star Trek ever, and the fact they include 10 tracks from it here echoes that, as this 28-minute suite of music is basically a movie score unto itself. It is stylish, brash and inspirational, and there are no moments wasted.

 
The highlights include everything from the sweeping sentiment of “Goodbyes” to the inspirational power of “Ready,” which is the perfect pump up music for anyone needing a little extra motivation to start your day.

Of course, “Pike on the Bridge” is exquisite in building to that moment. You know the one we’re talking about. The escalating accompaniment builds throughout the entire track, and you won’t be able to listen to it without thinking of where you were when Pike walked on to the bridge of the USS Enterprise. It’s a very special track whose soaring theme feels like a culmination and payoff of the entire season.

Elsewhere on the album, “The Cathedral” is another strong track where Russo expertly relays the central mystery of “New Eden,” one of the series’ finest episodes, by interweaving rifts from the Discovery’s main theme with clever notes that sound like they’re tip-toeing around a corner.

In “The Sphere” (from “An Obol for Charon”), a variety of musical styles mix together perfectly to convey one of the core mysteries of Discovery Season 2. The violins that open the track sound like a howling banshee, but from there it alternates all the way from tinkling symphonics to Discovery-themed brass and strings (and back again). It’s a wonderful piece encapsulating the many fun reveals throughout the season.

As he’s shown on his previous Star Trek work, Russo moves from track to track on the album while building tension with the symmetry of his percussion offset against the aggressive strings that prop up his arrangements. The ability for his individual, film-quality tracks to stand alone continues to be impressive.

A good example of what Russo is so capable of can be heard in the eerie “Pillar of the Past” from the now iconic episode “Through the Valley of Shadows.” Russo’s style is ever present in matching the unveiling of one of Star Trek’s most iconic and well-known moments, but one that had never been seen before. The five-minute track crawls along eerily for a full 90 seconds before Russo ups the ante with some discombobulated horns that play like a horror movie theme.

The album also includes the beautiful “Song of Remembrance” from “The Red Angel,” which was sung so memorably by Doug Jones’ Saru at the memorial for Airiam that opened the episode. Much like the Kasseelian Opera from the Season 1 soundtrack that Russo composed, the track shows the artists amazing range in crafting the music for the series.

Two other sweeping tracks from the album that deserve callouts include “On Site” and “Two Minutes,” which work together seamlessly to capture (pun intended) “The Red Angel” so succinctly. The beautiful scores are a standout from the season with their tension building pace and unique sounds.

Overall, the album features a wide range of music, touching the corners of all 14 episodes of Discovery Season. 2. It concludes with a fun, but maybe not completely necessary, suite of three songs from the Harry Mudd Short Trek episode “The Escape Artist.”

Those tracks include two unique takes on Russo’s opening (“Lounge” version) and closing (“Disco” version) Discovery themes. The unexpected inclusion of this Short Trek sampling ultimately just highlighted that a better choice to include would have probably been the influential music from “Calypso.” (But the tracks are pretty fun.)

Overall, the music from Russo now covering three collections of Star Trek: Discovery is a resounding must-own for all Trek music aficionados and it is packaged here to near perfection.

As with last year’s soundtrack, the Discovery Season 2 collection will be available later in a limited-edition vinyl release, and we expect a version to arrive on CD as well — dates for both are at this time not yet announced, but we’ll be sure to let you know when that information arrives.

In the meantime, you can get your order your copy of the Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 soundtrack on iTunes or on Amazon Music now.

Jim Moorhouse is the creator of TrekRanks.com and the TrekRanks Podcast. He can be found living and breathing Trek every day on Twitter at @EnterpriseExtra.

S1 Soundtrack: Chapter 1

S1 Soundtrack: Chapter 2

S2 Soundtrack

 

Four Emmy Nominations for STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 2

For the second year in a row, Star Trek: Discovery has earned recognition by television’s highest honor: the series has earned four Emmy Award nominations for Season 2’s production.

Announced today by the Television Academy, the series once again saw praise for the technical efforts of Discovery’s production team.

Sound Supervisor Matthew Taylor and his team have been nominated in the area of Outstanding Sound Editing, for the USS Discovery’s climactic battle along side the USS Enterprise in “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2,” the season finale — plus Michael Burnham’s time-twisting trip through history.

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR)

Better Call Saul — “Talk” (AMC)
Game of Thrones — “The Long Night” (HBO)
Gotham — “Legend of the Dark Night: I am Bane” (Fox)
Star Trek: Discovery — “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2” (CBS All Access)
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan — “Pilot” (Amazon)

Next up, VFX supervisor Jason Zimmerman and his team were tapped for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for their incredible work on “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2,” which featured not only the Starfleet vs. Control space battle but the final journey of the USS Discovery out of the 23rd century to a time unknown.

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Game of Thrones — “The Bells” (HBO)
Star Trek: Discovery — “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2” (CBS All Access)
The Man in the High Castle — “Jahr Null” (Amazon)
The Orville — “Identity, Part II” (FOX)
The Umbrella Academy — “The White Violin” (Netflix)

Once more, Makeup artists Glenn Hetrick and James MacKinnon, along with the entire prosthetics team, landed a nomination for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series for their work specifically “If Memory Serves,” the standout return of the Talosians — and the disfigured Vina — as well as Star Trek alien races like Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, along with Kelpien officer Saru and enhanced officer Airiam as well.

OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL

American Horror Story: Apocalypse — “Apocolypse Then” (FX)
Game of Thrones — “The Long Night” (HBO)
Star Trek: Discovery — “If Memory Serves” (CBS All Access)
Chernobyl (HBO)
Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Creative director Ana Criado and her team of animators and artists also landed a nomination for their work in the opening credits of the series, with Discovery’s first nomination for Outstanding Main Title Design.

The credits were updated at the start of Season 2, and continued to be modified as the story of the season progressed across the fifteen-episode run of the show.

OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN

Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
True Detective (HBO)
Warrior (Cinemax)

Unfortunately, while there were several nods to the cast made in yesterday’s Saturn Awards nominations, there was no recognition here this year — and perhaps more disappointingly, no nomination for the outstanding work by Discovery costume designer Gersha Phillips and her team, who worked to create dozens of incredible new outfits for Season 2, from the practical Red Angel suits worn by Sonja Sohn and Sonequa Martin-Green, to the updated Starfleet uniforms worn by Captain Pike and the Enterprise crew.

The 2019 Emmy Award winners will be announced on September 22.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 2 Lands Five Nominations for 2019 Saturn Awards

Following in the footsteps of last year’s round of nominationsStar Trek: Discovery has once again been recognized by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror for the 45th Annual Saturn Awards, where several members of the series’ cast — and the show itself — have been named as contenders of the year.

Unlike last year, where Discovery was up against the entire range of television productions, this year the series has been shifted to the category of “streaming presentations,” separated from traditional broadcast and cable series thanks to the growing field of streaming-only shows.

Lead actress Sonqeua Martin-Green (Michael Burnham) lands a nomination for Best Actress in a Streaming Presentation, while co-stars Doug Jones (Saru), Ethan Peck (Spock), and Wilson Cruz (Hugh Culber) will be competing against one another for Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Presentation.

Star Trek: Discovery itself was named as one of the seven shows set to vie for the title of Best Streaming Science Fiction, Action, & Fantasy Series, up against competitors from Netflix and Amazon.

The 45th Annual Saturn Awards will be doled out at the official ceremony on September 13 — best of luck to all of our Star Trek nominees in this years’ running!

Win Passes to 2019’s Official STAR TREK Convention!

We’re less than three weeks away from the kickoff of 2019’s official Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, and thanks to our friends at Creation Entertainment, TrekCore readers have a chance to score all-week access to the biggest Star Trek event of the year!

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This contest has ended and the winner has been notified.

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Every year, thousands of Star Trek fans gather in Las Vegas to celebrate their favorite characters, episodes, series, and stars from the Trek universe, and with the ever-growing franchise continuing to barrel ahead into the next generation of storytelling, this year is sure to be another exciting event!

Last year, the Las Vegas convention — or STLV, as regulars know it — brought along nearly the entire cast of Star Trek: Discovery for the first time, including headliner Sonequa Martin-Green, for discussion panels, autograph sessions, and fan photo opportunities.

On top of that, the surprise announcement that Patrick Stewart was returning to the Star Trek franchise was made at STLV in front of a packed house of fans, where the news couldn’t have been received more warmly.

So far, there have already been over 100 guests announced for attendance at this year’s STLV convention — with plenty more to be announced, we suspect, after next weekend’s big event at San Diego Comic Con — and we want some of you to join in the fun!

One lucky TrekCore reader will win a pair of passes to the full week’s adventures at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention when it kicks off on Wednesday, July 31!

To be clear, the winner will need to provide their own transportation and hotel accommodations, but if chosen, you’ll score two General Admission Convention passes for full access to all panels, events, and the STLV vendors room for the full five-day event, a value of over $660! (The full contest rules are detailed below.)

To enter, you’ll simply need to join us on social media and answer this question:

You can send us your entry response in one of two ways: follow us on Twitter and tweet @TrekCore your answer using the hashtag #BeamMeToSTLV…

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…or you can follow us on Facebook and then submit your response as a comment on this post.

You have until midnight (Eastern time) on Wednesday, July 17 to get your entry in — we’ll reach out to the winner after the contest closes to arrange for fulfillment.

Good luck to all!

This contest is open to entrants worldwide. The winning entry will receive one pair (2) of General Admission Convention passes to the Creation Entertainment 2019 Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, which allows daily convention access (as detailed on Creation Entertainment’s website) from July 31 through August 4.

Once confirmed via communication with TrekCore, the winner will be able to pick up their passes at will call anytime after 11AM on Wednesday, July 31 at the entrance to the Official Star Trek Convention, located at the Rio Hotel and Suites in Las Vegas. These tickets will not be available for pickup before this date and time, and do not include access to the vendors room “preview night” on July 30.

All travel arrangements, including any airfare or hotel accommodations, are the responsibility of the winner and are not included with the General Admission Convention passes offered in this contest.

The comments section of this post will not be considered for contest entries.

REVIEW: Hallmark’s 2019 STAR TREK Ornaments

It’s July once more, which means it’s time to start thinking about the sooner-to-arrive-than-you-think holiday season if you’re one of the many Star Trek fans who collect Hallmark’s annual ornaments!

Every year around this time, Hallmark officially unveils their Christmas offerings, but if you’ve been following our coverage of the company’s yearly offerings, you may recall we got a sneak peak of their plans for 2019 all the way back at last summer’s Las Vegas Star Trek convention — and now the final versions are in hand, and we’re here to give you a detailed look at the finished products.

First out of spacedock is this year’s starship offering, the refit Constitution-class USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, just in time for the film’s 40th anniversary. To be totally honest, I adore the Hallmark starship ornaments the most — they just look so nice on my tree, and this one is no exception.

While at a glance the ship looks fairly accurate to its on-screen counterpart, I do think there could have been some more precise detailing around the deflector dish, which got a great close-up in The Motion Picture. Additionally, the “grey” detailing that is on the ship looks a little greener than I think it should.

Like all of Hallmark’s Star Trek ship ship ornaments, this one is “magic” and includes internal lighting at the nacelles and deflector. I would have liked to have seen a version of this ornament with the flood lights that illuminate the ship name and registry number on the top and bottom of the saucer.

Admittedly, I don’t know if it would have been feasible with LEDs, but it would have really captured the look and feel of the ship from the movie a bit more.

The Star Trek: The Motion Picture – 40th Anniversary edition USS Enterprise ornament retails for $32.99 and can be ordered online here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikiA-05bmsI

Not only does 2019’s collection bring a new starship ornament, but as been tradition, a new character moment debuts this year as well: Commander Saru and Michael Burnham mark the first appereance of Star Trek: Discovery characters in Hallmark’s lineup.

People are always a bit tricky to sculpt, and this is one of the better character-oriented ornaments that I’ve seen from Hallmark’s Star Trek line lately. One little critique: in all of the promotional photographs of this ornament, Saru’s uniform has distinctly gold accents, especially compared to Burnham’s silver — as they should be, following their on-screen costumes. In person though, the colors seem almost identical.

Also, and perhaps this is just super nitpicky, but the ornament’s sculptor gave Saru human hands, missing the telltale Kelpien ridges and detailing. Perhaps this is a limitation of the small scale of the figure, but a notable one nonetheless.

Like the ship, this is also a “magic” ornament, featuring dialogue from their moment of bonding at the end of Season 1’s “Choose Your Pain.” The speaker is on the bottom, and the dialogue sounds nice and clear when the ornament is hung for display.

The Star Trek: Discovery Saru/Burnham ornament retails for $29.99 and can be ordered online here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLGVmmgWu9M

If you’re worried about a Klingon invasion this Christmas, you’ll definitely want to pick up the 2019 Tribble ornament — it’s cute, fluffy, and is sure to scare off any invaders from the Empire with its screen-accurate purr.

Mine needed a little bit of fluffing right out of the box, which is to be expected, but it is really is adorable… just don’t feed it or you’ll have a whole Christmas tree full of them! One cautionary note: this may look like pure fluff, but because it is a “magic” ornament it has a bit more weight to it than you might expect.

Hang this little guy on a sturdy branch come Christmas time since it vibrates a bit while playing its audio.

You can have a Tribble on your tree for $19.99 — the ornament can be ordered online here.

These three ornaments go on sale nationwide at Hallmark’s website as well as at their local brick-and-mortar stores starting today — but they aren’t the last Star Trek releases coming from Hallmark this year!

Next week, San Diego Comic Con will see the debut of their 2019 convention-exclusive ISS Enterprise ornament which we first told you about back in June: this limited-run release will launch at SDCC, but will be available at the August Star Trek Las Vegas convention and October’s New York Comic Con as well.

Finally, another tabletop design focused on the the Original Series leads is set to beam down in October; that large model we first showed you in April will be available October 5.

We’ll keep bringing you the latest on Hallmark’s Star Trek offerings as the year continues!

Stamets Steals the Spotlight in DEAD ENDLESS, December’s STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Novel

We’re just two weeks away from the arrival of The Enterprise War, the Captain Pike tale and next entry in the Star Trek: Discovery novel line, but news today out of the Maryland-based Shore Leave Convention has given us an idea of what to expect next in the series!

Coming on December 17 is Star Trek: Discovery — Dead Endless, the sixth novel in the tie-in line, from author Dave Galanter… and this time around, it’s Discovery‘s resident astromycologist Paul Stamets who leads the story.

First reported by fan podcast account E.I. Star Trek Cast from the convention’s Star Trek novelists panel — where Galanter was a participant — the Stamets story will be set in early days aboard the Crossfield-class ship, where “the Discovery is sent on a mission using it’s spore drive. Complications leave [the ship] stranded, out of spores, in a bleak region of space.”

Shortly after the panel, the author weighed in on the news on Twitter:

We’ll bring you more information on Dead Endless as it becomes available — including cover art and preorder links — but for now, Star Trek: Discovery fans can look forward to this book to help bridge the gap between now and the far-away launch of Season 3 on television.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek book news, including our review of The Enterprise War and all the reveals sure to come at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention at the end of the month!

Novel #4:
"The Way to the Stars"


Novel #5:
"The Enterprise War"


Novel #6:
"Dead Endless"


New 24-Inch USS Enterprise-D STAR TREK: TNG Model Coming from Chronicle Collectibles

Whether it’s a classic Micro Machines toy from the 1990s or one of Eaglemoss’ latest model releases, Star Trek fans have always been collectors of replica starships from the still-expanding franchise — and now, a new player is entering the arena with a high-end build of Captain Picard’s USS Enterprise-D set to make its debut at San Diego Comic Con next week.

Chronicle Collectibles, who has been dabbling in the Star Trek world since they kicked off their line of Trek-themed liquors last summer, announced this week their next endeavor: a large-scale replica build of the Galaxy-class USS Enterprise-D — a two-foot long, aluminum-and-fiberglass model set to retail with a $2000 price tag.

Available for preorder now at their web shop, Chronicle Collectibles projects fulfillment for this intricate model to begin towards the end of 2020, allowing buyers to save up their gold-pressed latinum for the significant investment in this product — but will require a 10% upfront deposit (non-refundable) to reserve one of these models, a common ask for these types of high-end collectibles.

The 24″ Enterprise-D model also includes full internal lighting for the warp nacelles, deflector dish, and deck windows, along with an LCARS-styled base that also lights on display.

The Chronicle Collectibles replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is a true 1/1000th representation of that legendary ship. Lovingly recreated using a combination of fiberglass, aluminum, and resin, the Enterprise-D stands at an impressive two feet in length. Engines, deflector dish, and windows are all faithfully lit with an array of LEDs.

The illuminated display base carries the model at a height of 14 inches. The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D Replica is exclusively available through Chronicle Collectibles. Reserve yours today.

— Crafted in fiberglass, aluminum and resin.
— Complete LED lighting for windows, navigational deflector dish, warp and impulse engines.
— Starship is 24″ long x 19″ wide x 7″ tall
— Illuminated LCARS display base measures 17″ long x 13″ wide x 3″ tall
— Overall display height approx. 14″

Estimated to ship Q4 2020.

This isn’t the first large-scale starship model to hit the market; over the last two years Anovos has also showcased their massive Star Trek: Discovery custom-built USS Discovery, USS Shenzhou, and USS Enterprise models — but Chronicle’s new offering is a fraction of those ships’ $9-10,000 price point, which is likely to attract more likely purchases for those with some big bucks to spare.

For those of you headed to San Diego Comic Con, the first in-person look at the 1/1000-scale USS Enterprise-D model will be on site at Chronicle Collectibles’ booth (#3635), and we’ll do our best to get some photos of the debut model for you to examine as well once SDCC kicks off next week.

New Key Art Revealed for STAR TREK: PICARD

Ahead of next weekend’s highly-anticipated Into the Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic Con, CBS today has released the first Star Trek: Picard key artwork to feature the man himself — Sir Patrick Stewart — as the returning Jean-Luc Picard.

The aged former Starfleet officer looks out over his vineyard in this new poster, accompanied by a four-legged friend — a pit bull likely inspired by the actor’s work with fostering the breed — with a hazy planet appearing the orange-tinted sky above the pair.

If you take a close look at the dog’s delta-shaped tag, it seems to read “NO. 1″…

Romulus, moments before its destruction. (Star Trek ’09)

This planet may very well be the former Romulan home world, seen destroyed in the 2009 Star Trek film, an event which series executive producer Alex Kurtzman noted would be a significant influence on Star Trek: Picard earlier this year.

The overall storyline to Star Trek: Picard remains a mystery, aside from a few small clues hinted at in the teaser trailer back in May — but we’re sure to learn a lot more when the cast and crew of the upcoming series hits San Diego Comic Con next Saturday.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for all the latest news on Star Trek: Picard!

David Mack to Consult on STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS

Longtime Star Trek tie-in novelist David Mack is no stranger to the current franchise television production team, as he was responsible for kicking off the Star Trek: Discovery novel series with 2017’s Desperate Hours, a tale which had the author staying in communication with the series’ nascent writers room to line up his USS Shenzhou story to the show’s plans for its on-screen debut.

Now, as the Star Trek television franchise continues to expand to new frontiers, Mack has announced that he’s working with the next wave of Trek creatives as a consultant on the forthcoming animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Though Mack announced his participation with the upcoming show on social media today, he stayed mum on the exact nature of his role, though he did share on Facebook that he “won’t be creating the new stories, just offering advice and notes to help them be the Trekkiest that they can be.”

Replying to questioning fans hoping to see some of the author’s novel-based characters and content appear in Lower Decks with a simple clarification:

He also made it clear that he is NOT part of the series’ writing staff, noting in a subsequent tweet that he’s an outside consultant only:

I am NOT in the writers room on either animated series. I am NOT providing writing services to either show. I am an outside consultant, and my services are strictly advisory in nature.

And about that other, “classified” show he mentioned in his announcement? Well, we’re pretty certain he’s referring to the still-untitled animated series in development for Nickelodeon, as that show’s creative leads, Dan and Kevin Hageman, jokingly joined in the Twitter conversation:

We expect to learn a whole lot more about Star Trek: Lower Decks at next Saturday’s Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic Con, where series producer Mike McMahon will be appearing on stage to show off a first look at the show.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for all the latest news in Star Trek animation!