We’ve got more news today about what to expect from Star Trek licensees at San Diego Comic Con next week — our friends over at Eaglemoss will be on site featuring not only some of their recently-announced Trek starships, but offering fans a look ahead to the rest of their 2018 slate as well.
Here’s their official announcement:
EAGLEMOSS SAILS INTO SAN DIEGO WITH NEW SHIPS, NEW BUSTS, NEW COLLECTIONS AND A BOATLOAD OF BUNDLES!
(July 11, 2018 – New York, NY) – After a record-breaking showing in 2017, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, designers, manufacturers and publishers of high-quality collectibles from across the world of pop culture, are back at Comic-Con International: San Diego and bigger than ever!
Fans will be able to start or add to their collections – as well as purchase outstanding gifts for the fans in their lives – with special prices throughout the convention at Booth #3249, beginning Wednesday, July 18 through Sunday, July 22 at the San Diego Convention Center. They’ll also be among the first to get a look at some of Eaglemoss’ most exciting new releases.
After the tremendous success of Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery, Eaglemoss is now gearing up for season 2 with a preview of two soon-to-be released ships from the Star Trek: Discovery Official Starships Collection – the U.S.S. Europa and one of the few Vulcan designs seen in the series so far, the Vulcan Cruiser.
Fans in attendance will also be among the first to get their hands on two recent additions to Eaglemoss’ line of Star Trek Starships XL Editions – the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A and the U.S.S. Defiant NX-74205, Starfleet’s first true warship. On display, but not yet available for purchase, will be the next pair of XL Editions due to be released in Q4 of 2018 – the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-B and the Miranda-class U.S.S. Reliant.
Visitors will also get a first look at two new Bonus ships from the original Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection – Rick Sternbach’s U.S.S. Voyager Concept and the Klingon Bird-of-Prey (Landing Position).
At their SDCC Booth (#3249), the company will be showcasing the next entries in their Star Trek: Discovery model collection: the new Klingon Bird of Prey, the USS Europa and the Vulcan Cruiser introduced in “Lethe” last season.
We’ve already got our hands on Issue #3 (the USS Kerala) and Issue #4 (the Bird of Prey), so be sure to watch for our review of those ships soon!
Eaglemoss 'Star Trek: Discovery' Starships
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Klingon Bird of Prey
Klingon Bird of Prey
Klingon Bird of Prey
USS Europa
Vulcan Cruiser
In addition, Eaglemoss will also have on display the newest additions to their XL Starships line of larger Trek models. The USS Enterprise-A (which we reviewed last month) and the USS Defiant (which we’ll be reviewing shortly!) will be available to purchase on site; targeted for release later in 2018 will be the Enterprise-B and Miranda-class USS Reliant.
Eaglemoss 'XL Starships' Models
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USS Enterprise-A
XL Defiant vs. 2013 small model
XL Defiant vs. 2013 small model
XL Defiant vs. 2013 small model
XL Defiant vs. 2013 small model
USS Enterprise-B
USS Reliant
Last for the starships, the first preview models from April’s announced special-issue vessels will be on display, including the Rick Sternbach-designed USS Voyager prototype, and the ‘landing position’ variant of the classic Klingon Bird of Prey.
Eaglemoss Special-Issue Models
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Sternbach 'Voyager' concept
Sternbach 'Voyager' concept
'Landing position' Bird of Prey
'Landing position' Bird of Prey
Eaglemoss will be running a daily giveaways on site in San Diego, with convention attendees given the chance to win these Trek model bundles throughout the week:
July 18 – Win the Defiant Bundle:U.S.S. Defiant Starship, U.S.S. Defiant XL Edition, U.S.S. Defiant Bridge Dedication Plaque
July 19 – Win the Voyager Bundle:U.S.S. Voyager Starship, U.S.S. Voyager XL Edition, U.S.S. Voyager Bridge Dedication Plaque
July 22 – Win the Discovery Bundle:U.S.S. Shenzhou, U.S.S. Discovery, U.S.S. Kerala
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Besides all the model starships, Eaglemoss will also be offering the first public view of their upcoming Star Trek character bust collection as well, with four creations from the Original Series and The Next Generation at their SDCC booth for fan review.
Eaglemoss 'Star Trek Collector's Busts'
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Rounding out Eaglemoss’ Star Trek presence is perhaps their most exciting news yet – the all-new Official Star Trek Collector’s Busts. This new collection features the iconic captains of Starfleet and other memorable characters from over 50 years of Star Trek TV and movie history, capturing them in impressive detail with highly accurate likenesses, uniforms and props.
These hand-painted polyresin busts are 4.5 to 6” tall, come complete with a fact-filled magazine, and form an essential addition to any Star Trek collection. On display at SDCC for the first time anywhere will be four fan favorites – Kirk, Spock, Worf and Data.
We don’t have details on pricing or availability for these busts, but we’ll be sure to share that information when it becomes available.
Keep checking back to TrekCore for all the latest in Star Trek product news — and watch for our reviews of the XL USS Defiant, the USS Kerala, and Discovery Bird of Prey models in the coming days!
Modiphius Entertainment’s Star Trek Adventures tabletop game is expanding this year, with a a series of new supplemental rulebooks to send players down new paths of Trek action!
Star Trek Adventures kicked off in 2017 with a core rulebook, but 2018 brings new expansion supplements to allow players to branch off into new areas of character action –starting with the new Star Trek Adventures: Beta Quadrant Sourcebook, which extends the game to the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, and adds several familiar Trek alien species to the mix… and features newly-created starbase schematics by Rick Sternbach.
Star Trek Adventures: Beta Quadrant Sourcebook
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You judge yourselves against the pitiful adversaries you’ve encountered so far: the Romulans, the Klingons…they’re nothing compared to what’s waiting. The Beta Quadrant sourcebook provides Game Masters and Players with a wealth of source material about the Galaxy of Star Trek.
The Beta Quadrant sourcebook provides Gamemasters and Players with a wealth of source material about the Galaxy of Star Trek. Focused on the Beta Quadrant, this 128 page hardback sourcebook contains:
– Information on the Federation’s presence in the Beta Quadrant, including the homeworlds of Andoria, Earth, and Vulcan.
– Material about the Klingon Empire and its history, including information on its core words of Qo’noS, Boreth, Khitomer, and Rura Penthe.
– Information from the Romulan Star Empire on their history and politics, and information about their worlds Romulus and Remus.
– A host of new Federation species to choose from during character creation, including Benzite, Bolians, Efrosians, and Klingons.
– A selection of alien starships, from the Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, Gorn Hegemony, Orion Syndicate, and civilian craft.
– Guidance for the Gamemaster on running missions and continuing voyages in the Beta Quadrant, with a selection of new Non-Player Characters to enhance encounters.
The Beta Quadrant Sourcebookis available now for $33.99 (£24.99 GPB).
Also joining the party are a series of Starfleet division-specific supplement books — centered on the Command, Engineering, and Medical tracks — starting with the just-released Star Trek Adventures: Command Division Supplement.
Star Trek Adventures: Command Division Supplement
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When you command a starship, you make a hundred decisions a day—hundreds of lives are staked on you making every one of them right. The Command Division supplement provides Game Masters and Players with a wealth of new material for use in Star Trek Adventures for characters in the command division.
The Command Division supplement provides Gamemasters and Players with a wealth of new material for use in Star Trek Adventures for characters in the command division. The Command Division supplement includes:
– Detailed description of the command division, including its role in Starfleet, the various branches within the command division, the role of Fleet Operations, life as a command division cadet, and details on starship operations.
– Expanded 2d20 Social Conflict rules, enhancing social encounters and galactic diplomacy.
– An expanded list of Talents and Focuses for command and conn characters.
– Over a dozen additional starships and support craft to command and pilot, including the NX, Nebula, Sovereign, and Steamrunner classes, as well as many shuttle types and the indomitable Work Bee!
– Advice on creating command division focused plot components for your missions to test the mettle of your captain and flight controller.
– New rules on running Admiralty-level campaigns that let you command entire fleets, as well as information on commanding starbases.
– Detailed descriptions and game statistics for a range of Command and Conn focused NPCs and Supporting Characters.
Just announced this week is the second division expansion, the Star Trek Adventures: The Operations Division, centering around Engineering, Security, and even Starfleet Intelligence and the secretive Section 31.
Here’s the full announcement and cover art — the second part of a three-piece design set to span all three division books:
Star Trek Adventures: The Operations Division
Join Starfleet’s miracle workers or its steadfast defenders with the Operations Division supplemental rulebook for Star Trek Adventures, this November.
Leading the writing team is Chris McCarver (Marvel Cinematic Universe Guidebook) alongside Andrew Peregrine (Dr. Who: Adventures in Time and Space, Firefly Roleplaying Game), Jack Geiger (Scarred Lands, A Song of Ice and Fire RPG), John Snead (Blue Rose, Eclipse Phase, Mindjammer), and Sam Webb (Star Trek Adventures).
Players can expect new choices for their security officers and engineers, as well as detailed background information on the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, Starfleet Intelligence, and even the elusive Section 31. The supplemental rulebook also expands the equipment available to Starfleet personnel, with new rules on their inclusion in the game.
The Gamemaster also has their choice of new resources for running operations-focused missions, and a new selection of named NPCs, and engineering and security archetypes including Luther Sloan, Leah Brahms, and MACO soldiers.
Miniatures fans will be in for a treat, with the Red Alert rules for miniatures combat using a streamlined version of the 2d20 system, developed by prolific wargame designer Mark Latham and Sam Webb, line developer for Star Trek Adventures.
The Operations-centric supplement will also be priced at $33.99 (£24.99 GPB) when it goes up for preorder at Modiphius’ webstore in September — with plans for release in November.
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In addition to these three supplement books, Modiphius has set the third division rulebook — covering the Medical and Sciences specialties — for debut in January 2019, with three more quadrant-specific sourcebooks to follow later next year.
These will introduce more species from the known Alpha Quadrant, the Dominion and other Gamma Quadrant influences, and the many alien races encountered by the USS Voyager crew in the Delta Quadrant.
A convention-exclusive Khan miniature given out at Modiphius’ Shore Leave panel.
Representatives from Modiphius were on hand an last weekend’s Shore Leave Convention in Maryland, where it was also announced that — while the game is playable in any era of the Star Trek franchise — the company is working to design Original Series-themed editions of its core rulebooks to feature 23rd Century graphics.
They also revealed that the team is planning to follow 2017’s massive Star Trek Adventures Borg Cube collector’s set with a more travel-friendly Original Series tricorder travel case, complete with shoulder strap, to help gamemasters get around with their STA gear more easily.
Have you been playing Star Trek Adventures? Share your thoughts on the game, and the news of its new expansions, in the comments below!
Following up on their first Star Trek Kelvin Timeline model from earlier this year — Star Trek Beyond’s featured starship Franklin — Moebius Models returns with a new addition to its starship fleet, the USS Kelvin from the first film in the new series.
This 11″, 1/1000-scale model of George Kirk’s ill-fated starship comes as a 58-part kit for hobbyists to assemble, paint, and decal to bring the styrene parts to the on-screen appearance of this ship.
When assembled, the Kelvin is mounted on an included faux-dedication plaque featuring the ship’s registry information.
Moebius Models USS KELVIN Model Kit
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Here’s the full announcement from Moebius Models:
Moebius Models is proud to announce the second release in an all-new series of ‘Star Trek’ model kits based on the new ‘Star Trek’ movies.
The fan-favorite U.S.S. Kelvin, from the opening sequence of ‘Star Trek’ (2009), is recreated as a precision-tooled, styrene kit. Measuring 11 inches long and 7 inches wide, the U.S.S. Kelvin model kit is based on actual digital visual effects files.
This skill-level 3 kit includes clear engine details and deflector dish, as well as a Starfleet registry plaque display base. The kit also includes decals and a full-color instruction booklet, including detailed painting tips.
Packaging features box art by noted ‘Star Trek’ production illustrator, John Eaves. (Kit requires paint and cement — sold separately.)
The USS Kelvin model kit is available for preorder now with an MSRP of $59.99, and is projected to ship in the last quarter of 2018.
Check back here at TrekCore for the latest Star Trek product news!
Today’s the day: the 70th Annual Emmy Award nominees were announced in Hollywood, and for the first time since 2005, Star Trek is in the running for television’s top honors.
Star Trek: Discovery was nominated today for two Emmy Awards stemming from the 2017-2018 season, for the work completed by the series’ production team.
L’Rell oversees her new domain: the Klingon Empire. (“Will You Take My Hand?”)
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 in the Season 1 finale, “Will You Take My Hand?”, which featured plenty of Klingons on Qo’noS, as well as appearances from Tellarite, Vulcan, and Kelpien Starfleet officers, plus Discovery bridge officers Airiam and Detmer, each with their own special appliances.
OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL
Glenn Hetrick, Special Makeup Effects Department Head James Mackinnon, Special Makeup Effects Department Head Hugo Villasenor, Special Makeup Effects Artist Rocky Faulkner, Special Makeup Effects Artist Chris Bridges, Additional Makeup Effects Artist Shane Zander, Additional Makeup Effects Artist Neville Page, Prosthetic Designer Michael O’Brien, Prosthetic Designer
Burnham listens to the Charon’s systems, modern and TOS-era sound effects combined. (“What’s Past is Prologue”)
In addition, Supervising Sound Editor Jon Mete and his team have been nominated in the area of Outstanding Sound Editing, for the USS Discovery’s escape from the Mirror Universe (“What’s Past is Prologue”) — an episode which featured mixed-era sound effects of the ISS Charon’s computer systems, the violent battle between Terran forces and the human rebels led by Gabriel Lorca, and the crazy trip through the Mycelial Network back to the prime universe.
OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR)
Jon Mete, Supervising Sound Editor Tim Farrell, Sound Designer Chris Assells, Sound Editor Matt Taylor, ADR Editor T. Ashley Harvey, Dialogue Editor Angelo Palazzo, Sound Effects Editor Peter D. Lago,MPSE, Sound Effects Editor Chris Scarabosio, Sound Effects Editor Matt Decker, Music Editor Trevor Sperry, Foley Artist Ale Ulrich, Foley Artist
Prior to this year, Star Trek was last recognized by the Emmy Awards in 2005, when the final season of Star Trek: Enterprise received nominations in Hairstyling, Prosthetic Makeup, and Stunt Coordination for episodes that year.
The last win for the franchise was 2004’s “Countdown,” where the Enterprise episode nabbed the Emmy for Visual Effects.
BLACK MIRROR’s “USS Callister” crew.
In Trek-adjacent Emmy news, Black Mirror’s dark twist on Trek tropes, their episode “USS Callister,” was nominated for seven Emmy Awards in the “Limited Series or Movie” classification, including a nod for lead actor Jesse Plemmons.
The 70th Annual Emmy Awards will air on September 17 at 8PM on NBC.
While July is just about the hottest month of the year for most Americans, ThinkGeek is planning to make Star Trek fans shiver like they’re on the icy surface of planet Alfa 177 with this year’s upcoming San Diego Comic Con-exclusive release!
Based upon Lieutenant Sulu’s misadventures in “The Enemy Within,” where he had to heat up rocks with his phaser for the stranded landing party to survive in freezing temperatures as low as 120° below zero, ThinkGeek’s Star Trek Phaser Controlled Rock Mood Light will debut at their SDCC booth (#3349) during the convention.
Mimicking a phaser-blasted stone, the $70 set includes a “replica first-season Type-1 Phaser” (rather than a Type II phaser, as seen in the episode) which will trigger the inner lighting of this product to glow like in the classic Trek episode, along with “a whole spectrum of relaxing atmospheric settings” to “provide an ambient glow in numerous colors.”
It also includes a “Starfleet-issued” emergency survival blanket to keep you safe from the cold.
Announced via StarTrek.com this morning, the ‘Rock Mood Light’ will be available to San Diego Comic Con attendees when the event begins next week, and we expect it to be available for purchase through ThinkGeek.com sometime later.
Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Trek merchandise news!
It’s a name not associated with Star Trek for decades – but when you think of the Trek merchandise of the 1970s and 1980s, Mego Toys was the name for all sorts of playtime fun, from the iconic Original Series action figures to their battery-powered communicator walkie-talkies and cassette-tape tricorders.
Mego Toys’ time with the franchise was so notable for the era, they served as the centerpiece for May’s Star Trek special episode of The Toys That Made Us on Netflix — but while Mego went out of business in 1983, today they’ve returned to life, and they’re bringing Star Trek figures back, too!
Classic Mego STAR TREK toys of the 1970s: an 8″ Captain Kirk and a kid-friendly tricorder.
Announced today by Mego Toys and Target — the exclusive home of these Trek revival products beginning July 29 — the classicly-design products will debut at San Diego Comic Con before moving to retail stores across the United States with three waves of releases between July and November 2018.
Here’s the full press release on today’s announcement:
Iconic Action Figure Brand Mego Returns Exclusive to Target Hit toy line makes retail comeback for a new generation driven by fan demand
New York, New York – July 11, 2018 – Mego Corporation is proud to announce the return of the ground-breaking action figure toy line, Marty Abrams presents Mego™, which will be available exclusively at Target this August.
The first wave will include characters from hit properties like Star Trek, DC and I Dream of Jeannie. Each will have a unique serial number and be produced in a limited run of 10,000.
“This has been 30 years in the making and I’m excited to give my loyal fans and their kids something new and amazing to play with,” said Martin Abrams, Co-Founder and CEO of Mego Corporation. “We wanted to recreate a line that provides that nostalgic feeling of seeing a display of action figures they had as a child, and to share that with their own children.”
Marty Abrams presents Mego™ will be revealing the new line at San Diego Comic-Con (booth 830), July 19th – 22nd. Comic-Con guests will have a unique opportunity to purchase a limited number of the new action figures before they launch at Target. All items will be signed by Marty Abrams and a special celebrity guest.
Target’s corporate news site revealed some more information on what to expect when the new toys return to stores at the end of the month, including a (small) look at the first addition to the Star Trek line — an 8″ Lieutenant Sulu figure, styled after George Takei’s classic character.
The new ‘Lt. Sulu’ figure debuting at SDCC next week.
The packaging preview also features a hint towards additional Trek releases, showcasing both the Gorn (from “Arena”) and Mark Lenard’s Romulan Commander (from “Balance of Terror”) — but the company hasn’t officially confirmed the future Trek releases yet.
Here’s a full-size photo of the Sulu figure (out of packaging) provided to TrekCore, featuring the helmsman in his classic Starfleet uniform, with phaser, tricorder, and curiously-holstered communicator in tow.
Click to enlarge!
Each release will be limited to 10,000pc and expects to retail at around $14.99, and we expect to see more official imagery when the toys are officially unveiled next Friday at Comic Con.
We’ll bring you those, along with more information these revival releases, as it becomes available.
Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek product news!
Star Trek: New Visions #22 is the final entry in John Byrne’s four-year photostory comic, and I’ve got a lot of disappointment to share about it.
I like to think that I’m well-plugged into the comics ‘verse, and I’m also as much a Star Trek fan as the next phaser-carrying Trekkie — and while I don’t like telling anyone their job, I’m really surprised that I haven’t seen much lot of marketing support or news about the conclusion of this long-running publication.
Why wasn’t there more of a fuss over the final issue of this series? When a comic as unique as this one ends, it’s an event. The fact that it was the final issue — with no hope if it’ll re-emerge in another form — was enough of a disappointment for me that I didn’t want to get the sense that it wasn’t a big deal to anyone else in comics. That was an extra bit of salt in the wound.
I was expecting a little more pomp and circumstance, but I guess New Visions was just another story.
The other sense of disappointment comes from the tone of the book. I know that Byrne had been hoping that he’d be able to get another two issues out of this project, so closing the story at #22 seemed to be a bit of a surprise when he announced the news some months back.
In any event, this didn’t seem like a final issue to me. There was no philosophical musing, no final notes from Byrne or IDW’s editorial team… even the issue length was the same as the previous releases. Final issues usually have a sense of. well, finality to them – but here there wasn’t anything to indicate that Issue #22 is the end of the line.
The somewhat abrupt ending to New Visions probably had something to do with the departure of Chris Ryall from IDW Publishing this past spring — Ryall’s editorial support on this book was definitely noteworthy. Not only did Chris work closely with John, but he also accompanied him to both Mission: New York in 2016 and STLV in 2017 to help promote the comic, which says something about Ryall’s influence and his dedication to this book.
As I indicated before, Byrne had originally thought he might be able to do 24 issues, which seemed a less odd number then a somewhat unceremonious 22 issues. Perhaps there were publishing issues, or perhaps Byrne didn’t want to continue without Ryall heading IDW. Whatever the issue, I think I would have preferred an even two dozen issues with more of a build up to the last one.
Byrne’s Twitter feed mentioned that it was possibly this might be “his last swan song in the comic book industry…” but I don’t think that’ll happen.
Putting all this aside though, let’s look at the story. Titled “An Unexpected Yesterday,” the Enterprise is called to investigate odd activity on the planet of the Guardian of Forever. A very coincidental choice of subject material, with the creator of the Guardian of Forever, Harlan Ellison, passing away last week. There was a very classy note of acknowledgement to Ellison in the opening credits.
There’s a great scene on page 8, as Kirk, Spock and McCoy converse with the Guardian to determine the change in the time stream. It’s a small frame, but we can see the trio of Starfleet officers talking to the stone circle that we have come to know as the Guardian.
In the original teleplay, Ellison meant for the Guardian to be plural and the entire city was to be populated by them. Byrne gives another nod of acknowledgement to Ellison with the depiction of an entire city on the horizon. It’s subtle, but if “The City on the Edge of Forever” was your favourite episode, you’d notice it.
The joy in reading this comic was the cameo appearances of previous significant guest characters or villains. Kor’s appearance a few issues back was a wonderful treat. In this issue, not only do we get a return to the Guardian’s planet, but we also get Lieutenant Carolyn Palamas (remember her from “Who Mourns for Adonais?”) as the Archaeology and Anthropology officer assigned to the orbiting space station around the planet.
Assisting the time travelling Spock and Kirk is “Assignment: Earth” hero Gary Seven. Byrne had freedom to use these fan-favourite characters and create entirely new stories around them, much to the entertainment of devout Original Series fans. Sadly, we won’t see these actors portraying these characters again. as Byrne was able to use their images from the 1960’s – a decent and completely worthy testament to their contributions to Star Trek.
Yeah – like I said: disappointment. I mean, unlike the original show’s direction, in this book, Byrne was free to put the spotlight on any of the supporting characters from the show. Uhura played more of an active role in many of the issues as did Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov.
He even changed the typical presentation of Yeoman Rand in a couple of stories. Rand was more than the ‘Captain’s girl;’ she was a fully competent and trained member of the crew who, if I remember correctly, operated the weapons systems, a high-priority area of the ship. Byrne expanded the scope of these characters as not only a Star Trek creator but also as a devoted fan.
Only a devoted fan would include the mention of Edith Keeler in the story too. After all, not only did Kirk restore time in the last encounter with the Guardian, he did so at a great personal cost. It’s touching that both Spock and McCoy demonstrate their concern to their friend. That’s a fan moment right there that any reader of this book would appreciate and understand.
The standard and convention-exclusive covers for NEW VISIONS #22.
Byrne’s extended interaction with the Guardian is also a fun aspect to this story. The Guardian is more defined, has more of a personality and from the scientists working with it above the planet, we can intimate that it welcomes the company and freely feeds information to the research scientists. It is mechanical enough though to infuriate Dr. McCoy, who exhibits the same frustration with it as he does Spock. This lends itself to somewhat light moments, very much in line with the same sense of humour as the original series.
Byrne brought life and dignity back to TOS. I think that’s the best thing I can say about his book. But the worst thing I can say is that it’s over — to me, that’s the biggest disappointment about this final issue.
Second star to the right, and straight on ‘til morning, Mr. Byrne!
Looney Labs’ upcoming Star Trek Fluxx card games, which we first previewed back in February, are ready to rendezvous with players in just a few weeks as the company prepares to roll out the newest versions of their best-selling card game.
Set a course for the final frontier with Star Trek Fluxx! featuring Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the Original Series crew, you’ll take command of the Enterprise, and face Creepers like Klingons, Romulans, and the terrifying Doomsday Machine.
You might even find yourself playing fizzbin or venting the warp core to explore new worlds and collect the Keepers needed for victory! Star Trek Fluxx will take you where no card game has gone before!
Beam yourself aboard the Enterprise-D for a game of Star Trek: The Next Generation Fluxx! Join Picard, Riker, Data, and the rest of the TNG crew, to gather the Keepers you need for victory – but don’t let Creepers like Q or the Borg keep you from your mission!
With new cards like Darmok and the Rules of Acquisition, this version of Fluxx will take you into the 24th century!
Available the first week of August, the Original Series and Next Generation variants of the Fluxx multiplayer game will be on sale for $20 each. Both versions of the game include 100 rule-changing Trek-themed cards featuring all sorts of familiar, period-specific elements of the two Trek series, with illustrations by artist Kevin Hill.
In addition to the two Star Trek Fluxx game decks, Looney Labs has also create a special Star Trek Fluxx: Bridge Expansion 12-card set that allows players to mix both the Original Series and Next Generation sets together to merge 23rd and 24th Century gameplay together.
Want to shuffle your Star Trek Fluxx together with your Star Trek: TNG Fluxx? Great! We designed them to be combined! And the 12 Bridge Pack expansion cards make it even better.
The Bridge Keeper lets you take control of either Enterprise, and a host of new Goals let Kirk meet Picard, Spock meet Data, and the Past meet the Future!
Watch for our review of the new Star Trek Fluxx games when they debut next month — and keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek gaming news!
I think the real appeal in Star Trek: Discovery – Succession #3 is that it is a completely new story, divergent from the regular storyline in the television show. Supporting characters take on new importance, and even the emphasis that writers Mike Johnson and Kirsten Beyer pay to the supporting characters from the cast take on new levels of significance.
We already know Michael Burnham – or at least we think we do. But this is the Mirror Universe’s Burnham, who has somehow miraculously survived to bring revolution to the succeeding Emperor Alexander of the Terran Empire.
A cousin of sorts, this emperor, like many of the despotic rulers in Earth’s history is despotic and unbalanced. While he casually displays his insane nature, Burnham is playing her own game with the rebel terrorists. She wants to unseat the emperor for sure, but this is the Mirror Universe and she clearly pretends altruism in order to advance her own goals.
Despite the change of universes, this version of familiar Klingon characters L’Rell and Kol really haven’t changed much from their prime counterparts. The personalities of the Klingons really don’t see a difference in their natures; they are sill warlike and hostile, yet it is they who are on the defensive in this universe, oddly enough. Still, having Klingon allies only serves to reinforce the Burnham image of ‘working’ with the oppressed to help clear the road to the throne.
But it’s the newly-minted commander of the ISS Shenzhou, Captain Airiam, who really intrigues me in this story. We get to interact with her character here more than we have to date in the television series — it’s not the same Airiam we know, of course, but that just reinforces how much of a different story this is.
In this issue, she is ruthless, resentful and clearly has more in common with the alien rebels than the Terran Empire she has served, yet her capabilities are becoming more known. Not only has she seized command of the ISS Shenzhou, but she has done so in a way that gives us a hint of what her counterpart’s capabilities are like in the universe of the Federation.
However, betrayal and duplicity are still common elements to this tale. Regardless of how this story can function independently of the television series, the same themes are present and make a wonderful supplement to the first season’s last few episodes.
With Ted Sullivan’s acknowledgement of comics now being considered canon for Discovery — at least, unless the show chooses to overwrite the tie-in material — it makes me wonder if any of this material will see life in the show. I hope it does, in some way, down the line. What Discovery needs is more things for fans to get excited about. Kirsten Beyer’s presence in the creation of this book lends more credence to its relevance as supplementary material.
But let’s talk about the art. Angel Hernandez has done himself proud with the penciling duties for this series. I’ve gotten a chance to become familiar with his art style, and it has a dynamism to it that strikes the reader. His likenesses are fairly good — just look at Katrina Cornwell’s image, and tell me that it isn’t a well-done representation of actor Jayne Brook –and I think he excels in action sequences.
As usual, there are multiple covers for this book.
Cover ‘A’ is spectacular, and my favorite of this bunch! A focus on the devious Captain Airiam, you have to love the detailed close-up of this enigmatic character. It also shows the emphatic focus on her in this story, and I love a cover that heightens relevance to the story. Notice the Terran Empire’s insignia in her eyes? This is Angel Hernandez’s work, and if anyone from IDW is reading this review, this guy is a winner talent that you need to secure.
Cover ‘B’ is another uninspired photo cover of Michael Burnham (from her trip to Harlak in “The Wolf Inside”) — and one that reinforces my belief that photo covers are just not right for comics Cold, sterile and aside from the fact that while there is a Michael Burnham is in this story, it’s just not relevant.
Retailer-incentive cover ‘A’ comes from artist Yoshi Yoshitani, and the vibrant image centers around a Michael Burnham who is relevant to the tale. This is an image of the calculating Burnham in this universe, and while stylized, makes a bold statement.
The final variant, retailer-incentive cover ‘B,’ really needs more attention. Declan Shalvey, whose covers of starships has earned a great place of favour in my heart, is the artist behind this one of the ISS Shenzhou on an attack run with the sun behind her. It’s a glorious piece and I hope he’ll have his artwork for sale when I get to Fan Expo Boston in August — his starships are great and I need to add one of his pieces to my collection.
I find that I’m really enjoying this book. We saw an ennobled Harry Mudd in the last issue and that did it for me. This is definitely a different story — one that has a sense of independence about it; a confidence, if you like. I enjoy the directions these new characters are heading in and I look forward to their success.
I mean, if you think about it, a Michael Burnham on the Empire’s throne could make for some interesting story tangents if fallen Emperor Georgiou ever makes it home!
There’s only one issue left in Star Trek: Discovery — Succession, and while this tale may be coming to a close, we’re sure that IDW will have some announcements about the future of the Discovery comic line as we approach Season 2 in the next few months.
We’re less than a month from Creation Entertainment’s annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas — and today we’re continuing our “STLV 101” series to get newcomers ready to take on the week-long event with with more tips and tricks to make the most of the convention experience, from navigating the convention to surviving the photo op and autograph lines!
I know that many of you are eager to check out the schedule for STLV’s events, but unlike many other convention groups, Creation doesn’t publicly release their day-by-day schedule of events, signings, and other happenings until about a week before the convention kicks off.
While that may make it a bit inconvenient for planning your daily ventures to panels, autograph sessions, or photo ops — or even to decide which days you plan to attend the convention — it’s still early enough that most admission and signing tickets will still be available once the itinerary is posted. (You’ll be able to save on that $8.50-per-ticket “processing fee” too, if you wait to purchase tickets until you get to Las Vegas.)
The Ten Forward bar photo op area, which debuted at STLV 2017.
On the bright side, many announced guests also have their attending days publicly set on Creation’s STLV Guests page, so you can start to pencil in your plans for who you want to see and when they are expected to be in attendance at the convention.
All convention attendees will receive a printed schedule once the convention kicks off, but I recommend printing off a copy before you leave for Las Vegas to help you map out your plans for the week — our unofficial Facebook group will often convert the online schedule to a convenient Excel format to let you really dig into the event timetables — but bring a highlighter along to help you mark your must-see panels if you’re waiting until arrival.
Speaking of arriving at the convention hall: let’s talk about pre-registration! This early check-in for STLV attendees starts Tuesday night before the event, where all full-week pass holders can get their official STLV 2018 badges before the barrage of daily general-admission attendees arrive — as well as obtaining early access to the giant vendor’s room.
Adam Nimoy (right) interviewing fans for the DS9 documentary on the smaller ‘CBS All Access Stage.’
The pre-registration process prioritizes each high-level ticket-holder tier — Gold seatholders get the first check-in time, followed by Captain’s Chair attendees, Copper, then GA Weekend — but even if the lines seem long on Tuesday night, they move quickly… and they’re nothing compared to the lengthy registration lines full of single-day-ticket attendees that fill the hotel lobby each day of the convention. (The pre-reg times will be on the published schedule when released.)
Once you’ve made it through the check-in process, you’ll find a map of the Rio’s convention area in both the printed program booklet, as well as in the main rotunda.
STLV fills the entire convention center, with three stages (the main ‘Leonard Nimoy Theater,’ the secondary ‘DeForest Kelley Theater,’ and the smaller ‘CBS All Access Stage’), separate rooms for photo ops and special autograph sessions, Quark’s Bar (a lounge area with hot and cold food for purchase), several Trek-themed exhibit and photo rooms (with recreations of the TOS Enterprise bridge and TNG’s Ten Forward bar), and a gallery of Discovery props and costumes — plus my personal favorite room, the giant vendors room (or ‘Roddenberry Exhibition Hall’).
As you navigate your way throughout the convention center, you’ll find the hallways decorated with Trek-themed banners, which always has several props that are perfect for casual photo ops — like replicas of a TOS-era transporter pad, a set of Borg regeneration alcoves, the Guardian of Forever, and (new for this year) a Discovery-era Terran Empire agony booth.
Once you’ve got the convention layout figured out, it’s likely you’ll be spending a lot of time in the Nimoy Theater, which is the main ballroom that hosts the majority of the top-tier Trek panels.
Just about all of these panels make time for fan question-and-answer sessions. If you’re eager to ask a question, be sure to line up as soon as possible — in fact, I recommend lining up before the panel begins if the Creation staff allows it. As each fan’s question is unique, you never know how long the celebrity’s answer will be, or what rabbit hole they’ll fall into when answering.
As a courtesy to others, though, please consider whether your question is respectful to the guests, and to other fans. Creation encourages asking thoughtful questions that will provoke an insightful answer, but keep in mind that the guest may not answer your question in the way that you expect — and that’s okay! For some of the attendees, they filmed their scenes years (or decades) go, and may not remember what filming a specific scene was like.
Borg alcoves available for fan photo use.
One small aside for the main convention areas – bring a lightweight sweater! These rooms are large and can be very cold when sitting for extended periods of time. Also, please be courteous towards other fans. Keep private conversations at a minimal volume, take phone calls outside and silence your tribbles, phasers, and tricorders!
When it comes to autographs and photo ops, there are a few things you should know to plan your time accordingly — Creation sells autograph tickets in numerical order, so the earlier you buy your signing passes, the sooner you’ll get through the lines. Tickets purchased on-site at STLV are relegated to the back of the line, so you’ll need consider if the $8.50-per-ticket service fee outweighs the prospects of waiting in line for potentially an hour or two.
For Gold attendees, Creation includes 13 autograph tickets as part of the attendance package — with prioritized access, meaning that Gold gets to go to the front of the line for those signing guests. (This year’s included Gold autographs feature such guests as Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney.)
It’s always wise to double check who is offered as a freebie for Gold, as those lines can take a while to get through — with an on-site autograph ticket purchase, it took nearly two hours to get through a signing line for one Gold-included guest last year.
2017’s STAR TREK: DISCOVERY prop and costume gallery.
Fortunately, Creation calls out ticket numbers in the main theater to ensure that no one misses their opportunity, and also displays the status of the queue on monitors around the main stage theater, which means that you can stay in your chair until your ticket window is called.
Just be sure to bring something for the guest to sign! Not all guests have printed photos on hand at their signing tables, so you’ll need to plan ahead — or at least stop by the vendors room to pick up a piece of Trek merchandise or select an image from a wide variety of Trek photo vendors.
Photo ops are my own personal favorite STLV experience, and thankfully, those lines move much more quickly — there’s no prioritized queuing here, as all the photo op sessions have ‘first come, first served’ access. Creation’s photo op tickets can cover either one or two people, and their photography team allows up to four people (via two tickets) to appear in each photo.
As you enter the photo op area (which are off-limits to personal photography), assistants will provide any specific rules each guest may have in place — such as ‘no hugs’ or ‘fist-bumps only.’ While many guests are open to limited physical interaction, others are not, and it’s crucial to respect those boundaries.
The main rotunda entrance to the STLV convention area.
One thing to remember is that Creation does not offer refunds for purchased autograph and photo op tickets — unless, of course, a scheduled STLV guest cancels their appearance at the convention. That does happen occasionally, and in those instances Creation does try their best to ensure a fair replacement option, offering trades for the same experience with another Trek guest.
They’re also great at accommodating any guests with special needs or who have a scheduling conflict (such as a signing and photo op happening at the same time) — just find a volunteer and explain your situation. They’ll be happy to help!
For more information on navigating STLV, please join us in the Unofficial Star Trek Las Vegas Convention Group on Facebook, where you’ll find previous year’s schedules, convention center maps, and our STLV FAQ, which tries to answer every question you may have.
It’s also a great place to make friends before you arrive because even if you travel to Las Vegas by yourself, you’re never alone at STLV. See you in August!
