It’s been a few months since we last heard any news about the in-development Star Trek: Deep Space Nine retrospective documentary What We Left Behind, but today, producer Ira Steven Behr announced that the film has completed the editing process and is moving on to post-production efforts.
In a video announcement (above), Behr revealed that after several years of filming interviews, digging in to the Deep Space Nine archives, and editing footage, the film has reached “picture lock” status — meaning that editing is complete and the production team is moving to the next phase of final development.
Former producer/director Adam Nimoy (right) interviews fans for the documentary at STLV 2017.
The official premiere date for What We Left Behind still hasn’t been announced, but the team is promising that the film will be released sometime during DS9’s 25th Anniversary year — and they shared some more information on that front in a new update to backers.
OK, ok, we get it, you’re just as anxious as we are see this finished film and circle the big date in your calendars, but unfortunately we still aren’t quite ready to give any specific time-frames for the premiere events or digital and subsequent physical disc releases.
Why? Because the simple fact is, as an independent film company, we’re dependent on partnership with a larger studio or distributor to provide their resources to get this film out beyond our own loyal fanbase. Many of these scheduling decisions will depend on factors we’re not aware of yet, and we simply don’t want to promise something when all our tribbles aren’t already in a row, so to speak.
What we CAN promise is that we’re doing everything we can to ensure our backers get to celebrate this film with us during the DS9 25th Anniversary. And for those eligible for premiere events, we’ll be giving you plenty of heads-up and input on on scheduling of those events this fall as soon as we have details to share.
Behr and producer Kai Mello-Folsom discuss the documentary at STLV 2017.
As with last summer’s event, the Deep Space Nine documentary team are going to be holding a panel at August’s STLV convention, where they plan to provide even more updates on the status of the film — and showcase some new footage from both the documentary and “the series itself,” possibly meaning a premiere of HD footage.
The TrekCore team will, of course, be on hand to bring you all the latest news from that event when it happens next month — so keep checking back here for updates!
Star Trek: Discovery fans, mark your calendars for Friday, July 20 — the series is returning to San Diego Comic Con for the third year in a row!
Last year’s revealing presentation brought us a first real look at the series, with a new trailer and lots of discussion from the cast and leadership team — and as production continues this summer up on Season 2, we’re sure that this year’s event will feature the first episodic footage from the sophomore season.
The DISCOVERY cast poses for photos on stage at SDCC 2017. (CBS)
Of particular note this year is the upgrade from last summer’s venue: while Discovery took over Ballroom 20 in 2017 — the second-largest presentation space at the convention — this year’s panel has the show moving into Hall H, which is San Diego Comic Con’s biggest stage.
CBS certainly seems to be going all-out on the SDCC event this year, and landing a spot for Discovery in the coveted Hall H schedule surely must mean some big news is coming, potentially about the rumored franchise expansion plans currently in development.
Along with executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin, the entire Discovery cast will be attending — that’s Sonequa Martin-Green (Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Shazad Latif (Tyler), Mary Wiseman (Tilly), Anthony Rapp (Stamets), Mary Chieffo (L’Rell), and Wilson Cruz (Culber) — and they’ll be joined by newcomer Anson Mount who appears as Captain Christopher Pike.
This year’s SDCC presentation is scheduled for July 20 at 1:30 PT (4:30 ET), and will be moderated by Season 2 guest star Tig Notaro:
Over 50 years ago, the world was first introduced to what would quickly become a cultural phenomenon. “Star Trek” inspired developments in science and technology, broke social barriers, and transported viewers around the globe to new adventures and uncharted frontiers. Last fall, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY continued that tradition and followed the voyages of Starfleet aboard the U.S.S. Discovery. Join the cast and producers of this CBS All Access series to look back on season one and find out where the crew is headed as it transports into its second season.
Cast members scheduled to appear include Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Mary Wiseman, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Mary Chieffo and Anson Mount, alongside executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin. The panel will be moderated by series guest star Tig Notaro, who will appear as Chief Engineer Reno. Friday, July 20, 1:30 PM; Hall H.
The 2017 Comic Con DISCOVERY gallery.
In addition to the Hall H presentation, CBS will be following up last year’s costume and prop gallery with a sequel, this time featuring the Mirror Universe garb and gear featured in the second half of Season 1.
CBS is creating a fully immersive STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Mirror Universe experience at the Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts Gallery (363 Fifth Avenue, San Diego); Comic-Con badges are not required for entry.
The exhibit, scheduled to run from Thursday, July 19 through Sunday, July 22, features a photo opportunity with Emperor Georgiou’s Throne and showcases props and costumes from the series’ Terran Empire. The gallery will also house an official “Star Trek” shop with Comic-Con exclusives.
Emperor Georgiou’s throne.
Along with the Discovery pedicabs which make a return after their first appearance in 2017, fans will also be able to get their hands on limited-edition Star Trek: Discovery pins, like this full-leaved Admiral’s insignia as seen in the series.
We expect both the Emperor’s throne photo op station, as well as the Terran Empire prop and costume gallery, to make its way to STLV in August — just as 2017’s Discovery gallery traveled to Las Vegas after Comic Con concluded.
We’ll bring you all the news, images, and media from Star Trek: Discovery’s panel as it breaks — be sure to follow TrekCore on Twitter for live coverage on July 20, and of course, come back here for a full recap of the event after it concludes.
I never met Harlan Ellison. I know people who met him, worked with him and even called him friend, but I never did — so where do I start talking about this titan of fiction who passed away last week?
I shouldn’t say that he was a science fiction writer — otherwise I may wake to find some gruesome spectre nailing my cat’s head to the dining room table, as he once threatened viewers of Harlan Ellison’s Watching in 1993 — despite the fact that he wrote many prolific science fiction television episodes, from the original run of The Outer Limits to Babylon 5.
He liked to consider himself a fantasist, a burr under peoples’ saddles and while he loved to be right, he also loved it when people set him straight.
But for me, of course, I can’t help but think of his contribution to Star Trek by way of “The City on the Edge of Forever,” perhaps the greatest entry in the franchise, one which hasn’t been equaled and serves as the pinnacle of pathos.
His work mattered to me, and it also mattered to some friends of mine. Devout Star Trek fans all know the controversy about the original teleplay for “The City on the Edge of Forever,” which was changed from his original story so much that he tried (and failed) to have his name removed from the television episode’s credits.
Ellison was no shrinking violet. He was abrasive and pushy, resisting anything that interfered in the promulgation of his vision. In fact, in Mark Altman’s first volume of “The Fifty Year Mission,” Ellison recounted that his vision in one of the most revered Trek episodes of all time was that this was a love story: one that transcended all other things, and one for which you would sacrifice friends, your career and even your starship for.
“The TV ending, where [Kirk] closes his eyes and lets [Keeler] get hit by the truck, is absolutely bullshit. It destroyed the core of what I tried to do. It destroyed the art; it destroyed the drama; it destroyed the extra human tragedy of it all.” — Harlan Ellison
As much as Ellison recanted the direction of the episode, it also won him both Hugo and Writers’ Guild of America awards for Best Dramatic Presentation and Best Episodic Drama on Television — regardless of how he felt about the story’s final form, it was a winner in many senses of the word and one that has resonated within the hearts of millions of viewers.
Classic Trek director Joseph Pevney, who helmed the filming of “City,” shared his own thoughts about the writer’s contribution to the series:
“Harlan was very happy to get his story on Star Trek. He was down on the set thanking me. It’s great that Gene rewrote it though, because Harlan had no sense of theatre. He had a great sense of truth, which was very nicely placed in there – all of the 1930’s stuff was well documented.
It was a well-conceived and well-written show, but in the original script’s dramatic moments, it missed badly.” — Joseph Pevney
While Ellison remained frustrated about how his Trek tale turned out — he self-published his original teleplay in 1993 in a book which included his views on the story changes made by Gene Roddenberry’s team — it wasn’t until 2014 that “City” was finally released in a form representing Ellison’s intentions.
IDW’s five-issue “City” adaptation, released in 2014.
Longtime IDW Publishing writers Scott and David Tipton partnered with artist J.K. Woodward to translate Ellison’s story into in comic miniseries Harlan Ellison’s The City on the Edge of Forever, which we of course reviewed here at TrekCore.
In the wake of Ellison’s passing, I asked J.K. to share some of his recollections on working with Ellison.
“Meeting Harlan was nerve wracking. I met him at a store signing at Blastoff Comics in N. Hollywood. Scott Tipton owns the store and [former IDW editor-in-chief] Chris Ryall arranged the meeting. I spent most of the signing in the back room drinking liquid courage from an old star trek flask I had.
Working with Harlan was thrilling! I understood what he wanted and loved his vision. With him I created my best work to date and it couldn’t have been a better experience!
Knowing Harlan was the best! Unlike anyone else in my life, the work mattered to him. His priority was all things imaginative. He would bring up the projects, where as everyone else in my life would politely change the subject when I talked such things as friends, family, and co-workers, while well-meaning, simply didn’t understand that everything else seemed trivial in comparison to creative endeavors, but Harlan understood that well. ‘tis I, the beloved Helena.
After hearing about his passing, the world seems like a lonelier place. Even if I didn’t call him up every time I wanted to talk, I would lean on the idea of Harlan for strength. When it seemed like no one wanted to hear it, I’d simply think, ‘Well I know Harlan would have an opinion on this.’ It made me feel a little less isolated in the work I do.” — J.K. Woodward
Scott Tipton shared his own feelings on Ellison’s passing:
“Of all the unexpected pleasures life has shown me, being able to say this may have been the sweetest: Harlan Ellison was my friend. The world will forever be a poorer place without him.” — Scott Tipton
However, I am particularly drawn to Ellison’s own axioms in which he declared: “We live to say ’No!’ to death.”
Part of the human existence in all its forms is, as Ellison might put it, bullshit. To say ‘No!’ to death is to live all of that wonderful, frustrating, exhilarating, crushing, tender and abrasive-as-hell experience; it’s an affirmation of all of the qualities that we experience in this short yet repetitive shuttle around the sun.
Ellison with IDW collaborators (L-R) Scott Tipton, David Tipton, Chris Ryall, and JK Woodward. (Photo courtesy Scott Tipton)
Ellison taught me that and while I am a guy who cannot handle roller-coasters, I have learned that one needs to be on them to feel alive. “The City on the Edge of Forever” taught me the sacrifice of love, even if Ellison didn’t want that. In a sense, the original script was a sacrifice to his own love of writing. While not the final version, it still earned Ellison accolades and status from science fiction and Star Trek fans alike.
The shared comic project was a not only a testament to the vision of Ellison’s approach to life, but a vindication of it. It was clear that the television version, despite its success, was a burr in his own saddle. Despite its acclaim, its awards and the fact that it had millions of adoring fans, it was clearly something that needed to be revisited.
Ryall, the Tiptons, and Woodward gave him that renewed voice that emerged from the blanket of decades. Through them and others, I learned more of his raconteur-ishness, his utter disdain for anyone’s opinion — unless the theoretical equivalent of a steel-studded mace smashed through his wall of biases and preconceptions — his coded vault of comics, and his pathological hatred of hugs.
Ellison’s version of “City” hit print in 1993.
Ellison claimed that the good science fiction that was to give Star Trek its distinctive appeal was because of him.
“I said, ‘This is our chance to get good science fiction on the tube. It’s being run by people who seem to know what they’re doing and they want us.’ That was how Roddenberry came to hire Ted Sturgeon and the others, because of my intercession.
Everybody else takes credit for it, but all of these people were friends of mine, and I got them to go in on the show.” — Harlan Ellison
I never met Harlan Ellison, and I never will now. But his writing survives and it is remembered for me by another generation of storytellers, who, in a sense can now trace their own lineage back to this surly fantasist.
He was here, and the universe is just a little short of infinite without him.
Longtime Star Trek licensee Diamond Select Toys is known for their high-quality starship replicas, and this year they’re bringing a variation of a classic Trek enemy ship to San Diego Comic Con as a limited-run exclusive.
Announced today, Diamond Select has revealed a translucent edition of their electronic Romulan Bird of Prey vessel as a low-quantity SDCC exclusive, to represent the 1960’s Trek ship running with cloaking device engaged.
Star Trek Starship Legends — Cloaked Romulan Bird of Prey
The ultimate showdown! The ultimate enemy! The Romulans return in full-on stealth mode with this exclusive cloaked edition of the Romulan Bird of Prey! Measuring approximately 12 inches wide, this ship is cast in clear plastic, but keeps its famous Bird of Prey logo, to strike fear into the hearts of the Enterprise crew.
Packaged in a full-color window box, this ship is limited to only 200 pieces. Exclusively at booth #2607 for $70.
This isn’t the first Diamond Select ship released for SDCC attendees, of course; the company has been rolling out the convention-exclusive ships for years including this ‘interphase’ Defiant and last year’s less-than-stellar ‘destroyed’ Enterprisefrom Star Trek III.
San Diego Comic Con begins on July 18.
Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Trek product news!
After a tumultuous June that saw Star Trek: Discovery‘s leadership team ousted, the month concludes with another round of shifts inside the franchise spin-off as the series continues down the road to Season 2.
Announced today via Deadline, cable television veteran James Duff — who created and ran longtime TNT drama The Closer and spin-off Major Crimes for the last thirteen years — has joined the Discovery team in an executive producer role, set to work directly with new showrunner Alex Kurtzman to run the Season 2 writers’ room.
New DISCOVERY executive producer James Duff
While Duff is new to Discovery, it’s not his first time visiting the Star Trek universe, as he wrote the Naussican-centric “Fortunate Son” in Star Trek: Enterprise’s first season.
In addition to Duff’s appointment to the Star Trek: Discovery team, new Season 2 writer and consulting producer Jenny Lumet — who previously worked with Kurtzman on 2017’s The Mummy — has also been promoted to a co-executive producer role on the series.
Finally, Season 1 mainstay Olatunde Osunsanmi, who both served as a co-EP and episodic director has gotten the bump to full Executive Producer status, and will serve as the on-set lead producer at Pinewood Studios in Toronto where Discovery is filmed.
Osunsanmi directed two episodes of last season’s story — “The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry” and “What’s Past is Prologue” — and is expected to continue helming at least one more episode in the upcoming second year of the show.
Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek: Discovery news!
Star Trek fans were excited by the announcement last September that longtime subscription box provider Loot Crate was partnering with venerable Star Trek licensee QMx to offer the Star Trek Mission Crate, a bimonthly subscription box of new apparel and collectibles from the Star Trek universe.
Customers were offered two choices: pay for a year’s worth of Mission Crate deliveries up front for $245, and receive a free bonus item — a metal replica of the movie-era Enterprise — or pay every two months, at $39.99 each.
The full-year buyer’s bonus USS Enterprise model — still in drydock.
Unfortunately, the experience for Star Trek Mission Crate customers has been extremely frustrating, and beset by a number of delays and limited informational updates.
These issues are not unique to Star Trek; a review of the Loot Crate customer support Twitter account indicates delays are frequent across their product line — but the recent experience for Star Trek Mission Crate subscribers have been particularly unfortunate.
The first box — titled “Wolf 359,” and themed after TNG’s “The Best of Both Wolds” — had been delayed twice, after originally scheduled to make a December 2017 debut. Initially, the crate was delayed from a month to January 2018, disappointing holiday shoppers who had purchased the crate as a Christmas gift.
In its place, Loot Crate sent a small bonus box to customers as a free gift, re-issuing several Star Trek items that had been in the company’s regular subscription box, a decent stop-gap measure for waiting fans.
But on January 30, subscribers were notified that the box was being delayed a second time, “to make a slight change to improve one of the items in our first Star Trek Mission Crate for a more show-accurate look.”
The “Wolf 359” crate finally shipped in late February, and to Loot Crate’s credit, the contents of the box did seem to have been well-received by subscribers — with particular praise for the Locutus of Borg figure produced by QMx, as well as the Shuttlecraft Galileo-themed outer packaging.
Since those early-2018 shipments went out, however, there have been no further shipments to Mission Crate subscribers. The second planned delivery, the Worf-themed “Way of the Warrior” crate, was originally expected to ship by the end of April, but it wasn’t until mid-May that subscribers heard about the status of this collection.
According to this May 15 update, the “Way of the Warrior” crate was now targeted to ship in mid-June. “We are excited to get it to you as soon as possible,” read the message. Despite the delay, subscribers were charged for the second Mission Crate release.
Weeks passed, and on June 15 — about when the second Mission Crate shipment was expected to start going out — the Loot Crate support team indicated that another delay was impacting the product, this time specifying that the problem centered around the box’s custom packaging. (This same reply was received by another inquiring subscriber as recently as June 28.)
Already behind schedule, Loot Crate then announced the theme of their planned June 2018 box: a Voyager-centric collection called “Dark Frontier,” themed around Seven of Nine and the Borg… but that announcement came with advanced notice of a delay on this third delivery, too, despite being charged for that month’s subscription fee.
For the fans who purchased a full-year subscription when it was announced in September, the subscription system is less than three months from issuing auto-billing invoices for another $245, when only one of the six already-paid-for shipments have left Loot Crate’s warehouse.
A sampling of Twitter-based pleas for answers from subscribers.
While the vendor appears to have a number of issues causing delayed shipments of its products, nothing seems to be impacting their financial systems, which continues to charge customers on a regular schedule — as bi-monthly subscribers are already seeing charges for the yet-unannounced fourth delivery appearing on their credit card statements.
It seems that Loot Crate isn’t even ready to announce a theme for that next collection, indicating in a support tweet that they are still working on “behind the scenes logistics” — not a good sign if products are to be ordered and received for customer fulfillment anytime soon.
A promo image advertising the second Mission Crate collection, originally planned for April 2018.
After hearing from many of you about the state of the Mission Crate fulfillment schedule, we reached out to Loot Crate to see what the company could tell us about the situation.
While they were not able to share with us a specific schedule as to when shipments would resume, Loot Crate provided TrekCore the following statement regarding the Mission Crate program.
“Loot Crate is working diligently with [product supplier] QMx to provide a high-quality, narrative-driven experience for ‘Star Trek Mission Crate’ subscribers. Unfortunately, we have experienced delays in developing the crates and getting them out to the fans.
We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience. We have resolved the issues and are working diligently to get subscribers’ ‘Star Trek’ experience back on track.”
Given the significant delays that have impacted all of the subscription boxes so far, it seems the company has a lot of work to do in the weeks and months ahead in order to catch up to what their customers have already paid for.
From their commentary today, Loot Crate claims that things are moving back in the right direction — but only time will tell if the exasperated subscribers will get the Star Trek goodies they’ve been waiting for, as their apology does not differ too much from the repeated feedback offered by their public customer service team.
We’ll continue to follow this program as the summer progresses and will bring you updates on shipments when they begin to resume.
Did you sign up for the Star Trek Mission Crate program? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
Last night, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films held the 44th Annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles, and Star Trek: Discovery walked away from the evening with two wins to the series’ name following the show’s five nominations.
As a series, Discovery picked up a win as Best New Media Television Series — aka, best streaming series — from the 2018 nominees, beating out Netflix’s Altered Carbon, Black Mirror, Mindhunter, and Stranger Things, as well as Amazon’s Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams and Hulu’s The Handmaids’ Tale.
On hand to accept the award for the series were Discovery actors Mary Chieffo (L’Rell) and Ken Mitchell (Kol), as well as executive producer Heather Kadin (all pictured above).
In the acting categories, while fellow nominees Doug Jones and Jason Isaacs left empty-handed, Discovery series lead Sonequa Martin-Green took home the Best Actress in a Television Series trophy, accepting the prize via pre-taped video from the Discovery set in Toronto.
Martin-Green’s win beat out a group of extremely talented peers, including Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), Adrianne Palicki (The Orville), Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), and Mary Elizabeth Windstead (Fargo).
Joel Harlow with a fan at STLV 2017.
As for some Star Trek-adjacent honorees:
Makeup artist Joel Harlow (Star Trek ’09, Star Trek Beyond) won the Best Makeup award for his work on Marvel Studio’s Black Panther;
Composer Michael Giacchino won Best Music for his score on Pixar’s Coco;
One-time Voyager guest star Michael McKean (Better Call Saul) won Best Supporting Actor on Television;
Patrick Stewart scored the Best Supporting Actor win for his role in 2016’s Logan;
The Orville, staffed by many Trek veterans, won Best Science Fiction TV Series — note broadcast and streaming series were categorized separately, so Discovery was not a competitor in this category.
Another new Star Trek product debut kicks off this Wednesday morning — this time with an adult twist — as Chronicle Collectibles spin-off company Silver Screen Bottling Co. has revealed the first in a line of Trek-themed bottled spirits.
Announced via StarTrek.com and their official website, James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon Whiskey is set to debut at San Diego Comic Con next month, before being released for general distribution later this year. Trek artists Michael Okuda and Doug Drexler are noted as having contributed to the packaging design.
The product release claims that this bourbon is touted to “celebrate [Kirk’s] bold spirit of adventure,” and includes this detail on the spirits themselves:
A serious Bourbon selected from choice barrels from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. Aging in range from 4 years old to 12 years old, each small batch release of James T. Kirk Bourbon exhibits a depth and richness seen in only the finest Bourbon.
Crafted with the highest respect for the whiskey and for the man that bears its name, James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon Whiskey is for the serious Star Trek fan and serious Bourbon fan, alike. Notes of caramel, Asian five spice, and pecan are not to be missed in this very special small-batch Bourbon.
Some fans immediately noted on social media that a Kentucky bourbon product would seem to be more in line with a Dr. Leonard McCoy themed release, rather than Jim Kirk, and the company quickly replied with hints of additional products already headed in that direction:
Stay tuned! More products incoming 🖖🏼
— Silver Screen Bottling Co. (@SilverScreenCo) June 27, 2018
While this will be debuting at SDCC next month — the company will be at the Chronicle Collectibles booth in San Diego — we’ve also confirmed that Silver Screen Bottling will be at STLV in Las Vegas this August as well.
Interestingly, Silver Screen Bottling’s official website also seems to indicate that they’ve acquired a product license for the full range of Star Trek properties — from the Original Series through the films and even the Kelvin Timeline movies — so it will be interesting to see what else is in their plans. (We’ve reached out to SSB for confirmation on the license information.)
It’s been a slow week in terms of Star Trek production news, but a wave of new Trek products have been revealed over the past few days, set to hit the market over the next few months — so let’s take a look at what’s on the way!
First up is this new costume replica from ANOVOS, recreating the Starfleet ‘bomber jacket’ casual uniform seen several classic Star Trek films, around the shoulders of a few officers including Captain Kirk, Scotty, and Starfleet Fleet Admiral Morrow.
Somewhat less expensive than some of ANOVOS’ other wares, the Trek film jacket is up for preorder now at $299, and is projected to ship to early buyers in the Spring of 2019 in time for the 35th Anniversary of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock where the costume debuted. (The preorder price will jump to $350 on June 30.)
Showcased at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH this past weekend, where WizKids’ Zev Schlaslinger demonstrated the forthcoming multiplayer card game set to arrive for purchase this summer.
The Ferengi-themed game doesn’t yet have an official release date announced, but it is expected to retail at approximately $24.99 once released. We’ll keep you posted as we have more information on Galactic Enterprises.
Trek licensee IconHeroes announced a pair of San Diego Comic Con-exclusive products this week, from both the Next Generation and Original Series eras, planned to be available at their booth (#3345) starting July 18.
First up is an Enterprise-D saucer section fabric mousepad, set to retail at $15 for the 9″ product. This will be available only at SDCC and limited to a run of 100 pieces.
Their second release is a trio of Original Series uniform-themed smartphone card holders, which are made of silicone to adhere to the back of a flat-sided digital device. These will be available in San Diego for $10 each.
Hallmark also shared some updates on their forthcoming convention-exclusive Star Trek releases this past week, with a new image of the Animated Series ornament pair of M’Ress and Arex, a combo pack set to debut at next month’s San Diego Comic Con (and to be available at STLV in August and New York Comic Con in October).
The company also revealed the first look at a plush Gorn doll, set to be limited to 2500 pieces, which will be another convention-exclusive set to arrive at SDCC in July.
As always, we’ll be reviewing the 2018 Hallmark releases just as soon as we get our hands on them – so stay tuned!
FanSets announced late last week that they will be debuting “Autograph Pins” at the Las Vegas Star Trek convention this August, with the first release personally signed by William Shatner himself in gold marker.
The company advised in their announcement tweet that the quantities for this product are expected to be “extremely limited,” and while they’ve not set a public price, we expect the cost to be at or above the $100 mark based upon the average Shatner autograph price.
Due in October is another new miniature prop replica from Running Press, following their TNG-era tricorder from earlier this year: a replica of Locutus of Borg’s facial appliance as seen in “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II” and “Emissary.”
Set to measure 3.75″ x 3.75,” the die-cast metal mask replica will also include a battery-powered red light to recreate the iconic laser on the original costume, along with a metal display base and a 48-page hardcover miniature book detailing the history of the character and the Borg as a species.
Next March brings a collection of Next Generation comic series, reprinted in one 568-page hardcover omnibus: IDW Publishing revealed today Star Trek: TNG — The Missions Continue, containing five multipart graphic novels previously released from the publisher.
Finally, from our friends over at Eaglemoss, we got our first look at the initial Star Trek: Discovery model subscription gift — a binder to hold the included magazines — as it began to arrive to early adopters in the UK this past weekend. As we reported in April, there are several more subscriber-only freebies to follow, including dedication plaques for the Shenzhou and Discovery.
Eaglemoss’ program manager Ben Robinson also revealed on Saturday that the company now expects to roll out a new Discovery starship model every month (beginning with the USS Kerala which is arriving to subscribers now), with the next releases scheduled to be the new Klingon Bird of Prey, the USS Europa, and the Vulcan cruiser seen in “Lethe.”
Also shared today is this ‘turnaround’ video of the forthcoming ‘XL’-sized USS Enterprise-B, coming later this year.
While original set for a June 23 debut, McFarlane’s listing on Amazon now details a September 1 release date for these first-run Star Trek products, 13 months after they were first announced at STLV 2017.
Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek product news!
An original novel based upon the explosive new Star Trek TV series on CBS All Access!
Lieutenant Saru is a Kelpien, a member of a prey species born on a world overrun by monstrous predators…and a being who very intimately understands the nature of fear.
Challenged on all sides, he is determined to surpass his origins and succeed as a Starfleet officer aboard the U.S.S. Shenzhou.
But when Saru breaks protocol in order to prove himself to his crewmates, what begins as a vital rescue mission to save a vessel in distress soon escalates out of control.
Forced into a command role he may not be ready for, Saru is caught between his duty and the conflicting agendas of two antagonistic alien races.
To survive, he will need to seek a path of peace against all odds, and risk compromising the very ideals he has sworn to uphold….
I have to be honest; it has taken me a few weeks to both finish the book — and to write this review — as I sought to savor the experience of the last novel on the publishing schedule for the foreseeable future. I hope you can forgive me this indulgence!
While I sincerely doubt this is going to be the end of the Star Trek book line (though the year-long radio silence on the matter is quite frustrating!), Fear Itself is certainly a well-earned entry in Trek‘s literary library. As both an adventure story and a character exploration of Saru, Fear Itself really serves as a solid prequel to Saru’s arc throughout the first season of Star Trek: Discovery.
Over the course of Discovery’s first fifteen episodes, we see Saru mature from a snappy coward in “The Vulcan Hello” to a more confident and sure-footed acting captain of the USS Discovery by the end of “Will You Take My Hand?,” set nearly a year after the series premiere.
Acting Captain Saru of the USS Discovery.
His is a character who really finds his mojo, and has one of the more subtle (but enriching) arcs of Discovery so far. Fear Itself shows us an earlier point in Saru’s career – four years prior to the Battle of the Binary Stars – in which he begins that journey.
While we do not learn a huge amount more about the Kelpians or Saru’s origins — something Discovery’s writers are likely reserving for the television series — we still receive a deeper appreciation for the character and his motivations through Saru’s actions, and we get a window into his mind during a tense situation.
We also dive further into the Saru/Burnham relationship, something also explored in 2016’s first Discovery novel, David Mack’s Desperate Hours. The bickering between the two featured in “The Vulcan Hello” and “Battle at the Binary Stars” is on full display in Fear Itself, but we get a better understanding of where that originates.
The first season of Discovery implied, but did not go into much detail, that Burnham and Saru are more alike than they first appear, and Fear Itself dives deeper into that idea, and adds satisfying layers to their relationship as it plays out in the show.
Leka Trion of Peliar Zel (left) and a 22nd century Tholian (right).
Author James Swallow does the best jobs of the three Discovery authors to date in absolutely nailing the character voices and the tone of Discovery. Doug Jones’s performance as Saru leaps off the page, as does Michelle Yeoh’s Captain Georgiou and Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham. You can really see the characters in your mind’s eye speaking the lines, and the Discovery milieu is very well adhered to.
He also integrates a number of canon elements into the novel from later shows that fit seamlessly. The Tholians are the main antagonist, and it is a lot of fun to see Discovery characters going up against another of Star Trek’s more unique and beloved alien races. In addition, the Peliar Zel (who appeared in TNG’s “The Host”) and the Gorlans (who merit only the barest of mentions in “Mirror, Mirror”) each have big roles to play.
The other characters of the USS Shenzhou also appear, including a third appearance in the novels for Captain Phillipa Georgiou. Again, Georgiou is rendered in this novel most alike Michelle Yeoh’s performance on the screen, with all the shades of a determined captain and a leader of people who works to cultivate their best qualities and overcome their defects that Yeoh brought to the role.
Captain Phillipa Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou.
We may only have seen Prime Georgiou on screen for a short time, but she is absolutely one of Star Trek’s best captains. I hope the tie-in material continues to explore her character, while the on-screen version version of Discovery continues to follow Emperor Georgiou in future episodes.
Overall, if you are a fan of Discovery, I highly recommend pickup up Fear Itself. The action is well paced, the character moments land, and the story feels true to both Discovery and the wider Star Trek canon. As he has done so many times — seriously, go check out his other Trek novels! — Swallow has produced a fine book that will scratch the itch of any fan awaiting the return of more Trek to our televisions.
Here’s hoping we learn more about new Trek novels from Pocket Books soon — hopefully some kind of announcement might be made at STLV in August — because James Swallow’s Star Trek books are always a delight. It would be a real shame if there weren’t any more of them.
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If you liked Fear Itself, you should check out:
Desperate Hours by David Mack – The first Star Trek: Discovery novel is set one year before the Battle of the Binary Stars, and dives deeper into the Burnham/Spock relationship, with plot threads for Georgiou, Saru, and an appearance by Captain Christopher Pike’s USS Enterprise!
Drastic Measures by Dayton Ward – The second Star Trek: Discovery novel is set ten years before the Battle of the Binary Stars and ties into the classic Trek episode “The Conscience of the King” to give us a story of the prime universe’s Lorca and Georgiou dealing with the massacre on Tarsus IV.
Leka Trionz
Terok Nor: Day of the Vipers by James Swallow – My personal favorite of James Swallow’s previous Trek novels, this story — which kicks off the Terok Nor trilogy, but is largely a standalone story — explores first contact between the Cardassians and Bajorans, which would eventually lead to the Cardassian Occupation.
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