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STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Red Carpet Streaming Tonight!

While the rest of the world counts down to this weekend’s debut of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS, Netflix, and Space and CTV, tonight’s the big debut of the first two hours of the series at a star-studded Hollywood event — and you don’t have to fly to California to see it!

Announced last night, CBS will be hosting streaming coverage of the red-carpet premiere on their official Star Trek: Discovery Facebook page starting at 8PM ET / 5PM PT, leading up to the top-secret screening of the show’s first episodes.

Starting Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET, Star Trek fans will be able to stream the red carpet pre-show LIVE via the Star Trek: Discovery Facebook page.

The Facebook Live premiere event, which will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s Leanne Aguilera, promises tons of special guests, including series cast members Sonequa Martin-Green (First Officer Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Lieutenant Saru), Jason Isaacs (Captain Gabriel Lorca), Shazad Latif (Lieutenant Ash Tyler), Anthony Rapp (Lieutenant Paul Stamets), Michelle Yeoh (Captain Philippa Georgiou), Mary Wiseman (Cadet Sylvia Tilly), Mary Chieffo (L’Rell), James Frain (Ambassador Sarek), Rainn Wilson (Harry Mudd), Kenneth Mitchell (Kol), Sam Vartholomeos (Ensign Connor), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber) — plus, many Star Trek: Discovery creators.

Fans can also expect to see various Star Trek actors from past series at the event, spanning from The Original Series to Enterprise.

If you’re not crashing the party yourself out in Hollywood, be sure to tune in from home!

REVIEW: Enterprise – “Patterns of Interference”

The saga of the Star Trek: Enterprise TV series continues with this thrilling original novel!

The time has come to act.

Following the destructive consequences of the Ware crisis, Admiral Jonathan Archer and Section 31 agent Trip Tucker both attempt to change their institutions to prevent further such tragedies.

Archer pushes for a Starfleet directive of non-interference, but he faces opposition from allies within the fleet and unwelcome support from adversaries who wish to drive the Federation into complete isolationism.

Meanwhile, Tucker plays a dangerous game against the corrupt leaders of Section 31, hoping to bring down their conspiracy once and for all.

But is he willing to jeopardize Archer’s efforts—and perhaps the fate of an entire world—in order to win?

Christopher L. Bennett continues to tell the story of the early days of the United Federation of Planets following the events depicted in the final scenes of the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “These Are the Voyages….”

Patterns of Interference, and the four previous novels in the Rise of the Federation series, feature an ensemble of characters from Star Trek: Enterprise and a number of new additions – some of whom have connections to important characters from later series – who have grown significantly into their own starring roles in the narrative.

Like previous books in the series, Patterns of Interference resolves certain plot lines from previous stories, while continuing others and developing new ones. These include fallout from the previous book in the series that leads to a debate about whether to create the Prime Directive, the ongoing story of the conquest of Sauria by the Basileus Maltuvis, and Charles “Trip” Tucker III’s involvement with Section 31.

While Bennett provides recaps of events from previous novels to help new readers, Patterns of Interference is resolutely the fifth novel in the series not yet finished. If you’re interested in this novel, I would highly recommend cycling back to A Choice of Futures, the first novel in the Rise of the Federation series.

Of the Enterprise ensemble, Trip Tucker has the biggest role as he attempts to take down Section 31 from the inside, with the help of the Orion slave girl Devna. Through the course of the book, Trip is forced to face how his association with Section 31 has changed him from the man he was, the Trip we knew on Enterprise, and how that has impacted his long-distance relationship with T’Pol.

By the end of the novel, Trip clearly has a journey ahead of him to find how he fits into a future in which the Federation strives for the high ideals that Star Trek aspires to.

Patterns of Interference is the second novel this year examining the destruction of Section 31, following on from David Mack’s Section 31: Control in April. The two novels were developed independently, but the authors collaborated to ensure that the two stories would fit together.

It is unfortunate that two novels explore the same themes so close together, centering on main characters from Star Trek who have been significantly changed by their interaction with the shadowy Federation cabal, but Bennett provides an Enterprise flavor to the Section 31 takedown plot and ultimately presents a more optimistic take than Mack’s heavier execution.

The Section 31 story intertwines with the Sauria and Orion plot lines from previous installments, both of which are building to a larger resolution in a future novel. The Orion sisters featured in the Season 4 episode “Bound,” D’Nesh, Maras, and Navaar, continue to plot and scheme against the Federation as it expands into territory and threatens the Orion Syndicate’s operations.

Bennett has given the characters welcome depth, diving more deeply into the Orion culture and their secretive matriarchy. The villainous sisters are complimented by the return of the aforementioned Devna, an Orion slave girl who Trip encountered in a previous novel and convinced to help him on his mission. In the course of this novel she struggles with Trip’s offer of freedom, echoing the larger galaxy’s tentative embrace of the new Federation.

Given that Bennett is working with a period in Federation history about which little is known, there are restrictions about the extent to which major Star Trek races can serve as primary agitators. As a result, it falls to characters like the Orion sisters or Basileus Maltuvis of Sauria to provide the primary foil for Admiral Archer and the Federation.

This provides a unique opportunity to expand upon some lesser known or examined races, but at times it can make the universe feel smaller or force Bennett to work harder to up the stakes of the story.

The most delightful subplot of the novel deals with the USS Endeavor under command of Captain T’Pol, and heavily features Hoshi Sato. The Endeavor is called in to consult with an Earth Cargo Service vessel that has discovered a planet populated by advanced tree-like lifeforms.

The cargo vessel wants to harvest the trees for chemicals they contain that might have medicinal properties for the Federation, but Hoshi has been asked to help determine whether the trees might display signs of intelligence. The plot is well crafted, light, and amusing, mixing opportunities for character development for Sato with a fun, and very Star Trek, story.

With so many other stories at play the novel spends little time with Admiral Archer and his efforts to get the Federation Council to agree to create the Prime Directive, but the other plot lines all contribute to the exploration of the necessity of a Prime Directive. What constitutes the “right” interference in another world or culture?

It’s a question that characters in each of the story’s main plot lines grapple with, whether it’s Trip’s story on Sauria trying to discredit Maltuvis and bring down Section 31 or Hoshi and T’Pol working to determine whether a plant species is sentient. In addition to several scenes about the proposed non-interference directive, Archer’s story also involves saying farewell to an old friend.

I must say, the last page left me rather misty-eyed, and I think many can relate to the emotional journey that he goes on through the course of the book.

Ultimately, if you enjoyed the previous installments in the Rise of the Federation series, and Bennett’s style of leveraging pieces of existing canon for new adventures, you will enjoy the continuation of the broader narrative at play.

Patterns of Interference mixes its pay-offs with other areas where it further develops stories yet to be resolved, and I look forward to seeing what Bennett has in store for the characters from Enterprise. Hopefully, a new Rise of the Federation novel will be announced soon.

If you liked Patterns of Interference, you should check out:

More DISCOVERY Titles and Behind the Scenes Photos

It’s been a busy few days for Star Trek: Discovery updates, and things continue at full speed ahead yet again today!

We learned over the weekend of the first and second Discovery episode titles, and today CBS has released a new promo featuring the first four titles from the upcoming first season – likely tired of being beaten to the punch by TV listings spoiling the surprise.

These two new titles certainly give us something to speculate about, don’t they?

It’s more than likely at least one of the two will be heavily featuring the Klingon side of the Discovery story, as series actress Mary Chieffo called out the new title reveal as having one of her favorite Klingon episodes listed.

“The Vulcan Hello” and “Battle at the Binary Stars” debut in Hollywood tomorrow night for press and invited attendees; the rest of the world will have to wait until Sunday or Monday evening to learn what secrets these episodes have to share.

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Here’s a new Saru-themed poster which arrived online last night:

Finally, here are yet another handful of behind-the-scenes Discovery photos from series co-executive producer Ted Sullivan.

https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/909820106921861120
https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/909809364151574528
https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/909492963578855424

Second STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Episode Title Revealed

As we reported yesterday, the first Star Trek: Discovery episode title has been revealed by television listings ahead of the September 24 broadcast airing – and now, thanks to programming listings from Canada’s SPACE Channel, we now know the title of Episode 2.

Episode 1.02: “Battle at the Binary Stars”

The binary star system this title refers to has been a centerpiece of much of the Discovery promotion we’ve seen to date, the location where the USS Shenzou seems to discover the ancient Klingon obelisk vessel on which Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) encounters the Klingon torchbearer warrior.

The binary system appears on the USS Shenzhou’s viewscreen. (CBS)
An armada of Starfleet vessels join in battle. (CBS)

“Battle at the Binary Stars” airs at 9:30PM on SPACE in Canada, and will be available at the same time on CBS All Access in the United States. It is unclear at this time – though likely – if this second episode will be available on Netflix internationally when the premiere debuts September 25.

DISCOVERY Crew Has Only “One Chance” In New Promo

As the days count down to the Star Trek: Discovery premiere, CBS continues to release new footage through promotional videos – with a new minute-long teaser dropping this afternoon on their social media feeds, along with a reminder that the show is just a week away.

A region-free version will be amended if available.

Here’s some of the new details from today’s video:

Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) watches a hologram of Sarek (James Frain). (CBS)

SAREK: “You must find a way to help those who need you.”

Burnham pleads her case to Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). (CBS)

BURNHAM: “The outcome of any Klingon interaction is battle.”
GEORGIOU: “If they attack, we are the only line of defense.”
BURNHAM: “Not if – when.”

BURNHAM: “Thousands of lives will be lost!

Captain Georgiou discusses the Klingon situation with her first officer. (CBS)
A Klingon bird of prey approaches the USS Shenzhou. (CBS)
The Shenzhou is driven towards the Klingon sarcophagus ship… (CBS)
…which fires its massive weapon at the Federation vessel. (CBS)
Georgiou looking worse for wear. (CBS)
The Shenzhou bridge crew is worried about what’s on the viewscreen. (CBS)
Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) briefs the USS Discovery crew. (CBS)

LORCA: We are at war. We kill them – or they kill us, and everyone we care about.
We have one chance to get it right.

Lorca’s bridge crew, with Saru (Doug Jones) and Burnham in the rear. (CBS)
Saru delivers a discouraging message to his friend. (CBS)

SARU: “You are a valuable asset… but you are dangerous.”

Burnham spars with a Vulcan male. (CBS)
A Federation armada flies into battle, with the USS Europa at the forefront. (CBS)

Only seven more days until Star Trek: Discovery arrives – and here’s another great behind-the-scenes photo from series co-executive producer Ted Sullivan:

https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/909467706386034689

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Premiere Episode Title Revealed

We’re just over eight days away from the first Star Trek premiere in sixteen years, when Discovery takes flight on CBS next Sunday evening, before the show makes its warp to CBS All Access here in the United States.

With our proximity to the premiere shrinking with each passing day, we’ve now reached the point where television listings – including TV Guide – have now been updated to reflect the Star Trek: Discovery premiere episode, including the title and synopsis of the series’ pilot hour.

EPISODE 1.01: “The Vulcan Hello”

While the crew members aboard the USS Shenzhou patrol through the far reaches of Federation space, they encounter a certain object of indeterminate origins, which presents a considerable challenge for the ship’s first officer.

As we know, the series’ central character Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) was raised on Vulcan in the logical lifestyle of that planet’s inhabitants, and a great deal of the Discovery promotional material – dating back to the first poster released for the show – has centered around her upbringing.

The classic Vulcan hand salute, famously created by Leonard Nimoy based upon his Jewish upbringing, has been a centerpiece of Burnham imagery since Martin-Green was announced in the role back in April, and the character now has been shown making the salute herself in a recent Netflix video promotion.

In addition, Burnham’s specialty as a xenoanthroplogist – an alien culture and first contact expert – makes some form of “hello” especially appropriate for the Starfleet officer’s debut.

While we’re still working to determine our episode spoilers policy for TrekCore comments, we’ve decided that Discovery episode titles will NOT be considered spoilers in our reporting.

“The Vulcan Hello,” directed by David Semel and written by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman, and Akiva Goldsman, will premiere on CBS television on Sunday, September 24 at 8:30PM ET, followed by the immediate release of the name-yet-unknown second episode of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access that evening – with subsequent releases each Sunday.

In Canada, the two hours will air together on Space Channel at 8:30PM ET, with subsequent releases each Sunday as well.

Internationally, Discovery premieres on Netflix starting September 25 and each episode past the premiere weekend will be available within a day of the US release.

Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) looks up at the USS Discovery. (Netflix)

In addition, here’s a new promotional image from Netflix, featuring Michael Burnham staring up at the USS Discovery from within her thruster suit.

New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Bridge Set Tour Video, Plus: Interview Roundup & Review Embargo Details

CBS today released another behind-the-scenes Star Trek: Discovery production video, taking viewers on a tour of the high-tech USS Discovery bridge set.

This marvel of a set is full of practical see-through displays, live digital screens, and Starfleet technology everywhere. Here are some stills of the sets:

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Official site StarTrek.com has been conducting interviews with the cast and creators of Star Trek: Discovery the last several days, and we’ve poured through them to pick out some of the new bits of commentary on the upcoming series from showrunner Aaron Harberts, and series stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Mitchell, and Mary Chieffo.

Aaron Harberts: The Impact of ‘Enterprise’

“‘Enterprise’ has been so tough because they tried to rack on several things and sometimes it will be like, “Oh, if ‘Enterprise’ had just left that alone we wouldn’t be like painted into that corner,” but they did and that’s fine. We just find a way.

What I hope happens is, after this first season, second season, we’ll start creating our own slice of it so that we’re adding to canon in our way, and those questions come up less and less. It’s been very important, and look, you can’t be perfect all the time… Some things just slip through the crack.

Maybe an actor just says the wrong line and you miss it and suddenly you’re on a mix stage and you’re like, “Oh my God, oh God. Did they just use that phrase?” We’ll try to fix it, but nothing’s perfect. There will be tiny little mistakes, but I’ll tell you something, our intentions are nothing but good.

We are going to be doing a few things that shake hands with [the Original Series] in a way that I think are going to be so fun. I think people will be pretty excited about what’s coming down the pike. ” – StarTrek.com

Jason Isaacs: Wearing Starfleet’s Uniforms

“[Wearing the Starfleet uniform means] enormous pain and no lunch. (laughter). It was like putting on an external gastric bypass. I felt like trying to get into it was like someone making my body into a balloon animal.

[They’re] very, very thin. I don’t know if anyone goes skiing, or does sports things, you know that wicking material. But, an advancement of those things. You really feel very vulnerable and very naked. You don’t feel like you’re ready to fight. And there’s no pockets and no props to play with.

We work out with them. We do sports and we have a gym there and have a table tennis table. So, you can move in them, but you can move mostly because they’re like body paint, they’re so tight. ‘There were many discussions about making sure they weren’t so tight and so revealing that it became a very different show altogether” – StarTrek.com

Michelle Yeoh: Captain Georgiou, War Veteran

“I know that [Georgiou] is a war veteran. She has seen the horrors of war because it comes out in the dialogue as well. But she is a very compassionate person. As I look into her, she, by heart, is an explorer. She loved the universe. She loved the ability and the possibility of seeing new stars, new novae being born. She’s always awed by that.

That’s what I love about this character. She’s not cynical. She’s not jaded by all the things. She believes — and she firmly believes — in the hope and the goodness of humanity. It’s very pure to play a character like that, to bring her to the fore, but she’s also very smart. Otherwise, she would’ve been dead a long time ago.

[She] really, truly believes in cooperation, like the first thing that should come out is a gesture of friendship. Not anything else. Because shoot first and ask questions later just simply means, “Let’s fight. Let’s fight.” That’s not Captain Georgiou. That’s why Sarek brought Michael Burnham to her, so that she could help to instill these qualities in Michael Burnham, because Michael Burnham would be very cold and logical.” – StarTrek.com

Aaron Harberts:  Making a TOS Prequel in 2017

“That’s something that’s always going to be an issue. It’s impossible to get around it. I think when we all started talking about it, we just didn’t think that it would be the best way to go, to just use toggles and just technology…

It’s funny now how iPads have caught up with ‘Next Gen.’ All of that technology has now come to pass in a lot of ways. There is a certain analog quality. There’s a certain analog quality to some of the ship’s helm controls and things. It just feels tactile, but then there’s also tons of monitors and graphics that they wouldn’t have had in TOS.

We had to strike a balance between not changing things that we thought were super-important, like the communicators and tricorder and phaser, but in terms of how graphics are done or how… We lean on holograms a lot, actually, instead of just going to the viewscreen. Just slightly different ways of making it feel a little more contemporary.

But I don’t think it’s so in your face that you’re going to say, “Wait, hold on a second.” It was our plan to just sort of have a seamless integration. Some of those key props, we, Bryan… nobody wanted to really change those.” – StarTrek.com

Michelle Yeoh: Georgiou and Michael Burnham

“She’s obviously the one who’s been teaching [Burnham], trying to guide her on the right path. But (Burnham’s) background makes it so interesting because she’s the only human. She forgot she was human because she was growing up in the Vulcan world.

She was becoming more Vulcan than Vulcan itself. She beat herself up to even more than that. And, it’s brutal. I don’t know how anybody can survive, unless you are a Vulcan, the kind of training you have to get through so that you are so in control and everything becomes about logic and clear cut and things like that.

Sarek, Spock’s dad, is a dear friend of Captain Georgiou and he truly believed that Captain Georgiou would be able to instill the good human qualities back into her, because fundamentally she’s a human being, right? You cannot deny yourself what you are.

Michael Burnham looked at Captain Georgiou first with disdain. But she begins to respect this woman. She understood and began to understand where she came from, what she was trying to teach her, and then that bond was solidified. So much so, it was like a proud parent saying, ‘You know, I think you’re ready to have your own wings. To fly your own ship.’ And that’s a big deal.” – StarTrek.com

Aaron Harberts: The Freedom of Streaming TV

“It’s super-compelling to use violence, language, nudity beyond what you can do (on traditional television), but I wouldn’t say it works that great on ‘Star Trek.’

It’s really interesting. There’s something about it. We can show a bat’leth going through somebody. We could show a mek’leth slicing someone’s throat maybe a little bit more than we could on network TV, and that’s cool. We don’t tend to use a ton of language. When we do, it’s got to be for a real reason.

We aren’t really doing a ton of nudity. It just doesn’t quite feel right and, I don’t know… I think if you’re a fan of the show, you understand what I’m saying. It’s just not quite right.

I think what makes us a streaming show is getting to tell stories about characters that you wouldn’t necessarily get to see on network television. Getting to do some internal, emotional, darker, people confronting maybe darker sides of themselves or more complicated sides of themselves that you wouldn’t necessarily get to do, or if you did it on network, you’d have to tie it up with a bow in one episode.

We definitely have a range [in episode length]. It really is more about how the episodes play. It really is about the rhythm of the story. Some will be high, high 40s, some into the 50s, and then some might be a little bit shorter than that. There’s a nice, wide range, but it’s got to be the story that dictates.” – StarTrek.com

Sonequa Martin-Green: Burnham’s Vulcan Mindset

“The idea of how Vulcan I am versus how human I am is one facet we’re exploring. Because there is this dichotomy of Vulcan indoctrination versus human emotion and human DNA, versus Starfleet ideology. And so, it’s really about all of these things, all of these tenets of my being, and how they are relating to each other, and how they’re opposing each other, right?

So, I was born into a human family, and a human life, and then was sort of forced into Vulcan culture. So, there’s the acculturation that has happened, and there was certainly the assimilation that I fought to achieve. And then you have Starfleet. And so almost, I feel as if Starfleet has provided a bridge for me between my humanity and my Vulcan upbringing.

So, it’s interesting because it’s not the same journey as Spock. He, in his DNA, is Vulcan and human. But for me, it’s really about someone who attempted to become someone they were not born to be. Under tremendous pressure. Against insurmountable odds. (She’s) someone who’s succeeded in that to a point, and possibly to a fault.

So, there’s certainly that inner conflict, and a lot of the inner conflict has to do with that, because obviously there’s an identity crisis there, that, “Who am I? Who do I want to be? Who am I becoming, based on these decisions I’m making? Is it Vulcan logic, or is it human emotion that caused me to make that decision?'” – StarTrek.com

Ken Mitchell: Kol’s Path to Power

“[Kol] is the leader. You first meet him in holograph form, and he’s kind of an alpha Klingon amongst the house leaders, amongst the 24 house leaders. He has these disagreements and conflicts with T’Kuvma and his house, and it kind of launches that relationship throughout the rest of the season.

Kol is on a bit of a path to power, and he also wants to protect his people, not only amongst the Klingon houses, but also amongst the Federation. I just really kind of clinged on to that – no pun intended.

The costume is heavy and it’s hot and the prosthetics are heavy and hot, but I’ve always been an actor that works from the inside out and the outside in. These costumes and prosthetics, when you put them on, they’re like layers of your character, and the more you put on the more you start feeling like your character.

Then you add in the language, this very visceral and guttural language, and it just lends itself so much to my character, being a kind of aggressive Klingon. I find the language itself is a little bit aggressive and I’ve found when I am speaking it, I kind of start moving my body a bit and using my arms and moving my neck a bit. All these layers added on to helping me create my character.” – StarTrek.com

Mary Chieffo: Why She Loves DS9’s Grilka

Grilka [from “The House of Quark”] is definitely at the top [of my favorite Klingons], first of all, because she’s full Klingon. I love K’Ehleyr and I love B’Elanna, but they’re both half-Klingon. B’Elanna, like we see with anyone who’s half and half, is they have that internal struggle.

I love watching that, but certainly for me, since L’Rell is full Klingon, seeing Grilka, I love her story of eventually becoming the leader of her own house. Klingons are so patriarchal, so that was a great way to explore that story, in both episodes that she’s in. Her relationship with Quark was so fun and wonderful, and she just owned herself in this great way.

There’s something about that I’ve tried to transfer to L’Rell, and it’s that her strength and power don’t negate her sensuality. Grilka is the one that really always comes to mind.” – StarTrek.com

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Series co-producer Ted Sullivan continues to share behind-the-scenes Discovery set photos on social media.

https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/908720321947066368

https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/908722098373148672

https://twitter.com/karterhol/status/908830046378328064

Finally, it’s now been widely reported that reviews of Star Trek: Discovery are embargoed until 9:30 PM on Sunday, September 24, in alignment with the end of Episode 1’s airing on CBS television.

There are press and critic screenings on Tuesday, September 19 in both Hollywood and New York, but don’t expect to see any official write-ups on the episodes themselves until next Sunday. Some have assumed this decision by CBS is meant to hide possible negative reviews until showtime, but with the recent rise of leaked screener releases of big-budget shows like “Game of Thrones” — and the extreme secrecy under which CBS has been protecting Star Trek: Discovery since its 2015 announcement — this move may be surprising, but it’s not entirely unexpected.

Discovery tie-in novelist David Mack shared his own thoughts on the review embargo on Twitter last night, countering some press reports that the move signaled doom for the upcoming show, stating that the CBS team made the decision to protect spoilers as long as possible.

Click through to see the rest of Mack’s thoughts on the matter.

We’re still working on what our on-site spoiler policy will be for the Discovery airings – since the US will still get episodes about twelve hours ahead of the international community, we want our friends watching on Netflix or Space to know what TrekCore articles are safe to read, and which aren’t – and we’ll let you know before the first CBS airing next weekend.

Watch for our own review of the series’ two-hour premiere here on the 24th.

HANDS-ON: FanSets STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Pins, Wave 1

Collectable pin company FanSets has been producing Star Trek designs since mid-2016, and after making their public debut at last year’s big Las Vegas and New York conventions, the company has been expanding their line of Trek pins monthly to more than 100 different designs from every series in the franchise.

Launching for Star Trek Las Vegas in early August, FanSets’ new Star Trek: Discovery designs debuted at the annual convention to rousing success, with their first five releases warping into fans’ hands as the first Discovery merchandise released ahead of the upcoming series.

The STAR TREK: DISCOVERY logo pin, measuring about 2″ wide.

Like their ongoing line of pre-2017 Star Trek pins, FanSets also features the starships of Discovery, beginning with the Walker-class USS Shenzhou — and the ThinkGeek variant version as well.

The hefty (and highly-detailed) USS Shenzhou pin, standard edition.
The ThinkGeek-exclusive ‘CBS All Access’ variant Shenzhou pin. (Photo courtesy of @Julalien)

With the intricate detail featured on this pin, we can’t wait for the other Discovery vessels to get their own spotlight releases!

The first three Discovery character likenesses approved for production were Doug Jones’ Lt. Saru, Michelle Yeoh’s Captain Georgiou, and Chris Obi’s T’Kuvma – and the three beamed down to Las Vegas for their first away mission; each measures about 2″ tall.

Lt. Saru, with his now-familiar Kelpian features.
Captain Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou, with captain’s gold shoulder detailing.
T’Kuvma, great leader of his House.

We’re also happy to bring you an exclusive first look at Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham — sporting her USS Shenzhou hairstyle — hitting FanSets’ web store for the first time today.

First Officer Michael Burnham, reporting for duty.

Based on some of the trailers and preview images we’ve seen from CBS to date, we won’t be surprised if FanSets comes out with a second Burnham design from her time on the USS Discovery, with different hair and possibly a silver-toned Starfleet uniform.

UPDATE: FanSets also just revealed their new Voq and Sarek pin designs at Creation Entertainment’s Chicago Star Trek convention, now up for sale at their store.

While these first eight designs are in production now, FanSets has also been teasing out concept art for approved future Discovery pins on their social media feeds, with more as-yet-unannounced designs still in development and expected later this fall.

L’Rell, Captain Lorca, Cadet Tilly, and Lt. Stamets – coming soon.

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In addition to Discovery, FanSets has also recently revealed that they’ve obtained license to start destining Kelvin Timeline pins, and have revealed the following concept designs for forthcoming Star Trek Beyond pins which are on the way soon:

Captain Kirk (in survival suit) and Jaylah
The Enterprise and Franklin ship pins.

They have also shared on Twitter that Admiral Pike and Keenser pins are also in the design phase, and that a USS Vengeance ship pin (from Star Trek Into Darkness) is likely soon to follow.

FanSets’ Star Trek pins are available now, generally priced from $5.95 – $9.95 each at FanSets.com.

For you collectors, check back often here at TrekCore for the latest news on these pin releases!

Explore the Props of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY in New Video

Another interesting video arrived today from CBS, featuring the high-tech and highly-detailed Star Trek: Discovery props, with new looks at the weapons, technologies, and tools of both Starfleet and Klingon crews.

Plus, new looks at the series’ sets, behind-the-scenes filming, and a few new glimpses of the first season’s episodes!

Here’s some of the most interesting glimpses of the featured props from the Discovery workshop, showing the amazing detail going into these designs.

We also get to see a bunch of new glimpses of the series, with the props in use:

Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), ready to beam up. (CBS)
Burnham scans with her tricorder, sans Starfleet insignia. (CBS)
Filming on the USS Shenzhou bridge set, greenscreens visible. (CBS)
T’Kuvma (Chris Obi) with his bat’leth. (CBS)
Filming on the Klingon sarcophagus ship set. (CBS)
Martin-Green gets into her spacesuit. (CBS)
Ready for action; note the lack of helmet bubble. (CBS)
Flung into “space.” (CBS)

Finally, there’s one new addition to the Burnham / Torchbearer conflict we’ve now seen several clips of; as Burnham uses her suit thrusters to tackle the Klingon warrior.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to see our extensive photography gallery of the Star Trek: Discovery props display from this summer’s convention season.

Check back often for more Star Trek news!

Klingon Sarcophagus Ship Secrets Revealed in New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Producer Interview

For months now, we’ve seen images of the intricate sets used aboard the Klingon sarcophagus ship — one of the primary Klingon vessels used in Star Trek: Discovery — but we’ve been left to guess at the nature of the unique starship.

Today, however, in a new interview with SFX Magazine, series co-executive producer Ted Sullivan spilled some secrets about the gargantuan vessel and its meaning to the House of T’Kuvma.

Concept art for the Sarcophagus ship, on display at SDCC 2017.
Concept art for the Sarcophagus ship interior, on display at SDCC 2017.

From writer Ian Berriman’s description of the ship sets, information gleaned from a press visit to the Discovery sets in Toronto:

[The] Klingon ‘sarcophagus ship’ — an enormous vessel (three times the size of its Federation counterparts — [belongs] to a 25th Klingon house that we hadn’t previously heard of.

[…]

Its stepped control deck [is] devoid of the usual consoles, because these Klingons intervace with their computers directly via ornate silver masks.

The Sarcaphagus ship, landed on a planet. (CBS)

Sullivan explains where this huge ship fits into the story:

It’s a 200-year-old ship. This is a group of Klingons who’ve gone back to a puritan way of life. They look very different: they wear armor that’s 200 years old and they don’t have any hair.

Their commander [T’Kuvma, played by Chris Obi] runs his Klingon house – the house of T’Kuvma – by the rules of Kahless, the Klingon messiah. And he calls himself the second coming of the Klingon messiah.

In the past, Klingons have not really cared about their dead – they’re not like marines. But these Klingons are. The outside of the ship is covered in thousands of coffins. Some are 300 years old, some are just two days old.

Downstairs is the death room, where they prepare their dead; then the coffins get raised up and put on the outside.

Sullivan’s reference to Klingons who “have not really cared about their dead” is something Trek directly addresses all the way back in Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Attention, Sto-vo-kor: warrior incoming. (TNG: “Heart of Glory”)

After Klingon warrior Kunivas dies in “Heart of Glory,” the trio of living Klingons present scream out to Sto-vo-kor to announce his coming to the Klingon afterlife, but afterwards show little interest in the fallen soldier’s corpse.

CRUSHER: Is there any special arrangement you would like for the body?
KORRIS: It is only an empty shell now. Please treat it as such.

In the preview trailers for Star Trek: Discovery, we’ve seen that same ancient ritual performed by members of the House of T’Kuvma; screaming to the heavens over a fallen comrade.

A deceased warrior, ready for burial. (CBS)
Warriors of the House of T’Kuvma cry out to the afterlife. (CBS)

However, unlike the warriors of the Next Generation era, their coffin raises through the ceremonial chamber to be mounted on the outside of the sarcophagus ship.

The casket raises from its position. (CBS)
Up, up, and away. (CBS)

That certainly clears up some of the confusion that’s come from those early snippets of life aboard the Klingon sarcophagus ship; the floating casket seems to have no relation to the Torchbearer armor-wearing warrior we see fighting Burnham – and the editing of such video clips was simple misdirection.

…we think.

Coffin concept art, on display at SDCC 2017.

Keep watching TrekCore for more Star Trek: Discovery news as it breaks!