At Tuesday’s annual summer Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles, the Star Trek: Discovery cast and producing team spent time promoting the series and speaking about the soon-to-arrive new series with a variety of media reporters.
Much of their comments echo previous statements to reporters and the San Diego Comic-Con crowd last weekend, commenting on the revelation that Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is essentially the adopted daughter of Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda Grayson, that the Federation is mired in war with the Klingons during the time period in which Discovery is set, and that Bryan Fuller’s vision for the series – though not aligned entirely with his original hopes – is being honored by the remaining leadership team running the series.
Kurtzman: we all respect Bryan's vision. We honor what he did. Much of what's there came from his mind. #StarTrekDiscovery#TCA17
Perhaps the biggest surprise for the press attendees was the reveal of the new Discovery theme song, composed by Jeff Russo and recorded for the series by a 60-piece live orchestra – which received wide praise from those in attendance:
Hopefully, the new music will be revealed to the rest of us soon!
As a final tie-in to the press presentation, CBS revealed a new, expanded series of Discovery promotional posters, giving each new cast member their time in the very-literal spotlight.
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These posters are already on display here at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, launching today and running through Sunday, August 6.
Stick with us all week here on the site and on our Twitter and Facebook feeds as we bring you the latest from the annual celebration of all things Star Trek!
We’re starting to get more ancillary information on the in-universe world of Star Trek: Discovery as we approach September’s premiere, and now that Discovery data is coming from merchandise coming out of STLV in Las Vegas!
An aft view of the USS SHENZHOU.
FanSets has been producing Star Trek pin releases for the past several years, and this year at STLV they’re debuting their first Discovery pins, including a few characters – but also a dedicated pin for the USS Shenzhou, captained by Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXPEbYbHaTk/
This new pin reveals that the Shenzhou is categorized as a Walker-class starship, which is a new design and designation for the Trek universe – though of course given the show’s mid-23rd Century period setting, it’s not impossible that the Walker-class line of ships weren’t used much past that era.
In reality, longtime Trek starship designer John Eaves revealed that the class name is actually named after X-15 test pilot Joe Walker, who flew spaceplanes for the United States in the mid-1960’s.
We’ll see what other news may come out about this class at the Las Vegas Discovery panels this Wednesday!
Highest on the list of current inquiries for Star Trek fans — above wondering if Discovery stay true to the franchise’s ideas, more than curiosity about returning to the Kelvin Timeline films — is wondering where will Trek authors Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore vacation together this year… and we think our answer is here, as Ward partners once more with publisher Insight Editions for his latest Hidden Universe Travel Guide, for all things on the Klingon Empire!
Adrenaline junkies might revel in the opportunity to visit a planet where mortal danger literally lurks around every corner of the Empire, whether in the form of a warrior challenge to the death, your food attempting to eat you first, or those pesky bat’leth lessons that might result in maiming or worse — just be warned warned, deciding to visit Qo’noS at any time should not be attempted by the faint of heart.
Dayton Ward laughed when asked whether or not the Klingon Empire might be the last vacation destination someone might seek when looking to relax.
Why would somebody put themselves through this?
This isn’t a vacation, but more like a rite of passage or endurance test. Do we get a t-shirt after passing? I don’t know if the Klingon Empire would be my ideal vacation, but the fun in writing this guide was to defy stereotypes and conventions when it came to the Klingons.
Just think you go to a museum and you see paintings depicting the battle your great-great-great grandfather died in. Do they have Klingon farmers, metal workers – of course they do. Yes, they value the hierarchy and military. But I like to think any civilization that has been around for two millennia are going to value everything about their culture.
Here’s where the fun begins
Admittedly for Ward, part of the fun working on the travel guide to Vulcan released last year was being able to draw actual maps to detail the distance and physical relationships between different on-planet attractions and locations.
Travel guides, by nature, rarely divert from formula, but where in the Klingon Empire would Ward discover new joys this time around?
We established a structure for the Vulcan guide I thought I could follow, but quickly realized I could veer away from that here and there. Having the freedom to deviate to make the Klingon Empire guide its own thing was fun.
Since it’s for an entire empire and not just one planet, I was able to include side trips to different worlds and offer different type of testimonials. I was not forced to just make book two in a series.
The decision to hire lifetime-fan Ward not only gave Insight Editions instant credibility with its Hidden Universe series, but also allows hardcore Star Trek aficionados the ability to revel with one of their own when it comes to the franchise.
One entertaining carry over from his Vulcan guide was Ward’s inclusion of various out-of-canon references to the Star Trek universe originating in tie-in novels, video games, role-playing games, and more.
One such expanded universe idea that delivered multiple inspirations for the Guide was John M. Ford’s seminal Trek novel, The Final Reflection. In the 1984 novel, Battlecruiser Vengeance was a long-running episodic space opera followed by some of the characters in the book — and this idea allowed Ward to have some fun from one of his all-time favorite Star Trek novels.
One of the funniest things about the travel guide is there is a full page ad at the end for coming attractions, ‘The Battlecruiser Vengeance Experience’! The whole idea came because my editor told me they were one page short; whatever I had in the original space was the wrong tone to end the book.
He asked, ‘What can you come up with quickly?’ and it hit me: the end of the Vulcan Travel Guide had a PSA advisory [for surviving Vulcan’s Forge]. The idea of an ad took shape, and it also became a wink at the audience of the Star Trek Experience [formerly in Las Vegas].
‘Vengeance’ is the Klingon version, but something with modern technology – intergalactic holograms, that sort of thing – plus actors and guides like from Star Trek Experience. I literally pulled that out of my ear at 3 p.m. and they needed it at the end of the day.
Like the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and desperation is the necessity of inspiration. I needed to close the book on an upbeat note, even though it’s not a novel I don’t want it to end on a downer.
So, what can I do, how fast, how easy… bam, were done.
How did we get here?
Before last year’s Vulcan Travel Guide even hit bookstores and online retailers, Insight Editions gave the go ahead for a second travel book from the final frontier. However, just because it was on the schedule did not necessarily mean it was a done deal.
Insight was really enthusiastic with how the Vulcan guide was coming together and the excitement among fans, so they decided to green light a second book before it was released.
Thankfully, the sales bore out that this idea was going to work.
Interestingly, the novelist was buttoned up tighter than a Trill discussing the symbiosis process with outsiders when noting the possibility of writing a second guide for Insight Editions during interviews last year.
As it turns out, Ward was already hard at work on the Klingon Empire guide during his promotion of the Vulcan Travel Guide.
Depending on the timing of when I was doing interviews for the Vulcan guide last year, I was probably writing the bulk of the Klingon Empire guide. In fact, right before the Vulcan guide came out last year, I was on a Disney cruise with my family, sitting at the poolside, drinking rum and revising the Klingon manuscript.
The Hidden Universe label also involves other properties besides ‘Star Trek’ (including ‘The Complete Marvel Cosmos’). For all I know they are working on another universe book at this moment.
As of this interview, I have not been asked to do another travel guide, however I am under contract to do a couple other things for Insight.
The undiscovered country
In fact, Ward said he thought the only possible second choice would be the Klingon Empire. Afterwards, it gets dicey as far as finding a Trek location that would find broad mainstream appeal.
To me, something like this really works for the casual fan as well as the hardcore fan — but it has to be inclusive as possible.
We’ve had the conversation formally about what possible candidates for the next travel guide there are after this. In the interest of honesty, once you get past the Klingon Empire or Vulcan, the interest drops off for the mainstream audience; maybe Romulus is a candidate?
However, maybe we do one book that encompasses multiple popular races, like the Cardassians, Ferengi, Andorians?
Hopefully, after producing travel guides for both Vulcan and the Klingon Empire, Ward and Insight Editions might want to look to friendlier locales for possible future editions, such as Risa, or the Amusement Park planet in the Omicrom Delta region.
The Risian expression “All That Is Ours, Is Yours” certainly takes on a different meaning when not having to fight to the death like on Qo’nos!
I volunteered to be the researcher for Risa, but that would require me to visit the Bahamas or someplace like that — they didn’t seem too excited to send me!
Back to the big question
Ward conceded that he and frequent writing partner Kevin Dilmore would most likely visit Vulcan on vacation first — but as is typical in every relationship, they most likely would not always be on the same page during the trip.
We would never agree on anything – where to eat, stay, go orbital skydiving, etc…
I’m not saying [Kevin ] wouldn’t go to the Klingon Empire, but I could see us as being sent there as some form of punishment!
Hidden Universe Travel Guide: The Klingon Empire is available now, with an eBook edition arriving August 1. Order your copy – or last year’s Vulcan guide – now!
But along with the insight onto the current cast and characters of the new series, EW‘s James Hibbard also reveals through interviews and investigation the details behind the surprise departure of series creator and one-time showrunner Bryan Fuller back in October.
To lead the writing, [CBS] looked to showrunner Bryan Fuller… [who] for years publicly lobbied for the return of ‘Trek’ to television, specifically with a black woman at the fore.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about how many black people were inspired by seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of a ship,” Fuller says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how many Asian people were inspired by seeing George Takei and feeling that gave them hope for their place in the future. I wanted to be part of that representation for a new era.”
Rumors swirled about for many months that Discovery (though at that time still untitled) would be some form of anthology series, bouncing through time and space throughout the Trek universe.
Fuller sat with CBS executives to deliver his pitch. It wasn’t just for a ‘Trek’ series but for multiple serialized anthology shows that would begin with the ‘Discovery’ prequel, journey through the eras of Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and then go beyond to a time in ‘Trek’ that’s never been seen before.
“The original pitch was to do for science fiction what ‘American Horror Story’ had done for horror,” Fuller says. “It would platform a universe of ‘Trek’ shows.”
CBS countered with the plan of creating a single serialized show and then seeing how it performed. It was a fair compromise, yet demonstrated the first conflict of vision between a powerful company and an inventive writer that would eventually lead to a dramatic falling-out.
Bryan Fuller leads a 50th Anniversary “Star Trek” panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2016.
Fuller was as positive as could be about his aims for the series, and how things were going behind the scenes, when he gave the first major detail dump on the show last August – but things weren’t quite running so smoothly, as EW‘s Hibbard reports.
The studio hired [veteran procedural director] David Semel… to direct the ‘Discovery’ pilot against Fuller’s wishes. (Fuller and CBS had no comment on this.) The two clashed in pre-production, with sources saying Fuller thought he was wrong for the job.
The EW report also details issues that didn’t help the situation, like the series overrunning its projected $6 Million-per-episode budget allotment, the difficulty in creating and crafting Starfleet and other costumes of the 22nd Century, but the biggest conflict was having Fuller’s attention split between Discovery and his other series, American Gods, while still trying to hit the original January 2017 launch date plans.
[Perhaps] the biggest issue was trying to launch ‘Discovery’ by January 2017, a date some felt was unrealistic. Fuller was striving to design the new show’s uniforms, sets, and aliens, while also figuring out his first seasons’ complex arc.
…
[CBS] executives say there were frustrated that, giving the ticking clock, Fuller was spending so much time on his equally ambitious Starz show, ‘American Gods,’ which was simultaneously shooting its debut season.
In September 2016, CBS pushed ‘Discovery’s’ premiere date to May to give the production more runway… a few weeks later Fuller felt he found the crucial piece of the puzzle when he met with [Sonequa] Martin-Green to play his lead, Michael Burnham.
…
Yet even that decision ran into a seemingly insurmountable roadblock because AMC would not release the actress until her ‘Walking Dead’ character died on screen in April. The only way the production could hire Martin-Greene was if the show’s premiere was delayed a second time.
Finally, CBS announced last October that Fuller would be leaving the series but would still “remains an executive producer and will continue to help map out the story arc for the entire season” – but by December, Fuller was publicly telling press that he was “not involved” in any capacity with the series.
EW now specifically reports that Fuller was asked to leave Discovery.
In October, after months of backstage tension, CBS Television Studios asked Fuller to step down as showrunner… [the] captain’s chair was filled by [Aaron] Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg, two writers Fuller had worked with for years.
…
Some of Fuller’s ideas were tossed, however — from the more heavily allegorical and complex story line to his choice of uniforms (a subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors).
While Fuller said in December that CBS “has my number… if they need me,” all signs seem to point towards Fuller keeping Discovery in the rear-view mirror:
“I got to dream big,” Fuller says. “I was sad for a week, and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.”
…
Many months later, Fuller saw the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ trailer. How did he feel watching that? Fuller pauses: “What I can say is… my reaction was that I was happy to see a black woman and an Asian woman in command of a starship.”
This issue of Entertainment Weekly is in stores today — and we’ll see how Star Trek: Discovery turned out when the series debuts September 24.
Excerpts from Friday’s special Star Trek: Discovery-themed issue of Entertainment Weekly continue to roll out, with more behind-the-scenes interview videos, photos, and discussion with the cast and crew on the new Trek coming in September.
The first video features the cast discussing the diverse nature of the show’s characters – from Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as a black woman, to Lt. Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) as a gay man, to Lt. Saru (Doug Jones) as the alien Kelpian officer.
While there has been much discussion of diversity in interviews and publicity leading up to the series, Jones notes that on-screen, it’s much less front-and-center:
When you’re watching [‘Discovery’], it doesn’t have to be said: we never have to look at each other and say, ‘You’re an alien!’ or ‘You’re a woman of color!’ or whatever.
Anthony Rapp as Lt. Paul Stamets. (EW)
On the shipboard scientist, Lt. Stamets, Rapp and series producer Aaron Harberts divulged some new details on his character and how his romantic life is just one facet of his being.
“We’re at a point in time where people aren’t defined by their sexuality,” says Aaron Harberts. “What’s fascinating about the character is that when we meet him we don’t know who or what he is. He’s so super specific, he’s persnickety and difficult and brilliant, and he isn’t going to give an inch and he has very strong feelings about why he’s on the Discovery. We wanted to roll out that character’s sexuality the way people would roll out their sexuality in life.”
Rapp:
“I’m really excited and happy when a gay character is a part of a story — especially when a gay character is created in a complex and human and non-stereotypical, interesting way, and that has certainly been the case with Stamets.” Rapp tells us.
“And you get to see his relationship. There was a little glimpse in Sulu in Beyond, and it was a nice nod. But in this case, we actually get to see me with my partner in conversation, in our living quarters, you get to see our relationship over time, treated as any other relationship would be treated.”
“He’s a really, really smart guy and as smart guys go, he sometimes can be a little difficult to deal with because not everybody’s as smart as he is,” Rapp says. “So he’s got a little bit of an edge sometimes, which is fun to play.”
With Sonequa Martin-Green calling out “Journey to Babel” (a natural given her character’s relationship with Sarek), Rapp going for Spock’s mind-meld in “Devil in the Dark,” Jason Isaac (Gabriel Lorca) remembering “Miri,” Shazad Latif (Lt. Tyler) enjoying both The Next Generation and the Kelvin Timeline films, Mary Wiseman (Cadet Tilly) fondly discussing TNG’s “The Offspring,” Doug Jones (Saru) reminiscing about Leonard Nimoy’s appearance in the 2009 Trek film, and Michelle Yeoh recalling her fascination with “Amok Time.”
EW has also released this additional set of images from their photo shoot accompanying the new issue, available Friday:
The cast dancing away on Discovery’s transporter platform. (EW)Doug Jones as Lt. Saru.Lorca (Jason Isaacs), Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), Saru, and Burnham (Sonequa Martin Green).
It’s that time of year – next week is the annual Official Star Trek Convention out in Las Vegas, and Creation Entertainment who runs the event has just released the five-day schedule of events for the big bash out west (August 2-6), including a first-time appearance from some Star Trek: Discovery cast members!
Wednesday is certainly Discovery day in Las Vegas, with a number of panels featuring cast and crew begin that afternoon. Along with the captain’s chair photo-op and prop/costume exhibit which will open on-site Thursday, the first Discovery event begins at 2:30PM Wednesday with a writers’ room panel hosted by show scribes Kirsten Beyer and Ted Sullivan.
Following at 3:30 is a cast appearance featuring Mary Chieffo, Ken Mitchell, and Sam Vartholomeos fresh in from Toronto, a group who was not at last week’s Comic-Con event. Creature designers Glenn Hetrick and Neville Page are up next at 4:30, discussing the alien creations seen in the series.
Rounding out the Discovery day is the reveal of series tie-in novels and comics – first announced last September – from Kirsten Beyer, Sarah Gaydos, Mike Johnson, David Mack, and Ed Schlesinger who will be offering a first look at the publications at 5:30PM.
In addition to Wednesday’s Star Trek: Discovery afternoon, there will also be featured panels covering all that’s new in Trek gaming, plenty of actor and behind-the-scenes contributor Q&A sessions, costume contests, and the usual fun all week through Sunday afternoon.
A few other notable events:
Thursday, 12:45PM: Inside Trek: Star Trek Authors & Their Books – Meet the authors and editors that are expanding the Star Trek universe with new novels, travel guides, science books and unique (and funny) views of Trek fandom. Hear about their favorite stories, writing Trek and the stories they really want to tell. (Panelists: John Van Citters, Dayton Ward, David Mack, Kevin Dilmore, Ethan Siegel, Robb Pearlman & Ed Schlesinger.)
Thursday, 2:30PM: Deep Space Nine Confessional – Join the “What We Left Behind: DS9 Documentary” team for interactive fan sessions. (Panelists: Ira Steven Behr, Adam Nimoy & David Zappone)
Friday, 9:00AM: The U.S.S. Aegis and Beyond. Star Trek: Bridge Crew’s Quest to Create New Ships for the Star Trek Universe – We’re pulling back the curtains on how new ships such as the U.S.S. Aegis were created for the new virtual reality game, Star Trek: Bridge Crew. Join Programmer Ryan Barber from Ubisoft’s Red Storm Entertainment as she shares the process from behind-the-scenes.
Friday, 9:15AM: John Eaves Presentation: The Kelvin Timeine – ship and prop design from the latest 3 Star Trek films. This panel will show the design process of the major ships and props from Star Trek 2009, through last year’s Star Trek Beyond. This will be a great panel to see how the key elements of the films were designed and then seen on film.
Friday, 10:15AM: OKUDAGRAMS: The Development of the LCARS & Next Generation Graphic Design – Join long-time STAR TREK Art Department members Mike Okuda and Denise Okuda for a discussion on graphic design in bringing Gene Roddenberry’s universe to life.
Beginning with Mike’s early contributions to Star Trek: The Next Generation, including his groundbreaking development of “Okudagrams,” which were named for him, we’ll discuss the development of the LCARS design style and the role of graphics in creating futuristic/alien technology, as well as in the practicality of producing a weekly television series. (Moderated by John Van Citters.)
Friday, 5:30PM: The Production Meeting: Making the Leap from Page to Stage – Celebrate the impressive technical achievements of TNG’s production personnel by understanding the complexities in Star Trek episodic production and the process of coordinating the work of multiple departments in order to deliver a unified creative vision.
Using “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II”, panelists will explore the use of the production meeting so each department understands the director’s needs and so the producers can be sure that plans are achievable on time and on budget. )Panelists: Roger Lay, Michael & Denise Okuda, Michael Westmore, Doug Drexler, Herman Zimmerman, Ronald D. Moore)
Friday, 6:00PM: The Official 30th Anniversary Reunion of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Starring live and together on stage: Sir Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Denise Crosby and John de Lancie!
Join us for what will likely be the only reunion of the TNG Cast in this 30th Anniversary year! The cast will be joined together on stage to warmly celebrate with fans in a special 90 minute show that we know will be a time for the record books. All of the guests, will be appearing during the convention days, but this is the only time virtually all TNG regular cast members will be together on stage at once in what is sure to be a fabulous evening of fun, memories and revelations.
Saturday, 11:15AM: The Make-Up Artistry of Joel Harlow – With the release of Star Trek Beyond in 2016, viewers were given a spectacular visual thrill as a whole host of new aliens made their appearance for the first time in the rebooted franchise.
At the heart of the process of bringing these breathtaking intergalactic species to life was Academy Award-winning make-up artist Joel Harlow. Together with his team of amazingly talented creatives, Harlow set to work on creating aliens from over 50 different races for the film and documented the entire creative process for each one in exhaustive detail, from preliminary sketches to final make-up application.
Saturday, 4:30PM: Inner Light Panel with Sir Patrick Stewart, Margot Rose & Morgan Gendel – Take a very special look at the classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is going to be a great, one-time only panel!
Sunday, 10:30AM: Q&A with Karl Urban of the “Star Trek” Kelvin Timeline films.
Sunday, 12:15PM: What We Left Behind Panel & Exclusive Sneak Preview – We are proud to welcome the distinguished team behind the upcoming full length documentary about the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine saga.
Included in this panel will be Ira Steven Behr (DS9 showrunner and creative genius), documentary producer David Zappone who has done so many great Star Trek documentaries to date, editors/producers Joseph Kornbrodt and Luke Snailham, producer and Indiegogo campaign manager Kai de Mello and director Adam Nimoy.
Entertainment Weekly has revealed today not one or two, but three brand-new special-edition Star Trek: Discovery covers for their upcoming issues, promising to dive behind the scenes on the upcoming series.
Due out on Friday, this trio of covers features much of the show’s announced cast in uniform, preparing for the Discovery launch this September – and giving us our first look at the sets of the USS Discovery.
The Michael Burnam (Sonequa Martin-Green) solo cover is only available at Barnes & Noble stores.
Burhnam (Sonequa Martin-Green), Lorca (Jason Isaacs), Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), Tyler (Shazad Latif), Saru (Doug Jones), Stamets (Anthony Rapp), and Tilly (Mary Wiseman) on display.
In the issue, we go behind the scenes of the upcoming CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery and the 12-year mission to bring the ground-breaking franchise back to TV in its boldest version yet.
With unprecedented exclusive access, EW tours the Discovery sets and talks with the show’s cast (led by The Walking Dead‘s Sonequa Martin-Green), producers, and CBS insiders about the epic and sometimes combative challenge of making a compelling 21st-century drama that updates a beloved 20th-century franchise which takes place in a visionary 23rd century.
In addition to these three new covers, EW has also released a brand-new video featuring interviews with the cast and a look behind the scenes from filming on the series.
Those of you eagerly awaiting cast photography shoudln’t have too much longer to wait, as this video includes many of the cast – including our first look at Shazad Latif’s Lt. Ash Tyler – being photographed on the Star Trek: Discovery sets.
We can’t wait to see more of the USS Discovery sets and the forthcoming photography featuring this cast – and we’ll bring it to you here at TrekCore once available.
Just when you thought it was safe to catch your breath, more new visuals from Star Trek: Discovery are here today!
Released online this morning via Netflix, we’ve got three brand-new Discovery photos from the opening episode of the series here for your inspection.
Captain Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and Commander Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) trudge through the desert. (CBS/Netflix)Captain Philippa Georgiou (Yeoh), commander of the USS Shenzhou. (CBS/Netflix)Commander Burnham (Martin-Green) prepares to beam over to a Klingon vessel. (CBS/Netflix)
All three of these shots look to be from the pilot episode, lining up with the scenes featured in Saturday’s Comic-Con trailer – as the series is currently done with the first ten episodes of filming, hopefully we’ll start to get looks at subsequent episodes soon.
The Eaglemoss Official Star Trek Starships Collection is one of the single best licensed products in Star Trek history in terms of quality, price point and Trek nuance. Since debuting in 2012 and running through the production of more than 100 different ship models to date, anyone who has picked up a sample — or collected them all — will attest to the care and accuracy put into the final product.
With the model collection as a backdrop, Eaglemoss has released Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection — Designing Starships, two hardcover volumes which feature production details for the bulk of their model designs. The majority of articles featured in the Designing Starships double set are reproductions of the lead article in the carefully crafted 16-page magazines that accompany each model.
But it’s not just the magazine content alone — in addition to those reprinted articles (combined here in two beautiful hard-bound editions), however, each volume also features expanded original content in the opening section that breaks down the design history of some of Star Trek’s most famous ships.
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Volume One opens with an expansive, detailed history of the Enterprise. From immaculately reproduced Matt Jefferies sketches and notes that were part of his original Enterprise design to a complete section on Ralph McQuarrie’s re-imagining of the ship for the failed Planet of the Titans reboot, no detail is missed when it comes to the original Enterprise designs.
There’s even a rarely seen look at Matt Jefferies’ redesign of the Enterprise for the 1970’s Star Trek: Phase II television series that never saw the light of the day!
From there, the book breaks down Andrew Probert’s contributions to the refit design which debuted in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and his work in creating the the iconic Enterprise-D for Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The first 50 pages are rounded out with sections on the Enterprise-C, -D, and -E, and Jonathan Archer’s Enterprise NX-01, featuring the amazing work of John Eaves and Doug Drexler. (Of course, they are featured throughout each book, an overall highlight of the two volumes.)
An early design of the ‘NX-Alpha’ test-bed vessel from “First Flight.”
The rest of Volume One features 158 pages of design secrets on more than 20 other ships and shuttles, dissecting everything from deep-cut choices like the USS Dauntless from Voyager’s “Hope and Fear,” to Annorax’s Krenim weapon (“Year of Hell”) and the redesign of the Tholian starship featured in Star Trek: Enterprise (“In a Mirror, Darkly”).
No ship is too abstract for Ben Robinson and his Eaglemoss team, who do an excellent job of breaking down each ship design with creative notes and interviews with the designers throughout. Each article reveals something you didn’t know about the creative process in one ship after another.
Volume Two contains the same level of quality, opening with a 20-page expansive section on Rick Sternbach’s iconic USS Voyager design, which is followed by a plethora of Delta Quadrant ships in the opening 50 pages of the book, including the never-seen-on-screen Aeroshuttle, the Delta Flyer, Neelix’s shuttle Baxial (“The Chute”), the USS Raven (“Dark Frontier”), the USS Prometheus (“Message in a Bottle”) and the ill-fated USS Equinox (“Equinox”).
More abstract choices in the 160-page second volume include three standout Xindi ships (Insectoid, Reptilian and Aquatic) from Star Trek: Enterprise‘s third season, designed by Eaves, Drexler and Eaves again, respectively. More Enterprise-era choices include the Andorian Battle Cruiser (“Cease Fire”), the NX-Alpha (featured in the standout episode “First Flight”) and the sleek Enterprise-J (“Azati Prime”).
The story behind each of these designs echo every article in the book, from early sketches to finished product with detailed notes and sketches.
The list and themes of other ships included in each book run the gamut from Romulan — the Drone Ship (“Babel One”), 22nd-century Bird of Prey (“Minefield”), the 24th Century D’deridex-class Warbird (“The Neutral Zone”) and the Valdore (Star Trek: Nemesis) — to Vulcan Suurok-class (“Breaking the Ice”), as well as the Vulcan D’Kyr-type (“Shockwave, Part II”) and Vahklas transport ship (“Fusion”).
In discussing Andrew Probert’s original Romulan Warbird (D’deridex-class), a fascinating sketch is featured of his original vertical design, which had the same general look and feel of the final horizontal design, but standing on one end. Those stark images and details are a highlight of Volume Two.
Andy Probert’s original vertical Romulan Warbird concepts.
One other section in Volume Two deserving of a callout is a 20-page section on V’Ger (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and the design elements included in the flight inside V’Ger. This original section features artwork from the great Syd Mead and Robert McCall, integrated with the visual effects of Doug Trumball. It’s a wonderful oral history of the visuals from the first Star Trek film.
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The most notable item missing from the reprinted articles on each design is the section detailing the appearance history of each ship, a valuable resource summary for some of the lesser-known ships. It’s understandable that it wasn’t included in these reprinted articles. After all, these books are obviously about designing the ships, where no stone is left unturned in breaking down the creation of more than 67 ships in the two volumes.
Ultimately, while these volumes aren’t necessarily essential if you’ve collected the 16-page magazines included with each ship, these two volumes are an excellent addition for the completest collector of the Eaglemoss starship models.
For fans in the United States, you can order the Designing Starships books here at Eaglemoss’ US store; in the UK, you can order through their local store (Volume 1 and Volume 2).
In Eaglemoss’ US store, TrekCore readers can use promo code TREKCORE at checkout for 10% off any ‘Star Trek’ collectible purchase $50 or greater (Starships, Plaques, Binders, Graphic Novels).
TrekCore is hosting another new Star Trek Online contest to celebrate the recent release of Season 13.5, and today we’re giving away five Son’a Intel Battlecruisers for PC players!
The contest has ended! All winners – Achim, Jake, Leona, Mark, and Mike – have been notified by email.
These powerful vessels are the vanguard of the Son’a fleet – as seen in 1998’s Star Trek: Insurrection – and they’re capable of withstanding heavy fire while simultaneously undermining their foes’ ability to put up a strong fight – all without sacrificing offensive firepower.
Son’a Intel Battlecruisers come equipped with the Console – Universal – Subspace Barrier Agitator. Building from their knowledge of dangerous subspace weaponry, the Son’a developed this specialized piece of deflector technology capable of analyzing localized space near an enemy to find weak points in the barrier between normal space and subspace.
Then, using an automated quantum drill, these weak points are violently torn open to create volatile anomalies that will seek out enemies and damage them while draining their subsystem energy.
To enter the contest, just email us with your name by August 8, after which five names will be randomly selected to win one Star Trek Online Son’a Intel Battlecruiser. All winners will be emailed the in-game code and instructions how to add the ship to your Star Trek Online PC account.
