Since the first leaked images of Star Trek: Discovery‘s new Klingon design hit the web back in February, fans have been asking one thing:
Like it or not, they sure are – and today Discovery executive producer Aaron Harberts weighed in on the controversial new look in comments made to Entertainment Weekly.
“In the different versions of Trek, the Klingons have never been completely consistent,” Harberts said. “We will introduce several different houses with different styles. Hopefully, fans will become more invested in the characters than worried about the redesign.”
Hopefully there might be some more detailed reasoning for the dramatic new look of the species once the show hits public release in September, but for now, that seems to be all the detail we’re going to get on the decisions behind the warrior species’ new look.
L’Rell (Mary Chieffo) and T’Kuvma (Chris Obi): Klingons. (CBS)
We’re sure that Harberts’ statement here may not go over well with some of our readers – and yes, we’re a little underwhelmed by his comments as well – but before in the words of the great Mystery Science Theater 3000: “Just repeat to yourself it’s just a show… I should really just relax.”
Remember, commenters below: we reserve the right to remove comments of an abusive nature. Let’s keep our discussion more about Trek than each other.
As we approach Comic-Con week, where Star Trek: Discovery will be making a splash next Saturday in San Diego, Entertainment Weekly has once again brought new imagery from the upcoming Trek television revival.
Featured in their July 21 “Comic-Con Preview” issue, EW has published the first look at Klingon officer L’Rell – played by Mary Chieffo – paired up with Chris Obi’s T’Kuvma.
L’Rell (Mary Chieffo) and T’Kuvma (Chris Obi) in “Star Trek: Discovery.” (CBS)
Also published is another new photo pairing USS Shenzhou‘s Captain Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and Commander Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) from their heated discussion seen in May’s teaser trailer.
Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) in “Star Trek: Discovery.” (CBS)
In addition to the two photo reveals, EW‘s column from reporter James Hibberd also details that Georgiou has “mentored” Burnham for seven years, “at the behest of Sarek (James Frain)… as she rose through the Federation ranks.”
From Martin-Green:
I think it’s interesting to have these two women of color in top positions of leadership. They’re both strong women and have this mother-daughter relationship.
Stay tuned for what is sure to be a big week in Discovery news!
The long wait for news on the next cinematic adventure of the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek cast continues, and today Spock actor Zachary Quinto gave another statement of patient anticipation to Entertainment Tonight.
If I had [an update] I would give it to you. I’m expecting [Trek 4] to be true, but it’s always this way.
It’s like, ‘Yes, we’re going to do it!’ but then there’s always a process — writing a script being primary among them — and I know that’s what they’re working on now.
I think we’re all really excited to go back and we’ll do that whenever the phone rings and it’s J.J. on the other end.
I mean, it is a process; there’s years between the first few movies, right? I think four years between the first two and at least three between the second and third – so we’re kind of on track.
It was two years ago that we shot the last one [Star Trek Beyond] and it came out last year, so I feel like we’re still in the ‘strike zone.’
Despite fans’ desire to know more about the next Trek film, it’s not a surprise that Paramount has been quiet while the ramp-up to CBS’s Star Trek: Discovery continues through this summer.
When asked about a possible appearance on Star Trek: Discovery — a show that will be set not only years before the Kirk-Spock days aboard the Enterprise, but in a different universe than the current films — Quinto admitted he’s “probably not” interested, but that his presence really isn’t necessary.
It’s such a unique experience and it’s such a unique character and I feel like I wouldn’t know how to [do it,] but who knows?
But I’m excited to see it, I’m happy that they’re doing it and I think it’s an incredible universe. There is an endless combination of possibilities and stories and characters and I don’t feel like they’ll need me.
I feel like they’ll be able to create an opulent world of much drama on their own.
Stay tuned for whatever Star Trek 4 news may show up – whenever that may happen – here at TrekCore!
What’s really striking about Star Trek: The Next Generation – Hive, the third volume in the Eaglemoss hardcover collection of IDW graphic novels, is its basis in canonic legitimacy.
Let’s talk about canon for a little bit. Canon is that established collection of lore and historical information within a fictional universe that represents the expected behaviour of significant characters and storylines.
It’s what fans cling to when they evaluate a new submission by creators and other significant contributors. However, what fans fail to realize sometimes, is that canon is at the interpretation of those who have the privilege of adding to that previously established lore and therefore, creating more.
Enter Brannon Braga, the creator of this story (and one of Star Trek’s most established and widely-recognized writers). In terms of legitimacy, Braga created some of the most widely acclaimed Star Trek episodes, so if there’s a comic story that a true-blooded Star Trek fan should pay attention to, then it’s a pretty good bet that it’s this one.
To summarize: this story extrapolates the alternate future of TNG in which Locutus of Borg has achieved Borg conquest of the galaxy in pursuit of perfection, yet he has found that after 500 years of dominance, the Borg have failed in that aim.
This, of course, means that Picard, rather than Locutus, needs to take action far in the future — to change the past — that will allow the Borg to fail at a crucial point in its history, which will prevent their victory and allow the Federation to continue.
Of course, this is a perfect story that not only brings in Star Trek: Voyager fans but also TNG ones as well. Devout Jeri Ryan fans will love to see a post-Voyager appearance of Seven of Nine, especially as a dynamic focal point in this story and that also goes for the return of the Borg Queen as well.
This book can serve as a companion to Braga’s televised and cinematic works. Reminiscent of many of the thematic elements of Star Trek: First Contact, readers enjoy the presence of not only their regular cast of TNG players (as well as the reconstructed presence of a familiar character), but also several familiar faces from Star Trek: Voyager.
Braga, clearly knows which pressure points to push in exacting a simultaneous compellingly nostalgic and entertaining response from fans through the recognizable hallmarks of his storytelling style: time travel, dynamically unique characters like the Borg Queen and complex positioning of story events that forces a reader to pay close attention to it.
Terry Matalas and Travis Pickett (co-creators of SyFy’s 12 Monkeys television adaptation) definitely deserve credit for their adaptive work on the script for this story. With a complicated plot like this, their work in ensuring that Braga’s story gets faithfully told within the confines of the comic medium is not only essential but admirably done.
When it comes to the art in this book, we also have to give Joe Corroney full marks for his absolutely stunning work, particularly his covers. They are rendered fully and with great detail as we explore this vibrant story that deftly closes the loop on the Borg Queen and her machinations. Corroney certainly has a great deal of skill when it comes to illustrating the action sequences, particularly the starship combat ones.
As with the previous two volumes in this collection, a Gold Key Star Trek story is included at the end of this boo: The Invasion of the City Builders. Written by Dick Wood and drawn by Alberto Giolitti, it’s a simple story about the dangers of allowing a society to become too dependent on mechanical or electronic devices. The connection to Hive is obvious, but it’s also very entertaining to see the evolution of sophistication in the last forty years between the two stories.
Hive is a Trek story written by one if its most prolific creators. It completely fits into the canon of Star Trek and does so not only through Braga’s intimate knowledge of the series, but by also bringing back well-loved characters that fans can immediately respond to.
The relationship between Locutus and the Borg Queen is a great recurring storyline to exploit but Seven of Nine’s presence in the story adds another delicious layer of complexity, especially in the different time zones the story inhabits.
Eaglemoss has curated a wonderful assortment of Trek stories and this third volume is clearly a harbinger of more excellence to come.
In Eaglemoss’ US store, TrekCore readers can use promo code TREKCORE at checkout for 10% off any ‘Trek’ collectible purchase $50 or greater (Starships, Plaques, Binders, or Graphic Novels).
Last month, our team joined a number of other Star Trek fans at the “Ultimate Insiders Weekend” of the newly-expanded Star Trek Original Series Set Tour exhibit in upstate New York, for two days of group tours and inside details from some of the most knowledgeable people in the Trek galaxy: Mike and Denise Okuda, and Doug Drexler!
Doug Drexler and Denise Okuda in the Set Tour’s transporter room.
We’ll have a catch-up interview with the trio here at TrekCore in the next few weeks, but today we’re rolling out our extensive image galleries of the Set Tour exhibit, with dozens of photos from all around the recreated Constitution-class Enterprise!
From the bridge to Captain Kirk’s quarters, the lovingly-built Enterprise set replica truly makes you feel like you’ve been transported into the 23rd Century – and having rewatched some episodes of the Original Series since our visit, it really gives you an interesting perspective on the space those actors had to work with.
If you ever make your way up to Ticonderoga, New York — their annual Trekconderoga event is coming up in August — be sure and beam aboard!
The new Starfleet uniforms featured in Star Trek: Discovery – a fairly significant departure from designs seen previously in the franchise – have already set the vibrant Star Trek cosplay community abuzz, with many costume-creating aficionados wondering how to set about building their own outfits.
That hasn’t stopped fan Melanie Poston from trying, though! First spotted at the Denver Comic Con on June 30, her homemade Discovery uniform caught the attention of cast members Anthony Rapp and Rekha Sharma, series producer Ted Sullivan, and more when photos of her design appeared on social media last week.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV-yyT1Hs7O/
With both San Diego Comic-Con coming in July, and August’s Official Star Trek Convention hitting Las Vegas soon, we reached out to Melanie to get some tips on how other fans might start to build their own Star Trek: Discovery costumes as we approach the series’ debut in September.
Bringing My Star Trek: Discovery Uniform to Life by Melanie Poston for TrekCore.com
My goal with the Discovery uniform cosplay was not to create a screen accurate costume. I would love to do that some day, but it is definitely beyond my time and resources right now — especially since I started making this costume just a few weeks before the convention I wanted to wear it to.
My starting design sketches for the ‘Discovery’ uniform.
Rather than working toward screen accuracy, I instead wanted to achieve the overall form, and highlight the recognizable and interesting details of the uniform — and since the series hasn’t even been released yet, I figured that it may not be as recognizable as those from the previous Trek shows, so I concentrated on emphasizing the elements that would communicate that it’s a Starfleet uniform.
If I were to make it more screen-accurate, for example, the Starfleet deltas along the side panels of the jacket would be much smaller, matching the look seen in the promotional material released so far. My choice to keep the chevrons on my costume larger allowed them to be much more recognizable, while still maintaining the overall form.
The tiny Starfleet delta pattern on the new uniforms are just one of many intricacies on the new outfit.
All the materials used in my costume – with the exception of the boots and Starfleet badge – were purchased from Jo-Ann Fabrics at a total cost of less than $100.
I used about six yards of navy blue, Ponte knit fabric for the uniform jacket and pants. I chose Ponte partly because it’s comfortable and because it resists wrinkles pretty well — a huge benefit for travel to a convention — and it was thick enough that I did not have to line the uniform jacket. (It’s also pretty affordable, which allowed me to buy more than I really needed so I could do a little trial and error without feeling like I might run out!)
Building the uniform jacket using navy Ponte fabric.
I did not use a pattern for the top; I drafted the jacket by hand on a dress form that matches my measurements. There was some trial and error involved, so that extra Ponte fabric definitely came in handy! At this stage, I just created the basic torso part of the top and did not yet attach sleeves, though I did sew the sleeves and collar separately at this point to be attached later.
I cut out the individual gold chevrons for the sides by hand from gold foil iron-on paper, and ironed them onto the uniform eight to ten at a time.
Lots of cutting and ironing to approximate the delta pattern.
Next, I started working on the gold stripes that run down the sides of the uniform. Instead of trying to set the small parallel lines in place over each shoulder, I used a single, thick gold ribbon and embroidered blue lines over it down it to mimic the look of the smaller stripes’ placement. I then sewed the finished gold and blue striped ribbons to the side of the pants and the jacket.
I embroidered the gold lines on the top of each shoulder — to emulate Michelle Yeoh’s captain’s variant design — attached the sleeves, then used the same technique that I used for the side stripes to create the thinner gold stripes that wrap around the top of the sleeves. I cut a thin strip of the same gold ribbon and sewed it down the front of the top at a slight diagonal and installed a full-length zipper along the back of the jacket.
Collar and gold piping added at the zipper, shoulder and torso stripes in place.
For the pants, I started with a pattern that I already had on hand (McCall’s M6901) for women’s slacks. It’s a pretty simple pattern, and it includes great instructions for tailoring the pants to fit your body shape. I made the pants higher-waisted than would normally come from that pattern, because I wanted the waistband to rest on the smallest part of my waist, but otherwise I stuck pretty closely to the pattern.
I did not finish making the new badge for the uniform, so I ended up just using a gold Starfleet insignia pin that I already had on hand. It looked much better than the one I had been trying to make myself, so it ended up being the best route, regardless of the inaccuracy.
Finally, as I was packing my suitcase the day before the convention, I realized that I had completely forgotten about the uniform boots! I ran out to a thrift store near my house and was really lucky to find a pair of black boots that were the right size and style.
Completed jacket and trouser set.
Overall, I am really pleased with the way the uniform turned out! The stickler in me was constantly thinking about all the little details I missed or didn’t replicate perfectly, but I communicated the idea of the costume design well enough that people at the convention recognized it, so I am happy.
One day, I think I would like to attempt a truly screen-accurate version, but I definitely want to wait until the new show is well underway and I have a ton of source material to reference – as it was, I put this together after watching the Discovery trailer over and over, and going through a ton of screenshots along the way — but it was definitely worth the effort!
Star Trek: Discovery executive producer Alex Kurtzman weighed in on the upcoming first season of Trek‘s TV relaunch, with a new video interview with CNET on Sonequa Martin-Green’s character Michael Burnham, and the show’s place in Trek canon.
The story that we have for Season One is really interesting and special – and I think pays tribute to a lot of what Trek has done, and in many ways is doing it in a new way. To have Sonequa and Michelle [Yeoh] as captains [sic] of our ship is really, really exciting and different.
I love stories that are based around strong women, and we have some very strong women on that show. Having Sonequa – she’s a very special, very very special actress – bringing a flavor to the character that I feel like I really haven’t actually seen in Trek, and that’s really really exciting.
Her story is very unique and draws on some really interesting things in Trek lore – I think fans will both appreciate [it] and I’m certain [her story] will be the cause of much debate.
With all the pre-series promotion emphasizing her role in the first officer position, it’s doubtful Kurtzman is revealing a promotion for Michael Burnham here, more likely (as our friends at TrekMovie note) he’s referring to the actresses as company leads among the cast.
He also spoke to the weighty issue of Star Trek canon, and fitting the story into the franchise’s vast history – and while it’s been long-established that Discovery takes place in the Prime Timeline (where William Shatner plays Jim Kirk, rather than Chris Pine), Kurtzman details the importance of knowing the backstory of each universe.
You’ve got a room full of people with very different and very devoted relationships to ‘Star Trek’ in that writers’ room – and I think that carries on a pretty proud tradition of ‘Trek’ being written by fans.
You have to respect canon as it’s been written, you know; you can’t say ‘That never happened!’ ‘Star Trek’ fans will kill you! [laughs]
You have to understand the timelines and what the different timelines were, and what the different universes were; how they all work together. You have to keep very meticulous track of who, when, where, and why – and we have people in the room whose sole job is to say ‘No!’ [raises hand] ‘You can’t do that!’
Echoing the sentiments of former showrunner Bryan Fuller, Kurtzman also emphasized the connection to the TOS era of Trek, with connections in the new show to previously-established 23rd Century history.
If you’re a fan of Trek, you’re going to see a lot of things that hearken back to the Original Series, and elements of the Original Series – I’m not just talking plot, I mean the spirit of what that show was.
We’re going to be revisiting a couple things on ‘Discovery’ that I think people will find familiar; without spoiling anything I think we are adhering to a timeline and sticking to the rules, but also finding some new areas and avenues of exploration that have only been alluded to, and never fully explored.
We’ll know more about the show when it debuts in September.
With multiple replica variants included with Star Trek Beyond‘s Blu-ray release last fall, and this Spring’s Eaglemoss special release for the Official Star Trek Starships Collection, it sure seems like the USS Franklin is the Starfleet ship of the year.
Now, almost a year after plans for its release were first revealed, we’ve got the first hands-on look at the newest release, Hallmark’s USS Franklin Keepsake Ornament!
Measuring about 5.5″ long and crafted by artist Jake Angell, this first entry in Hallmark’s 2017 collection replicates the Star Trek Beyond starship in one of the more screen-accurate renditions, the first to hit stores with built-in nacelle and bridge lighting as seen in last year’s film.
Powered by three tiny watch batteries (included with purchase), the integrated lighting makes the ship’s warp engines glow a fiery orange in both the forward and aft nacelle caps, which illuminates the entire ship in low-light settings.
The internal lighting is activated by a small button on the top of the bridge dome, which keeps the ship lit up for approximately fifteen seconds.
While the ship doesn’t play any audio or music clips like some previous Hallmark releases – sorry, no “Sabotage” soundtrack included – the warm glow of the nacelle and bridge lighting gives the ship a real life that will certainly enhance however you choose to display it.
While the paint detailing on Hallmark’s Franklin isn’t quite as detailed as the Eaglemoss edition (which, to be fair, is almost twice as large), this ornament does have the orange detailing around the hull and nacelles missing from Eaglemoss’ special edition, which makes it a bit more screen-accurate.
Here’s some more views of the detail on Hallmark’s USS Franklin:
We know a lot of you are annual collectors of Hallmark’s Star Trek ornaments, some going back to the first USS Enterprise release in 1991 – and in our books, the Franklin ornament is another great release in the decades-long tradition of holiday ornaments.
The Hallmark USS Franklin Keepsake Ornament goes on sale at Hallmark.com and at Hallmark Gold Crown stores nationwide July 15.
Note: The display stand seen in our photos is for illustrative purposes only and is not produced by Hallmark and is not included with this ornament. It can be purchased separately at Amazon.
The City on the Edge of Forever is held to near-religious status amongst Original Series Star Trek fans as one of, if not, the best Star Trek episodes ever written. Harlan Ellison is given near godlike regard for his contribution to this era of Trekdom, yet it is always a surprise to me when I hear that his original teleplay was not the one that was shown on television.
Eaglemoss, in its new series of Trek stories originally published by IDW Publishing has shown itself to have an extremely well-refined palate of which stories to reprint.
On the heels of its last hardcover publication, Countdown, this second volume is the original story that Ellison wanted to see realized on television and was finally brought to life by writers, Scott and David Tipton and phenomenal painter, J.K. Woodward, in the 2015 five-issue series. (Check out our reviews of the individual issues!)
The differences between Ellison’s teleplay and the actual episode are striking. Instead of narcotic-influenced McCoy driven mad, in Ellison’s original script, it is a drug-smuggling crewmember who escapes to the planet that houses the Guardians (yes, Guardians plural!) and changes the course of history by deliberately escaping into a time portal.
The site is more than just a collection of ruins but is an actual city where Kirk and the landing party are greeted by ethereal and actual Guardians – living beings, rather than the talking time portal seen in the television episode.
Furthermore, in the resulting time flux, the Enterprise becomes a ship of pirates and even Janice Rand is given a more soldierly and forceful role, making her more of an expanded character under Ellison’s scripting instead of just being the Captain’s yeoman. This is a far more fleshed out and detailed story than what was actually allowed for television and is a real treat to see it take on new life in these pages.
The Tiptons worked very closely with Ellison, frequently getting his input in key scenes and making sure that everything was as close to his original vision as possible. Rand’s presentation as a more serious character was originally an important part of his teleplay. Also, faithfully reproducing Ellison’s hallucination scene from Page 3 was of concern to the Tiptons, as this was their first challenge in adapting the teleplay to the comic. After they was shown what J.K. Woodward had come up with, his mind was set to rest.
The inclusion of artist’s annotations and writers’ notes in this edition is definitely a plus. Seeing J.K.Woodward’s process as well as learning the locations of the hidden Easter Eggs from the Tiptons is a lot of fun. But when you read about Harlan Ellison’s own inclusion as a character into Issue #5, and Ellison’s personal reaction to this, it’s another reason to fall in love with this timeless story once more.
Ellison does not hesitate to laud the Tiptons and Woodward with praise. Affectionately referring to them as “the boys,” there is a real sense of mutual respect and reverence that went into the creation of this book. There is a relationship between these creators that transcends mere storytelling; it is Ellison’s original story format being able to take its rightful place in Trek fandom and this is something that the Tiptons and Woodward clearly know.
Not only does it get to take shape once, but now twice, with the sagely wise choice on the part of Eaglemoss to reprint this commendable and compelling story.
Another added bonus to this book is the inclusion of the Gold Key Comics tale, “The Devil’s Isle of Space.” Originally published in 1968 — written by Dick Wood and drawn by Nevio Zeccara — this was Issue #2 of the Gold Key series and contained many inaccuracies and inconsistencies with the regular Trek canon. Devices were incorrectly titled (such as the Transporter Room referred to as the “Teleportiation Chamber” or inconsistent dialogue from characters like Mr. Spock’s colourful turn of phrase, “Shades of Pluto!”
This is an entertaining throwback to nostalgic times when the writing team for these comics created them around the same time that the show was released. Of course, the novelty of the program allowed the writers to get away with the canonical inconsistencies and yet in reality, the creative team behind the comic was actually given very little information to work with. Yet, the Gold Key line ran 61 issues between 1967 and 1979 and are difficult to find.
These reprints bring them back to fans in sequential order and provide a great deal of nostalgic enjoyment.
In terms of production, there is a bit of a size difference with the Eaglemoss edition compared to the original hardcover collection released in 2015. The original hardcover pages measure at around 11” x 7” whereas the Eaglemoss pages measure slightly smaller at 10.25” x 6.5”. Comparing the pages for any degradation of image quality, it is difficult to discern any such effect. Both books manage to represent J.K. Woodward’s amazing art well, though, I do confess a preference for a larger size to appreciate it more.
Still, in terms of a choice to continue a series, this is certainly an excellent one for Volume Two in this collection. The City on the Edge of Forever is an episode that pulls at multiple heartstrings as well as appealing to the widest segment of Star Trek fans. Eaglemoss’s discernment is certainly refined in choosing this fan-loved favourite story to reprint, as well as allowing the incredible talents of the Tiptons and Woodward to be seen again, along with the legendary storytelling abilities of Harlan Ellison.
There’s a great amount of pedigree in this book and clearly, in its choice to reproduce this book, Eaglemoss is also showing its expert product knowledge in showcasing Trek subject material for its clear high-quality collection.
In Eaglemoss’ US store, TrekCore readers can use promo code TREKCORE at checkout for 10% off any ‘Trek’ collectible purchase $50 or greater (Starships, Plaques, Binders, or Graphic Novels).
Did you ever wonder how Scott and David Tipton or J.K. Woodward, would manage to advance their careers if they lived in the mirror universe? If so, the nature of the universe they were in would probably dictate their behavior into resorting to unscrupulous means to promote their work, trash competitors and bludgeon up-and-coming talent that could threaten their livelihoods. I just wonder how that would appear?
But here’s the thing: their talent would remain the same.
There’s a misapprehension that the mirror universe is a reverse universe; in that the duplicate characters are simply reversed in all of their behaviour and personalities. Good is simply bad, and so forth. But it isn’t; it’s just slightly modified in that people are simply differently self-motivated yet retain their abilities, talents and ambitions as well as a degree of ruthlessness that would never fail to shock.
In Mirror Broken #2, we see Jean-Luc Picard express his desire for promotion from the ISS Stargazer manifest itself in a scheme to steal a revolutionary new Galaxy-class starship known as the Enterprise … but first he needs its first officer, namely William T. Riker, on-side with his plans.
Presently, the Enterprise is commanded by – as this universe’s incarnation of Picard describes him – “an insipid fool,” namely Captain Jellico. Fans will remember this captain who temporarily commanded the Enterprise from TNG’s “Chain of Command.” Of course, he’s the commander that fans may want to see dead, so you have to appreciate the Tiptons’ sense of humour in choosing this captain that Picard will aim to supplant in this issue.
There are slices of backstory carefully woven into this issue of the main characters who we have encountered to this point. Picard, we already know is an expert hand-to-hand combat fighter, but to see his abilities hard-pressed to defend himself in this cruel universe reminds us of the differences in this universe.
Plus, Deanna Troi, referred to as “Inquisitor” and to have Picard state that he has learned to keep things from her also show us the juxtaposition of dependence and distrust that he has for the officers he has chosen to accompany him to loftier perches.
Then there are the minor characters in this story who surprise us with their appearances. Dr. Leah Brahms, as you will remember to be Geordi LaForge’s crush in “Booby Trap,” makes an appearance in this issue as a collaborator to LaForge’s part in Picard’s scheme. This is just an example of the Tiptons’ expertise with the TNG franchise as they intricately weave these fan-favourite details for readers to discover and enjoy.
This story is an absolute twisted delight to what fans already know. The Tiptons take applaudable and honourable features of the crew we know from TNG and turn them into something that shows the callous and manipulative reality of this universe; a direct contrast to the utopian vision of the future fans can appreciate.
But the meat of this story has to be the epic fight between Riker and Picard. While the Riker we know fully respects his captain; in this comic, it’s up to Picard to literally pummel Riker into submission to earn his respect. Violence and treachery serve as ways to advancement in this universe and serve instead of compassion and dedication.
Scott and David Tipton show their gifted abilities in their easy manipulation of these familiar characters in turning them into people completely new but wholly understandable; in fact, Scott tells me that that the fight sequence was the most enjoyable sequences he’s had to write — and he wrote the Shatner/Heston fight in the Planet of the Apes crossover!
But this unequivocally shows how connected the Tiptons are to Trek to be able to do this with such ease. After all, the mention of such a deep-cut reference to chief engineer Leland T. Lynch is a wonderful Easter Egg that every TNG fan can appreciate, and we can thank David Tipton for that one!
(Also, J.K. Woodward’s homage to Morn serving drinks at Morbo’s Bar is certainly a source of amusement for folks who want to pour over the pages in appreciation!)
There are three covers to this book. Let’s start with the subscription cover by George Caltsoudas. A usual cover artist choice for the Trek titles that IDW puts out, this one features a solitary portrait of Captain Picard. Armed with standard issue Imperial dagger, the criticism I have for this image is that the dagger does not look like the usual square-hilted Terran Empire one that we have seen in three incarnations of Mirror Universe Trek. I also don’t think that Caltsoudas’s art-deco style is something that fits this book. However, if there was a Terran Empire propaganda cover, then that would have been an excellent choice for Caltsoudas.
The retailer-incentive cover, by Josh Hood and Jason Lewis, looks particularly fierce. The one-eyed and scarred William Riker is a stark realization of the deadly nature of this second universe and definitely reinforces the difficulty of the hurdle that Picard has to overcome in order to win this battle-scarred veteran over to his side. I’m not familiar with Hood’s work so this is an excellent introduction.
Finally, the regular cover, by J.K. Woodward is definitely the best one of the lot. This guy’s painting talent is an intense exercise in appreciating detail. Plus, as the fight scene in this book is the real action. it’s great to see an artist who can relate to the content of the book by creating a dynamic cover that will actually entice the reader to open the pages. Plus, his talent is simply amazing and a painted book is always a pleasure to appreciate. It’s like the luxury edition of a comic.
This is a clearly successful series and definitely ranking in the best that IDW can offer to its Trek line. But I still can’t help but wonder what the Tiptons and Woodward would be like in the Mirror Universe.
In any event, it’s clear that they’d still be successful – after all, talent remains the same in both universes, right?
Eaglemoss, in its new series of Trek stories originally published by IDW Publishing has shown itself to have an extremely well-refined palate of which stories to reprint.
