While Captain Pike and crew were armed with hand lasers in “The Cage,” these new had phaser and phaser rifle designs resemble both main-series TOSphaser pistols, and the phaser rifle bears some resemblance to the particle rifle used by Enterprise-era MACO soldiers.
A TOS-era hand phaser, and an ENT-era particle rifle.
The front aperture of each weapon, however, does give a nod to the “Cage”-era weapons, with the three emitter ports at the front of each barrel.
‘Discovery’ weapons vs. “The Cage” hand laser.
Both, of course, seem to bear no resemblance to Captain Kirk’s phaser rifle, seen only in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
Let’s see what additional props might be revealed tomorrow!
First announced at the end of June, this Saturday’s Star Trek: Discovery appearance at San Diego Comic Con arrives with a whole host of cast and crew panelists, along with plenty of other tie-in events beginning this Thursday!
Detailed today by CBS, the previously-announced panel this Saturday will be moderated by Discovery guest star Rainn Wilson — set to portray swindler Harry Mudd — and will feature both on-screen and behind-the scenes talent from the series.
The stars of new Star Trek series are set to make their very first global appearance together on Saturday, July 22 in Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Sonequa Martin-Green, Jason Isaacs, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Mary Wiseman, Anthony Rapp, and James Frain will join a panel with Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman, Gretchen J. Berg, Aaron Harberts, Heather Kadin, and Akiva Goldsman.
Guest star Rainn Wilson, who plays intergalactic conman Harry Mudd on the new series, will moderate.
Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) of the USS Discovery. (CBS)
In addition, CBS will have both the USS Discovery‘s captain chair (seen above, hosting Jason Isaacs’ Captain Lorca) on display for fan photography, along with several props and costumes from the sets – and daily giveaways of special posters will be on hand as well, like the new psychedelic design revealed today:
A closer look at the revised DISCOVERY design.
Star Trek: Discovery will also host a gallery takeover at the Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts Gallery (363 Fifth Avenue, San Diego), where fans can interact with the captain’s chair from the U.S.S. Discovery along with props and costumes taken directly from set.
The exhibit runs Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 23, and does not require a badge for entry. Each day, 1,000 fans will also be eligible to receive a limited-edition Star Trek: Discovery poster (see examples above).
On Twitter today, CBS shared close-up looks at both the new Discovery split-delta Starfleet insignia, as well as a detailed view and what looks to be a pretty impressive communicator, featuring internal lighting and a digital display containing the familiar Starfleet Command logo.
Here’s a comparison between that new communicator and two TOS-era communicator props from the 1960’s production (note: reproductions from the Star Trek Set Tour):
…and note the similarity between the communicator grille and its Wrath of Khan counterpart:
Finally, fans who want to take a break from walking around the SDCC area will be able to catch a ride on Discovery captain’s chair-themed pedicabs, patrolling the area around the convention venue all weekend.
Starfleet pedicabs will be on patrol. (Image via StarTrek.com)
Along with all of that, CBS will also be running what they’ve called the #TrekDiscovery challenge, allowing fans to win streaming access to the upcoming series via Roku and CBS All Access:
Fans can take part in the #TrekDiscovery Challenge when they encounter an array of authentically costumed Trek ambassadors, representing crews from five of the Star Trek television series (The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise).
Fans who post photos of themselves with each of the five series’ crews – and also in the Discovery captain’s chair at the Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts Gallery – and who tag all six photos with the #TrekDiscovery challenge hashtag on Twitter or Instagram, will be eligible to win a Roku streaming stick and a subscription to CBS All Access. Prizes will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fans can find clues regarding the location of the #TrekDiscovery crews by following @StarTrek on Twitter and Instagram.
Stay tuned for more Discovery news as the week progresses!
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, please!
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.
