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Trek Comics: GREEN LANTERN — STRANGER WORLDS #1

John Kirk

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January 1, 2017

Trek Comics: GREEN LANTERN — STRANGER WORLDS #1

Buy Stranger Worlds #1

In brightest day, in blackest night… it’s the return of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek / Green Lantern crossover comic series – a sequel to 2015’s The Spectrum War saga – in this first chapter of Stranger Worlds!

If you weren’t fortunate enough to read the first time IDW and DC Comics collaborated with each other, then you’re in for treat, particularly if you’re a Green Lantern fan as well. It’s an odd combination, to be sure, but the last crossover between the DC Universe and the Star Trek’s Kelvin Timeline was a well-received “otherworlds” tale that there’s a clear demand for a return to that shared universe.

The Spectrum War saw the struggle between the ringbearers of different factions (The Green Lantern Corps, The Sinestro Corps, the Star Sapphires, the Indigo Tribe, The Red Lanterns and the Blue Lanterns) with Nekron, the leader of the Black Lanterns.

Poised on the verge of defeat, Ganthet, the last of the Guardians of the Universe, sent the remaining defenders to an alternate universe to carry on the fight. Nekron followed them, and combining forces with James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, the ringbearers were able to defeat Nekron once and for all.

However, that left the fate of the ringbearers to be determined in this reality.

Mike Johnston has taken up the challenge to connect Kelvin Trek to the DC Universe and with artist Angel Hernandez, crafted the first issue in a series that further explores the fate of these few “ring-slingers” – beginning with Guy Gardner, Kilowogg and John Stewart instructing a room full of Starfleet Academy cadets about the basics of their ring technology. Of course, while Gardner tries to hit on the Vulcan professors, his companions lament the loss of the power batteries that charge their rings.

But damn, if this isn’t a cool story to imagine: Hal Jordan’s arch-nemesis Sinestro is the new emperor of the Klingon Empire; Starfleet tries to replicate its own rings; Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris rescue Starfleet personnel from a crippled starbase. While there is so much going on, we also have to remember that Atrocitus, leader of the Red Lanterns of Rage, is also out there, somewhere deep within the Romulan Empire.

Johnston capitalizes on significant elements of both properties and exploits them well for his readers’ entertainment. Hal Jordan’s boldness is an easy match for Kirk’s own personality in pushing themselves to the limit for their respective duties. Jordan’s ring is near the point of exhaustion yet he still takes its life support to the maximum while rescuing the crew of the damaged starbase. In the end, Kirk manages to transport him to safety but this is a great example of the two evenly-matched personalities collaborating well.

However, I have to disagree with Sinestro as the choice of leading the Klingon Empire. Klingons are bloodthirsty in their pursuit of war – and while I see them as an excellent army for Sinestro to lead, his scheming personality would have been better suited to leading the Romulans. Atrocitus would have been a better match, yet I can understand Johnston’s choice in that their respective adversarial profiles are equal. When you think villains for each franchise, those are the two names that easily come to mind. (But if you read The Spectrum War, then you will recall that was where we left our villain… so I can’t complain too much.)

Angel Hernandez’s art is pretty lively. It’s a demanding role to recreate images from two iconic properties but Hernandez’s talent is up for the task. Which is good, considering that it has to satisfy the editorial department of two comic companies!

The covers are fairly standard and similar to each other. Hernandez provides us with the standard cover, which sees a scheming Sinestro at the head of a Klingon army standing over Hal Jordan, John Stewart beside Spock and Kirk in heroic poses; nothing too striking.

Rachael Stott’s subscription cover features a malevolent-looking Sinestro staring at the reader in a typical villain manner, crushing a solid-light projection of the Enterprise. Again, nothing too daring and fairly comic-standard.

The fun retailer incentive cover, also by Angel Hernandez, imparts a degree of personality with all the positive spectrum Lanterns (Green, Blue and Violet) in a candid camera pose alongside the bridge crew of the Enterprise.

The final design is a Nerd Block-exclusive cover (again from Hernandez) which actually features a central image of the Enterprise with Kirk and Spock over top of the ship, flanked by Hal Jordan and Sinestro. It’s a better cover than the other four in my opinion, and it’s definitely my favourite. Nerd Block definitely got its money’s worth out of this one.

Clearly, Johnston knows these properties well and has a lot of fun in describing them in a plot that is both engaging and entertaining. In fact, the final three pages of Stranger Worlds #1 really shows this familiarity and makes for a bit of a cliffhanger that really has me looking forward to the next issue.

REVIEW: “Prey, Book 1 — Hell’s Heart”

Dan Gunther

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December 31, 2016

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Continuing the milestone 50th anniversary celebration of Star Trek—an epic new trilogy that stretches from the events of The Original Series movie ‘The Search for Spock’ to The Next Generation!

When Klingon commander Kruge died in combat against James T. Kirk on the Genesis planet back in 2285, he left behind a powerful house in disarray—and a series of ticking time bombs: the Phantom Wing, a secret squadron of advanced Birds-of-Prey; a cabal of loyal officers intent on securing his heritage; and young Korgh, his thwarted would-be heir, willing to wait a Klingon lifetime to enact his vengeance.

Now, one hundred years later, while on a diplomatic mission for the United Federation of Planets, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise are snared in the aged Korgh’s trap—and thrust directly in the middle of an ancient conflict.

But as Commander Worf soon learns, Korgh may be after far bigger game than anyone imagines, confronting the Federation-Klingon alliance with a crisis unlike any it has ever seen!

The Star Trek universe has an extremely rich history, featuring heroes of villains of many different stripes. One of the strengths of the Trek novel-verse is its ability to draw upon the multitude of previous adventures, pulling on a thread here and there and teasing out a compelling story about a character or situation that was previous only given a limited amount of screen time.

In Prey, Book 1: Hell’s Heart, one such villain is revisited in Commander Kruge, the main baddie from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. However, I suppose it makes sense that we never got more about this character. After all, he was killed by Admiral Kirk at the climax of that film. Or was he…?

While Kruge was apparently killed on the Genesis Planet, his legacy has endured well into the 24th century. Leaving behind a house initially in disarray, the nobles of the House of Kruge have banded together to rule the house as a group. However, a young Klingon named Korgh, who fancied himself Kruge’s true heir, began a century-long plot to lead the wealthy House of Kruge. Now, as the Empire prepares to enter into negotiations with the Federation and a number of other powers for the establishment of a free-flight corridor through Klingon space, Korgh begins to enact his plot.

The story itself is divided into three acts. The first act introduces the main players in the 24th century: the nobles of the House of Kruge, as well as the caretaker for the house: an elderly Klingon by the name of Galdor. Act two involves a flashback to the 23rd century, following the events of The Search for Spock. This part of the story features the Enterprise-A under Captain Kirk and their encounter with a group of dishonored Klingons, fallout from the death of Kruge. They are allowed to take refuge in a nebula called Klach D’kel Brakt, or as the Federation calls it, the Briar Patch.

In act three, these dishonored Klingons enact the plan, having come under the control of Korgh. Calling themselves the “Unsung,” they use a fleet of birds-of-prey called the “Phantom Wing” to carry out attacks on behalf of Korgh. Most of their action is seen through the eyes of Valandris, one of the Unsung who turns out to be a truly fascinating character. While her life as a dishonored Klingon is the only one she has known, it seems as though there may be cracks in her conviction to follow the cause of the Unsung.

briar — The Unsung operate from a planet located within the Briar Patch, seen in ‘Star Trek: Insurrection.’

Like his previous stories in the Trek universe, Miller has created some truly interesting characters. They all feel real, with a depth that is sometimes lacking in one-off secondary characters. The machinations of Korgh are a definite highlight, and I found myself unable to guess what would happen next. The story is anything but predictable. While Korgh’s plan may seem fairly simple, it is clear that there are wheels within wheels, and we are in for quite the ride throughout the rest of this trilogy.

Given the long life of the Klingons involved and the length of time this plan has been in motion, the Prey trilogy serves as an excellent celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, with a story that spans a century and includes both the original and Next Generation crews. Not to mention the fact that the Klingons are a fan-favorite, and this story dives deep into Klingon lore. Fans of everyone’s favorite lumpy-headed honor-bound warriors will find a lot to love in this story!

REVIEW: Dept. of Temporal Investigations — “Time Lock”

Dan Gunther

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December 26, 2016

1

REVIEW: Dept. of Temporal Investigations — “Time Lock”

An all new Star Trek e-novella from the world of Deep Space Nine, featuring the fan-favorite Federation bureau the Department of Temporal Investigations!

The dedicated agents of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations have their work cut out for them protecting the course of history from the dangers of time travel. But the galaxy is littered with artifacts that, in the wrong hands, could threaten reality.

One of the DTI’s most crucial jobs is to track down these objects and lock them safely away in the Federation’s most secret and secure facility. As it happens, Agent Gariff Lucsly and his supervisor, DTI director Laarin Andos, are charged with handling a mysterious space-time portal device discovered by Starfleet.

But this device turns out to be a Trojan horse, linking to a pocket dimension and a dangerous group of raiders determined to steal some of the most powerful temporal artifacts ever known…

Star Trek stories can be many things. They run the gamut from dark and intensely personal to fun and whimsical.

The novels and novellas in the Department of Temporal Investigations series definitely fall into the latter category. Above all else, these stories are fun, and Time Lock continues the tradition of clever and playful storytelling that has been a hallmark of this highly entertaining series.

The Eridian Vault, the department’s repository of dangerous time-related artifacts, comes under siege by a paramilitary group intent on stealing an item from the vault. The vault goes into a special lockdown called a “time lock,” during which time on the inside of the vault slows down incrementally as compared to the space-time continuum outside the vault.

Trapped inside with the attackers are Agent Lucsly along with a number of other DTI agents as well as the director, Laarin Andos. As time continues to slow, it’s up to them and the rest of the DTI, working outside the vault where time continues forward normally, to stop the militants led by a mysterious woman named Daiyar.

Meanwhile, stationed on Denobula, Lucsly’s former partner Dulmur must marshal his resources to aid his friend in this unstable predicament. An interesting aspect of the story is the forward progression of events in his life while only a few minutes pass in the Eridian Vault. Dulmur’s experiences of falling in love and moving on in his life provide an excellent illustration of the extreme time difference between the two halves of this story.

dti-guys — Despite the fact that Time Lock separates them both by light years and the actual flow of time, the close relationship between Dulmur and Lucsly plays a big role in how this story unfolds.

The main thrust of the story is a pursuit through the vault, in which the antagonists use some of the various temporal artifacts against our heroes. The result is a jumbled mess of time-related shenanigans, some of which are quite confusing. I’m reminded of a frustrated O’Brien alongside a temporal copy of himself bemoaning, “I hate temporal mechanics.”

However, Bennett utilizes his usual skill in navigating these complexities with the same level of competence in temporal matters as the protagonists he writes about. My favorite illustration of this mastery of time comes when Lucsly communicates with Dulmur from within the temporally-slowed vault. After imparting the information critical to the plot, he pauses briefly, and ends the message with “Happy Birthday.”

In order for Dulmur to have gotten the message on the correct day, Lucsly would had to have timed the message perfectly within a fifteen second window. This is an example of the fun stuff that Bennett does with time in this story!

The end of the Time Lock story reveals that not all is as it seems (and really, when is it ever?). There is a very clear set up here for a sequel, and indeed word has come down that a third Department of Temporal Investigations e-book is in the works: Christopher Bennett is currently working on Shield of the Gods – due out in June – the next entry in the DTI series! I’m really looking forward to seeing this story continue.

REVIEW: The Original Series — “Purgatory’s Key”

Dan Gunther

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December 24, 2016

0

REVIEW: The Original Series — “Purgatory’s Key”

The conclusion to the epic trilogy that stretches from the earliest voyages of the Starship Enterprise to Captain Kirk’s historic five-year-mission—and from one universe to another—just in time for the milestone 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series!

Eighteen years ago, the Starship Enterprise thwarted an alien invasion from another universe, and Captain Robert April took possession of the interdimensional transfer device that made it possible. Since then, each captain of the Enterprise, from Christopher Pike to James T. Kirk, has guarded this secret with his life.

Now, Romulan agents have succeeded in stealing the device and using it to banish Ambassador Sarek and Councillor Gorkon to an unknown realm in the midst of their groundbreaking Federation-Klingon peace negotiations.

With time running out as interstellar war looms in one universe—and alien forces marshal in another—will Captain Kirk and his crew preserve the tenuous peace and reclaim the key between the dimensions?

A crew to rescue, an enemy to overcome, and the fundamental nature of a strange, otherworld reality is revealed. Just another day for the brave crew of the Starship Enterprise!

In many ways, Purgatory’s Key had a simple task: wrap up the storylines that had been set up in the previous two books in the Legacies trilogy. Purgatory’s Key could easily do that in a simple, 1-2-3 manner, but good Star Trek stories are seldom simple. The writing team of Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore have applied their usual skill to craft a story that concludes Legacies in an interesting and compelling manner.

For me, the most fascinating part of Purgatory’s Key was the slow revelation of the nature of the alternate universe that people from our universe are banished to by way of the Jatohr transfer key. The idea of it being not so much a physical space and instead a sort of mindscape “waiting room” makes sense, given the effect over the environment that Captain Una is able to exert. I thought it was a fascinating development that tracks with the clues we have been given over the two previous books.

Additionally, getting to spend time with Gorkon and Sarek in the alternate reality was a lot of fun. It was interesting to see how various people react to the strange environment of the other universe. Sarek tackles things from a purely analytical perspective, while Gorkon embraces his Klingon-ness and fights alongside the Usildar against the Jatohr.

Seeing this side of Gorkon after only knowing him as a diplomat from his appearance in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was a nice change of pace. Sarek’s story had another interesting aspect: his telepathic link with his wife, Amanda. The way there were able to communicate was reminiscent of the bond shared between Trip and T’Pol, shown in the Enterprise episode “Affliction.”

Ward and Dilmore have a great command of the voices of the main characters, and I thought their interactions were pitch-perfect, especially the dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and Bones. It was also nice to see that many of the often-forgotten crew are given lots to do. Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu all get their moments to shine in this story.

amanda-sarek — The strong bond between Sarek and Amanda plays a significant role in ‘Purgatory’s Key.’

Another aspect of this story that I appreciated was the representation of both the Jatohr and and Usildar. Oftentimes in Star Trek, alien races are presented as monolithic cultures. Klingons are all warriors, Ferengi are all scheming capitalists, et cetera. However, this story does a good job of presenting the Jatohr as not just an enemy to overcome, but a multifaceted culture with individuals who have varied interests and goals.

While the story could have taken the easy way out and given us an implacable “other” whom we must overcome, it instead gave us something deeper. This is another element that comes through in the best Star Trek stories.

Trek Comics Review: “Boldly Go #3”

John Kirk

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December 21, 2016

10

Order Boldly Go #3

I’m really impressed by Mike Johnson and Tony Shasteen’s work on IDW’s Star Trek: Boldly Go. As a die-hard fan of the franchise love so much, it’s clear they given me new reason to love the cinematic version of Star Trek.

No, I mean it – they’ve taken on the sensitive ground of extending the Kelvin Timeline into a something that actually grows on me. They’ve instilled within this version of Trek a natural sense of progression, and this organic growth works.

Johnson has created a real sense of relationship among all the crew members. The first movie didn’t have this sense as the characters and the audience were all being re-introduced to them.

We had to go through this artificiality of pretending that we didn’t know these characters and had to affect a degree of surprise at mannerisms or behaviour that we knew all too well, or were to accept any changes with a sense of acceptance.

The last two films did little to reinforce those bonds, which is a disadvantage to cinema. If ‘the-powers-that-be’ wanted to really reboot TOS, then a new television show would have given them the chance to introduce the natural, transitional changes that Shasteen and Johnson are able to bring to bear in their book.

In a way, this comic is doing it right.

George Caltsoudas’s primary cover is a stylized version of the Borg rather than a more exact one that we are used to. It’s not my cup of tea, but there’s no doubt that he manages to convey the dark sense of foreboding and terror that this race represents. Let’s face it: the Borg are probably the most fearsome and memorable foe that has ever been created for this franchise.Though Johnson might be criticized for “jumping the gun” a little in introducing them to this renewed version of the original series, I do enjoy how he manages to route that back to the original timeline anomaly that started this diverted version of Star Trek. If we can understand that, then there’s room for Caltsoudas’s interpretation of the Borg.

Tony Shasteen’s B-variant cover is another in the series of profile pieces of the command crew’s transfer orders to the USS Endeavour; this time, it’s Leonard McCoy. I love these. They’re solid works of art but they’re also a subtle manifestation of the story line of this book. I really want to see the complete piece as a whole. I think I’ll be sending Mr. Shasteen some of my wife’s orange-flavoured, chocolate tipped shortbread cookies this holiday season as a bribe.

The third in the cover variants is a gorgeous shot of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, played by Zoe Saldana. It’s a lovely piece of photography, and while I appreciate the skill that went into this shot – as well as the subject – I just feel that a comic cover should be drawn. I want to see more of Shasteen’s work or J.K. Woodward – another excellent Trek artist.For that matter, why can’t John Byrne draw some more excellent Trek work? IDW as some awesome talent at its disposal for this franchise.

The final cover variant is the paper doll series and it’s of Lieutenant Uhura as well. While I’m not usually disposed to playing dress-up dolls, I think this is an area that I could probably investigate more, in the interests of spending some valuable playtime with my youngest daughter. I could also kindle an interest in Star Trek… yeah, that’s why my wife is rolling her eyes at me.

Johnson has gifted the crew of the Enterprise – now the Endeavour, with a real sense of team identity. They have a closer sense of relationship – Nyota Uhura jokes with Kirk about Spock’s lack of surprise at Kirk’s decision-making; they feel Sulu’s pain at his missing family members, and Shasteen even manages to pencil relaxed expressions on their face, visibly reinforcing this notion.

Unlike their cinematic counterparts, there’s a real sense of unity in this crew. I think that’s why I like Johnson and Shasteen’s rendition of the Kelvin Timeline better than the actual film.

In short, Johnson and Shasteen are doing a wonderful job with this extension into the franchise. They have taken the traditional elements of Trek and successfully merged them into the Kelvin Timeline. Sarah Gaydos has a good team here and this is a book with controversial fan emotions (ie: the Trek purists vs. Trek evolutionists) and synthesized something that all lovers of Trek can get behind.

If there’s a way for the Kelvin Timeline to work, IDW has definitely made it work under these folks.

Romulus Invades Earth in STAR TREK: DEVIATIONS Comic

TrekCore Staff

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December 21, 2016

5

Romulus Invades Earth in STAR TREK: DEVIATIONS Comic

IDW Publishing announced this week a second run of their What If?-style DEVIATIONS alternate universe comics, which first debuted in early 2016 – and this time around, they’ve included Star Trek in this trip around the multiverse!

Star Trek: Deviations imagines a galaxy where the Romulan Star Empire got its talons around Earth before the Vulcan ship T’Plana-Hath could make first contact with humanity – and now the planet is an intergalactic prison world!

Star Trek: Deviations—SPOTLIGHT
Donny Cates (w) • Josh Hood (a & c)

In a world where the Romulans discovered Earth before the Vulcans, Earth is now a brutal penal colony. Resistance fighter William Riker has uncovered a vast conspiracy, and together with his band of prisoner outlaws (you just might recognize a few!), must fight to rescue a mysterious prisoner in the darkest level of the Romulan dungeons. The only man on Earth that still holds the key to humanity’s return to the stars!

Coming in March 2017, the one-shot Star Trek: Deviations will also feature a “mash-up variant” from Cates, Hood, and colorist Rachel Stott, along with an additional variant cover from artist David Malan.

Watch for our review this Spring!

New STAR TREK ADVENTURES RPG Playtest Launches

TrekCore Archives

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December 21, 2016

2

New STAR TREK ADVENTURES RPG Playtest Launches

Tabletop game designer Modiphius Entertainment last month officially launched the playtest of Star Trek Adventures, a pen-and-paper role-playing game slated for publication in summer 2017.

Modiphius is hosting the free and open playtest over the next few months to allow fans and gamers to offer feedback as the developers polish the game’s mechanics and elements. Game developers Chris Birch and Nathan Dowdell, who were kind enough to answer several of our questions, said the initial playtest materials focus on presenting the core concepts of the system.

“As much as anything else, we want to make sure here that we’ve got a solid foundation – and playtesters who understand that foundation – before we start piling on things like starships, supporting characters, playing senior staff, and so forth,” Birch and Dowdell wrote in an email.

The initial playtest materials, released just before Thanksgiving, include five downloadable PDFs that total roughly 75 pages of rules, character sheets, setting information and an adventure scenario. The packet doesn’t cover rules for starships or for character generation but instead includes a dozen pre-generated characters from which players may choose. The pre-gens represent a range of species from throughout Star Trek’s 50-year history including human, Andorian, Tellarite, Denobulan, joined Trill or Vulcan.

Each pre-generated character sheet outlines that character’s six attribute scores along with some accompanying skills and focuses. Characters also possess a limited number of talents, or special abilities, and weapon and attack entries for combat situations. The character sheets also provide players with several personality “values” for each character, which will give players some guidance on how to role play.

Modiphius also has provided playtesters with a survey to provide feedback about their experience with the first batch of materials. Birch and Dowdell said they want players and games masters to adhere to the rules as they’re written as closely as possible rather than suggest alternatives. “House rules,” while a long-accepted tradition in the tabletop RPG hobby, don’t help developers in a playtest situation, Dowdell and Birch said.

“Try and explain why you think something doesn’t work, and try to be clear about the difference between a rule you don’t like and a rule you don’t think works, and they tell us different things,” they wrote.

The developers also want to know if playtesters think the rules support the thematic elements of Star Trek storytelling.

The adventure included in the playtest materials, titled “The Rescue at Xerxes 4,” opens with the player-characters crash landing a shuttle on a remote planet after encountering an intense ion storm. The crew will have to repair the damaged shuttlecraft while trying to rescue a stranded science team suffering from bizarre environmental effects. The scenario, while fairly short and linear, incorporates some exploration and problem-solving themes as well as a dash of TOS-esque pulp adventure.

Future playtest materials will weave together a larger meta-story set in the Shackleton Expanse, a vast area of largely unexplored space. The meta-story will allow players to man one of three Next Generation-era Starfleet ships: the U.S.S. Venture, the U.S.S. Bellerophon and the U.S.S. Thunderchild. Crews that prefer classic Star Trek can take part in a mission aboard the TOS-era U.S.S. Lexington.

Modiphius has enlisted Dayton Ward, a New York Times bestselling author familiar to Star Trek fans for his entries in the novel universe, to contribute to the playtest’s storyline.

“As each phase of the playtest progresses we’ll be tailoring the plot based on the progress of the playtesters and sending them a communiqué from Starfleet written by Dayton Ward touching on some of the highlights of the big events in the story,” Birch and Dowdell wrote.

Star Trek Adventures runs on the 2d20 system, a game engine designed by Modiphius that also drives several of the company’s previous rpg lines. The system’s main task resolution mechanic requires players to roll two 20-sided dice, attempting to roll as low as possible to achieve successes. The playtest’s 40-page rules document also outlines a narrative-driven momentum and threat mechanic that encourages players and games masters to ratchet up the drama of the story through narrative improvisation.

Players score momentum when they roll successes beyond what their immediate task requires. They may spend earned momentum to get a bonus or they can save momentum in a pool to be used later. Likewise, the games master has a pool of threat points to be used to create complications for the player-characters or to allow their foes to unlock certain special features. The system comes with a bit of a learning curve for the uninitiated, but it allows for players and games masters to craft a more dynamic and exciting story on the fly.

If you’re interested in joining the pre-release fun, Mophidius’ playtest is still open for signups at their official Star Trek Adventures website.

REVIEW: The Original Series — “Best Defense”

Dan Gunther

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December 17, 2016

1

REVIEW: The Original Series — “Best Defense”

Just in time for the milestone 50th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series, an epic new trilogy that stretches from the earliest voyages of the Starship Enterprise to Captain Kirk’s historic five-year-mission—and from one universe to another!

A debt of honor: One brave woman ventures alone into a parallel universe to save her old shipmates, exiled there decades earlier by a mysterious device called the Transfer Key. She soon learns the alternate universe harbors not just an alien invasion force, but a secret that underpins its very existence.

A mission of peace: A long-awaited Klingon-Federation peace conference convenes, led by Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan and Councillor Gorkon of Qo’noS. But both sides have enemies who would prefer the two great powers remain at war—and who will do anything to make certain hate wins the day.

An errand of justice: Captain Kirk and his crew seek the stolen Transfer Key that opens a door between universes, but their hunt is cut short by Ambassador Sarek’s plea for help. The Enterprise crew soon becomes targets in a deadly crossfire—one whose outcome will decide the fate of two universes.

David Mack truly is a treasure in the pantheon of Star Trek novel writers working today. His stories are always entertaining with a depth to them that is very much appreciated. The second book of the Legacies trilogy, Best Defense, is no exception to this.

With Captain Una having traveled to a parallel dimension to rescue her crewmates, lost on a landing party eighteen years earlier, the Enterprise turns its attention to keeping relations friendly with the Klingons. They are ordered to New Athens on the planet Centaurus, where a peace conference is being held between Ambassador Sarek of the Federation and Councillor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire.

Of course, various factions are doing their best to see to it that the conference fails, including the Romulans who absconded with the Transfer Key at the end of Captain to Captain.

The story is well-balanced between Una’s experiences in the strange, twilight-esque netherworld of the other universe and the action and character drama of the crew’s experience on Centaurus. The parallel universe is very fascinating, with the descriptions of the events there evoking a strange, almost dream-like quality. Time and space seem to operate very differently there, and the experiences of Una and the others in that reality were conveyed very well by the author.

On Centaurus, we get the main action and character development of the novel. Not only do we get some interesting character work with Sarek and Amanda, Spock’s parents, but also with Joanna McCoy, Dr. McCoy’s daughter who is attending university in New Athens.

The peace conference comes under attack by the Romulan Bird of Prey equipped with the Jatohr transfer key technology, and several characters are transported into the other reality, including Ambassador Sarek, Joanne McCoy, and Councillor Gorkon, who is initially thought to have been killed. This part of the book was written in the fine tradition of some of David Mack’s best action pieces, and was a lot of fun to read.

crisis-cover — Joanna McCoy, from the cover of ‘Crisis on Centaurus,’ another novel featuring this character.

I loved the exploration of the relationship between Bones and his daughter. There was a surprising amount of emotional weight to this story, and it caught me a little off guard. Joanna is a fascinating character about whom I would like to know a lot more.

Her relationship with Dr. McCoy is compelling, and something I would love to see more of. She does appear in an earlier TOS novel, Crisis on Centaurus, which I have not yet had the opportunity to read. I might just have to move it up in the list!

IDW Reveals NEXT GENERATION Mirror Universe Comic

TrekCore Staff

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December 17, 2016

26

IDW Reveals NEXT GENERATION Mirror Universe Comic

IDW Publishing announced their first 2017 surprise in October, when they revealed their upcoming Next Generation / Aliens crossover miniseries – and this week, they unveiled another new saga due in the coming year: a TNG Mirror Universe series!

Coming in May for Free Comic Book Day, a thirty-two page prequel tale to IDW’s Star Trek: The Next Generation – Mirror Broken series has the crew of the I.S.S. Enterprise-D ready to destroy their enemies and conquer the galaxy!

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: MIRROR BROKEN
FCBD 2017 EDITION — IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Scott Tipton, David Tipton (A/CA) J. K. Woodward

Space… The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the I.S.S. Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to conquer strange new worlds, to enslave new life and new civilizations… to boldly go where no one has gone before!

Return to the Mirror Universe with the Next Generation crew in a way you’ve never seen them before in this prequel to the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation miniseries, Mirror Broken!

Captain Jean-Luc Picard will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Terran Empire’s newest starship, the Enterprise-D. And no one had better stand in his way!

Coming from Trek comic mainstays Scott and David Tipton – with art by J. K. Woodward – Mirror Broken is the start of a new Mirror Universe continuity, as the Terran Empire was long gone by television’s TNG era (as seen starting with the Deep Space Nine episode “Crossover”).

We’ll have our review of this prequel issue – and the following series – as they arrive in 2017!

STAR TREK BEYOND Deluxe Soundtrack Out Now

TrekCore Staff

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December 17, 2016

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STAR TREK BEYOND Deluxe Soundtrack Out Now

Soundtrack label Varese Sarabande surprised us this week with the release of their latest two-disc deluxe Trek movie soundtrack: Michael Giacchino’s expanded STAR TREK BEYOND score!

The first soundtrack for this summer’s film was initially released back in July, but this Deluxe Edition includes a ton of new music from the movie!

From Varese Sarabande:

Continuing our series of Deluxe Editions of our Star Trek releases and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entire Star Trek universe, we are excited to present Michael Giacchino’s epic STAR TREK BEYOND – now expanded for this 2-CD set Deluxe Edition. Featuring over two hours of music, this is the one everybody has been waiting for.

“Star Trek Beyond,” the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In “Beyond,” the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

It opened on July 22, 2016 and was immediately acclaimed as a thrilling action film. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Anton Yelchin were all back. Luckily, so was Michael Giacchino! Idris Elba was a new addition as Krall.

This two-disc collection is limited to just 5,000 copies – and here’s a look at the full album tracklist (with previously-released tracks in bold):

DISC ONE
1. Logo And Prosper (1:47)
2. Trick Or Treaty (:45)
3. We Come In Pieces (1:17)
4. Thank Your Lucky Star Date (2:14)
5. Night On The Yorktown (5:36)
6. To Thine Own Death Be True (3:32)
7. We Make A Good Team (:22)
8. The Dance Of The Nebula (2:22)
9. A Swarm Reception (2:30)
10. Krall Hell Breaks Loose (3:04)
11. The Evacuation Variations (2:47)
12. Hitting The Saucer A Little Hard (6:10)
13. Scotland’s Worst Cliffhanger (:23)
14. A Hive And Kicking (3:30)
15. Port Of Krall (:52)
16. Jaylah Damage (2:50)
17. No Enterprise For Guessing (:37)
18. In Artifacts As In Life (1:51)
19. She’s One Hell Of A Dish (1:26)
20. Make No Escape About It (2:04)
21. Eat My Thrusters (3:56)
22. The Krall Of The Wild (2:10)
23. Spock’s Vulcan Grip On Death (1:31)
24. Captain On Ice (:42)

DISC TWO
1. Franklin, My Dear (2:50)
2. Transporting Good Time (3:43)
3. Krall Work And No Play (:37)
4. A Lesson in Vulcan Mineralogy (5:17)
5. The Cost Of Abronath (2:35)
6. MotorCycles Of Relief (3:18)
7. Mocking Jaylah (3:27)
8. Jaylah House Rock (3:18)
9. Bright Lights Big Velocity (Part 1) (:57)
10. Bright Lights Big Velocity (Part 2) (2:59)
11. Spock Speaks Hive (3:10)
12. Crash Decisions (3:16)
13. Krall-y Krall-y Oxen Free (4:23)
14. Shutdown Happens (4:35)
15. The Root Of Krall Evil (1:31)
16. Cater-Krall In Zero G (2:17)
17. The Dreaded Rear Admiral (2:02)
18. Par-tay For The Course (2:46)
19. Space, The Final Frontier / Main On Ends (2:42)
20. Jaylah’s Theme (2:36)
21. Yorktown Theme (4:32)
22. Star Trek Main Theme* (3:44)
23. Krall Things Being Equal (4:25)