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Looking Ahead to the New STAR TREK ADVENTURES RPG

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Tabletop game designer Modiphius Entertainment revealed plans earlier this year to launch Star Trek Adventures, a new pen-and-paper Star Trek role-playing game, in 2017. Trek fans across the internet greeted the announcement of the first new officially licensed Trek RPG in over a decade with enthusiasm, and those of us hungry for a sneak peak cheered even harder when Modiphius announced a public playtest to help them fine-tune the game.

We’re still waiting for the first batch of playtest materials – and you can still sign up for the playtest at the Modiphius website – but fans eager for clues about how the game is shaping up can find them in various online locales.

For instance, Modiphius has confirmed that Star Trek Adventures will utilize an adapted version of the company’s proprietary 2d20 game system, which Modiphius has used for several previous games such as Mutant Chronicles and Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

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Modiphius describes 2d20 as a “cinematic action orientated system” that requires players to roll two 20-sided dice, attempting to roll as low as possible to score successes. Those interested in a more in-depth look at 2d20 can score a free download of the quickstart rules for Robert E. Howard’s Conan at DriveThruRPG.

While previous Modiphius outings can certainly shed some light on what to expect from Star Trek Adventures, the game almost certainly will include some unique wrinkles to suit the Star Trek universe. A deep-dive into the message boards hosted by Modiphius, where some of the game designers post regularly, turns up a few tantalizing clues.

Here are some of the juiciest quotes from game developer Nathan Dowdell on the Star Trek Adventures message board. But be warned: the game is still under development, so it’s probably unwise to draw any sweeping conclusions from these quotes. Obviously, the game can – and likely will – change throughout the playtesting process.

On skill use: Characters in the Star Trek universe possess a huge range of skills – from maintaining warp fields, to firing phaser rifles, to handling first-contact situations on strange new worlds. So it would make sense for a Star Trek RPG to incorporate some sort of skill system into character creation.

In a message board post in August, Dowdell said the design team is aiming to present players with a limited number of skills that have a broad range of uses:

As I’ve noted elsewhere, we’re going for a small number of very broad skills, so characters have a broad baseline of competence.

A limited number of broadly useful skills hopefully will provide players with the mechanics they need to create competent and believable characters without the cumbersome and intimidating skill lists of previous iterations of Star Trek RPGs.

For instance, Last Unicorn Games, a company that produced a Star Trek RPGsline in the late 1990s, designed a game featuring scores of skills and specializations that could leave a new player’s head spinning.

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On starship combat: Ship-to-ship combat can pose some interesting challenges to game designers. Presenting each player, no matter what their role on the bridge, with interesting and strategic decisions throughout a starship battle isn’t easy, and previous Star Trek RPGs have had mixed results in how they tackle the challenge.

Dowdell offered some insight into the approach Star Trek Adventures will take, suggesting players may be encouraged to try strategies that avoid combat. If that holds true, it’s sounds very much in keeping with Star Trek’s core philosophy – and maximizing player agency has always been a central tenant of tabletop role-playing games.

One thing I’m trying to go for is the idea of lateral problem-solving. Blasting things with phasers may not be the only solution to a problem, and it may not even be a good one, which means that there’s plenty of opportunities for ‘non-blasty’ approaches in and out of combat.

On crew makeup: On a separate post, Dowdell seemed to suggest that the default assumption will be for player-characters to play senior staff aboard a starship. That should come as a surprise to precisely no one, since that’s the focus of virtually every episode and film in the Star Trek canon. But it’s interesting to read Dowdell’s full comment and how he contrasts Star Trek storytelling with some of the tropes associated with big-name RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons.

But if you’re only playing as ensigns, and rarely getting to do anything interesting, then doesn’t that kind of interfere with the point of playing ‘Star Trek’? If you’re not the Bridge Crew, then you can’t really be involved in space battles.

Unless all the characters are in the same department, there aren’t many reasons for them to cross paths all that frequently during their duties – the TNG episode “Lower Decks” is a decent one-off story, but it also shows how disconnected the junior personnel are from the action. They get given orders, they carry out the orders, but they don’t really get make any decisions, and decisions are at the heart of both good games and good stories.

If the PCs are senior staff, then they get to make the big decisions, see the big picture, and be the heroes… and that’s the interesting stuff that makes for a good game, and a good story.

Zero-to-hero doesn’t work for all RPG settings, or even most of them. It’s the standard because of D&D, but there’s no reason to assume that it should always be the case.

The Modiphius website explains that Star Trek Adventures will cover the prime Star Trek timeline, with specific mentions of the Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise. The license doesn’t include the Kelvin Timeline depicted in the J.J. Abrams movies, nor does it cover the forthcoming Star Trek: Discovery series.

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There’s plenty more on the Modiphius website and message boards, and the designers seem to ask the fans for their opinions on various aspects of the game on a regular basis. So if you want to influence the future of Star Trek Adventures, participate on the boards and sign up for the free public playtest.

Once again, it’s probably too early to read too much into message board chatter about a game that hasn’t even started public playtesting. But it’s great fun to speculate about these things, and it’s been far too long since Trek fans and gamers have had an officially licensed rpg to speculate about.

Keep checking TrekCore for further coverage of Star Trek Adventures, and all other Trek gaming!

Trek Comics Review: “Boldly Go #2”

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Blind devotion is the harbinger of a closed mind, and to be honest, I find myself guilty of manifesting this trait way too often in my pursuit of Star Trek fandom, particularly when it comes to the schism between new and old Trek.

But Tony Shasteen and Mike Johnson have given us something to think about in their second issue of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek: Boldly Go. Well, me, at least.

When I was growing up, the works of James Blish, Sondra Marshak, or Diane Carey, to name a few, expanded the universe of Trek to include wonderful diversity of different characters and perspectives of looking at this franchise. In fact, there are still parts of the classic Trek novel “The Price of the Phoenix” that still disturb me to this day, but I have learned to live with it.

Even if some of us didn’t agree or like changes, we still accepted them as a part of Trek and I think a number of fans, myself included, have forgotten that aspect of enjoying a fandom. We all accepted and forgave the male mini-skirt, right?

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The Kelvin Timeline is now an inextricable part of Trek and it’s the work of creators like Johnson and Shasteen that have allowed us to remember how to enjoy a fandom. Star Trek: Boldly Go expands the scope of the cinematic version of Star Trek by indulging in that freedom that comic storytelling permits.

We get to see characters’ personalities developing in different directions, read new and unexpected dialogue or even have the chance to look at the franchise from various characters’ points of view.

Johnson’s story structure for this book allows for this exploration. The comic is the ideal medium for characters to be in different parts of the galaxy while still contributing to a central storyline. We gain more insight into Uhura’s relationship with Spock while being able to play a supportive role to Kirk and McCoy on board the USS Endeavour, patiently waiting for the construction of the new Enterprise.

Even Sulu has a new role on board the USS Concord as First Officer to a familiar face for canon fans, Captain Terrell.

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It’s the re-direction of the Kelvin Timeline background with considerations like the inclusion of Captain Terrell that makes this story novel and workable for canon fans. Of course, the arrival of the Borg during Captain Kirk’s timeline is a bit of an early liberty, but why not?

The new timeline is anyone’s game at this point and there is no doubt that the Borg are a harsh foe and probably the greatest threat to the Federation ever encountered. After all, there was a hint of them in a Star Trek: Enterprise episode so there is no denying their appeal.

However their presence does mean a great threat and personal cost to the crews of the Endeavour and the Concord. Poor Captain Terrell; he doesn’t seem to fare well in either timeline.

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The variant covers of this book make it a great collectible. There seems to be a focus on Hikaru Sulu this issue as he features prominently on three of the four variants.

  • The regular cover by George Caltsoudas is a typical cover format; we see a centrally featured character superimposed over a stylistic background. The explosive pattern is dynamic and suggests a resolute determination to Sulu and an importance that normally wouldn’t be associated with a supportive character. Of course, with the unfolding of events in this story, it is appropriate and matches the mood of this particular book.
  • The subscription cover by Tony Shasteen is certainly my favourite. Of course, this is an excerpt form a larger montage of the characters with their duty orders in the background. This one is of Commander Spock and Shasteen does a wonderful job of representing the likeness of Zachary Quinto in the foreground.
  • The third is a retailer incentive cover and features a photographed lay-out of John Cho and a background featuring the swarm vessels from Star Trek Beyond. Probably my least-liked, but again it is an appropriate one given the nature of the significance Sulu plays in this story.
  • Finally, the fourth cover is another paper doll by Marc Laming of, once more, Hikaru Sulu. This doll includes alternative clothing and accouterments like the regular duty uniform blouse, the encounter jacket, the pressure suit, a hand phaser, the sectional katana blade we saw in the 2009 Star Trek film and even a photograph of Sulu’s husband and child. This final addition to the doll’s components is a particular poignant one and actually serves as a thought counterpoint to the usual whimsical nature of this type of doll.

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Whatever the form that Trek takes, it’s the duty of fans to assimilate those changes and learn to either appreciate them for their worth, or simply just accept them. When all is said and done, whatever sense of ownership Trek fans feel for their fandom, it isn’t theirs. If they want to have some sort of say in the story, then work within the established system and create something that can be added to the tapestry as other creators have done.

I’ve said this elsewhere before, but these stories have a life of their own; they grow and develop as organically as we do. But for us, with growth comes age, and with age comes the reluctance to accept change. Our mindsets find rigidity and we tend to stay with what we like.

Trek fans are not immune to this process but if a publisher like IDW that has repeatedly demonstrated its respect for the franchise time and time again can work to expand the universe of the Kelvin Timeline, then as fans, it is our duty to accept these changes and enjoy them for what they represent. If it isn’t your cup of tea, then there is thankfully, an entire other universe to enjoy.

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But Shasteen and Johnson have embraced this new universe in Star Trek: Boldly Go #2 – and have done it due justice by painstakingly crafting worthy plots, exceptional art and new dimensions for fans to explore.

Consider me a new and appreciative explorer and I hope you’ll join me on this new voyage as well.

Review — STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES Blu-ray

Almost ten years to the day after Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted on DVD in November 2006, the first Trek sequel series arrives this Tuesday on Blu-ray; the first standalone high-definition release of this show.

While these HD masters first became available through September’s Star Trek 50th Anniversary Blu-ray collection, this month’s three-disc set is the release we know many of you have been waiting for, since it’s available at a significantly lower price point than that big box set.

Portions of this review originally appeared in our 50th Anniversary Box Set review.

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This set carries over all the text and audio commentaries from the 2006 DVD release of The Animated Series, as well as the interview features – but aside from the 1080p presentation of the animated episodes, there is no new bonus material on the TAS discs at all, a somewhat disappointing discovery.

If you’ve seen the HD version of “More Tribbles, More Troubles” on the TOS Season 2 Blu-ray, it’s a solid indicator of the quality of this set’s TAS presentation. Things are a little sharper, and film grain is more prominent, but to be honest, there’s really not much improvement that can be made from Filmation’s somewhat under-detailed animation (see our sample screencaps below).

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TAS is a little crisper thanks to the added pixel information, but not much more has changed.

We were hoping for perhaps a new interview documentary feature, a new commentary or two, or at least a nicer copy of the 1970’s environmental awareness TV spot featuring the animated crew, but alas, none of that is included here.

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The new high-definition menu on the Animated Series discs.

Unlike the discs included with the 50th Anniversary box set, this collection returns to CBS/Paramount’s typical blue discs, with just title and episode listings on each label; along with an episode listing on the inside cover of the disc case.

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Along with the Blu-ray discs, this set also includes a set of twenty-two art cards by longtime Trek artist Juan Ortiz. They’re packaged inside the outer slipcase in their own special black envelope.

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These art cards are printed on high-quality, glossy paper, and each of Ortiz’s 2013 designs are accounted for.

While not everyone may be a fan of Ortiz’s designs, it’s not hard to see that The Animated Series is an almost perfect match for his style of artwork.

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We’ve been rolling out our episode-by-episode gallery of Animated Series Blu-ray screencaps for the past few weeks, and there’s more yet to come – and you can see more sample caps down below on this page.

This Blu-ray edition of Star Trek: The Animated Series arrives in stores this Tuesday – so if it’s on your shopping list, we’d love it if you order links below.

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'The Animated Series'
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'The Animated Series'
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'The Official Guide to
The Animated Series'

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REVIEW: The Original Series — “Captain to Captain”

legacies1-smallAn epic new trilogy begins — a tie-in for the milestone fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series — that stretches from the earliest voyages of the Starship Enterprise to Captain Kirk’s historic five-year-mission…and from one universe to another!

Hidden aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise is a secret that has been passed from captain to captain, from Robert April to Christopher Pike to James T. Kirk.

Now the return of the enigmatic woman once known as Number One has brought that secret to light, and Kirk and his crew must risk everything to finish a mission that began with April so many years ago…

Nearly two decades earlier, April and his crew first visited the planet Usilde, where they found both tragedy and a thorny moral dilemma.

Today, the legacy of that fateful occasion will compel Kirk to embark on a risky voyage back to that forbidden world—which is now deep in territory claimed by the Klingon Empire!

Part of the joy of reading Star Trek novels is the opportunity to learn more about characters who we only briefly got to know in an episode or two of the television series.

Such was the case with the previous novel I reviewed – DS9’s Force and Motion – and its exploration of Benjamin Maxwell. That opportunity arises once again in this first entry of TOS’s fiftieth anniversary trilogy, Legacies, Book 1: Captain to Captain.

Una, known as “Number One,” the enigmatic first officer of the Enterprise under Captain Pike, has long remained a mystery. Seen only in the original unaired pilot, “The Cage” (and then again in reused footage for the Original Series’ only two-parter, “The Menagerie”), Number One struck me as a fascinating character about whom I would love to know more.

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Una feels extreme guilt over the loss of her landing party, from her years under Captain Robert April.

Over the years, there have been a number of stories that go deeper into her character, most notably for me the Star Trek: Crew comic series by John Byrne. However, Captain to Captain explores her character more deeply than any other Star Trek novel has before.

This does serve to give the story a bit of a disjointed feel, with Kirk, Spock, and company only featuring at the beginning and end of the novel, with the middle given over to flashbacks showing a mission that Una led years earlier. During the course of this mission, then-Lieutenant Una lost a number of crewmembers, who were transported to an alien universe by a hostile species, the Jatohr.

The drama centers around the “transfer key,” a Jatohr device that can instantaneously transport someone from our universe to the alien realm. The key has been secreted away in the captain’s quarters of the Enterprise since the days of Robert April, the first captain of the Enterprise. The key has remained the secret of each captain and first officer until now, when Captain Una steals the key in an attempt to rescue the crewmembers she left behind years earlier.

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The transfer key is a weapon very reminiscent of the Mirror Universe’s “Tantalus Field,” and may have similar origins.

Captain to Captain is certainly an interesting start to the Legacies trilogy, but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. The focus of so much of the story on Robert April’s days on the Enterprise and the spotlight on the character of Una surprised me, and it took some time to get used to.

As far as setups go, Captain to Captain does its job, laying the groundwork for the adventure yet to come. The central conceit of an artifact handed down from “captain to captain” doesn’t really work for me; the logic of the situation tends to tall apart upon close examination. However, it is an adequate MacGuffin to get the plot in motion.

There are certainly some exciting parts in this novel: the Enterprise’s chase of Captain Una as she makes off with the Transfer Key was a lot of fun, and did a lot to establish just how impressive this character is. Additionally, the cliffhanger ending does a great deal to make me excited for the next chapter in this series. As far as plot twists go, the final chapter is something I certainly did not see coming.

A little unfocused, Legacies, Book 1: Captain to Captain nonetheless does a competent job of setting up the Legacies trilogy. While the bulk of the story is not quite as attention-grabbing as the first book in a trilogy should be, this novel does redeem itself with a cliffhanger ending that has me hooked.

Win This Exclusive STAR TREK BEYOND Poster!

Posters, posters, posters – over the last year we’ve brought you over two dozen STAR TREK BEYOND posters that Paramount’s issued for the latest big-screen Trek adventure, and now that Beyond is here on home video, there’s one final poster release debuting this week!

This newest poster design, commissioned by Paramount in conjunction with Mondo and artist Matt Taylor, has been issued to celebrate the film’s debut on home media – and while it’s not available in stores, three lucky TrekCore readers can nab their own copies in our giveaway!

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Between now and November 9, just answer this question in the comments below:

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Would you prefer to join in the Klingon Day of Honor, or celebrate the Gratitude Festival with the crew of Deep Space 9? Take your pick of any holiday or celebration in the Trek universe, from the Klingon Age of Ascension to Captain Picard Day!

Enter your suggestion below, and watch your email for winner notifications on November 10!

Add TrekCore.com to your ‘safe senders’ list so we don’t go to your spam folder!

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Contest Rules

  • Giveaway open to residents of the United States only.
  • Contest runs through 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, November 9, 2016.
  • Only one comment per user; users with multiple comments will be disqualified.
  • Must be a registered user of the Disqus comment system with a valid email address.

Win a Copy of STAR TREK BEYOND on Blu-ray!

Now that Star Trek Beyond is out on Blu-ray in the USA, we’ve teamed up with Paramount Home Entertainment to give away two copies of this year’s newest Trek adventure to some of you lucky readers.

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This edition of Star Trek Beyond arrives with the film on Blu-ray, DVD, and includes a redemption code for a digital copy of the movie – and if you redeem on iTunes, you’ll get their exclusive ‘enhanced commentary’ from director Justin Lin for free!

Between now and November 6, you can win a copy by telling us in the comments below:

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Maybe it’s Kai Winn from Bajor, or Federation president Jaresh-Inyo? Don’t limit yourself to elected offices: maybe you love the Borg Queen or Ayelborne of the Organians!

Enter your suggestion below, and watch your email for winner notifications on November 7!

Add TrekCore.com to your ‘safe senders’ list so we don’t go to your spam folder!

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Contest Rules

  • Giveaway open to residents of the United States only.
  • Contest runs through 11:59 PM Eastern on Sunday, November 6, 2016.
  • Only one comment per user; users with multiple comments will be disqualified.
  • Must be a registered user of the Disqus comment system with a valid email address.

A Look at STAR TREK BEYOND’s Packaging Exclusives

We’ve already brought you reviews of both the regular bonus material and the retailer-exclusive features found at Target and iTunes, but there’s more than just video content around at each Star Trek Beyond retailer!

Monday night, we showed you a look at Best Buy’s Beyond steelbook, but let’s now take a peek at some of the other packaging exclusives around the marketplace for the newest Trek film.

Target: Slipcover with Interchangeable Artwork

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First up is Target’s special slipcover package, with a set of four double-sided art cards to let you customize the look of your Star Trek Beyond Blu-ray set (along with their exclusive bonus disc found inside).

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This transparent, plastic slipcover allows you to swap out any of the cast artwork for the character of your choice, letting you feature Jaylah or any of the Enterprise crew on the cover. The rear design matches each other release of the film.

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Walmart: Mini Ship Model Gift Set

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At Walmart, the retailer is carrying an exclusive gift set including three mini-ship models of the Enterprise, the Franklin, and one of Krall’s deadly Swarm ships.

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Along with the models is the standard Beyond Blu-ray with slipcover and contents. These ships are made of somewhat sturdy plastic, but will surely bend or break if enough pressure is put upon them.

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The Franklin, the Enterprise, and a Swarm ship.

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When we say “mini-ships,” we mean it: each model is only a few inches in any dimension.

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Here’s a size comparison between Eaglemoss’ Enterprise NX-01 and the Franklin mini-ship: a significant step down in size.

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Still, these little ships make a nice addition to your Trek collection, or may find a home on your desk at work.

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Amazon: Qmx Mini Masters USS Franklin Model

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Photo by @jskagnetti for TrekCore.

Those of you who splurged on Amazon’s exclusive Beyond gift set will find this larger, plastic USS Franklin model from Qmx in your mailbox, along with the 4K UHD, 3D, and standard Blu-ray discs included in this release.

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Photo by @jskagnetti for TrekCore.

This is certainly a nicer model than the one found in Walmart’s set, but surely pales in comparison to the forthcoming Qmx artisan replica (with internal lighting), or Eagelmoss’ Franklin model coming in 2017.

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Photo by @jskagnetti for TrekCore.

As for the unique 4K / 3D / Blu-ray combination found in this release, don’t get too excited for any other alternative packaging; the 3D disc is found in a disc envelope beneath the standard 4K slipcover.

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Other Editions

There are still more steelbooks coming out of Europe in the next few weeks, and we’ll keep our eyes out for any variant packaging designs that may end up in the hands of Trek collectors.

In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the other more common Beyond Blu-ray releases you’ll see on store shelves this week.

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The 4K Ultra HD edition.
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The 3D standalone release, featuring the IMAX movie poster artwork.
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The three-movie Kelvin Timeline digibook, which is missing most of the Trek ’09 and Into Darkness features.

Phew – that’s a lot of variations out there… but we’re sure you’ll find one (or a combination of multiple) that will meet your collecting needs.

Sound off in the comments below: which versions are on your shopping list?

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REVIEW: Retailer-Exclusive TREK BEYOND Bonus Features

A few weeks back, we brought you our early review of the standard Star Trek Beyond Blu-ray bonus features, which are included on both the iTunes edition of the film, as well as every on-disc media release of this summer’s newest Trek adventure.

But as we’ve reported – just like with Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 – many of the film’s bonus materials have been spread between different retailers, meaning you may have to shop around if you want to pick up every version of the release.

If you gravitate toward special features that focus on production details (and the below-the-line creators in the world of Star Trek), then the Target-exclusive bonus feature disc is a must-buy. From props and costumes, to music and special effects, this extra disc covers all of that ground and more throughout its running time, which adds an additional 45 minutes of content to the primary bonus content.

NOV. 2016 UPDATE: This bonus disc is also found in the UK as a Sainsbury’s exclusive release.

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Photo via eBay.

Also found on this disc are the three primary Beyond theatrical trailers released ahead of the film’s debut, as well as Rihanna’s “Sledgehammer” music video – though the ‘making-of’ feature for “Sledgehammer” is not included.

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The main menu of Target’s bonus disc, which includes all standard and exclusive content together.

The collection of vignettes is an immersive deep-dive into the creative minds behind the film’s epic production design, including a fascinating look at Justin Lin’s four-person (!) editing crew, as well as prop master Andrew Siegel’s incredible creations. The disc also includes a fun hook in the feature analyzing Michael Giacchino’s majestic score, as he is interviewed by his teenage son (which may sound hokey, but works very well).

Every feature in this compilation resonates with the heartfelt praise of the production crew for Justin Lin’s camaraderie and collaborative creative process. You get a complete understanding of how Lin works to put together such a massive project, and it’s truly impressive.

(Although, it is a mild disappointment that some bonus content wasn’t included to discuss the connective tissue between Star Trek Beyond and Star Trek: Enterprise, which was executed so flawlessly in the final cut of the film.)

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The iTunes main menu, touting it’s exclusive ‘enhanced commentary’ for the film.

In addition, as we reported earlier this fall, iTunes once again is home to the ‘enhanced commentary’ audio track by Justin Lin, unavailable – at least, for now – on any Blu-ray release of Beyond.

Since that’s also an exclusive release to Apple’s digital domain, we wanted to make sure to give it our full attention too – so you can plan your next round of viewing!

Enhanced Audio Commentary (iTunes)

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There has to be a legitimate reason (to destroy the Enterprise). Working through it early on, the idea of taking away the security blanket from the characters, to be able to have them be challenged in this new environment and to hopefully find each other, made it worth it. – Justin Lin

For the most part, film commentaries usually come in one of two packages: either a group of actors and/or producers reminisce together in a fun, lively conversation about the making of the film, or a filmmaker does a solo commentary that ends up being much more introspective. Justin Lin’s commentary on Star Trek Beyond definitely falls into the latter category.

This feature includes picture-in-picture, behind-the-scenes footage sprinkled throughout the commentary, but ultimately those images are not as satisfying as the unique video-controlled commentary on Star Trek Into Darkness, which featured producers highlighting elements of the film on screen and running the film backwards and forwards to focus on specific items.

Some of the interesting factoids include:

  • The closet shot of Kirk’s duplicate tunics was Chris Pine’s idea.
  • The writers and cast spent a massive amount of time on the set working through the critical nuance of the Kirk/Bones birthday discussion. Clearly time well spent.
  • Lin reveals he was extremely sick shooting most of the Yorktown arrival scenes. (Great behind the scenes footage has been inserted here).
  • Lin discusses his initial conversation with Idris Elba, where he was confident he had found his Krall, but was worried the actor might reject the offer because of the heavy prosthetics.
  • For those who didn’t notice (including this reviewer), Lin highlights a fantastic one-shot of Scotty and Jaylah entering the Franklin for the first time together (which begins on the rocks outside the ship, follows the pair up into the ship and ends with Jaylah shining her flashlight on the Franklin registry sign).

Some of the items that may leave you wanting more:

  • Lin teases the viewers by saying he preferred a more action-heavy opening that he wrote (instead of the light-hearted scene with the Teenaxi), but doesn’t reveal any clues as to what that might have been.
  • An extremely odd picture-in-picture shot of Kirk watching the saucer section hurl toward Altamid from his Kelvin Pod that unnecessarily duplicates the shot you are watching on the main screen.

Our take: Although slightly dry and offering only a few deeply revealing factoids, Lin does allow the viewer to get a personal insight into his filmmaking process and motivations.

“Small World” (8:05)

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“We liked the idea of all of these personal things, and we thought we’d play with that, and feed it into the general ennui that the crew have at this point. And then suddenly what they take for granted gets ripped away.” – Simon Pegg

The little moments that affect Kirk and Spock so poignantly at the onset of Star Trek Beyond are examined in varying degrees of detail in this opening vignette. With most of the focus on Kirk’s struggle with his own legacy, and that of his father, the feature includes some strong background from producer Lindsey Weber and director Justin Lin, as well as Chris Pine, on the characters’ overall motivational arc in the film.

The strength of this bonus feature, however, is its examination of the creative process that led to the production team’s decision to open the film with a more lighthearted prologue, in stark contrast to the action pieces that opened Star Trek ’09 and Star Trek Into Darkness.

The excellent third-camera production views of Kirk faux-fighting the computer-generated Teenaxi (who are inserted later), are a delight, as are the producers’ explanations of how this humorous showdown was able to flow seamlessly into the gravitas of the film and the immediate portrayal of the everyday malaise the crew finds themselves in on day 966 of their five-year mission.

Our take: A basic compilation of soundbites and behind-the-scenes camera work that might have done better to focus more heavily on the production elements that went into the opening prologue (and how it related to the rest of the film).

“The Battle of Yorktown” (5:11)

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“I didn’t want it just to be a fight. I wanted to have two characters who had their own journey, and in many ways parallel journeys, but had very valid points of view and philosophy.” – Justin Lin

This slightly mixed-bag feature opens with extremely quick snippets on the “Sabotage” attack, McCoy’s role flying a swarm ship, the visual effects that went into creating the Yorktown and playing with the physics of gravity, before finally settling into an interesting vignette on the contrasting motivations of Kirk and Krall as they have one final showdown “on the maintenance tower at the station’s gravitational nexus.”

Excellent interviews with Lin, Idris Elba and Chris Pine (as well as some great behind-the-scenes shots) add great depth to the piece, which is summed up perfectly by producer Lindsey Weber as a “physical fight, with a unique visual trick, and an ideological showdown as well.” It’s a strong finale to the film, and it’s dissected very well in this feature.

However, other topics were given such short shrift that they probably shouldn’t have been included. The mere 30 seconds or so focusing on the selection of “Sabotage” to anchor the film’s climactic battle sequence will definitely leave fans wanting more.

Our take: An odd piece that opens with quick 30-second nuggets on a variety of Yorktown topics, all of which barely scratch the surface, before settling into a nice deep dive into the final gravity-well fight between Kirk and Krall.

“Properly Outfitted” (3:29)

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“Justin wanted a more realistic, sort of a grittier version of Star Trek.” – Andrew Siegel

Holy crap: the Kelvin phasers slots into their rifles, like the old-school TOS Phaser 1 and Phaser 2 designs! That could literally be the entire review for this fantastic special feature, which has one mindblowing reveal after another as it expertly showcases the props from Star Trek Beyond.

Property master Andrew Siegel hosts the feature and hits on everything you want to see, from the “chunkier” Franklin-era phasers to Scotty’s busted communicator. Jaylah’s gear is also featured prominently, including details on her staff, as well as her motion-capture technology and refractor belt.

Our take: It may only run three and a half minutes, but it doesn’t miss a beat. This is one of the Beyond release’s best features, and it packs a powerful punch with some never-before-seen close-ups and details on the film’s spectacular prop work.

“Set Phasers to Stunning” (4:58)

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“I got a very brief message from Justin saying, ‘I’m doing Star Trek, do you want to do it?’ And my answer was, ‘Are you kidding?!? Of course I want to do it!’” – Sanja Hays

Justin Lin’s directive for Beyond’s costume design was to “embrace and celebrate everything that’s come before, but not be afraid to try something new.” To achieve that goal he brought in Sanja Hays, one of genre film’s most respected costume designers. Hays is a self-described Trekkie who had previously worked on Star Trek: Insurrection.

The costume work in Beyond is obviously a huge strength of the film, from Starfleet’s new survival jacket to the long sleeves (and ranks!) for women. In this superb vignette, Hays describes her decision-making process for all of the film’s key costume designs, including Jaylah (a worn look, with an “appeal to the gaming generation”), Krall (“a bio-suit, not really armor” that still needed to move well) and the Yorktown public (“a little bit of everything, to make it look like there are people from all over the galaxy”).

Our take: Another fantastic feature showcasing the brains and talent of what goes into the creative costume design for a major motion picture. Hearing Hays reveal her inspiration for each key design, and how she works with Justin Lin, is a treat for fans of below-the-line production.

“Spliced” (6:03)

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“Some of these characters have been around 50 years. When you are cutting the dailies it’s like, ‘OK, I’m cutting…Bones and Spock.’” – Dylan Highsmith, editor

An original feature that is as much about Justin Lin’s incredibly unique production style as the nuance of making Star Trek Beyond — and that’s absolutely fine.

Lin’s production vision includes the use of four different editors working independently on specific scenes to put together his final film, which in his words allows everyone “to play without stagnating. It comes down to frames sometimes, and I think it’s important to have that open dialogue.”

This informative piece includes comprehensive interviews with editors Greg D’Auria, Dylan Highsmith, Kelly Matsumoto and Steven Sprung. From finding the narrative through lines to discovering how much is too much, this is an introduction to filmmaking in six minutes.

The editors on Lin:

  • “Justin is always returning to story and character above anything else.” – Sprung
  • “He has a certain style for action, that’s as real as it can be. Not just flash and quick cutting.” – Matsumoto
  • “In terms of editing a scene that may be dramatic, there’s always a chance to find a little bit of a twinkle in somebody’s eye.” – Sprung

The four editors (Lin’s self-described “Dream Team”) will each take one major sequence and then bounce around on different dialogue scenes. They all work separately in the same area, so Lin can work his way around each editing bay to offer his personal recommendations.

Our take: Editing “really is the final rewrite,” says Sprung, and this amazing feature shows you exactly why that is the case.

“Beats and Shouting” (9:14)

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“Our main theme is about bonding and friendship, and how strong that bonding and friendship needs to be in order for things to work as a team. You need to trust each other. That’s why it starts off very simple. It’s about this idea, and gets bigger and bigger. And to me that represents the idea of building trust… a very powerful, simple theme that says this is a strong team and a team with a very strong core friendship.” – Michael Giacchino

This is the longest video feature in the Target release, and perhaps the most deserving of that distinction, since the soundtrack from Beyond has already cemented itself as a definitive piece of Star Trek music from Michael Giacchino Jr.

The vignette features a nontraditional interview with Giacchino by his adorkable teenage son, Michael III, which might sound like a bad idea, but is actually very clever and fresh in this setting.

The interview ultimately covers all the bases.

  • On the Yorktown: “It stands for where the Federation is going. It really wrote itself.”
  • On writing for new characters: “It’s about a feeling, so I need to get to know and empathize with the character.”
  • On Krall: “He was abandoned, left alone; not cared about. … I went through four or five versions of his theme, before settling on one that hit on all the story points. … I can use it in different ways. A sad way, an action way. It morphed with the character in the story.”
  • On Jaylah: “She’s actually my favorite new character.” (Join the club!) “She’s protecting herself, while slowly building trust. It’s a sad theme, but it ends in a beautiful hopeful way. … There is always an underlying layer of hope in her character.”

In Giacchino’s own words, the maestro uses “different melodic tricks that make it feel like the old show.” By using instruments like vibraphones and straight mutes in trumpets, he instils echoes of the music from he Original Series.

Our take: An insightful look at Giacchino’s creative process that also delves into how he and Lin worked together on Beyond to “break from what was done before, but at the same time keep some of the same feelings and textures from the old series.”

“Visually Effective” (8:07)

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“Justin is really crazy about (having) it feel like a real camera rig in space. You can put the camera anywhere in a CG shot, but that’s not how we do it. We really consider that this is a camera person operating a shot. … A lot of what we talk about is, ‘Does this feel like real photography?’” – Ron Ames, visual effects producer

A number of fun storyboard shots and composite photography samples punctuate this look at the visual effects in Beyond. However, the piece mostly taps into the philosophy of Lin and his crew, as opposed to the technical machinations that went into producing such stunning visuals.

While the video broadly touches on everything from the swarm attack to the swarm soldiers and the Yorktown station, the extra detail shown in filming the motion-capture refractors utilized by Jaylah when she first meets “Montgomery Scotty” is a highlight (and should have been utilized in other sequences).

Nearly absent from this vignette are details about the impressive stunts and wire work shot at a base level before being composited into final VFX shots. The many brief glimpses of these shots (crew being pulled by wires out of a corridor and into space; Simon Pegg jumping out of his torpedo while wired to a crane; Chris Pine and Anton Yelchin doing their own wire work stunts as they jump out of the way of the saucer section) all leave you wanting more.

Our take: A decent broad stroke on Beyond’s immersive visual effects, but there is not enough detail to really satiate the “how’d they do that?!?” curiosity of many fans.

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As we’ve recommended in the past, if you don’t care about fancy packaging or model starships, the best value – to get all of these features – is to pick up a copy of the special Target release, which also contains the regular bonus material along with a redemption code for a free iTunes download. You can pick it up in stores today, or through Target.com.

Be sure to check out our photos of the Best Buy exclusive Beyond steelbook, also available today, and look for our upcoming photos of the Walmart and Target exclusive packaging releases, as well as galleries of full-resolution, 1080p screencaps from the Beyond Blu-ray.

PHOTOS: Best Buy’s STAR TREK BEYOND Steelbook

It’s STAR TREK BEYOND release week, and that means we’ve got a bunch of reports headed your way – starting with a look at Best Buy’s exclusive Beyond steelbook, hitting stores on Tuesday.

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This two-disc set (Blu-ray and DVD) also includes a digital copy of the film – but does not have the bonus disc found in Target’s exclusive set; this one just has the standard features found in every Beyond release.

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Sporting the popular Star Trek: The Motion Picture-inspired rainbow poster artwork, which first debuted at May’s Beyond fan event at Paramount Pictures, the glossy steelbook also showcases a small rendition of the Enterprise on its rear side.

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Despite the shiny and colorful exterior, the inside of this steelbook is a fairly bland starfield with no additional design. Early renditions of this packaging detailed interior artwork along with a Starfleet delta design on the rear side, but that seems to have not made the final edition.

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You can pick up this Star Trek Beyond steelbook at Best Buy stores on November 1 and at BestBuy.com; release week pricing has this listed at $19.99.

Stay tuned as we bring you next our review of the Beyond retailer-exclusive bonus features, including the Target bonus Blu-ray and iTunes’ exclusive ‘enhanced commentary’ track!

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IDW Announces NEXT GENERATION / ALIENS Crossover

IDW Publishing has a lot on their Star Trek slate, from this month’s BOLDLY GO launch and the new ongoing WAYPOINT series, to the Star Trek / Green Lantern sequel series due for arrival in December.

Now, IDW has announced the next miniseries due for arrival in 2017: a crossover tale between the ALIENS film universe and the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, titled “Acceptable Losses.”

October 28, 2016 – As announced today at the MCM London Comic Con, Captain Picard, Data, Worf, and the rest of the iconic Starfleet crew will soon come face-to-face with facehuggers in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION / ALIENS.

Just in time to celebrate The Next Generation’s 30th anniversary, the TNG crew of the Enterprise will take on the Aliens from the wildly popular movie franchise in the upcoming miniseries from IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics.

The story, written by regular Star Trek scribes Scott Tipton and David Tipton, will see these two giants of modern science fiction cross over for the first time. In addition to the Xenomorphs, it will feature familiar Star Trek alien races such as the Borg and the Romulans, each of which will play a vital role in the plot and be brought to life by artist J.K. Woodward, who will be re-teaming with the Tiptons after previously collaborating on the acclaimed Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever series.

“We’re beyond excited to team up with Dark Horse for this unique miniseries,” says IDW Editor Chris Cerasi. “With Scott and David writing and J.K. handling art, the blending of the Star Trek and Aliens worlds is guaranteed to be a fun, scary, thrill-a-minute ride!”

IDW has enjoyed a banner year with two well-received comic book series launches to celebrate Star Trek’s 50th anniversary with Boldy Go and Waypoint. Add to that great crossover success with DC Entertainment’s Green Lantern, which will receive a follow-up series this winter.

This spring, boldly go where no one can hear you scream for the crossover event of 2017.

Keep coming back to TrekCore for our ongoing Trek comic coverage!