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Kate Mulgrew Speaks Out Against Geocentrism Film

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April 8, 2014

Kate Mulgrew Speaks Out Against Geocentrism Film

A new movie trailer for The Principle, an upcoming documentary film focusing on geocentrism — the cosmological philosophy which places Earth at the center of the known universe — will feature Star Trek: Voyager actress Kate Mulgrew as narrator.

“Everything we think we know about our universe is wrong!”, proclaims Mulgrew in the opening moments of the trailer, a statement which sparked a number of heated discussions among fans surprised to see the Trek veteran taking part in a feature promoting such a highly controversial topic.

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The film’s official site’s description describes “astonishing new discoveries of Earth-oriented alignments” which are to be featured in the movie:

“The Principle”, destined to become one of the most controversial films of our time, brings before the public eye astonishing results from recent large-scale surveys of our universe: surveys which disclose unexpected evidence of a preferred direction in the cosmos, aligned with our supposedly insignificant Earth.

Mulgrew spoke out today about her involvement in the film, calling herself a “misinformed” participant cast simply as a “voice for hire.”

“I understand there has been some controversy about my participation in a documentary called THE PRINCIPLE.

Let me assure everyone that I completely agree with the eminent physicist Lawrence Krauss, who was himself misrepresented in the film, and who has written a succinct rebuttal in SLATE.

I am not a geocentrist, nor am I in any way a proponent of geocentrism. More importantly, I do not subscribe to anything Robert Sungenis has written regarding science and history and, had I known of his involvement, would most certainly have avoided this documentary.

I was a voice for hire, and a misinformed one, at that. I apologize for any confusion that my voice on this trailer may have caused.”

Bottom line: nobody panic. Captain Janeway doesn’t really believe that modern science is all wrong… she just booked the wrong gig. While her overall role in the film is yet to be determined, remember that when it comes to voiceover work, participants can often have no idea of the overall tone or purpose of a production outside of their own area of participation.

We know that the debate regarding religion and science can be a contentious one, so please remember to be respectful of other posters in the comments below.

Sources: Kate Mulgrew Official Facebook Page; Slate; The Principle

Original ‘Enterprise’ Studio Model Moving to Main Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Exhibit Hall

TrekCore Staff

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April 5, 2014

23

Original ‘Enterprise’ Studio Model Moving to Main Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Exhibit Hall

The original USS Enterprise filming model has resided at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. since Paramount donated it in 1974. Since that time, the eleven-foot model has undergone several renovations — causing a great deal of controversy in certain fan circles — as it’s been moved from wire suspension in the museum’s entry hall, to standalone exhibits in New York City, and then into storage for several years in the late 1990s.

In March 2000, the museum opened a newly-renovated gift shop located in a sub-level of the building, with the large Enterprise model as a centerpiece, protected in a large glass case in the center of the shop — and that’s where the model has resided for the last fifteen years, tucked away under the main exhibitions.

[iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/-5mAiuJKgtc” width=”560″ height=”315″]

The National Air & Space Museum announced this week that as part of the museum’s fortieth anniversary in 2016, the Enterprise model will be one of several acquisitions moved to the popular Milestones of Flight exhibit which greets visitors at the main entrance to the building.

This 3.4 meter (11-foot) model of the fictional Starship Enterprise will go on display in the reimagined Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall. ‘Star Trek’ pushed the boundaries of network television with its depiction of a mixed-sex, racially-integrated, multinational crew and its attention to contemporary social and political issues.

It will join other significant artifacts in this gallery to showcase the importance of popular culture’s influence on society.

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It seems only fitting that this relocation of the Enterprise model will coincide with Star Trek’s fiftieth anniversary, as well as the release of the next entry in the Trek film series.

REVIEW: Star Trek: TOS — “No Time Like the Past”

TrekCore Staff

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April 4, 2014

8

REVIEW: Star Trek: TOS — “No Time Like the Past”

Star Trek: The Original Series
No Time Like the Past
By Greg Cox
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Pocket Books

From the back cover:

STARDATE 6122.5. A diplomatic mission to the planet Yusub erupts in violence when ruthless Orion raiders attempt to disrupt the crucial negotiations by force. Caught in the midst of a tense and dangerous situation, Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise finds an unexpected ally in the form of an enigmatic stranger who calls herself “Annika Seven.”

STARDATE 53786.1. Seven of Nine is taking part in an archaeological expedition on an obscure planetoid in the Delta Quadrant when a disastrous turn of events puts Voyager’s away team in jeopardy — and transports Seven across time and space to Yusub, where she comes face-to-face with one of Starfleet’s greatest legends.

STARDATE 6122.5. Kirk knows better than most the danger that even a single castaway from the future can pose to the timeline, so he and Seven embark on a hazardous quest to return her to her own era. But there are others who crave the knowledge Seven possesses, and they will stop at nothing to obtain it — even if this means seizing control of the Enterprise!

My thoughts:

I will freely admit that when I first heard about the concept behind this novel, I was skeptical. Seven of Nine travels back in time for an adventure with Captain Kirk and the original Star Trek characters? Doesn’t that seem a little… fan-wanky?

I should have known better than to doubt a veteran of Star Trek writing such as Greg Cox! After reading No Time Like the Past following its release last month, I found that I had to eat my words. Mr. Cox has crafted a terrific story that is both fun and realistic despite the fantastical premise.

In fact, while reading No Time Like the Past, I remembered why the novel is such an excellent medium for Star Trek. In 1996, we got an episode that was unprecedented: Deep Space Nine’s “Trials and Tribble-ations” showed us a crossover between DS9 and the original series. While that episode was ground-breaking and incredibly well-done, it still suffered from one inescapable limitation: no new footage of Captain Kirk and the rest of the original cast could be created. However, in the case of the novels, the action is limited only by the writer’s imagination. So, while on the face of it the idea of Seven interacting with Kirk and company seems silly, with the right author at the helm, the end result is excellent.

With regards to the plot of No Time Like the Past, the story is a fun romp through some of the highlights of Kirk’s original five-year mission. In the pursuit of the solution to the puzzle that will allow Seven to return to her own time, we are taken first to Gamma Trianguli VI. Home of the machine-god Vaal, Gamma Trianguli VI was first seen in the episode “The Apple.” From there, we get to visit Cheron, the planet of Bele and Lokai from the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.”

It is in this part of the book that I found the most enjoyment. Cox’s exploration of Cheronian society is excellent, and I really enjoyed the deeper look into this strange culture that ultimately destroyed itself due to race-based hatred. Finally, we get to revisit Sarpeidon, site of another time-bending adventure, the TOS episode “All Our Yesterdays.” Cox’s love of the original Star Trek is apparent as he ties together a number of different adventures to craft his tale.

Greg Cox makes good use of the Orions as the villains of the piece. While the primary antagonist feels a little one-note at times, it was nice to see the Orions used instead of the usual stand-bys, the Klingons and the Romulans. Personally, I would love to see a little more exploration of Orion culture in the novels.

One other note that I would like to add: something that’s been missing from Trek lit that I think would be welcome is further adventures set during the respective television series’ timelines other than The Original Series. With No Time Like the Past, we get a taste of what that would be like with Seven of Nine and the Voyager crew. It was definitely enjoyable, and I have to think that there would be a market for more novels set during the run of TNG, DS9, or Voyager.

The problem, of course, is what do you set to the side to make room for those stories? I would not want to give up the shared continuity we’ve been enjoying lately in the 24th century, nor would I like to lose some of the more unique series on the go at the moment such as Titan, Rise of the Federation, or the upcoming Seekers.

Final thoughts:

Great interactions between Seven and the classic Trek crew make this novel a memorable one. Greg Cox really captures the voices of the original cast as well as that of Seven of Nine, and the interplay between Seven and the TOS crew felt very genuine. Additionally, revisiting some of the “greatest hits” of the original series is an interesting concept that plays out well. I especially enjoyed the exploration of the culture of Cheron.

Greg Cox has certainly shown a penchant for unique time-twisting adventures that are sure to make the most stalwart Temporal Investigations agent blanch in horror. Whenever you open a Greg Cox novel, you can be sure that a fun time will be had! No Time Like the Past marks another excellent entry into his catalog, and I’m looking forward to his next novel, due out at the end of this year!

– Reviewed by Literature Editor Dan Gunther

Order Star Trek TOS:
No Time Like the Past

Star Trek TNG Season 6 & “Chain of Command” Blu-rays: Full Breakdown

TrekCore Archives

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April 3, 2014

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Star Trek TNG Season 6 & “Chain of Command” Blu-rays: Full Breakdown

CBS have just sent TrekCore a copy of the full press release detailing the contents of the upcoming releases of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 6 and Star Trek: The Next Generation – “Chain of Command” on Blu-ray.

Here’s the press release reproduced in its entirety:

LATEST COLLECTION OF ICONIC SERIES ARRIVES IN STUNNING HIGH DEFINITION

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
THE SIXTH SEASON BLU-RAY
And
CHAIN OF COMMAND BLU-RAY

Packed With Exclusive, Must-Watch Special Features Including New Interviews, Deleted Scenes And Gag Reel

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (April 3, 2014) – The newest high-definition collections of the iconic sci-fi series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® – THE SIXTH SEASON BLU-RAY and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® – CHAIN OF COMMAND BLU-RAY arrive June 3 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Both collections feature a trove of newly produced material that unlock secrets to the Star Trek® universe, including a special three-part documentary on the sixth season and a never-before-released gag reel.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – THE SIXTH SEASON BLU-RAY includes all 26 episodes of the penultimate season, remastered into spectacular high-definition. Fans can dive into the sixth season of the series with a brand new, three-part documentary “Beyond the Five Year Mission – The Evolution of Star Trek: The Next Generation” featuring fascinating interviews with cast and crew. Plus, fans will enjoy never-before-released commentary on select episodes from Ronald D. Moore, James L. Conway, Jonathan West, and Mike and Denise Okuda, along with a must-see gag reel.

The sixth season collection includes classic episodes such as Brent Spiner’s dual performance as Data and his father Dr. Noonien Soong in “Birthright,” the critically acclaimed two-part episode “Chain of Command,” Riker (Jonathan Frakes) coping with a bizarre identity crisis that pits him quite literally against himself in “Second Chances,” and James Doohan reprising his Original Series role as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott in “Relics.”

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – CHAIN OF COMMAND BLU-RAY is a feature-length presentation of the two-part sixth season episode. As a possible Cardassian attack looms, Captain Picard, Dr. Crusher and Worf embark on a secret mission to find and destroy suspected biological weapons, leaving the Enterprise under the leadership of the cold and demanding Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox). Soon after, Picard is captured by the Cardassians and is brutally tortured for information. The crew’s dismay quickly turns to anger as Jellico’s plans exclude a rescue mission. With his options running out, Picard must fight to save his sanity and ultimately his life.

Ranked by Entertainment Weekly as one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Chain of Command” is also lauded for its “eerily prescient” (Slate) depictions of torture. Along with exclusive audio commentary with Ronny Cox, Jonathan West and Mike and Denise Okuda, the Blu-ray also features the newly-produced documentary “The Privilege of Rank: Making ‘Chain of Command.’”

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – THE SIXTH SEASON BLU-RAY will be available in 1080p with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo Surround, French Stereo Surround, German Stereo Surround, Castilian Mono, Italian Mono, and Japanese Mono. The six-disc collection also includes English SDH, and French, German, Castilian, Italian, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles. The Blu-ray is Not Rated in the U.S. and rated PG in Canada. It will be available for the suggested retail price of $130.00 U.S. and $150.00 Canada. The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc One:
Episodes

Special Features

Archival Mission Log: Mission Overview Year Six (SD)
Audio Commentary with Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda on “Relics” – NEW!
Deleted Scenes (HD): “Time’s Arrow, Part II” and “Relics”
Episodic Promos
- Promo #1 (SD)
- Promo #2 (SD)
- Promo #3 (SD)
- Promo #4 (SD)
- Promo #5 (SD)

Disc Two:
Episodes

Special Features

Archival Mission Log: Bold New Directions (SD)
Archival Mission Log: Departmental Briefing Year Six: Production (SD)
Archival Mission Log: Departmental Briefing Profile: Dan Curry (SD)
Deleted Scene (HD) – NEW!: “True Q”
Episodic Promos
- Promo #1 (SD)
- Promo #2 (SD)
- Promo #3 (SD)
- Promo #4 (SD)

Disc Three:
Episodes

Special Features

Archival Mission Log: Special Crew Profile: Lt. Cmdr. Data (SD)
Deleted Scenes (HD) – NEW!: “Ship in a Bottle”, “Face of the Enemy”
Episodic Promos
- Promo #1 (SD)
- Promo #2 (SD)
- Promo #3 (SD)
- Promo #4 (SD)
- Promo #5 (SD)

Disc Four:
Episodes

Special Features

Archival Mission Log: Select Historical Data (SD)
Audio Commentary with Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda on “Tapestry” – NEW!
Deleted Scenes (HD) – NEW!: “Tapestry”, “Birthright, Part II”
Episodic Promos
- Promo #1 (SD)
- Promo #2 (SD)
- Promo #3 (SD)
- Promo #4 (SD)
- Promo #5 (SD)

Disc Five:
Episodes

Special Features

Archival Mission Log: Inside Starfleet Archives: Sets and Props (SD)
Audio Commentary with James L. Conway and Jonathan West on “Frame of Mind” – NEW!
Deleted Scenes (HD) – NEW!: “The Chase”, “Rightful Heir”
Episodic Promos
- Promo #1 (SD)
- Promo #2 (SD)
- Promo #3 (SD)
- Promo #4 (SD)
- Promo #5 (SD)

Disc Six:
Episodes

Special Features

Beyond the Five Year Mission – The Evolution of Star Trek: The Next Generation (HD) – NEW!
Part 1: The Lithosphere
Part 2: The Biosphere
Part 3: The Noosphere
Gag Reel (HD) – NEW!
Episodic Promos
- Promo #1 (SD)
- Promo #2 (SD)

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – CHAIN OF COMMAND BLU-RAY will be available in 1080p with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo Surround, German Stereo Surround, and French Stereo Surround. The collection also includes English SDH, German, and French subtitles. The Blu-ray is Not Rated in the U.S. and rated PG in Canada. It will be available for the suggested retail price of $28.28 U.S. and $32.00 Canada. The disc breakdown is as follows:

Chain of Command (Parts 1 and 2)

Special Features

The Privilege of Rank: Making “Chain of Command” (HD) – NEW!
Audio Commentary with Ronny Cox, Jonathan West and Mike & Denise Okuda – NEW!
Deleted Scenes (HD) – NEW!
Episodic Promos
- Part 1
- Part 2

Some further notes and observations on the press release:

An initial glance indicates that Season 5’s quartet of audio commentaries has been reduced to a trio this season, with newly recorded commentaries focusing on the stand-out episodes “Relics“, “Tapestry” and “Frame of Mind“. While it isn’t mentioned in this press release, we’ve been led to believe there is also a commentary in the pipeline for “Starship Mine” with writer Morgan Gendel. We’re attempting clarify the situation with CBS and will update the article as soon as we have an answer!
UPDATE: Unfortunately the press release is correct on this one. While the VAM team and Morgan had hoped to record a commentary for “Starship Mine”, a tight deadline made it impossible. Sorry folks!
Roger Lay, Jr. and Robert Meyer Burnett had originally hoped to film a reunion of famous TNG directors for this season set, but scheduling conflicts made it impossible for the deadline. As a result, the documentary has been expanded from two to three parts, giving ample time to cover the launch of Deep Space Nine during TNG’s sixth season as well as focus on some eagerly awaited guest stars (Whoop whoop!)
Season 6’s deleted scenes are set to wow the crowd with a smorgasbord of never-before-seen TNG goodness spread across the set. Scenes from “True Q” and (the oft-discussed scene from) “Relics” have already been teased in the trailer earlier this year, but expect plenty of surprises to come! Yet again CBS have opted to make the deleted scenes from the standalone disc exclusive to that release. This is a crying shame – the scenes uncovered from “Chain of Command” are superb and deserve to be shared with all loyal fans, not just those lucky enough to live in an area where they can buy these special single discs.

Season 6 and Chain of Command will be released in the United States and Canada on June 3, while Season 6 will see a UK release slightly later on June 16.

While fans in Germany and Australia will be lucky enough to see a “Chain of Command” release in their respective countries, others will have to turn to Amazon US to pick up the disc. “Chain of Command can ordered from Amazon US safe in the knowledge that the region-free disc is fully compatible with your Blu-ray player and should fall under any import duty threshold.

So what are you waiting for? Pre-order your copies of Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 and Chain of Command on Blu-ray at Amazon using the links below. We’ll have a whole more on these two much-anticipated releases soon, including some extra special behind-the-scenes features in the works that we’re very excited to release!

	Order Star Trek: TNG - Season 6 on Blu-ray today!		Order TNG's "Chain of Command" on Blu-Ray today!

Greg Cox Interview: “No Time Like the Past”

TrekCore Staff

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March 26, 2014

1

Greg Cox Interview: “No Time Like the Past”

We last checked in with Greg Cox last summer before the annual Shore Leave convention, and now it’s time to chat with the Trek literature veteran about his newest release, the TOS adventure “No Time Like the Past” — with a special 24th-Century guest character.

TrekCore: How did you get started as an author, and what led you to the world of Star Trek writing?

Greg Cox: In retrospect, I was always cut out to be a writer. I remember scribbling stories about my favorite monsters and superheroes in spiral notebooks all through grade school. But I didn’t get serious about it until I discovered science fiction fandom in college and started meeting actual authors and editors at conventions.

That’s when it dawned on me that “Hey, real people actually do this for a living, so maybe I can, too!” After attending the Clarion West science-fiction writing workshop in Seattle, I eventually ended up working as an editor at Tor Books in New York, where I met another young junior editor named John Ordover.

John and I are both lifelong Star Trek fans, so when John moved on to edit the Trek novels at Pocket Books, he invited me to write one of the first Deep Space Nine novels for him . . . and the rest is history!

I should also mention that my early writing instructors included Vonda McIntyre and Norman Spinrad, so I like to think of myself as a second-generation Trek writer!

TrekCore: No Time Like the Past brings together the original Star Trek crew and Seven of Nine of Star Trek: Voyager. What was the genesis of the idea for this crossover?

Greg Cox: To give credit where it’s due, it was my editor, Margaret Clark, who first suggested bringing Kirk and Seven together. I had a vague idea for a story about Kirk having to deal with a mysterious time-traveller from the future, but I wasn’t sure who the time-traveller should be. It was Margaret who suggested Seven . . . and I knew a good idea when I heard it!

TrekCore: Were there any particular challenges in bringing these two separate generations together?

Greg Cox: I hadn’t written the Voyager characters for about seventeen years at that point, so I was a little out of practice there. I binge-watched several Seven-centric episodes to get myself back in the Voyager groove, but I still had to concentrate a bit to keep the two levels of technologies straight. At one point, Margaret had to remind me that unlike the TOS era, tricorders of the 24th Century aren’t the bulky things you slung over your shoulder!

TrekCore: What surprised you the most in writing about Seven’s interactions with the Enterprise crew?

Greg Cox: I found myself doing less than I planned with Spock and Seven simply because they were a little too similar in terms of their speech patterns and cool, scientific approach to problems. Having both of them in the same scene felt a little redundant, to be honest, so I found it more interesting to have her interact with, say, Kirk or McCoy or Scotty.

TrekCore: Your Star Trek stories have ranged the length and breadth of the Trek universe, from time-twisting TOS adventures to the Eugenics Wars. Is there a particular setting you like to play around in more than the others?

Greg Cox: At this point I’ve written for every Star Trek series except Enterprise. I’ve enjoyed them all, but I’m basically a TOS guy at heart. That’s the Trek I grew up on so that’s what I gravitate to. In fact, I’m working on yet another TOS novel right now. The working title is Foul Deeds Will Rise and it’s set somewhere between the fifth and sixth movies on the Enterprise-A. I’ve never written a book on that ship before so I’m having fun exploring it.

TrekCore: Is there anything more about Foul Deeds Will Rise that you can reveal?

Greg Cox: I’m reluctant to divulge too much, since it’s still a work-in-progress and subject to revision, but I can tease that it involves the return of at least a couple of characters from the Original Series… twenty years later.

TrekCore: Beyond 2014, do you have any other Trek projects in the works?

Greg Cox: I’m hoping to have another TOS book ready in time for 2016, but I haven’t even begun to start brainstorming that one yet. At the moment, I’m concentrating on Foul Deeds.

TrekCore: What else, besides Trek, are you currently working on? Are there any other projects our readers might be interested in?

Greg Cox: Thanks for asking! As it happens, I just finished the novelization of the new Godzilla movie, which is coming out in May.

TrekCore: What appeals to you about doing novelizations? You must have a knack for them since you do quite a lot of them.

Greg Cox: I enjoy doing novelizations. Lord knows I read enough of them growing up and the movie buff in me is always thrilled to be associated, however peripherally, with a Major Motion Picture, especially when it involves Godzilla, Superman, Batman, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, vampires, werewolves, Harry Houdini, or some other long-time favorite. I’m still enough of a fanboy that the prospect of actually writing Godzilla or Superman gets my heart pumping.

Transforming a screenplay into a novel is also an interesting technical challenge, especially since I never actually see the movie until it opens in the theaters, long after I’ve written the book!

TrekCore: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us! We really appreciate being able to discuss your work.

Order Star Trek TOS:
No Time Like the Past


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VIDEO: JD Payne Offers Hints to “Star Trek 3” Plot; Describes Moral Dilemma for Enterprise Crew

TrekCore Staff

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March 19, 2014

24

VIDEO: JD Payne Offers Hints to “Star Trek 3” Plot; Describes Moral Dilemma for Enterprise Crew

After pouring through the ninety-minute-plus interview with Star Trek 3 co-writer J.D. Payne recorded at the LDS Film Festival back in February, we found two more segments of interest to Trek film fans: not only does the writer offer some details into the script development timeline, but he also drops some of the first hints towards the movie’s plot!

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Payne: “We’re trying to set up a kind of situation where you really could — and not in just an ‘everything’s relative’ sort of moral relativism — you could be a good person of any creed or philosophical background and come down on both sides of how you should respond to this opportunity that the crew has…. that also has some pitfalls to it. Where you could argue very, very, very compellingly that ‘this’ is what you should do, and if you’re advocating ‘this’ then it’s actually evil.

It’s sort of the Adam and Eve thing, where should we eat the fruit or not eat the fruit? Well, there are some very compelling reasons why they should and why they shouldn’t. So, similar kinds of things here that really give the whole movie and opportunity to sort of play with that, and have people come down on different side and wrestle with it; then come to an ending where you can walk out and say, ‘You know, I don’t know what I would do.'”

What kind of pitfall-filled “opportunity” awaits the Enterprise in the next Trek film? Does Captain Kirk get offered a pass to the Q Continuum? Is the Enterprise faced with another planet-killing Prime Directive choice? Perhaps more time travel to go save planet Vulcan?

We’ve got two years to find out.

	Order Star Trek Into Darkness on Blu-ray today!		Order Star Trek Into Darkness on 3D Blu-ray today!

VIDEO: Co-Writer J.D. Payne on ‘Star Trek 3’

TrekCore Staff

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March 18, 2014

9

VIDEO: Co-Writer J.D. Payne on ‘Star Trek 3’

Following his two recent print interviews, a new video interview has surfaced featuring Star Trek 3 co-writer J.D. Payne talking about working with Bad Robot, pitching story ideas to J.J. Abrams, and landing the job for the next Trek film. While the entire interview lasts more than an hour, we’ve extracted the relevant seven minutes covering the upcoming movie.

[iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZnOmQrCVaq0″ width=”560″ height=”315″]

This was recorded at the LDS Film Festival and can be viewed in its entirety here.

	Order Star Trek Into Darkness on Blu-ray today!		Order Star Trek Into Darkness on 3D Blu-ray today!

Trek Comics Review #31: ‘I, Enterprise’ (Part 1)

TrekCore Staff

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March 16, 2014

2

Trek Comics Review #31: ‘I, Enterprise’ (Part 1)

Our Trek Comics editor Patrick Hayes is back with a review of this month’s issue of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek ongoing comic series: the first part of “I, Enterprise.”

The regular cover by Garry Gastonny (with colors by Sakti Yuwono of Stellar Labs) is a nice bust shot of Kirk with the Enterprise speeding through space, framed by the familiar delta shield. This is drawn well, and I always enjoy when the artwork goes slightly beyond its panel borders; makes the illustration seem more immediate. The coloring is very well done, especially on Kirk, giving him a more three dimensional appearance. Grade: A.

Of the two covers, the subscription cover is the one to get! There has never been a photo cover focusing solely on a supporting character, and Science Officer 0718 — played by Joseph Gatt in Star Trek Into Darkness –– is the first. It’s a pretty startling image for a Trek cover, and if it weren’t for his white eyes I would have thought him to be a Deltan.

More of these covers, please! Grade: A+.

“I, Enterprise” is the first of a two-part tale focusing on the origin of 0718. On the inside front cover, underneath the credits, it states, “The U.S.S. Enterprise has embarked on a New Five-Year Mission after the events of Star Trek Into Darkness. Among the ship’s new crew is Science Officer 0718, whose remarkable origin has remained a mystery…until now.”

That sums up exactly what this issue is all about from writer Mike Johnson and story consultant Roberto Orci. The book opens with 0718 manning his duty station on the bridge; readers learn what he does and what he thinks of his responsibilities. These first pages were fairly straightforward, but a nice character trait is given on Page 4, revealing what he does when off duty. This section of the ship hasn’t been seen since the Original Series, and I’m glad it’s on this Enterprise.

The origin begins on Page 5 and it’s full of solid moments. The bottom of Page 6 and the top of 7 have a perfect Kirk line. I enjoyed how Uhura was a necessary component of Page 9, as Nichelle Nichols was woefully underused in the 1960s. I was impressed with Kirk’s decision on 10, making him more responsible than Shatner’s version. The incident on 18 was a surprise, even if that individual was wearing a red shirt.

When Page 20 began I knew exactly what would happen, and it did. However, I enjoyed it and I dare anyone reading this not to hear ominous music in his or her head as it’s happening. This was a good start, and, like the good storyteller he is, Johnson ends the issue just as it’s going to get really interesting. Grade: A.

Another mixed bag for artwork in this issue.

Artist Erfan Fajar definitely knows how to lay out his pages and panels for a smooth read. Page 1 is like a movie: a tight close-up of the main character, pulling back to see him in action, pulling back further still to see him in relationship with a familiar lead, and then a refocus on him to emphasize his narration. The double-paged spread on Pages 2 and 3 nicely shows how 0718 focuses on his different tasks while spotlighting the cast, with a decent illustration of the Enterprise. I say “decent” because that saucer section looks a little too stretched.

This is a good example of why I feel the way I do about Fajar’s work: things are going along fine and then something odd appears and pulls me out of the book. Another example: Page 4 looks great except for the close-up of his eyes which are overly shaded for depth. I could rant on about oddities, but I’ll focus on the good: Page 5, 6, 10, 14, 17, the good action beat at the top of 18, the medical event on Page 21 hat could have been a lot more graphic, and the clever, concealing waft of smoke on Page 22.

The resemblance to the actors is pretty good, but I think a lot of that credit goes to the colorists who sell the final version. Good, just not consistent. Grade: B–.

Cover colorist Sakti Yuwono with Ifansyah Noor, both from Stellar Labs, are doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to the visuals on this book.

Such work isn’t really noticeable until several close-ups occur on characters we know, like some of the tremendous work on Spock seen on Page 6. Just look at the shadings and highlights created by the setting on his face — it’s almost photo-realistic. Check out his uniform in that first panel. Fajar did some appropriate line work on it, but Yuwono and/or Noor took it to the next level. The same can be said for the faces that appear on 7 — they look amazing! In fact, the entire four page sequence is tremendous.

The work on the entire book is good, except Chekov and Scotty’s hair was a little too blonde. That’s a minor nit in an issue filled with stellar work. Grade: A+.

Narration, dialogue, red alerts, a shock, and two other sounds comprise Robbie Robbins’ work on this book. All are done well, but no transporter sounds during beam-down? How can IDW not include that iconic sound whenever it happens in this series? Grade: A–.

Bottom line: “I, Enterprise” is the start of a great story, but the inconsistent artwork keeps this one from becoming a classic. Grade: B+.

– Reviewed by Comics Editor Patrick Hayes

New ‘Star Trek 3’ Co-Writer J.D. Payne Talks ‘Trek,’ Bad Robot, and Writing Partner Patrick McKay

TrekCore Staff

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March 15, 2014

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New ‘Star Trek 3’ Co-Writer J.D. Payne Talks ‘Trek,’ Bad Robot, and Writing Partner Patrick McKay

Last December it was announced that writing partners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay would be joining Roberto Orci as the lead writers on 2016’s Star Trek 3, the next installment in J.J. Abrams’ reimagined Star Trek movie series.

Aside from their rather empty IMDB listings, there’s been virtually no information available on either of these newcomers — but two new interviews with Payne have surfaced on a pair of Mormon-centric websites, and the writer talks about not only his initial collaboration with McKay, but his entry into the world of Star Trek as well.

From LDS Living:

So what’s in store for Star Trek fans?

I can’t really talk about much… at its core, “Star Trek” has always been about adventure, exploration and wonder, with an optimistic sense of the future, and all its possibilities. It’s a massive playground; we’re so excited to be diving in on it.”

“Star Trek” is unique in that it often grapples with complex ethical and moral dilemmas – we’d love to create a situation like that where you really could be a person of any background, and come down on both sides of how you should respond. Where you can walk out and say, ‘You know, I really don’t know what I would do. What would you do? What’s right to do?‘ And get the audience to really engage.

Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne. (Image via Mormon Artist)

From Mormon Artist:

Patrick McKay is your longtime writing partner—how did that association begin? What is it like to have a writing partner?

Patrick and I met in high school and started collaborating creatively when we directed a short play together for the school’s One Act Festival. We quickly found that the things I was lousy at, Patrick was great at, and vice-versa. We continued working together throughout high school and into college.

Since then, Patrick and I have written something like seventeen scripts together. Each one is a journey, and there’s no one in the world I’d rather have at the helm with me than Patrick. The work itself is a joy, but engaging in it day in and day out with a partner who’s also my best friend takes that joy to an entirely different level.

There has been quite a bit written about the fact that the upcoming “Star Trek” will be your first produced script. However, you are pretty seasoned—how many screenplays have you written in total?

“Star Trek” will be our 17th script from the first one we wrote when we were in college; our tenth from the time we got agency representation (though only seven of those have officially been in development at a production company and studio). I’ve read that the industry average is thirteen scripts in development for every one that ends up getting produced. I’m definitely still bullish that several of our other projects will make it to the silver screen, so we’ll see how that ratio ends up working out with our slate.

How did you first become involved with Bad Robot? What was it like to work with J. J. Abrams and the group involved with the film?

We had a great initial general meeting at Bad Robot, after which we pursued a project that came to be known as “Boilerplate.” From there, things took on a life of their own. We feel like we share a creative sensibility and point of view with J. J. and his team. They’ve been fantastic to work with every step of the way on each of the projects we’ve developed together. It’s a relationship we feel very fortunate to have stumbled into.

I could go into more detail about the nuts and bolts of the collaboration, but I should probably leave it at that. People think Edward Snowden got exiled from the country for the NSA Wikileaks scandal; in actuality, I heard his real crime was leaking a super-secret pizza recipe from the kitchen at Bad Robot’s offices.

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TNG Blu-ray Updates: Official Release Dates and “Chain of Command” Artwork & Commentary Info

Blu-ray (TNG)

TrekCore Staff

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March 13, 2014

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TNG Blu-ray Updates: Official Release Dates and “Chain of Command” Artwork & Commentary Info

We’ve got a couple of updates for you on the recently announced Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Six and “Chain of Command” Blu-ray sets.

First, while we’re still waiting for European release dates, both TNG sets have been announced for a June 3 release in North America. Based on the previous Blu-ray releases, we expect the UK release of TNG Season 6 to be within days of the American date.

There’s also a bit of news about the “Chain of Command” audio commentary today, as VAM producer Robert Meyer Burnett posted this photo on Twitter last night, showing off participants Ronny Cox (“Jellico”), director of photography Jonathan West, along with usual moderators Michael and Denise Okuda.

Expect the same situation with “Chain of Command” as previous single-disc releases – it will be available in the United States and Canada, but fans in the UK (and some other European territories) will have to import from Amazon US. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for the German-language version this summer as with previous releases, as well as any information from other territories.

UPDATE: We’ve received information regarding the international “Chain of Command” releases, and while we don’t have any release dates available at this time, we can confirm that the single-disc set WILL be released in both Germany and Australia — and that it will NOT be released in Japan.

We also have a first look at the interior slipcover artwork for “Chain of Command,” featuring every major element of the two-part episode from Captain Jellico to Gul Madred.

Some early details on the TNG Season 6 bonus features have become available, and we can confirm that the set will feature five audio commentaries (including writer Morgan Gendel on “Starship Mine”), a new gag reel, a host of deleted scenes, and another set of interview documentaries: Beyond the Five Year Mission: The Evolution of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The set will also include the next entry in the “In Conversation” roundtable series, this time focusing on The Directors of TNG.

UPDATE: We’ve been informed that while In Conversation: The Directors was originally scheduled for this release, scheduling conflicts unfortunately dictate that it’s no longer going to be part of the S6 VAM package. Instead, the Beyond the Five Year Mission documentary will be extended from two to three parts.

For “Chain of Command,” the release will feature the above-mentioned feature-length audio commentary, several deleted scenes, and a documentary feature titled The Privilege of Rank: Making “Chain of Command” – all exclusive to this one-disc set.

We’ll have more information on these upcoming sets as we approach the June release, but in the meantime, preorder your copies below!

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My thoughts:

Final thoughts:

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