Missed my own birthday!

So, I just realised, a couple of weeks ago, this blog had its fifth birthday!

My first day's posts included lots of coverage for IDW's Star Trek comics, which themselves had only started a couple of months earlier with the TNG series The Space Between. I also had a look at what was then the latest TOS episode to go through the remastering process, The Tholian Web; got excited about Sean Touangeau and Ellery Connell's recently revealed final 3D model of the USS Titan; and had a look at the latest offerings in DST's Star Trek toy range.

My aims and interests have remained pretty consistent since then. I started this blog because I felt the other Star Trek news sites always sideline tie-ins, so I spent far too much time hunting out news myself; it seemed only sensible to present my findings for others who shared my interest. For me tie-ins are Star Trek; the novels and comics are what's keeping the Star Trek universe alive; ever expanding it and doing things the TV series and movies couldn't ever do. The toys and other stuff aren't quite so core to that experience, but I do find it interesting to see what crazy stuff gets dreamt up with a Starfleet delta slapped on the side.

Aside from the occasional aesthetic update one of the biggest additions since I started has been to try and make this site a resource for more than just news, with the addition of my schedule listings, and most recently Thrawn's incredible Star Trek reading order flow chart. On that note I must thank Thrawn, as well as Jens Deffner, my steadfast German correspondent, who fills me in on all things Cross Cult  (while keeping himself busy with the fantastic UnrealitySF), plus all the other people who have sent me tips or helped out over the years, many of which have their own great Star Trek sites listed in my sidebar. I should also thank all the writers, artists, editors, and everyone else involved in the production of all this stuff I report about - Particularly those who have given their time to comment on their latest output, or allowed me to premier new images and information.

This blog has also spawned a sporadically updated sub-blog, the 8of5 Archive, where I look a bit more at Star Trek products of the past, or from more exotic origins. Plus there's 8of5's Guide to the Multiverse, where I get distracted by everything else that's not Star Trek; mostly Lego and dinosaurs! All of these are represented by my Facebook and Twitter pages. So ya know, feel free to like/follow.

Finally thanks to my readers for always coming back, I hope you'll continue to come here for the latest Trek-stuff news for another five years.