Monday, 8 December 2014

This Month: December 2014

December is a big month for bluray, with the final season of TNG and related releases. We've also got the new Ships of the Line book to enjoy, two new prose adventures, four comics, the regular fleets of model ships, and much more. Continue below to check out everyone on the way this month:

Audio/video

The final season of TNG on bluray is here, possibly the final season of Star Trek in HD, at least for a while, as the prospects for DS9 and Voyager hang on how well TNG sells (so buy buy buy!). As ever, the release comes with hours of new documentaries, commentaries, deleted scenes, and more. In Germany there is also the option to pick it up in steelbook packaging.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – SEASON SEVEN includes all 25 episodes of the final season and a trove of never-before-seen interviews with cast and crew, including the three-part documentary “The Sky’s The Limit: The Eclipse Of Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “In Conversation: Lensing Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Along with an unreleased gag reel and exclusive deleted scenes, the seventh season collection features some of the most acclaimed episodes of the series such as the conclusion to the two-part episode “Descent;” Worf’s (Michael Dorn) conflict with his human foster brother who violates the prime directive to save a doomed primitive race in “Homeward;” the two-part episode “Gambit;” Data meeting a woman who claims to be his mother in “Inheritance;” and the stunning, final confrontation between Picard and Q (John de Lancie) in the series finale “All Good Things…”.

Alongside the season set, there is also the stand-alone release of the finale, All Good Things..., which comes with a suite of special features exclusive to the separate release:
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – ALL GOOD THINGS presents the epic feature-length series finale remastered into high-definition. The 1995 Hugo Award winner for “Best Dramatic Presentation,” the thrilling adventure was also hailed as a “picture-perfect” (USA Today) ending to the series.

A journey that takes fans to the end of the universe and beyond the boundaries of time itself, “All Good Things…” begins when Q tells Captain Picard that he is to be the cause of humanity’s ultimate annihilation. Thus begins an incredible journey through space and time that follows Picard’s first voyage on the Enterprise to 25 years into the future.

Fans can revisit the engrossing finale with the newly produced documentary “The Unknown Possibilities of Existence: Making ‘All Good Things…’” and never-before-released deleted scenes.

And with TNG on bluray now complete, it's also time for the complete series boxset. At least it is in the UK, where all seven seasons have been wrapped up into new packaging. But fear not, if you fancy getting all seven seasons in one box, this release is region free.

German fans also have some new releases to look forward to, with the German releases of the stand-alone discs for The Best of Both Worlds, Redemption, and Unification, and the TOS: Origins collection, all out this month.

As well as all these bluray releases, this month has also brought us La La Land's new Enterprise soundtrack collection (see previous report for full track listing):
La-La Land Records and CBS proudly present the original television soundtrack to STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, starring Scott Bakula, John Billingsley and Jolene Blalock. This stunning 4-CD collection showcases the powerful work of the notably talented composers who kept this prequel STAR TREK series at warp speed for four exciting seasons. The music expertly runs the gambit from the bold and thrilling to the thoughtful and emotional – it’s essential science fiction music that touches the heart while it opens the mind. Disc One features the music of Dennis McCarthy, Disc Two showcases Jay Chattaway’s work, while Disc Three’s “Veterans and New Recruits” highlights a variety of composers as does Disc Four’s “Fan Favorites,” which includes music from such episodes as In A Mirror, Darkly, Parts I and II and “Regeneration” among others. Produced by Ford A. Thaxton, James Nelson, Mark Banning and Lukas Kendall and mastered by James Nelson, this special release of 3000 Units includes a 36-Page Booklet featuring in-depth notes by writer Jeff Bond, with new comments from McCarthy, Chattaway and others.
Books

This month's novel is a TOS adventure, a rare voyage for the USS Enterprise-A, as Greg Cox's Foul Deeds Will Rise is set in the movie era, some time after The Final Frontier.
2288. The U.S.S Enterprise-A is on a vital peacekeeping mission in a remote solar system beyond the boundaries of the Federation, where two warring planets—Pavak and Oyolo—are attempting to end years of bitter conflict. Crucial peace talks are being conducted aboard the Enterprise, even as Starfleet weapons inspectors oversee the disarmament process. Losses and atrocities on both sides have left plenty of hard feelings behind, so Captain James T. Kirk has his work cut out for him, even as he unexpectedly runs into a disturbing figure from his past: Lenore Karidian.

Twenty years ago, the deadly daughter of Kodos the Executioner tried to kill Kirk, but she has since been declared sane and rehabilitated. Kirk wants to give her the benefit of the doubt and a second chance at life, but when a mysterious assassination threatens the already fragile peace process, all clues point toward Lenore–and the future of two worlds hangs in the balance.

We also get a new ebook novella this month, Christopher L. Bennett's The Collectors, which is the third release in his Department of Temporal Investigations series, although the first in the novella format, following the previous two novels:
The dedicated agents of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations have their work cut out for them protecting the course of history from the dangers of time travel. But the galaxy is littered with artifacts that, in the wrong hands, could threaten reality. One of the DTI's most crucial jobs is to track down these objects and lock them safely away in the Federation’s most secret and secure facility. When Agents Lucsly and Dulmur bring home an alien obelisk of incredible power, they are challenged by a 31st-century temporal agent who insists they surrender the mysterious artifact to her. But before they know it, the three agents are pulled into a corrupted future torn apart by a violent temporal war. While their DTI colleagues attempt to track them down, Lucsly and Dulmur must restore temporal peace by setting off on an epic journey through the ages, with the future of the galaxy hanging in the balance...

Alongside the prose releases, we've also got the newly expanded Ships of the Line book. This new edition is almost twice as long as the first Ships of the Line book, from back in 2006, with all the images from the Ships of the Line calendars since then added onto the previously collected images. And if all those pretty pictures aren't enough for you, check out the newly updated Active Duty animation too.
In celebration of one of science fiction's most beloved franchises, an updated edition of the acclaimed Ships of the Line hardcover collection.

They dared to risk it all in a skiff of reeds or leather, on a ship of wood or steel, knowing the only thing between them and certain death was their ship. To explore, to seek out what lay beyond the close and comfortable, every explorer had to embrace danger. And as they did so, what arose was a mystical bond, a passion for the ships that carried them. From the very first time humans dared to warp the fabric of space, escaping from the ashes of the third World War, they also created ships. These vessels have become the icons of mankind's desire to rise above the everyday, to seek out and make the unknown known. And these ships that travel the stellar seas have stirred the same passions as the ones that floated in the oceans.

While every captain has wished that their starship could be outfitted in the same manner as the sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle—without weapons—that proved untenable. From the start, Starfleet realized that each vessel, due to the limited range of the early warp engines, must be able to stand alone against any attack. Thus arose the idea, taken from the days of wooden sailing ships, that every Starfleet vessel must stand as a ship of the line. Through the actions of their captains and crews, countless starships have taken on that role. Here we remember some of those ships and their heroic crews.

In celebration of one of science fiction's most beloved franchises, this updated edition of the acclaimed Ships of the Line hardcover collection now includes dozens of additional images brought together for the first time in book format—spectacular renderings featured in the highly successful Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendar series. With text by Star Trek's own Michael Okuda, the story of each of these valiant starships now comes to life.

Comics

It's a bumper month of comics! Including the start of a new crossover series, The Primate Directive, bringing together the original Star Trek and Planet of the Apes series. The series is written by IDW regulars Scott and David Tipton, with art by new-to-Trek artist Rachael Stott. There will be no fewer than six covers for the first issue! You can see four of them in my previous report (the other two haven't been previewed yet), and you can also find a five page preview, in another report.
It's the crossover nobody ever expected! STAR TREK: The hope for the best of mankind's future! PLANET OF THE APES: A chilling look at the fall of humanity! How could these worlds possibly collide? What could possibly cause Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to side with Dr. Zaius to protect Ape City? And what does Colonel George Taylor have to say about it? It's a madhouse! A madhouse!!

As one series begins, another ends, with the final issue in the six part DS9/nuTrek crossover The Q Gambit, issue forty of the nuTrek ongoing series (which will continue next month with the start of new 5 Year Mission stories). The regular nuTrek writer Mike Johnson, while this will be the final issue from Tony Shasteen, who has done the art for all six parts of the story.
It's the epic finale of "The Q Gambit"! The fate of the past, present and future are at stake as Kirk, Sisko and Spock face off with the mad Cardassian Dukat... and discover the secret behind Q's machinations in their timeline! Don't miss this climactic chapter in the STAR TREK event of 2014, produced in association with TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci!

Earlier adventures from the nuTrek ongoing series are also collected in a new omnibus. The New Adventures, Volume One, includes the first twelve issues, making up six two-part stories. Most of these early issues were based on TOS episodes, but as the series progressed they gradually strayed further from the original stories, injecting more nuTrek twists.
The adventures of the Starship Enterprise continue in this series of stories that take place between the first and second movies! Featuring the new cast of the film, these issues feature re-imagined stories from the original series in the alternate timeline as well as brand-new missions, all with creative collaboration with Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci. Collects the first 12 issues of the new ongoing Star Trek series.

This month also sees the latest issue in John Byrne's bimonthly New Visions photocomic series. The main story in this fourth issue is Made Out of Mudd, which uses some cunning body swapping to get round CBS not having image rights for Roger C. Carmel, the actor who played Harry Mudd. There's also a short secondary story, The Great Tribble Hunt. You can read the first few pages of the main story, in my recent report.
John Byrne continues his new Star Trek photonovel adventures with “Made Out of Mudd” – Harry Mudd has gotten under Jim Kirk's skin before, but never quite like this… alien artifacts, Klingons, and a mad man's schemes add up to headaches for the Captain and his crew. All that, plus Tribbles!!

Model ships

There are two new releases in Eaglemoss' The Official Starships Collection this month, issues thirty-five and thirty-six are the 22nd century Klingon Bird of Prey, and the Oberth class. As ever, they are out in the UK first, with the US release a couple of months behind, and other parts of the world following along as the series catches up.



Wizkids also have their regular releases, with three ships in wave 10 of Attack Wing gaming miniatures. Those ships are a squadron of Cardassan Hideki class ships, the mirror universe's Klingon Regent's flagship, and a Vidiian starship.


The oversized model of the Borg Cube is also due out this month, pushed back when it was originally solicited, I suppose to give the equally large Deep Space 9 model released last month a moment in the spotlight.


Art

There are plenty of options to brighten up your home this month, with new art releases. Bye Bye Robot alone have five new poster prints, from four different artists, spanning all the prime timeline series.

Uncharted Territory by Jeff Foster
Defiant by Jeff Foster   Galileo Seven by Mark Brayer
The Long Way Home by Kevin Hopkins
Engage by Thomas Ziffer

There are also two new lighted canvases from Westland Giftware, which use multiple light-sources to illuminate images of Starbase 74, and Qo'noS:


The perceptually delayed busts in Titan Merchandise's Masterpiece Collection might also be out this month. Spock, Khan, and Worf are all still expected, following on from the release of Kirk and Picard early last year. The series was going to have many other characters, but lack of pre-orders forced Titan to scale back their plans, and the remaining characters have seen their release dates repeatedly slip ever since. As I write this, Forbidden Planet have them listed for this month, but Entertainment Earth don't expect them until February.


Lifestyle

Another item from Westland Giftware is the TOS "monster mug", a fifty-two ounce mug, featuring many of the TOS crew.


Which is perhaps more suitable for raktajino than the Klingon goblet you would ideally want for the new Klingon Bloodwine from Vinport.


Better hope that blood wine is a good vintage, if you're inviting the admiralty round to your next dinner party. Anovos' new TNG admiral uniforms should also be appearing this month, along with appropriate rank pips to match.


A couple of other costume items which were initially scheduled for release this month have been pushed back. Also from Anovos, the DS9/Voyager uniform are now expected to ship in February. While the chirping combadges from Bif Bang Pow are now listed for January release - Curiously these still only seem to be available to order from Forbidden Planet in the UK, and there has been no more information about them since they were first listed; which I find a bit odd given these seem sure to be quite popular.

Foreign Language

There are three new German translations from Cross Cult this month:


And that, is all, for now. But there are almost always new bits and pieces announced throughout any given month, which I shall of course report on as they appear. You can find out more about all these items, and everything else out this year, with links to all my previous coverage on my schedule page.

Entertainment Earth
at 17:56
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