This Month: February 2015 Star Trek releases

Ships, uniforms, coins, and new prose and comic adventures from across the timelines are filling this months' releases. Continue below for the full line-up.

Books

This month's novel is the second Star Trek story from John Jackson Miller, and his first novel for the franchise. Takedown picks up Admiral Riker after The Fall, and his and the Titan's brief adventure in Miller's Titan ebook, Absent Enemies. But the main players this time are on the Enterprise-E and the Aventine (the latter gloriously depicted on Mark Rademaker's brilliant cover). Here's the blurb:

When renegade Federation starships begin wreaking destruction across the Alpha Quadrant, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are shocked to discover that the mastermind behind this sudden threat is none other than Picard’s protégé and friend: Admiral William T. Riker. The newly minted admiral is on board the U.S.S. Aventine as part of a special assignment, even as the mystery deepens behind his involvement in the growing crisis. But the Aventine is helmed by Captain Ezri Dax—someone who is no stranger to breaking Starfleet regulations—and her starship is by far the faster vessel…and Riker cannot yield even to his former mentor. It’s a battle of tactical geniuses and a race against time as Picard struggles to find answers before the quadrant’s great powers violently retaliate against the Federation…

Purchase: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp, iTunes.

Takedown hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago. You can read a bit about the novel in StarTrek.com's recent interview with Miller. And while that's the only prose story this month, there are plenty of comics to keep us going.

Issue forty-two of the nuTrek going series is due out, the second half of the two-parter, Behemoth. As ever, this issue is written by Mike Johnson, with Cat Staggs returning for her second issue doing interior art, to finish off the story.

In the epic finale of "Behemoth", the crew of the Enterprise faces an alien threat unlike any they have encountered before - in any timeline! It's a race against time to save the ship or be stranded in uncharted space! Don't miss this all-new adventure overseen by STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci, director of the new movie!

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Forbidden Planet.

In fact the first part of the story was also out this month, arriving this week (see preview article)! The series was delayed a bit towards the end of the last story, the six-part The Q Gambit, hopefully it will catch up now and give us both halves of this story this month!

In another alternate universe, the other Kirk crew are still dealing with those damn dirty apes! Out this month is the third issue in the five part TOS/Planet of the Apes crossover, The Primate Directive, written by Scott and David Tipton, with art by the Rachael Stott.

It's the battle for the ages! Taylor has escaped the Planet of the Apes, and Captain Kirk must bring him back! Plus, the Klingon/Gorilla alliance makes its move against Dr. Zaius and Ape City!

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Forbidden Planet.

Both of the new issues out this month are available in at least a couple of covers each, check out my previous report to have a look a the other designs on offer.

Also out this month from IDW is the hardcover omnibus edition of the comic book adaption of Harlan Ellison's original teleplay for City on the Edge of Forever. The Tipton brothers have credit on this one too, adapting said teleplay to comic book format, which was brought to life with J.K Woodward's beautiful painted artwork (see my review of the series).

For the first time ever, a visual presentation of the much-discussed, unrevised, unadulterated version of Harlan Ellison's award-winning Star Trek teleplay script, "The City on the Edge of Forever!" See the story as Mr. Ellison originally intended!

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp, Things From Another World, Forbidden Planet.

Model Ships

As ever the shipyards are being kept busy this month, with multiple ship models on the way. From Eaglemoss there are two regular issues of The Official Starships Collection, the magazine and model collection getting their initial UK release (they will follow in other parts of the world as the series catches up). Issue thirty-nine, out already in the UK, is the Romulan drone from Enterprise, which is one of the most impressively detailed models in The Collection so far.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

Next week will see the release of the next issue, the Excelsior class refit, USS Enterprise-B.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

Possibly also out this month is the the fourth special issue, the Klingon D4 class Bird of Prey, from Into Darkness. I'm not quite sure on the release date for this though, this month is the earliest it could come, but it may in fact be coming next month, or later.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

Meanwhile at a much smaller scale, this month also sees another wave of gaming miniatures for Wiskids' Attack Wing game. Wave twelve includes Kazon Ogla's Razik, the Romulan warbird IRW Haakona, and a Tholian ship.

Finally the biggest ship release this month, might be DST's latest electronic model. Their new and improved reissue of the refit Constitution class, USS Enterprise-A, The Undiscovered Country edition, doesn't seem to have arrived as planned last month, and is now expected either this month or in March.

Uniforms

Anovos have several uniform replicas on the way this month. For those that already pre-ordered, you should be receiving your TNG movie era uniforms, and DS9/Voyager jumpsuits.

Anovos's stand-alone "pips and squeaks" set from the TOS movie era uniforms are also on the way this month.


Also out this month is a uniform invented by ThinkGeek, the Starfleet Tactical hoodie.

Meanwhile, it comes as no surprise that the chirping combadges listed on Forbidden Planet were not released last month, and are now anticipated in March instead. TNG and Voyager style badges made by Bif Bang Pow are on offer, with sound effects. For some reason these quite appealing sounding props have yet to show up anywhere else.

Coins

A category on its own! Starting this month is a new series of silver Star Trek coins, produced by the Perth Mint. There will be five sets of two coins, each with a ship and commander, the first of course being Kirk and the Enterprise. They are available individually, or in ornate transporter-style display containing both. See my report for full details and more images.

Foreign Language

And finally, over in Germany Cross Cult are continuing to fill the book shelves with new German translations. Both parts of Greg Cox's Eugenics Wars dulogy are out this month, titled in German: Die Eugenischen Kriege: Der Aufstieg und Fall des Khan Noonien Singh. They featuring a snazzy diptych cover design.

And there's also the latest of their Corps of Engineers enovella releases book two of Keith R.A. DeCandido and David Mack's Invincible, aka Unbesiegbar (though the cover inclines me to think of it as Sonya Gomez and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)


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.