This Month: June 2015 Star Trek releases

It's been a very mixed month of Star Trek releases, with some sort of representation from every Star Trek era, and an assortment of Star Trek stuff ready to fill bookshelves, model displays, offices, dinning tables and more! Continue below to check them all out:

Books

June's Star Trek novel was a TNG adventure, Armageddon's Arrow, which sees the Enterprise-E off exploring again at last. Author Dayton Ward has described it as having a bit of a TOS flavour; in having Picard and company encountering an exotic alien creation. Here's the blurb:

It is a new age of exploration, and the U.S.S. Enterprise is dispatched to “the Odyssean Pass,” a region charted only by unmanned probes and believed to contain numerous inhabited worlds. Approaching a star system with two such planets, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew find a massive alien vessel, drifting in interstellar space for decades. Sensors detect life aboard the derelict—aliens held in suspended animation. Thought to be an immense sleeper ship, the vessel actually is a weapon capable of destroying entire worlds...the final gambit in a war that has raged for generations across the nearby system. Captain Picard is now caught in the middle of this conflict and attempts to mediate, as both sides want this doomsday weapon…which was sent from the future with the sole purpose of ending the interplanetary war before it even began!

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

First blurbs for 2016 Voyager, TOS, and Enterprise novels

Simon and Schuster have started listing details for the first three four novels in the 2016 Star Trek novel schedule, including scheduling information, blurbs, and even a new title. These come from Simon and Schuster's digital catalogue, which is aimed more at retailers I think, so take these with the due pinch of salt given it's early and these probably wont be the final blurbs.

UPDATE: Another book listing has appeared, and some of the authors have commented on their new books; see below for more details.

February's book, which customarily will start to appear come late January, will be the eighth novel in Kirsten Beyer's Voyager relaunch, A Pocket Full of Lies. Given this takes place after Atonement, which is due out this September, beware ye minor spoilers, if you were anticipating this character or that, might get vaporised in the next book:

The Full Circle Fleet has resumed its explorations of the Delta Quadrant and former Borg space. Captain Regina Farkas of the U.S.S. Vesta makes a promising first contact with the Nihydron—humanoid aliens that are collectors of history. They rarely interact with the species they study but have amassed a large database of numerous races, inhabited planets, and the current geopolitical landscape of a large swath of the quadrant. When an exchange of data is proposed via a formal meeting, the Nihydron representatives are visibly shaken to be greeted by Admiral Kathyryn Janeway. For almost a hundred years, two local species, the Rilnar and the Zahl, have fought for control of the nearby planet Sormana, with both sides claiming it as their ancestral homeworld. The shocking part is that for the last several years, the Rilnar have been steadily gaining ground, thanks to the tactics of their current commanding officer: a human woman, who appears to be none other than Kathryn Janeway herself…

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp. 

Car Trek

Those canny people at CBS consumer products have found another corner of our lives ready to fill with Star Trekness. This time Plasticolor are doing the honours, with a new range of Star Trek inspired automotive accessories. No surface inside your car need go un-Treked with all this stuff. Continue below to see what's on offer:

To help get rid the whiff of the last red-shirt you ferried home from an unfortunate landing party mission, they are offering two different dangly air-freshener designs; either the Starfleet delta, or the Vulcan hand sign. Both come in packs of two.

New actor contracts lay the path to nuTrek movie #4

The nuTrek starring actors have reportedly earned themselves notable pay increases as they go into production of the third film in the current series, Star Trek Beyond. Most exciting for fans of the series though, is that the new contracts apparently include options for Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto (Kirk and Spock) that secure their place in a possible fourth film in the series.

That by no means confirms such a film will be made, but it's a good first step and perhaps a sign of Paramount's intent: That they are keen to secure the option to continue the series beyond the three films the main cast initially signed up for when production on the first nuTrek film began in 2007.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the renegotiated contracts came about because it had been so long since they first signed up, so the original agreements had technically lapsed. In exchange for securing their place in a further sequel Paramount has agreed to pay increases, that will see Chris Pine's earnings for the new film at around six-million dollars, reflecting his increased star status, compared to his newbie pay of six-hundred-thousand for the first film, and four times more than the one-and-a-half million he got for Into Darkness.

The pay increases for all the main cast are though to have added between ten and fifteen million to the budget of Star Trek Beyond. It has not been revealed if the other main cast, including other rising stars such as Zoe Saldana, have also been secured for the next sequel.

Icon Heroes updates, including Comic Con exclusive mouse pad

Another San Diego Comic Con exclusive has been revealed. This one, a die-cut Spock mouse mat, is made by Icon Heroes, and available at the Action Figure Express booth at the convention.

Action Figure Express have a pre-order page to secure one in advance if you are going to the convention, and a separate one to order if you're not.

In other news from Icon Heroes, who make a variety of Star Trek office products. Some of their most recent creations have just started to become available. Continue after the jump for new previews of paper-clips and business card cases.

The Wit and Wisdom of Star Trek

Out this week is the latest Star Trek non-fiction book, The Wit and Wisdom of Star Trek. The book features quotes and notes from cast and crew, as author Robb Pearlman explained on StarTrek.com:

I was tasked with selecting some of the best and most memorable quotes and moments from The Original Series. This assignment is akin to having to choose the most memorable or impactful Shakespearean sonnet or line from Wilde, and one that I did not take lightly. Since many of the same issues faced in the 1960s are still around today, I tried to pick those that were as timeless, and timely, as possible. Whether it’s about life, death, war or prejudice, Star Trek’s characters give voice to issues and various viewpoints. And to balance out the wisdom, as Star Trek does, the quotes included in the book are balanced with, and complemented by, with some of the show’s most-memorable phrases, with, for good measure, some facts and quotes about the show, its stars and its impact.

It was heartbreaking to learn, the day we were to print the book, that Leonard Nimoy had passed away. In today’s world of staged charity, Nimoy’s kindnesses to his co-stars, crew, fans, and yes—even me—are well documented and 100% true. Though it would cost us some production time, we literally stopped the presses, redesigned the book, and included a special dedication to him. I’m enormously proud to have contributed a small part in honoring the man who meant so much to us all.

In the end, it became apparent that Star Trek itself is about wit and wisdom: A not-so-distant future in which Earth-bound petty grievances and apparent differences are put aside and humanity, as a whole, bands together for everyone’s good. I’m pretty sure that every Star Trek fan wishes that we will, eventually, get to that place. In the meantime, I’m hopeful that we’ll follow Star Trek’s lead and, with a little bit of our own wit and wisdom, find ourselves worthy of tomorrow.

StarTrek.com have also released several page, much like TOS itself, the book's bright and cheerful layout hides all manner of thoughtful and inspiring messages (check them out after the jump):

Latest Starships Collection model previews

Eaglemoss have updated their online shop with several new images of recent issues in The Official Starships Collection. Including this week's UK release, issue forty-nine, the ECS Fortunate:

Purchase: Amazon.com, Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

Continue below for more images of recent models, plus news of the shuttlecraft, and more:

Uglydolls Comic Con Star Trek exclusives

Pretty Ugly have revealed two new Star Trek Uglydolls, which will be available exclusively at the San Diego Comic Con next month. Babo's Bird has adopted the role of redshirt, and unfortunately didn't last long in the role! Perhaps this is due to Wedgehead's new persona as a Klingon...

These two join five other TOS characters which were released earlier this year. Hopefully the continuation of the Star Trek brand at Comic Con is indicative of more general Star Trek releases on the way.

Uglydoll creator David Horvath also shared an image of the redshirt meeting his demise while joining the senior officers in a landing party. Check that out after the jump:

Star Trek: Attack Wing waves 19-22, and more

Wizkids have recently announced several new waves of ships in their Star Trek Attack Wing miniatures games, with their monthly releases of three individual ships now scheduled up to January next year! Continue below to check out all the forthcoming releases, and for a close look at the most recently available ships.

Coming in October, wave 19 will include the Delta Flyer, the Klingon Bird of Prey IKS Rotarran, and Romulan ship RIS Talvath. I believe this is the first time the Delta Flyer has been made as quite such a small model, which could have its appeals if it works at a nice scale with one of the larger models of Voyager.

Wave 20, coming in November, includes the Constellation class USS Hathaway, the Kazon Raider Halik, and squadron of Romulan (or Reman) Scorpion class fighters. The Scorpion class are new models too.

Latest TOS apparel from The Coop

The Coop have added several new items to their range of TOS apparel; all these latest designs draw inspiration from uniform and props. For instance, this TOS phaser fanny pack, which is more or less to scale; so when worn on the hip will almost look like a holstered phaser (as you can see in another image further down the page):

There's also a range of TOS uniform inspired messenger bags, which are designed with laptop/tablet transportation in mind. All three department colours will be available, and come with a neat little metal Starfleet delta rivet, and embroidered rank braids on the side. Continue below for more images.

Starships Collection's Steamrunner and D'kyr class

The next pair of issues from The Official Starships Collection have been solicited, giving us new images of the Steamrunner and D'kyr class models.

These will be coming as issues fifty-four and fifty-five, due out first in the UK in September, then the US in October/November, and the rest of the world to follow as the series catches up in different markets.

IDW September titles, and other Star Trek comics news

IDW have released their solicitations for September, and it's a bumper month of Star Trek comics, with three new stories, plus a new omnibus on the way. Continue below to check them all out:

New Visions #8: The Survival Equation
Written and photo-manipulated by John Byrne.

Andrea, Ruk, Exo III — names that conjure grim memories for James Kirk. What, then, happens when the killer androids start showing up by the dozen? Plus, a special guest star who’s bound to surprise!

As if that cover isn't sufficiently eye-catching, John Byrne also posted a preview page from this issue on his forums:

Behind the scenes photos of the USS Pasteur

A wonderful collection of behind the scenes photos of the USS Pasteur has surfaced, thanks to a tweet from visual effects artist Eric Alba. The photos were originally taken by Bill George, who designed and built the miniature in his own time, before offering it up for use in the final episode of The Next Generation, All Good Things... The photos feature George's original name for the ship, the USS Olympic, before it was renamed to better reflect its use in the episode as a medical vessel.

I've picked out some of my favourite images below, and you can see a lot more in the original image gallery.

The Tholian Webs, Part 1 peview

Out this week is issue forty-six in the nuTrek ongoing comic series, the first half of a new two-part story, The Tholian Webs, which as the title suggests, features some of Star Trek's more exotic aliens.

Rachael Stott makes her returns to Star Trek for this story, following her debut as the artist for the TOS/Planet of the Apes crossover series. Continue after the jump to check out a five page preview full of her gloriously dynamic artwork.

First look at Starships Collection Borg Tactical Cube, plus issue list up to #70, and more!

Lots of news from The Official Starships Collection today, starting with the first look at the Borg Tactical Cube model, which will be arriving towards the end of the year as issue fifty-eight in the series. These first images of the model were accidentally posted on Eaglemoss's online shop, in a listing for what should be the now individually orderable subscriber bonus light-up Borg Cube.

Continue after the jump for lots more news form the series, including the latest confirmed issues, with the first seventy now known.

First look at new Star Trek Mega Bloks

At the recent Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, CBS put together a very impressive display showcasing half a century of Star Trek merchandising, ready to gather interest in the franchise ready for next year's fiftieth anniversary.

Among the historical overview, the leading edge including something we've not seen before, the first look at the new Mega Bloks Star Trek construction toys, as seen in the form of a particularly impressive (if you can see past the misaligned nacelle struts) model of the original USS Enterprise (image via Collider):

There's not yet been any information on what the Mega Bloks range will include, so this could just be a display piece (although it would be out of context with the rest of the exhibit, which is all real products). If it is the first look at an actual set, I would suspect it will be one of the higher end sets, as this is pretty big as construction toys go.

If you look towards the front of the display you can also see some of the Mega Bloks figurines. On display are all the main TOS crew, plus two versions of a TOS Klingon (one look to be transporter-style transparent), and two mirror universe characters.

Continue after the jump for a look at the rest of the Star Trek display from the Licensing Expo:

USS Defiant in the SDCC interphase

Diamond Select Toys have announced their San Diego Comic Con exclusives, which include a new variant in their range of model starships. Available in an edition of two-hundred at the convention in July will be the USS Defiant NCC-1764, made in a translucent green plastic to give Defiant an otherworldly look as if it is in the interphase, from The Tholian Web.

Like the previous convention exclusive cloaked Klingon bird of prey, this particular edition will not feature the electronic light and sound features from the standard USS Enterprise model (as you'd be able to see all the wires). More after the jump:

Yet more Green Lantern crossover covers!

Still not spotting the cover you want for the first issue of The Spectrum War, the nuTrek/Green Lantern crossover comic series? Well you're in luck! Bleeding Cool have posted lots of covers from the series, revealing a further five designs, three new variants of previously seen designs, plus the final form of some previously seen artwork. On top of that they announced Gamestop and ThinkGeek are also due to have exclusive covers.

All together (so far!), that brings the total to twenty-six different covers, almost three times as many as first issue of The Primate Directive (the Planet of the Apes crossover), which previously held the record for most covers for any Star Trek comic! Continue below to check out all the new designs:

Five wobbling captains

Entertainment Earth have announced another Star Trek exclusive from Bif Bang Pow, which will be available at the San Diego Comic Con in July. A limited edition of one-thousand units, on offer will be a set of five Monitor Mate bobble-heads, representing each of the prime-reality Star Trek captains, in their captain's chairs.

This set of bobble heads is the second Star Trek offering in Entertainment Earth's range of Comic Con exclusives, joining the previously announced wobbling-whales. Both products are available for pre-order online, but those orders are subject to there being left-over stop after Comic Con.

Green Lantern crossover goes cover crazy!

The first issue of The Spectrum War, the nuTrek/Green Lantern crossover comic series, already had more covers on that way than any Star Trek comic ever published, and now StarTrek.com have announced six more retail and convention exclusive covers, bring the total number of covers for the first issue up to sixteen! Continue below to check them all out!

Search For Spock phaser preview

Diamond Select Toys have released a new video to demonstrate the light and sound features on their latest Star Trek toy prop, the forthcoming The Search For Spock phaser. As the video shows you can set the phaser to four different beam settings, plus overload, and to make sure you don't accidentally shoot someone there's even a safety lock!



Continue below for a look at the packaging (as posted on the DST Facebook page recently):

Justin Lin declares his trekkie credentials

Anyone worried that Justin Lin, director of Star Trek Beyond, didn't have a trekkie leg to stand on, having come to this franchise after a multi-movie stint working on Fast and Furious films, should have their fears allayed by a recent interview with Lin from Deadline. He discussed his life long affinity for Trek, and perhaps most interestingly, in contrast to J.J. Abrams' declared preferences, makes clear how that is distinct from being s Star Wars fan:

I thought about how much a part of my life Star Trek was. Growing up, my parents had this little fish and chips restaurant in Anaheim in the shadows of Disneyland, and they didn’t close until 9 PM. As a family, we didn’t eat dinner until 10 PM, and we would watch the original Star Trek every night at 11. My dad worked 364 days a year, only took Thanksgiving off, and from age 8 to 18, the only time I could hang out with my parents was by staying late. And every night, it was Star Trek on Channel 13 in L.A. That was my childhood. All my friends were Star Wars kids but I didn’t go to the movies, so I was the Star Trek kid. Thinking about this, it became a very personal and very emotional decision.

Lin also talked a little about the direction the new film will be going, emphasising as others have before the five-year-mission setting:

As great as JJ’s films were, there’s still a lot to be mined from these characters. They haven’t really gone on their five-year mission, so what we experienced in the TV show hasn’t been touched on yet. That sets up an opportunity for exploration and the deeper you go, the more you are examining humanity. Those are the things that I absorbed as a kid and hope to tap into and embrace and celebrate. By the time this movie comes out, Star Trek will have been around for 50 years.

It’s all new and fresh. The Klingons, Romulans and other species are great, but it’s time to go further. It has been fun to focus on creating whole new worlds and species.

You can read the full interview on Deadline. Meanwhile Star Trek Beyond is set to start shooting this month, starting a year long dash to release next July. To keep track of all the news about the film, visit my Star Trek Beyond guide page.

Starships Collection's shuttlecraft, Enterprise, Insurrection, and TOS remastered

Lots of updates from The Official Starships Collection, including new previews of the USS Enterprise, and news of ships from Insurrection and TOS remastered. But first, here's the latest preview, tweeted by The Collection's manager, Ben Robinson, of some of the shuttlecraft models, including the first looks at the lovely Type 6 and Type 9 models!

These three, along with the type 10, will be making their way to people who opted into the premium subscription model in the mostly recently launched European markets for The Collection. They are due to be released in other parts of the world too, but by as-yet undetermined means. You can see lots more picture of the Galileo in a previous report.

Meanwhile the mothership is incoming; it's just over a month until issue fifty, the original USS Enterprise makes it's debut in the UK. Eaglemoss' Hero Collector website has released several new images, giving us a closer look at the model. Continue below for more of the Enterprise, and news of other ships coming up in the series.