Discovery: Away Mission VR experience on the way from Sandbox VR

Sandbox VR have announced a new Star Trek: Discovery virtual reality experience, Away Mission, which they are taking great delight in promoting as a holodeck experience.

The game promises to make you, and a group of friends, part of the crew of the Discovery, exploring the ship, working with the crew, and playing with Disco tech. Here's how they describe it:

The Star Trek: Discovery Away Mission warps you and your crew aboard the U.S.S. Discovery where you'll be guided by Starfleet officer Sylvia Tilly. Your mission is to investigate a distress signal from a lost spaceship. Gear up on phasers and tricorders, explore an ice moon and locate the spaceship.

And here's a trailer, which riffs on the Discovery opening credits, while detailing what the experience will offer:

Eaglemoss Starship book previews: Voyager book coming, Disco cutaway and concept art, and more!

Lots of previews of forthcoming Eaglemoss starships books today. Continue below for the latest Designing Starships and Shipyards books. But first, let's get up to date on the Illustrated Handbook series.

The series began recently with a book focusing on the Enterprise-D, with content mostly previously published in the long out of print Star Trek Fact Files, including numerous gorgeous cutaway diagrams and other illustrations covering every aspect of the ship, equipment, and uniforms.

The second book discussed below is on the way soon, and now Eaglemoss have announced a third. Due out in April is the USS Voyager NCC-74656 Illustrated Handbook. Like other Eaglemoss releases, this will be offered on it's own, or packed with an Eaglemoss starship model, Voyager of course. There's no cover art yet, but here's the blurb:

Captain Kathryn Janeway's Starship Voyager! Lavishly illustrated with detailed technical information, this third volume in the Illustrated Handbook series features the U.S.S. Voyager from the hit Star Trek TV series.

This book is an in-depth, illustrated account of the Intrepid-class U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656. Showing Captain Janeway's 24th century ship in detail, it opens with the ship's operational history and features illustrations of all the key locations from the bridge to the shuttlebay; the deflector relay control room to the stasis chamber.

With illustrations and technical information from official sources, this book provides an extraordinary reference guide to this iconic ship.

Meanwhile coming in October is the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and 1701-A Illustrated Handbook. Covering every prime timeline iteration of the original Enterprise, this book has some very exciting brand new content too, with coverage of the Discovery version of the Enterprise, nestled between the classic Pike era design, and the Kirk era version. Continue below to check out the Disco-Enterprise cutaway bridge, uniform and equipment diagrams, and more, as well as look at the classic content.

These new previews come via Amazon; see my previous report for even more preview pages, including the complete contents listing for the book.:

Star Trek Wines brings us real Chateau Picard

Wines that Rock have launched a new Star Trek Wines range, with two Star Trek themed wines at launch, including a pretty cool twist on Star Trek theming: A Chateau Picard wine bottled at the actual real Chateau Picard in Bordeaux, France. Continue below for the details.

Book bits: Kirk Fu cover, Enterprise War excerpt, and more

Got a few book bits today, including new covers and excerpts from several books. Continue below to check them out:

First up, we have the long awaited cover reveal for Insight Edition's forthcoming Kirk Fu Manual. This guide to "Starfleet's most feared martial art" is written by Dayton Ward (of course), with illustrations by Christian Cornia. It's been pushed back in the schedule from the original planned release, so you've got until March next year before you can start preparing yourself for self defense Kirk style:

The Motion Picture returning to cinemas and maybe a home video upgrade too

This year is the 40th anniversary of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and there's already plenty in the planning to celebrate. We already knew about plans to reprint Gene Roddenberry's novelisation of the film, and an audiobook edition to match. And now there's news about the film itself coming back to screens big and small:

This September, on the 15th and 18th, Fathom Events will be bring the film back to (select) cinemas in the US - The first nationwide release since the original December 1979 showings. The film will be preceded by a behind the scenes featurette, The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture, which comes from a previous bluray release. Tickets will be available from August 2nd on Fathom's website.

New Picard themed bluray collection to include brand new comic

CBS have announced a new bluray collection, Star Trek: Picard Movie and TV Collection. The set is due for release in October, ready to serve as a primer for the new Picard series of course.

The six-disc collection includes all four TNG movies (Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis) and two two-part episodes, each presented as a single movie-length edit, The Best of Both Worlds and Chain of Command.

However rather more tempting than any of that is that the set also includes an exclusive new comic! Continue below for all the details of that.

Star Trek Cats statues from Bradford Exchange

Not long ago Chronicle Collectables announced a new range of sculptures based on the Star Trek Cats series, but it turns out their not the only ones in the business for statuesque cats, as Bradford Exchange launched its own range back in March!

Like Chronicle, Bradford are mining TOS, with releases as part of their The Hamilton Collection range of collectable sculptures. Like many of Bradford's lines, the series comes as a subscription. So far four character have been revealed in the collection, called Space Cat Crusaders: Cat-tain Kirk, Mist-purr Spock, Lieutenant Uh-purr-a, and Doc-purr McCoy.

IDW's Star Trek comics for October

IDW have released their solicitations for October, which include three new Star Trek comics. Continue below for all the details of those, and other Star Trek comics updates:

Aftermath #3
Writtern by Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson, with art by Tony Shasteen.

You saw the stunning conclusion of the second season of Star Trek: Discovery—now prepare yourselves for the ending of the Aftermath! With the fragile peace between the Klingons and the Federation hanging by a thread, Spock, Captain Pike, and Chancellor L’Rell make a last stand against the forces threatening to ignite a new galactic war!

This will be offered in two covers, with the A cover coming from Angel Hernandez. A photo cover (not yet released) will be offered as a retail incentive:

First starship model reveal from Picard is... a PC!

Cherry Tree, makers of Borg Cube PCs have teased a forthcoming Picard tie-in release, the first model ship so far seen from the series. Due to be exhibited at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention is the Star Trek: Picard Borg Cube ATX Limited Collectors Edition - Which one assumes is a new version of their larger Borg Cube PC model.

They've shared a couple of pictures of the finishing touches being put to what is now a familiar Borg Cube variation seen in the Picard trailer, giving us a slightly closer look at the new variant design -Is it battle damaged? Is that a baby Borg Cube about to pop out the corner? Is it a Star Trek Armada II style Fusion Cube? (Ok probably not the last one) Who knows! But hopefully we'll at least get a better look from all sides when it arrives at the convention.

Round 2 Model's Discovery model kit updates, and many reissues

Round 2 Models are zipping through their promised collection of Discovery starship model kits, with two already out, and a third coming soon. Continue below to check them all out, as well as details of reissues of Round 2 and Revell ships from other series:

The third Discovery kit will be the USS Enterprise, which like the previous Disco kits will be a 1:2500 scale model. The new box art for this has just started showing up with retailers; Entertainment Earth are expecting it as soon as next month!

Stick-upz expand line with life size characters, and Enterprise and Section 31 designs

Star Trek sticker makers Stick-Upz have expanded their range of Discovery stickers with several new releases.

Back in January they launched with a USS Discovery themed set of stickers, and have now added an Enterprise set with a similar mix of characters, ships, and emblems:

Tribbles get an upgrade, now app-enabled and interactive

Tribbles just got an upgrade. The little balls of fluff have been available for years, including ones that makes sounds and vibrate. But now Science Division have bred the next generation of tribbles, with interactive features enabled via a mobile app!

Here's how Science Division describe the new tribble's abilities:

Download the Section K-7 app to change your Tribble's mode, and to make it scream at your friends by alerting your Tribble that the person holding it is a Klingon. You don't need the app to change your Tribble's mode. Use the mode button on your Tribble, to interact without the app.

Science Division Tribbles have three modes:

At Ease: Your Tribble is not searching for Klingons. It will trill to acknowledge you when you interact with it. It will also trill on its own without being picked up because, well, it's a Tribble. When left alone, your Tribble will continue to trill, but will do so less frequently to avoid irritating its human companion.

On Duty: Your Tribble will begin actively seeking Klingon agents. Pass it around to determine who is an ally, and who is an enemy among us. It will trill when it meets a friend, but it will scream if it detects a Klingon!

Watchdog: If you must leave personal items unattended, set your Tribble on top of the object that you wish to protect. If a Klingon agent attempts to retrieve that object, your Tribble will alert you with a scream!

The Q Conflict #6 covers and preview

Out this week is the sixth and final issue in IDW's series-spanning crossover The Q Conflict, IDW's big multi-series crossover event. In IDW's long history of exotic crossovers, just bringing together the various Star Trek crews has managed to be one of the strangest so far; and this finale only takes that further, with among other things, armies of Mugatu, living chess topiary, and a horse! All that comes from writers Scott and David Tipton, with David Messina and Elisabetta D’Amico on art duties.

The covers for this issue come from the usual gang for the series: David Messina (and colourist Alessandra Alexakis) provide both the A and B covers, forming a diptych featuring the series captain's and the the gaggle of omnipotent beings that cause them strife in this story. Meanwhile George Caltsoudas final retail incentive cover for the series also features the captains, and their ships.

Continue below to check out all the covers, and a five page preview.

QMx reveal Chekov 1:6 scale action figure

QMx have revealed the latest character to join their range of 1:6 scale Star Trek action figures, in a display at the San Diego Comic Con this weekend. Almost completing the main TOS crew (with Uhura still to come) we have our first look at Mr Chekov (images via the QMx Twitter):

New official Star Trek podcast on the way

Nestled among yesterday's exciting updates on forthcoming Star Trek TV projects was a brief mention of another new Star Trek venture, an official podcast, which will be called Prime Directive: The Official Star Trek Podcast.

The podcast will be co-hosted by Tawny Newsome, a podcaster (Yo, Is This Racist?), comedian and actor (Brockmire, The Comedy Get Down, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$), and musician, and surely most importantly, the voice of Ensign Beckett Mariner in the new animated series Lower Decks. The other host has not yet been announced.

StarTrek.com gave this summary of what to expect:

With unparalleled access to Star Trek luminaries and behind-the-scenes creative professionals, this official podcast will take a smart, witty and thoughtful look at all things “Trek”– both old and new. Offering a high-level discussion of the themes, ideas and characters that resonate across the history of the franchise’s storied universe, episodes will also explore the brand’s 50-plus year legacy and influence in an accessible and inclusive way for dedicated and casual Star Trek fans alike.

Each episode features an in-depth personal interview with a notable guest, coverage of a Star Trek event, or a discussion of a specific topic with one or more guests. Listeners will also be able to hear updates about new projects and take part in a regular quiz segment. Guests will include the cast and creative teams behind upcoming, current and legacy projects, as well as noted writers, performers, critics, scientists, musicians, historians and scholars – all offering fresh perspectives as the franchise continues to expand with a range of new projects.

Picard trailer is here to blow your mind

CBS revealed a bunch of very exciting surprises about Picard at the San Diego Comic Con today, with the release of a new trailer that brings us more familiar faces that we might have hoped for, and sets the scenes for a whole new Trek. Check it out (on Instagram is geolocked YouTube fails you):

Short Treks and Discovery season 3 previews

At the San Diego Comic Con today CBS announced a whole bunch of new Short Treks episodes, and revealed some new bits regarding Discovery season three. Continue below for more:

First up, without spoiling anything, check out this awesome trailer for forthcoming Short Treks (also on Instagram if geolocked YouTube lets you down):

Lower Decks characters revealed

CBS have given us our first look at the characters from the forthcoming new animated comedy Star Trek series, Lower Decks. The first season has been confirmed as being ten episodes long, and starting in 2020. Continue below to check them all out:

Revealed at the San Diego Comic Con today, and as previously hinted, the series will focus on a group of lower rank crew members working in the background on a "not important starship". The main characters will be a group of four ensigns aboard the California class USS Cerritos (a new and as yet unseen design), a Starfleet support ship:

Star Trek homewares round-up: Bottle stoppers and openers, stationary, and soap!

Got a gaggle of Star Trek stuff for practical and decorative use at home today, including pop-up cards, coasters, and even soap! But first, a whole new range of drink-accessories.

Revealed at this week's San Diego Comic Con, Factory Entertainment have been showing off a forthcoming range of Star Trek bottle stoppers and bottle openers. Figures.com got the following pictures. First up, there are two showy starship wine stoppers, the USS Enterprise and a Klingon D7. These, and everything else in this range, are described as "coming soon":

IDW announce mirror universe Voyager comic, and other comics updates

A few comics updates today, starting with a notable new announcement from IDW: The first stand-alone Voyager comic is almost two decades! Coming in October will be Mirrors and Smoke, a mirror universe Voyager one-shot, which will be the first in a new series of mirror universe one-shots, with DS9 and TOS issues to follow later - Presumably these are all in the continuity of IDW's recent series of TNG mirror universe comics.

The Voyager book will be written by Paul Allor with art by IDW's mirror universe specialist and painter extraordinaire J.K. Woodward. Here's a blurb from the press release:

Voyager: Mirrors and Smoke introduces Captain Janeway of the Voyager, a rebel ship stranded in the Delta Quadrant, far from the ruins of the Terran Empire. When Janeway crowns herself Pirate Queen of the Quadrant, the locals – including scavengers Neelix and Kes – won’t give up without a fight. Amid this conflict, the crew of the Voyager has a second problem on their hands: just who is the Terran calling herself Annika Hansen, and can she be trusted?

And here's the first look at the mirror crew on the Woodward cover for the issue:

Mego reveal new Khan action figure, and Spock gift set

Mego have revealed their new Khan action figure, which will be seeking his wrath with the seventh wave of releases from the reborn Mego brand this September. Continue below to check him out, as well as a new Spock gift set, and new images of the latest releases

Khan will be one of three new Star Trek figures in mego's next wave, appropriately joined by Admiral Kirk and Captain Spock - They will be released Separately, but you can order them as a bundle from Entertainment Earth. These will be the first Mego figures outside the TOS TV era in the current run (although DST released a couple of TNG figures when they did Mego figures a few years ago).

Mego Museum released these first look photos of the Khan figure, along with previews of other non-Trek wave seven characters. Kirk and Spock are yet to be seen, although I doubt we'll have long to wait with San Diego Comic Con coming up.

Book bits: Next Discovery novel details, Too Many Tribbles preview, and more

Got a few book updates today, including a look at the new Tribbles book! But first, new book news!

There have been a handful of mystery new books with "Untitled" listings floating about for a few months now, and the first of those just got a title! Due out in December is Dead Endless, the next Discovery novel, which will be written by Dave Galanter. This book will focus on Paul Stamets and the spore drive, and according to Enterprising Individuals, who had a chat with Galanter at the recent Shore Leave convention, Airiam will also get some attention. TrekToday have released the following blurb, via a press release they were sent:

The U.S.S. Discovery’s specialty is using its spore-based hub drive to jump great distances faster than any warp-faring vessel in Starfleet. To do this, Lieutenant Paul Stamets navigates the ship through the recently revealed mycelial network, a subspace domain Discovery can briefly transit but in which it cannot remain. After responding to a startling distress call originating from within the network, the Discovery crew find themselves trapped in an inescapable realm where they will surely perish unless their missing mycelial fuel is found or restored. Is the seemingly-human man found alone and alive inside the network the Starfleet officer he claims to be, or an impostor created by alien intruders who hope to extract themselves from the mycelial plane at the expense of all lives aboard Discovery?

There's no cover yet, but surely it will feature Stamets (and some spores?).

Eaglemoss starship book updates

Eaglemoss' range of starship-related reference books has just had it's latest release, and I've got previews of several other recent and forthcoming releases. Continue below to check the latest from the Illustrated Handbooks, Shipyards, and Designing Starships series.

First up, the latest series from Eaglemoss is the Illustrated Handbooks, which pull together material previously published in the Star Trek Fact Files, a part work magazine long out of print, to give us a detailed and lavishly illustrated guide to all the systems. The second book in that series, due in October, will focus on the original 1701 and the 1701-A, and interestingly that includes brand new content that integrates the Discovery version of the Enterprise into the overall history of the ship

Like previous Eaglemoss releases, the book is also being offered paired with a model ship, and images of that version of the book have now been released, giving us a look at the packaging, as well as a peek inside the book:

Chronicle Collectables' impressive new Enterprise-D model

Chronicle Collectables have announced their latest, and most impressive, Star Trek release to date, a 1:1000 scale model of the USS Enterprise - That's 24 inches long, 19 wide, and 7 tall. The included base adds another 14 inches of height, and features some LCARs art. The windows, warp nacelles, impulse engines, deflector dish, and the base display are all lit too. The model is built from fiberglass, resin, and aluminium, and as you can see below looks pretty impressive (especially when lit up).

If you fancy it, it will set you back just a cent less than £2000. Chronicle Collectibles are taking pre-orders now, with the expectation of delivery in the fourth quarter of this year. Continue below for lots more pictures:

Another giant USS Enterprise-A model for sale!

Remember that huge model of the USS Enterprise-A that was found in a yard sale in Toronto earlier this year? Well it seems that was just the start of a giant USS Enterprise model invasion, as another has sprung up in Richmond Virginia! This one is 13 feet long and features some nice panel line detailing.

This model was apparently previously on display at King's Dominion, an amusement park, where it sat atop an equally huge Starfleet delta stand, which is also included with the model now.

First Discovery season two soundtrack details.

Lakeshore Records records have announced the first details of their forthcoming Discovery Season 2 soundtrack, all composed by series composer Jeff Russo of course. The 39-track album is due for release on the 19th of July, initially digitally, with a vinyl edition to follow (according to /Film, and one assumes CD too, though that's not announced yet). Continue below to check out the cover, track list, and an excerpt:

Star Trek: Year Five #3 covers and preview

Out this week is the third issue of IDW's new TOS comic series, Year Five. While continuing some threads from the opening two-parter, this book kicks of a new arc, featuring a return to Sigma Iota II (of A Piece of the Action), giving us a new take on the aftermath of the crew's original visit there a few years earlier in the TV series. With a new story the creative team has been switched up, with Brandon Easton taking on writing duties and art from Martin Coccolo.

This book is offered in three covers. The main cover comes from Stephen Thompson and colourist Charlie Kirchoff, and features a particularly fed-up Doctor McCoy, along with Kirk and Spock, witnessing the new look Sigma Iota II. The same trio feature on J.J. Lendl's retro poster style retail incentive cover for the issue, which would appear to give us a title for the issue/story, Communication Breakdown!. There's also a photo cover available, featuring Kirk, as a Montreal Comic Con exclusive. Continue below to check out the covers, and a five page preview.