Lower Decks 1x08: Veritas previews, and other updates from the series

This week brings the eighth episode of Lower Decks, Veritas. As usual CBS have released a trailer and selection of images to tease of things to come. Continue below to check out those, plus other updates from the series.

Here's the blurb and trailer for the new episode:

Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford are caught off guard when aliens force them to testify about a series of seemingly unrelated events.

Star Trek Tubbz duck figurines from Numskull

Remember that episode with the alternate timeline where the crew of the USS Enterprise are all ducks... Well, even if that was a crazy dream, Numskull have now brought it to life in a range of Star Trek figurines in their Tubbz range, which reinterprets characters from various video games, TV series and movies into something resembling a classic rubber duck, in cosplay.

Disappointingly it appears they do not properly float as you might expect such duck-formed characters to do so - So no boldly taking take them on strange new bathtime adventures. They are though quite characterful; who knew you could get such individuality into the face of a rubber duck!

This Star Trek wave in the range includes four TOS characters, Captain Kirk, Spock, Doctor McCoy, and Uhura. Continue below to check them out.

IDW's Star Trek comics for December, latest Graphic Novel Collection titles, and more.

IDW and Eaglemoss have announced the latest new Star Trek comic titles, including two new books on the way from IDW in December, and four more issues of the Graphic Novel Collection reprints series. Continue below for all the details of those, and other Star Trek comics news.

December will see the continuation of IDW's TOS maxiseries Year Five, with the start of a new story arc, On the Death of a Friend, in issue 18. This will be written by Jim McCann, with art by Angel Hernandez. Here's the blurb:

The Enterprise receives a distress call from Alpha Centauri and arrives to find a planet in the midst of a deadly global pandemic. But is nature responsible for this new virus, or is there something more sinister at play? The final voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise continue in this new episode from Eisner-winning writer Jim McCann (Return of the Dapper Men) and superstar artist Angel Hernandez (Star Trek: Picard)!

The regular cover team returns with the usual options of two covers for this series, both featuring Doctor McCoy. There's either the main cover by Stephen Thompson with some cool sciencey visuals, or the rarer retail incentive retro-movie-poster-style piece by J.J. Lendl, with a bit more of a mad scientist look - The latter also features a black cat, surely indicating another appearance in the series from Gary Seven and Isis?

Lower Decks 1x07: Much Ado About Boimler previews, and other series updates

This week's seventh episode of Lower Decks is Much Ado About Boimler, which as ever CBS have previewed with a trailer and stills. Check them out below, plus other updates from the series.

Here's the blurb for the new episode:

Mariner tries to impress her best friend from Starfleet Academy who is now a visiting Captain. Boimler is sent to a Starfleet medical ship after a transporter accident puts him “out of phase.”

And here's the trailer, via Nación Trek's YouTube upload (also on StarTrek.com if you prefer):

Cute Star Trek character emoji stickers for every series

For Star Trek Day last week CBS revealed a range of Star Trek emojis, featuring one character for each series in the Star Trek Universe so far. You can see them in action here:

Are those #StarTrek themed hashtag emojis we see?!#StarTrekTOS #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekENT #StarTrekDiscovery #StarTrekPicard #StarTrekLowerDecks #StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds

Happy #StarTrekDay 🖖

— Star Trek (@StarTrek) September 8, 2020

And to celebrate these cute new takes on Star Trek characters, CBS have also made the emojis available as giant sized stickers via the Star Trek Shop. My personal favourite of the bunch is Mariner, representing Lower Decks.

FanSets reveal their Lower Decks crew, and other new pins

Star Trek collectable pin makers FanSets have revealed the first of their Lower Decks pins, with no less than the entire main cast getting a simultaneous release! Continue below to check them out, and for updates on other new and forthcoming pins.

For Lower Decks FanSets have released all the main characters - The four ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford, and the senior officers Freeman, Ransom, T'Ana, and Shaxs - available individually, or as a set.

Unlike the majority of FanSets character releases, these have not been rendered in FanSets' signature style, but instead retain the original look from the animated series. Which makes me kind of want them to now go back and redo all the other characters from the other series in the Lower Decks style!

Picard's Inquiry class comes to Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online's latest ship has joined the game: From Picard, comes the Inquiry class, as seen in the fleet commanded by Riker in the final episode of season one.

The ship's design is very similar to STO's existing Avenger class, and so has been included in that family of ship variants in the game. Here's how STO describe it's in-universe position:

Initially coming to fame in 2399, with the actions of the USS Zheng He over the planet Coppelius, the Inquiry Class was Starfleet’s most powerful ship for many years. The initial designs and technical breakthroughs of the ship were later used as the starting point for the Avenger-class project. Engineers at Utopia Planetia felt the time was right for another update to the Avenger line, and decided to return to the classic form, and name, of the Inquiry class.

The modern Inquiry Battlecruiser, like other ships of its lineage, are aggressive ships, designed to charge into head-on confrontations and come out unscathed. To further these goals, it comes equipped with a Variable Assault Deflector Array to ensure that it can come out swinging and shrug off any retaliation. This is further tied into its Cruiser Commands, to ensure that its team is as prepared as possible to follow it in its charge. Its sturdy construction and forward-facing weapons mountings round out the package, make it an intimidating sight to be staring down at. Those on the business end of an Inquiry often find their goals rapidly aligning with the Federation’s peaceful ideals.

Year Five #14: Guide of Fire, part 2 preview

Out this week is issue 14 of IDW's TOS: Year Five comic, part-two of the Klingon-focused story Guide of Fire.

The book features some spectacularly dynamic artwork from Angel Hernandez, with lots of reds from colourist Fran Gamboa, and a story that pays off almost every TOS Klingon episode, from writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, who once again deliver another compelling chapter in what is easily one of the best Star Trek comic series ever written.

The usual cover artists for the series give us two cover options. Either the main cover by Stephen Thompson and colourist Charlie Kirchoff, featuring a bloodied Kirk. Or the retail incentive cover from JJ Lendl, the latest in their travel poster series, inviting you to visit the Klingon Empire, or to wait for their invasion to bring it to you!

Continue below to check out those, a five page preview from the book, and details of the latest omnibus from the series.

Lower Decks 1x06: Terminal Provocations previews, and other series updates

This week's new episode of Lower Decks is Terminal Provocations, and as usual CBS have released preview images and a trailer to tempt. Continue below to check them out, plus a round-up of other Lower Decks updates.

First up the new trailer, which as ever Nación Trek have been good enough to get onto YouTube (also on StarTrek.com if you prefer):

Star Trek Day brings new trailers for Discovery and Lower Decks, and much more

Yesterday's "Star Trek Day", to mark the 54th anniversary of Star Trek, brought together actors and creators from across the franchise in a series of virtual panels hosted on StarTrek.com. That included discussion and previews of currently in-production series, and a look back at older series. Continue below to check out all the new trailers and artwork, and for links to all the panels.

Discovery, with it's third season just weeks away, got the most out of the day, with a new trailer, poster, logo, and even a cat!  So first up, check out the trailer, for all kinds of exciting hints of things to come, and the backstory of, Discovery's new far future setting (check it out on StarTrek.com if you're geolocked out of YouTube):

Discovery to introduce Star Trek's first major transgender and non-binary characters. Plus other Trek-TV updates

Discovery, a show that has already pushed Star Trek's representation forward by several lightyears with it's diverse cast of characters, is continuing it's efforts of showing how truly diverse and inclusive Star Trek can be, by introducing the franchise's first regular transgender and non-binary characters.

Continue below for details of these two new characters, plus other updates on the many Star Trek shows currently in production and development.

Ian Alexander, an Asian-American transgender actor know for his role in The OA, will play a Trill character called Gray. Here's how CBS describe him:

Gray is empathetic, warm and eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host, but he will have to adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn.

Blu del Barrio, who seems to be British, is taking on their first major role here, and will play the non-binary character Adira. And here's how CBS describe them:

Adira is highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years. They will find a new home on the U.S.S. Discovery and form an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz). 

Lower Decks 1x05: Cupid's Errant Arrow previews, and other series updates

This week's new episode of Lower Decks will be Cupid's Errant Arrow. As usual CBS have released a trailer and preview images. Continue below to check out those, plus a round-up of the latest other updates from the series.

Here's the blurb for the new episode:

Mariner is suspicious of Boimler’s new girlfriend. Tendi and Rutherford grow jealous of a bigger starship’s gear.

And here's the trailer, which as ever Nación Trek have been good enough to get up onto YoutTube: