I never like finishing reading a Star Trek comic series and that’s how I felt after finishing Star Trek: The Q-Conflict #6.

Okay – don’t get me wrong; it’s not like I’m attaching the welfare of my emotional well-being to this story, but comics are such a flexible and fluid medium for storytelling that it’s like the story shouldn’t have to end. But, all good things… am I right?

That’s the power of comics. This six-issue mini-series was a lot of fun. Scott and David Tipton really don’t disappoint when it comes to adding to the Star Trek continuity of stories. What was enjoyable about this one was that we had a chance to see the crews from four iterations of Trek work together.

Remember how much fun it was to see Kirk and Picard together in Generations? You get the same type of vibe in this comic, but owing to the extended cast, you get a lot more bang for your buck. There’s no way this could have even been done on television, but that’s comics for you.

The story has come to a head now with the different crews in open conflict with Q and to a lesser extent, Trelane, who has proved to be more of an ally than an adversary to Q in this story. The other immortals are clearly bored with this game despite Q’s insistence that it should continue. The crews have received help from the Traveler and Wesley Crusher and the former human-turned-Q, Amanda Rogers. With their assistance, they are ready to challenge Q and end the conflict.

What’s really challenging about doing a story like this is to properly balance the involvement of all the characters. You need to be able to enjoy the characters for who they were in the television shows in order to provide that degree of Trek authenticity. Throughout the series, I think both Scott and David have managed that quite effectively.

For instance, the focus for each of these series has been traditionally the captain of each ship; in other words, their decisions, their plans, and the way the crew supports them has always made up the bulk of the storylines. In this story, the Tiptons have Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway to all manage. Each of them needs their own time in the spotlight in order for them to have the same sort of bearing as they do in their respective shows or else the characterizations in the comic fail to ring true.

In an earlier issue, we saw Kirk literally ram a shuttlecraft through a Borg bulkhead to accomplish the task that Q set out for them. Completely Kirk, and thoroughly what we would expect from this maverick captain. In this issue, we see Sisko’s personality manifest itself in the tactical way he manages the ground battle against Q’s minions.

It’s very reminiscent of the DS9 episode “Rocks and Shoals,” in which we see Sisko’s tactical prowess pitted against the Jem’Hadar. Janeway shows her calming, supportive nature during the planning session and obviously Picard’s own personal involvement with Q is a fundamental part of this story, the other two captains’ encounters with him notwithstanding.

But the understanding of the supportive characters’ natures is also well-portrayed. When Tom Paris manifests his ideal version of a Q weapon, he rationalizes it to be an epitomal 20^th century weapon, an AK-47, to be precise. Constable Odo refuses to leave Quark behind because if he does, “he’ll steal the ship blind.” Using Dr. Bashir’s genetically-enhanced abilities in combat is another nod of authenticity the Tiptons add to the story, which adds to its enjoyment.

Comics are the perfect, cost-effective and flexible medium for this sort of premise. First of all, it’s an immense cast. The entire crews of four shows are employed in various facets of the story. Secondly, to depict the unpredictably omnipotent antics of Q and to a lesser extent, the other immortals. But this is when a reader appreciates the visual storytelling of artists like David Messina.

Messina acquits himself well in replicating the Napoleonic guards Q has employed before in TNG episodes for the battle sequences in this story. But he also faithfully recreates classic creatures like the Mugato from the Original Series, the Jem’hHadar from Deep Space Nine, and the Borg as other soldier minions in the battle sequences. Then, with a FWASH!, he easily transforms a battlefield to a court-room. There are a lot scene changes in this book and Messina works hard to make them happen.

Speaking of art, the covers are limited in number but excellent. Messina provides the art for the two-part spanning covers ‘A’ and ‘B.’ Q is in the middle of the image with the other immortals surrounding him. They are flanked by the different captains, with Kirk and Janeway on the left-hand side of Cover A and Sisko and Picard on the right in Cover B.

The retailer-incentive cover is provided by George Caltsoudas. I think this is my most favorite of all his works. it’s a wonderfully styled series of side profiles of the four captains with miniature silhouettes of their starships streaking across the page. It’s dynamic and less abstract than he’s done in the past and I have to say, I love it without pause.

Still, with this issue, another one of the Tiptons’ stories has come to an end. They have all the luck: being comic writers and Trek fans, they manage to pitch the most amazingly wild Trek stories that only the comics medium can deliver.

Combining the crews of four iterations of Trek is definitely an exotic premise, but it’s one they know they can deliver owing to the flexibility of the medium and the excitement of the fans who want to see this premise happen.

Of course, the obvious question to ask is: what do they have up their sleeves for the next time? We’ll just have to wait and see!

The post Trek Comics Review: THE Q CONFLICT #6 appeared first on TrekCore.com.

When TrekCore originally reviewed What We Left Behind, we let everyone know that the end credits were legitimately as good as anything in the movie. They were funny and insightful, but most importantly they intelligently highlighted a myriad of topics that ended up on the cutting room floor.

With that in mind then, it is absolutely no surprise that the home video release of the film now includes two hours of deleted scenes and special features that are every bit as entertaining as the brilliant documentary, and well worth your time and gold-pressed latinum.

The bulk of the new features are included in a section of the disc titled “What We Left Out: Deleted Moments” and, when played concurrently, the 17 extra vignettes describing the making of the iconic series are basically a second documentary. The clips total an extra 47 minutes, and are highlighted by “The Toughest Episode,” “Our Friends Behind the Camera,” “Family Tensions” and “One Last Punch.”

Below are brief summaries of each of the fully realized deleted scenes.

The Toughest Episode (3:30)

Brilliantly recounts a brutal location shoot in the heat on “Rocks and Shoals,” with first AD BC Cameron describing what she called “the hardest show I’ve ever done, by far.”

Nog’s Sisko Encounter (2:30)

Aron Eisenberg touchingly remembers the joy of working with Avery Brooks and how he wanted to return on screen everything Brooks gave to his fellow actors.

The Trouble with Onesies (3:47)

The less said about the uncomfortable story told in clip, the better. Stories about pranks on set are all well and good, but honestly the tone on this one is a misfire.

Brotherly Love (1:54)

Armin Shimerman and Max Grodénchik discuss their mutual admiration and recount the oft-heard story about their casting as Quark and Rom.

The Alaimo Way (1 :17)

Some extra introspection from the always animated Marc Alaimo.

Jimmy’s World (3:45)

Some interesting backstory from James Darren on how he got his start in the business.

The Other Changeling (2:25)

Rene Auberjonois fondly recalls working closely with Salome Jens.

The Death of Baseball (1:45)

Ira Steven Behr tells a great story about Michael Piller’s love for baseball, and how he killed it in the 24^th century in his very first script for Star Trek, and how it was his goal to resurrect it at some level on DS9. Pillar’s reaction to both statements? Silence and the same wry, crooked smile. “He killed the thing he loved to get the best job he ever had,” said Behr.

Michael’s Hidden Talent (1:22)

A fun story from Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman telling a story about Michael Piller surprising them in a hotel lobby with his piano skills.

The Gift of Anger (1:51)

A hilarious story from JG Hertzler about an argument between Avery Brooks and Rene Auberjonois on the set of “Far Beyond the Stars.”

Westmore’s Spots (4:50)

Michael Westmore describes the inspiration for his work, including how he designed Jadzia’s spots and Odo’s mask.

The Virgin Door-Opener (1:44)

Want to know more about the automatic doors on Star Trek? Done!

Family Tensions (2:14)

Fascinating story about an on-set argument between Avery Brooks and Rene Auberjonois.

Finding Vic (2:29)

An excellent Vic Fontaine casting discussion between Ira Steven Behr and James Darren.

One Last Punch (2:31)

Stunt coordinator Dennis “Danger” Madalone and Marc Alaimo go into details on the well-known story of when Avery Brooks accidentally punched Alaimo in the face during the fire caves scene from “What We Leave Behind,” the DS9 series finale.

The Fuzzy Tribbles (3:33)

A tight vignette detailing some of visual effects work that went into crafting “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Nothing new here, but great, nonetheless.

Our Friends Behind the Camera (6:00)

One of the highlights of the entire disc, this piece begins as a nice highlight of some of the below-the-line work being done by various line producers (Steve Oster, Robert Della Santina) and assistant directors (BC Cameron, Lou Race), but ends with some good-natured jabs aimed toward prolific Trek director David Livingston.

Livingston served most of his career on Trek in the contrasting positions of supervising producer (responsible for hitting timelines and budgets) and director (a creative role in which budgets aren’t a focus). “Directors should have the conscience of a rattlesnake,” said Livingston. Through the years, if you’ve read through the lines, anytime there has been an interview about Livingston, his co-workers and cast have hardly spoken about him effusively.

In this extended clip we finally get a few candid reactions — softened by 20 years, obviously — about the way in which he approached his two positions single-mindedly and inconsistently based on the job he was serving at that time. “That’s the job. If you get hired for the job, do that job… It’s very schizophrenic. But you have to make the split,” said Livingston, unapologetically.

In addition to the deleted scenes, the release includes several other vignettes and interview features.

An Intro from Ira & the Gang (1:42)

The filmmakers, led by Ira Steven Behr, are sitting around a poker table playing Go Fish (of course) and introduce the special features, revealing that many of them were in the documentary at one point, but for various reasons ended up on the cutting room floor.

A Brief History of DS9 (3:19)

This segment, as revealed by Behr, was initially planned to be part of the opening segment of the documentary, and it’s a mostly by-the-numbers summary of the series, led by university professor and Star Trek fan John Putnam.

The piece, however, is splendidly punctuated by a couple of surprise appearances by “student” Jonathan Frakes, listening to Putnam’s lecture, and at one point declaring, “That’s why you’re the professor, and I’m just a Star Trek icon.” (He also is shown not remembering Michael Dorn’s name, so, yeah, this bonus feature is pretty great.)

More from the Fans (12:39)

One of the strengths of the original documentary release is the inclusion of so many heartfelt testimonials from the fans of Deep Space Nine. These additional outtakes, introduced by De Mello-Folsom, include several passionate fans recounting their love for the series.

The clips add both emotional weight and frivolity to the proceedings, and more than one or two will leave you teary-eyed.

Variety Photo Shoot (1:45)

A short compilation of clips from the 2018 Variety cast photo shoot set to music. The laughs and smiles of your favorite cast members will make you feel like you were a fly on the wall at the reunion.

Filmmaker HD Roundtable (15:21)

This is the same feature that was screened after most of the film’s theatrical showings earlier in the year.

It’s a detailed piece on the process that the filmmakers, including co-director David Zappone and producer Kai De Mello-Folsom, went through in order to piece everything together and maximize their HD output. The piece is dry, but also very informative.

Shout! Studios, who managed distribution and release of the documentary in theaters and on home media, has their own special limited-edition version of the Blu-ray release available from their online store, with a bonus disc which includes two additional features.

A Roundtable Look at Making the Documentary (53:50)

This extended version of the “HD Roundtable” discussed above spends its lengthy running time allowing the production team to discuss the genesis of the documentary, the six years of time it took to put the film together, the massive impact of the fan fundraising campaign, the integration of the “Season 8” writers room footage, and a look back at the participation of so many Deep Space Nine series actors and contributors for the documentary’s interviews.

The longer running time doesn’t necessarily add dynamism to the conversation, but the depth of information included is certainly fascinating.

A Musical Reunion (10:31)

It’s never a bad idea to include a behind-the-scenes vignette on Star Trek’s great musical composers, and this sit down with Kevin Kiner and Dennis McCarthy (the man who composed the famed DS9 theme) is an interesting look at their work and process.

Two composers discuss their mutual admiration and partnership in working on the score for “What We Left Behind,” which includes the fact they weren’t able to use the original DS9 theme over the opening and closing credits because of licensing restrictions, and how McCarthy re-worked it for the documentary.

The composers also go into details on the interesting dichotomy of scoring a documentary that also included elements of a new episode, with the Season 8 clips.

For those who contributed to the Indiegogo fundraiser campaign, the special ‘Backer Edition’ version of the What We Left Behind Blu-ray includes — along with special cover artwork — two additional features exclusive to that release, starting with an informative Technical Info Track which basically serves as a behind-the-scenes text commentary for the documentary.

That version of the disc also includes a section from the Indiegogo Campaign Video Vault with 11 promotional videos shot by Behr’s crew (and including the likes of Jonathan Frakes and Andrew Robinson, among others). The 25 minutes of fun videos created for the fundraising campaign may not be something you thought you needed to see again, but they are a gratifying walk down memory lane for anyone who was part of the documentary’s pitch from the beginning.

The Indiegogo contributor backer disc also includes A Musical Reunion, discussed above.

Regarding the “Season 8 Writer’s Room” story featured throughout the documentary, if there is one thing sorely missing from the extras on this disc, it’s more from that session with the architects of Deep Space Nine.

“Season 8” was expertly woven into the fabric of What We Left Behind, but when you know that the writers met for six hours to hash out their new episode — and only 20 minutes of that discussion is seen in the film — it leaves you longing for more. It would have been nice to see more of the writers’ room process in its entirety, especially when we learn via the technical commentary that elements like a child between Bashir and Ezri were part of the story, but not included.

The overall presentation of the home release is also a success. The main menu on the disc serves up an HD view from Sisko’s desk, with his computer showcasing clips from many a familiar face, and there is even a brief silhouetted glimpse of Ira Steven Behr himself walking through Ops outside Sisko’s door.

On the Indigogo backer disc, the ‘Chapters’ menu contains a beautiful HD look at the mural in Quark’s bar, complete with sound effects from a spinning dabo wheel. The menu in this area is slightly clunky to navigate, but it includes a comprehensive breakdown of 32 different chapters to easily skip to whichever section of DS9’s history you are in the mood for.

Adding even more to the immersive feeling of the disc, the ‘Setup’ menu is an HD ops panel and the ‘Bonus Features’ menu features a zoom across the Defiant bridge and into the viewscreen, in HD, of course.

Overall, as  we said in our original review. What We Left Behind is now the definitive and best Star Trek documentary ever produced, and this home video release of a myriad of special features only adds to its place in the Trek pantheon.

In addition to the the Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase, What We Left Behind is also now available to stream on both Amazon Prime Video and iTunes in the United States — where it is also ready to watch in 4K UHD on compatible devices.

While a physical 4K release of the documentary is not planned at this time, that doesn’t mean we aren’t done talking about the high-def upgrades to the episodic footage — we’re stretching our video-editing muscles as we prepare to get back to our SD-to-HD video comparison series for Deep Space Nine thanks to the new Blu-ray availability… so stay tuned!

Jim Moorhouse is the creator of TrekRanks.com and the TrekRanks Podcast. He can be found living and breathing Trek every day on Twitter at @EnterpriseExtra.

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The post REVIEW: Deleted Scenes, Fan Testimonials and More Fill the WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND Blu-ray Release appeared first on TrekCore.com.

Your miniature Star Trek adventures are about to get villainous, thanks to the latest miniatures from Modiphius! This “Iconic Villains” set for the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game we caught up with earlier this week includes unpainted, 32mm-scale versions of eight iconic Trek adversaries to spice up your tabletop gaming action.

Admittedly, I’ve never painted Modiphius miniatures before, so I was particularly excited to get my hands on this set. Earlier Star Trek Adventures mini sets include the primary crews of the Original Series and The Next Generation, along with Klingon, Romulan, and Borg alien sets — but a set of Trek bad guys all in one box was too interesting to resist.

Each miniature villain — Khan, the Borg Queen, Locutus of Borg, Gul Dukat, android Lore, General Chang, the Gorn, and of course, Judge Q — attached to a sprue, which I appreciate because it makes priming and painting the character and base quite a bit easier.

I personally prefer to prime and paint a mini and the base separately, and while most of these figures didn’t need assembly outside of attaching them to their base, Locutus, Dukat, and the Borg Queen did have arms to attach. With just a few quick flicks of my X-ACTO knife to clean off some flashing and mold lines, I was ready for priming. 

I typically paint miniatures for Dungeons & Dragons, and have dealt with a wide spectrum of quality when it comes to miniatures. I am impressed at how finely detailed these resin minis are — none of the detail work felt muddy at all. You’d think that the Borg characters would be the most complex, but Khan is the mini that impresses me the most because of how detailed his chest and belt are. It’s a great sculpt!

If these minis had been made with the typical economical plastic, they wouldn’t have looked anywhere near this good — but it’s also probably why the price point is slightly higher than similar sets at $49.99 USD.

The first mini I decided to paint was the Gorn captain from “Arena,” because to be honest, most of the other minis intimidated me a bit. Faces are hard enough at 32mm scale, much less iconic faces of real people that you’re trying to replicate, so I figured I’d start with a non-human.

I primed my Gorn using a Krylon matte white spray paint, and then largely used Citadel’s new Contrast paints for the base. I did use some Vallejo paints for some of the detail work on the base, along with some terrain from The Army Painter. 

My only criticism about this Gorn miniature is that the tunic was sculpted to look more like a draped fabric toga, and wasn’t quite screen accurate — that said, the skin of the Gorn had a lot of great texture for the Citadel Contrast paint to settle into, which really helped sell the illusion of this being a scaly creature.

The next miniature I decided to paint was the Next Generation fan-favorite: the antagonistic Q, who has had a slew of great costumes over the years, but comes here in his famed ‘Judge Q’ garb, as seen in “Encounter at Farpoint” and “All Good Things…”.

(Considering this is the “Iconic” villains set, the judge costume was the natural choice!)

I used the same primer and Citadel Contrast line to paint this miniature as well, and then used some Vallejo metallics for the necklace, face, and hands. The hardest part was the face.

Looking back at the episodes, you can see that actor John de Lancie is wearing some pretty heavy makeup at times, and trying to replicate that on this small a scale is not my strong suit. That said, it’s a solid sculpt, and the fact that it actually looks a bit like the actor — despite being so tiny — is impressive. I’ve seen much larger action figures that look less like him.

Finally, I decided to give Gul Dukat from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine a try. There is a lot of texture and detail here, which is perfect for my Contrast paints. They essentially give you a base coat and highlight in one pass. They are a bit thicker than a wash, but thinner than typical paint. The more texture in the mini, the better they seem to work.

The challenge for me here was in getting Captain Sisko’s baseball just right, which the mini holds in his hand in a moment straight out of “The Sacrifice of Angels.” But overall, Dukat proved to be another great sculpt that was relatively easy to paint. 

I’ll eventually work my way through the rest of these miniatures, but I’m quite happy with the ones I’ve painted thus far and am definitely curious to see how far the Star Trek Adventures line of minis will expand.

Have you been using the Star Trek Adventures character figures in your gameplay? If so, what has your experience been like? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Review: STAR TREK ADVENTURES Iconic Villain Miniatures appeared first on TrekCore.com.

Ferengi troublemaker Nog started off on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a bad influence on young Jake Sisko, only to grow into one of the most well-rounded characters on the series — through learning to become a good friend to the station commander’s son, working to convince others that he was more than just a profit-seeking Ferengi, finding his way into Starfleet and eventually struggling to overcome his own personal trauma after a wartime injury.

The TrekCore team was saddened to learn last night that the man behind Nog’s struggles and successes, actor Aron Eisenberg, has passed away at the age of 50, as announced by his wife on social media.

The specifics of Eisenberg’s passing were not made public, but the actor faced a number of medical issues throughout his life. Eisenberg was born with only one kidney, as he explained in a 2018 Facebook post, which required a transplant replacement at the age of 13 — and eventually began to fail, requiring a second transplant which the actor discussed back in 2015.

Eisenberg was a mainstay at Star Trek conventions, where he would often undergo a full costume-and-makeup transformation to go on stage as Lieutenant Nog (the character’s rank at the end Deep Space Nine), and pose for photos with fans in full character.

In recent months, Eisenberg partnered up with his on-screen best friend Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) to revisit episodes of their series on the podcast The 7th Rule, which often included never-heard stories from the Deep Space Nine sets.

Other members of the Star Trek family, including the some of the Ferengi “first family,” shared their reactions to Eisenberg’s passing on social media as the news spread overnight.

Last night, a GoFundMe campaign to help Eisenberg’s family offset the cost of funeral expenses was launched, organized by Megan Elise (wife of Star Trek: Voyager actor Garrett Wang).

The post Actor Aron Eisenberg, DEEP SPACE NINE’s Nog, Dies at 50 appeared first on TrekCore.com.

We’re just a week away from New York Comic Con, the last big convention event of the year here in the United States, and our friends over at Eaglemoss Hero Collector have announced their plans for the October event, including their first convention-exclusive Star Trek product of the year.

Based out of Booth #737 on the Javits Center convention floor, EHC will have a number of models from The Official Starships Collection on sale for the first time for US purchases, including the variant Borg-assimilated USS Voyager from “Scorpion, Part II,” the XL-sized USS Excelsior (as seen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), and the Reman battleship Scimitar which faced off with the crew of the Enterprise-E in Star Trek: Nemesis.

There will also be a special NY Comic Con-exclusive model available only on the show floor this year, a special “cloaked” edition of Captain Sisko’s USS Defiant battleship, produced from a transparent resin material. (We don’t have any product photos yet but we’ll make sure to share them once in hand!)

In addition to the new models arriving in New York City, the team will also be offering a special NYCC-exclusive variant of the recently-published Star Trek: Year Five #6 comic with cover art based upon ECH model photography of the XL-sized USS Enterprise, with imagery by photographer Nils Walter Khan, who will be signing at the Hero Collector booth on Sunday, October 6 alongside Star Trek: Year Five writers Jody Houser, Jackson Lanzing, and Collin Kelly.

On top of all that, Hero Collector will also be hosting a panel for their entire line of products on Thursday, October 3 — at 11AM in Room 1B03 — which will include “special guests” as well as “details on upcoming releases,” according to their announcement.

We’ll bring you all the details from their event, including any new product announcements, as soon as we know them!

Outside of the NY Comic Con floor, Eaglemoss boss Ben Robinson will be having a special presentation and signing on Friday, October 4 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on East 17th Street, where he will be in conversation with Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard production designer Todd Cherniawsky, along with introducing the next round of Eaglemoss Star Trek book publications.

This is a ticketed event which requires a book purchase to attend; the full details and ticket pricing options are available through EventBrite.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for all the latest in Star Trek product news!

The post Hero Collector Announces NY Comic Con STAR TREK Plans, Including Event-Exclusive “Cloaked” USS DEFIANT Model appeared first on TrekCore.com.

This morning at the Birmingham, England Destination Star Trek convention, our friends over at Hero Collector spilled the beans on a whole range of upcoming Trek model products set to debut over the next few months — and here’s an entire breakdown of everything you can look forward to from the Eaglemoss Official Starships Collection as we move into 2020!

After sharing their plans for a number of additional ships back at the August Star Trek Las Vegas convention, the Hero Collector team today unveiled a first look at over two dozen new models on the way, from the standard subscriber-sized ships to the larger XL Starships collection, and more in between.

Some of the newly-announced models were on display as early prototypes at the convention, where our correspondent Ronan O’Flaherty managed to get some in-person photography for today’s report.

Hero Collector 'Official Starships' Preview - Destination Birmingham

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Starting off, we got our first look at the next text releases from the smaller subscription-sized line of models, covering many eras of Star Trek television. First is the Tamarian Cruiser (#166) from The Next Generation’s “Suddenly Human,” followed by the Axanar Cargo Vessel (#167) from Enterprise’s “Fight or Flight,” a Suliban Freighter (#168) from “Future Tense,” and Kes’s shuttle (#169) from her return to Voyager in “Fury.”

Staying in the Delta Quadrant, we’re also getting the Tsunkatse Arena Ship (#170) from the Voyager episode of the same name, followed by a Denobulan Medical Ship (#171) seen in “Cold Station 12,” the Xindi Insectoid Fighter (#172) from Enterprise Season 3, and the Arcos freighter (#173) from TNG’s “Legacy.”

Rounding out the subscription announcements is the very first ship seen in Star Trek: Enterprise, young Jonathan Archer’s toy ship (#174) from “Broken Bow,” and finally, the Pakled freighter Mondor (#175) from TNG’s “Samaritan Snare.”

The line was extended to 180 ships in total back in August — leaving five models yet to be announced — and today, it was confirmed by the Hero Collector team that #180 will be the final entry in the subscription line, with no further extensions expected.

Hero Collector 'Bonus Ships' Preview - Destination Birmingham

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Six more entries to the “bonus” model release line have also been revealed this weekend, starting with the SS Conestoga (Bonus #20) from Enterprise’s “Terra Nova,” designer John Eaves’ Enterprise-era Klingon D4 cruiser concept ship (Bonus #21), a Cardassian weapons platform (Bonus #22) from the final season of Deep Space Nine, and the 21st Century space probe Friendship 1 (Bonus #23) from Voyager’s similarly-titled “Friendship One.”

The Original Series era hasn’t been forgotten, as the “upside down” USS Reliant concept (Bonus #24) arrives next, followed by the first version of the USS Enterprise seen on screen, Captain Pike’s Enterprise (Bonus #25) from “The Cage.”

Hero Collector 'Special Ships' Preview - Destination Birmingham

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We also got a look at three previously-announced “special” releases — and one new one — from today’s panel, starting with the Son’a Flagship (Special #19) from Star Trek: Insurrection, followed by a gold-plated USS Enterprise-D model (Special #20), and the Vulcan Long-Range Shuttle (Special #21) first revealed back in August.

The new special announced today is one that many collectors have been waiting for, the Vulcan lander T’Plana-Hath (Special #22), which brought the contingent of Vulcans to post-World War III Earth in Star Trek: First Contact.

Hero Collector 'XL Starships' Preview - Destination Birmingham

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The large-scale XL Starships line got another set of reveals today, with a few that had been mentioned at New York Comic Con in early October. The Klingon K’t’inga Battle Cruiser (XL #18) from Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the second alien starship in the line, followed by the Universe-class USS Enterprise-J (XL #19) from Enterprise’s “Azati Prime.”

The next two reveals were new announcements, with the first a surprising choice: the three-nacelled “dreadnaught” Enterprise-D (XL #20), seen in the future timeline in TNG’s series finale “All Good Things…,” a ship previously modeled as new-subscriber gifts.

The final XL Starship announced today is the Crossfield-class USS Discovery (XL #21), last seen hurtling 930 years into the future at the end of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2.

As of August, the XL Starships line was only expected to run for 22 issues, so there’s just one last ship left to reveal… and the team announced near the end of their panel that we’ll also be seeing an XL-sized edition of the Walker-class USS Shenzhou in 2020.

Will there be any more XL models in the future? We’ll have to wait and see.

Hero Collector 'Discovery' Preview - Destination Birmingham

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Speaking of Star Trek: Discovery, we got our first in-person look at some of the upcoming releases inspired by that show, starting with the Section 31 Stealth Ship (DSC #22) and Federation Lander Pod (DSC #23) from this past season, the Klingon DasPu’ class (DSC #24) from Season 1, and the Section 31 drone fighter (DSC #25) from the climactic battle at the end of Season 2.

We’ve known about the second Discovery special for some time — the ISS Charon Terran flagship (DSC Special #2) — but were able to get our first hands-on look at the model thanks to its presence at the Hero Collector show booth.

The next Discovery special, announced for the first time today, is the Section 31 Headquarters space station (DSC Special #3), seen in this season’s “Project Daedalus” episode.

Hero Collector 'Star Trek Online' Preview - Destination Birmingham

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Finally, following August’s announcement of a Star Trek Online model subscription program, the first two ships in that line have been revealed: the Gagarin-class starship (STO #1), followed by the Chimera-class starship (STO #2).

Phew! That is a LOT of new product coming from Hero Collector over the next several months — as always, they’ll be available to fans in the UK first, followed shortly after in the United States — and we’ll continue to bring you reviews of some of these new releases as we get our hands on them!

In the meantime, here are a few in-person videos of some of the new models on display at Destination Star Trek in Birmingham, courtesy of YouTuber IrishTrekkie:

What announcement has you most excited from today’s reveals? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Hero Collector Unveils Next Wave of STAR TREK Models appeared first on TrekCore.com.

It’s with a heavy heart that we share with you today’s sad news that another member of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine family has left us: beloved character actor René Auberjonois, who starred as the acerbic shapeshifter Odo for seven seasons, has died at age 79.

As reported by several trade publications this evening, Auberjonois had been fighting lung cancer for some time and, and the actor passed away on December 8, 2019, at his home in Los Angeles.

Before his time aboard station Deep Space 9, Rene Auberjonois starred as the devious Colonel West in the director’s cut of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and then returned to the franchise in 2002 to guest star in “Oasis” in the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise.

While best known for his on-screen roles in Deep Space Nine, Benson, Boston Legal and others, Auberjonois was also prolific photographer, frequently sharing images from his life and travels on social media, when not attending one of the many fan conventions he would participate in throughout each calendar year.

Married for more than 56 years to his wife Judith, Auberjonois is also survived by two children.

The actor is the second member of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast to pass away, following the tragic death of Nog actor Aron Eisenberg earlier this fall, and is the first regular cast member of a Star Trek television series to pass from the post-Original Series era.

Members of the franchise, along with many others, shared their thoughts on social media:

The post René Auberjonois, DEEP SPACE NINE’s Odo, Dead at 79 appeared first on TrekCore.com.

It’s just a week to go until Star Trek: Picard launches on CBS All Access in the United States, and as the week of premiere events made its way from Los Angeles to London, we took the opportunity to find out how the new series, set past the events of the 2009 Star Trek film, connected to the wider Trek universe.

A year ago, Star Trek: Picard executive producer Alex Kurtzman first revealed that the new series would be heavily influenced by the destruction of Romulus, seen on-screen in the 2009 Star Trek film, which was the launching point of Spock and Nero’s journey into a black hole that dropped them into a whole new universe.

We talked to series executive producer Kurtzman in London yesterday and asked if Spock’s disappearance from the ‘prime timeline’ into the world of Chris Pine’s version of Captain Kirk — known as the Kelvin Timeline — might tie into the Star Trek: Picard storyline.

TREKCORE: So ‘Picard’ is the first follow-up in the prime ‘Star Trek’ universe that’s set after the 2009 film. Will Spock’s attempt to save Romulus be revisited?

ALEX KURTZMAN: Well, if you’re looking at the timeline linearly, he’s already jumped to [the Kelvin Timeline].

TREKCORE: And what does the universe he left behind think of his disappearance?

KURTZMAN: That doesn’t play a part in our story, but that’s a very excellent question. Whether [the Federation] even knows that he’s gone — that’s a question.

Earlier in the week, we asked Kurtzman at the Los Angeles premiere if the story of Star Trek: Discovery might be influenced by the events of Picard, now that the Discovery crew has traveled to the far future — past all previous Star Trek events in the timeline.

TREKCORE: Will the events of ‘Picard’ Season 1 tie in to the ‘Discovery’ Season 3 story at all?

KURTZMAN: No, not right now. We’re talking almost 1,000 years between shows, so no. What I’ll say about ‘Discovery’ is that a lot of things that were planted in previous shows will play out there.

Fellow executive producer Heather Kadin also countered recent commentary framing the expanding Star Trek universe as being similar to the frequent crossover events of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.

Kadin also shared that while production on Discovery Season 3 — and the forthcoming animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks — may be completed by May, both shows are still unscheduled for public release.

One-time Enterprise captain Scott Bakula is still working in the CBS television world, having been solving crimes on NCIS: New Orleans for the past six years, so we had to ask Kurtzman if we might get an opportunity to see Jonathan Archer once more… or any characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, now that Jeri Ryan’s return in Star Trek: Picard is tying the Voyager story into modern production.

KURTZMAN: We don’t have any immediate plans [for Archer], but I would say that all characters in the ‘Star Trek’ universe, if we find a reason to bring them back, we would do it.

[Regarding ‘Deep Space Nine,’] sure, it’s possible. Characters from ‘DS9’ could show up… in a lot of different ways.

Finally, while we’ve all now heard the story about how much convincing it took to bring Patrick Stewart back into the Star Trek fold after two decades away, we wanted to hear the creative team talk about the original genesis of the Star Trek: Picard story — and their answer was one completely unexpected.

Speaking first to series co-creator Kirsten Beyer, the Trek novelist-turned-producer told us how the new series was actually borne out of an idea which would have brought classic Star Trek star Nichelle Nichols back to reprise her role as Uhura — last seen in 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

KIRSTEN BEYER: So, at the very, very beginning, we were talking about ‘Short Treks’ for the first time, and what kind of stories you could tell — and we were actually beginning with an Uhura story, and the idea was that we very much wanted to see we could bring Nichelle [Nichols] back in at this point in time, and then see what kind of stories [Uhura] might tie in to.

And then Patrick’s name came into the mix, and could we get him, would he be interested… so the very first idea was a meeting between Uhura and Picard — a very, very young Picard.

Alex Kurtzman elaborated, briefly, on the story concept they were exploring for Nichols’ return.

KURTZMAN: The original idea was that a young Picard had been called to a hospital where Uhura had a mission for him, and it was related to the Borg.

I’m not going to give any more away, because maybe one day we’ll actually do it! [Laughs]

Uhura is the only member of the Original Series crew to have not been seen after the events of final classic Star Trek film, as all of her TOS co-stars either made guest appearances in later films (Shatner, Nimoy, Doohan, Koenig) or television episodes (Takei, Whitney). DeForest Kelley appeared in the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was filmed years earlier, but was set chronologically later in the Trek timeline.

And though it may seem odd that Uhura could even know about the Borg, the flashbacks in “Dark Frontier” — set nearly eight years before The Next Generation — do establish that the Federation Council was aware of rumors about the cybernetic species, as Seven of Nine’s father notes in that episode… and of course, the rescue of Guinan and the El-Aurians in Star Trek Generations brings their carried knowledge of the Borg to the Federation as well.

While it certainly would have been a delight to see Nichols revisit the role after nearly 30 years away, her impeding retirement from public life likely spells the end of this particular storytelling attempt — but who knows, maybe Kurtzman’s team will find a way to open hailing frequencies one last time before the actor hangs up her communicator.

Star Trek: Picard debuts on CBS All Access on January 23 and will follow internally on Amazon Prime Video starting January 24.

The post EXCLUSIVE: The STAR TREK: PICARD Story Almost Began With… Uhura? Producers Talk TREK Connections appeared first on TrekCore.com.

2019 brought us a series of both highs and lows for fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, from the long-awaited arrival of the What We Left Behind documentary in the spring, to the sad passings of both Aron Eisenberg and Rene Auberjonois, both beloved cast members well-known to Star Trek convention-goers.

2020, however, is already showing signs that the universe is tilting back to the positive side of things for fans of the space station series, as IDW Publishing this week announced an upcoming four-issue comic miniseries centered around the good Constable Odo, Too Long a Sacrifice.

Debuting in April, Too Long a Sacrifice is set during the latter half of the series, while the Dominion War is raging and station Deep Space 9 is on the front lines, and will feature art by illustrator Greg Scott.

“Set during the most difficult hours of the Dominion War, Too Long a Sacrifice shows the station during trying times: a series of mysterious and seemingly unsolvable terrorist attacks just as the war has everyone strained to the breaking point,” said writer David Tipton, joined as always in his writing duties by brother Scott Tipton.

“We’ll get to see the darker side of life on the station as Odo leads the investigation, with increasingly desperate conditions forcing him and others to deal with new and unexpected allies and to use unusual tactics in their efforts to stop the attacks.”

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Too Long a Sacrifice #1 will be available with multiple cover variants in April 2020, including a variant by artists Ricardo Dumond and two variants by J.K. Woodward.

The post Return to STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE in IDW’s Upcoming Odo-Centric Comic, TOO LONG A SACRIFICE appeared first on TrekCore.com.

Introduced in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot episode “Emissary,” as the station’s primary support craft, the Danube-class runabout has joined now joined the ranks of Eaglemoss/Hero Collector’s line of XL Starship models.

Designed to be more durable and versatile craft than the shuttles that preceded them, the runabout was originally designed by Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin, with a miniature built by Toby Meininger. In addition to many appearances in Deep Space Nine, the runabout also appeared in an episode of The Next Generation (“Timeless”) and an episode of Voyager (“Non Sequitur”).

Measuring approximately eight and a half inches in length, the XL-sized USS Orinoco is largely plastic, with the only metal component being a central component that includes the nacelle struts. The cockpit, rear and bottom of the ship, sensor rollbar, and nacelles are all plastic, which makes the model’s weight feel light despite its chunkiness.

This larger-scale model is more or less an identical upscale of the subscription-sized model released back in 2014, so if you’re just looking for a larger version of what might already be in your collection, you’re in luck. But if you were hoping that the higher price point and additional scale would result in more detailing, I’m afraid you will be disappointed.

Given the XL-sized runabout is much larger original release, it’s pretty disappointing that additional detail was not added to this model, particularly given the premium price that the XL Starships line commands.

Most obviously missing from the ship are a number of grid-lines across the entire model. Particularly on the cockpit, which is smooth and largely devoid of detail, the added grid-lines would have made this model significantly more visually interesting than the model we got.

That’s probably why those lines were added to the studio model in the first place; because without them, it’s just a big grey block.

In addition to the missing grid-lines, the model is also missing contouring along the bottom. Flip the runabout upside down, and you won’t find much about this model that attracts your eye. The studio model, on the other hand, had more paneling and contouring to add visual flair.

And the last of the glaring omissions: the runabout is one solid grey color. In examining shots of the studio model, it is clear that the panels were slightly different colors, and that the overall color scheme of the model leaned a bit more into blues than into the matte grey in the Eaglemoss version.

The runabout does not have a particularly interesting shape, especially when compared to the hero Enterprise ships in the collection. And so, in order to make it visually appealing, it needs added details to stand out on your shelf, and to justify the cost. That may have been part of the decision to give us the Orinoco, with the added sensor rollbar, despite most runabouts in the series — like the ever-present Rio Grande — appearing without it.

And if it was the case that the rollbar was added to give the runabout a little something extra, then it is particularly disappointing that they did not go further to add the additional detailing that a model of this size demands.

The runabout’s stand grips tightly around the nacelle struts, and it is well balanced and stable when up on your shelf. No danger of slippage on this one, unlike others in the series (like the Voyager or Enterprise NX-01 models which have bad habits of falling off their stands).

Ultimately while the build quality is fairly solid, the XL-edition runabout model is disappointing. With no added grid-lines, no contouring along the bottom, and no varied paint scheme, this model amounts to just an upsized version of the 2014 model, with its larger size being the only real draw for collectors.

For the price, these models need to be more than just bigger, and Eaglemoss have shown that they are very capable of producing lusciously gorgeous models with plenty of additional details that justify the XL price. This isn’t one of them.

If you do feel like the XL-sized USS Orinico is one you’d like to add to your personal fleet, however, you can order it today for $74.95 in the Hero Collector webshop, or from the UK webshop for £49.99.

Eaglemoss 'XL Starships' -- USS Orinoco Runabout

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Do you already have this model in your collection, or are you planning to pick it up for your own armada? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post REVIEW: Eaglemoss XL — USS Orinoco Runabout Model appeared first on TrekCore.com.

You may have noticed it’s been a bit quiet around these parts, as the last few weeks have moved beyond Star Trek: Picard and into the long, quiet season of social distancing, home quarantine, video chats and general uncertainty about what’s coming next for this crazy world.

(We certainly hope you are all doing as well as can be, but for those of you who have faced challenges and loss in the last few months, please know our thoughts are with you!)

While there’s been a mild bubbling of discussion about the status of Star Trek: Discovery‘s on-the-distant-horizon third season, the truth is that we really don’t know how long it will be until the challenging post-production processes needed to complete the next set of episodes will be finalized, as everyone involved with the show is now working from home — a hurdle that has forced the series to drop from warp speed to impulse power behind the scenes.

As a timeline for the arrival of that series — along with the sometime-in-2020 debut of Star Trek: Lower Decks — remains a question mark, we’ve turned our attention to another major project… one that we’ve been hearing about from many of you for years.

Before we expanded into full-time Star Trek news coverage, product reviews, convention reporting, interviews, and all that other stuff you’ve come to know us for, you knew us best as “that site with all the Star Trek images.” (We know that lots of you still think of us that way, even as our focus and reach has widened over the last decade!)

Like many of you, we’ve taken advantage of all these weeks at home to get back to basics. With that in mind, prepare yourself for The Spring (and Summer) of Star Trek Screencaps!

Starting this month, we’re expanding our Star Trek Blu-ray galleries in a big way, as we not only close out the final season of The Next Generation (we know, we know!), but we’ll be rolling out new Blu-ray screencaps from all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise, images of all the high-definition remastered footage from the 2019 Deep Space Nine documentary…

…and we’ll be charting a new course across the mycelial network to launch our long-awaited Star Trek: Discovery episodic galleries as well, starting with a trip back to “The  Vulcan Hello.”

As we journey ahead, we’ll still keep you up to date with the latest news on the current Star Trek productions, reviews of the new books coming out over the next few months, and all the details on the Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray release hitting stores in June — and we might have a few surprises for our image gallery expansions along the way.

Keep your sensors locked right here for news on every new Star Trek image gallery as they beam down in 2020 — and stay safe, wherever you might be!

Star Trek: DiscoverySeason 1 Blu-ray

Star Trek: DiscoverySeason 2 Blu-ray

Star Trek: Short TreksBlu-ray Collection

The post Spring Site Update: Set Course for STAR TREK Screencaps appeared first on TrekCore.com.

This fall will bring us a number of new Star Trek hardcovers, including the Voyager anniversary books we previewed last week — and today we have a look inside two of this year’s franchise art history publications, The Art of Star Trek: Discovery and The Artistry of Dan Curry!

November brings The Artistry of Dan Curry, a 204-page hardcover tome which will showcase some of the best work of longtime franchise contributor Dan Curry, who worked extensively on The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager (along with a few episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise), earning 19 Emmy Award nominations and wins along the way.

This hardback volume showcasing the diverse work of one of Star Trek’s most talented alumni, Dan Curry, whose contributions to the TV shows and movies include visual effects, practical effects, title design and weaponry.

With more than 50 years of history to its name, Star Trek is one of the world’s most treasured popular culture institutions, and seven-time Emmy award winner Dan Curry is one of its most enduring talents. His amazing contributions have ranged from directing, title design and concept art to practical on-set effects and weapon design. From The Next Generation to Enterprise, Dan’s incredibly diverse Star Trek work has resulted in some of the series’ most memorable moments.

Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry reveals the many and varied techniques used to produce some of the most spectacular visual effects used in the various series, while Dan also goes in-depth to divulge the secrets of some of his own personal favorite creations. This is a book for all Star Trek fans to treasure!

'Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry' Preview Images

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Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry will arrive on November 10 and can be preordered now.

Arriving in December is The Art of Star Trek: Discovery from longtime Trek behind-the-scenes authors Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, chronicling the art design and concept creations from the first two seasons of the CBS All Access series in a 192-page hardcover.

Star Trek: Discovery, the newest chapter in the Star Trek Universe, follows the exploits of Vulcan-raised science officer Michael Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery as they boldly go where no one has gone before.

The Art of Star Trek Discovery explores behind the scenes of CBS’s hit show, with cast and crew interviews, set photography, concept art and storyboards. With exclusive content from the first two seasons, this book is a must-have for every Star Trek fan.

'The Art of Star Trek: Discovery' Preview Images

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Originally scheduled for a mid-2020 release, the book was shifted to a December 22 date due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic — but you can preorder it today so it drops to your door from the mycelial network for Christmas.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek publishing news!

The post Inside Upcoming ART OF STAR TREK: DISCOVERY and ARTISTRY OF DAN CURRY Behind-the-Scenes Books appeared first on TrekCore.com.

After last year’s successful debut, the team from Star Trek Wines returns for another round of vineyard releases this fall — this time leaving planet Earth for the valleys of Qo’noS!

When we last talked to the Star Trek Wines team in August 2019, they were just about to roll out their Star Trek: Picard tie-in debut product from the real Chateau Picard in France, along with a “Federation Special Reserve” Old Vine Zinfandel companion — and this year, the Wines That Rock company has two more bottles for wine fans (and collectors) alike.

The first is a follow-up to last year’s “Federation Special Reserve,” this time a Sauvignon Blanc white, complete with tall rounded bottle and unique angular label meant to call back to the lower section of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Starfeet uniform design.

Enter the next generation of the United Federation of Planets wines, a Sauvignon Blanc, made from north coast California grapes. This exquisite wine offers aromas of tropical fruits and white peach on the nose followed by refreshing crisp citrus flavors finishing with delicious length. Each of the limited-edition bottles are individually numbered.

Designed as a companion to the United Federation of Planets Old Vine Zinfandel, its futuristic round shape and unique label cut were inspired by the Starfleet Delta and are a nod to Star Trek: The Next Generation official issue uniforms.

The bottle’s elegant design and premium wine quality were created as if they were to be served at official United Federation of Planets gatherings including diplomatic banquets, Federation Council meetings, and planetary assemblies. Both Federation wines pay homage to the history and mission of The Federation, a dream that became a reality and spread throughout the galaxy.

The “Federation Special Reserve” Sauvignon Blanc is available for order at a price of $40.

From the far reaches of the Klingon Empire comes the second release for 2020, one that hopefully meets with General Martok’s approval: a special Klingon Bloodwine, produced with help from the Klingon Language Institute and one that’s been in the works for more than a year.

In its quest for authenticity, Wines That Rock enlisted the talents of several of the world’s leading Star Trek and Klingon experts to help make Klingon Bloodwine the real deal – from the bottle selection, Klingon language, wording, design, and a deep dive on Klingon Culture & History.

“We spent a lot of time researching with leaders of the Klingon Assault Group and Klingon Language Institute to get the cultural and historic elements rights. From there, we focused on design elements, including a special silk screen process with a unique mesh texture that gives the bottle a certain gravitas,” said Wines That Rock’s Head of Innovation Craig Spurrier.

“Honoring the ancient methods of the great Klingon vintners, premium Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were used to create this traditional Bloodwine, cultivated to produce strong flavors that glisten a vibrant ruby color in the glass. As a special ‘extra’ for fans, each bottle also features one of four unique corks produced with different Klingon proverbs. Each bottle is then hand filled and expertly wax dipped at E2 Family Winery.”

“I am honored to have been given the opportunity to work with Wines that Rock as they created this fantastic new wine,” said Chris Lipscombe (qurgh lungqIj), Head of the Klingon Assault Group (KAG) and Assistant Director for the Klingon Language Institute (KLI). “Their eagerness to embrace Klingon history and culture during the work was glorious, and I hope every Klingon warrior has the chance to enjoy a bottle of this Bloodwine! ‘IwlIj jachjaj!”

The screen-used “bottles” of Bloodwine seen in Deep Space Nine began their life as motor oil cans, not exactly approved for commercial wine packaging, so the Star Trek Wines team had to come up with a bottle “that Klingons would really want,” as they told us last summer.

If you want to party with warriors of the Empire, you can purchase the Star Trek Wines Klingon Bloodwine now at a price of $50 per bottle.

We were pleasantly surprised to see this line of wines continue for a second year, and with the company’s desire to move into more alien wines like Cardassian kanar and Bajoran springwine, we hope that there will be more to come in 2021!

In the meantime, you can order these two new releases — as well as last year’s first two offerings — at the official StarTrekWines website.

The post STAR TREK WINES Returns with Klingon Bloodwine in 2020 appeared first on TrekCore.com.

If you though this fall wasn’t already packed to the rafters with Star Trek content — from the launch of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the upcoming third season of Star Trek: Discovery, the arrival of Discovery to CBS’s broadcast network, and new books and Voyager releases — then crank up those inertial dampers for an all-day event that’s going to send you to Warp 10!

Next Tuesday is September 8, the anniversary of the classic Star Trek series’ debut — celebrating the first airing of “The Man Trap” on September 8, 1966 — and the unofficial holiday has exploded into a full-fledged franchise fiesta as CBS announces Star Trek Day, a 24-hour celebration of all things Trek.

While there may not have been much news out of the virtual San Diego Comic Con panel back in July, the crew at CBS is more than making up for that disappointing event with a three-and-a-half hour schedule of live interview presentations — covering every Star Trek show from the Original Series through Enterprise, and all of the current CBS All Access shows, of course, as well!

Starting at 3PM ET (12PM PT) and running until 6:30PM ET (3:30PM PT), The Ready Room host Wil Wheaton and cohost Mica Burton (daughter of Next Gen star LeVar Burton) will lead a marathon of cast and crew interview sessions covering every series, surely expected to bring news on Discovery, Lower Decks, the Captain Pike-centric Strange New Worlds, and more.

These panels will be free to watch for all fans worldwide at StarTrek.com/Day.

Of note, the event sets to reunite nearly the entire cast of Star Trek: Enterprise — minus Jolene Blalock, who has not participated in any Trek events (apart from the Enterprise Blu-ray production) in many years, nearly the entire cast of Voyager, and the creative team behind next year’s Strange New Worlds.

• 3PM ET (12PM PT) — STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, with series stars Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala and co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise
• 3:30PM ET (12:30PM PT) — STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, with series stars Terry Farrell, Alexander Siddig, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, Cirroc Lofton and executive producer Ira Steven Behr.
• 4PM ET (1PM PT) — STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, with series stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck; executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers; and co-executive producers Akela Cooper and Davy Perez.
• 4:30PM ET (1:30PM PT) — STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, with series star George Takei and the CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, Rod Roddenberry.
• 5PM ET (2PM PT) — STAR TREK: VOYAGER, with series stars Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Robert McNeill, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ and Ethan Phillips.
• 5:20PM ET (2:20PM PT) — STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, with series stars Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery and Connor Trinneer.
• 5:40PM ET (2:40PM PT) — STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS, with voice cast Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells and Eugene Cordero and series creator, showrunner and executive producer Mike McMahan.
• 6:05PM ET (3:05PM PT) — STAR TREK: PICARD and THE NEXT GENERATION with legendary cast members Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes.

We’ve also confirmed that the livestream programming will be rebroadcast at 12AM ET (9PM PT) in the evening following the day’s programming — and they will be available to watch on demand at the same web address after Star Trek Day concludes.

In addition to the afternoon live panels, fans in the United States will also have access to a 24-hour marathon ‘curated’ Star Trek episodes from every series of the franchise: including Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks — at the same StarTrek.com/Day website.

Presented by CBS All Access — hence the US-only restrictions on the streaming episodes — the site will be streaming episodes of the Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks from 3AM ET (12AM PT) on September 8 for a full 24-hours, pausing only for the live panel interviews.

The schedule will be as follows:

• 3 AM ET / 12 AM PT: Star Trek Day streaming marathon begins
• 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT: Marathon break; Star Trek Day global panels take place
• 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT: Star Trek Day streaming marathon continues
• 12 AM ET / 9 PM PT: Marathon concludes; Star Trek Day global panels replay

If all of that wasn’t enough, the franchise is also expanding their presence online with an additional fundraising drive for racial justice initiatives, new ways for fans to have Star Trek fun on social media, and more.

#STARTREKUNITEDGIVES CAMPAIGN

On Sept. 8, for every person that tweets the hashtag StarTrekUnitedGives (#StarTrekUnitedGives), CBS All Access will donate $1 to organizations who do the real-world work of championing equality, social justice and the pursuit of scientific advancements. Organizations include the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI).

OFFICIAL “STAR TREK” MERCHANDISE FLASH SALE

Running low on your favorite “Star Trek” gear? You’ll have the perfect opportunity to stock up during the official Star Trek Shop’s 24-hour flash sale. Please visit https://shop.startrek.com/ on Sept. 8 to access and learn more about the sale.

DEBUT OF “STAR TREK”-THEMED EMOJIS

Trek-ify your tweets with the addition of “Star Trek”-themed Emoji on Twitter. Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, you will be able to utilize brand-new Emoji featuring your favorite “Star Trek” characters, including Geordi La Forge, Michael Burnham, Jean-Luc Picard and more, on Twitter while you tweet with your fellow “Star Trek” fan family on Star Trek Day and beyond.

GEEKS WHO DRINK “STAR TREK” PUB QUIZ ON TWITCH (4:00 PM, PT/7:00 PM, ET)

Virtually join fellow “Star Trek” fans from all over the world and test your “Star Trek” knowledge during the Geeks Who Drink “Star Trek” Pub Quiz on Twitch.

The quiz can be accessed at: https://www.twitch.tv/geekswhodrinkpubquizzes/

“WHAT STAR TREK MEANS TO ME” SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR FANS

In celebration of the fans that keep the “Star Trek” legacy alive, we want to hear from you! Starting today, fans can share what “Star Trek” means to them by posting stories, pictures and memories across Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag StarTrekStory (#StarTrekStory), for a chance to be featured on the official “Star Trek” platforms.

If that’s not enough to make you want to clear your calendar, we can also tell you that you may want to keep your eyes open for additional Star Trek product announcements set to beam down throughout the day on September 8 — including some exclusive first looks you might just see on this very website!

This year’s Star Trek Day is set to be an at-home convention, and with everything else this year being cancelled or postponed until 2021 (and December’s Star Trek Las Vegas event seeming less and less likely to happen), fans should have plenty to be excited about as next Tuesday’s programming rolls out.

What’s got you the most excited about CBS’s Star Trek Day plans? Tell us what you’re looking forward to in the comments below!

The post Spend September 8 at Warp Speed with 24 Hours of STAR TREK DAY Panels, Programming, and More appeared first on TrekCore.com.

Tuesday, CBS All Access and the official Star Trek website held a multi-hour marathon of livestream interviews with the cast and crew of every live-action Trek series — and Lower Decks, of course — and today you can watch all eight Star Trek Day video events yourself!

Panels for Star Trek: Discovery, Deep Space Nine, Strange New Worlds, The Original Series, Voyager, Enterprise, Lower Decks, Picard, and The Next Generation aired online back-to-back-to-back for three and a half hours on September 8, and below you can watch (or rewatch) them all at your own pace.

Please note that each YouTube presentation seems to be limited to US viewership only, but we’ve included international viewing links to the Star Trek Day official video as well.

Star Trek: Discovery Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: The Original Series Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: Voyager Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: Enterprise Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: Lower Decks Panel (International Link)

Star Trek: Picard + Next Generation Panel (International Link)

This one-day celebration packed a whole weeks’ worth of Star Trek convention events into a single afternoon.

Which of the panels was your favorite, and which do you wish we could have seen more from? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Watch All the STAR TREK DAY Panel Videos Here! appeared first on TrekCore.com.

It’s been relatively quiet on the Star Trek book front the last few months, but today a new announcement from publisher Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster today is introducing a pair of new voices to the Trek novel landscape, each of whom will be revisiting some of the iconic female characters of series past.

Announced today by StarTrek.com writer Swapna Krisha via Syfy FANGRRLS, there will be new books focused on the women of Star Trek: The Next Generation — Deanna Troi and Beverly Crusher — and of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Kira Nerys and Jadzia Dax — are on the way in 2021, and from a pair of writers who are no stranger to published fiction, but new additions to the roster of Star Trek storytellers.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Revenant by Alex R. White will center on Dax and Kira, and Star Trek: The Next Generation — Shadows Have Offended by Cassandra Rose Clark will focus on Deanna Troi and Beverly Crusher (and Worf as well), in a story set during the final season of TNG’s seven-year run.

Here’s the official news release from today’s announcement:

GALLERY BOOKS TO PUBLISH NEW STAR TREK NOVELS BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS ALEX R. WHITE AND CASSANDRA ROSE CLARKE

Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, has acquired two original Star Trek novels by authors Alex R. White and Cassandra Rose Clarke.

These acquisitions mark the addition of two critically acclaimed genre fiction authors to the Star Trek publishing program, bringing new and diverse voices to the roster and book content.

Alex R. White’s (A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe; Alien: The Cold Forge) novel, REVENANT, is based on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and prominently features fan-favorite characters Jadzia Dax and Kira Nerys.

Cassandra Rose Clarke’s (Star’s End) novel, SHADOWS HAVE OFFENDED, is a thrilling standalone novel featuring fan-favorite characters Deanna Troi, Beverly Crusher, and Worf, set in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s epic seventh season.

On the acquisition, senior editor and licensing manager Ed Schlesinger said, “For decades, the Star Trek franchise has been at the forefront of diversity and inclusion, and we’re truly thrilled to be introducing Alex’s and Cassandra’s distinct and acclaimed voices to the ST novel program.”

“Star Trek has always struck me as a universe with a place for everyone: empathetic, intelligent, empowered and vibrant,” White says, “Those stories were there for me when I needed to hear them, and I’m privileged to tell the next set all these years later.”

Clarke echoed White’s affinity for the Star Trek franchise. “I imprinted on The Next Generation at an early age, and it continues to be my favorite Star Trek series to this day. Those characters have been an enormous source of joy, inspiration, and comfort throughout my life, and I am honored to have this chance to send them on a brand new adventure.”

The books will be published with World English rights, in a deal brokered by Connor Goldsmith at Fuse Literary (Alex R. White) and Stacia Decker at Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner (Cassandra Rose Clarke).

While there’s no cover art yet for these upcoming novels — we’ll be sure to share when they’re revealed! — you can preorder TNG: Shadows Have Offended now at Amazon ahead of it’s planned April 2021 release.

The post New STAR TREK Novels Centering on Troi, Crusher, Dax and Kira Announced for 2021 from First-Time Trek Writers appeared first on TrekCore.com.

October has been a big month for fans of the Star Trek Official Starships Collection model series, with a great deal of new announcements for new starships being readied for the ever-growing armada!

Starting off is the biggest news for the long-running model series: with the end of the subscription-level monthly releases at Issue #180 — the Star Trek: First Contact-era Borg Cube — the standalone Star Trek: Discovery subscription series is also coming to a close after its Issue #33…

…and being replaced with a new chapter of The Official Starships Collection, set to feature ships from ALL of the ongoing Star Trek Universe live-action series — Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — set to begin in April 2021.

(Model plans for Star Trek: Lower Decks are still being developed, so not yet included in this new line of ships.)

The first four Star Trek: Picard entries have been officially named, starting of course with the hero ship of the series — Cris Rios’ baby, La Sirena.

The second ship will be the “antique” Romulan Bird of Prey seen in “Absolute Candor,” which got into a scuffle around planet Vashti with La Sirena….

…followed by Seven of Nine’s Fenris Ranger vessel, which was destroyed during that orbital battle in the same episode.

The fourth ship from the Star Trek: Picard lineup will be the Inquiry-class USS Zhang He, “toughest, fastest, most powerful ship Starfleet ever put into service,” which was captained by Will Riker in the season finale, “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2.”

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The larger-scale XL Starships model series is also getting a few more additions, including one many fans of Star Trek: Voyager have been hoping for!

First up is a larger version of the Kelvin Timeline USS Enterprise from the 2009 Star Trek film, first released in a mid-scale special size back in 2014.

Following that is an XL-sized edition of the starship Voyager’s long-range custom support craft, the Borg-infused Delta Flyer! This is one that many fans have been hoping for since the XL Starships line was first announced, and we’re glad to see that the Delta Flyer will be getting the big-sized second edition.

Lastly, for those of you with $200 burning a hole in your pocket, a gold-plated special edition of the XL-sided USS Enterprise-D starship model, a convention special announced as part of the virtual New York Comic Con events earlier this month.

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Finally, there are three more additions to the various lines of Star Trek models coming down the road, starting with the tenth new ship in the Star Trek Online.

The Mogh-class Klingon Battlecruiser, according to Star Trek Online lore, was designed under a team lead by Ambassador Worf, which is why it was named for his father.

Also on the way is a Star Trek: Insurrection special edition model: the giant Son’a Collector spaceship, designed to harvest the special metaphasic radiation from the Ba’ku homeworld — before it was destroyed by the crew of the Enterprise-E at the end of the film.

Finally, the collection will get yet another set of Star Trek shuttlecraft models, adding four more to the growing line of smaller-scale support-craft releases.

The first is the Enterprise-D’s captain’s yacht Calypso, which was set into the underside of the Galaxy-class vessel’s saucer section.

The second is a docking shuttle seen in four episodes of The Next Generation, working in the service of various Federation starbases.

The third is the Spacematic shuttle owned by 23rd century tribble-trader Cyrano Jones, discussed in multiple episodes but only seen as a part of the Deep Space Station K-7 studio model built for “Trials and Tribble-ations.”

The fourth and final model is the Type 9A cargo shuttle, a design introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, assigned to the Enterprise-D.

Stick around for more coverage of the Official Starships Collection as the model line keeps warping into 202!

The post STAR TREK: PICARD Ships Headed to the Official Starships Collection in 2021, More XL and Shuttle Sets Coming Soon appeared first on TrekCore.com.

Last September, Star Trek fans were shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of actor Aron Eisenberg, who played the young Ferengi character Nog for seven years on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

A convention mainstay for two decades, Eisenberg was a fixture in the fandom — many run-of-the-mill fans had fond memories of encountering the enthusiastic fellow at any of the many events he would attend throughout the year, or through online interactions as Star Trek fandom spread to social media.

One of Eisenberg’s most memorable moments in recent years came as part of What We Left Behind, the 2019 Deep Space Nine documentary that looked back on the making of the series — highlighted in this extended clip from the production.

The cast of Deep Space Nine, accompanied by series producer Ira Stephen Behr, paid their respects to Eisenberg — as well as departed Odo actor Rene Auberjonois — during the Star Trek Day livestream events in September 2020.

Last October, during New York Comic Con 2019, a Star Trek fan asked current franchise head honcho Alex Kurtzman about an online petition to honor the Nog character — wearing the rank of captain, as seen in the alternate future depicted in “The Visitor” — and if there was any chance that Star Trek: Discovery might find a way to make Captain Nog part of the new canon being developed for the series.

The discussion takes place at 37:45 in the below video:

Kurtzman commented at the time:

“We saw that petition, and obviously we would love to honor Aron in any way possible — so we will look for every opportunity.”

While some may have taken that diplomatic answer as a kind — but noncommittal — response, now that a year has passed and Discovery Season 3 has finally made it to our television screens, it’s clear that Kurtzman meant just what he said in 2019.

Debuting in “Die Trying,” this week’s new episode of Star Trek: Discovery, we can now get our first glimpse of the USS Nog (NCC-325070), a starship serving the Federation well into the 31st century — meaning the legacy of Nog, the first Ferengi to join the service, lives on more than 800 years after the events of Deep Space Nine.

We reached out to Alex Kurtzman and the team at CBS, who confirmed that this is the fulfillment of his promise made to fans a year ago.

“We promised to honor the legacy of both Nog and the late Aron Eisenberg, and it seemed fitting to name a starship after a character who exemplified the possibility of resilience after a period of darkness.

Hopefully we’ll see more of the USS Nog as it helps Starfleet build a brighter future.”

— ALEX KURTZMAN

Kurtzman’s reference to “resilience after darkness” calls back to Nog’s trying time recovering from losing his leg in the Dominion War (“It’s Only a Paper Moon”), which Eisenberg himself described as an episode that served as inspiration to many military veterans in the Star Trek fan community.

Like Nog after his time in the war, the USS Nog is helping Starfleet through the difficult times after The Burn, centuries after the Ferengi’s time in uniform.

Upon learning about this nod to Nog, we reached out to Eisenberg’s wife, Malíssa Longo, for her reaction to this touching tribute to her late husband and his on-screen alter ego:

“I am thrilled to learn that Nog will be honored in the upcoming episode of ‘Discovery!’ Nog was a trailblazer in DS9. I have no doubt that he would have left a lasting impression on the Federation.

It is beautiful to know that he will be remembered. Nog deserves nothing less. So does our beloved Aron. Captain Nog forever!”

— MALISSA LONGO

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We’ve also confirmed with the team at CBS that the Nog is classified as an Eisenberg-class starship — named after Nog’s real-life counterpart, of course.

While we don’t know if we’ll truly see any more of the USS Nog in future episodes of Star Trek: Discovery — it wasn’t mentioned in dialogue, but received a lovely flyby shot in the opening moments of “Die Trying” — we’re sure there will be plenty of demand for a physical model of the futuristic starship.

It maybe a while until our friends at Eaglemoss’ Official Starships Collection expand their line into ships from Discovery Season 3, but we’re hopeful that fans will have their own chance to bring the USS Nog home at some point in the future.

Order theDS9 Companion

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The post STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Pays Tribute to Aron Eisenberg appeared first on TrekCore.com.

It’s right there in the title: artistry.

Dan Curry quite literally did it all when it came to his behind-the-scenes contributions to the Star Trek franchise, and to describe him as anything other than an artist would not tell the complete story.

In this incredibly detailed look at Curry’s career, Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry is the complete story — directly from the man himself (with co-writer Ben Robinson).

The 204-page publication from Titan Books is another standout in the growing line of Trek reference books released in the last few years. However, unlike some of those other releases, the broad scope of the experiences being detailed here — and the in-depth text that accompanies those narratives — is unparalleled.

Curry is well-known in Trek production lore as a true jack of all trades. Born out of his interest in martial arts and from his time in the Peace Corps and living in Asia, he famously designed a myriad of unique Trek weapons — including the Klingon bat’leth and mek’leth, which everyone knows, of course. But his resume also includes a slew of other creative titles and job responsibilities.

From visual effects supervisor and producer to second unit director and the director outright of “Birthright, Part 2,” the multi-hyphenate artist also designed two different title sequences (for Deep Space Nine and Voyager), and was a conceptual designer for Trek across four series from 1987 to 2005. Again, he literally did it all.

Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry is broken up into 27 different chapters, and each of those section titles almost comically showcases exactly how many areas of Star Trek production were influenced and guided by Curry: Video Compositing, Motion Control, Models, Explosions, Directing Second Unit, Creating Body Doubles, Martial Arts & Weapons, Matte Painting, Visual Effects Producer, The Move to CG, Creatures, and more.

The titles are a cornucopia of jobs and skillsets with varying levels of expertise required to navigate them, and Curry excelled in all of them. From a fascinating timeline that opens the book and details his career, to a heartfelt afterword to close it out, the book is absolutely packed with elements from the “Department of I Had No Idea About That.”

And you know if you are reading a book with detailed breakout sections on items like “Blowing Up Remmick,” “Lava Flow in ‘Basics,’” and “Wreck of The Raven,” you are surely going to learn more than a few things you didn’t know.

• Iconian Ruins – The Iconian ruins so memorably depicted in the TNG episode “Contagion,” featured a combination of a Curry matte painting and an art department model of the Iconian tower that was made from a swimming pool filter mounted on a cardboard tube and embellished with model and toy parts. Pretty cool.
   
  “I did an acrylic painting of the terrain,” explains Curry, “adding distant ruins rising out of the sand. The sky was a separate painting, so it could be independently controlled and moved in compositing.”
   
• Riker’s Arm – As a testament to Curry’s attention to detail, there is a brief but key shot of Riker’s forearm being shown in multiple layers that pre-dated CG. In order to bring the shot together for the episode “Schisms,” Curry had a distinguished medical researcher at a prominent university take “a cadaver’s arm and shaved it layer by layer with a microtome with the help of one of his grad students, who took photographs for us.”
   
  So, yeah, that’s a real arm.

• Title Sequences – Curry’s beautiful work in designing the visuals for the title sequences for Deep Space Nine and Voyager are documented in detail here. But beyond that, who knew he has previously designed more than 100 title sequences for other television series’ and features.
   
  Regarding his DS9 titles: “I decided to open with a shot of a comet to suggest remoteness,” he writes, “before discovering the station itself in the distance.”
   
• Jem’Hadar Beach – The beach head featured in a shot of two Jem’Hadar soldiers early in “Rocks and Shoals” is a mélange of Dan Curry specials. He not only created the matte painting used in the shot as the edge of the cliff, but composited it together with a photo he took of a scenic view in Ireland.
   
  “The actual shape of the shoreline wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” he details, “so we squeezed it east-west to make the terrain more ruggedly vertical, and color-corrected it to match the quarry (where the actors were shot).”

• ‘Storm Front’ VFX – Enterprise won the international Visual Effects Society Award for Best Broadcast Visual Effects for “Storm Front, Part 2.” Curry helped storyboard the final battle sequence — where the Enterprise NX-01 dogfights over Nazi-occupied Manhattan — and also played an important role in creating the old school 1940s newsreel that opened the episode.
   
  “We looked through stock images, but couldn’t find a perfect angle from the 1940s,” he writes, “so in Photoshop I took a photo from the 50s, made it black and white, painted out all the people and any buildings that were built after 1939, and added in the binocular stands.”
   
  (Oh, and the award they picked up from the VES? It was actually designed by Curry. He literally DOES. IT. ALL.)
   
• Species 8472 – Based on a comedic alien character he created for his MFA Theatre thesis project, it was Curry’s idea to have the major computer-generated species have three legs. “I wanted to do something that couldn’t be mistaken for a man in a suit.”

In addition to all those elements — and hundreds more — Curry also makes space in this book to celebrate some of his peers for their accomplished work. Most notably, his recollections in full-page callouts on supervising producer Peter Lauritson, VFX supervisor Ronald B. Moore, and video compositors Fred Raimondi and Paul Hill add important context to the collaborative nature of this kind of work.

In the end, it feels close to impossible to summarize the totality of Dan Curry’s immense contributions to the Star Trek franchise in any single format like a book, but Curry and co-author Ben Robinson have basically done it here.

Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry is one of the biggest, best and most comprehensive in terms of showcasing not only how Trek established itself as a groundbreaking television production in the 1980s and 90s, but how critical Dan Curry was to that success.

Jim Moorhouse is the creator of TrekRanks.com and the TrekRanks Podcast, and can be found living and breathing Trek every day on Twitter.

The post Review — STAR TREK: THE ARTISTRY OF DAN CURRY appeared first on TrekCore.com.

In late 2013, Eaglemoss kicked off their line of “special issue” releases for The Official Starship Collection with a special issues to the Star Trek Starships Collection by releasing a 6″ model of Cardassian space station Deep Space 9 — which we reviewed a few years ago.

Now, fans of the hero starbase from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can pick up a larger-sized edition of the Bajoran-owned station, as Deep Space 9 expands into the XL Starships Collection — and it’s not just scaled up, but a refined edition of the station with updated paint coloring and texture details.

The Eaglemoss XL Starships are larger format models of ships (and this station) released to date. While some of the XL ships have been disappointing their lack of additional detail —  like the disappointing Starfleet runabout — many include a number of features or details that could not be included on the smaller ships due to size considerations.

The Nor-class starbase is a gorgeous design, developed primarily by Herman Zimmerman and Rick Sternbach — and this larger 8-inch release is a marked improvement over the original, smaller 6-inch special edition.

With the exception of Ops and the six docking pylons which surround the perimeter, the XL-sized Deep Space 9 is almost completely formed from die-cast metal. That makes this is a heavy model, but the metallic sheen which breaks through the paint works very well for the Cardassian space station.

The detail on the model is also impressive, with the 8-inch version offering more definition to a number of features along the habitat and docking rings, as well as the central core. Because of its larger size, the smaller details of the core section like the subspace communications antennae are nicely rendered.

The added crispness of the details on the model also allows for the splashes of color to really pop in a way that they do not on the original — like the bright red ‘glow’ of the station’s fusion reactors, which were a dull puce coloring on the first release, or the inset sections of the docking ring and pylons, now a shiny bronze.

The model also has a number of window markings all around the habitat ring and the central core, and  I am pleased to report — on the model I am reviewing, at least — that the windows are well aligned to the grooves provided for them. This has been a big issue on many previous entries in the Official Starships Collection, for both the smaller and XL-sized models.

Eaglemoss Official Starships Collection: Deep Space 9 (Original vs. XL)

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Perhaps the biggest improvement of the XL DS9 model has nothing to do with the model itself, but its presentation: unlike the original release, which was criticized for not coming with its own display stand, this larger version gets one.

Lifting the lower pylons about an inch off the display surface makes a massive difference in making the model appear more impressive. Where the smaller edition simply sat upon its own pylon ‘legs,’ the XL-sized version floats in the air, the same way the station hangs in space in so many iconic shots from the series.

The stand itself is a sturdy one, with three brackets that grip the station around the struts which connect the central core to the habitat ring. Cradled at three separate points, the XL DS9 is much less likely to fall off its display stand (something which has been an issue for some of the larger models in the past, like the XL-sized Enterprise NX-01 or Voyager).

If there is one criticism of this edition of Deep Space 9, it is that a key design decision made for Eaglemoss’ original DS9 model is still in use for the XL-sized version, keeping this from being 100% true to the original studio model built for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine filming.

Because the first edition didn’t come with a display stand, the shape of the station was slightly tweaked: the pylons were angled just a little further inward than on the studio model to ensure the replica could stand comfortably on its ‘legs.’ The XL model retains that slight modification, despite having its own stand — but frankly that’s a minor issue and hardly detracts from my enjoyment of this model.

Overall, the XL Starships edition of starbase Deep Space 9 is a significant improvement from the original 2013 edition — and while it’s more expensive than the smaller release, it you’re trying to decide between the two, the XL edition is certainly the one I’d recommend due to its superior detailing, coloring, and the included display stand.

Eaglemoss XL Starships - Deep Space 9

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If the XL-sized Deep Space 9 starbase model is one you’d like to add to your own Federation, it’s available now from the Hero Collector web store for $74.95 in the United States, or in the UK (currently on backorder) for £49.99.

The post REVIEW: Eaglemoss XL — Space Station DEEP SPACE 9 appeared first on TrekCore.com.