Pitch Black: The Official Starships Collection Issues 160 and 161

Stepping out of Enterprise is this time's first Starships Collection edition; the Sarajevo Class.

A striking delta design, the swept form of the Sarajevo Class is a silver arrowhead with a rack of stunning detail on the surface. The metal upper section not only has a two tone metallic finish highlighting the panelling (and it's not symmetrical) but there are differences in surface texture from smooth to ridged to grilled which gives this craft a very tactile impression.

Eaglemoss have done a sterling job of capturing this early Earth ship from all angles with the larger scale here allowing for more depth and bizarrely better window alignment across the sides of the craft. This is very much about the bold thrusting shape and the panels are well defined with the metallic finish managing not to detract from the undulations in the Sarajevo Class hull.

Decals are kept to an absolute minimum on the ship with the topside adorned by just two small "NC-27" registries either side of the central island. The middle part of the ship draws the eye back to the structure and it's here that there are a couple of uncomfortable details. 

The pod-like centrepiece is plastic and glued on to the hull, continuing the two tone silver paintwork all the way to the top.The smaller detail here - especially the docking port right at the back on the top piece is a welcome surprise. However, the window ports here - encompassing the front of the two upper pods are poorly painted in with the white seemingly flaking away at several points. I'm hoping mine is the exception rather than the rule as it's the biggest negative about the finish. 

Perhaps the most noticable feature of the Sarajevo Class are its in-board warp engines. Fixed at the very edge of the ship, the bussard collectors curve almost fully to the contour of the hull and are separated into two pieces cleanly by the hull. Given that the split of metal to plastic happens right where these translucent pieces slot in means access to set them is easy with a great final effect. 

To the rear the electric blue exhausts strike out from the hull again nicely curved to the lines of the ship. Either side of them are four little decalled grilles - an unusual addition even with this larger scale in play. 

Underneath it's a familiar story with the grilles and silver paintwork continuing on every possible surface, The toned scheme covers the whole hull and again, holy hell, the windows are actually aligned to the recessed holes. It truly is a miracle and one one we've had to wait many moons to see...but it's well worth it.

At the centre is a smaller, less protruding structure than the one topside. With more of that tactile grille-work, it's topped by a white opaque dome - and for a second time there are signs of chipped and thin paintwork which definitely 100% detracts from the otherwise brilliant qualities of the Sarajevo Class. 

While I might have been pushed to remember it initially, the work - as expected from Enterprise is second to none and the CG once again proves that it provides a better result and a more complete replica since all 360 degrees were created. The surface textures and variations on this one really stand out and it's a fine recreation from the seldom seen Earth ship.

As to stand positioning, this one's in a firm grip with the plastic holder grasping the rear end rather firmly top and bottom. It's not getting out of there in a hurry.

Detailing the role of the Sarajevo Class, the issue 160 magazine offers up a series of facts and figures around the role of the ship type plus what role it played within the four seasons of Enterprise turning up on more than a couple of occasions in a supporting role. 

We get to see the design path of the starship from creator John Eaves over a double spread which explains it's form and why the upper sections were conceived as such. Finally there's a decent read on the best season of the prequel series which touches on the work Manny Coto did for Enterprise with mentions going to the story arcs that were developed as well as the trip to the Mirror Universe, the arrival of the creator of the transporter and that finale. 

Now, we go to a distinct opposite with the rather fugly Void Ship from Voyager's fifth season opener Night.

I don't quite know what to make of this one since it's one of the most unusual vessels to grace the collection and the franchise. Flying on a vertical axis rather than the more horizontal plane we would see in a Federation starship, the Void Ship has a somewhat organic feel.

The more lumpy than usual surface unfolds in a hue of purples from top to bottom with a series of impressive recesses cut into the surface and coloured light blue against the dark hull. These features are probably more impressive when seen against the starless "Night" sky if you will although in Eaglemoss' replica it does miss out on having a more luminescent quality to these parts.  What's also a little odd here is the choice to go one half metal, one half plastic vertically meaning one side of the ship has that distinct colder feel to the other when your brain is expecting them to feel the same and it to be the "stick on" parts which will be in the lighter material.

At the back of the hammerhead section the only translucent piece slips around either side of the craft and looks rather obviously glued in place. The touch is different with this being a larger, green plastic element however it's not incorporated and more a stick on.

The shape of the ship is reminiscent of both the Alien films and Species 8472 with the curves in shape and coloured recesses - indeed the connecting pieces to the engine unit even look like the neck of an 8472 pilot. 

That rear section is as non-descript as the rest of the ship, with two dipped exhaust ports set back into the rear. At this point it's clear that the vertical joining of the two halves makes sense since it does give each side a smoother flow across the surface which joint lines would ruin. 

As with the Species 8472 bioships, the organic look is more a miss than a hit and struggles to work in replica form. The material itself also suffers from having been in an episode where the nature of the story itself meant we failed to ever get a decent look at it which in turn means that our opinion on it isn't ever going to be fully correct.

It looks unusual and with the more unconventional stand position, it will be one to cause a bit of starship conversation in that there are very few craft within the franchise that have such a distinct silhouette and for which we know so little - and at least it's better than the Malon ship...

Issue 161 tells the story of Night and the part these ships played in the encounter with Voyager and also how they assisted in repelling the Malon who were polluting their natural spatial habitat. 

The magazine finishes out by discussing the fifth and perhaps most bleak year of Voyager's journey home with the mood set right from the very first episode. This article, if brief, does make you question and look back at those 26 episodes n a slightly different and more analytical manner especially when confronted with episodes such as Dark Frontier and the finale, Equinox.

The two ships this month are a step up over recent offenders but we really are mining the bottom of the barrel with some of the choices. All of the big hitters are long gone with these more extreme options being fished out. I personally find a lot of them fascinating one offs that we will never see again but there are some genuine head scratchers or missing ones that still haven't appeared. The Sarajevo Class just nudges ahead on the quality from these two - there's more distinction in the metal work with more precise markings . 

ADDITIONAL

Ok... an unusual extra bit but this week's Destination Star Trek event in the UK has confirmed that not only will the Busts and Graphic Novel collections be coming to an end but that The Official Starships Collection will complete at 180 issues.

Confirmed issues from the event for the collection are:

166. Tamarian Cruiser

167. Axanar Cargo Vessel

168. Suliban Freighter

169. Kes' Shuttle

170. Tsunkatse Arena Ship

171. Denobulan Medical Ship

172. Xindi Insectoid Fighter

173. Arcos Freighter

174. Young Archer's toy starship

175. Pakled Freighter Mondor

On the Bonus Issues we will also receive:

20. USS Conestoga

21. Enterprise Klingon D4 Concept

22. Cardassian Weapons Platform

23. Friendship One

24. USS Reliant Concept

25. USS Enterprise from The Cage

And for Specials...

20. Gold USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

21. Vulcan Long-Range Shuttle

22. T'Plana'Hath

Eaglemoss have confirmed they will be continuing the XL starships with:

Klingon K'Tinga Battle Cruiser

USS Enterprise NCC-1701-J

USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D All Good Things... variant

A new line from Star Trek Online will be forthcoming and the Discovery series will continue.

What do you think of the collection coming to a close? Too soon or not soon enough? Any ships we'll miss? What should be issue 180?

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Short Treks: Q&A and The Trouble with Edward

After successfully keeping our attention on the franchise between seasons one and two of Discovery, Short Treks returned in October to satisfy our hunger for new content ahead of Picard in January 2020.

What better way to kick off this series of six 15 minute stories than with one of the most popular elements of Discovery’s sophomore year in Ethan Peck’s Spock and Rebecca Romjin’s Number One. 

The premise covers Ensign Spock’s first day on the USS Enterprise, reporting to Number One - and then proceeding to get stuck in a turbolift. Ok, its an old story trick - confine two characters in a small space and let them talk and in this case it’s even more interesting because Spock took on a lot of Number One’s emotional character traits for the second commissioned pilot and beyond back in the 1960’s. 

These two characters have a lot in common and this is played out almost straight off the transporter pad with Romjin’s character pushing Spock to ask questions. Her computer-like mind is akin to the Vulcan’s and their confinement in the turbolift gives the pair a chance to see the similarities and realise for a moment that Number One might have bitten off more than she can chew. 

Spock is certainly thorough in his line of investigation leading to both characters in fact acting out of character for a moment. While welcoming back Spock and Number One was something we were clamouring for (as well as Anson Mount’s exceptional Chris Pike), the inclusion of a Gilbert and Sullivan rendition might have just been pushing us to the limit - and there are many of us still in counselling after Insurrection’s HMS Pinafore. 

Here’s the thing; at this point the two have realised how they are both in control of their emotions, exuding logic at every occasion and remaining absolutely to the letter on rules and regulations and at ease with strict routine and organisation. For one minute in the presence of the other they are able to have a release that can never be spoken of and sort of explains Spock’s apparent emotions during The Cage. 

Number One at this time is more in control, more heavily restricted and potentially provides support to the young ensign in terms of emotional control. This is the youngest we have seen Spock; Q&A is very effective, simple and straight to the point but that musical rendition still, even with me trying to justify it, seems very out of place. 

Released on 12th October, The Trouble with Edward is a huge Marmite of an episode. Pike is back to send Captain Lynne Lucerno (Rosa Salazar) off on her first command aboard the USS Cabot. 

What appears to initially be a routine science mission is turned upside down thanks to Lieutenant Edward Larkin (H Jon  Benjamin) and his discovery of the Tribbles. Initally there is the suggestion to use them as a food source however Lucerno redirects Larkin’s efforts towards the mission. 

This however drives the scientist against the captain’s wishes as he increases the Tribbles’ reproductive abilities, leading to them, unsurprisingly for us veteran Trekkies, overwhelming the ship and leading to the end of Lucerno’s first command after just two weeks.

The Trouble with Edward is played for humour with Larkin’s head to head with Lucerno being a particular highlight. H Jon Benjamin is excellent as the insubordinate lieutenant. I can see where the hints of Reg Barclay have been suggested with Larkin disobeying orders to work on the Tribbles rather than the work that the crew is meant to be pursuing.  

He’s not your typical Starfleet officer, attempting to spread discontent and believing his own self-importance and brilliance above everyone else.  His incompetence ultimately destroys the Cabot, but its not without a bit of tongue in cheek humour to line up aside this shoehorning origin story.   Advances in technology definitely help to emphasise the Tribble menace with their final, explosive breeding expansion right to the doors of the escape pod being particularly effective. 

However.... the explanation of their origin as just pretty boring if cute balls of fluff with a meaty core is a bit puzzling. How did Kirk and the Enterprise crew not know about them and their appetites and reproductive agility? How did they not know that this was a creature that could breed at such a ridiculously alarming rate that had been meddled with by Starfleet?  This makes absolutely no sense given the severity of their offspring-popping. 

It’s an entertaining 15 minutes and one of the most comedic segments of the latest age of the franchise but don’t look too deeply as it doesn’t quite make sense why Starfleet would bury all information on them (unless they were just damn embarrassed that one of their number was responsible for their genetic alteration!) I thoroughly recommend sticking around for the post-credits advert set aboard the USS Ravenous - a highlight without question but one more piece to 100% take with a pinch of salt...but not a Tribble (and read the small print in the pic below...)

Strangely both of the most recent Short Treks have chosen to travel a more light hearted path than anything we have seen from the franchise in the Kurtzman era. Perhaps a respectable choice in hindsight to the rather serious and at times almost pitch black first two seasons of Discovery.

Picard too appears to be treading a similar serious path and its refreshing to see that Star Trek can still afford not to take itself far too seriously. On many occasions the franchise has nearly disappeared up itself in heavy political statements and instalments like this remind us that it does have a heart after all. Honestly, it does and its here for us all to see.  

A good pair to kick us off into the next phase of Star Trek’s evolution which makes me hungry for more...content that is and not Tribble cereal even if the fun never stops...!

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More Excelsior? - The Official Starships Collection Issues 158 and 159

Blurring the line between bonus and regular editions, issue 158's Excelsior concept might well be seen as a pathfinder rather than an abandoned idea.

Conceived in 1983 for the third Star Trek movie, this second Nilo Rodis-Jamero design retains a few of the hallmarks of the first version seen in issue 152 while also being different enough to warrant an edition all to itself.

Opening up with the expected saucer section, the USS Excelsior Concept II steers more in the direction of the USS Prometheus than the Enterprise with a slender secondary hull and four spiky warp nacelles to power her on. The length of this one is considerably shorter than the Concept I with the large saucer section sweeping straight into the engineering section which is a feature that would be recognised more some 12 years later with Voyager and then the Enterprise-E.

The saucer itself is well detailed with a light grey given more depth with a two darker greys used to raise hull panels against the paler base colour. It also has a more familiar pair of red decals curving around the primary hull as they would on the later, final version, broken by the black lettered and red bordered ship registry (see Assimilated Voyager you can have red letter edging...). 

The increased number of phaser banks (three up to five) for the Excelsior Class are also marked prominently in yellow as are the reaction control thrusters at the saucer rim. The metal saucer deflector grid isn't lost under the triple colour paintwork and is pretty clear all the way across. One thing that does appear a little different to the final version is the width of the central island including the bridge module. It's a lot wider with a less defined blue/grey paint scheme around the edge. 

The bridge itself appears much larger and there are a good amount of subtle hull mechanics around it and back along the spine-like centre piece equally defined by a pair of red stripes. Now while the final Excelsior and the Enterprise would have their impulse engines mounted at the back of the saucer, the Concept II has a huge oven-shaped quad-exhaust port unit dominating the rear third of the top of the ship. It's a big lump of tech and very noticeable with its fiery red slots one of the first things you seem to notice.

The detail of the metal work and painting are great with the definition of the engine section to the hull marked out with a darker grey and with the impulse engine sweeping up and out from the back of the ship. Stabbing out from the hull and more like wings than pylons, the metal gives way to four inserted plastic warp nacelles. Their blue insets for the warp grilles gives them some form of design lineage to the movie refit USS Enterprise but the form is quite different with a more rounded finish to the front and then sweeping to pointed rear points. Also take a look at the pennants on the warp engines here - a stylised and never used Starfleet design that has so far only turned up on this model. 

On the underside the most significant link to the final design is the drop away hull with the segmented blue panelling in front of the "outboard" deflector dish rather than behind it. Actually the bottom of the Concept II has a lot of the look of the underside of the final Excelsior with the dual torpedo launcher and the rear hull design swung round to face forward. 

Again its this detail which makes these rarities well worth the punt and I'm loving how the secondary hull has a familiar feel of the NX-2000 yet manages to still be incredibly unique. Eaglemoss have included docking ports and a range of windows on this droopy engineering section which is capped to the rear with the largest shuttlebay door ever. It's absolutely massive stretching the whole height of the secondary hull and bearing the serrated edges to indicate the clamshell opening akin to the Enterprise.

Both this and the underside of the saucer continue the multi-shade colour scheme from the top with the primary hull also carrying a prim and proper two-tone blue ring recessed into the bodywork. This is one more feature that made it into the onscreen Excelsior, completing the design alongside the standard striping and registry. The build quality of the ship is superb. Join lines are barely visible and there's a lot of surface detail at every point. It feels like a complete design and for your money you do get a decent sized ship that fills out the packaging. 

The mix of plastic and metal works well and even that odd little outslung deflector dish on the bottom of the secondary hull is secured well.  In the magazine you'll be strapped to find much to go on with the first few pages skipping any kind of information on the ship and dealing solely with new CG images before turning to focus on the work of Nilo Rodis-Jamero across the franchise from The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home and The Final Frontier.  It's split into two pieces - one dealing with Rodis-Jamero's background and then a second, larger article looking more closely at his work, sketches and influence on the Star Trek universe. A strangely sparce read for this one however the model is definitely the star of the edition much more than the background material. 

Next - and from one classic to another with a flashback to 1988 and the Batris freighter from The Next Generation's first proper Klingon story, Heart of Glory. 

The Batris doesn’t have the same flair as the Excelsior Concept II bearing a much more singular and basic design. More rectangular, the Batris is much more functional with a series of cargo pods slung underneath the main hull for easy loading and unloading. 

The most exciting part of the design might well be the pointed nose before it develops into a series of straight lines but what the Batris lacks in design inspiration it makes up for in its detail. The brown hull is tipped with a striking red stripe to the front also bearing a series of alien markings at the lower edge and then windows on the second, upper half of the marking.

The brown base coat is broken and scuffed right across the hull which provides a sense of age to the ship as well as a feeling that it’s been battered about in space hauling cargo from here to there. Even the brown coat has a second tone to it emphasising that well worn impression. On top of that we then have a series of greyed call outs across the upper hull which are themselves weathered to match the fading hull colour. 

There’s a lot going on with the hull of the Batris beyond just an impressively aged paint job. The detail in the mechanics attached to the surface are really rather good from grilles to piping to panelling, it’s all here and perfectly displayed. There’s no real definition between the cargo pods and the main hull but that paint job is such a wow you do sidestep it a bit. 

In fact that worn hull wraps right around the hull and into every crevice and there's a lot to take in even on the bottom. This is one of those models which feels complete from every angle and doesn't have a straight, uniform finish along the central axis. Even to the rear the three large engine units look like they've taken a battering over the years - ok, at least on the hull-coloured sections - the middle exhaust rods do look fairly clean!

There's some real character to the Batris and the multitude of surface depths, colouring and combination of materials works exceptionally well for such a bland design. Admittedly there is some slight misalignment of the windows and striping on the nose however it's not as glaring as we've seen on many a Federation starship over the years of the collection.

It's odd but I am quite drawn to this one and the fact that the hull is so delicately executed. The stand grip too is one of the more functional, gripping the hull at the rear of the underslung cargo pods and providing solid balance to the Batris for display.

The issue 159 magazine recounts the brief onscreen lifespan of the Talarian freighter but what does become clear even from the first few pages is how different the model looks to the CG of the magazine. 

On the page the Batris is a lot cleaner, crisper in its finish and has lost a lot of that characteristic weathering but it has picked up a lot of surface detail. It is very apparent once you line the two up that there is some definition missing from a considerable amount of the surface technology but the sheer amount of it that's crammed in probably works against making that detail well executed and distinguishable through the paint scheme. 

The nose detail especially seems lost with the panel definition washed out against the precision CG and the plan views reiterate just how much has been lost under what could be some fairly uneven paintwork...

The magazine does cover off Heart of Glory and the role in which the errant Klingons play. Turning the page actually reveals a whole section dedicated to discussing why and how these foes of Kirk and the original USS Enterprise were brought back to The Next Generation when originally there was no intention to see them again. 

An interview with the late Maurice Hurley fills the back six pages for the issue detailing his work on the first two seasons (mainly season one and the Borg) and the stresses and strains of running The Next Generation as well as writing several scripts for it during those early years.

It's a good read to understand the control that Gene Roddenberry had on the show and how things developed under Hurley and would later take massive steps under Berman, Piller and the rest.

Loving the Excelsior concepts? Want more freighters and service vehicles? Let us know below!

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Discovery: The New Stuff

930 years.

One ship.

One totally unexplored part of the Star Trek universe...

New York Comic Con broke not only the second Picard trailer but the first tease of Discovery's third season. What are the big clues and learnings from our first look at Star Trek's biggest ever time jump into a time we've never explored?

1. Burnham

She's our door into this trailer. Burnham is alone for at least a year, seeking out Discovery and longing for a call on her communicator from the starship. Shown through a series of three time hops we see Sonequa Martin-Green's look change subtley - but what ship is she aboard and where has this craft come from?

What I do think is that Book (David Ajala) will be there near the beginning of her adventure suggested by the fact Burnham is still wearing her Starfleet uniform and has short hair. Might we be getting to see the 12 months on her own as flashbacks through the season? It appears that by the time she finds Discovery he's not in the picture and Burnham specifically notes she's been alone for a substantial period of time which would all add up.

I would surmise that during that time she and Book have encountered the remnants of the Federation and its president who reveals the flag to Burnham. His words tell us that the Federation is in a poor state but is this due to it collapsing? Worlds losing their faith in it? Did the Federation become a darker organisation and the one responsible for Craft (in Calypso) being a lone war survivor? Has the Federation been pushed back by other forces and hidden waiting for the time to reassert itself? How about whom do the six stars on the flag represent? Is it the founding races - Humans, Tellarites, Andorians, Vulcans plus Lurians and Cardassians?

Burnham could be the one to do that if the trailer is to be believed. Oh - nice one to spot too is that Michael is going to be moving into the Command stream as she can be seen wearing gold as below!

2. Aliens

I'm impressed. Not only do we have humans, the crew of Discovery but also a Lurian (Morn's race), a Cardassian and definitely some slightly different looking Andorians. Now are these at war and if so who with? What's with all the sashes?

Note that most of the firearms toted in this trailer are that odd over-hand Dyson airblade-style blaster, one of which Book himself acquires sometime. There's also a weapon that resembles the Matrix of Leadership from Transformers even down to the central blue light. 

From some of the later moments in the trailer we do see Burnham engaged in hand-to-hand combat but it's difficult to make out if this is another instance or a continuation of this alien battle. 

Perhaps even more interesting is the arrival of the red-robed Trill, easily identifiable by their spots. At one point there's even someone floating in what clearly resembles the Trill symbiont pools from their homeworld so what are they doing? Will we get to see an even older Dax? Could this be the new Dax?

3. Discovery

Looks like the Crossfield Class ship made it through intact although a few of the crew are off ship for some form of mission with Saru and Tilly both going native in their clothing. We do get to see both Stamets and Culber again plus quick shots of the bridge crew and Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou shows up in there as well but check this shot out - it looks like the ship ends up held hostage at some point by the unknown alien to the right on the image below...hmmmm what could that mean? 

At least one canister of spores has been used too as you can see in the storage unit and the two individuals on the deck besides Tilly and Stamets are not in Starfleet blues...

Next, have a look here - is this one of those interlopers at work in the Jefferies tube? What might their plans be for the ship and her crew? The uniform doesn't belay any clues and is fairly non-descript from this distance. There's an indication that this is the same person as in the Trill pool but I'm not seeing any spots at this distance so I'm not wholly convinced...

The Picard trailer in retrospect is a very different beast; going for retro, the cameo drops and lots of little flashes of action and intrigue whereas the Discovery tease footage provides a taste of the state of the galaxy. The appearance of familiar races means we're not in totally "alien" territory yet there is enough here to tell me that it's not going to be anywhere near the Milky Way of the 22nd Century they left. 

My big question is how will that year away from the ship have affected Burnham? What has the Discovery been doing in that time and will we get to see those time periods played out over the season or intertwined with "present day" footage to uncover some mysteries along the road. Discovery has provided the bigger picture to the season - Book, the time travel and the fate of the Federation but has left out the intricacies of the story while on the flip side Picard has given us all the sprinklings but so far no real bones to lay our thoughts on. Clever or what?!

What do you expect from season three of Discovery?

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