The Legend Began...Again

April 6th 2009 was the day that Star Trek fans had waited for since the closing credits of These are the Voyages in 2005.

For the first time in four years there would be new Star Trek to watch, produced and directed by Lost creator JJ Abrams - and it would be on the big screen. How could this not be good?

The 2009 movie was the ultimate game-changer in the franchise. Taking the original series crew, messing up the timeline a little bit and effectively starting from scratch with a little help from Leonard Nimoy just to remind us all that it was still Star Trek in a way. Just.

It split fans clear in two with no Neutral Zone to sit in. You loved it or you hated it. It had rebuilt the franchise or it had destroyed it overnight. As the box office receipts show (and the recent IMDB comparisons of the movies), it was no failure and we all flocked to the cinemas to experience this rebirth of an apparently flagging sci-fi epic. 

Not only has it been that long since the reboot kicked off but we've also had a sequel in that time, several graphic novel tie-ins, TV series rumours linked to it, models, figures and even a so-so game on XBox and the like.But have my opinions - or yours changed over the last five years? Have we welcomed this re-envisioning more warmly now? Did we always? Or do we still view it with the same distain and prefer to watch Threshold and Shades of Gray on endless loop?

From my point of view when I saw it I was excited, impressed and tinged with disappointment all in one go. There was no doubt that seeing the Enterprise back on the screen was the best thing in years to happen to the franchise. The music if nothing else adds such an ambiance to the movie, echoing the classic films and series - and I do listen to it a lot. It's one of the the best Star Trek soundtracks of any of the movies hands down but that's not all. Prime Spock was great, the crew were brilliant realisations of the original generation, the effects were stunning and it was a great action/adventure movie. 

That was the problem. It was an action/adventure movie and five years on I still have that issue as many fans do. It's wonderful escapism watching Chris Pine run across a frozen wasteland away from some huge CGI monster about to eat him whole, seeing the Enterprise under construction in that Star Wars homage shot or marvel at the opening sequence on the Kelvin as Thor Chris Hemsworth bids farewell to his wife and newborn son. Trouble is that the human element seems to have gone walkies. True it's updated for the more media-savvy and information-snapshot desiring modern audience but they were never going to make up the majority of the people seeing Star Trek at the flicks or buying it on DVD. 

Now five years on I do like it. A lot more than I used to. It's a spectacle of a movie that I now think does a lot of things right. When I saw it originally it was difficult to believe that these were the same characters because of the huge leap in technology and production since those three seasons in the 1960's. It was a visual marvel at every step that brought a faltering franchise into the present. It had to be updated to survive and that's what JJ Abrams movie does whether we like it or not. So Scotty was a little overused as comedy relief, Bones was sidelined for Uhura and the ships were a big departure from what we were used to (although still at least recognisable) but this is what Star Trek has now become. 

Abrams destruction of Romulus and Vulcan pointed to the fact we had to prepared to change and the constants that we knew from the Roddenberry-founded shows had to be adapted, altered and rethought to appeal. It is once again a sci-fi power to be reckoned with after the wildly varying standards that pervaded Enterprise over a decade ago. Updating meant there had to be sacrifices and they came no bigger than the oblieration of those two key worlds. Star Trek had become cuddly, familiar and we'd been used to watching rerun after rerun or sticking that old DVD in for 45 minutes of escapism. Abrams went for the jugular; no holds barred and Into Darkness went further than that with colossal ships, Pike dead and Khan. But that's for another day.

I had reservations over the whole Starfleet Academy set up early in the movie and Kirk's rise to captaincy is meteoric if nothing else. Fortunately that second point does get addressed in sorts during the sequel but with hindsight you can see that this is just a way to start fresh and bring the familiar crew together - something we were never privvy to in The Original Series. It's a moment we've seen in books and suggested many times over the years but someone finally had the guts to turn those rumours and suggestions into reality. It paid off and the box office receipts prove that, at least in 2009 it was all looking good. The academy is a great twist on establishing the regulars here. We watch them grow (at velocity) and forge their relationships. It's a very clear beginning, a jump point that welcomes new audiences who may never have seen the show and just like the actors or Abrams' work while ensuring that the established fans get their fix in the way that JJ wants us to.

Times change, people change and this is a new interpretation that means, if nothing else, survival. Star Trek into Darkness won't be the last we see of this crew I am certain but after that is still open for guesses. Five years on from Kirk and co's return we're still waiting to see the first encounter of their five year mission. 

In the future 2009's movie will be seen as the turning point for the franchise; the moment we realised that it could feel young again, fresh and with another 50 years of life. While I was never a total hater I had reservations but now I'm more than happy to embrace this movie as part of the Star Trek franchise, giving it a boost and providing a new, exciting edge to familiarity. Star Trek has tried, many times, to push the boundaries and in a big way, the JJ movie was pushing the boundaries of what we deemed "acceptable" within Star Trek itself. The show was always about testing the waters and here it tested the fans; it tried our understanding and beliefs on a larger scale than perhaps Roddenberry did with many of the original episodes - and it tested our loyalty. For that I now respect the movie. Star Trek was all about differences and 2009 was that in spoonfuls.

I firmly believe it's time to accept this as a firm part of the franchise and look forward to 2016. In fact, just to celebrate the fifth anniversary it's time to stick it into the DVD player one more time.

James Avery

With the passing of Joseph Ruskin only a few days ago, another actor who graced the Star Trek universe has departed.

Probably better remembered as Uncle Phil in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, James Avery passed away following complications during surgery on New Year's Eve.

Google images

Avery appeared during the fourth (and best) season of Enterprise as Klingon General K'Vagh in Affliction and Divergence which dealt with the Augment virus. Notably he also provided his voice to the cartoon series Gargoyles which featured a hefty number of The Next Generation cast. Interestingly Michael Dorn featured in that animated series - the man who beat Avery to the role of Worf.

James Avery's vocal talents didn't stop with Gargoyles though and among other roles I also recall him as the voice of Shredder in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon - a staple of my weekday afternoon kids television viewing in the late 1980's (da-da da-da da-da dah-da). That in turn means it's a good excuse to add in a relevant picture....

RIP James Avery.

Joseph Ruskin

Sadly the end of 2013 also saw the death of Star Trek actor Joseph Ruskin.

While most fans will immediately associate him with the role of Galt in the episode The Gamesters of Triskelion he has many more links to the franchise. 

His other more well-known role was of Tumek in The House of Quark and Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places (above) but there were also three lesser roles which saw Ruskin on screen.

He stepped into the shadows briefly to play Odo's Cardassian informant in Improbable Cause, portrayed a Sona officer in Insurrection, a Vulcan Master in Voyager's Gravity and finally took a turn in the Enteprise pilot Broken Bow as a Suliban doctor which means the only show he never touched base with was The Next Generation - well, not on TV at least. Still, this places him as one of the very few to have been onscreen with every generation even if not every series. When you consider that Majel Barrett only acted as a computer voice in Enterprise he might even out do her!

For me he will always be Galt although oddly I only watched The House of Quark on December 28th which is a little spooky in every way possible. Galt was a strange, stoic character that featured in one of the classic stories so his place among Star Trek lore is firmly established just from that appearance. 

However, I never actually appreciated that his association had been so big with the show or that he had appeared in so many guises. In fact looking over his IMDB file he also lent his voice as Master Si'tann in the Star Trek game Hidden Evil alongside other franchise luminaries including Salome Jens (Female Shapeshifter), Gary Graham (Soval) and The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner.

Thanks for the memories Mr Ruskin, they will live with us forever.

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The Fall: Revelation and Dust - Previously on Deep Space Nine

Oh my god, is this a breath of fresh air after the Enterprise novel. The Fall kicks off in style - a style I hope it maintains for this five book run.

I've said it before and I'll say it again now; I missed a whole chunk of non-canon fiction in the last few years but have managed to catch up thanks in no small part to Memory Beta and the works of authors such as David R George III and David Mack.

The opening move of this series ensures you won't be left in the dark for very long. I had a whole heap of questions from page one; where's the old Deep Space Nine? Why is Sisko back? Ro is commanding what? Ezri's a CAPTAIN?! Kira's dead?!

Ok, the last one's not strictly true but Revelations and Dust manages to get new readers up to speed as well as giving that refresh to anyone who's not been out this far for a while. Remember that it's been 2012 since we saw any deep space action with the slew of The Next Generation and The Original Series novels in particular which have packed out 2013. 

So onwards we go and while there's not much in the way of Hollywood-style action, David R George appears to have aimed for a much more solid character piece which echoes something of the focus of his last Star Trek effort, Allegiance in Exile which we reviewed back in March. That same style is here and while we're not looking at the world from the eyes of Kirk and Sulu we are seeing events unfold from, mainly, a quartet of characters; Captain Ro, Captain Sisko, Vedek Kira and Captain Ezri Dax. As one of my erstwhile colleagues has also noted the transformation of Ezri from reluctant host to Starfleet super-captain is amazing and still doesn't hold that true in my mind although the author of this book cannot be held to account on that front. Nor am I massively convinced by Ro's Starfleet-court-martial-Starfleet-Maquis-Starfleet career jumping but hey, that's all in the past so let's move on.

Then there's an entire thread that seems unattached to some degree dealing with a land-based story of freedom fighters which is linked with the "missing" Kira. Now that's a line which takes some reading to find out what it's all about. It seems a random segment to keep returning to and did lose me a little however as with everything there is a purpose. Stick with it.

Kira does indeed feature from page one and her story is almost a separate piece to the rest of the book, placing us back into events both seen and unseen that took place during the initial discovery of the wormhole and first contact with the Prophets. Action from Emissary is replayed word for word but David R George III also weaves in some new bits which make perfect sense and could easily have been lost scenes. I'd go as far to say that while it's a nice twist on past events and keeps us grounded with the Prophets even though the wormhole is gone, Nerys actually has the least to do here, being stuck in one place for a fairly long time...and also seemingly not involved in any way - but there is a point and a payoff to it and no doubt will be continued within the quintet of novels

While there is a lot here which is about looking to the future and also about rebuilding, it's definitely acting as a bridge to the rest of the series; it's a beginning, a beginning and a beginning all rolled into one; most certainly as it should be. Revelation and Dust heavily emphasises the loss that occurred in the destruction of the first Deep Space Nine and never really revels in the commissioning of the second. While you can see the grandiose is there, the assembled heads of empires in attendance, each of the main viewpoint characters are in some way facing a difficulty, making this less than a celebratory occasion. Whether it be family, relationships or assignments, there are a lot of demons to be confronted although David R George III seems to keep them concealed within the psyche of each player, no doubt to be unuravelled and revealed as we go through The Fall. 

In relation to the rest of the series there are one or two line drops in there which are signposting the stories we are due; the first however does take a sizable 200 plus pages to appear and nods to Picard and that starship of his - guess we know where he'll be going in Book Two then! How the rest of the show will intertwine is going to be fascinating as this isn't Cold Equations and a single author - there are five different styles and personalities combined here to cover the events of a window in Star Trek time. I'm guessing there will be numerous cross-references and I'm 99.9% certain these will be essential to hold the reader. David R George III probably gets the hardest job setting out the plan but it's done exceptionally well.

For a fair chunk of Revelation and Dust I didn't know where the heck this was going. I was pointed one way, directed another, introduced to X, spent a bit of time in Y but then I had to pause when the "moment" came because I wasn't quite expecting it nor was I expected it to be at that point in the story. It's all about understanding the relationships and the nature of our characters here and as with his previous effort, David R George III has captured them as we remember them from the TV series. There is a little wisening here and there but we can still see the childishness and exuberance of Bashir especially when he's paired with O'Brien or Ezri's awkwardness when she meets the doctor for the first time in a few years. 

I'm glad in a way that Sisko is back because it wouldn't be Deep Space Nine without him but he seems to be a different man since his time with the Prophets. His Emissarial role is almost insignficant and Ben's place is firmly as a starship captain and nothing more. There is almost a calm about the character that we only saw maybe in the early evolution of the role. I actually found Sisko's parts here among the most enjoyable alongside Ro's preparations for the commissioning. Oddly, while he does share a good portion of the narrative pre-commissioning, his story, for once is not the main focus of the show but a part which forms the whole. I don't doubt it will all be significant but at the moment this is one series which is playing its cards close to its chest.

That goes in particular when discussing the Romulans, the Gorn and the Cardassians to some extent. For thoose of you who have been following the series through Destiny, Typhon Pact and Cold Equations you'll be glad to know that the hissing Gorn imperator is back - must be one of my favourite literary Star Trek creations thus far and means there is a good deal of continuity being retained which adds a factor of "belivability" to proceedings if only to point out that there is a level of acceptance for all that has gone before.

With Odo's return/enforced Alpha Quadrant exile I might even hasten to add the even more mysterious and reclusive Founders into that mix - but that's just me thinking out loud and because the author has managed to drop an awful lot of stones into the pool. There are a lot of splashes and ripples and something tells me that a few of them might, just might, be attempts to take the reader off the main scent so we can be hit with the big guns over the course of the next four tales. 

Yes, it does seem a bit of a fluky excuse to have all the main characters including Kasidy, Nog, Rom and Martok all back in the same place (I waited for Odo to turn up and wasn't disappointed by his returning no-nonsense character) but could we do Deep Space Nine new or old without them? I'd argue not. Sadly though Martok gets almost nothing to say while Rom manages to at least get a typically nervy speech at the dedication ceremony. They could have done with a bit more page time but then I would note that having anything more would have detracted from the story.

There does however seem to be a more personal feel to some points here. As I was reading the section where Dax and Bashir view the memorial to the original station I couldn't help but think about the tragedy of 9/11. The perseverance of those who survived to push on in life; the rebuilding and refusal to be stopped are all here but so is the anguish and mourning that will always be present. Perhaps it's best in that respect that this is a more sombre and retrospective start to the series. It could have easily have fired off a volley of quantum torpedoes and set sail for the sea of high octane action but with this slower, more "talky" start I think David R George III establishes that this is going to be a more "diplomatic" series delivering a few classic twists and turns along the way.

Let's close this off with a bit of personal opinion. As I said back at the start it's a breath of fresh air after the last Enterprise novel but then I've become a fan of this author since Allegiance of Exile. This is definitely slower in pace. Don't expect action all over the shop and use your time here to get to know the characters once again. It's Thinking Man's Star Trek; you do wonder where it's heading for a long time but I would thoroughly recommend sticking with it to the end because you will be rewarded. 

One thing that is made clear here is the significance of the 60 day arc in which this set of stories is placed. I had wondered what the relevance of that was when I saw the press releases. It won't be an over-riding factor in the plots of the upcoming novels but does act as a point to tie them all together subtly. If this is the quality we can expect from The Fall then this could well be one of the strongest Star Trek novel series there has been to date.

Next up we'll have the review of Book Two, The Crimson Shadow....Picard and crew are back for the first time since Cold Equations! We're a little bit excited about that you know....

Standing in History's Shadow

Now I will open up by stating I am a Star Trek fan certainly not at the level of my colleagues here on Some Kind of Star Trek as my reading is normally limited to Tom Clancy novels or anything based about nuclear subs.

So From History's Shadow by Dayton Ward would not be something I would usually pick up to read. However I have indeed found it an interesting and riveting read.

I very much enjoyed how the book continues from The Original Series episode Assignment: Earth, taking that storyline and really adding depth of detail to the events in the show. I also enjoyed how the book flicked back and forth from Kirk's timeline in 2268, then with Earth in 1947 taking in and linking to real events in Earth's history such as Project Bluebook, the Majestic 12 and the Roswell incident.

I love the touch on how the author develops the Roswell link to introduce the Ferengi as the possible aliens on that downed UFO and how a number of aliens residing with us on Earth adapted our limited technology at the time to develop their own technological requirements. All I can say is Earth was not only limited to just humans in the late 1940's it seems!

One of my all time favorite Star Trek movies is First Contact along with Enterprise being among my favorite Star Trek franchises. I really liked how the book took the basis of what was the known and agreed fact of Earth's first contact with the Vulcans as well as the "conjectural" events in the Enterprise episode Carbon Creek wherein T'Pol tells the story of how Vulcans came to Earth many years before the accepted official first contact event. At the end of that episode Archer and Trip are left wondering if it was indeed an actual event or just a tall tale - now here the book uses the character Mestral (a Vulcan who's choice it was to remain on Earth to continue his studies of the Humans) to further confirm the Carbon Creek incident did indeed take place and therefore unofficially rewrites Earth's history.

There are other links throughout the book referencing other Star Trek -Voyager's Futures End two part story and Deep Space Nine's Little Green Men to name but two and I can say that there are others for both the casual reader and true fan to discover along the way.

The main characters in this novel are James T Kirk, Spock, Security Officer Giotto in 2268 joined by a smattering of the usual USS Enterprise crew. Mestral and Gejalik (a Certoss) cross the timeline throughout the book, as does Roberta Lincoln, Gary Seven's protegee from Assignment: Earth. In 1947 on Earth the main character is Captain James Wainwright of Little Green Men fame - Deep Space Nine who is working on Project Bluebook and Majestic 12 along with a number of personal from the USAF. I am agreeable with the book characters remaining true to their screen characters in personality and traits as this make the book flow in line with the references to the referrals to the many links to the TV shows.  All the main characters in the book have been developed well and interact in a good solid manor that adds to the readability of the book.

The story focuses on the Temporal Cold War featured heavily in Enterprise and the effects of Gejalik sending a message to her home world in 2268 with a 300 year old dated signature and how this message could impact the various pacts in place with differing planets. How the Certoss in 2268 are a peaceful race but it seems 300 years ago this was not the case and they had a part to play in that very Temporal Cold War.  The Certoss are, it seems, a race very much like the Vulcan's whom whilst are peaceful now further back in history seem to hold a warlike mantle. In fact Gelalik mission was without giving too much away to facilitate the destruction of Earth - You'll need to read the book to find out why!

I will not ruin the read by giving away too much of the plot but it is a great book on that really does become a hard to put down read. I enjoyed it so much I even went out of my way to obtain an ebook version for my iPad to have it on my holiday reading list as I felt it was a gripping yet easy read for those that have seen the episodes that set out the pretext for where the book picks up from. I would however on that note, perhaps recommend watching at least Assignment: Earth and Carbon Creek before reading as it would help set the pace for the book to continue on the story. I indeed look forward to reading other titles by Dayton Ward and do recommend this book as a Star Trek fan due to the quality links to the various series and it really does in my opinion complete the Assignment Earth program that did leave the viewer with a few questions.

From History's Shadow is available now from Simon and Schuster ISBN 9781476719009 priced £6.99

Second Dose of Klingons: Eaglemoss and the K'T'Inga Class

K'T'Inga!

Never named onscreen but probably one of the most recognisable Star Trek starships from the last six decades is the Klingon Battle Cruiser that first appeared in The Motion Picture. It's essentially an upgraded version of the D-7 from The Original Series with go-faster detailing but I like it. 

SKoST archive

Cost-wise there's certainly less model for your money this time as the cruiser is fairly spindly. This is more The Motion Picture than The Undiscovered Country as we're told a few times through the magazine but this is therefore the ship we're more familiar with in clipped footage from Saavik's Kobayashi Maru test at the beginning of The Wrath of Khan. It's also the model basis of every single K'T'Inga class ship you've ever seen since there was only ever one filming miniature. Even Gorkon's Kronos One in Star Trek VI was just a redressing of the original from around 13 years previous.

Eaglemoss have done a decent job in the reproduction here. The model is light and the engine grill is back in the red that had raised a few concerns on some earlier released versions. I'm surprised the only perspex pieces here are the red impulse engines and the warp engines are solid plastic. 

SKoST archive

I can gladly note two things though; that the photon launcher is recessed into the command module as per the "real" thing and that the Klingon cruiser sits very nicely on its stand. This is probably due to the majority of the engineering hull being metal. The neck, warp engines and command hull are all rendered in plastic. 

While the raised detail marks this model out against the smooth body of the D-7 which we will see later down the line it's not the most exciting piece of plastic you'll see. So, minor point - I would have preferred to see this as Kronos One as I would have liked the Excelsior to be toting its NX registry number from The Search for Spock. But then that's really nitpicky.

The completists will be happy it's in the range as will the Klingon fans but it's not the most impressive or inspirational ship yet. Sadly I have to say that so far the models that have disappointed have both been from the movies - the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 refit and this cruiser. PS - in the magazine the underside of the ship has the Klingon symbol on it over the gold circle...guess what's missing from the model....

Certainly it does give you a great history of the franchise and how the details became more significant on later models and then highly intricate as CGI took hold in Voyager, Deep Space Nine and beyond. The movie ships certainly have been plain however we have not yet seen anything from the 1960's model department. The first of those creations looks set to be the Romulan Bird of Prey which is provisionally lined up for issue 34 (that's about a year from now!).

Let's move over to the printed word and the accompanying magazine. The history is fairly basic but it's good to see that the K'T'Inga's appearances in the movies, The Next Generation and latterly in Deep Space Nine and even Voyager (remember Flashback?) are included and really help to give a more all-encompassing story to the Klingon vessel class. 

The one thing you come to realise again is that this entire class and virtually every onscreen appearance was thanks to a single model that was created in the late 1970's and stayed in use until 1996. That's a good lifetime for a model considering that most would have lasted one or two episodes or maybe seven seasons at the most. 

Previously we've berated Eaglemoss for producing some very, very short and surface-skimming backgrounds but here there isn't a great deal to expand on. We've only been on board a handful of the K'T'Inga class and then it's two movies that give us the most in that respect. After Voyager's aeroshuttle in Issue Six though, the master systems display does seem like a real crash down to Earth and I can imagine this time's special feature proving to be a head-scratcher of a moment when the magazine was planned out. Nice illustrations but content-wise it's a little weak.

Once again though it is the design and filming sections (this is getting to be a bit of a theme) which champion this series. In fact I would go as far as saying it's a great selling point and also makes the magazine seem like it's not just tagged onto the model to make it look like you're getting a decent amount for your money. 

Again, you appreciate the different time in which this craft was designed and how hard it was to film in comparison to the techniques employed on the later shows - have to say the photo showing the arm which would have held the model in place during filming is great - and rare - to see especially in regards to this subject. The conversion of the model for the various incarnations of the franchise is fascinating reading and I personally didn't know that the model from The Motion Picture is the same one that would feature as the Klingon chancellor's ship in The Undiscovered Country with some slight modifications. 

It's fair to say that the K'T'Inga class has gone through a fair number of changes and developments since it's arrival into the Star Trek universe as a "replacement" for the D-7 of The Original Series and Eaglemoss have done as good a job as possible to bring this to readers and collectors in this issue. That concern over the "one episode" ships in the line still rears its head however considering the mixed bag we've had here - I'm intrigued as to how the three appearances of the Excelsior will be handled in two weeks.


Also don't forget to ask your newsagent to stock up on the first of the specials which will be out on the same day featuring that floating bicycle wheel Deep Space Nine in 3D technicolour glory with a larger than usual magazine into the bargain. If you've already purchased Issue Seven you'll have noticed the handy flyer that was inserted and we've also pictured here (right).

For those of you who might have missed them, Eaglemoss also added a couple of new shots of their upcoming issues and models recently. We've dropped them on below for reference. Can't wait to see both of them for real!

Magazine images from Eaglemoss

Issue Seven of The Official Starships Collection is available now at newsagents. You can also order and subscribe by visiting the Eaglemoss official website.

Don't forget that Some Kind of Star Trek is now on Facebook - you can like us there right now and follow our site content - and some other behind the scenes and extra bits too! 

Eaglemoss: Now Voyager

The sleek lines of USS Voyager await this time with the sixth issue of Eaglemoss' Official Starships Collection. Let's see how many cliches about "coming home" or "returning to the Alpha Quadrant" we can avoid...erm...whoops....

With the arrival of Voyager to the series we can now recreate those epic moments from the title sequence of the Intrepid Class ship soaring past planets and through clouds. Just wish I could stick on blue alert or swoosh her through a nebula in search of some coffee. I can dream. I can, please?!.

This more compact ship isn't top of my list on design but it is one of the series' flagships and as such is an essential in this production. There's no aztec paint scheme this time with a straight coat of grey/blue dotted with raised lifeboat hatches, phaser strips, thrusters and registry markings to complete the effect.

As a ship it's well presented and painted. There's no nacelle warp-speed-limit defying movement (due to keeping costs down) but this won't put fans off. She looks great - if basic - and this model really does display Voyager's smooth looks. That's one of the big benefits of this Eaglemoss series; seeing pictures, plans and CGI images over the years is all well and good but getting one of the starships into your hands gives you a much better understanding of them from all angles.

I actually think Voyager is a classy looker however I'm a bit put off by the fact that none of the windows are painted in (at least a coat of blue?) even though the recesses are there for all to see. In some instances such as the hatches they are there but not well defined. Some of the sensor palettes around the primary hull aren't painted in nor is the forward docking port marked. The images in the magazine do belay a few minor points that haven't translated across to the miniature here and the more you look the more you do notice inconsistencies; a shame after such great work on the windows of the Enterprise-D and the hull patterning of the NX-01.

The majority of the model (primary hull and top of the secondary hull) is recreated in metal with the lower hull and engines in plastic. The machining on Voyager is precise and the painting "in the lines" which does show the care and attention is continuing in this range. I hope that it does as a reduction in quality would detract from what Eaglemoss are attempting. It's well weighted too and in difference to the Romulan Warbird from Issue Five the ship's balance keeps it firmly in place on the display stand even though it's anchored from the back.

So to the magazine and it's another winner in my opinion even if it is due to one storming feature. There's an initial run through of the Voyager story from her kidnap by the Caretaker through to the ship's return to Earth in Endgame. There are some wonderful images collected here including stills of the Delta Flyer, the lifeboats leaving the hull in The Year of Hell and the series finale. The thing is that when you turn the page for the special feature, you can't help but be surprised and impressed.

The AeroShuttle is Voyager's equivalent of the never seen Enterprise-D Captain's yacht. The runabout-size ship is a neat little addition to the starship and in some ways its absence makes it even more desirable and welcomed as a feature in the magazine. Thanks, Eaglemoss, great to see the launch sequence detailed too that had been worked out if it were ever to be used. 

Voyager's design process is much more of a journey than we saw with Picard's starship in Issue One. Rick Sternbach's drawings of the evolution are great to pour over. The last time I saw anything about these was in the 1995 book Where No One Has Gone Before and that was only the "almost" image that opens this section. Seeing the other possibilities and discarded concepts adds a lot of depth to the Real World Voyager story. The design did go through a lot of phases, even becoming apparently over-complicated before slimming down to the dart-style offering that made the show. 

I had forgotten that Voyager was the last major Star Trek vessel to be built as a physical model and in it's final couple of seasons transferred to a computer generated version. Interestingly the CG model had to be corrected due to file corruptions. This meant that during the correction process the ship could receive some digital upgrades to be more like the original model. 

Rounding off are the on screen highlights and it's a good selection this time for the Janeway-commanded starship. It does seem, once again, that it could have done with a whole load more pages to flesh out the background, the upgrades made during the show or even a run through of the landing procedure. There's a lot that could have been covered. While the pages on the AeroShuttle are of benefit and not what you might assume would be included, Voyager does seem short-changed on detail both in print and on the model.

In conclusion it's an "OK" model in the series but certainly not the jewel in the crown to this point. The reproduction isn't bad in any form but it's perhaps not the 100% accurate starship we have been promised in all the promo materials. The minor omissions do make a difference although it's a great piece for the series. For me I'm keeping fingers crossed that Defiant is a better example.

Next in line before then is the K'T'Inga Battlecruiser which I really am looking forward to and will complement the refit NCC-1701 from Issue Two as both are featured in The Motion Picture. As a side note here, the retailer I purchased this from was surprised they were still stocking the magazine after six issues - a sign that it's been a success or are we going to be having trouble locating future editions? 

And Finally... I was looking for a reference to the only other Intrepid Class starship featured in the Star Trek universe in this edition but there wasn't a one....can you remember what it was called and where we saw her...?

Issue Six is now available and you can also subscribe to the collection here.

Some Kind of Star Trek is now available on Facebook - why not like us there for some extra pics, questions and discussion?

Star Trek: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: A Choice of Futures

My last encounter with Enterprise as a series was the final episode back in 2005 and that was, as we will all remember, less than stellar.

So this latest Enterprise novel from the halls of Simon and Schuster is something of a voyage into the unknown. A lot seems to have happened since the final episode and in essence only the characters actually align this to the show in any manner. So be warned there might be SPOILERS as we open the pages and read on...

There is no Enterprise and for me the whole nature of the show was about those first exploratory steps and initial technological advances. It's a difficult concept to grasp but in some respects it is honouring the memory of the short-lived series by expanding the story into the evolution of the Federation.

In A Choice of Futures things have moved on and the beginnings of the Federation are starting to evolve but as always there are some dark nasties looking to cause trouble from the wings and disrupt everything. Our familiars from the series have all moved on, whether into command of other starships or more senior positions at least. Even dead ones seem to have, as seems to be the trend with Star Trek, the ability to return from beyond the grave.

I have two differing opinions on this novel. One says to me that Enterprise novels should be confined to the arc of the series but in another heartbeat I know that moving events forward in time and defining the galaxy of the 23rd and 24th Centuries. What we get is kind of a mix up of lots of things and at the end of it not a lot to show. 

I spent a great deal of the first 200 pages not really getting where this was going. There were some nice chats about promotions, lots of talking about what they might do, some chats about relationships, a few words about an enemy called the "Mutes", a bit of eating and two thirds of the book seemed to have drifted by. I was not impressed and I got the sense that there was a lot of filler here. Most of the focus is on Archer, T'Pol and Reed with Sato and Mayweather filling out the background. For a lot of the time they are barely more than bit parts which is a shame but reflects exactly how they were in Enterprise.

Don't get me wrong, Christopher L Bennett tries to make this interesting but it's as though he's not got a lot to work with and fills out the novel with lots of nice little character bits but no serious, hard-hitting stuff until much later but the problem is that by that stage I really didn't care. I was looking forward to getting into this book BUT the problem is that it's all buildup with a group of characters that just don't seem to lift off the page and do anything vaguely interesting.

Archer for one seems totally neutered as an admiral, spending time hoping around between ships and the Federation Council playing mediator. Sitting on that very council is Enterprise guest-star favourite Shran and his initial introduction belays that the character has chilled out since we saw him in the series. That in itself is a real shame as I would have hoped that this individual would have managed to light some kind of fire within this book and make it engaging. Sadly that's not the case and Shran spends a lot of time doing a lot of time sitting around...chatting.

The villain here in the form of the Mutes just don't get that threatening and I never really believe their case because the bulk of the book does what it does best - talks about them, builds them up and then leaves them in a position which can only make them something of a disappointment. Their reveal could have been great and pivotal to the plot but after dragging out the "action" for a long time I didn't care that much. Sorry; I just wasn't fussed.

Aside from the fact that Enterprise is missing the Enterprise in all but a few off-hand "oh yeah, this is based on that series" references the crew are just bland, even more so than many fans may regrettably recall from the series. Bringing Trip "back" from the dead might have seemed like a great idea somewhere along the line but it just adds a further insult to the injury that was These Are the Voyages.... While that might not have been the author's fault you do get the sense that he's had to work with it. Trip should have stayed dead because it only makes that error of a final episode even more horrid and his return feels apologetic - did we even need him to be in Section 31?!

OK, OK, it's pretty apparent that I am not giving this book a good review but there are some great redeeming points within the pages that are worth finding through all the misjudgements and stilted pacing. Bennett works a treat in around the transporter systems and their potential dangers. It's a great notion and something that only a couple of characters (McCoy and Pulaski) ever really hint at. Here those concerns are met and covered; the only thing is it's thought another one of Those Chats that litter this publication. 

Nicely for those who like a good bit of continuity we also get to meet one of the former Dax hosts, Tobin who is working on a project for the Federation of, without doubt, the utmost importance. It's a nice nod to the franchise and Deep Space Nine in particular which I would never have expected to be referenced in an Enterprise novel. There are more nods to the Kir'Shara, the Xindi and even, oddly at a time when I've just discovered a show is being made about Garth of Izar, Axanar which played such a pivotal role in his life and career (here's the link to their Facebook page)

Perhaps though a highlight of the book and one that did stick with me throughout was a section dealt with starship design and why the Federation would be going along the lines of Earth's ships rather than those of the Vulcans or the Andorians. It's a decent answer and I'll give that one to Christopher L Bennett, it's a question that I'd never asked but when it was proposed here it did make me think. The reasoning is particularly nicely explained. I also did like the way in which one story strand brought back the USS Essex and Captain Bryce Shumar who were featured in The Next Generation's Power Play. I didn't expect their addition so it was a nice diversion in the plot. The challenge with these s well as the extra crew involved on the Endeavour and the Pioneer is that they aren't the main cast and as such their relationships and input into the story just don't excite. Sorry, but while it does feel like they are essential to the story their personalities are a little on the flat side.

In the last year I've read a lot of Star Trek novels for SKoST and this has to be bottom of the pile by some distance. It would even make me reconsider reviewing any more Enterprise novels in the future. The recent Eaglemoss release of the NX-01 relit my interest in this much maligned spawn of Star Trek and when I come to rewatching the series in some months time I hope that time has been kind and that A Choice of Futures isn't how it was back in the day.