The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko

Producing an autobiography of a character who has transcended the physical plane has to be one of the most difficult assignments to come from this book series.

Edited (wink wink) by Derek Tyler Attico, the story of Benjamin Lafayette Sisko is the one that I’ve been personally waiting for since the books first appeared. 

So how does one circumvent the obvious flaw that Sisko ‘can’t’ write this book? Well I won’t ruin that little twist but suffice to say it makes this volume extremely unique when it comes to how these have been written to date.

And if you’re wanting this to be a detailed first person account of Deep Space Nine, be prepared for a wait and also for it not to take up that much of the book. This really does go right back to the start of Sisko’s life. This autobiography provides a deep dive into three generations  of the Sisko line packed into the hotel/restaurant/home that exists in New Orleans. There’s even time to offer glimpses at older history emphasising the importance of family bonds that exist not just in that structure but also down the years in Ben’s Starfleet journey. 

Covering everything from Sisko's childhood, coupled with it's distinct lack of technology, Attico's work follows a path from adventurous and highly inquisitive youth through to maturing teen and into Starfleet officer. The journey feels natural and the level of detail not only traces its roots back into episodes of Deep Space Nine but into a deeper cultural exploration that hasn't been as apparent in other works from this ongoing series.

Attico's research into Sisko is certainly extensive but it doesn't suffocate the story. Rather than relying on just the material we've been drip fed through 176 episodes of the show, the reader can explore Ben's first encounter with a transporter or a tricorder with the same sense of wonder that the character himself does. 

But that feeling of family and personal bonds is always present. There is loss, not only of his wife at the battle of Wolf 359 but earlier in respects to grandparents and his mother as well as more complex relationships with his sister and younger twin brothers. 

Indeed, a good three quarters of the autobiography is filled with events that viewers and fans of the show will not have seen or were just hat-tipped such as Cal Hudson meeting his future wife or the way in which Sisko became Captain (later Admiral) Layton's first officer on the USS Okinawa. 

The clarity of events pre-DS9 is just staggering; the construction of the Defiant for instance brings both Leah Brahms and Cmdr Shelby into play while Attico has brilliantly woven in the single episode character of Tryla Scott (TNG's Conspiracy) both logically and seamlessly.  This feels like the true defining of the Ben Sisko character that, for a good part of DS9 was actually avoided although perhaps not consciously. 

Yes, there were nods to his sister, visits to the Sisko restaurant and the occasional appearance of Brock Peters' Joseph Sisko but for the most part Atttico has had a clean slate/ sandbox to play in and explore. Opinion; he's done it with aplomb and style. There's still enough legroom in here for future canon events to sneak into the narrative but this does show the development of the person before he was the Emissary and commander of Deep Space Nine. In the cases of both Janeway and Picard we've been privy to key events from earlier in their lives whether by visions of parents or Q interventions but Sisko avoided all of that bar two moments in Emissary that added meat to his back story.

DS9ers will adore this book which not only explores Sisko's backstory but actually utilises soome (I'm reliably informed) of Derek Tyler Attico's own personal history and experiences to flesh out Starfleet's finest captain (fight me on it!).

Very Short Treks: Very Short Patience?

The 50th anniversary of Star Trek's original Animated Series should be a time for celebration.

It was the first spin off from Star Trek, coming four years after the cancellation of the show and return the majority of the classic cast to their roles albeit vocally.

So what better way to honour those memories with the arrival of five mini-episodes in the same visual style as the Filmation series. Not only that but Trek alumni including Doug Jones, Ethan Peck, Gates McFadden and Jonathan Frakes have lent their voices to the shorts.

Imagined from the mind of Casper Kelly, the non-canon stories are shall we say distinct in their vision. Opening with Skin a Cat, the story here openly tackles the limits of political correctness, Holiday Party has Spock introducing a cringe-worthy blooper reel aboard Pike's Strange New Worlds USS Enterprise and Worst Contact places Riker and Dr Crusher into a rather sickly encounter with a recently warp capable race.

Sounds good? In principle the idea of these Very Short Treks seemed perfect but each week has brought disappointment and dismay. Each has utterly missed the mark and thank goodness for the non-canon safety net.

Take Skin a Cat. Including the vocals of Ethan Peck as Spock, everything the captain says manages to offend someone on the bridge and creates a new and (even for Star Trek) far-fetched bats-arse alien race purely as a punchline. Initially the "cat" reference offends the (brilliant to see) M'Ress before each line angers the Ass Face, Screwhead and Knickersonian bridge crew. Yes, seriously. It's that kind of comedy level.

Those things might be dealt with in the first 90 seconds before the ship captain realises a politically correct way to save his vessel from Klingon attack but these totally override the twist completely. I had to rewatch it just to be reminded of what happened for the closing 90 seconds for that reason.

Holiday Party is a slight improvement with at least the imagining of the SNW crew in this 70s animation style as well as Bruce Horak taking a turn as Hemmer and Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura.  Spock's misunderstanding of humour and the probably outdated concept of a blooper make for uneasy and uneven viewing. Spock saying "fart"? Why not here. More accurately... why? This isn't the way to nod to the past and at just over three minutes it's still too long.

The bloopers chosen are themselves somewhat grim with disembowelling to ice that proverbial cake. Worst Contact draws level with the snotty, hygiene unaware species coming off as annoying clown parodies. McFadden and Frakes deliver the dialogue as best they can and easily have the stronger lines and verbal relationship but the jokes just fall flat and firmly in the territory of "gross". Walls covered with boogers, microwaved rotting fish and eyeball licking are the orders of business for these aliens and certainly not for Starfleet.

Ok, so there are underlying "serious" issues in here. Political correctness, appreciation of humour and acceptance and understanding of different peoples and customs but they get lost under the bizarre way in which the animated skits have been written. I find American humour an acquired taste and for me a lot of Trek's humour can be miss rather than hit however this has gone very far of the mark in almost every sense.

The visuals and music cues are perfect however and truly reflect the nature of that series' style and essence. At times the Animated Series could be off the wall but it felt right for the show and the time as well as pushing the limits of Star Trek as restricted by a live action budget and era.

The shots of the SNW and TNG Enterprises are lovingly created as are the visuals of characters such as Riker, Saru and Spock but the parts are far off making a greater sum. We still have Holograms, All the Way Down and Walk, Don't Run still to go and I'm not holding out for a massive change in tone. These are shorts worth checking out for the visual style and then probably only the once. The tragedy is they just emphasise how great a loss it is that Prodigy failed to get its second season on Paramount.

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Infinite Possibilities

Paradox Interactive have an illustrious history when it comes to simulation management with winners such as Cities: Skylines and Stellaris under their belt.

2023 adds one more to their repertoire with Star Trek: Infinite. Stellaris fans will recognise it instantly since it is, for the most part, a reskin of that well-played PC game.

Platers choose their initial power from the Federation, Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians before embarking on a galactic expansion. The ultimate aim is to either win on a points victory by the mid-27th Century or manage to absorb different civilisations through diplomacy or conquest. If you're also familiar with the long-running mobile game Fleet Command then this is similar but on steroids and without the need to wait days to complete upgrades or fork out continuously for more parts. Ok, there may not (at launch date) be as many ship or recognisable character options available but I suspect there's more satisfying results in the gameplay.

Just to take the Federation as the example here, players start off with a series of worlds and can then expand through exploring with science vessels and building starbases, mining stations, observation posts and research facilities to build up abilities and resources. Starbases allow for the building of fleets and through research paths you can be commanding fleets of Galaxy Class vessels to defend your borders.

So as you make your way into the game it’s important to build up those resources be they minerals, energy, dilithium or even experience to help progress a growing civilisation. Players can send out colony ships to settle new worlds but be careful what you find as some of them may be more inclined to join with an opposing power than settle for the welcoming arms of the Federation. Don't get hung up on the map being canon-accurate either as it will naturally change a lot over the course of the game and races will not necessarily spawn their societies in the same parts of the galaxy as they did in a previous game. It does mean you can't anticipate where to head out and survey and adds back in the mystery with every new game.

Players will also be joined by a series of familiar faces including Picard, Riker, Sloan, Data and Janeway but these are little more than images of the characters with them adding little to the gameplay. Indeed, the only two that do offer some additional features are Picard and Janeway who are essential to the completion of the Borg mission strand.

The main Mission Tree does divert your empire off into different paths and the benefit of repeat playing is finding out just where these can take you. Do you track a journey where the actions of Section 31 are prioritised or do you tread a more peaceful and open adventure? The choice is yours. 

One of the benefits of the Federation Mission Tree is ticking off the tasks to unlock the USS Enterprise-D and her crew which in turn leads to the Enterprise-E. Deep Space Nine can be acquired if players can bring Bajor into the Federation too.

It’s definitely a game that takes a lot of trial and error with some goals becoming out of reach if certain characters die or territory is lost. Take too long on searching the galaxy for example and Picard may have aged himself out of contention to encounter the Borg. 

The space combat sequences are very basic if truth be told and more of the gameplay is to be found in scrolling through your planets for potential upgrades of populace resettlement to a more successful colony. Keeping your people happy and occupied makes for a more content Federation and at the same time assists in helping you look like a good place to live. Be careful not to overexpand though as it will stretch resources so players might want to wait before adding another couple of starbase. Perhaps open dialogue with the Bolians or Trill and bring them aboard to stabilise your stats otherwise the Cardassians or Klingons might see territory ripe for the invading.

If you’re looking for a first person, action adventure Trek then this is absolutely not going to tick a single box. This is all about planning, patience and tactics. When to expand and where, what travel lines you can open up and how you can link the different parts of the Federation together for the benefit and security of all. 

I can guarantee that if you are into that management style game then be prepared to sink a fair few hours into it. Yes, there are ‘issues’ with the timeline in that uniforms don’t change depending on the century or that you could be using Excelsior class when you'd be lucky not to be retiring a Constitution III Class. Really the size of the ship is more of a guide to how advanced your civilisation has become and the calendar sort of becomes irrelevant in terms of "factual" Star Trek history. It actually becomes more of a reminder of just how long you have until that peace accord wears off and you can get attacked again. You will inevitably go through a lot of planetary governors, scientists, admirals, spies and generals all of which cost resources to purchase. Repeated plays (and regular saves!) will help you hone skills and also utilise parts of the game you may never have touched before. 

If you've never played Stellaris then Infinite might seem overwhelming initially and the tour at the start is frankly atrocious. I dived in, paddled a bit and took some risks on my first game just to see how the whole thing worked. It was well worth it and on the restart I scored a win with the Federation although slightly hollow as the Cardassians invaded Earth and Vulcan at the exact same time I integrated the final society.

Expansions seem to be a possibility too and even with the initial game there are two options, the slightly more expensive offering a Klingon voice pack and the California Class among other titillating extras. 

I'm not a huge PC gamer and have only Cities: Skylines as experience when it comes to Paradox Interactive but in terms of this one I'm hooked in if only to try all of the scenarios and outcomes. I'm even invested in seeing where I can shave down time or put more effort into one direction than another just to see if the end result is more favourable. If you want something that will make you think, has decent enough graphics and sets itself in the Star Trek universe then this is well worth the price at under £30 and will provide hours of thought and gameplay. Just be prepared for the mental onslaught at the beginning and you'll be fine.

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Seconds Out: Alliance: Dominion War Campaign Part II

Tired of replaying the original Alliance missions over and over again?

In that time honoured tradition the wait is finally over as Alliance 2 has broken cover and brought the Klingon Empire into the Dominion War.

For anyone just dropping on here for the first time, Alliance is a sort of Attack Wing version 2.0. Utilising the same movement and combat systems as that Wizkids tabletop game, this version pits players against a common foe through co-operative play.

Featuring familiar Attack Wing ships, the initial box saw the Akira and Excelsior Classes under player command across four linked missions. These could either be played singularly or as part of a campaign in which players could gradually upgrade their ships and skills.

Alliance 2 continues in the same manner however this is very firmly an expansion to the original rather than a whole new pack so having either the Attack Wing Starter Set OR the original Alliance box is essential as the core pieces such as dice, damage cards and movement templates are not included.

The first Alliance introduced the AI feature onto the Jem'Hadar fighters, three of which were in that pack. This sequel now adds the Cardassian Galor Class to the Dominion ranks and the hefty Jem'Hadar Battle Cruiser for good measure.

Wizkids seem to have learnt quite a bit from that first box as well as their lengthy history with Attack Wing itself. Inside the box there are lots of new bits to enhance the Alliance experience and actually add to the original set.

For example, there are additional cards and manoeuvre dials so that the Jem'Hadar ships from box one can be played in Attack Wing as well as generic Dominion captains. There are also some card markers which can be pulled into use if you require the fighters in this expansion but don't have any or enough available (say if you only have the Attack Wing starter pack). This makes Alliance 2 super easy to get into as long as you have those core gaming elements.

As recognition to anyone who did get that first box and wants to continue using their Federation captains, there are a series of new upgrades for those craft in here too. That's a brilliant pay off for those that have intentionally played it all through ready for Alliance 2 to continue the story.

For those wanting a new challenge or are more of a Klingon persuasion, Wizkids has packed in two player ships here in the form of the Vor'Cha Cruiser and a Bird of Prey. Both are ratified with the new points scores introduced over the faction packs, offering more scope on upgrades.

Not to coin a rather cliched phrase but (sigh) this pack is the best of both worlds. It doesn't rely on just having Alliance 1 plus it actually realises some of the pitfalls of that first box and works to rectify them. Add in another four missions to the overall Dominion War campaign and you have a very well rounded pack.

But of course the cards are one of the biggest draws here. Alliance 2 adds in four for Federation captains; Co-ordinated Assault to transfer an Evade, Battle Station or Scan token to another ship at close range, Battle Plan adds a Battle Stations token to your ship if another allied craft is in close range. Extend Shields provides a friendly ship with a shield fix and Engineering Officer allows for an Action to be conducted even if there is an auxiliary power token in play. 

On top of those new upgrades, there are 24 cards to start building that Klingon Fleet. That's six Crew, five(1) new Elite Actions for the captains, five for Weapons and seven Tech. The Crew options do tend to revolve around the utilisation of either the Target Lock or Battle Stations tokens to bolster attack or defence with only Helmsman providing a spin on movement. 

In the Elite Actions Reckless Assault offers repeat usage for head on combat alone. Evasive Maneuvers awards an Evade for use of an Evade while Strafing Run is reliant on overlapping bases to inflict more undefended damage.

Glory to the Empire! acts as an alternative Target Lock to reroll attack or defence. Fight with Honor teases better odds in taking on equal sized or bigger opponents. Eye for an Eye is a real diamond in the pack with the chance to inflict critical damage if you yourself suffer likewise with no chance to defend it.

The Weapon upgrades offer a series of ways to target multiple enemies, improve rolled results and in the case of Converging Fire, allow other friendly Negh'Var or Vor'Cha Class ships the use of the host ship's Target Lock. 

Equally as good is a unique chance to Target Lock two different opponents with the four point Targeting Array. Secondary Cloaking Coil provides a chance to do repairs and cloak in the same beat although as a discard it's a one off. Reinforced Hull also offers a surprising upgrade to any ships with a hull value of four and above. Nor do any of the Tech upgrades have any real deficits or negative impacts so they would be features I'd choose to get onto my ship first.

But let's get it set right, this is a superb pack that offers so much to all players who have at least the ability to play at a base level. The option now to play as either Federation or Klingon will be wildly popular and the inclusion of two new ship classes under AI control opens up options for this and for straight Attack Wing single player scenarios. The cards themselves are top drawer with Helmsman seeming to be super popular. Thinking to add in Attack Wing cards was a bonus that pays dividends too.

News is that with Part III the Romulans will allow you to mix and match anything so you’ll be flying a Federation ship tooled up with anything you can select from any of the three packs.

A great addition if a long time coming and it’s not over yet!

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30 Years of DS9

A wormhole, a religious society and a space station might not have seemed the most obvious route to take when Star Trek was looking for a new direction in the early 90’s.

Three decades later and seven full series on, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine remains the only show to have chosen a stable location for its base of operations week in, week out. 

Taking a decidedly different stance from TOS and the simultaneously on air TNG, DS9 revolutionised the franchise with many of its choices from day one. Utilising a reclaimed Cardassian mining station, having the lead only ranked as a commander and have the main cast include several non-Starfleet personnel are just a sprinkling of the offerings in Emissary. 

Amazingly - and with five series (one more than the Berman era of '87 to '03), the Kurtzman take on Star Trek has yet to try something similar. Ok, Discovery went with a non-captain lead (initially) and both it and Picard attempted season long arcs with varying levels of success. Discovery has mixed up the cast, spun a curveball with its 32nd Century jump but yet not one of the five have decided to set up roots in one place.

Story arcs nowadays are nothing new but in 1995 when DS9 really kicked the Dominion War into touch it was a landmark for Star Trek if nothing else. Thirty years on and its legacy has only grown in stature. Now rated as potentially one of the best if not THE best Star Trek series, DS9 might have boldly stayed put for seven years but it allowed for a healthy ballast of secondary characters, recurring and ongoing stories and possibly the biggest galaxy building exercise in franchise history. The show developed backgrounds of both the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants with the latter still remaining largely untouched by the new era of shows. 

Aside from Enterprise it also remains largely untapped in 2023. Enterprise remains almost outcast but DS9 is conspicuous by the demands of fans for answers to the show, nods to what happened after What You Leave Behind and more. Recently Lower Decks has opened up passage to the station for its third season Hear All, Trust Nothing which returned both Nana Visitor and Armin Shimerman to voice their roles of Kira and Quark but there was still no word of what had occurred in the time since Sisko's disappearance.

Amazing to think that back in 1993 it started off with one of Star Trek's best pilot episodes only to descend into an "alien of the week" show seemingly trying to be the swansong-approaching TNG but in one place. To quote from another space station based show around the same time, it was the last best hope... it failed.

DS9 could never be TNG and that's where those first 20 episodes tend to fail. What it did do was illustrate that the galaxy wasn't as goddamn perfect as viewers were led to believe from aboard the Enterprise-D and that outside the Federation it wasn't all kisses and hugs galore. There was tension, there were differences out there on the frontier and while Voyager caved to internal demands, effectively neutering the Maquis, DS9 retained a healthy mix of personnel and believably all the way through. It never shied away from character changes and consciously embraced them. Sisko went badass, Bashir was briefly a Changeling and then revealed as an augment - and that's just two of the multiple characters. 

Looking back at that first season thirty years on, it's not that bad. Rose-tinted glasses are in play perhaps if you're not a super-fan of the Kurtzman shows, but even the weaker episodes are more memorable than some of Discovery's third and fourth season offerings. Move Along Home, The Storyteller and If Wishes Were Horses all seemed rather flat in '93 yet their presence in the franchise still echoes strong today. If nothing else they entertain, the characters are decently written even if the circumstances are bats-arse crackers. At its worst (allamaraine!) there seems a much greater depth and resonance to the plots than we see today. Admittedly no-one does ask what the Wadi are up to but hey, we can hope?!

But it wasn't all cheese back then (no Voyager pun intended). Season one memorably brought about the oft copied but never bettered Duet, Tosk and ended with the arrival of Vedek Winn and the true beginning of the show's Bajoran political and religious arc.

There was a tendency to over-rely on canon characters early on with the Duras sisters, Q, Vash and of course Picard all turned in before episode eight but that seemed to be dealt with rapidly. Q would never go back thankfully and bug Janeway for the next few years, Generations saw off the Duras sisters and it would take until Blood Oath in the late stages of season two before any other classic characters would wisely be brought back. 

Titillated during the first season and prominently in the opener, Emissary, the Bajoran arc seemed bungled to a degree before Winn and Vedek Bareil came aboard. Season two's opening trilogy of Homecoming, The Circle and The Siege showed the first real signs of life and potential rather than just that "alien of the week" approach that weighed down it's preceding year. But again, with some tweaks and thought, the Bajoran arc with its Pah Wraiths, orbs, vedeks and more would grow with the show. Initially it also provided a key way of showing the series could step outside the TNG-style framework and be unique since TNG never dared cover religion in such detail. It was a becoming a show that realised it could breathe on its own and tell its own stories without having to rely on its soon-to-finish sister series.

Breathe it did with the arrival of the Dominion and that first volley of phaser fire from the USS Defiant in The Search, Part I. A season later Worf jumped ship in the "Dorn to DS9" twist that was The Way of the Warrior and the show truly hit its stride. I could wax on for hours about the brilliance of seasons five and six; For the Uniform, Children of Time, Call to Arms, Sacrifice of Angels, Far Beyond the Stars and unashamedly the franchise rocking In the Pale Moonlight are just a mere fraction of the demonstrations of both writing and acting talent this show would produce between 1993 and 1999. 

DS9 is, in my opinion, unchallenged in its greatness and ability to say it is the best of all the Star Trek series right from day one. Was it better after Ira Steven Behr took full control and was allowed to just do what he wanted because the focus was on the UPN jewel Voyager? Absolutely and it's all the better for it. 

DS9 is not without its faults and many of those are in its first 46 episodes but it learns, adapts and grows in ways which none of the current shows in the stable have even shown a glimmer of achieving. In their defence, two of these shows are animated, one is ending after three seasons and one has only completed a season but nothing says EPIC in the way that DS9 said it or rather screamed it for several years.

Maybe it's therefore a good thing that we have stayed clear of a starbase, space station or colony so far in this era of the franchise. DS9 has left such a lasting impression that it may well have become the untouchable child, the one series that people just don't want to mess up. It had a start, a middle and an end and was fairly concrete in its 

At present the nearest we may get to seeing such a "single location" show is through the much rumoured Academy series or maybe the much delayed Section 31 show. So the wait for something, anything, that might be a follow up to this phenomenal part of the franchise is ongoing. One day, yes, there will be a show that treads a similar path but I think we'll have some time to wait before that becomes a reality. For now it's best to grab the box set and start that journey one more time.

Heavy Defence: Ty'Gokor Orbital Platform - The Official Starships Collection Special Issue

For some reason in my head I had it that Ty'Gokor was this station and not the planet beneath it.

But after a few decades the penny finally dropped when I got hold of this, the final platform to be released from the now defunct Eaglemoss Starships Collection.

Featured in the fifth season Deep Space Nine opener Apocalypse Rising, the platform acted as one of the defensive measures around what was announced as the most heavily protected piece of the Klingon Empire. 

The site for the presentation of the Order of the Bat'leth, Ty'Gokor's orbital platforms were a rare chance for viewers to see anything resembling a space station borne from the Klingons. While the Federation versions were high tech and clean-lined, there's something loveable about the harsher, grubbier construction here.

Probably the most striking parts of the platform are the four docking arms. All identical in structure, we actually only ever saw the top three because the fourth was hiding the structural arm to hold the model in shot for the camera.

But anyway, the finish imbues that traditional green/brown Klingon colour scheme which unusually here includes some form of aztecing which is most out of place on anything from this part of the galaxy. It does appear to have scorch markings around those docking bay openings although the interiors remain blank and the level of physical detail is a bit hit and miss. The edges of the panels and feature points all seem to be rounded off and smoothed across the upper and lower surfaces while the openings are a little jagged in places.

Each docking port also carries the instantly recognisable Klingon insignia but that can't draw away from the fact that some of the girder detail is completely lost in it transfer from the screen to the model. Most notably this is in the "baffle" structures either side of the docking ports that should not technically exist.

Tracing the arms back to the central structure, there is again a mixed level of detailing with some less than perfect seams. The alignment of the plastic is less than perfect and the masts on the top of the station seem to have chosen their own angles to point at - in some cases anything other than directly up. To be honest that entire antenna assembly is nothing as it appeared on the original model and this is dramatically backed up once you open the magazine. The CG on the cover is, in regards to this piece, also wholly inaccurate and "distracts" from the truth that it's nowhere near realistic. 

Traversing the structure only highlights more of the inaccuracies between this and the studio  model. While the triangle-forming supporting arms are fairly well implemented, the scaffolding-like structures around the platform's central core are only there thanks to some raised bumps on the surface of the plastic. It's very impressionist when you start looking and disappointing at worst.

But, the central, grilled element of the station is pretty spot on. The lattice is clean in its execution with a decent depth between each of the slats. The lower docking port which sit parallel to the grilled area again shares a lot of the issues of its three higher relatives - blocked scaffold piping, slim detailing, however the worst offence comes around the other side where it's noticeable that the two vertical sections are not quite lined up, leaving the panelling and the horizontal curved grille just out. What you also spot by this point is the near total lack f any metal components in the platform. All the way down to this point we've seen plastic alone and it's only when  we descend below the final docking port to the last piece of the core that we get that distinct cold touch.

Where? Right at the very bottom. In fact it's more or less just a weight to balance the structure and plug the hole in the base. Detail again is middling at best with some nice surface embossing and a few raised panel points. Problem is that everything here seems very indistinct given the strength of its features in the (errored) CG and also the model photographs. I would have expected that the scale would have allowed for some freedom but the more industrial nature of the Klingon orbital platform has worked against it.

Having so many pipe-like elements on the exterior of the model turns this from a very interesting structure into something much more blocky and average. Stick this alongside Spacedock or Regula One and they will easily blow it away. This is tragically an example where the final, original piece is just too much to be scaled precisely for the cost and size of these specials. To (literally) cap it all off the antenae at the base of the station are just as wayward as the ones at the top.

Stand fit is good and stable thanks to that metal base weight if nothing else with a unique clear plastic element to slot it all into above that familiar black stand. It does give that nice "floating" effect but doesn't make up for the other issues we've discussed here.

The magazine is pretty good and while the CG isn't 100% accurate it does offer a much better and more highly detailed render of the orbital platform. Passing through the details over the purpose of the platforms as well as details of the fifth season opener, the article is augmented with images from Apocalypse Rising as well as plan views of the station. Designing the unit only maxes out two pages of which over 50% is pictures - and not all of it of the item itself sadly. Then there's seven pages dedicated to episodes where crew have been disguised/altered into other races from the franchise. All in all that last piece is a bit underwhelming although you can see how they tied it in with the Klingon disguises given to Sisko, Odo and O'Brien to infiltrate Ty'Gokor.

As the very last (to date) special produced and shipped, Ty'Gokor leaves me a little cold. It's not the spectacular piece it could be however it is nice to have something more unusual recreated as part of the series. Tragedy is that this could have been sacrificed so we could have had the Caretaker array but alas that one may never see our shores.

This is one for the Klingon fans without doubt and would ideally go in the middle of that Empire display. For me though it's not one I'll be wanting out all too often but does help to complete this incomplete collection.

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The Official Starships Collection: DS9 XL

The original Eaglemoss DS9 was big enough, right?

For the time, absolutely. It was after all the first of the special editions and by default the first in a run of starbases, space stations and outposts that would bulk up that run of the Official Starships Collection.

This also marks the first time I've ventured back into the Eaglemoss world since their rather unceremonious collapse. Why continue the reviews? One, because it's now verging on retro and secondly I suspect that these models will reappear on some website at some point even if they are just to be sold off. If they do, then this is one you'll need to snap up quickly. Also I kind of want to finish off a few bits. There's some Discovery stuff still to do plus the final two issues of the STO line... then we'll see. 

This edition is the third DS9 I've added to the collection, the other two being the original Eaglemoss special from 2013 and the excellent oversized Attack Wing version. That's a beast and only gets unboxed for gaming because while it's quite large it's not constructed as robustly as the Eaglemoss versions.

If you're in it for size then the Attack Wing version is a clear winner however its rarity now might set you back a substantial amount (that and their Borg Cube). Fingers crossed this one doesn't go the same way for some time.

One of the criticisms levelled against the XLs is that in some cases fans weren't sure why they were made. The Kelvin USS Enterprise which was originally a special and therefore larger than the regular line is a prime example. DS9 almost falls into this category since it too appeared in the specials line right back in the early days.

So does this version improve on the already excellent original Eaglemoss edition? Absolutely it does and at its most base level if only for the inclusion of the stand. Yes, if you recall the original it displayed by sitting on the lower pylons and over time these began to curve inward slightly due to the weight of the rest of the Cardassian monstrosity.

Eaglemoss made the wise choice here, taking all that weight off the base and sitting the station in a cradle that grips the bottom of the central core and leaves the three lower pylons hanging free. 

But we're not just here to talk about the plastic base because this is frikkin' DS9 people and we have loads to cover. 

From the start there's been a serious colour overall with the station losing its brown with brown highlights finish. Substituting a more grey/brown base with the sensor equipment and call outs on the outer docking ring in a more yellowed brown, there's immediately a stronger contrast in the shading which helps draw out the enlarged detail. Ok, it's not all individually painted as you might plan on for an AMT or Polar Lights kit, but the distinction between a hull plate and the mechanics of the station are more pronounced.

Look even more closely at the docking bays at the midpoint of each of the three curving arms and you'll spot that there's a ton more detail in the structure and plating at these points. Not much has changed in the markings up the pylons but around these three locations there is a significant improvement. Even the inside edges now have some form of panel definition which is a huge plus sign. Actually that's not totally accurate because there is a marked step up in the definition of the markings on the station even at this point in our look. One factor I can take in as well is that the pylons themselves are a much tighter fit on the XL and we're avoiding the gaps that could be spotted on the smaller version. In some cases, due to the weight, these could become a lot more prominent.

But then in some cases more is less because as we run inwards along the supporting arms from the outer docking ring to the inner, the markings here have actually been reduced and refined. On the original there is an intense amount of blocking along the sides of the arms but the XL has lowered the definition and made it a much less crowded surface where the top panel markings stand out more strongly.

These marked sections as well have benefitted from being that bit bigger with the surface indents now more separated and distinct rather than clustered blobs. But they still can't align a window because every single one on the station - on the rings and on the central core are noticeably out. My recommendation would have been to ignore making the windows a raised feature that then needed to be white painted in. It's utterly failed and, as usual, detracts from the spectacle of the overall station.

The contrast in colour tones also strikes out when you look at the inner ring with its more segmented style. The alternating yellow/brown to brown/grey makes for a sharper result. It also means that there's a third shade (gasp) in grey to add more defined hull sections as we get closer to the core. The inner, smaller, docking arms also have a sharper finish and paint job that matches up with their larger outer compatriots. 

Ok, the shots I took of the smaller DS9 were done on a horrible black background during my early playing days so it at least deserves some new shots on the lighter background. But even then when comparing a side by side overhead pic, the two stations are miles apart on the quality thanks to that expansion of size. In this case bigger is definitely better even if it's not by that much. 

I think the most significant point of size increase though comes in the layering of that all-important central core. The Promenade windows are that bit larger, the deck levels seem more evenly spread, especially the two above the station's civilian hub. Here on the XL, the lower of those two is nowhere near as compacted as before. Stepping up beyond that, the structure under Ops as well as the deflectors is another level. The original made this whole areas squashed and poorly rendered but the XL has 100% topped it and learned from the mistakes of its predecessor. This time there is even evidence of the comms array on top of Ops which was totally absent previously. Ok, they're minor "bumps" but it's a piece that wasn't included before.

At the other end of the central core is the main power generator. The red of the original model was fairly restricted by the size but now the core really glows. The power conduits around it have much stronger detailing and the inset colouring definitely pops more. It would have made a nice translucent insert but realistically it would have been incredibly fiddly to make it work on the budget.

This model is as though someone has more tightly focused the lens of a camera. Lines are more precise and defined. The structure itself is more ably constructed. There is still a small gap around the base of the Promenade but in the big scheme this is much smaller than before. If this ever becomes available again - and I hope it does - I cannot say how much you have to get hold of one. It was out of stock for a long time and luckily I managed to grab it on the second wave. Fingers crossed this will be the case again for anyone that didn't get hold of this excellent display piece.

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The Nebula Class: Eaglemoss XL USS Bonchune

Debuting in TNG's fourth season, the Nebula Class would be the first new Federation starship design to grace TV screens since the arrival of the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise in Encounter at Farpoint.

While it is a blatant reworking of the Galaxy Class itself, the Nebula Class would undergo several minor reworkings over its time on screen across TNG, DS9 and fleetingly VGR with the alterations here coming from one of the versions visible during DS9's sixth season.

Ok. Obvious one out of the way from the off, those windows ain't aligning perfectly. I know you expect it however, wise move is that most of the windows apart from the ones at the very edge of the saucer are all decalled on meaning there's no errors there at least. ON the underside, the deflector "squares" are all over the place but thankfully it's underneath.. Lesson learned? I doubt it.

Honestly though, the heavy saucer section of the Bonchune is gorgeous. The aztecing is sharp, lifeboat markings are in the right place and generally line up with the raised hull sections as they should. The ship registry is more than legible with a clear red outline on the numbers - it's all seemingly falling nicely into place here isn't it?

It really does have a great finish which leaves you head-scratching why the D wasn't updated after this. Anyway, we have the more sensible sensor pod at the back rather than the  AWACS monstrosity that was attached to the USS Phoenix or the mini-nacelles of the Melbourne. 

What I have noticed with this one though is that there are some little paint scuffs and flecks which I've not noticed as much elsewhere. However here along the edges of that triangular rear pod there are a couple. These stand out more because of the light base coat underneath over a darker green/brown segment. 

That said, the pod itself is well detailed with a large amount of grille work plus some very nicely painted up RCS thrusters. Also on the pod, something that I would never have seen or expected replicated - the ship registry and United Federation of Planets script. It's a minor detail but one that onscreen you may never have really seen. Minor kick here is that some of the gold detail has been misaligned and is 50% grey. I would also really like to know the significance of the numbers along the grille edges.

Even the connecting neck section between the pod and hull has been meticulously detailed up with some distinct panel work to the rear and again, the inclusion of a tiny ship registry. The Bonchune feels so very complete because of these touches. The painting in some places (especially around the pod) isn't at Eaglemoss' best yet there's something satisfying about the end result. God, even the fact that my sensor pod is sitting at an angle hasn't put me off.

The distinct aztec over the duck egg blue paint finish continues into the engine pylons. So distinctly reused from the Galaxy Class, the finish is incredibly clean and precise. This isn't shock, it's acknowledgement of a really good job. The use of translucent sections for the grilles and bussard collectors was a standard requirement here and would have made left the model a little flat but hey, they're all in there and look great.

One great touch is the precision job that's been done on the main deflector. Even though this is underneath the ship, the colours don't bleed and each ring of the element is clear to distinguish.

The problem does however lie with a good chunk of the ventral section of the secondary hull because, apart from the Starfleet pennant and the horizontal phaser beam, the alignment of windows and the cargo doors to their physical locations is criminal. The cargo doors are horribly all over the place so if you're displaying, stick this on a low shelf so you'll be looking down on her rather than up. OK, this means you don't see the lovely deflector but it's a price you'll have to pay to appreciate the finer parts of the Bonchune. Honestly, look at the emergency warp core eject hatch and that pennant and you'll see that the aztecing doesn't line up. It's not central and it bugs me to the ends of the earth. 

The accompanying magazine takes a let turn and focuses on TNG's The Wounded. Stepping more into the background of the episode, it discusses more around the prominence of O'Brien, the arrival of the Cardassians and Captain Maxwell than the Nebula Class. There is of course some page space dedicated to the development of the class and the use of the models onscreen both in space and as props.

Final line here; the Nebula Class manages to excite and disappoint with the simple flip of a hull. The top is gorgeous, clean and almost perfect aside from a few tickles that are more than likely issues of mass production. But then the underside of the ship just tosses that good will aside for some inexcusable misses. Is she worth a punt? Yes, but probably when there's a good Eaglemoss offer on because you might be upset at forking out the current price for an XL.

Check out all our Online Starships posts HERE

You can find out more on the Star Trek Online Official Starships Collection by visiting the Hero Collector website HERE

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