Arctic Monkey: The Official Starships Collection Issues 130 and 131

Two craft that have strong links to the Borg but from different ends of the Star Trek timeline have arrived (flippin’ late) from Eaglemoss.
 

Due to all sorts of warehouse moves, wormholes and probable Klingon invasion, August’s subscriber issues were delayed by a whole month meaning collectors are only just now receiving their models. 

While it means there was a longer wait for August’s issues it does mean on the flip side that there will be a very short wait for September’s craft.

Ok and to the first of the two issues and the Borg Probe which popped up back in Voyager’s fifth season TV movie, Dark Frontier.

A more rectangular craft than the more familiar cube, the Probe mirrors the distinct metallic polished finish that has been used on the Borg Queen’s ship and also to some extent on the issue 10 Borg Sphere. The surface finery om this,ome is mighty impressive - at least 50% of it is because theres the distinct feeling of deja vu not seen since the Borg Tactical Cube - the top and bottom sections are identical. Yes, honest to goodness this is 50% of thrnship that you would have wanted. It also maes reviewing it a pain in the ass because there’s 50% less than usual to talk about dammit.

Ok, calm down now...deep breath. 

The whole of the Borg Probe is plastic however your first thought when looking at it is that there must be at least a hint of metal somewhere. There isn’t and regular readers/collectors will have vivid flashbacks to the TV remote ship aka the Federation Holoship from Insurrection. Thing was with that while it was 100% plastic there was variation in the hull detail front to back and top to bottom. What we have here is a mirror finish top to bottom and a front and back which are nearly identical.

Have to say while the Borg are a cool baddie, their ships really are dull and repetitive but, I. begrudgingly admit, functional to the core. The surface maze of wiring and black versus silver components is effective if a little boring after you’ve looked over it once but Eaglemoss have, faithfully, recreated the ship as seen in the episode. For that and the excellent finish on the small Borg craft they cannot be faulted and at least there are a few kinked angles in the outer hull that make it a bit interesting at least.

The stand, as with all the Borg ships is something unique with the Probe resting in it like a cradle and not dissimilar to the plastic bases that the shuttles sets utilise. Like the Borg themselves it’s functional, end of.

The magazine opens with quite a bit of information around the reason Voyager was after Borg ship in the first place as well as highlighting that the small ship wasn't actually that much of a challenge to the Intrepid Class starship. Unusually the section overviewing the Probe covers a good chunk of its capabilities and not too much of the episode.

John Eaves' work is once again given a decent level of analysis with the Probe originally starting out as a design for the Borg ship in First Contact. It certainly evolved from that plan - and downsized - into the craft that was used for Dark Frontier. Finishing out the edition is a great piece on the work of the late Cliff Bole perhaps most famous for his work on The Best of Both Worlds - from his own perspective including his personal favourite episodes to work on and his experiences with the multiple casts. 

Absolutely loved reading this edition alongside the Probe. There's a good spread of information on the ship itself plus background detail into its production and, to a degree, the episode in which it featured as well since Bole was involved with its direction.

Providing a lot more to talk about is the Arctic One transport craft from the Enterprise Borg episode, Regeneration. We’ve already had the complex end result of the Borg’s handiwork with the assimilated version of the ship a matter of issues ago and now we have the original shape to compare.

Doing away with the checkerboard two shade of green paint job as seen in the promotional pictures is a good move from start as the more solid base cost here suits the finished item more than the concept model seen via HeroCollector.

The upper section of the exploratory craft has been formed in metal and now bears a more blocked out two shades of green with the lighter playing out as the base coat. For an Enterprise model it's surprisingly light on the surface panel detail although there are definite hull sections marked out with distinct grooves - for some reason it just feels "incomplete" alongside the other CG craft from the prequel show. 

Rising up from the middle of the craft is a distinct bridge module which rests over the landing gear and part way towards the rear of the transport. You can make out some of the structure of the command deck and running close by it some more windows - that aren't aligned to their recesses. As usual.

What we do have with the Arctic One is quite an undulating hull occasionally marked up with black or white window ports. In this instance the windows are marked on to the hull and avoid recessing their positions into the hull. Once more we have two different ways of the windows being applied with the former (the recesses) still not working out exactly as they should. Is it time to give up on the recesses totally?

One tragic error - and one down to the original rather than the model creators is the use of the ANTarctic rather than the Arctic as part of the logo emblazoned on either side of the transport. Bit of a silly one but hey, you can't be perfect every time - and just think of some of the classic model errors that were transferred direct from screen to collection.

Slipping towards the back of the Arctic One there's a good amount of highlighted panel detail around the triple raised engine units. Again its not overly complicated but the contrasting panels add depth to the surface. What could have been good was to add a bit more depth to the back end. The pair of impulse engines and the central warp engine have no real substance to them and merely protrude from the hull with no real purpose or level of reality. 

Protruding out from the hull and over the back of two of the impulse engines are two plastic fins inset into the upper hull. It's a curious choice not to just mould them into the metal and rather have them as two separate pieces. It's more effective that way since the gaps above the engines add depth of detail.

Why is this such a problem? Because flip the Arctic One over and you find that Eaglemoss have bothered to include blackened detail around the thruster ports on the underside of the ship which immediately draws your attention back to the rather bland rear propulsion system.

The scorched detail is a lovely touch on this one and combines perfectly with the greens of the ventral panels. There might not be any windows or emblems filling out space yet the underside is just as interesting to see as the top. Add in that, unusually, the plastic underside inset is actually a front, centre and rear split and you have something even more unusual in the collection.

That middle section actually curves out from the hull to carry two of the three landing skis.and it's a very flexible part of the ship since each ski is connected by only two slender arms on each side. Set into the hull in between the struts are two grey sections which appear to contain some form of thruster arrangement with inset blue detail.

The third ski is right to the back and on my Arctic One is bent to the right. I did attempt to bend it back to centre however the slight "crack" sound after shifting it about a millimetre told me to do otherwise. The supports for the struts are complete with piston and joint work and then also have a further two blue inserts within the hull. In both instances it looks like these grey blocks will be hidden away by the skis when fully retracted.

Issue 131 explores the function of the United Earth Arctic One, its layout and capabilities before turning its attention to exactly how the Borg made their initial (and bizarrely last) appearance in the Star Trek universe in season two of Enterprise. Certainly it's the franchise's biggest curveball but there were plans to go further for season five and there was a big consensus that it had to all make sense...

Finally this time we examine how the Borg were designed for Q Who - and then redesigned for their later movie, Voyager and lone Enterprise appearances - and people complain about the reworking of the Klingons! Visually it all works because of the TV versus cinematic budgets but here we see just what thoughts went into making them a reality.

So two fairly middle of the road editions here with the Arctic One being only just out ahead in this Borg-related pairing. But next time's duo offer's something a little exciting with the Warship Voyager from Living Witness as issue 132 and a Irina's Racing Ship from Drive showing up as issue 133. 

What did you like about the Borg Probe or the Arctic One?

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Mini Cubes and Octahedrons - Borg Expansions

As Dan has noted in our Tactical Cube take, the Borg are a formidable foe in the show and in the game. In fact those recent changes almost put me off expanding into their fleet. However, I finally reneged and decided to take the plunge.

My first addition was the small Borg Scout Cube first (and last) seen in The Next Generation's I,Borg from the fifth season. As you would therefore expect, the expansion is heavily themed around that episode with two Third of Five options in the set but more on that in a sec.

As to the ship, the movement is the expected Borg "straight-line" process and dependant on whether you're playing original or revised rules, that's spin and move or move then spin. Having played out both the latter makes you extremely predictable and does reduce the element of surprise but gives the opposition a better chance of kicking you into oblivion since they know where you're heading next. As for range of moves, the scout is manoeuvrable, giving you a full range of 90 degree moves on ranges one to four (with the top speed all causing the addition of an auxiliary power token) plus a very, very useful maximum of a three reverse.

The model itself is detailed all in black with the surface covered in a non-repetitive circuit-like pattern plus some fancy little corner accessories just so you can tell it's different from the massive main cube vessels. The images used for publicity have some great green highlights but that's all missing from the retail model.

As to the stats, she doesn't appear that strong and in the first head to head I ran her in she didn't take long to receive her marching orders although for note I was taking on the flying heavy weapon known as the Scimitar. Starting out with a three for offence and for defence, a two hull and four shields for 24 points, Scout 608 can also perform an additional green or white manoeuvre at the cost of discarding an upgrade. Choose wisely my friends, choose wisely!

For captain of your tiny cube you have Third of Five who provides you with an extra defence die at the cost of a Drone token. Pretty useful but it's best I also talk about these token thingys. Each Borg captain has a certain number of tokens assigned to them at the beginning of the game which is usually determined by a number on their card. This indicates their starting captain skill which will change during the game depending on the number of Drone tokens used/regenerated in the game. I really like this Borg feature as it plays as though they are relentless and virtually unstoppable without being, erm, unstoppable.  Third of Five starts off with three of these but there is also a second choice of a Tactical Drone if you don't want to spend too much on a captain for your geometric vessel.

That Drone allows a revenge attack during a defence roll for the cost of one Drone Token (for details on the use of Drone Tokens take a look at the Tactical Cube post) and the opposition don't get to defend it. Great feature that only costs a single squadron point. The third captain option is an average Drone that allows you to prep a single Drone Token but won't cost a single point.

As for crew, there's an unusual double in the form of Third of Five. Make your choice though since you can only have one version active nor can you equip him on the same ship or in the same fleet as Hugh which comes with the Borg Type Three ship. This crew option is a discard to target a ship at range one or two with the ability to disable all the crew upgrades on an enemy vessel even if they're cloaked. That's a big hitter for five squadron points especially as you'll be close enough to pop a shot at them in the Combat Phase.

While you don't get a complete set of five crew drones, the Scout Cube does supply both Second of Five and Fourth of Five, both of whom are represented by images from The Best of Both Worlds. Less expensive is Second at just three points and a discard but he does let you take away an enemy upgrade of your choice so no limiting to Crew as with Third. Fourth again allows you to act within that one/two range and to disable up to two enemy shields AND two upgrades of your choice. It's a double-play with serious benefits for a discard and a five point cost. I'd consider sticking this on a lot of Borg ships just for that two-way tactical advantage. Interestingly all three of those crew cards allow you to use them on cloaked vessels. 

As for tech, Long Range Scan operates at a more distant range three at a cost of four points. A disable card, it lets you convert one damage result into an Evade or Battle Station should you have the Scan token active on your ship. Nice for additional defence and I wish I'd used this more effectively when my cube was hammered. Secondly there's Subspace Beacon which is also a disable card operating up to range three, allowing you to perform Scan as a free action. Clearly something you can couple with the other tech upgrade and a no-brainer to pair up I would say. Again, should have used this!

Compared to the Tactical Cube 138 there's just one Weapon upgrade with Scout 608 but it is the Magnetometric Guided Charge (with a picture of the cutting beam; duh). Using the scout's primary weapon total of three dice, it lets the player convert a Battle Station into a Critical Damage and stops the opponent from defending. Why did I not play this ship properly?!?! I could've won if I'd used the upgrades much more effectively although with the new Tactical Cube I've acquired I can see a dreadnought being constructed.

Finally the Borg upgrades are pretty cheap. There's the standard Borg Alcove to allow regeneration of your Drone Tokens (cost of four points but does give you options for later in the game) and the I, Borg themed Scavenged Parts card at just two points which acts to replenish your Drone Tokens when you discard an upgrade. At least you're getting something for losing a feature but it does restrict you on when you can regenerate your drones.

My final addition to date is the tragically misspelled (on the cards anyway) Queen Vessel Prime aka the Borg Ocatahderon Octahedron. Nearly double the squadron points of the Scout just on the ship (24 to 42), the Queen's personal battleship just falls short of the Tactical Cube (46 points) but only on hull and shield points and then just by one on each. In comparison to that ship it also exchanges one weapon upgrade for a crew slot. Boasting a painful six in attack, zero defence ability, eight hull and seven shield points it's still more than formidable in any situation. Not wanting to spend quite so much? You could sacrifice a crew slot and a shield for just 40 points.

Unsurprisingly the Borg Queen is your main captain choice. She can switch onto another ship if required and comes with a starting skill/Drone Token number of seven. I'd have expected something a bit higher but it really limits more activity of your Drone Tokens than anything else since the ship has so much fire-power as standard. The Queen can also syphon an action from another friendly ship at range one/two as a free action which could mean pairing a couple of vessels so she can utilise a larger arsenal effectively.

Mr Tactical Drone returns as a second command option with a starting skill of five and a cost of four points but he will hinder your enemy if you choose to spend a Drone Token to force them to roll one less defence die. Certainly with the weaponry at your disposal using this captain could cut your offensive time substantially. There is the no-cost option with a skill of one but I doubt he'll ever see combat unless you're desperate to save points. Oh, hang on...Point heavy ships...

Queen Vessel Prime comes with two Elite Action upgrades that only the Queen card (in this pack) can take advantage of. We are the Borg comes into play during the Defence Dice step of the Combat Phase and provides up to three Evade results at the cost of up to three Drone Tokens. Not one you'll be able to use again since it's a discard but with zero defence I would think it's critical to have something you can use to halt the inevitable battering. Six points for this might appear steep but is it worth paying to keep you in the game?

Alternatively there is Resistance is Futile costing one more point at seven. An attacking move which costs up to three Drone Tokens to stop up to three dice from being cancelled, it's one more card that will play havoc with anything non-Borg on the board. You'll probably lose friends too.

One crew upgrade here as well with just Magnus Hansen getting a look in. I had expected more generic drones to be shuffling around the pack but at least it's a named and recognised character we have here and one specific to an episode in which the Octahedron appeared (Dark Frontier). He does reduce the number of Drone Tokens required to complete an action but does get discarded although with a cost of one point he's a good choice if you're looking to fill than last tiny gap on your ship.

The Power Node tech upgrade drops in at three points and lets you disable the card plus two active shields to avoid an Auxiliary Power Token if you perform a red manoeuvre. For reference the ship can move at speed four forwards and three in reverse with only the left and right "fours" and the reverse "three" as red. Not a particularly essential upgrade for your ship given it's innate ability and strengths and there are certainly more appetising tech upgrades with other Borg vessels.


Unusually for the Borg though we have one and only one weapon upgrade with the very, very expensive ten point Multi Kinetic Neutronic Mines. A one-shot minefield deployment card, any ship entering the field rolls four attack dice and suffer the consequences. If you're unlucky enough to be in range one of the token then you don't even get to defend. Boom, another victory for the cybernetic perfectionists. 

What you do get a few of to play with are the Borg upgrades. At four points you can select Transwarp Signal which lets you remove an Evade, Battle Station, Scan or Target Lock from an enemy ship and also hurt them with an Auxiliary Power Token. Additional note here that it doesn't work on those CG Species 8472 types but seeing as they have a minimal presence in the game I don't think it'll worry a lot of people.

Borg Assimilation Tubules is a reusable card letting Borg players steal a crew, tech or weapon upgrade from an opponent. Clever twist on the favoured Borg recruitment technique which doesn't affect flippin' Species 8472 and does mean you could get some juicy freebies from another ship. Cost is a pricey eight points but the benefits are considerable if you pick the right upgrade to nick. Cloak from the Defiant? Quantum Torpedoes? Grapple from the Vidiians? Lots of goodness.

Last up is the Borg Shield Matrix that is accompanied by its own instruction card. On the base of it you just add a shield matrix token to the card (maximum of three) each time you're damaged. But what does it do you're asking? Simply put it adds an extra defence die for every matrix token you have and if an enemy attempts to affect the captain or one of the assigned upgrades then you get to roll one attack die for each token on the card. Whether you have to "spend" these tokens isn't stated but I assume that you should only add one per turn to the card up to the three and that they are used to take advantage of the benefit. Otherwise after three rounds you'd be constantly at a certain level.

Fancy playing out a scenario then the Queen's ship comes with Collapse the Transwarp Conduit once more pitching the pack at those familiar with Dark Frontier. A one-on-one Borg versus Federation set up, the latter is tasked with destroying the final Interspatial Manifold (an Objective Token) and get the hell out of Dodge before the Octahedron reigns fire and brimstone. I'd certainly pick a pimped out 70 point USS Voyager against the Borg but whether that makes a big difference will depend on your style and risk taking since the cybernetic assimilators are massively points endowed at their basic level. Not a mission I've played yet but I'll have to put some careful thought into the upgrades on that Federation ship.

So that's the second of our Borg ship reviews while we've been waiting for Waves 19 and 20 to appear from across the water. My only major missing faction now are the Dominion (shocker seeing as I'm a huge Deep Space Nine fan) but the Borg are certainly very interesting to play if potentially game killers. I love their upgrades, the different plays you can implement and even the neat use of the Drone Tokens but playing them can make you either look like someone who can't bear to lose or a total amateur simply because of their starting stats. The only good thing is that the starting points for the Octahedron and the Tactical Cube mean that very little can be added on.

Are they worth getting? Debatable since a lot of tournaments ban their use. If you look at the world championships the first and second place used Borg Spheres so you can see the impact of the faction even at that standard of play. One for beginners perhaps more than others to get them into the game with a good chance of success while still offering more experienced players a chance to develop their anti-Borg tactics.

Borg fan or are you still avoiding the faction?

Wave 20 is available now with all ships recommended to retail at £11.99 each. The Borg ships here usually retail around the same price. You can track down your local stockist HERE

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Add to to conversation on Star Trek: Risa

The Starfleet Escape Podcast: Listen Up!

If it wasn't for the rather excellent Google+ Star Trek community I would have missed out on a gem of a podcast.

Now up to their 17th installment (with number 18 coming soon),  the SF Escape Podcast looks set to become one of my must listen to Star Trek audio shows of 2013. Hosted by Aaron, Marty and Eric it's informative,  funny and exceptionally accessible to fans both new and well-established.

You might ask how that's possible considering the amount of material that's out there (and what you're reading!) but Trek Trio manage it with ease. I like to think I have a fairly decent understanding of the subject however I even realised a couple of things during the Borg show that I hadn't noticed in the TV shows after several reruns. That, for one thing really impressed.

It's a straight forward format to the podcast; 90 minutes (approx) of chat and banter separated into distinctive sections. For a starter in this Star Trek audio restaurant there's news and opinion followed by a main course of good wholesome and filling debate into the topic of the podcast.  Once that's been cleared then you get to enjoy a dessert of subspace comments from a range of social media channels where a question of the podcast has been asked.  Bringing it all together as the coffee and mints at the end are a few moments to air some grumbles they may have over the subject which just helps to remind us all that it is a work of fiction and open to the wonders of human error and almost 50 years of attempted continuity.

Due to a bit of a hectic home, blogging, work life recently I'm combining my reviews of The Borg and The Romulans podcasts into one piece.

Now I really enjoyed Episode 16 and the Borg discussions,  possibly because I was fortunate enough to get my comment on the cyborg nemeses read out (sorry it was only slightly shorter than War and Peace gents,  I'll be concise next time!)   but it's great to get some clever,  witty and genuinely entertaining words on Star Trek even when you might think think that everything there is to say has been said. The news section was good although I would have liked to hear a bit more opinion than news fact which we can pick up at the newsagents or off the web. When there is, it lifts the show and makes you listen because it's absolutely worth taking in. I would say for newer Trekkers and those who are just getting into the franchise with the most general audience friendly reboots it's an excellent avenue and devoid of technobabble I can assure you. As you would expect there's talk If of the new JJ Abrams movie but also fan productions such as Star Trek Continues, the Green Girl documentary and Star Trek Renegades. Upcoming releases such as the timeline video game are also covered but there does seem to be an absence of printed Star Trek be it novels or comics. The good thing is with this piece of the show is that if you're not keen on trying to sieve your way through the internet the news section will help you out admirably. Also there's a great bit where our hosts consider whether or not they would purchase a chosen Star Trek product. Have to agree that the Bye Bye Robot posters are very good but I've got very little wall space opportunity to display them ! While it took a few pauses to listen to,  I was still surprised to find an hour and a half had warped by.

So what did I get out of listening to their take on the Borg? Running through their appearances in Star Trek universe chronology rather than episode transmission order does help realise how there was an attempt to tie everything together, and even the perhaps poorly conceived Enterprise story, Regeneration. What you become aware of is how Picard and co effectively are the reason the Borg become aware of humanity with an ending similar to TNG's Conspiracy. There's of course a good deal of discussion on the seminar two parter,  The Best of Both Worlds (is it now the most overrated episode of all time? As well as Q Who and I, Borg but yet there's a Descent shaped hole only touched on during a reflection on the Borg ship designs we've seen over the years. I was always of the thought that this was a captured ship however the distinctly non geometric design and does suggest their more fragmented and individualistic nature as portrayed in the double-hander. While not classed as one of The Next Generation's stronger installments I would have liked more opinion on where this might have led in the future.

The majority of of the discussion does end itself more towards Voyager and by default everything that comes after Seven of Nine's arrival on the ship at the beginning of its fourth season. What you do get from the chat is how inconsistent Borg history is. I tend to distinguish between Borg Version 1 (TNG) 1 and Borg Version 2.0 (First Contact and later)  but even then flashbacks in Voyager and the Next Generation movie aren't correct on wardrobe for starters. Then there's consoles, backgrounds...Picky but noticeable. While it was noticeable that Descent was sidelined, the podcasters did manage to spend some time looking at the variations that appeared in Star Trek: Voyager ranging from the future-Drone, the Borg children, Seven's former associates in Survival Instinct and the wonders of Unimatrix Zero from the final two seasons. There's a lot of information on the Borg meaning certain episodes such as Blood Fever and Unity were skated over in favour of some of the later, larger stories such as Dark Frontier and Endgame. This also meant curve-ball angles such as Hope and Fear didn't even get a look in when they deal with the effect of life after an attack on Borg survivors. Even some conjecture on their origins was played out citing non-canon novels and the story of the NX-02, the Columbia. I would have enjoyed some more non-canon moments within both of the podcasts but I get that time is limited and for the sake of the audience who will be more aware of the televised material this is probably a good choice although it might be a good suggestion to do something non-canonical in the not so distant future? Or maybe even something on the library of excellent Star Trek reference materials that exist? (I know a good guest host you could get for that...runs a blog....English....) 

The additional comments from Twitter and Google+ mean we're not restricted to the views of our hosts - although I they are pretty varied anyway - and I'm going to have to add a disclaimer because they had the patience to read out my Borg essay. Thanks guys! It showed there's a lot of love for TNG's first two parter as well as for I, Borg and Scorpion which is interesting as there's a lot more love for Janeway and crew than I thought.

What is good is that this podcast is just like getting a group of your mates round for a couple of beers and having a chat over an episode. It's informal, relaxed and very easy to listen to. I also didn't feel that I was getting an opinion forced down my throat, only provided with a few more angles to see the series which can only enhance future viewings - especially now I realise that Geordi is the one who starts up the deflector dish and not Worf as Riker requested at the end of The Best of Both Worlds, Part I! Never spotted, but another example of Worf getting neglected. There's also the good old subject of the Borg Queen and the drones from Star Trek: Enterprise that don't seem to fit too well with the space/time continuum but that kind of discussion is probably best left alone until a few more cans are drunk. What I had forgotten until this side of fandom came up was the potential Borg/V'Ger link that's been banded around for some time. Kudos for picking this one up as it's always been an interesting concept (although it goes out the window in David Mack's Cold Equations trilogy). However disappointed Peter David's classic Vendetta didn't get a mention - now that's how to deal with the Borg!

The Romulan podcast (Episode 17), which followed a couple of weeks later trod a similar concept in it's setup. Kicking off with the news section as before, the topic quickly turned to the Star Trek isolationists and conspirators extraordinaire, the Romulans. In comparison to the Borg I actually found this to be a better  structured discussion focusing on sections of the species rather than chronological appearance. Leading with subjects such as technology, clothing, footwear culture and ships it was great to reflect on how the Romulans have been portrayed since their first sighting in The Original Series episode, Balance of Terror. 

Now I just want to take a second here actually because I was perusing Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block's Star Trek 101 this week but couldn't get this podcast far from my mind when flicking through it. While it's designed as mini reference and ideal for the Star Trek new starter I would say that the SF Escape Podcast is a better and more comprehensive way to understand the series and what is all about. As with the Borg for example, if the introduction to the Romulan discussion kicks off with some useful background which would help newbies. Take note Mr Erdmann, sans-serif this is a much better way to break in some new fans. Aaron, Marty and Eric ensure that the scene is clearly set for discussion and then we're into the "good stuff". Gets a big gold star from my box of reviewing badges, gents. 

I really enjoyed this different approach and while it made me reconsider how the structure of the Borg episode had been crafted I also realised that this meant these guys are more than aware of the need to keep their audience awake and listening not turning for the stop button. There are certain things that will be heard on each installment but it's how those sections are made which provides the interest. The Romulans as a podcast was much more about their subject as a people and its portrayal over the various films and series; reuse of wardrobes, the difficult and yet managed appearance of their technology in Star Trek Enterprise when it has been made clear that they were not seen until Balance of Terror. A lot of time is given over to Enterprise in particular because of how things might have progressed into the now mythical season five and how the Romulans had infiltrated the Vulcan High Council.

My particular area of interest here was the ship designs over the course of Star Trek history - how they altered, how models got lost along the way and all the variations in between including the Nemesis revamps and the Next Generation scout ship version. 

While The Borg virtually stepped over Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to talk about the Delta Quadrant residents in Star Trek: Voyager, the space station saga got its fair share of air time here, most notably in reference to the classic and much revered In the Pale Moonlight. This seemed to be a much more comprehensive and flowing discussion with very little, but if anything being overlooked. From their origins through female commanders, the shoulder pads of the 80's, cloaking technology, peace treaties, neutral zones and even up to the destruction of Romulus itself in the 2009 reboot, then there's an opinion to hear on it all backed up with more subspace thoughts from fans on social media. Interestingly no mention of the fact that Denise Crosby's Sela is the only ever blonde Romulan within Star Trek but with the onslaught of information contained within Episode 17 this is such a minor detail that I can let it go. For those of you who do find there's a lot to take in during the SF Podcast then there's also a handy show notes download available. It helped a lot when covering these reviews it's a nice touch to add to the overall experience and for fans of all ages. Great to see the listeners comments included too.

I've got to applaud these guys for their enthusiasm through out the 90 minutes of run time. There are no uneasy silences, nothing too much and a very focused agenda that keeps the conversation and topics flowing. I didn't know whether I would get anything out of it as a long term Trekker but I was pleasantly surprised, sans-serif maybe because my 'specialism' doesn't lie in Star Trek: Voyager where we get the most information around the Borg so I got a lot from the reviews of that time frame. I have to agree with one thought at the end - the Borg have had their day and a decent run now on the big and small screen. They ended up being the main nemesis in Star Trek: Voyager by default and held their own until the end. In conclusion though the Borg could have probably managed another 30 minutes to look at some of their lesser appearances and references but when you have a broad audience to satisfy it once again comes down to ensuring common and referable ground is covered and covered well. 

The balance of understanding across the franchise is well proportioned with no particularly overwhelming part of this Trek Trio holding all the cards. I indeed I having the varied experience with the franchise makes it all the more accessible, sans-serif importantly reassuring us that Star Trek fans are human and not just huge memory resources of fictional information. As I've mentioned above though it would be good to hear more on non-canon material out there and perhaps even a section that allows listeners to air their though ts on the previous installment and anything contained therein. While one can always point for things that could be done differently this is still a supremely enjoyable production and clearly a lot of work goes into producing the information to fill the show. I'd guessing that all three hosts aren't in the same location either (?) for the production which must take some level of co-ordination just to manage that. The audio is crisp and there's not a moment wasted throughout either podcast.  I have to say this is well worth listening to and has helped me refresh my mind on some pieces of Enterprise and Voyager I'd completely forgotten about in respects to the two races featured in episodes 16 and 17. Good work gents - you're managed to secure my time and I look forward to your next recording!