The Legacy Continues with IDW

For anyone who regularly reads the Star Trek comics this is the one that we have been waiting for. Was the wait worth it? Read on to find out!!

Mike Johnson kicks things off in this story by bringing us back to the end of the '09 film and Spock is in a reflective mood. The story opens with Spock gazing upon the Golden Gate Bridge, which reminds him of his Vulcan.

We then get to see Prime Spock's conversation with Kelvin Spock from the end of the that same movie and as Prime Spock departs from Earth he passes the Enterprise one last time and reminisces about two old friends that he will miss as he continues towards the Vulcan colony. 

We then switch gears and head to Romulus where we meet Senators Lucian and Vicia who plan on using the remaining red matter that they now posses to rid the universe of their Vulcan brothers. How did the Romulans end up with the red matter? Check out IDW Issue Seven Vulcan Vengance to find out!

As we rejoin Spock on his journey to the Vulcan colony we get a great conversation between himself and Sarek which ends with Sarek advising Spock to avoid the Vulcan Colony. 

Spock goes anyway and learns that the planet the Vulcan elders have decided to settle on was Ceti Alpha Five. Spock warns the colonist that this planet is not the right place to settle. The elders advise Spock that his opinion is noted but that they feel his actions have caused all their problems and promptly banish him! 

As this issue ends we head to Rura Penthe and discover that two of Nero's crew are still alive and they manage to escape and head to Romulus.

Issue 56 kicks off with Spock reminiscing about how he has yet again left his people again although this time it isn't of his own doing. As Spock has one last conversation with Sarek he is even more determined to help his people. He arranges to be dropped off at a familiar space station. 

At this point we get to see the two escapees make it back to Romulus before quickly switching back to the station which turns out to be K7 (The Trouble with Tribbles). 

Here we see Spock reminiscing about himself, Uhura and Chekov and what happened that day. As the person who he was waiting for arrives we find its none other than Cyrano Jones.

We quickly switch to Romulus were the two senators we already met plan to use the last two of Nero's crew to carry out the destruction of the Vulcans. Meanwhile Spock has arrived on Romulus courtesy of Cyrano and meets up with Senator Pardek and both are promptly arrested. 

Issue 57 kicks off with another flashback - this time to unification as Spock reminisces about his work on Romulus in the Prime Timeline. Here he is on trial along with Pardek and promptly found guilty. As they are being transported to prison it transpires Pardek's sympathisers are all around and they both promptly escape. As the issue ends Sarek convinces the Vulcans to listen to the information Spock has acquired with regard to the Romulans attack. 

The final issue opens with the Romulans attacking the Vulcan colony and it's looking bad for them until Enterprise turns up with more ships on the way and Starfleet quickly turns the tide. However one ship with Nero's last two crew members has the red matter and they order the Romulans to retreat from the blast zone. As they detonate the red matter it is apparent that the plan is not to kill but seek redemption for what has transpired since the Narada has arrived.

With the battle over Spock decides to mind meld with selected elders to show them exactly why they shouldn't settle on Ceti Alpha V. As the book ends we get an awesome tribute to Spock and to reveal it here would only ruin it for anyone reading. 

Tony Shasteen's artwork on this four issue run is excellent. There are many flashbacks to Spock's life both in the Kelvin-verse and the Prime timeline. The Original Series and The Next Generation characters are excellently drawn and hopefully he gets to draw these for the upcoming IDW Wavepoint series. The story is very well done and there are some great nods to characters and places that we have seen before. The only downside I found with this story was the use of Nero's crew again. It felt a little forced but there fate was a nice twist and in keeping with the story. Was this worth the wait and the hype? You bet. I think Leonard Nimoy would be very happy with this resolution for Spock's character.

Have you been reading IDW's Legacy of Spock? Is it a fitting tribute?

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Nimoy in Shatner's Words: Leonard

On the 27th February 2015 the world of Star Trek lost Leonard Nimoy.   In memory of that day I had planned to write something but I never actually got to put my thoughts down. 

On a shopping trip out I stumbled upon William Shatner's Leonard which I had completely forgotten was being published. Instead of splashing a fair wedge of cash for a copy on the high street I did wait a few days for it to arrive from a certain large online shopping site beginning with an A simply because it was six quid cheaper.      

To be honest I was expecting this to be a huge 300 page Shatner Love In with asides to Nimoy as the narrative progressed but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I've previously read both of the Kirk actor's Memories books plus the Get a Life autobiography which led me to that premature expectation but Leonard is so much more than Total Shatz.

As described on the cover it really is an exploration of Shatner's fifty year friendship with the man who played Spock. Do not think this is going to be a Nimoy biography because that's not what this is. The book is very clearly William Shatner's take on his best friend, the relationship they had, the way it evolved and the way in which he saw Leonard Nimoy live his life.     

In a way I found it to be much more personal than a lot of Shatner's earlier works. The stories he recounts in regards to Nimoy right from his birth and childhood through the early years of his acting career and then onto the world stage thanks to Star Trek do carry parallels and Shatner does relate his own experiences in those pre-Trek years to those of Nimoy. Using the memories of people including Leonard's son Adam, George Takei, Steve Guttenberg who worked with him on Three Men and a Baby and many others, Shatner builds a picture of what drove Nimoy to act, what made him choose a particular path and how he became involved in the franchise that would make him a worldwide household name.      

From the point in which Shatner joins the story in 1965 we get a much clearer picture of Leonard from his immediate perspective. We get to see the actor, the father, the director, the photographer as well as the troubled alcoholic and heavy smoker - the latter of which would have a critical effect on his life. The relationship is laid bare from the start. No, they didn't immediately hit it off and nor did it really happen during the show. It took some time and rather than being all Bill Shatner, the book does look at how Nimoy held his own with Roddenberry, occasionally "sell out" as Shatner sees it and fight to protect the nature of Spock in every appearance he made.     

There are a few Shatner-esque moments where we do have the author blowing his own trumpet in regards to story points and direction within the movies of the late 70's and 80's as well as how the pair worked to get themselves a better deal within the franchise. How responsible Shatner was for some of the decisions we can only take his word for on this occasion especially in relation to The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home, both of which were directed by Nimoy.

Shatner does admit he didn't get it nor did he understand the Trekkie following the show gathered in syndication and forever more. In fact he's open enough to say that Leonard was much more aware and open to the possibilities that the show's fandom provided across the decades.

The story does focus on Nimoy more than his Captain Kirk co-star however the influence of Nimoy on Shatner is clear right the way through especially in relation to the tragedy of a Nerine Shatner and her battles with alcohol. While their relationship wasn't perfect, it is clear that William Shatner cared a great deal for Nimoy and has been left with an unfortunate question over why they seemingly lost contact in the last few years and never really patched things up over a possible disagreement.

It's easy to lose yourself in the Star Trek Nimoy but Shatner is careful to focus on him as a father, a husband and also in some of the areas he loved which nearly took him away from the franchise permanently. I for one didn't know about his Van Gogh one man show nor understood the extent to which his photography work was such a massive part of his life. Perhaps because we see what is going on from another perspective, from one who was there, we truly get an objective angle on just what made up the Real Nimoy aside from the ear tips and angled eyebrows. Some of the details around these "extra-curricular" activities are a bit sketchy but its through that which you realise how busy a man he was and how Leonard Nimoy lived his life beyond Spock.

As fans and followers of William Shatner on Twitter will know his daughters and not the man himself attended Leonard Nimoy's funeral and the actor's reason for doing so is documented here. Ok, it was a bit strange that he didn't go but I understand his thought process behind the decision and in some ways this book seems to be his way of confronting those lost final years of friendship and facing the demon of not going to that funeral. While he doesn't seem to be sorry he missed it because he was involved with a Red Cross commitment I found myself reading between the lines that there is certainly a lot more to it and I would not be surprised if some of that emotion led to the writing of this book.

Leonard isn't a book filled with juicy revelations, torrid stories or sensationalist journalism. It's a genuinely heartfelt book in which Bill Shatner seems to wear his heart on his sleeve. How much you feel this is genuine is up to you but for one I thought it was for the most part.

You can forgive the occasional slip into an anecdote around his own experiences but on the whole this remains true to the title and honest to Leonard Nimoy's memory. It's a fitting tribute which, while not giving up any secrets is a good solid, entertaining read which provides us with Shatner's thoughts and opinions on his closest friend. It's likely to be a must-get for any fan purely to get Captain Kirk's thoughts on his Vulcan first officer and make their own mind up about their 50 year partnership. I enjoyed every page even if it wasn't a revelation on every line and I suspect you will too.

Was Leonard all Shatner or that fitting tribute I suggest?

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Spock and Beyond

Simple title this time but one which more than adequately covers off what we're covering.

While the third movie is definitely filming and I have some bits on that here, what is interesting me more at the moment is William Shatner's LLAP campaign gathered alarming pace via the portals of social media.

Shatner asked for fans to selfie themselves doing the Vulcan hand gesture and sending it across to nimoytribute@gmail.com. (I never do selfies but I moved out of the comfort zone for this one and I'm assuming I'm in there somewhere). It seemed that the end result was up frighteningly quickly after the first request went out but the tribute image is stunning as have probably already seen and can see one more time above. 

Shatner took quite a verbal beating for not attending his long-time screen companion and friend's funeral and with this tribute the Captain Kirk actor has in some way rebuilt bridges with the fans, bringing the worldwide community together to create this memorable mosaic which will exist forever more.

It sounds like a nice way for fans to honour the man who was Spock and coming soon after the great news that Adam Nimoy has been fully funded for the documentary on his father it shows that Leonard's memory is still very much with the whole of the Star Trek fandom and will be for a long, long time to come. I was unable to help with the funding of the project due to other more immediate matters but I fully intend to follow and promote Adam's work as he brings all the parts together.

Loosely hanging off that Spock theme, Star Trek Beyond is starting to leak out a few images and bits of info here and there. Alongside Brit Idris Elba we have now had confirmation that Joe Taslim, known for The Raid and Fast and Furious 6 is joining the cast as well as Kingsman assassin Sofia Boutella. Certainly the third reboot movie is drawing in big names which does suggest the franchise is seeing something of a revival and maybe is inspiring a younger generation of actors. We can hope I suppose but if you were offered a massive paycheck to do Barney: The Movie you'd probably take it if it put food on the table. As a list of names, only Elba really clicked with me (showing age) due to his appearances on UK TV and in Thor. The others I wait to see and I'm planning to catch Kingsman soon so I might have a better opinion on Boutella shortly. 

We've also had four Omaze vids now featuring all combinations of the Beyond cast and the latest even pulled in director Justin Lin to nearly blow Ryan Cummins from Omaze to bits. The first of these featured an alien head and some cool Star Trek gadgets including the iconic flip communictor and other trinkets which will probably make a lot more sense in 12 months time (just under 330 days if you're counting).

The latest couple of minutes from Omaze returns Chris Pine and newcomer Idris Elba to the bleach-level-whitened bridge (Klingon or not to Klingon?) as they vie for the centre seat and generally muck around to promote their charities which are part of the competition. Remember, there's still time to visit the site and get involved and you could be in the new movie and see lots of really cool stuff most of us will have to wait until 2016 to see. If you spin by the Omaze website you can donate to receive a perk and stand a chance of getting one of the remaining walk-on roles. 

More precisely you have just 19 days left to donate anything from $10 for a digital campaign badge right up to $50,000 for an exclusive pre-screening of Star Trek Beyond. The more you donate, the more exclusive the perk itself and also the number of entries you receive into the draw to visit the movie sets in Vancouver. Being in the UK I'm stepping away from this one but it seems a good way of getting funds for the array of charities the cast are supporting and involving fans in the 50th anniversary event.

Talking of Lin - and not being as lame as the last link, the brilliant TrekCore shared a few on-set blurred, long distance shots which will pique fans interest. Nothing to over-analyse just yet but we have seen some odd wigs, tech and an alien headpiece so far as well as evidence that Lin has been on set. From what I've seen there does appear to be something akin to a ship hull taking formation along with the now compulsory green-screens. More will be forthcoming at a snail's pace I suspect but there's nothing better for column inches than rife speculation, fuzzy pictures and spurious rumour. I'm remaining positive and will likely be hitting the cinema at midnight as I did with Into Darkness in order to have my hopes and dreams smashed into tiny fragments one more time. Sucker for punishment? Yep.

The best pic I've seen so far is what might be the remnants of a crashed starship that I came across on TrekCore. Hopefully not some kind of massive super starship/craft controlled by some Big Evil Meglomaniac...I mean, not like that was the conclusion of the last two movies or anything...

Seen anything interesting to do with Star Trek Beyond? Any of this retaining your interest or are you not that fussed about the third installment of the reboot?

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Making First Contact

We are just under three months away from one of the UK's most well-known Star Trek events and Some Kind of Star Trek will be there!

April 4th and 5th 2015 will be the annual First Contact Day convention at the National Space Centre in Leicester with Babylon 5's Claudia Christian, Voyager's Harry Kim, aka Garrett Wang in attendance as well as representatives from our friends at Risa and Starbase 31 who we can't wait to meet face to face.

A little more local than Destination Star Trek, this will be my first time at First Contact Day and the Leicester Centre even though, oddly, I worked there for a year just under a decade ago.

While First Contact for us Star Trek fans immediately conjours up images of Zephram Cochrane, Borg and the Vulcans it's important to note, as organisers Wil Ross and David Limburg indeed did, that a lot of shows have some form of first contact protocol such as Babylon 5 and Stargate SG-1 - something that both organisers were keen to point out although there had been some discussion over it's apparent "Star Trek-ness" (makes perfect sense in the bigger picture!)

With the event just under a month away, I managed to grab an hour with Wil and David to understand just how preparations were going and also a bit more about the background to First Contact Day. 

"It originally started off two years ago as an event called Dawn of the Federation;" explained Wil, "It was the brainchild of former CBS Action host Raules Davies who was running an events group in Manchester and a few members of his team came up with an idea to celebrate First Contact Day. Unfortunately due to his commitments with other events and CBS he didn't have the time to run it so he asked me if I would organise and get it up and running."

Wil said yes to what was supposed to be a one-time deal and over the following six months he realised that it was capturing the imagination of more and more people and the closer the date came he could feel the rise in excitement, "I said to Raules at the time this could be something pretty big...this could be a bigger event."

The event, of course, was a massive success "...and immediately after people were asking me are you going to do it again?" said Wil. Initially he wasn't sure what to do but after discovering that Raules wasn't looking to continue the venture, Wil decided to go it alone which led to the second event being double the size of the first. "Everyone loved it and we got 99.8% positive feedback...it was truly amazing. At the end everyone was clambering  to say we needed to do it again and that we needed to make it bigger and better and do it with guests. That's exactly what we've done this time."

For 2015 there's a bigger convention-style format to the previous two years. The venue is the same (Leicester Space Centre) but the First Contact Day organisers are looking to make this different to any other event out there - not just a signing, not just a meal, not just an evening party - "We want to mix it all together and have some fun." continued Wil. The team are very grateful to the Space Centre especially as Easter weekend is it's busiest time, potentially seeing 4,000 people passing through its doors on both days.

"A personal feel." added David, "It gives you a better connection to the people there and we're all in it together."

David had been looking for someone to join up with in the convention circuit for some time having been involved with them on both sides of the stalls so to speak since the late '80's and early '90's. He was growing disheartened with how events were being run as the years went on, concerned that fans were being taken for their money and herded through events without that key personal touch.

The team don't want you just to have 15 seconds and a signing by the guests. At First Contact Day you'll be able to mingle with them too. "They're there and you can talk to them. It's about interaction. It's all about quality and value for money." said David.

Fans will certainly get that with this being the first time First Contact Day has welcomed guests.  In fact originally they had only planned for Claudia Christian (minimal sales pitch to my dad to get him there when I mentioned this guest) to attend but matters escalated rapidly and soon Garrett was added to the list then another and another until the event reached its current number of headliners.

However, First Contact Day isn't just about the guests. From my chat with Wil and David it became evident that it's about an all-encompassing experience. Notably the event has gone from being a one day event attended by 200 people up to five times that amount anticipated for this year across the two days. 

Checking out the event's website you get a very good picture of exactly what's going on. Yes there will be the range and of dealers selling assorted memorabilia however there's a packed itinerary to keep fans enthralled for two days. 

Talks with authors Una McCormack and James Swallow - who both had entries in the recent The Fall novel series - as well as stage appearances from Garrett Wang and Claudia Christian are already locked in plus a session with Larry Nemecek via Skype on both days who is sure to talk about the mesmerising Enterprise in Space project. There is one thing that David is especially looking forward to; "The Red Shirt record attempt!"  which will be taking place on the Saturday afternoon plus there's the sure-to-be hotly contested costume competition a couple of hours later. 

David is also keenly awaiting the auctions which will be happening over the weekend; "Some people are bringing some really interesting bits which we hope will raise some money for our charities."

For note, the two charities this year are Help for Heroes and the C3 Foundation which helps 3.3 million people a year with alcohol-related injuries or diseases and is backed by First Contact Day guest Claudia Christian.

While the record attempt is purely on the Saturday the costume competition as well as the charity auction will be happening on the Sunday as well although we suspect there will be a few bleary eyes after the Saturday Night Disco with live music from the Smithemen. Heck, with this much going on you're guaranteed to need both days to ensure every box is ticked.

The two organisers met at an event and have a like-mindedness that is making this year's event a total success. David was invited along to the 2014 event by Wil to see what it was all about; "I was blown away," recalled David, who had been searching for an event to be involved with for over five years; "Everyone worked with him...it was a well oiled ship! At that moment my search was over."


The Leicester Space Centre has been the venue since the event was known as Dawn of the Federation but due to ever increasing numbers, doubling the number of days and also a lack of engagement from the local area, it may be that this is the last time First Contact Day lands in the city. Both Wil and David are quick to praise the hospitality of the centre but only five people came from Leicestershire last year and the current demographic suggests the average attendee is between 25 and 45 from somewhere slightly to the north of Birmingham. Sadly Leicester's largest potential convention centre only holds a maximum of 1100 people which would also rule that out as a future venue.

Wil Ross

Cautious over being able to crawl before they can walk (so to speak), Wil and David are already thinking ahead to spectacular ideas for 2016 - but for now the big focus is just a matter of weeks away.

"Our plans for 2016 we're going to need a venue that will hold many more than that because it is Star Trek's 50th anniversary and we do plan on holding something quite special for that year." said Wil. 

Having such great guests - due to some very strong friendships with the organisers has certainly helped promote First Contact Day. "I don't think Garrett needed to hear the end of either my or Wil's pitch," recalled David, "He was there, he said he'd do it for us and I was taken aback."

David Limburg

They specifically wanted guests who craved the interaction, would look up and chat during an autograph signing session and wouldn't have the conveyor-belt arm for fan photo sessions. They're confident that with all the people coming to First Contact Day this won't happen and that they will be approachable even if they're having a coffee from the cafe!

Sharing a couple of "interesting" celebrity stories, it was clear to me that Wil and David really have a keen sight on what they want and what they want fans to get from the weekend - they want attendees to come away with good memories and great stories.


One of the tragic points about First Contact Day is that a Skype session had been in the early planning stages with Leonard Nimoy however following his loss the team are looking to create a special memorial to the Star Trek actor over the weekend. "We were well on the way to organising it." recalled Wil, "but then events took a turn for the worse. I'm now looking forward to doing a celebration of Leonard Nimoy the person and of Spock the character and it seems that, given their Star Trek roots "we're determined to do it well," explained Wil, "Spock was where it all began; before Kirk. In the first pilot Spock was there...this is something that should definitely be done."

And I absolutely agree - and the feeling from both parties is that it's a well-presented celebration as part of the event and that it is important to remember the great things he did.

First Contact Day is an immersive event where fans, dealers, cosplayers, guests and all points in between can meet and revel in the brilliant universes created for our entertainment and enjoyment. I'm thoroughly excited to be going and getting to chat with people face to face. This will also be the first event that Some Kind of Star Trek will be blogging LIVE from and there might be a line or two from a guest or three - at least we hope that this might happen. We're also intending to talk to some guests and our friends from Risa during the weekend and get to the heart of the experience. Let's hope that this breaks all their records, raises more money than ever for charity and is easily the best First Contact Day the universe has ever seen.

So if you're wandering around and you happen to spot a guy with a camera and his dad (who's secretly going because he wants to meet Claudia Christian) then come over and say hello. I won't bite but I'm not sure I can vouch for my dad on that one....

You can buy your tickets RIGHT NOW at the FCD website and we'll see you at First Contact Day on April 4th and 5th.

More News to Continue the Voyages...

We thought that These are the Voyages couldn't get any better. It was already (and we self refer here) probably the best Star Trek reference book ever written - but then Leonard Nimoy read it.

We knew that he had contacted author Marc Cushman over the content of the first season companion and recently we were even told from our Super Secret contact at Jacobs Media Press that there was something special coming because we weren't going to get a hardback copy of the first edition (Bah! we thought) but then this news broke and made our day. 

Jacobs Media Press released a new edition of These are the Voyages; The Original Series, Season One. The new edition has 80 additional pages based on an exclusive interview with Leonard Nimoy and material/photos from personal archives of contributors who contacted Marc after the first edition was released. 

Awesome! However not all was well in Trek fandom.

Now there's been a lot of discussion about this improved edition after fans bought the first which wasn't exactly the least expensive book produced only to find that a second was in the works/on shelves. The Facebook page for the book certainly gives the hint at some thoughts - Is it worth it? Why the hell wasn't the first book up to this standard? ...and the like (I've paraphrased there to give an indication so it's not precisely word for word but you get the gist).

It's a shame, if we're honest, that the first edition didn't work out the bugs, errors and teething troubles that have been highlighted and while the second edition does deal with a lot of the problems, we can see both sides here. It was never the author's intention to cause issues or anger from fans but only to produce an ultimate guide to the much-loved show. On the side of the reader we totally understand that forking out for the same book with corrections and updates isn't financially viable or desirable. 

Still, it is a good book and there's no denying it whether you have the first or second editions. We can only hope that the second and third season volumes don't go through the same process and are as perfect guides as possible on first run.

startrek.com

So what's the best way to find out about what's going on under the cover so to speak? Ask the author. Go to the source. Marc has been really communicative about the additions - the new Nimoy interview for instance now sits within the section dealing with the filming of The Cage and includes the origins of those distinctive ears within its pages. Not only does that add to the wealth of information but there are several other notable quotes and information including some more documents and memos from Robert Justman (right). The tragedy is that this information appears to have only been available after the original publication and therefore omission was unavoidable because Marc didn't know it was there in the first place.

Of those 80 extra pages a lot is taken with a ton of new, previously unavailable photos and Marc even pointed us to Balance of Terror and Arena as just two episodes which have benefited from the additional work. In the former the pre-production section is much expanded with the creative process as well as two or three new pictures including a personal favourite of the Commander Hansen on Outpost 4 -  not something I've seen before or how about preparing to film the cube ship in The Corbomite Maneuver? Take your pick as there are a lot more. 

I know this is going to be another mammoth reading project for me but I have some holiday time coming up and this will be top of the list. To fully detail all the changes would take a long time but I can see they have only been meant to enhance the experience not detract and I understand from Marc that it was not meant to be a bigger volume, just more thorough!

Has it been a success though is a big question. Well, how about the fact it's now available on Kindle in the United States, the UK, Australia and Canada. Top that off with the news that this book has also been translated into several different languages and will be available within days in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and Brazil. There's surely no wonder Spock himself chose to be interviewed for such a work?!

In the near future we'll have some more news on this fantastic literary series and maybe even a word or two from the man himself, Marc Cushman.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL

We can now reveal that Season 2 will be available for pre-order through www.thesearethevoyagesbooks.com) on Monday, March 3. The target publication date is March 25 and the book orders will be filled soon after that date.

Here's a sneak peak of the blurb currently available just to tempt you AND a first look at the new cover!

"For Gene Roddenberry and his talented staff and crew, launching Star Trek was a near impossible task. Keeping it on the air was even harder. Leonard Nimoy almost didn't make it back to the Enterprise for the start of Season Two. Lucille Ball gambled big in putting Desilu behind the chancy sci-fi venture, and would become the next to fall, losing her studio. Discover the real reason Gene Coon suddenly quit as series producer at the mid point of Season Two. Learn which stories by renowned science fiction masters never made it to the screen and why, and which episodes almost didn't make it in front of the camera. Read the memos from Roddenberry and his staff, and NBC, concerning all 26 Season Two episodes, and witness the continuing deception by the network over the TV ratings, and how the fans took on a corporate giant to save their favorite series."

These are the Voyages Season One is available now from Amazon priced £18.23 ISBN 978-0989238120

To see our full review click right HERE

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All images courtesy of Jacobs Media Publishing

A Pivotal "Unification"?

Spock: In your own way you are as stubborn as another captain of the Enterprise I once knew.

Picard: Then I am in good company, sir

I remember the first time I saw "Unification" was rented from a local Ritz video shop of the TV movie version during a school summer holiday in 1992.

At the time I found it boring, drawn out and a little confusing; but then I hadn't seen much of the fourth season and it wasn't the most action-packed installment I had seen.  I managed to watch it all the way through and in conclusion it was OK; nothing particularly special considering this was the seminal 25th Anniversary moment where The Next Generation finally shook hands with its predecessor and acknowledged its past openly.

The second time I saw it was in two-part format over two weeks on BBC 2 probably a few years later after it had been rerun on SKY One and I'd missed it.  Still I didn't see anything special but now, as I relive the seven seasons of TNG in order I have found a new understanding of the story and would argue that now "Unification" is probably one of the most important moments in Star Trek history.

I'm not a big fan of plot summarising as there are plenty of sites and books out there that do it brilliantly but here it is in a nutshell for those of you who might need a refresh. Starfleet believes that Ambassador Spock has defected to Romulus and get Picard and Data to go undercover on the Romulan homeworld to investigate.  They make contact and discover that Spock is actually looking to work on reunifying the Vulcan and Romulan peoples after many centuries of separation. Meanwhile Riker and the Enterprise are following a lead on some debris that leads them to a Federation salvage yard and a missing Vulcan ship. Ultimately it becomes apparent that the two incidents are linked and with the reappearance of Commander Sela we learn that it's all to do with the Romulans using Spock's reunification plan to cover up an invasion attempt.  Needless to say it's foiled by Picard, Data and Spock and all is well in the universe once more.

So why has my opinion of this story changed in the 22 years since it aired?  I think "Unification" is a cornerstone firstly because of the arrival of Leonard Nimoy as Spock.  While we had a fleeting meeting with McCoy in the pilot and Sarek in the eponymous third season episode, this marked the true acknowledgement of the original series and their part in the history of the franchise.  Of course this came at the time around the promotion of Star Trek VI and the story references Spock's part in the Khitomer Conference on several occasions which acts as a nice tie-in to "historical" Star Trek events.

Symbolically "Unification" is a torch-passing moment not only for this appearance but also because it was dedicated to the Great Bird of the Galaxy, Gene Roddenberry, who passed away shortly before it aired. His influence on the series would be no more and his legacy would be firmly in the hands of those he had worked with since the first thoughts of Trek's return in the 80's. As within the episode we lose the father-figure role of Sarek to his long-term debilitating illness so the man who had brought the series to light back in the 1960's also took his final bow.

What I do think is fitting here is that we have almost every major race up to this point in Trek history making an appearance (except the Borg of course) - the Klingons help deliver Picard and Data to Romulus, the Vulcans are here (which is not a common  occurrence;the Romulans play host of course; we have a Ferengi mercenary who rubs Riker up the wrong way and there's even a Zakdorn thrown in for good measure.  The Klingons even manage to get one of their older K'Tinga class cruisers a cameo part at the salvage yard if you keep your eyes peeled. Oh yes - while we're mentioning links to TOS, the name of that Vulcan transport that Riker and the Enterprise are so keen to find? The T'Pau - a freighter and also the name of a certain priestess who presided over proceedings during the TOS second season classic, "Amok Time". 


Unless I'm mistaken the next time we would get major races together in one episode would be "The Chase" in season six however the Cardassians would taken the place of the Vulcans.  In Trek terms that's probably more in line with the way the series was progressing and the franchise would develop particularly with note to Deep Space Nine.

In fact, "Unification" is very much about pulling the two series of TOS and TNG together through Spock's addition but there are also a couple of other notable guest stars here with at least one getting majorly overlooked.  which draw on Trek history even more closely than you may appreciate.

Commander Sela makes her second and final appearance in TNG and returns Denise Crosby for the third of her four post-death roles (the next is "All Good Things...") ensuring that all of the original crew from TNG are represented in some form but it is Spock's Romulan friend, Senator Pardek who intrigues me the most here. Played by Malachi Throne, Pardek turns out to be in league with Sela and part of the conspiracy to invade Vulcan but Throne's history with Trek is just as interesting and he has crossed paths with Spock before providing the two-parter with another link to its acclaimed past. Throne's voice was used for the lead Talosian in the original pilot "The Cage" and then he featured as Commodore Mendez in the reworking of that very episode, "The Menagerie" which was, of course, the only two part installment of the classic Star Trek series. Rather fitting then that he should be here, in a two part TNG story with Spock!

For a show that was never great on ongoing storylines/recurring characters and back-referencing, "Unification" is full of it whether its just to Sela's previous "meeting" with Data in "Redemption II", the recent Klingon civil war itself or Sarek's time on the Enterprise-D with Picard or his relationship with his half-human son, this tale has it all. Even Kirk gets a sideways nudge-nudge-wink-wink mention (see quote at the start) as well as a direct reference as to how Kirk was involved in the Khitomer peace mission by his Vulcan first officer. Perhaps this is given even more resonance through the fact that The Undiscovered Country had the original crew officially signing off and here we have an epilogue to that tale - almost a what happened next that would oddly carry on into an alternative universe....

"Unification" also acts as something of a precursor to the events of Deep Space Nine and Nemesis in the way that there is hope of the Romulans being accepted as an ally rather than an enemy which they have been since "Balance of Terror" in Kirk's era.  The very possibility that there is hope here may turn out to be a ruse but the seed is planted for future developments; the twist eventually being that they have to join with the Federation to defeat the Dominion and then in the final Prime Universe film the concept of peace initially would be a ruse to tempt Picard to cross the Neutral Zone. For years we have seen the Romulans as hostile and indeed that is how they were introduced back in Season One's "The Neutral Zone" but here we get the hint that not all Romulans are the same and there are some that would welcome a more peaceful future. Lest we also forget that this is the first time since Trek records began that we have seen Romulus AND get to set foot on it too. 

Of course the best example of both the torch-passing and the notion that this is a symbolic moment in Trek history was the meeting of Spock and Data - specifically the conversation they have aboard the Klingon Bird of Prey in the concluding part.  I have recreated it here because it is one of the most interesting few lines of dialogue in the season maybe the series.  I love it for the way in which we realise how similar yet how different these two "windows into humanity" characters are:

Spock: Fascinating. You have an efficient intellect, superior physical skills, no emotional impediments. There are Vulcans who aspire all their lives to achieve what you have been given by design.

Data: You are half-human?

Spock: Yes

Data: Yet you have chosen a Vulcan way of life?

Spock: I have

Data: In effect, you have abandoned what I have sought all my life.

It's the realisation that while they are both exploring the human condition they are hitting it from quite opposing angles and coming to massively different conclusions. Logic has dictated both their paths yet they are truly unique characters who allowed us to see humanity for the flawed species we are!

In essence this is TNG saying that while it recognised it's history it was very much its own series with its own views, direction and beliefs.  This truly is an occasion where the new generation is finally at ease with its past. Indeed it's well known that the writers had to fight to get a reference to Spock into the script of "Sarek". McCoy was unnamed in "Encounter at Farpoint" and "The Naked Now" retrod ground perhaps a little too familiar too early. Here we are in the presence of celebration and acknowledgement for the 25th Anniversary as was.

So 22 years has made a lot of difference. Once an episode that I had little love for is now one I would treasure to watch again. "Unification" is a moment captured and an occasion for TNG to be proud of and at such a maturing stage of its life. While it's not the most action-packed Trek of all time I do think it can hold its head high as one of the best installments in it's lengthy history if only for its unifying factor not only potentially between Romulans and Vulcans but also Star Trek generations.