Mack Prepares Best Defense

With his new book, the second in the Legacies series, out TODAY, Ian caught up with novelist David Mack!

"The story of Best Defense (Legacies 2) picks up several weeks after the cliffhanger ending of [Greg Cox's] Captain to Captain." explained David.

"It’s a very different kind of book from the trilogy’s first volume. Whereas book one was split between a story on Captain Kirk’s starship Enterprise during the five-year mission and a flashback story set on Captain Robert April’s spaceship Enterprise, Best Defense juxtaposes a fast-paced political thriller with a strange journey through a surreal alternate universe.

"My hope is that the action and revelations that drive Best Defense to a tense, exciting finish will prepare readers for the riveting conclusion of book three, Purgatory’s Key, by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore."

As one of two trilogies out during the 50th anniversary (the other being Prey), I wondered if there was any added pressure seeing as this was such a key year in the history of the franchise. 

"A little bit." answered Mack, "The four of us writing these books were well aware that The Original Series’ fiftieth anniversary, combined with the release of the new feature film, would intensify the degree of public scrutiny on all aspects of the Star Trek universe and all its officially licensed products. With that in mind, however, it didn’t feel much different from writing any other Star Trek novel, if only because we all strive to write the best stories we can every time we sit down to work for Star Trek. (Our editors expect nothing less, after all.)"

As a trilogy being written by four different authors - Greg Cox, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore and Mack himself, it wasn't going to be a straightforward project since everything has to run smoothly between the three books; "If there was one significant challenge on the Legacies project, it’s that any time one splits up the volumes of a trilogy with a single story line between multiple authors, it makes it more difficult to track small details of continuity. 

"It took a lot of e-mails and phone calls among the four of us to make sure that the descriptions of places, alien species, devices, etc., remained consistent across all three parts of the story."

Mack continued that the difficulties persisted "...even beyond the writing of the three manuscripts, well into the copy editing and revision phases. Every time one of us needed to change something for whatever reason, we had to coordinate with the others to make certain any references to those elements were fixed as needed in one another’s books. Fun stuff, let me tell you."

So what can readers expect from the latest piece of David Mack's work in the Star Trek universe? What will they be getting out of Best Defense?

"Hours of enjoyment. With minimal eye strain, I hope.|" joked David, "More seriously, I think that what readers can expect from the Legacies trilogy overall, and from each individual book within it, is an adventure that feels true to the spirit and style of the original Star Trek television series."

As noted, David Mack has previously collaborated with Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore on various projects, including the Seekers and Vanguard literary series. Greg Cox was a new addition to the formula but, as David explained, only when it came to Star Trek as they had worked together before.

"Our long history of collaboration [Ward and Dilmore] did make it easier to tackle this project as a team. At the very least, it made the whole effort feel more familiar and comfortable. After more than a decade of working together, we’ve all developed an easy rapport and a helpful literary shorthand that makes a project like this possible.

"It also helps that, in many ways, the Star Trek books program has, since roughly 2001, been run in a manner similar to that of a television series’ writers’ room, with the editors acting as showrunners, coordinating the efforts of the individual authors to make certain we’re all working from the same premises and proceeding toward the same narrative goals, while respecting one another’s continuity details.

"As far as the effect that Greg’s involvement had on the dynamic, the four of us meshed without any trouble. It helped that we four all had worked on the tie-in novels for The 4400. Greg wrote the first of those four novels; Dayton and Kevin wrote the second book; Greg wrote the third; and then I wrote the final volume. Greg had coordinated with Dayton and Kevin regarding details between the first two books, and then Greg and I crafted a two-part story for the last two books. So the four of us had already learned to coordinate our writing efforts across multiple volumes. In that respect, the Legacies trilogy was kind of like “getting the band back together.”

For those who have been following David Mack's input into the Star Trek literary universe you may well have stormed through The Fall, Book 3: A Ceremony of Losses; Star Trek Seekers #3 – Long Shot; and the Bashir-focused Section 31: Disavowed. While these cover more than a couple of generations of Star Trek shows, I wondered if there was a particular aspect that was easier to write for than any of the others?

"Writing for each of the many literary incarnations of Star Trek brings its own challenges and its own rewards. There are generally fewer restrictions on changes to the status quo of literary-original series, such as Vanguard or Seekers, and for someone like me—a person who loves wreaking havoc on poor unsuspecting characters and dropping narrative bombshells that leave my fellow authors picking up story debris in my wake for years afterward—that can be a lot of fun. However, there’s a lot to be said for the joy that I take in writing well-known, beloved characters and being able to contribute my own ideas to series that I love and respect."

Fans may - or may not realise that David Mack also has a link to televised Star Trek, co-writing two strong episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Starship Down and It’s Only a Paper Moon, as well as the Star Trek comic-book miniseries Divided We Fall for Wildstorm. Is this something that the well-revered franchise novelist want to return to?

"I really couldn’t say; I’m a freelance writer, not a fortune-teller." continued David, "I certainly would love to get a shot at writing for television and feature films, or even just see some of my published work get adapted into those mediums.

"With regard to comic books, back in 2010 I scripted the eight-issue Farscape: Scorpius miniseries for BOOM! Studios, based on story outlines by Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon. More recently, I’ve pitched some ideas to the folks behind the Star Trek comics at IDW Publishing. They seemed to dig a few of my ideas. So far nothing has come of those talks, but I remain hopeful that I might soon get another shot at writing a Star Trek comic-book story.

While these are certainly possibilities David Mack would love to explore, 2016 and 2017 are already looking like they're booked up (or as near to)! 

"I’ve just finished writing the manuscript for Star Trek: Section 31 – Control. That’s currently scheduled for publication at the end of April 2017.

"My current top priority is revising the manuscript for my original novel Dark Arts: The Midnight Front. It’s the first book of a new series I’m writing for Tor Books. It won’t get a publication date until after I finish the rewrite and get that approved by my editor. Consequently, I’m feeling motivated to work quickly and give it my full attention for the rest of the summer.

After that’s done, I’ll get to work on the manuscript for Fortune of War, a new Star Trek Titan novel that I think will likely hit bookstore shelves at the end of 2017 or in early 2018.

Beyond that, in 2017 I hope to complete a first draft of The Iron Codex (book two of the Dark Arts series), and perhaps get some more original short fiction out into the world.

As the saying goes, there’s no rest for the wicked!

Big thanks to David Mack for taking his time to talk to Ian and we wish him all the best for the future - can't wait to read some of those upcoming books!

All images from www.davidmack.pro

You can follow David by checking out his social media links -

Website: www.davidmack.pro

Twitter: @DavidAlanMack

https://facebook.com/TheDavidMack

Seekers 2: And Now the Continuation

A starship down and a seemingly malevolent alien race are in control of a planet.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that might be a great tag line to introduce a standalone novel but in this case it's a description of how the second Seekers story kicks off. 

Dropping the reader right into the middle of the story will be of no issue to those who have (sensibly) tackled Seekers 1 however for those of us that haven't it's more than a little challenging.

There is a brief recollection within the first chapter of Point of Divergence (the subtitle for the second book) as to the events that immediately preceded this release but they are pretty sparce and it's not as accessible as I found The Fall could be if you weren't reading them in a linear fashion. However I doubt that with Seekers you'd be reading the second book if you hadn't touched the first.

Anyway, let's tackle this story and see where it takes us. As with every one of our book reviews we do like to note that there may be SPOILERS ahead so if you are worried we'll give something away, click onto one of our other articles and enjoy.

Seekers 2 is a direct sequel, launching the reader back into a tense confrontation between the Klingons, led by Kang, the Federation and an evolving people known as The Changed. These Changed - and one in particular - are fairly hostile towards outsiders and aren't concerned with differentiating a Klingon from a human as we come to find out fairly soon. It's a conflict with two fronts actually as we have the surface activity involving all three parties around the crashed hull of Captain Terrell's USS Sagittarius and then the stand off between Kang and the USS Endeavour in orbit above. 

For new readers there are a lot of characters to get acquainted to fairly briskly although anyone who has made it through book one will have no trouble identifying the leads here. My issue is that they all seem very average with no-one particularly standing out or making a mark and that's a shame since the grounding of Point of Divergence is perfect, relating back to The Paradise Syndrome and the Preservers as well as exploring their legacy and secrets. But I couldn't get excited. Sorry.

You see this series (which will be receiving at least a third book in 2015) just doesn't seem to deliver the suspense and excitement factor I've felt with other recent Star Trek literary releases. It's good but standard fayre that seems to be trailing off the backend of the very successful and well regarded Vanguard series. Perhaps the hype for these books has overshadowed their purpose but that doesn't mean that authors Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore haven't done a good job because they have. This is solid and well written with solid and well written characters in a solid and well written environment however the spark just doesn't seem to eminate from the page and this really does take a long time to get anywhere. If there's one thing I can say it's that while the first book provided a great cliffhanger to draw readers back for a second helping it's continuing story has echoes of one of The Next Generation's less successful two-parters - the second round never quite lives up to the work put into the first slice.

In fact I found the first half of this book a slog. Nothing really happens once the Tomol known as Nimur completes her/its transformation into one of the Changed (close to the opening) and sets about making sure her brethren also take the evolutionary leap they have been restrained and nigh on forced to avoid for centuries by the Preservers through a life-ending ritual. That alone is a great draw as a plot point not dissimilar to Logan's Run in it's conception but when the bulk of the book is drawn into an almost cat and mouse chase sequence across the planet with the Sagittarius in the middle effecting repairs it gets a bit repetitive. 

Captain Khatami and the Endeavour are there for plot exposition, revealing the machinations of the Preservers and their relationship with the trampled Tomol but offer little heroics. Khatami herself bounces between the planet and her ship and while we might have expected the crew of the Enterprise to knuckle down and find a solution quick time, the Starfleet crew here seem to take a while going round the planets to come up with something feasible - and that's after a considerable amount of time with characters chatting about their observations of the Tomol or Kang trying to guess what's going on just about anywhere.and repair his own damaged vessel.

Luckily there is a turn of events but it could have come earlier in the book when the Tomol/Changed finally arrive at the Sagittarius but as a new reader to the series I wasn't gripped. The key character here is, of course, Terrell and we all know that he's destined for more wriggly things in The Wrath of Khan which totally detracts from any sense of forboding that could have been created here. Had this been another captain, another name and character specifically for this series then we might have cared as we would have come to know them in the course of one and a half novels. Given it's Terrell you can't take the danger seriously and that's where this whole series might fall down. The premise is good, the idea is good but one captain just lets the realism slip because of our knowledge of the "future".

The Tomol themselves, complete with morphing ability that makes them sound uncannily like the Hulk at some points and Superman at others aren't evil but driven to eradicate all that isn't pure from their home and cause some damage along the way to make the outsiders pay for apparently stunting their growth - in other words thinking the Starfleet crews are their former "jaliers", the Preservers aka the Shenai. Point of Divergence does get very wrapped up in the whole situation with what is causing the change and genomes, DNA and all sorts of biological tech get blasted in to help explain the challenge but I wasn't sure how this would work out and what the point was when the mission seems to be to ensure the Sagittarius crew are rescued. Ok, so it's a reaction to make sure the Tomol/Changed remain on the planet as they can become airbourne but these abilities seem to hinder the plot and make the apparent adversary a super-race and therefore seemingly unstoppable by any normal convention which is equivalent to writing yourself into a very tight corner.

I do feel for the authors of this second book and also for David Mack who wrote the first book. Perhaps my view on the series would be different had I chosen to read and review the first chunk of the tale but sadly that wasn't possible on this occasion but it does go to prove how sometimes just picking up a book from a series can make it incredibly inaccessible. As I'd missed a lot of character build-up and establishment in Seekers 1 I did find all of the characters distant and perhaps a little one dimensional. I didn't understand who they really were because those following the story already knew that and for me not engaging in that formation of a narrative relationship and believing in the characters absolutely shut down my engagement with this book. Had I got to know the crews in the first place I may well have approached this novel much more openly and positively but as it stands, as a standalone, I felt it doesn't hit the mark.

For all of you thinking of reading Seekers you absolutely HAVE to read book one otherwise book two will be a waste of your time and money. I just hope that having taken the time to dabble with the second book I might stand a chance of understanding book three next year. That and I'll have to grab a copy of book one.

Following the Seekers saga? Do you think we're right? Let's discuss!

A New Venture: David Mack Opens Seekers

Taking us into the first of the new Seekers series is our newest scribe, Thomas Marsland...!

As my first book review, I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. An avid fan of Star Trek though, I was very happy when I received my book in the mail from Simon and Schuster, complete with a personalized note from the person who packaged it for me.

Star Trek: Seekers: Second Nature is set in The Original Series timeframe; the era of Trek I was least familiar with. But it was exciting. David Mack does an excellent job of describing a Starfleet still being founded more on the traditions of the current US Navy than later eras in Star Trek. With somewhat of a focus on the enlisted side of Star Trek, the USS Sagittarius has a Master Chief for a Chief of Engineering and plenty of enlisted crew throughout the story. This lends towards a realism not seen on the big screen.

The Seekers series tells the story of the USS Sagittarius, an Archer-class scout. A tiny little thing with a crew of 14, the Sagittarius is sent on a mission to investigate an area known as the Taurus Reach. On the planet Nereus II, where they arrive due to picking up some strange energy readings, they discover the Tomol - a species whose members all commit a ritualistic suicide just as they reach the cusp of adulthood.

Enter the Klingons, hell-bent on capturing one of these Tomol and figuring out a way to weaponize their abilities; a strange energy transformation that takes place if they don’t commit that ritual suicide, turning them mad. David Mack does an excellent job of integrating the captaincy of Clark Terrell into the story of the Sagittarius - the same Captain Terrell we see in The Wrath of Khan, turning his own phaser on himself after Khan ordered him to kill Admiral Kirk.

This is a crazy story, one packed with adventure. We never really get to see the story on the screen of the small Starfleet, the Federation-behind-the-scenes, so to speak, so reading about the story of the small scout ship, capable of planetary landings, with all of a couple decks and a tiny crew, makes us feel as if we’re on the frontier, and we are!

Complete with a battle between the Klingons and Starfleet in orbit around Nereus II, asteroid-dodging and all, as well as tons of excitement on the surface, the Seekers saga is one that I would gladly keep reading. We learn quite a bit about the Tomol as a species in this book, but I’m left wanting more. I’m satisfied with what I was given, but like I said, I must have more! It’s hard to strike that balance when writing a series, and David Mack does a wonderful job of it.

It’s an exciting book, and one that left me a bit upset - upset that I won’t be reviewing the second installment of the Seekers series, as that gets to be left to Clive. I’ll have to convince him to send it over when he gets done with it, if he’ll oblige me.

Thanks for tuning in to our reviews here on Some Kind of Star Trek, and stay tuned for more!

So what were your thoughts about this new novel series? Did Mack do a good job and did you want to get book two?

Our review of Seekers Two will be up shortly but until then, why not drop onto one of our social media sites!

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A Novel Start to 2014

Welcome to the new range of books from Simon and Schuster for 2014!!!

Let's dispense with the waffle and cut to the meaty stuff. Book four of The Fall is already out on general sale (I spotted a copy in Glasgow a few weeks back) and this month we get the finale of this brilliant quintology...

The Fall: Peaceable Kingdoms

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

The Federation is rocked to its core as the Typhon Pact is suspected of being behind a barbarous act that shatters the fragile peace of the Alpha Quadrant. An original Star Trek novel, this is the final part of a five-book story arc that takes place over a sixty-day period, but it is not necessary to read each novel in order to follow the storyline (although we at Some Kind of Star Trek are trying valiantly to do that), which involves all aspects of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine universes.

This series has been so memorable and cleverly woven together by the five authors. To review them as a team we have read them separately but one or two contributors are planning to read them in sequence of release. Whether it's action, characterisation, politics or just a fine read then this has had it all plus the kitchen sink in there for good measure. A must of 2013 and an essential purchase for the New Year.

Peaceable Kingdoms will be available in the UK from January 16th 2014.

Voyager: Protectors

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

Following the destruction of four fleet vessels at the hands of the Omega Continuum, the USS Voyager and USS Demeter set course for a region of the Delta Quadrant far beyond anything previously explored. Captain Chakotay is determined to prove to Starfleet Command that the fleet's ongoing mission is vital to Federation interests…and the key to doing so may lie in a distress call Voyager received nine years earlier, but could not investigate.

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway is recalled to the Alpha Quadrant for an evaluation period to determine her next assignment. Given the trauma she has recently endured, Admiral Akaar, Starfleet's Commander-in-Chief, questions Janeway's fitness to command the fleet. Janeway's primary concern remains the fleet's safety. For their mission to continue, she must find a way to secure the resources they require. But the uncertainty of her superior officers has left her powerless to act in theirbest interests. The USS Galen is dispatched to return Janeway to Earth and tasked thereafter with a mission to a remote Starbase in the Beta Quadrant where an individual they believe to be a member of the Caeliar gestalt has been recovered. The Doctor's experience with Seven of Nine is vital to their efforts, but he soon discovers that their patient is more than meets the eye.

As the remaining fleet struggles to communicate with a dangerous and mysterious alien technology that may hold the key to unlocking an ancient civilization, Janeway searches for the path to her future and The Doctor finds himself forced to betray one he holds dear to prevent the spread of a new plague now ravaging several Federation worlds.

So February will see the first Voyager novel for some time takes us back into the Delta Quadrant - but are we really fussed with all the shenanigans going on with Deep Space Nine and the Picard-led Enterprise? Well, we'll find out in February and I can say that this is one book we are hotly anticipating due to the noticable absence of Janeway and co. 

The Original Series: No Time Like the Past

startrek.com

Stardate 6422.5. A diplomatic mission to the planet Yusub erupts in violence when ruthless Orion raiders attempt to disrupt the crucial negotiations by force. Caught in the midst of tense and dangerous situation, Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise finds an unexpected ally in the form of an enigmatic stranger who calls herself "Annika Seven."

Stardate 53786.1. Seven of Nine is taking part in an archaeological expedition on an obscure planetoid in the Delta Quadrant when a disastrous turn of events puts Voyager's away team in jeopardy-and transports Seven across time and space to Yusub, where she comes face to face with one of Starfleet's greatest legends.

Stardate 6422.5. Kirk knows better than most the danger that even a single castaway from the future can pose to the timeline, so he and Seven embark on a hazardous quest to return her to her own era. But there are others who crave the knowledge Seven possesses, and they will stop at nothing to obtain it-even if this means seizing control of the Enterprise!

Calm it down there. Yes, really - Kirk and Seven. Either a novelised match in Heaven or something that in years to come will be regarded as the biggest crash since Troi helmed the Enterprise (D or E it makes no difference). Hopefully Greg Cox has pulled a gem out of the bag that will top last year's average helping, The Weight of Worlds. We know to some degree that he can handle The Original Series but the real test is mixing up two very different generations and two of the most popular characters in that. Good to see that we get another helping of Voyager this year even if it is under The Original Series banner. (Cover art not approved in the UK; novel due March 2014).

Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel

Having survived its first major crisis, the Federation turns to nation-building as Admiral Jonathan Archer works to bring the worlds of the powerful Rigel system into the young union of the United Federation of Planets. But factions both within the Federation and among its enemies oppose the alliance, and Archer will need all the skills of his former Enterprise crewmates to prevent them from plunging Rigel into a system wide war.

Christopher L Bennett is back with another chunk of Enterprise-that-isn't-actually-Enterprise with Tower of Babel. I (Clive) wasn't a fan of the 2013 offering A Choice of Futures and my review didn't hold back. This time our resident Archer-ite Carl will be handling the novel. Rumour is that this is a much better read so we might get a pleasant surprise but it has to be less of a political drag and more upbeat. While it does focus on the characters of Enterprise the strands holding it to that name are getting a little worn. Drop the moniker and just go with Rise of the Federation. Note for Carl if you're reading, the picture of Pothos is dedicated to you (cover art unconfirmed - book released April!).

The Original Series: Serpents in the Garden

Early in his five-year mission commanding the USS Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk found himself caught up in a growing conflict on the planet Neural. To maintain the balance of power against a force being armed by the Klingons, he provided weapons to his friends, the Hill People. Years later, Admiral Kirk learns that the Klingon presence on the planet has grown considerably, in possible violation of the Treaty of Organia. Did his impulse as a young captain turn out disastrously wrong? Should he - could he - have done more to eliminate the Klingon threat? To find out, he embarks on a secret mission back to Neural - where he might just be the only person who can prevent an interstellar war.

Ahhh. He doesn't trust the Klingons does he that Admiral Kirk! Tracing back events before The Original Series and seen in the second season story A Private Little War we're expecting Klingons, rifles and the odd Mugato to be thrown together here. Surely any novel that deals with Klingons is a sure-fire winner. This will mark Jeff Mariotte's follow up to The Folded World which was a mighty good read. I hope this is just as good and we'll discover just how much in May which is also when the Klingon Art of War will be available.

The Lost Era: One Constant Era

A novel from The Lost Era. When John Harriman took command of the U.S.S. Enterprise-B, it was the most benighted launch of a starship in more than 200 years. This is that story, as well as that of the powerful officer who believed in Captain Harriman and convinced him not to resign his command.

Now if I'm correct here that reference to a powerful officer is alluding to the fan-produced and Tim Russ-directed Of Gods and Men which states that Chekov was the man who helped save Harriman's career following the apparent death of Kirk on the Enterprise-B. I'm not familiar with The Lost Era but I think it's self-explanatory from the title. I know there were a rack of titles a few years back that focused on the Enterprise-B but I never managed to get to them. This now comes along and should make up for at least some of that blip in my reading. I liked the character of Harriman to some degree but by god was he a bad choice to captain that ship. We'll see this on shelves in June.

The Next Generation: Light Fantastic

The continuation of the epic story begun in the New York Times bestselling The Next Generation trilogy Cold Equations is here (later this year). A now-resurrected Data and his android "daughter" Lal must face off against the holographic entity James Moriarity, who is determined to acquire android bodies in order to live a "real-world" immortal life.

That's a lot of "quotes" there which doesn't sit well. Now this was one of those books that HAD to happen I suppose. There was no way to avoid the finale of Cold Equations so a reborn Data story was always going to be on the books. Interested? Yes, but there are more stellar titles competing for our money this year and that's before we even reach the release date of Light Fantastic which is set for July.

Seekers: Second Nature

Image from David Mack's website

Despite heroic efforts, the Andorian species is headed for extinction. Its slow march toward oblivion has reached a tipping point, one from which there will be no hope of return. With countless lives at stake, the leaders of Andor, the Federation, and the Typhon Pact all scheme to twist the crisis to their political gain-at any price. Unwilling to be a mere bystander to tragedy, Doctor Julian Bashir risks everything to find a cure for the Andorians. But his courage will come at a terrible cost…

We at Some Kind of Star Trek have ranked this as the must buy novel of the year. Taking a totally different line on the universe and boarding a ship that isn't from the mainstream has proved a hit in the past. We're expecting big things from this series and doubt we'll be disappointed considering it's the work of Dayton Ward, David Mack and Kevin Dilmore. Apparently following on from Vanguard it's not a completely new step but I don't expect many be familiar faces from the TV shows.

Beyond that release in August the year has yet to be revealed. What do we think then? A good selection or retreading ground? Are the new titles of a good original nature? What are your experiences with the authors we'll be seeing in print in 2014? Why not let us know...

Did you know you can now join up with us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter or even +1 us on Google+? If you didn't why not drop over there now!

Hot for 2014

With a new year we have to ask what is there to look forward to in the Star Trek universe and the answers might just lie here. Read on and discover what our top tips for 2014 could be...

Star Trek: Axanar

Billed as the story of Garth of Izar this is one that we really wanted to find out more about as soon as whispers of its existence found their way onto the internet. Luckily it looks like we're going to see this project through almost from its inception. Checking out out calendar we think there will be a lot on this in the next few months with some access to cast and creators (we hope) through this site.

Set 21 years before the adventures of Kirk and the USS Enterprise we're in the midst of the Klingon war at an event that would shape one of the most important figures in Starfleet history.

Already signed, according to the website, are Richard Hatch, J G Hertzler and Gary Graham. Having been in contact with those behind the scenes we know there's more amazing news to come in regards to Axanar but even now it looks like a real winner. I just can't wait and we will be covering this as events progress.

Star Trek: Renegades

Every man and his beagle know about this sort-of sequel to Of Gods and Men. Directed by Tim Russ and starring both him and Walter Koenig as well as a host of well known names from both inside and out of the Star Trek universe it looks set to be available very, very soon judging from the two trailers we've already seen recently. Add into that we'll be looking back at Of Gods... too.

As with the Axanar project we fully intend to be giving this movie the coverage it deserves in 2014. From what we've seen the quality looks pretty impressive as does the cast but will it mean the start of something new for the franchise or is this going to be another one off that ends up sitting in the YouTube archives until the end of time? Is the world ready for another twist on live-action TV-based Star Trek - and I don't want to hear anyone mentioning Captain Worf or Captain Sulu thanks. One notable point is that this show doesn't seem to be totally leaning in the direction of Starfleet which will definitely be a first for the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Seekers

The big novel release of the year could well be Seekers. From the minds of David Mack, Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore this series will be numbered - and have no titles as the anthologies of the 1970s did. Set on two starships - the USS Endeavour and the USS Sagittarius - in the Original Series era, the books are a direct sequel to the earlier Vanguard novels. 

Even the covers have a retro 1970's style to their artwork from the illustrator Rob Caswell. The first two volumes will make their debuts in August and September 2014 with more to follow. While I missed out on Vanguard I find the whole concept of Seekers really intriguing and it's definitely a read I'm eager to dive in to. Indeed, since my return to Trekdom this will be the first non-canon material I will have read that doesn't deal with characters already established on the TV. At present we've not had any plot or character details however it's certainly going to give the Kirk/Seven crossover novel a run for it's money when we look back at what titles were the top for the year.

Star Trek: Equinox

We only discovered this gem in the last 24 hours or this post would've gone live earlier. Yes, it's true - there is work in progress to return us to the Nova Class USS Equinox in 2014.

First up there's the news of a "possible" TV movie starring John (Captain Ransom) Savage (read that as fan-made movie) which appears to be in pre-production now. Entitled The Night of Time it includes Gary (Gary Mitchell) Lockwood among the cast and has signed WWE's Matt Striker as a Romulan. Secondly the starship is reaching our ears via an audio series from the same stable. You can check out their progress in both areas via the Facebook page and the website which is gradually taking shape. Indeed, it appears to be focusing on two different  ships from two different eras - the one we know and a Miranda Class version in The Original Series era. Fascinating as one might say.

Are we excited? You bet - and a great find on New Year's Eve thanks to a news search. We're thinking this could be one of the big developing Star Trek stories of the year!

These are the Voyages Seasons Two and Three

The first book was a revelation and we fully expect the concluding two volumes to be just as indepth and jaw-dropping as the initial edition. Once again scribed and researched by Star Trek luminary Marc Cushman along with Susan Osborn, we can expect more of the same. Now that phrase usually instils fear and dread in most people but not here. More of the same with Cushman means intricate attention to detail and then some to bring together the best resource books on The Original Series. Fact.

Aside from actually having been on set and in every meeting during production which would have been physically impossible, this is as good as it gets. We'll also be covering the expanded work that's been going on with the first book in an extra little blog piece in the next few weeks. Amazingly Leonard Nimoy has helped add a further 80 pages to the tome, bringing personal recollections into the mix. Season Two will over some of my favourites including The Doomsday Machine and A Piece of the Action but the real intrigue will surely be the car-crash third season with budget cuts and management changes. Better clear a few weeks in the diary to read them. If you want more information our review has been featured on the Jacobs Media Publishing site and you can buy the first book direct here.

Star Trek: Phase II

Formerly New Voyages this show is now in its tenth year, releasing Kitumba on New Year's Day 2014. Picking up, as with Continues, after season three of The Original Series these guys are looking to bridge the gap between Turnabout Intruder and The Motion Picture and show the transitions that took place from one to the other. 

We'll be honest we found it really difficult to split the two because of their differences (Continues/Phase II) and what they have to offer. While Continues goes for total originality, Phase II offers a chance to see some classics that never made the screen and has David Gerrold as it's showrunner. That's clout right there.

It looks like a great prospect and we'll hope to get stuck in to the library of episodes that already exist as well as looking at the future of this fan-made series which seems to have done extremely well. Using scripts from luminaries including David Gerrold, the Phase II team have even filmed the legendary Blood and Fire as well as their own version of The Child. The newly released Kitumba was, as you will probably know, a script for the original version of Phase II.  2014 is likely to see a lot of work on the production of their next episode, The Holiest Thing. Exciting times indeed!

The Green Girl

The brainchild of George Pappy this movie had massive impact last year across the internet as it went into production. Detailing the life and times of the original Orion slave girl, Vina, it looks set to be launched this year with much anticipation. We're hoping to bring you a review of the movie as soon as we can get our hands on a copy plus (we hope) some inside information on The Green Girl project. It's perhaps not our usual fare but Oliver had such a big presence back in The Cage and graced the closing credits of the first season that we felt it was important to give this production the time and space it deserves - and we're intending to find out a lot more about the life and times of the actress into the bargain.  

...And More

Those might be the things we've highlighted as hot topics for 2014 but let's not forget some of the other elements of the Star Trek universe that we'll no doubt encounter in the next twelve months. In fact we're probably already finding new stuff as you're reading!

For certain the rumour mill around Star Trek 3, it's script, cast and director will kick into second gear with the 2016 launch not that far away oh and anyone fancy mentioning the Netflix Enterprise season five campaign too?!

Stick with us in 2014 as we take some new steps forward and introduce a few new faces to the Some Kind of Star Trek contingent who will bring their own twist on the franchise in its many different forms.

Is there anything we've failed to pick up on? Is there an element of the Star Trek universe that has evaded our sensors? Let us know.

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