Starfinder, Klingon, Gorn

An unexpected year's gap between episodes was a long wait for fans of audio series Starfinder but 2014 ended with a flourish as episodes two, three and four landed with a little help from some Klingon friends.

Messages from the Outback kicks off a mini-arc of episodes in this first season and ties in with The Gates of Sto'vo'kor who are a fan group now in their third season of audio adventures focusing on the crew of a the IKS Kradec, a BortaSqu' Dreadnought Cruiser from the realms of Star Trek Online While this isn't an episode of Starfinder per se it is worth a listen to broaden your library of podcasts as well as to get another thread on the activities in and around the region known as the Outback. For those of you who are fans of the show, be careful as you read on as I may be SPOILING. There's your warning, take it or leave it people.

That initial crossover episode helps to introduce the crew of the IKS Kradec and an initial conflict with the Tholians which leads them onto a trail pointing straight in the direction of the Starfinder. It was a total change of pace to listen to Messages... and then Gorn of a Different Colour as we're 100% onboard with the Klingon crew for two and a bit episodes. It's only 15 minutes into the second part of Gorn... that the crew of the Starfinder reappear.

The IKS Kradec originally appeared back in the pilot episode as the counter to the title starship and I'm not sure if a two-parter plus a crossover and another episode to come was a necessity at such an early stage of the series. We've only had two pure Starfinder episodes to this point plus a smattering of vignettes to keep our interests peaked and the we get something which takes us totally away from the focus of the series for a whole hour. Did I feel a bit cheated? Yes, I did BUT I can see what they've done here.

Why does the show have to stick to the rules and be 100% on the Starfinder every episode? What we have here is a story which adds depth to the backstory, fleshes out the ethos of the series and builds the Outback into a genuinely interesting region of space in three audio dimensions. The whole thing with modern TV drama is that they punch outside the box and certainly it might have made for some very different Star Trek moments if we'd had episodes that didn't focus purely on the crew of each headline ship or station. I might not have been a huge Voyager fan but if you look at Distant Origins, Course: Oblivion and Living Witness they bear that very hallmark and make for three hours of fantastic telly.

In that same vain, Starfinder has made a bold move, taking us out of the safety net of the Federation starship and introducing the listener to a group of Klingons, Orions, Gorn and a Lethean. Looking at the plot, the ship encounters a world which may be home to an offshoot of the Gorn known as the Tyr'Gash with whom Commander Valkara chooses to annex as part of the Empire since they have laid claim to the Outback.

This in turn leads to conflict within the mixed crew, especially with everyone's favourite Arena guests, the Gorn, who are rather against turning violent towards their different coloured cousins - and at that point the Starfinder returns to the fold.

I did feel that the Klingon crew weren't anywhere near as warrior-like and honourable as they should have been. Everything in the Star Trek universe emphasises their proud heritage and their aggressive nature but here, in one or two particular cases I didn't feel the strength of the Empire. In fact the conflict which erupts onboard the Kradec is allowed to happen without any attempt to be quashed as the crew begin to take sides.

Michael Medeiros, a friend with Starfinder creator George Silsby for many years, is one of the brains behind the new episodes as he co-produced, wrote and directed them.

"I approached my team over at Gates of Sto’vo’kor and discussed it with them." said Michael, "We started working out the details of the story such as the crew, ship, and even the race of Gorn we would utilize. Ross Bullock developed the story idea and we took some liberties with the story that would become Gorn of A Different Color, such as making the Tyr Gash a separate species of Gorn entirely, the Kradec’s Captain is a woman, and other ideas as well. One of the aspects, we bantered about was an epic tale that would be told in three parts. 

"The first part would be a crossover with Gates of Sto’vo’kor that would establish the Klingon presence in the Outback, then the actual Starfinder episode (originally slated for six or seven on the release schedule), and another crossover that would act as an epilogue to the Klingon series, which would finish them off and keep them busy until Starfinder’s second season."

So there has been a big plan in place for the arrival of the Klingons within the folds of the Starfinder series.

Explained Michael; "With our outline in place, I approached George and we discussed our plans. We made a few adjustments, but in the end, he loved the ideas and even started discussing ideas on how to bring the Klingons back and have them hold a more important role in Starfinder in their second season. With the approval, I began writing the script that would become Gorn of A Different Colour. 

"I passed the script to Ross once the first draft was completed. He added a scene and made some adjustments throughout, while I started working on the scripts for the prologue and epilogue crossovers (Messages From The Outback). When Ross finished the Gorn script, I gave him the Messages... scripts and took one last look at Gorn. When all three scripts were done, I forwarded them to George for review. He loved them and believed the Gorn script to be long enough to split into a two-part episode. It already offered a good place to cut the episode at the end of third act, so few changes were required. The story was also brought up in the line up to third and fourth.

"After an exhaustive search, we found the actors to help us voice all of the roles we would need. With everything ready, production began and we spent several weeks getting the audio we required for the episodes. Ross and I directed every line of dialogue we could to ensure it met our standards for quality. The arduous act of prepping the audio for assembly began after that. Then, life and some unforeseen circumstances occurred and the project was shelved while they were dealt with. Once everything settled down, I got to work on the Gorn episodes. 

"After two months of editing, I sent the first draft of the completed episode to Ross, George, and a few others. There were a few minor tweaks, but in the end, Part I was ready for release. With Starfinder’s second episode on the verge of release, and at my urging, we agreed to sit on it until everything was ready. Two more months later, Part II was ready to go as well. While I worked on the first part, Ross took on Messages.... We waited until the prologue piece was completed before we started releasing episodes, once every two weeks, giving Ross ample time to finish the epilogue of Messages... before the end of the year."

It is, I remind you again, a very different Starfinder. Getting to know so many new characters in such a short period of time - and so many that are in a lot of ways very similar be they Gorn or Klingon - was a bit confusing and maybe scattering the Klingon events amongst the two parter might have helped, linking events more directly because I did find my mind wondering when the main cast would be turning up - and when they do it is a limited selection that we know from the first two episodes.

Ok, so how does the script weigh in? I'd say pretty average. The first two episodes had a lot more action, edge and pacing whereas here the pace is fairly steady. Having the knowledge of the two part format did mean I was expecting the cliffhanger but when it came I was hoping for something with a bit more impact. The trouble is that at this stage we don't know the main crew that well and we definitely don't recognise the Klingon crew and this meant I personally felt distant and non-committal to caring about the crew of the Kradec as the mutiny begins to take effect.

Today being a good day to die is noted a fair few times here and I was concerned that the crew were falling into a slightly stereotypical formula for Klingons. Now I know I've also said that they weren't honourable enough and that's my problem here in some respects because they fall into a place where they say the lines, project an air of being true warriors but then don't deliver the goods. Starfinder didn't need to emphasise this aspect and in some ways I hope that they find a better way to promote the enthusiastic spirit of the Klingons. 

The differing quality between the actors recorded lines is an issue here with massive variations during a single conversation and the interactions of the Klingons did feel a little odd. Not uncomfortable but almost a tad too polite. I know; odd, but there you are. Probably the reason the mutiny actually took place.

The arrival of the Starfinder crew in Part II does help to lift the adventure as they attempt to diffuse the situation, reunite the fragmented crew of the Kradec and stop a massive interstellar incident from blowing up with the Tyr'Gash. Commander Krang, the Klingon first officer does give in much too easily when Captain Ann-D offers unwanted assistance and this keeps flagging up the big issue with this larger story arc - the Klingons don't seem to work with the amount of airtime they have received at the sake of the Starfinder crew. 

They are, of course, the heroes of the piece but their arrival highlights their absence even more. Indeed, they are much better catered for in the script, likely due to the fact that they have had two episodes and the vignettes already dedicated to their journey. Only the captain, the Jem'Hadar, their Vorta overseer, Sergeant Byrnes and Penn and Zeller get airtime in this second part however it does feel as though there should have been more.

Gorn of a Different Colour is a bold, daring step by the Starfinder team but it's timing and execution are not what I've come to expect or hope from them. There are simply too many people we've not got to know in the course of the first part and the preceding Messages from the Outback courtesy of the Gates of Sto'vo'kor and the audio format does not help differentiate them easily before launching into a fully fledged two hour story. Separating Gorn from Klingon is easy but specific individuals and names are numerous and not that easy to remember. As we know it would have originally been further into the season and if that was the case it would have worked more effectively as I still don't know the main characters well enough.

Exec producer and voice of MACO Sergeant Byrnes, George Silsby was also keen to shed light on Starfinder developments; "We had one small dilemma when episode two was late being released; we had another team cranking out 4 episodes and we had a huge setback with just one.

"Those four episodes just happened to focus on the Klingons. What can you do? It was a content decision. The fans wanted content. They wanted a story to be told, sure it caused us to shift gears perhaps much sooner than we planned, but we don't feel it hurt the show, quite the opposite. There's no harm side stepping the focus on the Kradec for the benefit of offering another chapter in what is building up to be a shared audio universe experience, and our vision is much bolder now."

And who are we to argue you could say as the number of Starfinder followers on social media and web reach has quadrupled since the Gorn/Klingon arc started.

We still have Messages from the Outback, Part II to come which is the concluding segment more heavily produced by Gates of Sto'vo'kor. With the adventure itself rounded off and the situation cooled in the Outback at the expense of some of the Kradec's Gorn contingent I do look forward to seeing how this finale rounds out the story.

I've been a fan of the Starfinder series from the beginning and never expected every episode to be of absolute mindblowingly good quality. Every show has challenges, attempts different things and this one has been bold enough to step away from its pilot-established parameters and tackle an unexpected facet of the overall picture. I'm certain that the show will return us to the Kradec in the future and that upcoming installments will continue to push out of it's observed boundaries and provide new adventures expanding from the Star Trek Online universe.

Gorn of a Different Colour has been a clever experiment and one that has offered new tangents to explore in this first season. Let's hope that this move is one that will continue to pay off and not be a single flash in the pan.

Added George Silsby; "We have a things coming that no-one and I mean no-one has ever done before out there in the audio world.

It will be worth it in the big picture, trust me!"

Star Trek: Starfinder Gorn of a Different Colour is available now to download. On the site you'll also be able to find short stories and the vignettes from the last year. You can find out more about Gates of Sto'vo'kor by visiting their site.

Starfinder Strikes a "Balance" with Episode Two

Would you believe that the first episode of this audio series was released back in March 2013?

For many months now I've been pestering exec producer George Silsby about when we could expect the release of episode two and each time I've been told to hang-fire, wait, be patient. Now it's finally arrived. Balance has launched.

Since that initial release 18 months ago it's been a long journey punctuated by audio vignettes introducing additional characters and graphic novel stories to ensure that the Starfinder name has survived and in many ways has expanded from the pilot. Our review picked out a lot of good stuff within the structure as well as some areas of improvement and since then, there's been a ton of events behind the scenes which have affected projected release dates and forced the team's hand to make some massive changes.

"It was actually easy - ideas come easy to me, almost too many ideas," said George in relation to adding in the vignettes;  "The overflow of ideas spill into side stories like the minisodes, short stories, and comics. They [the comics] are simply additional side content to enjoy. They will never be required to read to tie into any episodes, but they can enhance the story for those that read them."

On the positive side this has meant that a lot more work has gone into the production of not just episode two but also three (previewed at the end of Balance) and four which, we are assured are pretty much ready to go although those Starfinder peeps are holding them back to make sure we get just enough of this long-awaited second episode before we can hear the next stages. From what I know we can expect them before the end of the year.

"It was more a case of personal problems myself or the audio engineer had going on behind the scenes, not the actual work that delayed it." said exec producer, George. "We got past our problems, and resumed work, we also had the issue of having to re-record lots of material and re-cast some of the characters coming into episode two. Over the long months these things just kept flip-flopping and that's why we got behind. We finally got our act together and here we are!

As we noted time has brought about a few changes within the structure of Starfinder but George seems to be happy with the current status quo; "I now have a "team" and some of the team (from the pilot) left. My new number one, so to speak, is Adrianne Grady who is a talented actress. She voiced characters for Star Trek Online and plays Lt. Valor, she also plays our upcoming female Q in episode five (spoiler!!!). She's a good friend and now my exec."

And what about those next episodes? 

"We are just doing some extra add-on content we call "bookends"," continued George; "Episodes three and four,  expertly produced by Michael Medeiros,  are woven into a four-part crossover story with our brother podcast Gates of Stovokor also by Busy Little Beaver Productions."

There's a lot going on as you can see and the Starfinder team certainly haven't been sitting around twiddling thumbs and playing dom-jot. So what do we think of Balance after one two listenings? 

Running at a slightly shorter 56 minutes it's a better fit for a single sitting although we have to remember that the first "pilot" episode was feature-length to introduce the many aspects of the Starfinder experience. For me and a commute to work this fitted precisely door-to-door so I can give it a thumbs up if you're looking for some Star Trek to entertain you on the daily voyage. But let's look at it in a bit more detail than that.

With the USS Starfinder heading into the Outback there's a lot going on around the ship. Our holographic captain is taking onboard a time-travelling, drunkard Vorta named Kenai who has dealings with the Breen and there are a couple of relationships taking shape too. Key to this episode though and the main story focuses on T'Kayla who was introduced in one of the shorter vignettes last year and has travelled through time to deal with this errant Vorta and help Starfinder stay out of too much trouble. Her presence isn't really explained too well in Balance and I'd suggest you download the earlier additional snippets to get to grips with some of the new arrivals and situations that take place here. It's not a bad thing to have continuing storylines but with Starfinder I can see that there are going to be a lot of threads going on and the more info you can get, the better your understanding will be.

Aside from this temporally-challenging story the focus on relationships flourishing is more than I had expected with both T'Kayla/Stark starting off their "thing" in this timeline and Sergeant Byrnes (voiced by exec producer George) also trying his luck with Vulcan security officer Valor.

Byrnes, the lead MACO on Starfinder does come across as a little too relaxed and almost comedic which I'm not sure totally suits the character however the twist that he puts in as part of his romancing technique did raise a smile and I look forward to seeing how this gets developed over the coming episodes since we know (thanks to T'Kayla) that they will become an item and start a family. Nothing like a good bit of pre-destination to make you raise the game.

"I'm biased over Sgt Byrnes because I play him," noted George; "but that's because he represents the "soldiers" that never got to exist on the show before Enterprise, I feel they represent a unique and interesting part of Starfleet. I also love writing the Vortas, the whole cloning line is full of opportunity to mine for stories, I like all the characters, really."

The Vorta character reminded me somewhat of Keevan from Deep Space Nine's Rocks and Shoals thanks to the slightly slimy and flippant nature of the voice used to portray him. He annoyed me to hell which was perfect as the role was one that didn't require one to like him at all. While this is very much a character building episode it does feel that it's in the middle of something with a lot more to give. The conclusion, which does have a couple of nice little twists in it, does seem to be over fairly quickly and the end credits roll (with the addition of an episode three preview). 

The pilot was very action packed, pretty well-paced and here, Balance is a lot more relaxed and in that respect shows off that Starfinder isn't a one trick pony. There's more depth to it and we get a lot more layers added to the background rather than heading off into a Star Trek Online style shoot'em-up. While that first episode was very choppy in places, attempting to introduce and set up a whole host of new and diverse characters, here we have more time to explore certain individuals than just get a sharp bio and a few lines. The Outback too has been set up to be a weird area of space and I look forward to seeing this expanded upon in future episodes as here we've got familiar faces such as the Breen, Vorta and Cardassians showing up to play off against the Starfinder.

"I have a very set story arc and sub-arcs mapped out for all of season one; the minisodes are the random ideas made live as we go." confirmed Starfinder creator George, "The story is the start of two arcs--a shadow war between Section 31 and the Department of Temporal Investigations and a new temporal war. It just sort of gelled from the start as the next story to begin."

On the side of audio quality it's still obvious that different cast have used different equipment to record their parts to then be spliced together by George. The inclusion of background noise into the scenes does help to detract but the tone change between actors makes it clear that they are using different equipment - it's a shame but probably unavoidable and I wouldn't want this to stop anyone from listening.

Having an audio series of Star Trek isn't something new but in the era of blogs and podcasts wishing to critique the show or fan films taking us in new directions, is Starfinder the right way to go, after all it's based on the online Star Trek universe?

"As a genre, audio series are underestimated and I feel we can help change that. it's a unique format of storytelling that goes back to the days of radio plays before TV came out. I've been very happy (with episode two) as the feedback and traffic for it has dwarfed episode one by a mile. If I had to change anything i'd have split up the number of romances begun in this episode (SKoST: I agree!)."

Looking ahead, I hope that this slower pace isn't a sign of things to come and that subsequent episodes regain the pace, potential and edge that the pilot showed 18 months ago.  There's also some great little references to a certain timelord (Captain Hartnell for one) which are fun to look out for and one thing we haven't mentioned at all is the ominous mention of The Choir and the War Monks, both of whom we will be coming up close with in the near future.

I am reassured by George here that this is all actually going somewhere and not thought up on the spur of the moment - there's a Big Plan, a mission and a vision. with this resolve I can see that the future for Starfinder is certainly bright and optimistic. Further to that, there's a new minisode coming out which takes a new twist on the Vorta (intended to be with us for Halloween if not before) and more graphic novel material is on the way.

Having heard the teaser from episode three (at the end of episode two and also available at the Starfinder website on its own) I'm curious if nothing else. As with all good teasers it tells you absolutely nothing but sounds enticing.To top that off I was very privileged to get a chance to hear an exclusive clip from episode three, Gorn of a Different Colour and what I can say about that is Klingons, Klingons and Klingons. 

It promises to be very different, take the action away from Starfinder and expand upon the mystery and happenings within the Outback. Beyond that I was sworn to secrecy about the events of episodes four and five but what I can say is that this is going to be worth keeping up to date with and following as the story unfoldsin the next few months. I don't even question if this will all make sense because we know that the eleven episode first season is mapped out. That must be some map.

All images courtesy of Star Trek: Starfinder

Episode Two of Star Trek: Starfinder is available now for download or streaming via the Starfinder website right now. You can also locate their minisodes, graphic novels and episode one to catch up on all the events taking place in and around this new chapter in the Star Trek universe.

Have you listened to Balance? What were your favourite parts? What are you hoping for with episode three and the two-part arc? Drop us a note below!

Starfinder: Darkest Star

While the second episode of Star Trek: Starfinder has been delayed you might think that her creators have been resting on their laurels, twiddling thumbs and generally not doing a lot.

Yeah, I didn't think that either because as we hit the 47th Anniversary of Star Trek's first airing back in 1966, these guys have launched a graphic novel. 

Now I only found out about this very recently and was very surprised to find that this was another avenue that they were pursuing. It's not what I expected and I had been wondering what all the CGI I was coming across was all about. Now I understand but perhaps it's better if the man behind this new addition to the Starfinder story explains it in his own words:

"The decision to create graphic novels for Starfinder is not a new one. I actually discussed this idea back when the pilot episode first aired.

We are also behind on episode two by several months. albeit unintentionally, such is the dilemma of any fan production that has volunteer crew who have real life priorities to contend with first.

We have episode two and three simultaneously being developed as I partnered up with Busy lil Beavers productions, a new company that has several Star Trek podcasts under it's wing. They have helped to take up some of the slack and help produce episode three at the same time we are finishing episode two, so once the wait is over there will be a back to back content explosion!

I went to school for 3D media after picking a lot of it up on my own, and have written comic stories with the tools privately for a few years. One of the first ideas I had was taking some of the backstory in Starfinder and creating a prequel graphic novel which was inspired no less by those produced as prequels for both of the recent JJ Abrams Star Trek films entitled Countdown and Countdown to Darkness from IDW.

So the first graphic novel is called Darkest Star and is a prequel set 25 years prior to the Starfinder pilot The Back of Beyond. It takes place during the days leading up to the explosion of the Hobus star and the destruction of the Romulan homeworld as featured in 2009's Star Trek movie...."

2387 

The USS Paragon, a Sovereign Class starship commanded by Captain Michael Woods, is ordered to escort a heavily pregnant Romulan Ambassador to Earth for a vital conference with the Federation council.

As a romance blossoms between the captain and the ambassador, a mysterious prototype Romulan warbird called the Dark Star commanded by a Tal Shiar officer named Sub-Commander Synn, is tailing them, disruptors and torpedoes locked and ready.

Their mission is about to take an unexpected detour as the Dark Star is under orders not to allow the ambassador to reach Earth, no matter what the cost.

Now it's fair to say that this is not a multi-layered story that gets exceptionally detailed and criss-crosses across time and space, messing with every sense you have. Darkest Star plays it straight, leaving the reader with an absolute understanding of what is going on from start to finish in the first part briefly synopsed above.

Focusing on the captain's relationship with the Romulan ambassador while they are being stalked by the warbird it's a valiant first effort by the hands at the helm of the Starfinder project and ensures that we know it's still out there while the next two episodes are produced.

What I would say is that events do seem to take place at a breakneck speed especially the aforementioned relationship. Now I like a good pace and there's no doubt of that here but perhaps it could have been played out a little longer than dinner and a lie down. Seeing it grow during the mission might have been a more Star Trek-like way of doing things but wait - that's not necessarily the best way or indeed that it was intended. Hey, keeping the pace keeps the interest.

After all, there have been other shifts in the universe in the last few years and perhaps this is a great way to get some more modern "perspectives" on the human condition that Roddenberry so fervently believed in.

Certainly Starfinder has faced a barrage of comments over its portrayal of the same-sex relationship featured within this story and for that it should be congratulated. While it's not the only Star Trek tale to tackle this subject the point that it exists within the narrative indicates that there is room for everyone within this universe.

George worked solely on this project and would probably note that his work has come a long way since he first drew a frame for the comic and I'll try and get him to drop a piece together to discuss the creation in more detail (some making of images would be great) but let's look more at the finished creation.

There are two ships in the picture here - the Paragon and the mysterious Romulan craft shadowing them and nor is the narrative or panels overloaded with too many characters from the off. Now there is a lot of set up here which will hopefully tail nicely into the second installment of this prequel but I would have liked to have learned more about the characters we meet as I feel that, to some degree we are very focused on the actions taking place but don't get to know these individuals which I, personally, would have welcomed.

Looking at this from a visual point of view you can see that there's been a lot of effort set into the production. Sets such as the bridge, quarters and transporter room have all been recreated as well as the introduction of a new Romulan vessel. The characters themselves are a little basic however it allows a lot of room for maneuver and improvement going forward. I might also add that the speech bubbles in some of the panels do take up a bit more room than I might have liked but that's a personal opinion!

Importantly the knowledge of the subject matter is there in the style of the characters' dress as well as some of the items discussed. Also, with the cast kept to a minimum there are some nice asides which show the potential for the development of the crew's relationships which are constrained by the format which doesn't allow for as much maneuver as perhaps a written novel or Starfinder's audio adventures. However, I do want to see where this goes. Comparing the development work and each step will be a great journey to observe and enjoy.

Now originally I had intended to halt the piece there, exude my excitement at the temptation of part two and ask George for some more info to raise an eyebrow or two. However, that won't happen because I've managed to get a sneak preview of that second installment already....

Part Two 

Continues Starfinder creator George: "The second one in the works, which already has a good portion of it's rendering done in advance, takes us to the present with the Starfinder crew and is titled The Last Preserver."

Deep within the outback, Starfinder makes a startling discovery. A temporal maelstrom contains within, a life pod, amidst debris from a ship thousands upon thousands of years old, all preserved by the temporal anomaly.

Bringing it on board, they are shocked to find an alien child..not just any child, but the DNA match for the ancient race known as The Preservers.

Now, as the crew try to unlock the mystery and help the awakened child cope, the ship comes under attack by parties who want their new passenger for themselves...

Now this really hits the mark. I LOVED the second part and it seemed to make a quantum leap in quality from the first part. While that segment chopped and moved quickly this focuses on an event as the Paragon comes under attack. It's full of action, danger and loss which makes it stand out against the first episode. That stayed clear of action and just expressed set up but if this is just a taste of where Darkest Star is going I'm certainly going to be following intently.

There are more characters and situations introduced here including the single sex relationship between the chief engineer and the ship's counselor. While not blatantly examined it's certainly hinted at and is almost a "C" plotline behind the action taking place between the Paragon bridge and the Romulans stalking the starship.

There's certainly a lot more tension bubbling in the second part and the quicker pace seems to suit the style of the story making it feel a lot more natural to read and flow through. In fact it helps make some sense of the threads left dangling from the first installment. Perhaps those few extra frames have helped bring out the characters a little more. While I find this single sex relationship intriguing I'm still not totally convinced by the romance between Ambassador T'Lana and Captain Woods that erupted in Part One. It still seems frighteningly quick even though this is how it was intended.

Luckily the focus in the second part sticks Woods in the centre of the action and George manages to weave in some external action shots as well as keeping us on the bridge as the situation evolves. Again the narrative remains fairly straight forward so don't expect too much in the way of anecdotes or side remarks beyond the structure of the story. This is 75% aiming at action and is definitely aiming in the right direction. What of the other 25%? Character. Namely the Woods/T'Lana pairing and the captain's opposite number and her first officer on the Romulan ship. It's a good mirror (whether intended or not) but I would heed that future episodes could do with developing characters in other ways perhaps away from pairings of a romantic leaning. Let's find out about these guys' backgrounds, what drives them and even what means Woods jumps at the chance to bed a Romulan ambassador!

The story is certainly in another gear for the second part and by adding some more background characters you can see that there is a great deal of opportunity to dive off into different directions and storylines which, I would imagine, might provide a chunk of background and origins for the main Starfinder project.  I would hope that with the second and third installments of that series we'll see some references to this visual novel which will start to grow the history of the characters and the ship.

While there is still a lot of work to do here, it's a great start to the novel and to the Starfinder story. Seeing the suggestions of peers and changes being made to improve the material makes this and its creator very accessible. This in turn makes it a wonderful thing to follow as a fan. It's made by someone who loves the franchise but still wants to add his own mark onto a new angle of the tale.

There's a lot more to come from this stable I'm certain and I hope that Some Kind of Star Trek will be there to see the different facets of this potentially rich aspect of the Star Trek universe bloom. 

You can download the first part of the graphic novel, Darkest Star, now HERE . Also be sure to check out the full Star Trek: Starfinder site to learn about the whole series and more. They can also be found on Facebook.

Star Trek: Starfinder: Council of Thoughts

Stop teasing me. Please.

I really enjoyed the first episode of Star Trek: Starfinder and the wait for the second is getting unbearable.

Now you could grumble and moan that it's been a while but there's good reason. A lot of effort and time is going into building on the success of the first story and rather than rush the production, we'll get to hear it when it's ready. Fortunately though those wonderful people in the background have come up with a neat way of keeping listeners gripped and wanting for more. They sure don't want to be forgotten with the release of two minisodes that build on their pilot episode and are sure to be relevant for the coming follow up story.

So where are we? We've already looked at two of the current four minisodes, T'Kayla and Valor, alongside The Back of Beyond and the trailer for the anticipated second episode Balance. Now these are joined by a two-part  short story called Council of Thoughts.

Focusing on the captain of the USS Starfinder this is actually a brilliant idea which allows for us to understand the character in his own bubble so to speak and away from the narrative of a full episode. As a reminder, the captain is "...a genetically engineered synthetic brain connected to a very advanced computer network..." and called Artificial Neural Network Version D (ANN-D). His mind itself is an amalgamation of other captains' minds and experiences and to help develop further, ANN-D's creator suggests interacting with the residuals of those individuals who are part of his psyche - his "Council of Thoughts" if you will.

The minisodes have worked well for one crucial reason and something that I noted about the first episode back in my original review - there wasn't a lot of time given to developing each of the characters as there were quite a few to introduce in such a short space of time. In Council of Thoughts it's as though we're taking a breath to assess the situation before we're plunged back into the main story.  One of my wishes from The Back of Beyond was to get more time with the ship's captain as in the first episode he got switched off and the focus was more prominently on the rest of the crew and the situations they encountered. 

Using the flashpoint of an argument between two of the crew, the Jem'Hadar named Karak'ar and MACO Sergeant Byrnes, the captain finds his mind at conflict and as such is advised to "talk" to his inner selves. As one of the more "multi-facted" crew members, ANN-D could be quite confusing and there could even be accusations that his construct is similar to that of a Trill gaining the knowledge and experience of past hosts. That's not the case because the conflict seems to be much greater and the individuals who make up his personality were alive at overlapping times with more specific traits highlighted.

The second part allows us some time to view these facets and how they conflict and contrast within one person. There's a logical Vulcan, Captain Seleya; honourable Klingon warrior Commander Kurk; cunning, canny, resourceful and sneaky Captain Calhoun (from the New Frontiers novels if you recall) and reclaimed Borg  "fixer" PI (pronounced "pie"). An interesting brood that I look forward to messing up ANN-D's head some more in the next episode. While we get to see who is inside the captain it's reassurance that Starfinder wasn't a one off. ANN-D is still quite an enigma following this because if those very conflicts and layers making him Starfinder's character for the exploration of humanity which is a common factor throughout the franchise's history. Unusually he's in command but even then we're starting to see an evolution and understanding of this individual through the exploration of his inner self. The ideas are there and the introduction of the minisodes certainly keeps the overall concept fresh.

Adding another piece to the background are the Short Stories featured on the Starfinder website. Initially you might just pass by these without a thought but alongside the minisodes for Council of Thoughts they act as a companion piece which is well worth a read through. I suspect this is one of the reasons that I enjoy this site and the productions that come from it - it's not about banging out an episode every three weeks but about the whole picture and fleshing out all aspects. To some degree this is its own bubble within the Star Trek universe where the story and (as importantly) the backgrounds are being developed. In the future I suspect this might be an Aladdin's Cave of information on the series, its characters, ships and settings as more and more elements are added into the concept. There are decisions and activities going on outside of the featured episodic missions which have perhaps not been realised in other Star Trek series and Starfinder should be proud to dare to be different.

Nor should we go forgetting the tech side. This is a good solid performance from the voice actors involved and, as we've mentioned, there's been a lot of activity behind the scenes to make improvements since The Back of Beyond. While these may not be totally evident in two six minute shorts, I hope that it assists Balance. I look forward to hearing some news on this front soon.

I think it would be harsh to say pass verdict on these minisodes because they are glimpse at the overall arc, but if you're a fan then these are a chance to fill out the picture and freshen the memory ahead of the second mission aboard the USS Starfinder. Looking at these minisodes another way they seem to operate in a similar fashion to the recent Harrison virals that accompanied Star Trek Into Darkness. Could we expect some more to spotlight more crewmembers?   I hope so as these additions make this a unique venture and expansion from Star Trek Online.

If you fancy listening to all four in one go, you can with the Starfinder Minisode Collection which is also now live on the website here. Alternatively Part 1 and Part 2 are available separately. The Back of Beyond pilot is available here. Starfinder also have an app on the iStore and Google Play so you can keep track of their efforts with the push of a button.