Titan Time: Orion's Hounds

As we continue our voyage through the post-Nemesis reading list, Ian Kimmins takes us back on-board the USS Titan under Captain Riker. 

Orion's Hounds is written by regular Star Trek writer Christoper L Bennett and features the "star jellies" from Encounter at Farpoint. If you cast your mind back to that episode (has it really been 30 years?!) you will remember that they communicated via telepathy so you know this is going to be a Deanna Troi story and Bennett doesn't disappoint. 

As we kick off the novel, Titan has been given orders to explore the Gum Nebula - a region of space still unexplored by the Federation. As they arrive to begin their mission they discover the star jellies under attack by the Pa'haquel. Titan decides to intercede to resolve the issue but soon realises the issue is far more complex than they could ever imagine. 

The character work in this novel is excellent. Riker and Troi's relationship is moved on well here with first officer Christine Vale still struggling with having Riker's wife on the command crew. We even get excellent characterisation for some secondary characters such as Tuvok's wife T'Pel who fits seamlessly into the story. Tuvok also comes across as a much more interesting character than he did for most of Voyager. The only one I feel that suffers is Riker as outside of his relationship with Deanna he seems very like a "generic Starfleet captain". 

In short Orion's Hounds is a well written story and while not the best one in this continuity it is the best Titan book by far. 

Google Image of USS Titan from Tobias Richer's Lightworks.

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Familiar Faces Star Alongside The 5th Passenger

Heard of it?

The answer is "Probably" as 5th Passenger stars four (count'em) FOUR Star Trek luminaries in the form of Tim Russ (Tuvok), Marina Sirtis (Troi), Robert Picardo (The Doctor) and Manu Intiraymi (Icheb) plus some Hellboy actor Doug Jones and even more faces from the sci-fi universe to boot.

Ok, here's the spiel in a couple of lines - Four crew, one escape pod, a pregnant officer, a lack of air and a mysterious fifth passenger who gradually picks off our well-known cast one by one. It can only mean it's going to be a race against time to get it before it gets them mixed in with a spadeful of conflict. Pre-production is well underway and the Kickstarter project is in full swing with just two weeks left to run.  $41,000 of the $65,000 has now been raised to make the movie viable and full pre-production can begin once the target has been met which looks like a real possibility.

"The fundraising is going well but we will definitely need more support if we are realistically going to make this initial goal." said cast member and writer, Morgan Lariah, "We really believe in this story and we know this film is something our audience is to enjoy."

With perks such as PDF scripts, access to donor-only groups, exclusive content, digital movie downloads, DVDs, lunches with crew and cast, names on end credits, costumes, miniatures (running out of breath...) and more and more, it's one of the more fan-friendly productions ensuring that backers are getting a lot of bang for their buck.

Explained writer/director Scott Baker, "I always have little seeds of ideas jumping around in my head. I really love The Twilight Zone and the way Rod Serling would tell stories and the core of this film is very much inspired by all the episodes of that show that I have watched."

"My friend Philip and I were chatting up ideas and bouncing different things back and forth when one of the little seeds came out. I wrote up a few scenes from it and took it to a table read session and the others really liked them, so I set in to flesh out the entire story."

Morgan was hooked very early on; "He approached me one day, told me the premise and how I would be great for the role of Miller. I was hooked!"

The big thing that will attract Star Trek fans to this project and certainly caught our eye was the unmistakable cast. "Scott met Manu Intiraymi on the set of another production and they chatted." recalled Morgan. "Scott mentioned 5th Passenger and how Manu is perfect for the role of Thompson."

Manu, who is also starring in the Tim Russ web-series "pilot" for Star Trek: Renegades loved the script and suggested the Tuvok actor for another of the parts in the movie, that of Franklin. "Tim joined us for the filming of the trailer. He recently helped to get Marina Sirtis and Robert Picardo on board as well." enthused Morgan,  "Having iconic Star Trek actors wasn't something that Scott and I initially planned but knowing these actors and their work we couldn't be happier with the cast we have. I can’t wait to see how they bring these roles to life."

Morgan herself was always slated for the key role of Eve Miller and recently started writing and producing her own projects such as the short film, 2-Star (which she co-wrote, produced and starred in) at the East End Film Festival in London and then went on to several other festivals internationally and in the United States. 

"I think we are so lucky to be living in this era where we have access to the equipment and technology that others before us could only dream of. Being on set with Tim Russ and Manu Intiraymi to film the trailer was such an incredible experience. They are such amazing actors and I loved watching their process. I can only imagine what acting alongside Doug Jones, Robert Picardo, Marina Sirtis and Hana (Molly O'Brien) Hatae (recently added to the cast) will be like but I am greatly looking forward to collaborating with them."

But it's not just about the wonderful world of Star Trek and while that is our main focus here(!) there are cast and crew who have been associated with films such as Captain America, Tron Legacy, Donnie Darko and series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It certainly looks like something which has brought together a bundle of experience from all corners of the sci-fi genre. Among those luminaries is visual magician Tobias Richter who has been seen bringing something amazing to the Axanar project in recent months.

The trailer itself is dark, brooding and atmospheric. If you're looking for a comedy element or a nice easy diversion then this won't float your boat but for those of you who like your sci-fi in the gritty tone rather than light and fluffy it'll be on your must-see list from this moment onwards. Seeing Star Trek actors facing off against each other rather than being all pally-pally makes a refreshing change and is out of the comfort zone in which we fans would usually see them. As trailers go there's not a lot given away but we go get to understand the filming style, a sense of the narrative and dialogue and a few shots both internal and exernal activity to keep you locked into your seats and more importantly helping fund this imaginative project.

Initially planned as a one-off ("You never know what will happen," said Scott), original movie, this was envisaged partly as a break from the explosion of superhero movies we've experienced in recent years; "Studios don't want to take chances on something new and I get that. They want safety. But that's where we come in. We are not beholden to men in suits who only see numbers." said producer Scott,  "We are looking to the fans of sci-fi and horror who want really new content. People vote everyday on what they want by where they spend their money. We're asking people to look at what we're doing, and if they like it, vote for us. We will deliver something amazing and NEW."

And on that one-off possibility, Morgan also wasn't sure if this would be the characters' only outing; "It’s funny because Scott and I know these characters so well. We know their past like our own and have mapped out their future. 5th Passenger only explores a sliver of their lives. We get to see and experience them just for this particular moment in time. If this first film is successful, we certainly can explore more of this universe with these characters."

It is still early days for the project but the Star Trek community is sure to be onboard with such a headline cast and knowing that in the background are some of the great heavyweights of the sci-fi movie industry itching to get started. I can only imagine that these characters will be worlds away from Icheb, Molly, The Doctor, Troi and Tuvok and will make compelling viewing in every sense.

Closed Morgan; "I think those who believe in the importance of strong female leads, diversity in casting and a captivating story will want to fund this project. I believe so strongly in making films that portray different aspects of the human condition, this is one of them."

Wanting to find out a bit more? Try out the 5th Passenger website or head onto their Kickstarter campaign and help fund the project.

What are your thoughts on 5th Passenger? Will you be joining their voyage? How about letting us know below or dropping by one of our (many) social media platforms...

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Renegades: Will it Beat Of Gods and Men?

I'll get a massive amount of heckling for this I suspect but it's taken me until 2014 to watch the 2006 production Of Gods and Men.

Sorry, sorry, sorry I am not worthy to be called a True Fan and I'll be flogging myself ritually for months as penance. Why it's taken so long is a story in itself. However before I divert away to cause myself extreme pain, there's more to explain.

Like many fan projects, Of Gods and Men took an age to get made and released. At the time it came out my internet connection was one step away from dial-up and over the years I just forgot it existed until the Renegades movie machine powered up and thundered into life.

While Axanar might have the imaginative twist and flair to do something totally different, Renegades is the one that seems to get the airtime due to its heritage and cast. The release date is just getting closer and closer and gradually more information is starting to head our way. What's my point here? Well, both Of Gods and Men and Renegades are directed by one Tim Russ and are, perhaps, the closest thing to "real" Star Trek that you can get given that the characters on screen are being played by the same people who portrayed them in Voyager and the other televised series.

Right - quick memory jog for you on the show - set in a time after Voyager, Tuvok brings together a band of rogues, outcasts and criminals that can work outside of the rules and regulations of Starfleet to investigate the strange folding of space and time which has occurred around several planets, cutting them off from the rest of the universe. The trouble is these planets are the main suppliers of the vital dilithium. Tuvok will lead his assembled team to find out what is causing the folds while also having to deal with the conflicts within the group.

So far we've had two trailers which are, admittedly, unfinished tasters of the end product and very little else. There's more fundraising going on via Indegogo as we speak to raise cash for the visual effects and you have to wonder how much more is needed to get the movie finished. Does it seem to you that this keeps on going? I'm staying positive that this is to ensure the best Star Trek independent spin-off ever.

Ok, so it's going to cost a lot but the perks of donating are good and they're only about $3000 off the of $25,000 target. The continued support of fans through donations does show you how much faith the fan community has in Russ' work.

Almost as a bit of a thank you and a reminder that it is nearly finished, something new popped up on the Renegades YouTube channel last week; the first character trailer entitled Introducing Lexxa and starring not only Adrienne Wilkinson but also Tim Russ as Tuvok and Star Trek Continues' Captain Kirk himself, Vic Mignogna as her Cardassian opponent.

The fact is that it's the most complete footage we've had thus far and justifies the work and funds that are going into this project. The trailers were great but we can finally see some dialogue and action in sequence. So does it look any better than it's near-decade old predecessor? I think so and now is the time to talk about it.

Some fans are probably already ruing that we're getting cut-price spin offs from people who should know better and were involved with the "real" thing but this looks anything but cheap and I wouldn't expect the talent in front and behind the camera to be taking part if they didn't believe they could produce something of excellent quality.

As you'll have no doubt spotted, this little Renegades piece has been sprinkled with some screenshots from the snippet and we are geniunely impressed. I found Of Gods of Men a tad shoddy and at times overly cheesy with some truly wobbly sets that Blakes 7 would have distanced themselves from and horribly ill-fitting uniforms. This on the other hand is Star Trek with dirt under its nails and maybe a tooth missing for good measure.

Wilkinson and Mignogna are brilliant here in what is a particularly well choreographed fight scene. While Lexxa is more animalistic and raw, Mignogna's Cardassian prisoner Garis seems to be channelling some strains of Garak in his goading of the female Augment. He knows which buttons to press especially in relationship to her lineage. Also, does anyone else think that he bears a scarily close resemblance to one Dumar?

From a character perspective this gives us some basics on who Captain Lexxa Singh is (which makes sense when you consider this is an Introducing... video) while showing off just how good and serious this production is about making quality Star Trek for the fans.

The more I see of Vic Mignogna the more I'm impressed. His Kirk was a little too Kirk for me originally but after a couple more viewings I've appreciated his work a lot more and here as a Cardassian he's superb and the makeup is faultless. The set lighting and dressing are as equally impressive and for a moment you'd be forgiven for thinking you're watching an episode of Deep Space Nine or Voyager (whatever your fancy) - it's only when an older Tuvok shows up that you realise this is something new.

Russ hasn't lost any of the Tuvok charm (!) since leaving Voyager and his discourse with Lexxa confirms that he's working on something that's going to need a very specialised person to get the job done. While this scene isn't about Tuvok it is about Tim Russ in some respects because this is the first glimpses of his work - and it's a good job.

Certainly more adult in its use of language than your average Star Trek episode, whatever the something big that's going down is, I hope we get to see a bit of it in the next trailers that come forth from the Renegades stable. My other query is as to when we'll get to see our first look at some of the CGI for the pilot? We've seen stills of the Archer and the Icarus but let's see them out in the great blackness where they belong, in motion.


So will it beat Of Gods and Men? Unquestionably in everything from sets to script to costumes to score - nay, it has to beat it given the time elapsed since that movie premiered. The production here feels tighter and the acting certainly come across a darn sight more believable than in its predecessor. we have only seen a minimal amount of footage so I might be getting my hopes up too soon. Good news on that front is that we will be seeing a trailer entitled The Mission sometime in June which might answer a few more questions - and pose a few more at the same time. Fingers crossed this will introduce us to a few more of the motley crew that are aboard our Renegades starship, the Icarus (above).


Aside from the new trailer little else has been seen from the Renegades team recently as they work on this (potential) web-series pilot. There have been some cast shots but, like the Introducing spot they have focused on Lexxa, Garis and Tim Russ' Tuvok. Not a bad thing but it means there's still more to be drip-fed for our unquenchable thirst for Star Trek knowledge.

The more I do see the more I hope it goes beyond just the one adventure if only to flesh out the story and not leave too much unfinished business. If the reboot movies are going to be the ignition for a new TV series then there has to be something keeping the 24th Century Prime Universe alive and this is the best candidate to date - make that the only candidate. Fans out there might bitch and moan about it looking cheaper than the TV series we're used to but times have changed and keeping the vision alive has to be done with tighter purse strings.

Of Gods and Men marked a big turning point in the production of fan films and certainly raised awareness of their existence. It marked the 40th anniversary and demonstrated that Star Trek could be kept alive for a fraction of its original onscreen costs. Without it maybe a lot of fan-made movies wouldn't have even been conceived. For that we should be thankful and hope that the existing cast members of every generation keep wanting to produce new material featuring their characters, however it is made.

Images from startrekrenegades.com and the Renegades Facebook page.

You can head over to the official site HERE to learn more about Star Trek: Renegades

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Star Trek Online: I've Started

It's not official; it's rubbish; waste of time; pointless - and it's just shooting. That's not Star Trek. All accusations I've heard levelled at the Online universe since it's arrival four years ago.

With the announcement of Timelines however I thought it was about time I addressed the elephant in my Star Trek closet and tried out the Online experience. This blog article and more I suspect, are going to mark my first few hours online. No doubt I'll be dead in about 30 seconds but who cares. Let's see what all the fuss is about. Why precisely should I be playing it? I guess the best way to answer that is to have a go and take the hits like a man.

For those of you who have avoided it like the plague, lived under a rock only a Gorn could pick up or or whip yourselves silly whenever you hear the mention of the CGI offshoot, Star Trek Online is a vast online multi-player game developed by Cryptic studios and published by Perfect World Entertainment.


Now I'm downloading (yep, this is real-time), here's some blurb to fill you non-players in.

Set 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, the game has gone from being released on disc and subscription-based to being a free-to-play game which can be downloaded from the Star Trek Online website (lesson over). By the way it's a mega-huge download of 8469MB so grab a brew or three while you're waiting.

As the opening spiel reveals, the Klingons are back at their old, warring best, the Romulans are getting shirty over the destruction of their homeworld, the Dominion is on the move and lo and behold the Borg are back. Should keep you occupied for a bit.

Referencing lots of different stories from the past, the creators have even managed to pull in the vocal talents of Leonard Nimoy, the late Majel Barrett as the computer voice and most recently welcomed Michael Dorn and Tim Russ back to the fold as Worf and Tuvok respectively. Surely this is a sign of how well Online has been received by those who are associated by what we term as "official canon"?

Right. Download completed. Next step. What have I got to do now.

Next is making your first character. A fairly straight-forward process for anyone familiar with gaming. Choose your race, gender and specialization - whether it's engineering, science or tactical, make those little tweeks to give it the individual touch and you're ready to jump in and start the voyage into the Star Trek Online universe. Finally.

But why am I still hanging on after all this? What's the draw for someone who loves Star Trek but is more than just wanting to just pew-pew-pew a few dozen Romulans? 

The initial step into the Online universe is with kid gloves through a hand-holding tutorial mission which sees you dispatching (very unrealistically) a lot of Borg while rescuing a ship and resulting in some flash promotions that would make JJ-verse Kirk jealous. Fairly ABC stuff showing movement, the weapons controls, payloads, flight controls and the like. When you get past that, which all combined should just reach the end of the first hour of play.

Initial thoughts? It's better than I expected and I enjoyed the runaround. It's a bit Tomb Raider/Uncharted/GTA/Star Trek so it hits a lot of bases through the interaction, cut scenes, missions and in-game features. But what make me want to go any further? Intrigue is the answer - what's around the corner, what are you going to collect?

The problem is that once you start diving into the missions, as with many of today's games (and we'll probably see in Timelines), you need items - credits for warping to systems, credits to improve ships, credits to make your characters better. All well and good but it's going to get expensive because waiting to get those points through straight gameplay is going to take a long, long time. As I made my way into the first few missions it became fairly obvious that the gameplay is quite limited. Talk to a character (reminded me of Elder Scrolls), collect items, walk around, shoot things, back to the ship, have a firefight in space and repeat previous steps.

Maybe this is the voice of inexperience talking but this could well be any online RPG. Badging it with Star Trek ensures an audience but this isn't the kind of expanded universe I had hoped to find. A name it does share but as I walk into rooms or begin a mission it feels very, well, average. Of course it must be doing something right to still be going after eight seasons with a ninth a matter of days away but I am failing to see the excitement in sticking a ton of money into a game that will effectively bring me nothing in the long term. 

There just seems to be no depth and it's very much in the action/adventure mold of the JJ-verse that will take Star Trek into the next decade at the least. It's doing nothing wrong as games go and with the backing of Dorn and Russ it's certainly being accepted as part of the Star Trek universe however the morality, the personal stories and the originality that permeate every pore of the show and have done since 1966 are missing. It's gaming by numbers. I have to admit I loved getting hold of a phaser rifle, shooting an Orion or a Borg but after a while there's no surprise. Point, click, collect and go.

I quickly scurried through the first mission to rescue the crew of the SS Azura and see off a few Orion raiders. Easy stuff but you just know it's only going to get harder and require more time, funds and effort to knock down one enemy ship let alone a whole fleet. Finishing that first encounter and getting levelled up to Lieutenant (2) I chose to head off to Vulcan and some emotionless ambassador who needs me to give him a lift to P'Jem (the monastery from Enterprise no less). I dropped through the next few missions blasting Undine, Borg and Klingons in a few days, occasionally waiting for some credit to build up so I could warp off to the next sector (can be a drawback to getting anywhere fast but does stop me from spending hours at the laptop). This also led me to wonder about joining a fleet.

I know a few of you that do read SKoST are somewhere in the Online universe and if you are, drop me a line (Clivos79) and I might be a new recruit for you. Rest assured it will also mean future Online posts concerning my Noob activities will contain references to your fleet. Thanks already to +Hassan Thomas and +Martin Randell for their help. It seems that this in itself is not a two minute job due to the different natures of the fleets - hard-core, casual players, those focused on certain attribute levels....Any help and advice here is welcomed because at my tender old age it's all getting a bit over technical.

While I'm head-scratching and working out what I'm going to do here, if I am going to stick with it, why would I? I decided it would only be fair to list some reasons for those who might be tempted to give it a go and perhaps to justify my time online to myself in the process.

It's an alternative to the JJ-universe

Some of the concepts do follow the old point-and-shoot principle and are more based in the mindset of the 2009 feature however Online is set in the Prime Universe. It's familiar, there's LCARS all over the shop, you can even pick The Next Generation movie uniform. Unless you're a writer it's a great way to immerse yourself in the Star Trek universe and, initially, very cheaply. It's also the only new Star Trek in any form that you'll see set in that universe for the forseeable future.

There's Always Something New

Google Images

Nine seasons and counting. Welcome to the future. Dyson Spheres, Borg invasions and now the Legacy of Romulus. Those Perfect World people know how to keep the attention of their audience with new and interesting twists and stories in each season. Adding in the blogs and development information is a stroke of genius which means there are always teasers of what's being planned and what you'll be spending your hard-earned cash on in the next few months. Save up those pennies for your next tour of duty. Season Nine is already on the way and we're barely into the Season 8.5 stuff. Sadly being so lowly on the ranks I don't think I can get to the Good Stuff just yet. Need to blow up some more Klingon D-7's first and rescue a couple of Vulcans....

Interaction

star trek online

It's a superb way of meeting other Star Trek fans. Already just discussing fleets has opened up conversations with several fans that I've not spoken to previously. There will be some people on there purely looking at it from a gaming PoV but Online does give fans the chance to get into their favourite universe, fire a phaser, fly ships and interact with other fans as well as elements of the canon universe. Of course, the fleet system means you'll be involved in some elements of teamwork so make sure you schedule your tea and your job around those launches. That or jack in your life and be 100% connected to your PC for eternity. See you in Star Trek Online Season Fifty-Six.

Customise

star trek online

Not just your ship or your character as you voyage through the pixellated universe but in the fact you can design your own missions and build your own corner of the Star Trek experience. What a great opportunity! I'm not quite up to trying this at the moment but I've already made some minor alterations to the USS Restoration and added myself a couple of senior officers. I can see the attraction to this aspect of the game as it really can become your own ship/fleet with things that are specific to your preferences. It'll be a while before I can worry about the dizzying heights of captaincy or the admiralty but as long as I can have some impact over what it takes to get there aside from firing a few phasers and torpedoes then I think I'll be happy. Customising will, invariably lead you into the shop if you become a hardened player - ship sets, costumes, weapons are all at your disposal for a price.

Commitment

star trek online

I don't feel that when I'm offline I'm missing out on a chunk of stuff. Once or twice a week is fine and I hope to find a fleet that doesn't mind my flittering attention. I enjoy it but it's nice to play when I want to and have the time to rather than be committed to being around on a certain day and hour. I have a life, family and job. Not having to be committed to a cyber group and play at my own pace is great. Also I don't have to pay for anything unless I want to. Run out of funds? Turn off and come back tomorrow, you'll have enough to do a little bit more.

That's it for now - next time we'll see if I've found a fleet and mastered upgrading properly!

What else makes Star Trek Online such a great experience? What makes you play and keep going back? Let us know here and join me on my Noob journey into the online universe!

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The Fall: The Poisoned Chalice is a Cup of Excellence

Damn you James Swallow. Damn you all the way to the Archanis system.

It took a while for The Poisoned Chalice to arrive and after the ups and downs of the first three novels in The Fall quintology I was expecting something of a loss of power here, a hiccup, the stumble, the filler.

Well I'm sorry but that just ain't the case but be warned, we might have some SPOILERS ahead so just watch out.

So why am I all Damn You James Swallow? Because I couldn't put this book down. Now unless +Carl Thomson can say otherwise with Peaceable Kingdoms which I myself have yet to read, this is the jewel in the crown as far as I'm concerned. While we've been adding question upon question through the preceding novels it seems as though we're finally getting payoff here.

Split into three clear narratives around the continuing story concerning the assassination of the UFP President Naniette Bacco and the troubles of Andoria, it could be construed that this would put a strain on the novel as a whole. Instead it only enhances the story. Riker, now promoted for a whole bunch of secret hush hush reasons to Admiral tackles the conspiracies on Earth which harks back to The Next Generation's Conspiracy and perhaps moreso Deep Space Nine's Homefront and Paradise Lost. Then there's Commander Vale heading off on her own little adventure on the Nova Class USS Lionheart and a third strand that's taking Tuvok and Nog off on another tangent. Talk about packing out a story, this has it all.

Swallow has mastered all of the characters from the off. Riker is perfected and shows the resilience that we saw back in The Best of Both Worlds when realising it's down to him to sort out this god awful mess on Earth as well as start to unravel the mystery as to just who is pulling the strings and what all the fragments mean when they come together. Having Riker finally captaining his own ship was one thing but taking the step up to a desk job is another - and the question that hangs is whether or not it'll be as short as Kirk's stint. He does seem capable in this new role if not 100% at home to begin with and his interactions with Deanna, just as they were in that career conversation in The Best of Both Worlds are quite telling about his thoughts on the change in rank.

Swallow does well to maintain the interest in this line of the story and it could have become quite plodding but by dropping little asides and constantly questioning both Riker's and those around him in their actions there's always something to think about. Of the three strands this is probably the most important but not the most interesting as the stories off-world have much more of a punch. Riker in some ways is the chessmaster here. moving his pieces into play against a devious enemy. Of course a big difference in Riker now besides the rank is that he has both a wife and daughter (Deanna and Natasha) who make appearances. We see perhaps a little wisening in the admiral as it's not just about him anymore, the safety of his family is also at stake as he investigates the assassination.

Vale's story on the medical USS Lionheart has some brilliantly realised characters especially her first officer, Commander Atia and the chief medical officer who is less than human - or bipedal for that matter. While they are a good group of Guest Starrings it's the destination that proves the intrigue and when that's revealed we get to see a different aspect to the arc that's been driving this story forward. For a character I'm not very familiar with I understood her very quickly and there are certainly shades of Riker dripped into her personality as she investigates some less than reputable goings on. Anyone else who read this think they could get a few novels out of the crew of the Lionheart?

As we've discussed, so far in The Fall we've had beginnings and middles and here it seems the crew of the Titan are intergalactic caretakers sweeping up all the rubbish from across the quadrant. At times the story dives into secrecy, espionage and off-the-record meetings where those in question are in danger just from being in the same place through to all-action special operations territory that I would more imagine between the cover of a Tom Clancy novel. 

That Tuvok/Nog thread which also brings back the much underused Tom Riker (why no third episode huh?!) and is fairly key in understanding what has been happening while Admiral Riker is seeking the why aspect. The one directive they have grows and morphs as events unfold increasingly making you more unsettled as things turn out to be less than straightforward or legal. Placing such upstanding characters as Nog and Tuvok in this situation is a great move as both are men of very high standards and morals. As their story expands we can see how there are choices that have to be made and we can see to which side of the line they fall. Admittedly it's a fairly thick line  that could probably be seen from the International Space Station.

Associating with a group of mercenaries the scenes on board their suped-up transport ship are something akin to Aliens or Predator with lots of macho bonding and suggestions of ruthless, cutthroat individuals of a less than admirable past. It is a bit cliched but then in such instances these days it's very hard not to be.

Each of the threads is not what it appears at first hand and where this novel starts is a big jump from it's somewhat foreboding conclusion. Swallow has had a lot to work with here, bringing in pieces from all three of the previous novels so that those reading out of sequence can still dive in and enjoy.

I would question once again the logic of choosing to do that and have found reading the earlier books to be key in totally understanding the narrative arc. It can be done as a one-off but I wouldn't recommend it. Reading The Poisoned Chalice before reading A Ceremony of Losses would guarantee you would be handed the outcomes to a number of surprises from the book and make going back to it irrelevant. However, perhaps it's not about seeing the "answers" if you will if you don't truly understand the question and that might be the beauty of The Fall series. Throwaway references to the other titles do make you sit up and ask what have you missed especially in regards to The Crimson Shadow which I reviewed earlier this year. There's much more to the whole Cardassian/Andorian/Tzenkethi issues than we've been told before. Not bad to still be punching out some new shockers in the closing stages of a well-formulated saga.

At the time that seemed to be the weakest link but having pounded through The Poisoned Chalice that second novel looks like it is the cornerstone of the quintology, giving much more than you expected. The way in which James Swallow funnels the three stories together means that Dayton Ward has something of a big job ahead to ensure finality to The Fall. It's a well-realised novel which focuses heavily on the characters and their motivations. All are asked to work outside what would be their usual framework - their box - and come up with on-their-feet solutions on more than one occasions. Effectively their paths are marked out when they complete their own threads but this is a journey in each case that it is necessary to understand before they make their final, decisive moves in Peacable Kingdoms.

I'm sure there are bits from David R George III, Una McCormack and David Mack's efforts that I've forgotten and will play a part in the conclusion of this superb storyline. Now the threads are passed onto the fifth author and we'll be discussing the no doubt epic and explosive novel very soon.

The Poisoned Chalice is available now from Simon and Schuster priced £6.99 ISBN 9781476722221

Russ, Renegades and a Review

This begins our dark introduction into the world of Star Trek: Renegades, the trailer descends on what appears to be a jail cell; a lone woman chalks her words onto a wall... 

As this trailer unfolds it becomes very clear that this will be more than your average Trek. Tim Russ definitely intends to take us to the outer edges of the Federation, and possibly beyond.

This is just the beginning of both the teaser trailers, click here to see them both in full length, plus some very fascinating interviews with cast members! 

Maybe it's the unexpected all star cast? It's quite one thing to have Tim Russ directing this, let alone reprising his role as Tuvok (Voyager). Then we look at the caliber of actors all along for the ride, the mix of talent available to this production is truly impressive. You'd be forgiven thinking that this is your run-of-the-mill fan fiction. Don't be fooled however, as we have truly seasoned Star Trek actors involved...

Tim Russ - That's right, he's not only the director, but he'll also be slapping those pointed ears back on (and likely slapping down some more ensigns too!). Logic has never been so dark.This will be Tuvok's first on screen appearance since 2001 and Voyager's finale, Endgame. 

No pressure then. In the intervening years it's good to see Mr Russ has been honing his skills on such wonderous TV programmes as I, Carly... Seriously, should be awesome to see him back in action as the joint lead with...

Walter Koenig - It's nice to see him beyond commander, but whatever you do, please don't ask him to say Nuclear Wessels or he vill haf to stun you.

Yes, the original Chekov will be back on screen for the first time since 1994 (Star Trek: Generations) because officially we don't class his appearance in Phase II ...although we probably should if we're talking about another fan-made production. Oh, hang on. We are.

Robert Picardo - Stop the press... He won't be playing our neighbourhood EMH so we won't get to know the nature of the medical emergency this time around.

Instead, he'll be reprising his brief role as Dr Lewis Zimmerman, a character not seen on our screens since 2000 in Lifeline from season six of Voyager. Actually Zimmerman wasn't around that much at all - fleetingly in the first few years - Projections, The Swarm to name a few before he turned up in Deep Space Nine's Doctor Bashir, I Presume as an actual real person. How Zimmerman is going to fit into what looks like Star Trek mixed with Rambo is up for discussion.

Now I imagine at this point you're thinking "Great, but why am I going to bother with ANOTHER spin off?"

Well, as the full teaser suggests, the Federation is faced with yet another threat, however this new nemesis is beyond the reach of the Federation's typical 'good will politics'. 

Tuvok, now head of Section 31, is tasked with answering this unknown enemy head on. Not an easy job considering this adversary has the ability of cutting the Federation off from dilithium, and also appears to be annexing planets from space and time. Nice.

As you peruse through the library of information on the Renegades website, the trailers, masses of interview footage, promo videos, even the new comedy segments. You definitely get an idea of the work that has gone into making this a reality. 

Although I was a little disappointed with the second trailer if I can be honest. How can I put this... it was a Transformers take on Star Trek. The deep soundtrack behind it, the transforming title at the end, the mash of apparently random scenes. I was intrigued, but not satisfied. It felt, incomplete. 

Now, as you can tell, I watched both trailers in completely the wrong order, something in fact I recommend as an introduction to Renegades. The first trailer, whilst it lacks the 'epic' text segments, does trump the second. There is better introduction and explanation, they haven't tried to mash it together and hope for the best. The structure is very well done for this, a short briefing, melding into an invigorating and progressive background sound piece, with the scenes building up into... *enter transforming title sequence.*

So what's exactly in the trailers? What can we take from the limited glimpse? Well, you have some curious segments from Chekov and Tuvok, setting the story, it leads us to believe that this new threat could provide a tipping point in the Federation's affairs. The fact they have resorted to bringing Section 31 in to deal with the crisis I believe is meant to portray the seriousness of the situation. So what of moving forward? 

At present, we know of this new enemy the Syphons, we don't know anything of them other than one Syphon in particular, Borrada, has a serious grudge with the Federation for an incident with portals? This is the full detail at present, other than this new species appears to be particularly aggressive. I guess we'll have to wait and see as more information feeds through.

When +Clive Burrell and I were discussing Renegades (amongst many other upcoming titles), it became clear from the outset that this was something special. It immediately gave you a 'Where No Man has Gone Before' thrill. Sure, you can throw many examples of promising fan fiction at us, but there is something quite different about Renegades - something I'm yet to put my finger on.

To say that these are just the tip of the iceberg would be quite an understatement, having looked at the accompanying cast, we can see echoes of other popular shows.. Stargate SG-1, Charmed, ER, That 70's Show, CSI: Miami, this list is endless and well worth a click here for the full cast listing, we think you'll be surprised and excited (Edward Furlong?!).

It's a unique situation, which requires a unique crew. Cue the Renegades (would have screwed the title if this wasn't the case...). A rag-tag crew whose abilities - and lack of restriction to Starfleet regulations - are just the right kind of crazy to possibly get the job done. Even the audio wasn't up to scratch, with imbalances between the background and the scene audio. Not to say it wasn't good, I was thoroughly hooked on the first scene. It certainly teased my curiosity. If this is their worst, then it would appear promising.

But I can't shake the feeling that Tim and Walter's involvement in this story will actually be quite limited, the Hors d'oeuvre to the Renegades crew. I can certainly understand though, given how much time Tim must be putting in to direct this as well as acting in it. 

Captain Lexxa Singh (Adrienne Wilkinson pictured left) on the other hand... she appears to have quite a major role and back-story in this. Even from the first trailer it is clear she will be a lead role as (the sexy) captain of the renegade starship, her appearances in this trailer alone are quite a few. 

It's curious to find from the website and trailers, this character delves once again into the Eugenics Wars sub-story that has been present throughout canon Trek. However, this time there's an interesting twist - her character is apparently a direct decendant of one Khan Noonien Singh. I certainly hope moving forward, there is good explanation for this, as at present there is no evidence that Khan had any siblings or indeed lineage (being genetically engineered). For the moment, I'll stick to saying Kirk would be crushed to hear this...

Hang on a moment, surely if Admiral Chekov knew of this, he'd never let her out of that cell in the first place? Wow, the explanation had better be award winning to explain away this curve-ball! One other thing I have noticed even though principle photography finished in October 2013 is the lack of CGI - ships, planets...or anything aside from a glowy globe (trailer one) and the title effect...I suspect that's being kept under wraps and will need to be pretty impressive to beat Axanar's CGI tests and the work of Phase II among others.

All of this leaves me (I'm almost ashamed to admit), priapic with anticipation. You can blame the influences of one Jeremy Clarkson for that...

But where does this leave us? I'm sure by now you've watched both the trailers, and have come to your own conclusions. But it would be very remiss of me not too provide my own thoughts, in true SKoST tradition. We aren't however, above reproach. If you feel there's even more than meets the eye, why not get involved? Drop us a comment below!

All images taken from the Star Trek: Renegades trailers available on YouTube. No infringement of copyright is intended.
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