Third Time's a Charm: Star Trek Continues: Fairest of Them All

If I was in the Phase II fold right now I'd be getting seriously concerned.

While we still await the release of The Holiest Thing which has been delayed since February,  Star Trek Continues have now launched their third installment - and the second one in just six months.

Filmed during March with second unit filming in mid-April 2014, their latest episode takes us back to not just The Original Series but one of its most influential episodes. Mirror, Mirror spawned a whole series of Deep Space Nine episodes and the standout story from Enterprise,  In a Mirror Darkly. As with that two parter,  Mignogna and the Continues crew have set this story purely in that universe and cleverly continued the narrative from Kirk's original venture there.

Indeed, the opening scene is word for word and move for move a "Mirror, Mirror" of the Shatner and Nimoy conversation we've seen more times than we dare count and then the new script kicks in. If you ever wanted to know just how the Mirror Spock began the reforms that Kira talks of in Crossover, then this is the episode for you.

Taking place directly after the events of the original this is the Mignogna and Haberkorn show from the off, placing the characters of Kirk and Spock in opposition. It's unusual to see the two characters not continuing some form of bromance and instead be at loggerheads as "Prime" Kirk's influence begins to manifest itself. At first it's logical suggestion to spare the Halkans but over time it evolves into mutiny and the desire to reform the Terran Empire.

Storywise it's straight-forward bottle show material with all the action taking place on the ISS Enterprise as captain and first officer go head to head for control of the starship. Without doubt Kirk and Spock are front and centre here with the two actors putting in sterling performances all the way. I made some comments in the review of Lolani that Vic Mignogna was channelling a little Shatner but now I think it's the right direction and in Fairest of Them All the nuances and intricacies of the original Kirk actor are superbly recognised and recreated making this a true Continu-ation.  Todd Haberkorn is excellent as Spock, charting quite a change in the Mirror universe version of the character from cold, calculating officer to peacemaker in 40 minutes. His performance previously was described as a bit stilted but in this episode he's nailed the role and adding the beard seems to have worked wonders. Maybe having the chance to play with the character away from the "norm" was just what the doctor ordered and the final scene is just the icing on the cake - but we'll say no more on that to make sure you watch!

Mignogna does enjoy a good scene-chew as the more evil and less-morally restricted Kirk, doing what the hell he likes and screaming blue-murder to the last. There's also several wonderful occasions where there's a typically 1960's Star Trek drop in the lighting to place the captain in some shadow to add to the mood (and some soft focus for good measure). Continues really has hit the mark to recreate The Original Series - music, lighting, atmosphere, even the way in which the Tantalus Device is revealed and activated are authentic to the memory of The Original Series; you would easily believe that this story could have been slipped into the fourth season and the script, from a story by Mignogna, would have suited Shatner and Nimoy to a tee.

A bottle-show this may be but the story does explore the idea of change and reform while adding a lot of action elements at the same time. There aren't a lot of effects moments either which means this relies more on the power of the cast and the story to keep your attention. From memory there's a couple of phaser shots, a transporter beam and an Agoniser in use which isn't a lot but then it doesn't need more to keep you watching for the duration.

However, I do have some reservations no matter how good I think the end result is. For a start the characters of Uhura and Scotty seems almost identical to their Prime alternates in fact the former seems far from aggressive or adversarial, seeming more like a pushover when it comes to choosing or switching sides. While Scotty does side with Spock he too just comes across as "normal" Scotty. I have nothing against Chris Doohan's performance but would this engineer really have survived so long to make chief in the Empire given his relaxed attitude? How cool would it have been if this Scotty was a raving alcoholic with a wry twinkle in the eye and a penchant for slitting the occasional throat or two? Just a thought. 

McCoy does elate some more disturbing qualities and remains loyal to Kirk as he coldly tortures a crew-member for information and I would have liked to have seen more but he's sidelined as with the majority of the crew in this story to maintain the focus on the Kirk/Spock dynamic. Larry Nemecek will be missed from the production by fans at the least but new arrival Chuck Huber does an admirable job providing the chills here.

Chekov spends some of the episode in and out of the Agoniser booth or acting as cannon fodder given the captain's mood over his attempt at dethronement and as such doesn't get to do a lot. Sulu is perhaps one of the few to be allowed some exploration of his Mirror personality, complete with scar and redshirt. He certainly is just slimy as we might remember George Takei's performance originally and Grant Imahara looks to have enjoyed taking a more liberal role here as the security officer out for blood. Sadly he's the only one who gets any time with Michelle Specht (Doctor Elise MacKennah) who turns up in a brief role as his girlfriend when called to the captain's aid.

Taking up some bridge duty is Kipleigh Brown as Smith. It's a decent enough part but again leaves little for the actress, familiar to Star Trek fans for a role in Enterprise, to spread her wings here. She does manage to get berated by Kirk as a highlight but beyond that she remains steadfastly at the helm and I do hope she comes back in the next episode and gets more involved in the action!

The biggest revelation has to be the actress onboard to play Marlene Moreau. Asia DeMarcos could well be a clone of Barbara Luna who played the part in Mirror, Mirror. Her mannerisms are very close to Luna's and she does a great job here as a foil to Kirk as well as one of the architects of the deluded and increasingly erratic Enterprise captain's downfall.

Fairest of Them All may not venture to new worlds or new civilisations here, choosing instead to make use of the standing ship sets but that takes nothing from the excellent result. Cutting the running time to 40 minutes certainly makes this a tighter and more refined episode, moving from beat to beat and maintaining a high level of energy and momentum throughout. My one point of concern though is just how fast this revolution seems to be happening given that it's taking place right after the Prime versions of Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura have only just returned to their own reality. That aside, this has to be one of those episodes that should have been made and never was. The Original Series really was owed another stab at the Mirror Universe. 

Spock's motivations and Kirk's opposition fit perfectly with the original if we if we ignore the speedy transition and you do sense that we're getting payoff and answers to questions we've always had about the Mirror Universe. It also confirms that this isn't just some twisted evil place rather a twist on the characters that we would get. from the subsequent Deep Space Nine revival in the '90's.

I have to admit that some of the comments we made about Lolani seem trivial now with a third episode of such calibre produced in such a short space of time and no doubt another in close behind. Indeed that timescale is impressive given that to produce this episode the crew looked back to the original story to accurately recreate not just those "minimal" uniforms in all their shininess but also used Mirror, Mirror as a benchmark to repaint the bridge set as it appeared in the second season. Now that's attention to detail and it all shows right from that scene recreation at the opening of the show. 

Everything here is just perfect and there's no question that the crew and cast have a genuine love for their work and apparently a few other people do too since Michael Dorn (Worf) acts as the voice of the computer and the recently rebuilt and restored Galileo shuttle makes a triumphant appearance and that guy who turns up as a Halkan? Well he's only Bobby (Gorn) Clark who played Chekov's henchman in the original episode. That's three episodes in a row where notable alumni have been directly involved onscreen and we're even getting defections from Phase II as that series' Kirk's nephew actor, Bobby Rice, gets agonised.

Even down to the rewriting of the opening titles monologue,  this web-series has done everything in its power to produce something special.  While Phase II seemingly struggles to get material and Continues is improving quality with each release. Mignogna and the team have done exactly what it says on the tin and continued the five year mission not providing a new take or a weird parody but instead playing on the strengths and adding new elements and angles to the classic Star Trek show. This is the show that could have been if we'd had a 1969 — 70 season. OK, so it's definitely more in the action/adventure realm than digging deep and looking at thought-provoking themes but there are signs that these elements could well be further developed as with the Spock story here to reform the Empire. Giving time over to the action element does mean that this could do well with the younger, modern day Star Trek fan who is more familiar with the lens-flare and big explosions of the JJ Abrams universe.

When we found out that this show was being devised,  Phase II was the series to beat and the one to watch. We expected Continues to take a while to mature and find its feet but in a remarkably short time it has gone from being the young upstart to the head of the pack and should be proud to stand tall against the competition. Star Trek Continues is now the level to which all fan produced shows based on the franchise have to aspire to match at the very least and no doubt their next adventure will raise that bar a touch more.

To view the new episode from Star Trek Continues, click here and to visit their website click here

What did you think to Fairest of Them All? Was it the episode you'd been hoping for? Let us know in the comments below!

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Previewing Prelude - In Detail

Dear Alec Peters

We are very sorry we haven't talked about Axanar for a while. Hope you can accept our apologies. We will address this inconsistency forthwith.

Warmest Regards

Some Kind of Star Trek

It's true we haven't spent any time looking at the amazing progress of Prelude to Axanar if nothing less, but in the last fortnight we've been privy to some brilliant new footage. So, let's start at the beginning of that journey.

First up was a great little sneaky look behind the scenes which showed our first proper glimpse of the cast in character and the crew at work. It's definitely heightened interest and we all thought that this was going to be our lot for a while.

As actual in-movie action goes there's not a lot - a shot of Kate Vernon as Captain Sonya Alexander a bit beaten up is really your payoff there but we do manage some superb closeups of Richard Hatch being made-down from his role as Klingon Supreme Commander Kharn as well as some shots which reveal his uniform is not too far off that of General Chang from Star Trek VI. Chang is actually in Axanar as Kharn's subordinate for those who might not know. Gary Graham is also there in a couple of shots in full, older, Vulcan makeup as Ambassador Soval whom he originally played in Enterprise. 

Both Hertzler and Todd can be seen in their Starfleet dress uniforms during filming and there's even a snippet of dialogue in there as Todd's temper frays in his role as Fleet Admiral Ramirez. The dress uniforms do have a sense of The Original Series' dress uniforms with a touch less silky sheen to them while the glimpses of duty uniform are very much, as we knew, in keeping with the feel of The Cage. Understandably there's some green-screening in there which will help keep the sets budget down if nothing else and also means not too much is being given away here.

Hearing from the major players here gives a lot of resonance to the Axanar stable. If the speed at which the basic funds and then the stretch goals for this project were reached are anything to go by then completing the full length movie might not be in the bag but it's almost certainly going to be an easier task than might have first been expected.

And Then Came June 11th

So while we were getting all wrapped up in the excitement of the sneak peek, those Axanar bods pulled the full 2:53 trailer together and IT'S AMAZING.

"The basic idea of what Prelude is, is totally different from anything Star Trek fans have seen before." Executive Producer Alec Peters told us; "It is basically a History Channel special on the Four Years War."

Straight off and seconds in we're seeing some stunning CGI of the Klingons taking the battle to the Federation, destroying ships, worlds and anything that seems to get in their way. 

Then we get to hear from some of the key players - those notables that we've already heard from briefly in the sneak peek but this time fully in character - and can Tony Todd chew out a scene or what. This is a very different way to explore your project and present it to fans - first giving just a morsel of information and then a short film to introduce what you're going to attempt in the larger movie.

Peters and the Axanar team don't really give much away even in the monologues from the onscreen characters which do start to show us how they are going to be portrayed and maybe glimpses of their angles within the story. Yes, we see some ruined and badly damaged buildings, others engulfed by fire as well as multiple space-borne conflicts to whet your appetite but I really think the key is to look at how each of the protagonists here responds to the unseen interviewer, what does it tell us about their characters and what we can expect?

Admiral Ramirez (Tony Todd) is certainly a character cast in the best tradition one leading from the front, giving stirring speeches and seemingly passionate about defending the traditions of the Federation to provide a better future - could he be a man prepared to do anything to ensure that this is achieved? 

Captain Samuel Travis (J G Hertzler) is much more reflective as he looks back at Axanar. While we're not sure exactly what he's referring to here, there seems to be some appreciation for Admiral Ramirez and also the realisation that something had to change. Looks as though Travis could be some sort of advisor in the movie, providing suggestions on where the Federation need to go to secure victory or even a mentoring role with Garth.

Heading the opposition and fleets of D-6 cruisers is Kharn (Richard Hatch). A seemingly confident man who's confidence and misunderstanding of the Federation could ultimately lead to his downfall and the defeat of the Klingon Empire. His monologue shows the wonder of hindsight are alive and well in the 22nd Century.

One of the two characters in the trailer who previously existed in the canon Star Trek universe is Ambassador Soval (Gary Graham) last seen in the four seasons of Enterprise. For once we see a Vulcan admit failure - a costly failure at that. How Soval will appear in Axanar will be interesting. Will he continue to negotiate for peace or will we see him clearly side with Starfleet to fight - the only logical conclusion to failed peace talks?

The second of three fleet captains featured in the trailer is Sonya Alexander (Kate Vernon). Her brief appearance indicates a commanding officer faced with a futile battle and an apparently lost cause against the seemingly mightier Klingon forces. Is she destined to be the more pessimistic counterpoint in Axanar to Garth or Travis? Will Alexander be a part of the final battle and what part will she ultimately play? I suspect the prelude will show her constantly on the back foot against the Klingons.

Perhaps rightly so the final sound-out is granted to Kelvar Garth (Alec Peters), the hero of Axanar. I actually think this is the most insightful of the sneak peek talking heads, demonstrating that the original intent of Starfleet was far away from battle. Is there a reluctance to fight or is this an acceptance of the brutal truth of reality? We look forward to finding out.

Said Alec in relation to the performance of his assembled cast: "(Their work was) Outstanding. I think everyone is impressed. And Christian (Gossett) did a great job directing them, so the performances are insanely good."

While the interviews are at the core of this trailer, the graphics are mind-blowing and give us some crystal-clear closeups on four different types of Starfleet ship (three pictured here and the fourth being the USS Ares) and the D-6 Klingon cruiser. We also spotted those phaser cannons which are more reminiscent of the JJ Abrams USS Kelvin than The Original Series. In fact there are some bits on the ships in the image here that also indicate a leaning in that direction. Now Alec Peters has told us that the Federation ship classes have yet to be named but we've got some suggestions if he's interested in hearing them or how about a fan competition to choose?

While we can admire the beauty of the CGI, the work on the talking head interviews is equally as perfect. The lighting works a treat, playing light and dark against each other and you instantly forget that the backgrounds are digital because everything looks so authentic. So far this is looking to be one of the truly great and epic fan works made so far and could well be the benchmark for years to come - and that might only be a nod to Prelude let alone the full movie.

"Everything went smoothly (with the production)." reported Alec. "I think the greatest challenge was managing the budget, as a professional film has much greater costs than a fan film, and this is mostly definitely not a fan film."

Our "inside man" at Axanar confirmed that the project is going better than they expected; "But also it takes longer than we would hope because quality takes time!" - and I'm sure as fans we're more than happy to hear that there's care and attention being paid to ensure a high quality result.

The response from fans globally for Alec Peters' project has been something of a phenomenon with 25,000 people alone following their updates on Facebook. The buzz has been immense and is outstripping a lot of other well-known fan projects for interest - maybe with the exception of Renegades which is pushing a Facebook following of 105,000 but that's had even more publicity perhaps and features an equally franchise-recognised cast.

So what's next? Well the 20 minute Prelude to Axanar will get it's premiere at San Diego Comic Con and then the Kickstarter funding for the full length Axanar feature will begin with filming planned for the Fall (Autumn) of 2014. It still seems like completion is a long way off but the release of the sneak peek behind the scenes and the magnificent Prelude trailer will have reassured fans, backers and those involved with the project that this is happening and will come to fruition.

Excited about it? 

We are.

All images courtesy of Star Trek: Axanar

You can find out more by visiting the official Axanar website HERE and you can view their trailer right now...

Are you ready for Axanar? Is it the film you're waiting for? Let us know below!

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Out of Time: Starships Collection Issues 22 and 23: Krenim Temporal Weapon Ship and Nebula Class

At first glance you might have been mistaken for thinking Eaglemoss had sent through a novelty pen as part of this month's releases.

Luckily it's not and instead we're treated to one of the best replicas so far - the Krenim Temporal Weapon Ship from Voyager's seminal Year of Hell. Certainly one of the more unique designs we're going to see, the long, thin vessel has been meticulously reproduced from the CGI models originally created for the two-part fourth season story and no fan will be disappointed, even if you're not a huge Voyager fan. 

Rocking in at a touch under 15cm in length, the Temporal Weapon Ship is fractionally shorter than the first issue's Galaxy Class but crafty diagonal box positioning makes you think otherwise. Aside from the rear section featuring the aft momentum conditioners and stabilizer fins, the ship is crafted in plastic and is simply excellent. Notably there is some painting detail missing from the rear section in comparison to the plan views in the magazine (shame) but the remainder of the ship bears a distinctive pixellated scheme which covers every inch of the surface. That does give it a minus point but the rest of the ship makes up for this omission very easily. That back section does carry some detailing in blue around the ion dispersal vent and find which just picks it out of being a solid lump of grey/paperweight however there is only so much you can do with a ship that is fundementally two shades of that colour.

The detailing on the forward momentum conditioners and the temporal shockwave ring is also particularly good with some of the more intricate hull markings highlighted. What does strike you when you look closer is the accurate placing of the blue transparent plastic sections within the forward section.

Given that on previous occasions this has been of varying accuracy (and quality fitting), Eaglemoss should be applauded for this continued improvement in the delivery of the end product. Make a note too that if you're eagle-eyed, this is actually one half-mould twice as both sides are identical. 

Nor are the seams that noticable. In fact I had to remind myself to take a look at them, again with the benefit of 21 previous issues worth of experience.  It really does look good - when you get it to sit straight that is.

The Temporal Weapon Ship employs a totally unique stand design but while the Borg Sphere just slotted onto its base in a second and stayed there, be prepared for a few moments of "erm..." as you try and understand exactly what the magazine guidelines for display are telling you.

Being very back-end heavy, the Krenim's near-indestructible vessel sits with best with the stand angled forward and not as shown on the Eaglemoss site. Try it that way and you might see it perform a triple somersault out of the cradle or at the least, point skywards with it's rear resting on the base.

Opening up the magazine brings us into the story of Year of Hell with a good choice of photos from the two-parter followed by the usual plan views of the ship. I'd love to see more notes on these diagrams as they only touch on the very basics when fans who are collecting will want to have more features pointed out. Twelve notes over three decent size images does seem less than there should. 

What marks this issue out as different to every one previous is the choice to discuss the two versions of the Krenim Imperium's craft from alternative universes. Guess this means we won't be seeing a warship or a patrol craft from these guys in the range anytime soon - or just anytime. The overview on both ships is brief but the CGI images are very clean and clear, showing the distinctive changes in the fleet that came about through the interference of the Temporal Weapon Ship commanded by the impressively named Annorax.

Neatly this sedge-ways well into the Designing the Year of Hell feature. Rather than focusing just on the Krenim super-weapon we get the inside scoop on the challenge to create not only a new ship for a new race but also on breaking apart Voyager herself as the story evolves through the two episodes. The images and sketches alone are worth flicking through the pages and I'd recommend taking a closer look at the detail shown in the battered Intrepid Class ship as you can see corridors, hatchways and even part of the exposed bridge on Deck One. The intricate nature of the finished, crumbling starship is extraordinary and I don't think its kind has been seen anywhere else in the franchise. Being able to compare it to Rick Sternbach's original and equally beautiful drawings is a massive bonus.

Even the final battle and destruction sequence is broken down, telling us why it was filmed in the manner we see in Year of Hell. Rounding it off is a slightly predicable Key Moments page since the Temporal Weapon Ship only appeared in one story but the trivia covering some background information is the bigger draw here. 

Probably one of the best accompanying magazines so far in the collection. In fact I know I said this last month, but this is already one of my absolute favourites and I didn't expect it to be. Eaglemoss knocked it out of the park here and I'm now more confident than ever that their issues have been addressed and the results going forward will prove they aren't sitting on their laurels. Clearly fan reaction has been important to them and this release is sure to secure their place as the best producers of Star Trek ships EVER.

Lending herself to The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and two movies, the Nebula Class is a Star Trek starship superstar.

Revealed for the first time in The Wounded, the Nebula Class answered the call for a new ship that wasn't just a reuse of the aging Excelsior, Miranda or Oberth models from the movies.

We could all tell that she was just a reworking of the Galaxy Class due to budget constraints but the introduction of a new type of starship was very, very exciting. Over the years the model and the subsequent CGI reconstruction would receive updates and changes as she became one ship then another. Her arrival in the Official Starships Collection therefore is more than welcome.

Welcome and impressive. More compact as a design than the Galaxy Class, the Nebula Class really lends itself to the restrictions on box size, being more square in form. The metal saucer is 100% identical to that of the larger Enterprise-D although the colour is distinctly duck-egg blue. The sad part is that whoever was responsible for imprinting all the windows did it at an angle so the markings don't all match up with the recesses. Annoying since they got it right for issue one!

However, the secondary hull and nacelles are well made and fit together well. As with the Krenim Temporal Weapon ship on the same delivery, the joint lines are becoming less intrusive with each passing edition. 

For some utterly random reason Eaglemoss have branded up the Nebula Class as the USS Honshu from Deep Space Nine's Waltz. It's a curve ball to say the least as you might have expected USS Sutherland or USS Prometheus (perhaps) - I had to have a quick memory refresh when I opened the box as to where I'd seen her before.

The secondary hull and nacelles are a good, close fit with the latter, once more having the transparent blue and red sections to highlight the warp grilles and bussard collectors. Those nacelles look spookily like they could be found on a Galaxy Class(!). The aztec paint job is a lot more subtle than usual across the primary and secondary hulls while a single shade of grey covers the rear pod, nacelle supports and nacelles themselves.  The issue with the Nebula Class however comes when you turn her around. 

OK, I get that there is a cost implication and that there are restraints on the models and that these are still the best and most affordable range of starships ever produced BUT the rear of the equipment pod support is terrible. In the magazine there is clear depiction of the detail at the back and all of this is missing - the hangar door, the registry, everything - and it's not a small omission however it seems to have been sacrificed due to the location of the seam between two sections of hull. At the top of the support the pod has a little bit of excessive glue which also ruins the effect. I guess I'll have to make sure I look at her from the front at all times because it just looks awful. 

That said, the detail on the top of the pod is excellent, very crisp and clean with all the grills and markings very clearly laid out.

The stand configuration attaches to the warp engine supports and is pretty stable, giving the Honshu that more favourable "suspended in air" display look. Not sure how it'll weather given all the weight is in the saucer section as mine already has a tendancy to lean forward.

The magazine is one that will have the fans raging on Facebook in the next few weeks since there are a couple of questionable points. On the opening stats we have "Shelby" noted as a captain of a Nebula Class ship (USS Sutherland) - a single throwaway line from Deep Space Nine's You Are Cordially Invited which was originally intended to be the same Shelby from The Best of Both Worlds. However it might not be if we step outside canon and refer to Peter David since Shelby features in the New Frontier series. We never actually saw this captain so I'm not totally cool with the mention here anyway as there should be others that could have been named that we have seen. It is a nice little trivia tidbit, almost as good as the naming of the model itself.

Which brings me to another point - was this originally going to be the USS Bonchune? The plan views contain the registry and name of two ships. The only reference to the Honshu is emblazoned across the top of the primary hull (and the cover) while all other markings relate to the Bonchune. In fact all the "new" CGI images here including the one on pages three and four name check the latter. Bit messy there and I'd have hoped that would have been caught before publication.

Moving away from these two points, it's back to more of the same after the diverting contents of Issue 22. Just to emphasise the lack of detail on the rear of the pod support the main CGI image on pages three and four is from the rear. This section also manages to avoid being an episode synopsis, focusing more on the design brief and comparison to the Galaxy Class as well as some key moments from notable Nebulas. No new pics here but I had forgotten that the rear pod on the first Nebula we saw, the USS Phoenix, was a unique, elliptical design with twin support struts.

Six pages get taken over by the Designing... feature this time but there is a lot to cover since the class was probably one of the most developed in the history of the fleet. Considering it's inexpensive origins it's not that much of a surprise that it went through a few permutations both as a physical model and as a CGI construct. Did you know for instance that the window spacing on the saucer was supposed to be wider to indicate that it was smaller than the Enterprise-D? However that didn't happen so it ended up with a saucer the same size. The detailed shots of the miniature in this expanded section are better than the plan views, showing that the rear pod and the saucer here are superbly and accurately detailed. The problem is that one of the images backs up the CGI image to show how much is missing from the rear of the pod support.

Trying to guess the following pages would have proved a challenge this time and so we get a double spread on Introducing the Cardassians who also made their first appearance in The Wounded alongside the Nebula Class. Brought in as a new, recurring baddie since the Borg were never meant to be back often, they certainly have evolved since these early days and you wouldn't have thought that under two years later they would be a major player in Deep Space Nine.

Rounding out the issue are two key appearances from The Wounded and Deep Space Nine's Second Sight although I would have thought Redemption II would have managed a look in here.

Overall and aside from the detail devoid support, this is another step in the right direction for The Official Star Trek Starships Collection.  Each month now is maintaining a good standard but those occasional niggles do keep reappearing and stopping them from being absolutely perfect. That said, I'm more than happy with the final item and the USS Honshu will look awesome among the other Starfleet ships.

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My First Merchandise...

So what was it? What was the first thing you ever had that had a link to Star Trek?

I've mentioned mine briefly in one of the early Trekollections series I've run here but it was only a week or so ago when I pulled this item out of a cupboard that I thought it was worth talking about.

It was a present from a relative in 1985 and by this point I reckon I must have seen The Wrath of Khan at least once; likely an edited daytime TV version since I would have been five. Receiving this set me on a path that continues today and I would never, ever let this item go even though it's not really age appropriate. However, if you have children then this might be a great way to introduce them to the classic movies.

I'm talking about the Book and Tape Read Along Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I listened to it a lot, I tried to draw the pictures from it. Even at the tender, innocent age of five this was brilliant.

Essentially it's the whole movie condensed (very condensed) into 24 pages comprising half a page text and a picture, as the cover announces, From the Original Motion Picture. I remember listening to every page totally engrossed, turning the page on the sound of the communicator bleep. I loved it so much I convinced my parents to let me get The Search for Spock version too some time later. At the time it was about £10 which in the mid-1980's was damn expensive.

For those of you who might be interested I've scanned in the whole book here - all 24 pages and the covers. It's focused totally on the Kirk vs Khan story and everything else pretty much goes by the wayside so I've also dropped in a few notes on what's missing. I only realised just how much had to be cut on a skim through when I found it again.

The story goes from Kirk meeting Spock to Khan capturing the Reliant to the "16309" battle, the Genesis cave and the final battle. Brief? Better believe it. This is action/adventure for the under six's all the way. There's no philosophical debate over the merits of rank and struggle of age either if you were wondering.

The Cuts

• The Kobayashi Maru - all references, the simulator scene, the lot, even the "hours seem like days" code. In fact the first page has Kirk going straight aboard the Enterprise with dialogue from scenes earlier in the movie.
• David Marcus. Don't bother looking for him or link to Kirk having a son. Carol gets a few lines here and there, mainly pre-"16309". In fact there are no pictures of David Marcus (apart from the back on the last page) in the book.
• Terrell and Chekov are captured by Khan inside the escape pod the second they walk in - not as they attempt to leave nor is there any reference to SS Botany Bay.
• Anything that happens on Regula One before the USS Reliant arrives.
• Genesis. Aside from being a device and a planet, it's not really explained however you do get the hint that it's a super weapon.
• Saavik - couple of shots of Kirstie Alley but nothing in the text.
• Also note that in the images anyone outside of the main cast is blacked out. There are none of Khan's supermen in any pictures.
• Uhura. She doesn't even make a single picture. Sulu gets a line at the least.
• Terrell disappears after the scene in the Genesis cave where he and Chekov are tasked with killing Kirk. No mention that he kills himself. Definitely refined for a junior audience!
• The images on pages 9 and 11 which are used for the "16309" scene are from the Mutara Nebula scene at the end of the movie. I've included those pages "updated" to the images I would have considered at the bottom.

And no, I don't still read it although I am considering uploading an audio track to accompany the pages below (any ideas for cassette to mp3?!). The voices used for the characters are close approximations to the "real" thing and there's even the requisite deep voiced narrator to lead you through the rest of the book.

I'll get on it and upload the Star Trek III booklet as soon as possible but out of the two, this is the stronger offering. I could waffle on for ages about this one but I'll let you have a read through yourselves first!

Here are my suggestions for the replacements on pages 9 and 11...

From this one book came a passion and a collection which, might, have got a little out of hand on occasion  but still grows. The Wrath of Khan book and tape still has its own little place in the shelf too...

So what was your first piece of merchandise? Did it entice you into the Star Trek universe just that bit more? Let us know below!

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