L-Z: Back End of the Delta Quadrant

Hero Collector’s newest volume completes your Voyager ship spotting with the back half of the alphabet.

As with the first book there’s a good mix of existing material that’s appeared as part of the main Starships Collection line and additional ships not seen in print before.

All of this is accompanied by new CG and episode background information so readers can link it altogether. If you’ve already purchased A-K then adding this substantial volume to the library is a no-brainer yet even more casual fans may gain something from it.

Notably the larger sections are copy and paste lifted from the Starships Collection so readers and followers of that series will easily identify the Vaadwaur fighter, a Malon Export Vessel or the Species 8472 bioship. But there’s still more in there, making this an almost essential purchase for any Voyager fan. Take a good look at new images of the Think Tank for example or the Nubari ships; it makes you appreciate how much there was in the background in some episodes.

What is fascinating is just how many reuses some of the existing models got across seven seasons. You’ll find yourself engrossed in spotting a redressed Bajoran freighter, a modified Vidiian ship or a not at all altered Romulan Science Vessel across the pages. Even the Merchantman from Star Trek III makes another appearance with very few changes to mask its original appearance.

Not only is this a great book as a reference for ships versus episodes but also a solid record of the creativity that went into the series particularly in the early seasons before the ships went to CG. The only real downfall to this book is that a good chunk has already been published as is typical with the Shipyards books and also the Designing Starships series from the publisher. Yes, it does highlight - as volume one did - the glaring missed issues but coincidentally also shows just how many didn't need producing since they were alterations on an already used craft.

In some instances I even found that there were ships I didn't recognise or even realise I'd seen in Voyager but that's where the additional information comes into play - most notable in that category are those included in the motley fleet from Year of Hell, Part II. 

It's a good read though and will keep you entertained throughout and also acts as that cool reference point in any good starship discussion. What is additional here alongside the L-Z indexes by ship and by episode is the inclusion of a full A-Z which covers both volumes and neatly ties everything together.

A good read perhaps only let down by the amount of ships that you generally go "Who?" at kin comparison to the first volume which maxed out on Borg, Hirogen and Kazon to name but a few. If you do like your more extreme alien races then this will definitely be a good stop over. Also for anyone in the know, there's a glaring error on the cover with the Vidiian ship effectively flying backwards...

Star Trek Shipyards: Delta Quadrant L - Z is available now from Hero Collector HERE

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