Tying Up Those Threads: Section 31: Control

Ahead of the rise of Picard in January, I've managed to cram in some reading and that's included the rather brilliant Control.

Section 31 have played a huge part in the franchise since the late 1990's. Entwined with the Dominion War in Deep Space Nine we thought we had explored some of their origins with Enterprise, were a little befuddled when they turned up in the Kelvin Universe for Into Darkness and have stamped a firm foothold in the second season of newbie Discovery.

Lo, the novel series likewise has paved a dark path thanks to the dealings of one Julian Bashir especially in the last couple of years since his involvement with curing the Andorian people and then working as a double agent to get to the heart of the organisation through The Fall and then Section 31: Disavowed.

Now we've reached an impasse and Control finally takes us to the very beating heart of Section 31 in the 24th Century and also back to the very spark of its origins in the 22nd Century.

Not to give too much away but this is a must read in every sense and I kind of kicked myself for not having read it a lot sooner. Section 31: Control slips the story back into key Federation moments from the foundation of the galactic organisation and how it became a key component of the Alpha Quadrant.

David Mack is an unquestionable master of the Star Trek literary universe penning many of the finest instalments of the franchise but my god has he ramped it up again. What it doesn't feel like is that the stories are being over stretched and with the impending Picard and Discovery time jumping there's a palatable feeling that we are reaching the end of a journey - and that's very real in another sense that we will no doubt touch on in a future post.

Control maxes out on its tying of loose ends with the return of Sarina Douglas plus assistance from the resurrected super-Data and his daughter Lal in finally attempting to shut down the secretive/disruptive organisation.

The action here is brilliantly free-flowing and by keeping the story to a minimal amount of characters we aren't lumbered with anything excessive. I would warn that you will need to have a decent knowledge of the existing literary Star Trek universe to get a good hold on events. The paralleling of the 22nd and 24th Century stories does help to remove some of the potential confusion but there's a lot of "inside" Star Trek information you'll probably need to be at least aware of to truly appreciate the impact made by Section 31 and not just inside the Federation.

Considering how the onscreen Star Trek universe is about to take onboard a big jump and the return of Jean-Luc, it does feel that the literary series is beginning to tie up some of its more ongoing loose ends as well as perhaps explain some of the bigger TV elements of the franchise which fans have been asking about for many years, especially the increasingly popular Section 31.

Mack's characters too continue to be believable with Bashir a far cry from the stuttering youngster of Emissary and a fair distance away from the more arrogant "superman" of the latter Deep Space Nine years. His experiences since then as part of the books series has had a great impact on him as has his relationship with Sarina turning Bashir into even more of a torchbearer for the upkeep of Federation standards. 

Nor is he vehemently against Section 31; his visible distrust of the organisation seen on screen has become more channelled and focused to resemble a more tangible plan but one he will sacrifice all to complete.

Data on the other hand continues to be something of a mystery. His rebirth in the android body used by Noonien Soong to escape following his critical assault by Lore in Brothers has been a bone of contention with me for nearly six years. It was one of the first stories I read (the Cold Equations trilogy) back in 2013 with Data's resurrection seeming to be an unavoidable part of the Star Trek story whether we wanted it to happen or not.

Here he and Lal are more human than ever and almost unrecognisable from their TV personas. Lal is perhaps excused since her appearance was limited to one 45 minute story but Data's journey to become more human is more complete than ever with him distinctly different to the being we knew. For me, however this character is written he is not "that" Data. For better or worse the original wasn't brought back exactly the same instead with some significant character trait leaps which even now are fairly jarring.

Section 31: Control however must be viewed in the bigger scheme of things and perhaps not have as much drawn from it to parallel to upcoming franchise events. Whether I'm a fan of Human Data or not, this is one of those Star Trek novels that you have to get hold of and is well worth a read. While Deep Space Nine: Gamma might have taken a long while to get through, this was a page turner without doubt. 

One more winner from David Mack. Looking forward to seeing how his upcoming work from the franchise pans out!

Section 31: Control is available now from Simon and Schuster priced £7.99 

What's been your favourite part of the novels story? What do you think will happen going forward into 2020?

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Picard: The New Stuff

Stepping down and choosing to spend retirement at the family vineyard hasn't worked out quite the way he planned. 

Confirmed with a January 24th 2020 (Amazon Prime) launch date, New York Comic Con was the venue to see the brand new trailer for the upcoming Picard Star Trek series. 

Now reviews of trailers tend to go on shot by shot but looking at this one there’s a sprinkling of new mixed in with action shots, reaction shots and phaser shots.

"Would you like to finish it, Captain?"

"I don't know how."

"That is not true, sir."

1. Data 

Opening with vistas of the vineyard, we focus in on a figure painting - it's Data. Dressed in full The Next Generation uniform, the Soong type android is painting a faceless, hooded woman and asks the approaching Jean-Luc to finish the image. Hes also dressed in the uniform from the same era complete with captain’s pips. 

Now if memory serves, this would only have been filmed a few weeks back since we know Patrick Stewart had implicitly stated he would not be wearing a uniform in this show however it had come to a point where he realised there was no way around it. I don't think speculation is too applicable - this has to be some sort of dream sequence/suggestion that will ultimately link into the bigger picture.

It also appears that Starfleet/the Federation are developing what look like Soong type androids which would link in to what we saw in the first trailer of B-4/Lore in storage. The red suited, blank stare wearing bots definitely have a similarity to the ageless(!) Data - might their existence be a reason for Picard to get a bit upset with the admiralty?

Also here's one for you - the whimsical naming of the androids seems to have returned - the one in the pic above is F-8....F-Eight...Fate? Isn't this a huge clue as to their nature?

2. The New Crew

Again we see the arrival of Dahj (Isa Briones) at the vineyard which could prompt Picard into visiting Starfleet headquarters and having it out with one of the admiralty. Purely conjecture here since this trailer is definitely out of sequence and doesn't specify this. We also have Picard looking up Michelle Hurd's Raffi Musiker who is living in a remote location that is awfully familiar - maybe because it's Vasquez Rocks and has turned up in many a TV show over the years let alone Star Trek. Note too that Jean-Luc has taken Raffi a bottle of Chateau Picard (just next to the green plant)...

We have some new shots of the remaining crew - Doctor Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) joining the crew as well as (I think) her lab and science complex(?). Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabera) and Elnor (Evan Evagora) appear in quick flash shots. Rios is flying his ship with heads up virtual controls which is pretty nifty while the latter is seen gearing up for combat wielding some large Romulan bladed weapon. I'm shocked that more isn't being made of these new characters and they feel very sidelined in this trailer but given the appearances of other longer loved individuals I can understand where the hype would be centred.

3. Seven and Hugh

Few little clips of the Borg splattered in here. There's that broken Borg cube once again plus a blink and miss of a Borg arm piece (below). Now in the background of this first shot we can see a lab and what appears to be the remnants of an attack of some sort - could it be that these Soong androids are being combined with Borg tech? Is this the same lab because I think it is...

The biggest new arrival here though is Jonathan Del Arco's Hugh who is seen leading Picard and Dahj at one point and also glimpsed having a sneaky look around a corner. The makeup for Hugh is a lot less intrusive than we saw in The Next Generation with his implants resembling those on Seven with a few apparent open scars on his face but none of the large elements from before. 

I would guess over 20 years pieces have become useless, deactivated or irrelevant leading to removal. Seven as noted is back too. At one point toting two phaser rifles (green burst so potentially Romulan) and then seen cradling a lifeless body. The suggestion this is Chakotay is, frankly, garbage but it could be a freed Borg? Someone that Seven has been looking for perhaps? 

Ryan does appear to have quite a wide range of aspects to play as the "new" Seven and not just her more relaxed speech. We know that she will be around for several episodes and given that filming is now over I believe that more of her work from later in the series is included here.

4. The CG

New shots of San Francisco at the end of the 24th Century and also a lab/science complex plus more to mention in...

Note the solar panels on the bridge and the much less cluttered side of the bay - lot less buildings and more in line with the high-rise angles of Into Darkness perhaps?

5. Space...

The first shots of the new hero ship which may or may not be called La Sirena are here - and they're all arse end shots giving us no real sense of what this one looks like. We can tell that it's got a reddened hull and a more industrial feel than we got from the Enterprise and as a merchant vessel this is to be expected.

Maybe the bigger surprise is that we have Romulan Birds of Prey in action against the hero vessel. By this time those ships are around 200 years old(?) but what's to say they weren't in operation during The Next Generation but we never saw them on the front lines because of their age? Absolutely no reason whatsoever.  Sadly though it doesn't help identify what the third ship in the photo below is...!

The inclusion of the Romulan ships plays well against the nod to the Borg and indicates that there will be a good split of the story focusing on these two huge spacefaring powers whom have both had their fair share of society changing events.

During the opening "Data dream" sequence as I'll refer to it for now there are inter-cut shots of alien craft attacking an undetermined installation. These ships are also responsible for the attack we see right at the end of the trailer with the large satellite/craft exploding as one flies past.

"I came here to find safety...but one is never safe from the past."

6. Picard

Down the list but yes, the dog IS called Number One and wakes Jean-Luc at his home. We can all rest easy now.

His return to Starfleet Headquarters sees that junior officer having to check his name while we get a shot of a holographic recreation of the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise before Picard is reminded that he's no longer a part of the galactic organisation and is forced to depart and find his own means of completing his new adventure.

"We have an obligation to investigate."

"There is no WE, Jean-Luc."

"Admiral, I am standing up for the Federation; for what it still should represent!"

"This is no longer your house, Jean-Luc...Go home."

Conscripting his crew must be the first step to making this mission a reality. We know from the trailer he needs their abilities but why these particular people? Why Elnor? Also why isn't Harry Treadway (Narek) not featured here?

"The past is written but we are left to write the future."

We do get to see Picard practicing his fencing skills one more time - ironically the last time this was utilised as part of an episode was I, Borg back in season five which was Hugh's first appearance.

Also showing up is Picard's First Contact era combadge - now 20 years old and surpassed by the latest Starfleet technology. For me this is a spin on the Insurrection scene where Jean-Luc removes his badge and rank pips symbolising his decision to take on a personal crusade. Here it seems he is standing up for what he believes the Federation should be representing by putting it back on, possibly following a conversation with an individual whom I am as yet unable to identify...

7. The Rikers

"Dad..."

"What?!"

"Come out here!"

"Stop yelling!"

"It's Jean-Luc Picard!"

OK, it's THE highlight of the trailer. The return of Will Riker and Deanna is what makes this two minutes of footage feel so complete. Appearing to live in a house very similar to the one Kirk had in the Nexus, Will has definitely retired from Starfleet. Now check the cast list out on IMDB and you'll spot "Kestra" listed who was Deanna's sister from Dark Page in The Next Generation (played by Kirsten Dunst if you recall) so logic would suggest that this is the name of Will and Deanna's daughter who we hear but don't see in the clip.

Like Picard they have retreated away from technology and space-faring to a more sedate lifestyle. Information leads me to believe that these shots must be from later in the series but how they are brought into the story has not yet been revealed. 

Marina Sirtis' time on screen is fleeting with only a welcoming hug for Jean-Luc while Will gets a little more time with his former captain. It's bits that we knew would be happening but to see them onscreen is such a lump in the throat moment. Let's hope that their inclusion isn't limited to sitting by the lake reminiscing over past missions.

"Thank you for not trying to talk me out of all this."

"Believe me I know better."

What do you think to the new Picard trailer? Does it tell you anything new? What's your take?

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Scouts and Reptiles: The Official Starships Collection Issues 80 and 81

After last time's trip back to The Original Series we skip forward to Insurrection and the distinctive Federation Mission Scout Ship.

Designed by John Eaves, the Scout Ship features in one of the more memorable sequences from the ninth Star Trek movie but you'll be pleased to know this model doesn't come with a Gilbert and Sullivan MP3 built in.

Smaller Federation ships seem to be the order of the day at the minute with the Captain's Yacht and the Aeroshuttle both making recent appearances along with other alien "single seater" craft and smaller ships such as the Bajoran Sub Impulse Raider and Goroth's Klingon Transport. The Scout Ship also marks only the second time Insurrection has made an appearance in the series after that very yacht (third if you count the Enterprise-E). 

The Scout Ship may have only been in the movie for all of five minutes but its sleek lines are instantly recognisable. The central body of the ship features a lot of raised and recessed panelling from the forward deflector to the rear impulse engines. The upper metal surfaces are very, very well detailed and contrast rather effectively against the simple design of the sweeping wings/warp nacelles. One major feature used in the film was the lower docking hatch and here Eaglemoss have gone to the effort of ensuring its clearly marked and there's even one on the top too - but more on that in a bit.

Eaglemoss have even managed to etch in the phaser emplacements to the rear of the wings and at the sides of the cockpit. The whole of the underside is also as plain and smooth as the upper wings and having this in plastic and the upper in metal really suits the level of detail rendered on both sections. 

The majority of the hull is finished in a wonderful silver with a couple of panels to the rear of the wings and underneath coated just a shade darker. Certainly helps break up the monotone across the Scout Ship.  Indeed, the only additional details are the registry on the top and bottom of both wings and on either side of the central hull block. 

Even though it is mostly a single colour, it's still a great ship to look at and all the greebling on the upper hull and behind the blacked out cockpit are very exciting for Star Trek ships fans to oggle over. Nicely here - given the size of her too - we have the RCS thrusters painted out in blue, translucent bussard collectors on the warp five engines, the blue hued (but not recessed) deflector on the nose and painted red impulse engines on the back of the central hull section. In fact that deflector is probably the weak link here. Painted up correctly it might be but without the recess it does dull the overall effect and looks like a blue blob on the nose.

Although there's not a lot of different colours in there, these little points break up that smooth silver surface and add a little character to the Scout Ship. Check out the port and starboard red and green lights too which are a tiny finishing detail either side of the passenger entry doors on the wingtips but reflect the attention to detail. 

Admittedly the more you look at the ship the more it starts resembling a duck from the front end and actually a bit cumbersome from the rear but you can see hints of other ships in there especially the Defiant in the shape of those side pods and to some extent the pointy nose. For a more science-focused craft it's definitely designed for more rugged environments and Eaglemoss have produced a fine model here that is well-finished and will impress any and every collector. 

As for the stand, this one fits to the rear which is always a bit cringeworthy but this time there's a clever couple of raised end clips which actually hold the Scout Ship firmly in place. Great to see Eaglemoss thinking about how to ensure their ships aren't slipping out of these plastic grips - shame we couldn't go back and change a few of the earlier ones.

Overall though, top marks for a top job on this one - always good when the joins are flush and the paintwork is well finished in every aspect. I suspect not having a lot of surface paint changes does help!

To the 18 pages of the magazine and we open with some background on the class and its comparison to both shuttles  and also to the larger Runabouts more often seen on Deep Space Nine before diving off into a brief review of the key scene from Insurrection.  Both the CG views, the opening page image and the cover do show much more surface hull colour differences across the whole of the ship not just the rear panels and I am left to wonder why this craft was robbed of a subtle aztec paint scheme. Only correction I would note is that the interior of the shuttle craft used in the scene was actually from the Runabout not the Voyager shuttle as stated.

Eaves' recollections of the design and filming of the ship are good as always but kept pretty brief - at least it explains why there are two docking hatches on the hull. Herman Zimmer mann rounds out this time's issue with a peek inside his production diary from the making of Insurrection. Not focused on the ship side of the movie, Zimmerman's notes look into the set design and filming of the ninth feature and give an unseen look at what went on behind the scenes.

The Scout Ship is a very exciting addition to the range given its limited screen time and lack of model prior to this. As with all the Federation ships it will inevitably be a big winner and attract a lot of buyers.

Issue 81 flashes us back to the prequel years. I've just finished watching seasons three and four of Enterprise and enjoyed every second so getting my hands on the Xindi Reptilian Warship was something I've been looking forward to. Wizkids were due to beat Eaglemoss to release their version first for Attack Wing but changes to the schedule (bah) have put the magazine collection in position to release their, larger, version first.

It's a huge and gangly contrast to the more solid, blocky Federation Mission Scout Ship I received at the same time and we've just talked and it's something of a pleasant surprise.

Easily one of the longest regular models to date, the warship bears a very unique and eye-catching colour scheme with most of the hull in sandy brown intercut with black and slightly darker brown highlights however the most striking thing about this vessel is just how intricate it appears.

As a design it has to have been one of the most difficult to reproduce given that there she's full of curves, angles and multiple elements. The two "horned" side pieces and the subtlety recessed forward central deflector section (yes, they recessed it unlike the Scout Ship)  form the supporting structure here with the more delicate trailing tail and stabilizers made from plastic. That choice does provide more flex to the more fragile rear section but I suspect a few of these might arrive with subscribers in less than perfect condition.

The Insectoid Warship is a real work of art in terms of starship design. The shape flows, the colours accentuate the form and everything about it is serene. The surface detail isn't over complicated either with just the two tone brown, those black markings, purple deflector and tiny porthole detailing to the front.  One thing that is missing though is the mottled paint effect on some of the hull surfaces which is evident on the magazine cover. It does relate the reptilian nature of the craft and not having it on the model does take some of that emphasis away in one go. Sadly I would think cost means it's hindered in its final form much the same way as the Species 8472 Bioship in that making anything seem organic in these materials doesn't translate too well. 

The underside does suffer from this as well but the identical paint scheme on the upper surface is reflected below plus there's some wonderful arched plastic sections which add to the overall effect on what is a masterful ship and a visually stunning reproduction. All these shapes and angles really work in across every surface to make this one of the most alien craft that ever graced the franchise. Simply beautiful and deadly from every angle even if there are some painting issues.

For display purposes the stand is pretty solid, clipping to the sides of the metal "horns" and sliding firmly into place. Another ship that will be staying put and offers a more central, balanced position. There's not a lot of weight in this one either which only helps the stand stability.

As with all the Enterprise ships however it is one of the best replicas in the series as well as being super thin and refined. Have to say I'm really impressed with the finished result here which does benefit from some accurate painting and construction all round. While not everyone's cup of tea it has to be admired as a really fine example of the top workmanship this series has produced,

As for the magazine, the ship overview offers a skating level of detail on the warship before relating the standard episodic narrative covering the majority of the third season/Xindi arc of Enterprise. The plan views included only emphasise the point that the model is (sadly) missing the semi-organic paint work across many of its surfaces. 

The story of the designing of the warship is really interesting given that Doug Drexler had just 48 hours to come up with the craft before it was to be digitally mastered for the show. Always a winner, this section offers up some of the other stealth-inspired designs that Drexler considered before leaning towards the more spindly shapes that it became.

This is in turn followed up with a rather excellent (but as usual brief) overview of all the ships that were operated by the Xindi. A cool little article it just makes you realise how many more Xindi ships there are still to come in the collection and we have been promised that they will all be included at some point since Ben Robinson sees them as essentials along with all the Klingon, Romulan and other major race designs.

The Xindi Reptilian Warship is far more detailed and more involving visual experience than the Federation Mission Scout Ship however I think we all know which one will be the bigger seller. In that case it will be a shame that the Xindi craft doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Drexler's design is every inch as good as Eaves and the replica from Eaglemoss here is first class. Have to admit that these days I'm finding it difficult to pick too many faults with these ships or to pick a favourite for the month. OK, we've had some duff ships but the end results have always been exemplary even if you've not liked it in the series (Baxial). In the case this month both ships have some real high points and a few niggly lows but I really couldn't choose between them. If I wasn't subscribed I'd definitely be buying both as this is a marvellously exciting couple of starships.

Next month we have the Warp Delta from Enterprise and the Bajoran Troop Transport from Deep Space Nine.

Scout Ship or Warship? What's your choice for this time's offerings?

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How the World was Warped

Without a question Warped is the definitive guide to the lost eighth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I say that with 100% conviction.

Never in my life have I read such made up,  crackers stories as I read in this book -  and that's kind of the point.

Warped is the brainchild of Mike McMahon,  creator of the @TNG_s8 Twitter account which has taken the ball and quite literally sped off into the distance with it never to be seen again.  Warped follows the hurriedly made and never released final final season of Picard and crew. Made on a fraction of a shoestring budget we get to explore every area of the series in some of the most bizarre episodes never made.

McMahon has created the ultimate spoof companion detailing not just 26 stories as if they were real episodes but also covers bloopers and background material to flesh out the "reality"  of the situation.

I did approach the book with some skepticism as to how this would manage to translate from the Twitter limit of 140 characters into a full blown 250+ page book but the end product exceeded my expectations and then some.

McMahon has truly dug into the foundations of The Next Generation and observed the nuances which made the characters -  or at least kept cropping up in the show -  and has used them just as the writers of The Next Generation did, creating stories around them. This however is a bit different and nowhere near as serious. Picard's terrible luck with turbolifts comes back to haunt him, the buddying of Geordi and Data is in full swing and Beverly just can't find enough desks to bang her fist on. Thing is once you've read them here in their enhanced and more noticeable form you'll see the seven seasons of the show in a slightly different way. Each character has their unique characteristics which are played on with each story but there's even more.

The plots themselves are cleverly thought out, swaying into car-crash B movie territory with over the top sci-fi premises with a severe helping of humour thrown in it really is no holds barred as the series veers into facepalm central -  but hey, it was like this to ensure there would be no ninth season(!!!). McMahon hasn't just successfully written an "episode guide" but has taken advantage of a tested book formula to play out other aspects of the season's supposed production.

While stories of combining crew members, Barclay deaths and Q interruptions are great it's actually made all the better for the additional material outside of the A and B plots provided. Dropping in notes regarding "real"  Borg with their own herder required for one episode or an overabundance of juvenile crew in another thanks to Bring Your Child to Work Day made this a book I couldn't put down for days. Every episode had something different that made me laugh and made the wife wonder how I could find anything to do with Star Trek funny. Honestly there are some really hilarious sections in here, my favourites being from the highlight episode,  Barclay's Day. I won't ruin it but all. I can say is Space Snakes.

Cleverly there are even errors and in-jokes dotted through the book which fans will love. There are a couple at the expense of Voyager which are very on point as well as referencing back to previous episodes from the show, even  being able to make fun of some of the real sillier moments such as the Exocomps from The Quality of Life or Geordi's poor luck with the ladies. Deciding to write this from a production perspective detailing the shoddy - purposefully shoddy - work on season eight, the author has created an hilariously believable experience which is fortunately maintained over all 26 synopses. 

Some of the lists dropped into the episodes are laugh out loud funny; alternate Tasha's (they turn up all the time y'know), oddball space pirates and many more. I think it's one of those books I couold go back to just to highlight those more eccentric points of the series. McMahon has managed to get every situation just ridiculous enough that it suits the characters we know from The Next Generation perfectly yet doesn't destroy the "real"  Star Trek universe if you get where I'm going.

It's a book that absolutely shows the author's love and understanding of the series to a great extent indeed to a point where he has more than competently poked fun at the show and succeeded in producing something extremely readable, entertaining and more than worthy of sitting alongside the other official series companions.

Every story has something different, a new character nuance that's exploited and while it's not a factual book about the series it's absolutely worth getting hold of because it will, I guarantee, entertain you at every page turn. Now just go and buy it.

Warped is available right now from Simon and Schuster priced £9.99 ISBN 9781476779058. Go on, get it.

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