NX XL: Enterprising Perfection

Even a decade later, the NX-01 model from the Eaglemoss Official Starships Collection remains one of its finest entries.

How would one even attempt to top it? After all, it exuded superb detail, brilliant build quality and, incredibly, it was less than a handful off issues into the 180 edition run.

The answer to that was fairly simple; make it bigger. While I was unable to get my hands on one of the NX-01 XLs back in the heyday of Eaglemoss, Master Replicas have given both myself and every Star Trek fan out there another bite at the apple so to speak. That's been true in this very case.

The Enterprise from, well, Enterprise is just as magnificent as it smaller counterpart which was also re-stickered up as the Mirror Universe version for the second of the bonus editions.

If you’re into collecting Enterprises then this one is a sure thing. The detailing on the hull is exquisite with the increased scale only adding to the package. Just on first glance there’s the shimmer of the aztec paintwork utilising that very slight tonal change to add real depth to the hull. 

But what makes this just so damn amazing? Well, initially that paint job works a little better with the contrasts not being so obvious and blocky. There's more definition around the RCS thrusters  at the edges of the saucer and significantly the golden elements including the bridge dome are brighter. The grille behind the bridge itself is now silver rather than gold and the "lined" detail on the shoulders has been removed with additional window detail dropped on.

Hull lines seem more precise and actually less prominent. Looking back on the original, the window details at the saucer edge are less blurred and there's a much cleaner curve and slope to the hull. On the smaller version the gradient is quite sharp and ugly but here there's a visual step to the lower rim. 

Out at the front the deflector isn't luminescent blue with the tones limited to the surround rather than bleeding out on to the silver edges of the surrounding metalwork. Same goes for the red and greens of the port and starboard lights which are much more exact in their finish, avoiding the slodgework of the regular issues.

Moving backwards there's little change apart from the upscaling and you can see that the XL is an enlargement of the original moulds. The pylon detail is much sharper with the larger bussard collectors and blue warp engine grilles allowed more space to add that pop of colour.

On the underside there are some noticeable updates. There are more windows and on the issue four version the black "dotting" was absent however some of it here has the standard misalignment we've come to love... or not. The lower sensor dome now has a full coat of paint replacing the worn/unfinished look of before. you might even be forgiven for thinking that the black decals to the front and on the port and aft registries has been darkened because it very evidently has.

Best upgrade has to go to the stand. The smaller one was prone to snapping and only formed a hairs-breadth fastening to the hull. In the XL box the clear holder now folds around the underside of the NX-01 rather than relying on a tiny piece of hull for support.

The magazine (hit and miss if you'll get one with the Master Replica releases) treads the territory of how Enterprise came to be as a prequel series and also the casting of the main crew of Earth's warp five starship.  As with a lot of the XL mags it feels hopelessly padded and really not one that will tempt you back for a reread anytime soon. To be honest when the model is as good as this one, why would you want to?!

This is another where there's not been a serious amount of reworking rather the scale up has allowed for more accuracy and touchups where required. If you've not managed to snag one by this point, time is running - or may have - run out. One of the best? Yes and even better that little bit bigger.

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Vup To Something: Actor Dominic Burgess

PLEASE NOTE THIS INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BEFORE THE CURRENT ACTORS STRIKE IN THE US

How many people can say that they have appeared in both Doctor Who and Star Trek?

You might jump immediately to mention Simon Pegg however there’s another name you should consider - Dominic Burgess.

Zapped by the Ann Droid during the first season of the Russell T Davies BBC reboot in 2005, Burgess would also add appearances in Batman Begins, The Flash and Agents of Shield to encompass the DC and Marvel universes plus a ton of others and more to come!

Hailing from my own neck of the woods in Stoke on Trent, Dominic would attend secondary school and go on to theatrical school before branching into TV and movies. Indeed, our conversations revealed a similar trend in TV viewing - Thunderbirds, Terrahawks, Knight Rider,  Lost in Space and The X-Files to name but a few. We may have diverted into memories of collecting VHS releases for the latter and THAT cliffhanger with Mulder in the buried box car. 

How about telling the Head of the National Theatre that your favourite media experience of the year had been Fellowship of the Ring and not Hamlet? He's even done that so yes, there was a lot of nerdy digression but let's stay on track here and now!

As a fan of Star Trek, nabbing a role in the franchise was always going to be on the bucket list and that’s exactly what came up for Picard’s first season episode Stardust City Rag. 

Born in Stoke, Dominic was brought up in Weston Coyney, schooling in Catterswall and Newcastle Under Lyme and having a summer job at nearby Alton Towers. Burgess remembers "...frequenting the haunts of Festival Park and Waterworld," as well as the Odeon Cinema where he saw First Contact.

Following that he chose to head off to Drama School; "there was no option to do GCSE drama or A-level drama. It was all very academically driven and I remember the career guidance counsellor pushing back saying I should do English with Drama...I was very adamant I would take a gap year, travel to the United States and work there at a summer camp and see the country."

"I'm very lucky to now be doing what I love," continued Dominic who is now working not only acting but writing screenplays and exploring the world of directing. "I had the best time at drama school and the way that mine operated was that the arts should sustain you and you should be working in a black box theatre on the Shetland Isles for £5 a night...and that wasn't my mentality. Los Angeles worked better for me than London because it was a business and network TV back then was eight day prep, eight day shoot, eight day post and a machine that you could quantifiably see a career. You could move from co-stars to guest stars and recurring guest stars and your career can get more elastic from there."

"Star Trek and Dr Who have parallels in how I went about getting them. I graduated from ALRA in 2004 and about that time they announced Dr Who would be coming back with Christopher Eccleston and I had grown up with the show. I tracked down the casting director, sent handwritten letters and that I would love the opportunity to audition. Andy Pryor the casting director brought me in for a couple of lines but that was enough to feed my soul!"

His memory of Eccleston is the complete opposite of how the actor was made out to be by the press at the time as he had stated that he would not be returning for a second series. "He was the first person I met when I got to basecamp. He was lovely and upbeat and ebullient. It was my only interaction with him but it was a delight."

However, his first job was actually in Batman Begins which he took a group of friends to see at the Odeon in Stoke, "only to find out Dominic was never in Batman." he recalled as the scene was cut from the final version however his name still remains in the credits!

Both these credits helped the actor to get his 01 visa to work in the US.  A visa that would lead to appearances in series such as The Thundermans, ANT Farm and also the recent Netflix drama, Dahmer.

Viewers may not know this but Burgess actually played the role of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. "I love working with accents and physicality. I watched a lot of video footage of the way he talked and moved. The way he processed information was so odd that right up until the end he denied any involvement in the murders and tried to pass them off on other people."

Not a subscriber to method acting, Burgess found it easy to separate himself from the part; "That first scene involved fight choreography and then next you cut to see Gacy holding a man's head in the bath...I was more concerned about safety and that I had it all down. There are other things which go through your mind while you're doing it so I can switch off."

But let's move forward once more to Star Trek. A self-confessed fan, Dominic's first introduction to he franchise was the films; "The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home. Then I remember school finishing quite late at about 4pm and the bus would take me 50 minutes to get back home. It was always a conscious effort to try and get back before The Next Generation started on BBC2 or Sky One. 

"I missed out on Deep Space Nine and whenever that was airing there was always a football match. When Voyager aired it was the first series I watched from pilot to finale and so it it always special to me and I got the whole Trek journey."

Dominic, like many Trek fans collected the Voyager VHS tapes and the films up to First Contact.  It then expanded into model kits of Enterprise, Voyager and the Klingon Bird of Prey "...which are still probably at home in Stoke-on-Trent. One of them might even be in the window!"

Even at home in Los Angeles he's not without the DVD sets of DS9 and Voyager and a model of Janeway's Intrepid Class starship in there to boot.

With Voyager as his favourite series, it must have been a lifelong dream come true to work with Jeri Ryan? Actually, I might have suggested it was like Christmas.

"It was kept top secret and they had accidentally sent me the script to the episode to mine and with the cliffhanger I was thinking 'Where am I?'

"It's still one of my career highlights just to be in that show and to have a scene with Patrick Stewart and Jeri Ryan and to be directed by Jonathan Frakes was incredible. I went up to Santa Clarita to get fitted for the prosthetics and wardrobe and the team asked if I'd like to meet Jonathan Frakes as he was just in the dining hall.

"Just in the middle of the canteen he stood up as I walked in, threw his arms out and said 'There he is, there's Mr Vup! Welcome to the family!'

"There was no feeling of those are the main people over there and I need to sit in the corner and not get in the way. It was so wonderful and so warm. Just a treat from beginning to end. The whole thing is something I will always, always cherish."

In regards to the prosthetics, Dominic thought it wasn't too bad; "I worked on a show called The Magicians and they took about five hours for that but the Star Trek one was about an hour and a half. It was designed by Neville Page and it was effectively a foam cowl over your head with your face visible. Then there' a single piece they put on for that. The hands were effectively gloves. They took moulds of my hands for those so it was overall a very quick process. Probably the quickest prosthetics I've ever been in."

In a similar fashion to his interest in appearing in Dr Who, Dominic contacted his agent to start the ball rolling the second he heard Patrick Stewart announce that Picard was returning. "I found out it was through a casting agent called Liz Dean with UDK and luckily they knew my work already from Feud."

The actor wrote her a handwritten card recalling his weekly rush home to watch TNG and how much it would mean to get on Picard which was not something that was the done thing. "Normally you're told don't send cards saying you would love to be on a show, you have to be specific on a role. On this occasion I just said I'll be a sliding door, I'll be whatever you want me to be!"

But it worked because Dominic was asked in for auditions; "Again I had an existential crisis because there was such limited information on the character, not even saying what species I was."

It was only when he walked into the audition room that it was revealed he would be playing a new alien species, a 600 pound, rock solid individual. "I'd got to  point where I could go to auditions, do them, get past them and go and do something else for the rest of the day but with Star Trek I just wanted it so much that in the audition room I could feel the pressure. I kept falling over the technobabble and tripped over it four or five times. Liz asked if I needed to step outside because she could see I wanted it so much. Bless her, she took a shot and wrote the technobabble down for me behind the camera.

"I left kicking myself and thinking I blew it but then I got the call saying that I had it and I'm pretty sure there were happy tears. When I met Jonathan Frakes I'm sure that Liz had told him I was a fan!"

The scenes for Stardust City Rag, were filmed at a nightclub in Universal City. "In between takes Patrick and Jonathan would sit down and talk about old times. Everyone was included.  talked to Patrick and when I said I was from Stoke on Trent he remembered playing at the Victoria Theatre."

One of Dominic's best experiences was getting to sit in video village which is where all the monitors are set up for directors, producers and writers to be able to see what's being filmed. This gave him the chance to see how Jonathan Frakes worked ("If you're not sure what to do, my advice is low and wide!")

"I did the voice as I did on set with prosthetic teeth which helped lower the voice. Four or five months after I went back to loop and do all the lines all over again at different octaves to try and overlay it to try and show that I had several vocal folds. For a time there was a thought about doing this fun layering of his vocals.

"In the cowl there wasn't much room to move my neck so you have to move very purposefully and you have to really move it so that it reads through the prosthetics. I really enjoy that and find the physicalities in the role."

No longer a time for physical scripts, Dominic does regret one thing; "When I went in for the makeup test I was given a set of teeth to practice with and when I went back I returned them. I wish I'd kept them when they gave me the set I used onscreen."

As for the future, Dominic has some TOP SECRET projects coming up so watch out for those and if they're ever remaking Battlestar Galactica he's definitely available.

Reviewing where he was in 2003, Dominic certainly sees a big change in his answer; "Back then I would have given a flowery answer in terms of something that is fun and creative but now having had the experiences of The X-Files and Star Trek that's where I want to be."

While fans might hope Mr Vup's exit from the episode wasn't quite so final, one might hope the Beta Anorian has a brother but that might not be the case. So, what about if Jonathan Frakes called him tomorrow and gave him the option of coming back for more Star Trek? Any series, any character?

"I would love to do Legacy because that's where my heart is as a fan. I love Strange New Worlds and I think that there are a couple of writer from The Magicians who have gone over there. I would actually love to do a Star Trek show where I'm not in prosthetics. You get there early to get made up so I never met Patrick Stewart or Jeri Ryan as me. Jonathan Frakes didn't see me out of prosthetics until three weeks after shooting and he'd forgotten what I looked like!"

"Your call time can be 3am so you can start shooting at 9am. There are always bits falling off and you need touching up so you don't necessarily get a chance to interact in a "normal" way. If Rainn Wilson doesn't want to play Harry Mudd again in Strange New Worlds, I'd be there!"

On a Mission: Gale Force Nine Beams You Aboard

Gale Force Nine’s last entry into the Star Trek market was the incredibly in-depth, long playing Ascendancy where anything above a two player game potentially means booking a week off work to see it through.

The arrival of Away Missions (due out in the UK in August) counters that intensity perfectly with a game that can be over and done in 90 minutes while still fulfilling that desire for some proper Star Trek tabletopping.

The premise behind the game sees away teams from one of the available factions dropped onto either a Borg Cube or the USS Ahwahnee (one of the ships lost at Wolf 359) with a main mission objective and several secondary objectives to complete. 

Time is limited with both sides having to play their actions out across just three rounds. Does it work? Absolutely and with that restriction you become a lot more honed in on exactly what you need to do and the strengths of one faction over another.

The core box contains the Federation and Borg parties. Initial concerns that the 4 vs 6 squads might be a little biased is quickly removed when you understand that bonus actions have been built into the mechanics to ensure that play is fair. Each miniature comes with an accompanying stats board referencing their personal traits and attack, defence and skill levels.

With a set of interchangeable double-sided boards there are a variety of layout combinations that can be achieved. Each board contains different stations (Command, Sciences, Operations, Medical) within sections of the ship or cube that players will need to interact with to complete challenges while also avoiding or engaging the opposition.

Let’s look at how each round works. Using the core box Federation set of Riker, Shelby, Data

and Worf, each character can conduct two actions per round aiming to complete tasks and build up the most points. These two Actions don't need to be a "Move plus something" and you can mix and match to suit your tactics.

The Borg start with two drones and add a further two characters to the board at the beginning of each subsequent round, rebuilding their forces and overrunning the ship. Ultimately there's the chance to have five drones and Locutus in play by the conclusion. That's no including any members of the opposition away team you might have managed to assimilate! Due to their hive mind nature the Borg can also transfer their actions to another drone which comes in useful when you’re needing to grab some final points  in the last throws of round three.

As part of each round you replenish your Support and Mission cards which will help gain points. Players keep these in their hand until they need to be played and the decks from which they are drawn (a set 20 cards) can be customised from the sets included in the core box. 

Support cards will add in benefits such as the phaser rifle or transporter pattern enhancers while Mission cards will provide side quests to boost your points total such as performing a skill test at a certain console. This in turn will depend on the abilities of your characters as to who is best suited for what (and is detailed on their stats card). That will then determine your path through the rooms of the ship or cube.

The model sculpts are nice but they are begging to be painted up and I can see a lot of players wanting to do that. Each does represent their respective onscreen persona very well adding in phaser, tricorders and a customary bat'leth for Worf - ideal since his hand-to-hand combat gains you an additional damage point.

Talking of that, facing off against six Borg can seem a little daunting however with the way the stats are built, three rounds is more than enough to dispatch at least one or two as combat is done on a comparison of scores from highest to lowest. This means that while you might stop the drones from completely taking over.

One thing that I really like about Away Missions though is the quick start guide. The rulebook itself (already available for download from the Gale Force Nine site) covers every eventuality but can be a bit of an overload on first glance. The quick start guide takes you through the basics of the game and in the box there are even a starter Support and Mission card decks comprising of 20 cards to ease you into the action. Once you've got the game down you can rip open the larger packs and start customising your 20 card deck depending on the board and opponents. What works against the Borg might not be the best option against the Romulans for example.

A large Borg force might be enticing but to be able to control any of the areas of the ship you do need to have assimilated members of your opposition since the drones themselves have no set skills until they, well assimilate them. This will mean that your starting tactic for round one might be to add to your workforce while Starfleet's could be to avoid the Borg completely and repair the ship asap.

The Klingons favour full on combat while the Romulans are all about their intel. The Federation is a bit of a mix although they will only stun opponents unless they're the Borg.

Once you get past the first few games and make a few mistakes (I had the Borg being able to do anything until I realised why assimilation was so key!) and how you can play the game more tactically dependent on your faction, this is a fantastic experience. The downside is that you can't get all four factions out at once unless you have two core box sets. That initially sounds a bit grim but given the number of spaces on the four boards you'd be falling over each other from the first move.

Away Missions is a great and thoughtful game for Trek fans and I can't recommend it enough. There has been a bit of bad commentary over the figures but you need to look beyond and actually play the game rather than worrying about representational pieces of plastic (if they bother you that much). I genuinely hope this gets super popular as I would definitely be interested in a Dominion pack or a Cardassian pack. Maybe there's scope for more boards and a DS9 setting and crew? Mix and match options to pick your best away team? Kirk and Spock on the original Enterprise?

The possibilities are right there for the taking and it would be great to see a fair few of them come to fruition.

Away Missions launches August 12th and is available to pre-order NOW.

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Seconds Out: Alliance: Dominion War Campaign Part II

Tired of replaying the original Alliance missions over and over again?

In that time honoured tradition the wait is finally over as Alliance 2 has broken cover and brought the Klingon Empire into the Dominion War.

For anyone just dropping on here for the first time, Alliance is a sort of Attack Wing version 2.0. Utilising the same movement and combat systems as that Wizkids tabletop game, this version pits players against a common foe through co-operative play.

Featuring familiar Attack Wing ships, the initial box saw the Akira and Excelsior Classes under player command across four linked missions. These could either be played singularly or as part of a campaign in which players could gradually upgrade their ships and skills.

Alliance 2 continues in the same manner however this is very firmly an expansion to the original rather than a whole new pack so having either the Attack Wing Starter Set OR the original Alliance box is essential as the core pieces such as dice, damage cards and movement templates are not included.

The first Alliance introduced the AI feature onto the Jem'Hadar fighters, three of which were in that pack. This sequel now adds the Cardassian Galor Class to the Dominion ranks and the hefty Jem'Hadar Battle Cruiser for good measure.

Wizkids seem to have learnt quite a bit from that first box as well as their lengthy history with Attack Wing itself. Inside the box there are lots of new bits to enhance the Alliance experience and actually add to the original set.

For example, there are additional cards and manoeuvre dials so that the Jem'Hadar ships from box one can be played in Attack Wing as well as generic Dominion captains. There are also some card markers which can be pulled into use if you require the fighters in this expansion but don't have any or enough available (say if you only have the Attack Wing starter pack). This makes Alliance 2 super easy to get into as long as you have those core gaming elements.

As recognition to anyone who did get that first box and wants to continue using their Federation captains, there are a series of new upgrades for those craft in here too. That's a brilliant pay off for those that have intentionally played it all through ready for Alliance 2 to continue the story.

For those wanting a new challenge or are more of a Klingon persuasion, Wizkids has packed in two player ships here in the form of the Vor'Cha Cruiser and a Bird of Prey. Both are ratified with the new points scores introduced over the faction packs, offering more scope on upgrades.

Not to coin a rather cliched phrase but (sigh) this pack is the best of both worlds. It doesn't rely on just having Alliance 1 plus it actually realises some of the pitfalls of that first box and works to rectify them. Add in another four missions to the overall Dominion War campaign and you have a very well rounded pack.

But of course the cards are one of the biggest draws here. Alliance 2 adds in four for Federation captains; Co-ordinated Assault to transfer an Evade, Battle Station or Scan token to another ship at close range, Battle Plan adds a Battle Stations token to your ship if another allied craft is in close range. Extend Shields provides a friendly ship with a shield fix and Engineering Officer allows for an Action to be conducted even if there is an auxiliary power token in play. 

On top of those new upgrades, there are 24 cards to start building that Klingon Fleet. That's six Crew, five(1) new Elite Actions for the captains, five for Weapons and seven Tech. The Crew options do tend to revolve around the utilisation of either the Target Lock or Battle Stations tokens to bolster attack or defence with only Helmsman providing a spin on movement. 

In the Elite Actions Reckless Assault offers repeat usage for head on combat alone. Evasive Maneuvers awards an Evade for use of an Evade while Strafing Run is reliant on overlapping bases to inflict more undefended damage.

Glory to the Empire! acts as an alternative Target Lock to reroll attack or defence. Fight with Honor teases better odds in taking on equal sized or bigger opponents. Eye for an Eye is a real diamond in the pack with the chance to inflict critical damage if you yourself suffer likewise with no chance to defend it.

The Weapon upgrades offer a series of ways to target multiple enemies, improve rolled results and in the case of Converging Fire, allow other friendly Negh'Var or Vor'Cha Class ships the use of the host ship's Target Lock. 

Equally as good is a unique chance to Target Lock two different opponents with the four point Targeting Array. Secondary Cloaking Coil provides a chance to do repairs and cloak in the same beat although as a discard it's a one off. Reinforced Hull also offers a surprising upgrade to any ships with a hull value of four and above. Nor do any of the Tech upgrades have any real deficits or negative impacts so they would be features I'd choose to get onto my ship first.

But let's get it set right, this is a superb pack that offers so much to all players who have at least the ability to play at a base level. The option now to play as either Federation or Klingon will be wildly popular and the inclusion of two new ship classes under AI control opens up options for this and for straight Attack Wing single player scenarios. The cards themselves are top drawer with Helmsman seeming to be super popular. Thinking to add in Attack Wing cards was a bonus that pays dividends too.

News is that with Part III the Romulans will allow you to mix and match anything so you’ll be flying a Federation ship tooled up with anything you can select from any of the three packs.

A great addition if a long time coming and it’s not over yet!

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Taken Care: That Final Eaglemoss Special

First of all... this is a bit weird... but this will be the 1000th published post on this site. It feels somewhat crazy that after 10 and a half years I'm still here and still writing about Star Trek. Thank you to anyone who has followed since the beginning, to all those who read and comment along the way. You've helped keep me going and I've loved meeting and talking to every single one of you.  Here's to the next 1000....!!!!

We were excited, giddy even at the thought that Eaglemoss would be producing the Caretaker Array from Voyager’s pilot episode. 

Hurrah! Prepare the pre-orders! Donate that final irrelevant lung and stand by the post box!

A year later and the landscape is quite different yet somehow, models find a way. That Caretaker Array did finally ship but via Master Replicas who have bought a considerable chunk of Eaglemoss' remaining catalogue including several of their unreleased models (see also XL USS Stargazer).

What is perhaps most surprising is the size of this special. Certainly the smallest space station in the series, the Array is only just twice the length of the familiar black base. It’s virtually all plastic with the two central rings acting as metal ballast. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting here nor am I sure what I actually got.

The detailing is pretty minimal and comparing what we have in the box to the item on screen is not the easiest of jobs. I’d even go as far as saying that this gives an air of being unfinished although it’s actually comparable to the station on screen.

Those antennae/sensor arrays are indeed skeletal if you watch the episode back so there is a decent level of accuracy when it comes to the station's extremities.  In fact they're fairly well detailed too in terms of surface greebling if not that strong. There's a fair bit of give in the larger ones in particular yet it is as screen accurate as you would hope.

Both the outer arms and that central core do have a level of grubbiness to them indicating the grand old age of the array. Problem is, it's just not that exciting as a station or as a product.

The top and bottom assemblies aren't that intricate but do at least bear some resemblance to their vaguely seen "real" versions in Caretaker. I guess this one is a bit of a kicker though thanks to its size and the mix of well detailed elements to that rather plain central core. Yes, there is hull panelling but the single tone colour scheme lies a bit flat and the station feels somewhat lifeless.

As to the stand fit, this one's pretty good, clipping right around the lower elements of the central core and holding the whole station very firmly in place. Nicely constructed and provides a stable base.

Ok, it is just a model but Eaglemoss managed to successfully convey signs of life on many of their other products however it falls a little flat here. The lack of an accompanying magazine is conspicuous too and would probably have helped answer a lot of questions about the resulting build however that's one thing that concretely never saw the light of day.

For now the Caretaker Array rests as a tantilising glimpse at some of the possibilities that might have emerged in 2023 but also represents that final crumbling moment in what was once a huge part of the merchandising market. 

Is it a "must have"? Yes if you're a completist or a Voyager fan but no in every other sense. It's only really gained notoriety because it's Eaglemoss' unreleased special. For me it might even rank below the stick that is Relay Station 47 and maybe as the weakest of the space station/stationary structures. Functional - absolutely but just super, super dull and a disappointing way to have closed down the specials series of models. Who knows what could have been next...

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The Prodigy Returns - We Hope

In a wave of cuts, Paramount has cancelled Star Trek: Prodigy after only one season has aired.

While that technically makes it the shortest Star Trek series aired at just 20 episodes to date, it's not the end of the story.

In a partnership with Nickleodeon, Prodigy was envisaged as the Star Trek series that would bring in a younger audience although it seems to have received a warmer welcome from established fans across the course of its initial airing. 

Prodigy certainly developed its core of characters across the season and we know that a second batch of episodes are in post production with Paramount allowing them to be completed. This will then be shopped around for a new home as (you would presume) a bunch of 40 episodes, taking it over the 30 produced for Picard and also ahead of The Animated Series. Strange New Worlds sits at 20 with its second season in full swing.

It's definitely come as a shock to see Prodigy fall from grace so quickly. Will another home provide funding for a third season? Will it even find a new base from which to tell its story?

So far only the first half of the first season has made it to Blu-ray and DVD. The videogame, Supernova was quickly price-dropped and the range of Playmates action figures promoted in February 2022 has still not materialised. In fact fans have noted that the initial wave including Kirk, Picard, Burnham and others is now itself being discounted to clear.

Playmates website actually notes that the Prodigy figures would be launching in 2022 with additionals characters coming in early 2023. So it could be said that the writing has been on the wall with the wonders of hindsight.

The positive is that there is a confirmed second season in existence which, given circumstances, is most likely to be its last. Whether expense or interest were ultimately the reasons for calling time may not be fully revealed but it might even have been the point that as a joint production it was an easier option to cancel.

Paramount is apparently fully invested in the continuing voyages of the Star Trek franchise although with the ending of Picard, Discovery's upcoming final season in 2024 and now the demise of Prodigy it might be that they are reining in the costs and only going with what has truly captured the audience imagination and wallets.

Strange New Worlds is experiencing positive reviews, Academy is on the way, Lower Decks has a fourth season due and there's the Section 31 TV event to come. Maybe Paramount will invest in more of these one offs to test waters for future series before fully committing. That's my suspicion with the Michelle Yeoh vehicle and that the Oscar winner will only be onboard for the event before jumping and allowing a full (cheaper) cast to take over.

But back to Prodigy because it is set to disappear from Paramount+ in the next few days in line with its cancellation. There are petitions out there but in respect to its former home, that association looks to be over and done. Maybe it will continue beyond the 40 completed stories but I don't hold out much hope especially with the current world economics and the need to watch every penny.

At least the episodes we do have are of a high quality both in terms of visuals and storytelling. Super shame Eaglemoss never got to make a Protostar model but I can say it's a series that I will be revisiting and enjoying just as much on repeat viewings.

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Gaming Trek Back in Business

For years fans have been screaming for a new Star Trek console game that encapsulates the true spirit of the franchise.

In recent times we’ve had the Kelvin Universe back in 2014 as a prequel to Into Darkness, the VR reliant Bridge Command and only a matter of months ago, Prodigy’s Supernova. Yet nothing seems to have captured the imagination of the Trek gaming community as much as classics such as Bridge Commander and A Final Unity from the 1990's.

Resurgence was slated as the Next Big Thing. There’s been hype, trailers and much excitement around Dramatic Labs new addition to their catalogue. Could this be the game to revitalise Star Trek on consoles and PCs? Might this be the first real chance to bring in fans to the levels that Online has managed?

While Supernova was evidently aiming for the junior Star Trek fan market (and some could argue completely failed at that), Resurgence is the one most fans will have been waiting for. Taking a more adult and more conversational direction, it perhaps encapsulates the franchise's nature more absolutely.

Set during the Dominion War timeframe, Resurgence will go some way to appease fans of the 90’s generation of shows. The uniforms, the ships, the Starfleet environments; all are incredibly familiar and all tied into a heavily narrative driven adventure. Don't expect that "Dominion War" tag to pay off however as that seems to have been just for marketing purposes since there's not a Jem'Hadar in sight from beginning to end.

If you’re looking for lots of shooting and high octane kicks then it might be better to head over to STO or perhaps even the (somehow still going) Alien Domain. This is a game requiring much more attention and understanding of the overall plot. 

The USS Resolute has finally been put back into service following an "incident" which is unseen during the game itself but can be found by reading the prequel comic series. Taking on a new first officer, the ship is tasked with helping negotiate between the Hotari and Alyidans over dilithium mining rights. Now this might not seem super exciting to begin with but trust me it does get going although it does seem to take a while to switch into gear.

During the mission you get to play as both first officer Jada Rydek and Petty Officer 2nd Class Carter Diaz allowing for two different perspectives on the ship and adventure as time progresses. 

As noted, this isn't a phaser fight all the way and relies much more on decision making and attention to detail. Yes, there are some combat elements but these are far outweighed by the choices made along the way. 

The first few missions do allow you some time to adjust to what might be a slower pace of gaming as you're taken through the steps - how to use the tricorder, how to interact with objects, how to shoot... before the story really kicks in.

What becomes immediately obvious is the amount of replay there will be Resurgence. Each choice leads to another but perhaps not one you chose on the last run through. Each decision also influences the relationships that character has. For example Chief Engineer Chuvok (yep, he's a Vulcan) will have his opinion of Diaz changed dependant on which of three answers he gives at a chosen point. 

At first this may not seem to cause any major ripples but as you get further into the story, or replay to see other results, these paths become more obvious.

Resurgence isn't a totally new set of characters either with the already announced Captain William T Riker (voiced by Jonathan Frakes) appearing as well as legendary Vulcan ambassador Spock. Nicely voiced by Piotr Michael you'd swear it's Nimoy and his inclusion in the game is definitely one of its highlights. His inclusion might seem like a bit of a marketing ploy but his place in the story does help tie elements together.

As is the choice to bring back the Tkon Empire. Perhaps not referenced as much as the Ionians, the Tkon appeared in TNG's first season The Last Outpost and this game plays as a decent if long overdue sequel. In the game 16 years have passed since that encounter while in real time its 36! In fact the game even takes players back to the location of that very episode as part of the story itself, further integrating it into the fabric of the Star Trek universe.

Important to note is that given the price tag, don't expect this to be the next Skyrim or GTA for quality. It's a decent mid-range game that knows it has a somewhat niche gaming market and as such you can sort of tell that it's not quite pushing the boundaries for the PS5. There are an annoying amount of glitches. The AI walking ability is horrid at points and when characters are talking you can see pretty much into the back of their digital skulls. The audio is also out of sync with their lips which gets increasingly frustrating as does the odd sound echo or cut line. Hopefully these are issues that can get ironed out with future patches and it certainly needs them to really get that immersive Star Trek episode experience right.

Resurgence in that sense does need a chunk of work doing to it in the form of patches and upgrades to iron the bugs out and make this a much smoother gameplaying experience but I guess it's initial popularity on shelves coupled with how much replay value there is will determine what that will look like.

It does also offer the chance to expand into other episodes with these characters and take them and the Resolute into different areas of the Star Trek universe. A single play through of the game's 40 episodic slots doesn't really give it a fair shot if I'm honest and it may find its true value in subsequent run throughs to highlight the results of different choices  on the story as well as those characters around both Diaz and Rydek. It's also a long game in terms of payoff just in that first experience because there are little nuggets dropped in that don't seem to really have much effect. But don't despair because everything in here has a purpose.

While enjoyable it does feel that there's still much work to be done to bring this up to warp speed and I for one look forward to seeing how the developers expand this unique entry to the Star Trek gaming catalogue.

What's your experience of Resurgence been so far?

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