General Star Trek thread

OK, fellow Trekkies, this thread is for general discussion. Not just Old vs JJ Trek, but discussion of your favorite episodes, movies, books, comics, and merchandise. Make it so!!!!


I am almost done with Shatner's 9th Trek book, Captain's Glory. I am impressed with this series so far, but I am not certain how much is Shatner and how much is his co-authors, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

I have been trying to get caught up on the books. I have read the Destiny trilogy, and am just starting on the 'A Time To...' series. Has anyone read the Typhon Pact books? How are they?

Also, the IDW comics are pretty good. The ongoing series is about to have the back story of Keenser, Locutus has returned in TNG: Hive, and the 11th Doctor has convinced Picard to lead the Borg in a battle against the Cybermen.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Been having a blast (literally) in Star Trek Online. Hope it's okay if I share some snaps I took:


The USS Thunderhead visits the idyllic world of P'Jem.


On the surface of P'Jem, the Captain and crew defend the Vulcan monks from a renegade shapeshifter. My Captain's version of "Away Team Mission" includes the philosophy "There is no such thing as overkill. There is only 'Open Fire' and 'I need to reload'." That baby he's touting is a Phaser Assault Cannon.


"Why can't we go anywhere nice?"


"...I stand corrected."


"Morgan to Thunderhead. Five to beam up."
(Incidentally I took that shot aright after a mission that involved zero combat what-so-ever. I hope there are more like that.)

So how good is it for solo play, meaning just playing on your own and not knowing anyone else, being in a 'guild' fleet, etc?

I was reading about it, and I saw that there are missions where you HAVE to bring together lots of forces to get it accomplished. I would think that those would be way higher level stuff though.

That looks insanely cool. I wish I had the time to devote to such a game. Thanks for sharing. I've read all about this game in the Star Trek Magazine. Tell me, do you interact with the Enterprise-F much during the course of your missions? Are the Undine still a threat?

Thus far, my only complaints with the game are the unwieldy Inventory system - mostly stuff related to crafting. It's not a huge deal, but as Free to Play customers get limited bag space your inventory can get overwhelmed. Also the Miranda Class ships you start out with (Or the Frankensteins you make yourself out of the parts of the three variants, like the Thunderhead), are very, very wimpy. You get three weapon points - two in the front, one in the back. In full 3D combat, that gets to be a pain considering all the weapons have firing arcs (Phase Cannons and Torpedo Launchers - for example - have to be pointed at a target before they can be fired). Now once you hit Level 10 (Lt. Commander rank) you unlock your class ship - Defiant-esque Escorts for Tactical Officers, Intrepid-esque Science Vessels for Science Officers, and Constitution-like Cruisers for Engineers you get more weapon hard points as well as Class based abilities (Science Vessels, for example, can disrupt enemy shields and briefly bring them down).

The problem is that's ten levels being stuck with the Miranda. Basically, once you finally get comfortable with combat in the Miranda is the time you get to upgrade to bigger and better ships, having to relearn everything all over again.

Thankfully, Space Combat hasn't changed all that much from Launch, so I already had a strategy for the Miranda (Two Phaser Banks in the front, with Photon Mine Deployer in the back. Basically use the 180 degree firing arc the Phasers gave me to slam down the enemy's shields and then deploy the mines along the opposing ship's path (They have a high contact radius, so you don't have to be right on the money).

Mirandas turn like bathtubs, so until you get access to faster ships/more weapon points, the "Point and Shoot" Launchers and Cannons are kind of useless.

mattmanw54301 wrote:

That looks insanely cool. I wish I had the time to devote to such a game. Thanks for sharing. I've read all about this game in the Star Trek Magazine. Tell me, do you interact with the Enterprise-F much during the course of your missions? Are the Undine still a threat?

I've yet to encounter the Enterprise or any of the alumni cast save for Admiral Quinn (Unless a descendant of Sulu counts as alumni) this early in the game (I'm only a Lieutenant Grade 5). But I can say the Undine are still very much a threat.

When I first tried this game right after launch, it was a Tutorial of the Borg followed by twelve levels of nothing but Klingons. Thus far in five levels since giving it another shot, I've gone up against the Borg, Klingons, Gorn, Orions, and the Undine.

The Undine are probably the most memorable because they make a point in a part of that mission to deliberately tell you your ship is no match for theirs, and the goal becomes simply to survive for two minutes until Starfleet reinforcements can arrive.

I'm gonna be working on my comic Trek-Who crossover (mainly Trek with Daleks), once I am finished getting that custom made computer finished. In the meantime, I'll just post up a few shots.

A quick promo, but I am still tinkering with both the crew appearances and what ship I am going to use for the crew. But I am gonna use a page from Star Trek Online's book, where we will see a whole mix of old and new vessels, mingling with each other.








I am also going to try and make a "What if" design for the NX-01 had the guys making the show had the freedom to design they wanted, as opposed to producers insisting they wanted a design viewers "would recognize".

Instead of bogging down this thread, I started a new one for my STO screenshots. Enjoy!

I knew there was a Captain Buck Rogers, but wasnt aware there was a General Star Trek.

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

I knew there was a Captain Buck Rogers, but wasnt aware there was a General Star Trek.

Speaking of Buck Rodger, Cawley, who makes Star Trek Phase 2, is making a Buck Rodgers film, if I am not mistaken.

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

I knew there was a Captain Buck Rogers, but wasnt aware there was a General Star Trek.

HA HA HA...I mean...groan....

I handle ST V in the following manner. Ignore everything after the camping trip gets called off.

The whole Sybok half brother thing was too much of a leap to take since there hadn't been any mention of Sarek having an earlier wife or having siblings.

From the other thread...

The Castellan wrote:

Also, I want to see a story where the governments of Earth after the Vulcans first show up, try to give their excuses for why they hid the truth of alien life for so long.

First of all, this assumes the various world Governments did have knowledge of alien encounters.

Secondly, between the Eugenics Wars, World War III, and the Post-Atomic Horror...I doubt there's anyone left "in the know". I mean, in 2063 Cochrane and his team managed co-opt a Nuclear Missile silo and missile for the Phoenix. Strikes me any form of Government surviving that triple whammy was regional at best.

Well, in Today is Yesterday, Spock did say that cover ups regarding UFO's were very common in the 20th century, so yes, I'm going with that. Plus look at the episode "First contact", the government of that alien world knew of alien life and was going to begin their faster than light travel space program, but it all got ruined, by the IDIOT with glasses who maudered himself to 'keep the old traditions' going, and the the whole thing got covered up and everything cancelled, since the government thought "the people are not ready, yet", to the point where that one scientist, so disgusted what her government's action, left with the Enterprise (I would do the same thing, given the chance) and the whole thing covered up. It's a very interesting episode, which mirrors stuff I myself, and other researchers have found, and reflects what's going on today.

Also, in the film, "First Contact", Riker said very few governments were left, meaning that some were still going. And, from past experience, governments rarely ever work for the interest of the people, and all that. I'd like to see those surviving governments trying to explain themselves and weasel out of everything. I mean it's not like they had any good standing to begin with, since they, not people, are ones who start wars to begin with. Plus the 'post atomic horror' we saw went at least to 2079, 13 years after the First Contact, and seeing how their were courts, thought they were probably closer to the ones the Quintessons had (though you'd still probably have a better chance than in Texas), that shows there were still governments of some form going on before, during, and it seems, after the Vulcans came. And seeing the cruelty of these court systems, I am sure they had no qualms in hiding stuff regarding the past....they probably even went so much as to say the Vulcans were just mere humans mascarading as aliens in a sorta Project Bluebeam (which exists) scenario.

I mean for the world we see by Kirk and Picard's times, when the world's much, much, much better than the one we live in, now, there has to be a time where there was a purge of the filth and dirtbags that caused all the trouble in the first place. I simply want to see a story where we see it happen, where humanity does grow up like Picard said.

Anyhow, it appears a new episode of Phase 2 is in the works and coming soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xim_PuEgRRc I am looking foreward to see this one, and we get to see the Enterprise in the phase 2, pre TMP state.

The Castellan wrote:

I mean for the world we see by Kirk and Picard's times, when the world's much, much, much better than the one we live in, now, there has to be a time where there was a purge of the filth and dirtbags that caused all the trouble in the first place.

Uh...what? Star Trek has a extremely limited perspective - generally the universe as seen by one ship. To say all the filth and dirtbags have been "purged" is foolish. The galaxy is a big place - plenty of room for scum balls. Star Trek VI comes to mind there.

This is an interesting idea. It appears that the peace movement starts before the Vulcan first contact. From the back of the Star Trek Enterprise Romulan War book 1:

'At the start of the twenty-first century, unconditional war swept across the Earth. A war that engulfed the great and the small, the rich and the poor, giving no quarter. Each side strove for unconditional victory, and as battle built upon battle, the living began to envy the dead.

Chastised by the cataclysm that they had unleashed, the governments of Earth came together. Humanity vowed to put an end to war and to strive for the betterment of every living creature.'

So it looks like the 'growing up' had already partially started. I would like to see this time explored.

Because we see from a Federation perspective, there seem to be alot less 'scumbags'. However there are still non-Federation worlds, the Orion Syndicate, etc.

So there is plenty of crime and slavery, war and politics. War mongering, assassinations, etc. It's just that we see a very narrow window on the Trek universe, so we focus on the nobility of Starfleet.

Rust wrote:

The Castellan wrote:

I mean for the world we see by Kirk and Picard's times, when the world's much, much, much better than the one we live in, now, there has to be a time where there was a purge of the filth and dirtbags that caused all the trouble in the first place.

Uh...what? Star Trek has a extremely limited perspective - generally the universe as seen by one ship. To say all the filth and dirtbags have been "purged" is foolish. The galaxy is a big place - plenty of room for scum balls. Star Trek VI comes to mind there.

I am talking about Earth in general, there might be a few bad apples, but a vast majority's gone, toasting in the fires of heck, or whatever.

So here's something for fellow Trek Fans in Star Trek Online.

Once you hit Lieutenant Rank 7 (Level 7), you unlock your crew. What can your crew do? Go on Diplomatic, Scientific, or Development missions. You select the right crew members for the assignments and they go out to get you resources and experience. But choose wisely - as some missions can run the risk of putting your crew members into sickbay...or the morgue.

There's also story lines in these missions as well.

A real neat, non-aggressive questing structure that makes you feel like the Captain of a ship.

Now that I am semi-recovered from the weekend...

Went to the Wizard Austin Comic Con in Austin. I was really hyped since Gwen, Rhys, and Ianto were on the list, but they cancelled a while back. But the big draw of the show for most was that they assembled the cast of TNG for a 25 year anniversary show.

(and for those curious, I will throw in the other guests that I saw too)

Tales from the autograph lines:

Sir Patrick has arthritis, so he can't shake hands with the fans. His hands are bad enough with all the nonstop signing.

He does not sign with, and does not like people using his title... he thinks it is a bit too pompous and not that big of a deal.

He kept overriding the convention staff, when they would hold up the regular ticket holders so they could get VIPs in to get their autos. (If you had a VIP ticket, you can jump to the front of the auto line) If the VIP didn't immediately come into the area, Sir Patrick would not wait for them and would wave the next regular admission person on up.

Marina watches Doctor Who, and thinks Eccelston is the best of the new series.

If you are wearing a bluetooth, she will give you a lecture on how all those radio waves are going to give you brain cancer.

Michael Dorn did not get as much love as the other cast members. Through Sat and Sun, he had the lowest lines. The biggest lines: Sir Patrick, and Wil Wheaton

Average wait time for Sir Patrick (if you didn't get in line right when the doors opened)- 2 hours.

Gates McFadden did not give a good impression to many people on Friday. She spent most of the time while signing talking on her cell phone.

Wil Wheaton got an Atari 2600 copy of The Stacks from one of the dealers, and was in shock and awe for about 5 minutes.

Eliza Dushku arrived at her table, and promptly began to decorate. She brought Halloween candy, and sprinkled candy corns across both her tables. Then broke out a string of Christmas lights with bats and spiders hanging from them and ran them along the table edges.

Instead of insisting on the con photo ops, or charging separately at the table, Sean Patrick Flanery lets you take a pic with him with no extra charge. The Babysitter Twins did the same (if you watched Planet Terror, you know who they are).

Quote :

He does not sign with, and does not like people using his title... he thinks it is a bit too pompous and not that big of a deal.

Understandable. But I'll still use it as a sign of respect - the man's a great actor. Honestly, while I first saw him in TNG, I'll always remember Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge. I feel his performance of the character was the best. Especially the quiet desperation in his voice as he urged his young counterpart to rush after his fiance'.

Best version of the story, in my opinion. Second only to Bill Murry's.

Quote :

Gates McFadden did not give a good impression to many people on Friday. She spent most of the time while signing talking on her cell phone.

I hate to say it, but what has Gates McFadden actually done post-Trek? She'd do well to milk these convention runs for all their worth.

Tales from the Panel:

Sat. night they got the whole cast on stage, who did 90 min of Q and A with the fans.

The MC was apparently the person that won Stan Lee's superhero reality show. Joy.

Frakes came out first, grabbed the mic, and introduced everyone else as they came on stage.

The grand ballroom seating arrangement was split into two sections, with a walkway down the middle. Seating was 900, so on either side of the stage, they had screens that were showing what was happening on stage. So right in the middle, they had the vidcam pointed at the cast, who were being blinded by the lighting.

About a few minutes in, Sir Patrick got tired of the light in everyone's faces, and not being able to see the fans that were asking the questions. He called out to the staff to get the light turned down or off. Frakes then points to the light and yells "I see TWO lights!!!" Sir Patrick high five'd him for that one.

My personal favorite of the zingers: Levar let fly with the patented "Oh, shut up, Wes". Wil responded "Hey, if I wasn't around, who would have saved the ship all those times by fixing it?"

Levar responded "I'm Chief Engineer, b*tch!"

One person asked the cast if given the opportunity, would they participate in the commercial space flights.

The most vocal positives:
Wil- "You are asking US if we would want to go to space?"
Sir Patrick- said he would, as long as he gets the chance to break the new skyjump record.

The most vocal negatives:
Michael- that s**t is dangerous. Maybe once they get everything worked out and dependable.
Marina- against the space program in general. Money would be better spent on feeding the hungry, etc. (to which Levar came right back at her about how so many advances in medicine and other fields have come about because of the program)

A woman said she didn't really have a question, but just wanted to be able to come up and stare at Sir Patrick for a few moments. He stood up, gave her 'the look' and blew her a kiss. Then Marina comes rushing over and says "Check out these abs!' and pulls his shirt up. He quickly recovers and sits down. Levar asks him "So, Captain are you commando this evening or what?" Sir Patrick didn't get the reference. After it was explained in the boxers or briefs way, he answered that he can't stand boxers. The MC then speculated just how fast that little factoid was now spreading throughout the internet.

A fan asked what their favorite projects/ roles have been since TNG. They went down the line answering. Most gave the standard- every role is enjoyable. Sir Patrick said that he is finally getting comedic roles, and is enjoying them. Gates is a director of a very well praised theater company. Wil said Big Bang Theory. The prize answer went to Levar, who simply stood up with the mic and began to sing out "Butterfly in the sky..." Next thing you know, the entire audience is joining him in belting out the theme to Reading Rainbow.

That sounds like it was a lot of fun. Wish I could have gone.

So glad they still have fun together!

Pics from the Con...

Wizard World is very strict on photo taking. You can't even take general pics of the auto areas. I was able to snap a couple of pics of the panel before they shut us down.

Spoiler:

And the biggie... me and my friend with the TNG cast

Spoiler:

Autos from the Con

I had met most of the cast before. Sir Patrick, Jonathan, and Levar were the only ones I had left to meet. I also decided to get 'replacement' autos from Marina and Wil. When I met them back in the day, they didn't personalize their autos.

Wish I had been able to find a good Gurney Halleck in Atredies dress uniform

Spoiler:

Off Topic Autos from the Con

In case anyone was curious...

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Off Topic Prints from the Con

I really need to stay away from Artist's Alley. I always end up buying even more stuff.

I met Paul Hanley, who is a cover artist for IDW Godzilla, and the Iris Wildthyme books. He is a big DW fan, and had several DW prints for sale. Picked up some I really liked, and got them signed. You might recognize the "We Will Survive" print, it was posted in the forum here a while back.

Spoiler:

Met Greg Horn, who I remembered from doing the cover art for the Emma Frost comic series. He did a terrific convention exclusive print of the X Women. I so wanted the backlit oversize print, but settled for the less expensive 11 x 17.

Spoiler: