Well,  summer 'vacation' on Risa is upon us in Star Trek Online, and has been for a while.  This gave me a bit of an opportunity to claim a few more accolades that are Summer Event accolades (as well as go back for a few more Breen ones that seemed 'easy' to get)Unauthorized beach party - Basically come back to one of the beach-front spots after dark to join a fire-side party.  Ever

Star Trek: Khan by Mike JohnsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This takes place after the movie Into Darkness.  I think that the reader gets a sense of the backstory to Khan - starting in the pre-TOS timeline (where things are the same between the prime and kelvin timelines) and moving across into the kelvin timeline events that got us to Into Darkness. Through this story we see where Khan

Star Trek, Volume 13 by Mike JohnsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a review more of the entire "Star Trek: Ongoing" by IDW than just this volume.  In this particular volume the TOS crew meets Kelvin-timeline crew. It's an interesting way to see the aesthetics of the two timelines juxtaposed and people and their respective lives compared and contrasted. Throughout the series it

Star Trek: Discovery: The Way to the Stars by Una McCormackMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Probably my favorite Discovery-era novel thus far.Some might say "oh, it's Just a Tilly story..." but I saw it as both a story about families, and a story about education. Tilly's mother basically wants to create a mini-me clone for herself, having Tilly follow her footsteps into the diplomatic core, without

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through the Mirror by Scott TiptonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Mirror Picard and crew are looking for resources given that the Terran Empire is a little short on them. How does one get them? Incursions into parallel universes (including the 'prime' universe) to collect resources, especially variants of the Enterprise D. This was an interesting story - with

Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures by Dayton WardMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Rather interesting read - Enjoyed this one much more than the other DSC novels thus far. This was an interesting story about invasive species, refugees, and crimes against humanity that took place 10 years before the pilot episode for DSC. Here we see Georgiou and Lorca as commanders (we even get to see a little

Star Trek The Next Generation: Mirror Broken - Origin of Data by David TiptonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I got this one as part of a Lootcrate. This comic traces the origin of data in the mirror universe. I do find the borgification of data interesting. I'd love to know more about the borg in the mirror universe in subsequent comics. View all my reviews

Star Trek: Discovery Annual 2018 by Kirsten BeyerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I rather enjoyed this short trek into how Stamets discovered the spore transportation technology and how he got into starfleet. A little bonus at the end you get to see how Tilly comes on-board the Discovery. I got the impression from the TV show that cadets see now part of crews as some sort of work-study but apparently

Fear Itself by James SwallowMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This book felt very much like a TNG episode in DSC skin.It was a fine book to explore a bit of Saru's background (but I think some things in the book were in conflict with what we've learned of Saru on the show. There are Trek episodes that I put on in the background (they are fine, I just do other things while the show is on), and episodes

Star Trek: Discovery - Succession by Kirsten BeyerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This comic gives us a glimpse of the mirror universe, specifically what's happening with Mirror Burnham. Georgiou is gone (she's in the prime universe), so people assume she is dead. Someone else is, Michael's "cousin" is on the throne, but there is treachery afoot. In typical mirror universe fashion there are lots

Desperate Hours by David MackMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Interesting story set one year before the "vulcan hello" pilot for the series. It includes the Enterprise and Pike (and Spock). Having seen Anson Mount as Pike really helps visualize this story in my mind's eye. There are some inconsistencies with the series - e.g., Saru's planet referred to "Kelpia" instead of "Kaminar" and getting the

Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many by Michael A. MartinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This was an interesting read, and it definitely adds some more context to STO's Undine arc (which made the Undine Infiltration in the game make much more sense. The book is told from the lens of Jake Sisko who is interviewing many well-known (and not so well-known) characters in the Star Trek universe about

I was in a bit of a roll with accolades on Star Trek Online; Accolades I hand't earned on the first play through.  For some of these missions I haven't gone back to them in years.  That said, I think I am done with the accolade hunt for now.  Some are event-specific accolades (Summer event, or Arena of Sompek) that come around once in a while (summer even should be here "soon"), and

Patterns of Interference by Christopher L. BennettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars What bums me out the most about this book is that there is no "Star Trek Enterprise will continue..." at the end of the book. I wonder if this series will come back in the future.Anyway - even if it is the last book to come out (certainly hope not), this was a rather fun book to read. I was hoping that Trip would come

Live by the Code by Christopher L. BennettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A good conclusion to the "ware saga" (or so it seems). Of note in this book, we see Archer coming around to the Vulcan's "logic" of non-interference (aka, the "prime directive") based on the events that happened with the Saurians. We also see Trip seriously looking to take down Section 31 (which we know doesn't happen

Uncertain Logic by Christopher L. BennettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This novel continues with the parade of worlds that are joining the federation: in this book we see the Deltans, and we continue an exploration of those "Ware" space stations which we originally saw on screen in Enterprise. Meanwhile on Vulcan the Kirshara is stolen and people try to use it to overthrow the new Vulcan government.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ghosts by Zander CannonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Not a bad story. Basically a story of a planet who wants to join the Federation, but there are two rival factions on that planet (basically a no-no for membership in the Federation). One side invents a device that moves you into another sub-space type of universe (basically looks like the Matrix's loading

Tower of Babel by Christopher L. BennettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a good continuation of the first book in the series. Here the federation is encouraging the aligned systems of Rigel to join the federation. I always thought that the Rigelians were a homogenous society, but apparently not. Also interesting that they were currently ruled by mobster families. Overall an interesting story,

A Choice of Futures by Christopher L. BennettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a good start to the Rise of the Federation series. There is an interesting description of where the TOS uniform colors came from, an overview of what's happening to the fleet, the growing pains of getting different alien peoples to work together, and so on. On top of that, the federation is already being seen as

The Romulan War: To Brave the Storm by Michael A. MartinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars A satisfying end to the Earth-Romulan war. When all is said and done Trip is still out in the shadows, Archer is now a commodore, and the Vulcans, Telaraties, and Andorians finally came back to the table. Archer is hinted at becoming president of the Federation one day. There was also a nice little epilogue years

It's been a while since I played Star Trek Online with the intent to be on the accolade hunt.  I actually I thought I had most of them, but then I came across a list created by one of the game's other players and saw that I was missing a considerable amount.  After clearing out the retired accolades (ones that you can't get any longer), and the ones that you can in theory get, but you need

The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing by Michael A. MartinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This book continues on from the previous couple of novels and explores the first year of the Romulan war. Archer becomes a Commodore (interesting how they say it's an archaic title, but still used, perhaps foreshadowing the change of the rank name around TNG). Trip's alive (yay); there are heavy losses

Kobayashi Maru by Michael A. MartinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I actually liked this book more than I thought I would. The description from Memory Alpha is "Captain Jonathan Archer's Enterprise and Captain Erika Hernandez' Columbia become embroiled in the shocking events that became the infamous Starfleet Academy no-win scenario." I always took the Kobayashi Maru to be a theoretical simulation

Star Trek: The Manga Ultimate Edition by David GerroldMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This is really a collection of the "ultimate" (I guess) stories from the other three separate volumes of the TOS manga. I did like the colorized version of the borg story, but I don't know what rubric they used to select stories for this volume. Maybe they should have just picked all stories from the previous

The Good That Men Do by Andy MangelsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Quite an enjoyable read. I would have loved to have seen this on-screen. Section 31, Romulan mystery, spycraft, and Trip is alive and spying on the Romulan Empire as a section 31 operative. The pacing of this novel was pretty good. I didn't feel lost, or bored, or wondering "what the heck is going on now?" Need an adaptation for

Star Trek: The Manga, Volume 3: Uchu by Nathaniel BowdenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Not a bad collection of TOS stories. This book had a similar feel to the other two volumes in the series.  Too bad the manga didn't have as much of a following and Tokoypop decided to cease producing it.View all my reviews

Star Trek: The Manga Volume 1: Shinsei/Shinsei by Chris DowsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This was actually a fun read, and many of the stories "felt" TOS-like in their telling and execution. The final story was a little too Mecha/Gundam and it kinda felt like it didn't connect with TOS, but it was a fun nevertheless. Who says there can't be mecha in the Star Trek Universe? After all, there was

Star Trek: the manga Volume 2: Kakan ni Shinkou by Wil WheatonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Not a bad set of stories. Compared to the TNG Manga the stories here really felt more like original TOS, with a manga aesthetic. View all my reviews

Star Trek Phase II: The Making of the Lost Series by Judith Reeves-Stevens My rating: 4 of 5 stars Not really "finished" with this book since it seems more like a reference book, but I did skim through it and found it interesting (as a library borrowing I didn't have a ton of time with it). This seems like one of those books to own for any trek fan ;-) View all

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Volume 1: The Manga: Boukenshin by David GerroldMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Not a bad attempt at TNG stories in Manga-style comics. Although I do see why Tokyopop didn't continue to produce these. While the stories were enjoyable they didn't really 'feel' very TNG. The characters were a bit off in the dialogue they used. The facial expressions sometimes also

Along with the "artisanal" soundtrack for the game this year (something that seems to have become an annual tradition in STO), there was an announcement for a new (April Fool's) expansion of the game titled "The Gorn Discovery"There are a lot of humorous puns here (see announcement below) , but in all seriousness this would have been an interesting expansion.  At the very least it's another starting

Star Trek: Discovery: The Light of Kahless by Kirsten BeyerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Not a bad comic, and one that brings forth a bit of prequel mythos into Star Trek Discovery. In this one we see the origins of the Sacrophagus ship, and T'Kuvma and Voq themselves, and other Klingons who are acting...dishonorably...to say the least. I am wondering if there will be any references to this

Rosetta by Dave SternMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Back to Star Trek novel reading.  This was the last novel before the 'relaunch' of the enterprise series. Not a bad story - plus brownie points for some contemporary linguistics peppered in. That said, it felt a bit slow to begin (so much so that I lost the plot a bit while listening to it via TTS).View all my reviews

It's been a while since the actual anniversary date of STO, but it's been busy, so this draft has been sitting in my...drafts...for a while.  This year Cryptic broke up the pieces of the infographic and released them a piece at a time on twitter, before putting the entire thing up on their website at the end.  I am not surprised that Tactical captains are first in the list, and I am also

Titan: Fortune of War by David MackMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Pretty interesting adventure. I had completely forgotten about the Husnock and needed to look them up on Memory Alpha. In many respects it reminded me a lot of the hunt for Alteran, or even Goauld tech in Stargate once the Goauld had fallen. He who controls the powerful ancient tech controls the galaxy.  I wonder what the next

email update from STO - for those like me who got Lt. Tardigrade as their nouveau tomagochi ;-)Thanks to some generous donations from the local shipyard, the Lieutenant now had his very own starship bridge, of sorts, in his enclosure. We managed to secure three decommissioned consoles, and his very own Captain's chair. It's a little beat up, to be sure, but he doesn't seem to mind, and he's been running

  Last fall, in what seems like the heels of  the "Victory is Life" expansion some new content dropped on STO, titled "Age of Discovery" which seems to be content for the game that runs concurrent with the show that started yesterday evening, and perhaps with the on-going IDW series on Star Trek Discovery.  With this new content you start off as a cadet in the Discovery era of Star Trek

Star Trek: Waypoint #6 by Gabriel HardmanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Interesting collection of short stories from the Star Trek Universe. I think my two favorites were Naomi Wildman's comic, and the Phase II era stories. Reading the stories in this anthology made me wonder if we'll see any Phase II era stories pop up in the future.  It might be an interesting look in an alternate era.View

Airship Enterprise: The Infernal Machine by Brian DenhamMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This was something that had come across kickstarter a while back (before I really looked at kickstarter). It is an interesting take on Star Trek through a steampunk lens. I am not all that interested in steampunk as a genre but this wasn't a bad story. I think for Trek fans you'll find enough to keep you going,

This was was one of the more "m'eh' comic strips of Sev Trek.  I also don't get why the enterprises are plates of food. I guess I'll go with it for now :p (original archive here)

Star Trek: Captain's Log by David TiptonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy reading stories about secondary captains (Jelico, Sulu, Hariman), i.e. those not seen on screen for very long - but these were actually quite good short stories. I wouldn't mind having more Hariman or Jelico stories come our way! It was also interesting to see the excelsior class go from brand

One of the weaker episodes of TNG, as far as I am concerned.  The one where Wesley accidentally trips over some dandelions and gets the death penalty. A nice pun on "make it so" however, so points for that ;-) (original archive here)

Well, the fourth expansion of Star Trek Online, which brings us a sliver of the Gamma quadrant, gamma recruits, and the Jem'Hadar playable faction is here today! I had an opportunity to play a bit today as a new Jem'Hadar "first" (aka captain) under the name of Arak'Ouzo (yes having some fun with the name).  The first couple of missions were quite fun to play, and flying a "bug-ship" is quite

Star Trek Romulans The Hollow Crown - 2008 by John ByrneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting continuation of the story that started in Romulan Schism where you see the Klingon's plot of circumventing the Organian Peace Treaty. Overall and interesting story, but I feel like Klingons and Romulans lack a bit of depth. For all the honor being touted by the proponents of the Klingon way, there

I guess this one is a riff from that episode where all the enterprises (from different realities) were converging on the same space. I did find this punchline to be the best, other ones submitted were a little m'eh.(original archive here)

From the episode with the forerunners (or was it precursors?) where we find out that we're all related in the milky way galaxy (or at least this quadrant of the galaxy). I do like this alternate punchline too: "Well get ready for another round of family feud!"(original archive here)

Star Trek Romulans Schism - 2009 by John ByrneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Interesting short story with Koloth and Kor as some of the main cast (along with the original "#1") about the federation and a cloaking device, and a feud of a romulan with Kirk that leads to the dissolution (some might say "schism" ;-) ) between the romulan and klingon empires. Now...why do the Klingons have an emperor

A riff of Data's time traveling head ;-)  My favorite alternative is "I knew he had a screw loose."(original archive here)

Man...after close to 6 years of play this accolade is finally complete!  The other day I had the Dabo table going at DS9 on STO while having my iPad read back articles to me (some supplemental readings for the dissertation).  It's pretty mindless to click and bet on Dabo, so while reading I just kept hitting 'play'.  Well - finally I hit the 1,000,000 mark!  I've won 1,000,000

A commentary on Tasha Yar's death on TNG. I actually like the chosen punchline, but a close second favorite is "Yar today, gone tomorrow."(original archive here)

Interesting strip. I don't think we see a ton of poker playing on TNG, but it's something memorable. I do wonder why chess and poker.  Why not go to the arcade or something (yes, I know, these two things are cheap to produce...).  An alternate proposed punchline that I also liked was "I think one thing, say another and do a third."(original archive here)

Seems like old school fan films (pre CBS guidelines) are pretty quiet.  Axanar seems to be 'working' on it, and Pacific 201 sends some periodic updates.  Captain Pike on the other hand seems MIA.  I think this might be one of those casualties (or maybe a study case for kickstarter risks).  Too bad that it looks like this won't come out (especially considering that Pike will be

This is an obvious dig at the poor writing that they had for Troy in the first few seasons on TNG (basically until Jelico came and asked why she wasn't in uniform). Troy is such a great character, just needed better writing.  I do like one of the alternate taglines a little better "Don't say it, just do it." - it calls back a little to the other "star" franchise ;-)(original archive here)

A reference to the final episode of the TNG series. Picard joins the crew for a poker match and says he should have done this a long time ago.  I guess this is what happens once the cameras stop rolling :-)  I liked this punchline -->      "I" "HAVE" "NO" "CHIPS!" --a reference to There Are Four Lights but it doesn't quite fit in :)(original archive here)

I wonder if this is a reference to that episode where Picard had heart surgery.  Another punchline I liked was "Is this ANOTHER character building episode?"(original archive here)

Seems like another (star trek) fan-film is down...or at least temporarily halted.  The Star Trek: Temporal Anomaly fan film seems to be in talks with CBS.  Since they started their work before all the "guidelines" came about (mostly because of Axanar, it seems), they were under the impression that they were grandfathered into the non-guideline era.  This is the third fan film (after

I guess this is the new Sev Fleet phaser setting scale ;-)  I liked this alternate "Setting: ECB - Emergency Commercial Break"(original archive here)

Well...April Fool's is here, and Think Geek has not disappointed!  I think I'll space these things out over the next week, but here is what caught my eye first: Klingon fridge magnets!

The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. AltmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Interesting read for the history of TNG through the Kelvin-timeline movies. There was also a little bi in here about pop-culture influences of Star Trek, and a nod to fan films. For the first book

Turnaround by Peter DavidMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I guess this was New Frontier's version of a Mirror Universe cross-over. I've read some New Frontiers books in the past but I am not as familiar with the characters that were on the TV shows. Despite this, the story wasn't that bad if you can deal with the feeling that you are coming to a story part-way through a series. I guess I need to

A bit of a silly punchline. My preferred punchline is an alternate "Don't worry, I've been bothering Schidzo and Gainweight too!" that refers to Q's annoying of Janeway and Sisko :-)(original archive here)

A deleted scene from Star Trek Discovery's season finale his the netwaves the other day where Mirror Gheorghiou is recruited into section 31 (which also answers all the questions on the web about that little black starfleet badge).  Effin' awesome is what I have to say!  I hope that the fact that this was deleted does not mean that this plotline is killed off... This would be a totally awesome

"Victory is Life" is a saying of the Jem'Hadar, one of the subjugated races of the Dominion (...or is it "in the Dominion"?) who are, basically, the warriors of that alliance.  It is also the name of the next expansion for Star Trek Online which is hitting PCs his coming summer (I sure hope it's not concurrent with the Summer Event on Risa!). I do find it a little odd that the developers chose

I guess this is a dig at the all talk, little action criticism of TNG ;-) I liked the alternate punchline "     I'll explain later. Meanwhile, set a course for ROMANCE." but that was a little too esoteric (a callback to a Saturday Night Live skit, Love boat the next generation)(original archive here)

How can you tell Data and Lore apart?  I guess in this parody universe the evil twin is called VHS ;-)(original archive here)

A bad punchline, but it does go to show (no pun intended) that Troi wasn't really appreciated a ton in TNG, and Gene R. needed to be reigned from some of his more silly (and even offensive) ideas...(original archive here)

Polaski get so much flack from TNG fans.  I actually enjoyed her on screen as the doctor, both as a kid watching TNG for the first time, and now. I like Crusher too, but I guess there is only room for one Chief Medical Officer.(original archive here)

The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years by Edward GrossMy rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting look at the genesis of Star Trek, from before there was even Star Trek, through The Animated Series, through a few aborted concepts, to Star Trek VI. Told through the words of the people involved in the series, so there are multiple

This punchline never really made much sense to me.  Something about baldness? :-/(original archive here)

I actually started wondering recently if what data was doing was ethical...(original archive here)

Mirror Images by Scott TiptonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting look into how Mirror Kirk got to ascend to the captaincy - with an interlude of how Mirror Picard ascended to the captaincy as well. Definitely need more adventures of both of these mirror crews (TNG and TOS).  Of course there is a big disconnect between the events of Mirror Universe in DS9 (empire has fallen I think)

Another eye-rolling punchline.  I think I found this funny in high school, but now it seems sophomoric :-)(original archive here)

But...then they might end up like Shinzon...do you want to deal with Shinzon? ;-)(original archive here)

A little Monday morning humor from the Nerdist (on account of the Tarantino Trek rumors)

I suppose that's a fair jab - "the forehead of the week" :-)(original archive here)

Star Trek: TNG: Mirror Broken #5 by Scott TiptonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars The six comic arc for this story was quite an interesting "pilot episode" for a Next Generation Mirror Universe crew. Picard starts from the Stargaze and...ummm...earns (?) his way onto commanding the I.S.S. Enterprise. This was an interesting glimpse into the Terran Empire at the time of the Next Generation, but it

Did Kirk go bald? I honestly don't remember :-)(original archive here)

Hmmm... wonder if Vash comes back in post-nemesis novels... I wonder if she ever ascends (if the Q are sort of like the ancients in Stargate)(original archive here)

Over the years I've come across articles from a variety of sources on the web about Trek movies and TV series that were supposedly considered, proposed, or even explored, but never really saw the light of day.  Some of them are on Memory Alpha, but some are not. From time to time I try to come up with some of these names as conversations bring them up, but I forget - so... I've gone through and

Wonder why data needs to look for a romantic partner... Is he programmed for that?(original archive here)

I guess Picard changed his tune in the books that continue the series ;-)(original archive here)

With the new Kramp'Ikri event on star trek online this season came a new accolade to collect: mine, mine, mine!  I was aiming to earn this before Christmas hit (and I started working more on my dissertation)...and mission (just) accomplished! In the Kramp'Ihri event (usually comes along twice per hour) when you attack the Kramp'ihri, one of the things that he tosses at you (from time to time)

I just realized that both Sisko and Picard are bald...(original archive here)

Bring these back ;-)The other day I was thinking back to the 1990s and early 2000s when we had two or three star trek series going on at the same time.  Man, that was entertaining ;-).  The recent DC universe (Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow) shows on the CW have made me ponder about what a Star Trek equivalent would be like (call it the TCTU - Trek Cinema and TV Universe -

I guess the subtext here is something sexual in nature? The punchline sort of works because it it leaves a lot to the imagination, but it's not all that funny :-/ (original archive here)

One of my favorite seasonal STO events is here: Q's winter wonderland - where mischievous Q transports you to a...ermmm...winter wonderland...complete with winter events, winter clothing, and a new limited edition ship that you can claim.The Kramp'IhrThis year's addition to the game is the Kramp'Ihr - melding human winter-time monsters like the Krampus with Klingon undead (the Fekh'Ihr).  It

I do wonder if there is a universe there (or a book series?) where Polaski and Crusher meet and collaborate...(original archive here)

🙄 OK, this was pretty bad.  It appealed to the high schooler in me (when I first read it), but it really has not aged well :-)(original archive here)

Shine a light on it...as Marty would say ;-)(original archive here)

Well, the finale of Star Trek Continues is here.  I really wish that this series had had a handful more episodes before this grand finale - which ties in TOS with the movies, but oh well...axanar ;-) .  The finale was actually quite good.  I was hoping we'd see more Kirk in a TMP uniform, but I guess not.  This series is worth seeing from start to finish now that is it done (in

This seems a lot like a Janeway joke...or from the show Slings and Arrows "yes,...black!" :-)(original archive here)

LOL... I don't know how many times, in how many iterations I've heard this joke :-)(original archive here)

A jab at the first season uniforms ;-) I do wonder if Patrick Stewart did not have a problem with them, if the uniforms would have stayed the same.  More skants? :-)(original archive here)

I guess you have to be of a certain age to get this reference (link to Pepsi commercial)(original archive here)

This just reminds me of the "Captain Obvious" Hotels.com commercials :-)(original archive here)

I somehow think that this is not what Reed had in mind ;-)(original archive here)

This past weekend in Star Trek Online the Azure Nebula  queue was the featured queue for group missions, which meant this was a good opportunity to earn an accolade that I haven't been able to get since I started going on the accolade hunt (mostly because people weren't queuing up for the Azure Nebula mission)In this mission... (from the STO wiki):After the briefing, the team will have twelve

Back in the day this seemed funny (just for the sake of being funny).  I think these days (especially with what's been happening in the world) it seems like a good episode of trek in the making... (you know, the whole exploring social and political issues of the day through the lens of scifi)(original archive here)

Star Trek: Gold Key Archives Volume 1 by Arnold DrakeMy rating: 2 of 5 stars As a piece of cultural history this was OK. Some interesting stories, but they read more like the off-brand Kirk, Spock, and McCoy... Perhaps think of them as Kork, Speck, and McKay of the series called "Star Blazing" and you're good to enjoy without feeling weird about "space esperanto" and going to a different

I came across this Trekzone Axanar interview. This is part II, the Alec Peters part, Part I was a bit of a train-wreck. You do get some clips from part I with Alec, but it's clear that Alec shouldn't be doing interviews (or be online really) - the focus should be on finishing these two mini Axanar parts now that the big movie can't be done.  By the way, where are the perks?  Some perks should

The joke works only as a double-entendre (probably doesn't translate well either). I think my two favorite alteranates are: " Does it matter? These uniforms have no zippers." and " You heard me back at Starbase 5: "Does anybody need to go? I'm not stopping once we go to warp..."" (original archive here)

It's funny, but I had never thought of Spot's gender on the series. The alternate punchline that I would prefer is: THAT cat was a stunt double. (original archive here)

Legacies: Book #3: Purgatory's Key by Dayton WardMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This was the third in the "legacies" trilogy that I started reading this past summer. Fun book. I wouldn't say that the TOS crew is "my" crew (was introduced to Star Trek with TNG), but it was a fun novel to listen to (audiobook format), and it does give a bit more background into "number 1" (Majel Barrett's character

I do wonder what Wesley would have done for the borg, given his 'traveler' abilities and all. This alternate actually made me laugh: I locked him in a closet with Barf and a dribble! (original archive here)

Best Defense by David MackMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Interesting continuation of Captain-to-Captain. I was unaware McCoy had any kids. Fascinating - as Spock would say. I find this alternate universe quite interesting. No hunger, no pain, no being tired...is it all in their minds?  I know that Star Trek has explored the mirror universe (well, they just scratched the surface), but it would

Well...not that bad. I guess in space no one can hear you scream either :p I did like this alternate though "I don't know, but Industrial Light and Magic gets $18,000 every time it happens!!!"(original archive here)

Hmmm... this would seem better if delivered by a Vulcan.  Of course, it could have been after the mind-meld with Sarek...so ...potentially explainable.  One of the alternates was a little better in my opinion " At least Tryhard's still here! Mine are all either transferred, dead, or whisked off with Q!" (original archive here)

I guess it should be free satellite, not free cable.  I prefer the alternates of "Sure beats the pajamas that Star Fleet makes YOU wear!" and "After a few Millennia, you tend to run out of fashion ideas. . ." (original archive here)

I guess this one is for those who didn't like Wesley Crusher.  The alternative punchlines were all very mean-spirited toward Wesley, but this one was the one that I liked the best from all of them, and it feels a little more comic-strip-like: Sev Fleet's Insurance Company won't insure the Enterprize while you're on board. (original archive here)

Star Trek Volume 1 by Steve MolnarMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Both stories in this volume are titled after TOS episodes...which not surprisingly were comic adaptations of classic TOS episodes. As I was reading this collection I was getting mental images of the actual episodes and I was wondering why.  I a quick stop at Memory Alpha told me why! Overall this was not bad, but I think I was

This one didn't really resonate with me these days. Yes, it makes sense for Riker - given his interest in Jazz, but I think the alternate submission of " We could use it as a hood ornament for the Enterprize" was a little better.(original archive here)

With Star Trek Las Vegas upon us, STO has announced some really interesting stuff coming down the pike, including captain Georgi LaForge, revamped Galaxy-class ships, and TNG Skants! I think that last one made me smile uncontrollably ;-)  The Lukari and the Kentari seem to be kissing and making up for past aggression, and the Jem Hadar are back! When I saw the trailer (below) yesterday I expected

It's hard to believe, but I guess life imitates art. A couple of weeks ago the Democratic Party in the US unveiled their new slogan: I mean, have you seen the other guys?  (link to TheHill.com). I guess someone's got to make the Federation look good with all those badmirals running around :p (original archive here)

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Gorn Crisis by Kevin J. AndersonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This was an OK graphic novel. The watercolor inspired art direction didn't really do much for me. It wasn't bad, it just was not something that I was drawn to as compared to other comics I've read. The story was also mediocre. I was expecting more in-depth Gorn lore, and it seemed like a very throw-away

A new episode of Star Trek Continues is out! Sad that there are only 2 more left... :-/

This one is from the recent San Diego comic con, for the upcoming Star Trek series.  It seems interesting.  While I do like Star Trek, and I will watch the broadcast pilot, I don't know if I am a hardcore-enough fan to shell out money for All Access.  Just put it on Netflix and Hulu and be done with it :p.  Looking at some of the consume designs, they seem pretty interesting, but

Not really sure how to interpret this one.   Wondering what I thought when I originally read this.(original archive here)

Hmmm... Should Picard be drinking tea?  Or, since there is synthahol why not some good Bordeaux? ;-) (original archive here)

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Hive by Brannon BragaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting post-nemesis cross-over between TNG crews and Titan (how else would you get Troy and Riker back?). The story is pre-JJ (where we already see B4 as having morphed into data), and this comic sets the stage for that to happen. A future Locutus, after the Borg have conquered everything, sends Data into

Oh the 90s... when everything was IBM compatible (well, PCs before Windows took over were touted as being IBM compatible, which I guess was DOS compatible).  I do wonder what today's equivalent would be.  What OS would data run?(original archive here)

Star Trek: Nero by Mike JohnsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting filler graphic novel that tells us what happened to Nero and his crew between the time the went back in time, and when they started their psychotic trip to destroy the federation. Where did they get the Borg tech though for the Nereda? Did we ever find this out and I am just blocking it? Also, in the Kelvin-timeline,

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by Mike JohnsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars [SPOILERS] Quite an interesting adventure that kickstarts at least 2 new groups of crews in the Kelvin-timeline of Star Trek. I'd read more of this. The comic starts off with the TOS crew, when they were in their academy days (well Kirk, Spock, and Uhura...and a little bit of Chekov), but it really focuses mostly a new

I saw this the other day on AxaMonitor's facebook page, a trolling post from TampAxanar (a humorous reaction to the Axanar debacle?). I did smile a bit at the well deserve ribbing  of Alec Peters, but there is still a part of me that wants to see the damned thing produced.

A bit sophomoric humor about a Klingon's resting angry face...(original archive here)

Star Trek Classics: The Next Generation: Enemy Unseen by Keith R.A. DeCandidoMy rating: 0 of 5 stars This was an interesting collection of Next Generation comics. There were some very odd stories in this collection where the story was more than a little odd, like having Picard and Troy being quite nimble and round-house some aliens in the jaw... The design of some aliens reminds me a little

With the end of the original series trek,the Sev Trek crew moved onto the X Generation. Before I start re-posting from the archive, here is an introduction to the crew. 20 years ago when I first came across these I thought they were funny.  Some of them now seem quite sophomoric... 😐 . I guess some things don't get better with age 😜 Jet Lag Pinchhard As Captain of the Enterforaprize,

Legacies: Book 1: Captain to Captain by Greg CoxMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Quite an interesting kick off to the 50th anniversary novel special (if you'd call it that). This story deals with characters that were seen in the original pilot (the one that was never picked up), with Number One (Majel Barrett's character) coming to Kirk's enterprise to take a piece of tech that allow s for interdimentional

I came across this (really short) fan film a few weeks ago but I had not had time to watch it up until now.  The design aesthetic is definitely NuTrek, but that doesn't bother me.  It does fit within the CBS/Paramount fan-film guidelines, and in doing so it really lacks much engagement.The more brutal star trek fans out there say that it sucks, for a variety of reasons, including that it's

Love thyself?  (original archive here)

I came across this re-cut of Star Trek the Motion Picture using Daft Punk's soundtrack from Tron:Legacy.  Pretty interesting!

Earth-centered starfleet? nope! It's the entire galaxy! (original archive here)

Kirk can only focus on one thing at a time...  (original archive here)

LOL, that is before the JJ reboot of course ;-) (original archive here)

Next week the summer event starts in STO.  Looks like a T6 Vorgon dreadnaught is the main prize (really wish I could get the first two summer ships that I never bothered getting....and not in a Phoenix pack!)

ROFL...(original archive here)

The Orville is a scifi comedy show coming to FOX this coming fall.  It being on FOX, if the show is any good it will most likely be cancelled (LOL), but I hope it's good and it stays on the air (if Family Guy is still on the air...then surely this must remain as well!)Many seem to be comparing it to Galaxy Quest, but I think the comparison is a bit off.  Galaxy Quest was about actors playing

Hmmmm...(original archive here)

Holy Chalupa, Batman!After close to 5 years of playing this Star Trek Online (since it went Free to Play basically) my primary character (Tolya Kotrolya) has finally maxed out all of his commendations!  The elusive commendation was the "recruitment" commendation which for the Federation folk it seems pretty hard to get (unless you want to sacrifice a whole bunch of uncommon and rare Duty Offices

I soooo don't remember this part of the movie... rewatch is in order...(original archive here)

When I first came across this in high school I thought it was funny...now some of these seem in poor taste... RIP Montgomery Scott(original archive here)

Escalation hit the interwebs last week, and having played a bit this weekend it's not bad!  The Smoke & Mirrors mission reminded me a little of Star Wars (the aesthetic), and a little bit of Captain Planet (the "don't mess up your planet by polluting, Kids!)I played a bit in the competitive warzone queues and the space one is definitely my favorite or the two. The ground missions (invisible

LOL...The one where they meet God?(original archive here)

Poor Scotty...(original archive here)

Well... Just as I finished one reputation (Lukari), and have enough marks to get the gear...and now there is a new reputation coming along.  More grind....more grind :p   This one has several different types of sets that can be mixed and matched, which means a ton of grinding ahead.  But hey, there are capes!

So long and thanks for all the fish... :-) (original archive here)

I came across this trailer for a fan film which seems to be following the Enterprise's first captain, Robert April.  Looks interesting and well made.  Wonder what the final one episode will look like :-)

Someone needs to have Trek time travel and do fast food...but these days that might just be free product placement...Advertising ruins everything! :-) (original archive here)

When I logged into Star Trek Online I heard a bunch or BLIM, BLORP, SWOOOOSH sounds.  I thought Q was at it again.  Well, it turns out that it was just the new artisanal sonification system :p (Happy April Fools)

STO is down for maintenance.  Last night the First Contact event was hard to get into, which I assume is one of the things being looked at.  I loved this patch note today:  Resolved an issue where the Heavy Escort Railgun was healing enemies instead of damaging them. Healing your enemies would make for some really long battles - but this gives me a good idea for a console: 

I was getting some Snakes on a Plane thoughts with this one " I have had it with these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday through Friday plane!" ;-)(original archive here)