Cover Story - Top 12 Star Trek: The Next Generation Covers

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And so we come to year two of the Star Trek celebration.  If you haven’t been following along, 2016 was the 50^th anniversary of Star Trek’s first airing, an event I celebrate with a whole bunch of articles.  2017 marks both the 30^th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as the premiere of the all-new ongoing series Star Trek: Discovery.   

As both of those events are in the upcoming week I’ve elected to honor them the only way I know how: a deep dive into cover art.  I already dedicated a whole Cover Story to Star Trek covers last year but the great thing about Star Trek is they keep giving you options so while last year I looked at Original Series related covers this year will be Next Generation related covers.  Presumably, come 2021 we’ll mark Enterprise’s anniversary the same way- assuming we make it that far.  And on that oh so cheerful note let’s dive into the top 12 Next Generation comic covers.

Star Trek Discovery Trailer Breakdown

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As I write this, it’s been a little over 10 years since Star Trek disappeared from our TV screens.  In that time, the franchise and the cultural landscape it inhabits have undergone a serious change.  The franchise got reinvented as a slick action vehicle 2009, which is only now starting to find a genuine identity in the likes of Star Trek Beyond.  Meanwhile, the TV landscape has been completely transformed by material like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Supergirl, Mad Men, American Horror Story, and countless others. 

Outside the realms of TV, technology is quickly advancing on the heels of Star Trek through VR and 3D printers, while also growing into directions the shows couldn’t have imagined such as social media or streaming video.  Meanwhile, on the political scale, the world is gripped by the tendrils of xenophobia and fascism as the gap between wealthy and poor grows ever wider.  Suffice it to say, it’s a different world now than it was 10 years ago and one that needs a different Star Trek and, this fall, CBS is going to give it to us with Star Trek Discovery. 

Static Thoughts - In A Mirror Darkly

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It seems these days that alternate realities and parallel universes are everywhere.  That’s actually kind of to be expected as nerdy media becomes more and more of a dominant genre.  Back in the day geek material struggled for mainstream relevance unless it stripped out as many of its big ideas as possible but these days people are making movies and shows out of Ant-Man and Dr. Strange.  As such, digging into more complicated ideas like the Multiverse, pocket universes, or altered continuity are becoming more and more widespread. 

The Flash has really embraced this idea with the Multiverse and Flashpoint, Legends of Tomorrow had its own altered universe episode, Stranger Things was built on a dimensional foundation, and Agents of SHIELD has found serious success with an altered continuity story set in a world where the bad guys won called ‘Agents of Hydra.’  As I’m eager to capitalize on this trend I thought I’d look back at hands down my favorite altered reality story, coming to us from the most hated Star Trek series of them all Star Trek: Enterprise- this is ‘In A Mirror Darkly.’

Static Thoughts - Star Trek 'Patterns of Force'

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So, the current mega-event that’s set to dominate comic book stores from Marvel this summer is one Secret Empire.  I don’t want to get too bogged down in the details because the discussion surrounding this event is more toxic than a nuclear spill, largely because the core of the series is all about Nazis and Nazi collaborators.  There’s been a lot of back and forth about this from the top minds on the Internet, but the whole thing got me thinking about one of the stranger corners of the Star Trek universe. 

I’m speaking of course about ‘Patterns of Force,’ a season 2 episode of the original series that famously featured a planet of alien Nazis and when I say “alien Nazis” I mean that quite literally.  The episode set Spock and Kirk against a mysterious humanoid species out in space that sported a direct copy of the Nazi regime from Earth.  It’s a weird mystery episode that’s always held an odd place in Trek canon, with particular scenes coming to be definitive of the TOS era in our collective memory while the rest has become banished to obscurity. 

6 Actors Who Should Play Nightwing

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By now you’ve probably seen the LEGO Batman movie, especially if the box office reports are to be believed.  It’s a monster success, a second major hit for WB’s LEGO brand, and pretty much the first major win for a Batman adaptation since Arkham City back in 2011.  We’re probably going to see a ton of takeaways from this endeavor on what’s required to make a good LEGO movie, but the more important one for superhero fans is what message this flick sends about making Batman films.  The heart of LEGO Batman is to embrace the extended Batman family and a lighter, funnier take on the hero and it seems pretty clear WB has heard received that message as they’ve already tapped the director, Chris McKay, to direct a Nightwing movie. 

For those who don’t know, Nightwing was the identity adopted by an adult version of the first Robin, Dick Grayson, after he stopped being Batman’s sidekick and branched out on his own.  Given that this movie’s now entered DC’s sites I figured it’d be fun to have a look at all the interesting and compelling actors who could and should play Dick Grayson before they announce some mediocre white guy none of us have heard of. 

Static Thoughts - 7 Cameos to Expect in Star Trek Discovery

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Currently, we don’t know much about the upcoming Star Trek Discovery.  There’s been a lot of outdated information thrown around in the wake of Bryan Fuller’s departure from the project.  Combine that with the show’s string of delays and the show’s early positive buzz has given way to a low background hum.  However, I’m still hopeful the series will turn out good, and there is at least one thing we know about it- the time period of its setting.  The one consistent piece of news about Star Trek Discovery so far has been that the show will be another prequel to the original Star Trek series. 

A lot of folks have taken this news hard given the last time this was tried it gave us Star Trek: Enterprise, but I actually enjoy Enterprise, so I’m willing to look on the bright side, in particular, all the doors this time period opens up.  Specifically speaking the show will be set after the events of Enterprise but prior to Star Trek, the original series.  Given that I’m a massive Trekcionado, I’ve come up with 7 things from across the Star Trek franchise we can expect to cameo in Star Trek Discovery. 

5 O'Clock Shuffle - August 1st

Welcome to the first installment of the site's new broadcast the 5 O'Clock Shuffle, coming to you every Monday with the news you may have missed over the weekend and a look at what's to come, all in just under 10 minutes.

This week I take a look at The Great Wall controversy, some Disney reboots, Sharknado 4 and of course, the weekend box office report and New Comic Book Day round-up.

Star Trek: Discovery Trailer & Logo Revealed, Setting Speculation

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Edited by Robert Beach 

Over 11 years ago, Star Trek: Enterprise went off the air and ended the era of Trek on TV. Even though the franchise would be rescued from oblivion four years later with the J.J. Abrams reboot series, Star Trek as a sci-fi series of genuine renown, import, and intelligence wouldn’t reassert itself till this year.  

Thanks to a double barrel strategy, Star Trek has marked its 50^th anniversary with a major return to prominence thanks to a quality movie and an upcoming new TV show helmed by Hannibal show runner Bryan Fuller.  

Now, we’ve finally got a title and imagery. The first short teaser for the new series debuts the lead ship and gives some cryptic clues about the setting. So let’s dive into our first major look at Star Trek: Discovery. 

Cover Story - Top 15 Star Trek Covers

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So, today’s the day, the release of Star Trek Beyond.  I’ll have already seen it by the time this article goes up but for now consider me psyched, especially because a lot of people I trust are telling me it’s great.  For now, though, I thought we’d celebrate Star Trek one more time before the new film’s release as, after all, this is the 50^th anniversary of the series; that’s worth doing something special.  

So, I dug through dozens of old issues to bring you the top 15 Star Trek covers from across the multitude of Trek comics that have been published over the years.  For this list, I’m sticking to covers featuring the original series crew, but there’s still a lot to get to so, let’s dive into the shallow end and get the cover story on the top 15 Star Trek comic covers. 

Week of Review - Star Trek Film Ranking

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This really doesn’t require any kind of a thesis at this point right?  I mean, at time of writing the Star Trek film franchise boasts a robust 13 movies and counting, spanning several decades, crews, directors, and quality.  In a weird way Star Trek has become a constant of the pop cultural landscape, always existing in one form or another throughout every decade.  

Though there have been dips and peaks in the franchise’s popularity it’s always had some standard barer in every decade from the original series in the ‘60s to the animated show in the ‘70s, the first six film series in the ‘80s, the triple threat of ‘90s TV shows with Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager, the 2000s Next Gen films and Enterprise, and then the revival series in the 2010s.  

It’s transcended from simply a franchise into an institution, to the point that the real test of quality for each new Star Trek film as become where it stacks up against the rest of the franchise.  As such, let’s rank all 13 of the Star Trek films (yes, I saw Star Trek Beyond at a midnight screening for this.)

Week of Review - Why I Love Voyager

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As I continue to celebrate Star Trek’s 50^th anniversary and the release of the new film, we come now to Star Trek: Voyager.  This is the series where most hardcore Trek fans consider the franchise to have stumbled, citing Voyager and Enterprise, along with the last 2 TNG films, as the collapse of the franchise in its final years before the reboot.  Personally I can’t say I agree with that. 

Certainly, the two final films of the TNG series are awful but having gone through all of Voyager and Enterprise they are not bad Star Trek, in fact I’d rank them well above Next Generation and, most pertinent to this conversation, I’d actually say Voyager is my favorite Star Trek show of the entire franchise.  Not necessarily the best, that’s probably still reserved for Deep Space 9 or the original series, but definitely the one I liked the most, the one I tend to revisit most often, and the big reason for that is, bizarrely, that everyone on the ship seems like horrible people. 

Week of Review - The Dominion War

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In 1993, Star Trek: The Next Generation had become so successful that the powers that be decided to produce a spin-off show.  The idea for the spin-off took awhile to coalesce, with the central concept of a Trek show set on a space station eventually manifesting after the network passed on a similar premise from J. Michael Straczynski entitled Babylon 5.  The resulting show was Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and it’s widely considered to be the best Star Trek show of all time.  The series was about the titular station Deep Space 9, a platform set-up over the backwater world of Bajor near the edge of Alpha Quadrant. 

The station was intended to watch over Bajor as it recovered from centuries of occupation, but in the first episode the station’s new command Ben Sisko discovers a stable wormhole nearby that leads across the galaxy.  Now, it’s up to Deep Space 9 to facilitate the political, exploratory, and military forces that pour between two sides of the galaxy.  All of that lead together into a 4 season long mega-arc that stands as the greatest Star Trek story ever told: the Dominion War.

Week of Review - Top 12 Next Generation Episodes

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It’s day 3 of the countdown till Star Trek Beyond and I’ve moved on to looking at the third Star Trek show: The Next Generation.  Launching in 1989, Star Trek: The Next Generation revitalized the franchise and really changed how nerd properties were perpetuated.  Previously, every iteration of Trek had come with the same characters; it was always Kirk, always Spock, always McCoy.  Now, for the first time, there was a new series with the Star Trek name but no returning heroes, a new crew with a new status quo and new dangers. 

This is the show that would launch Star Trek’s renaissance, eventually leading to two spin-off shows and a full series of movies all its own.  The ‘90s was the decade of Star Trek and this show is the reason why.  As befits such a monumental series, I’m celebrating it here with a top 12 list as, even though the show is really good, its quality is much more limited to characters and short episodes than an overarching kind of quality in the vein of Deep Space Nine or Voyager. 

Week of Review - In Defense of Star Trek The Animated Series

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Edited by Robert Beach

For day two of my celebration of Star Trek, I thought I’d focus on an obscure and somewhat forgotten chapter in Trek’s history. In 1969, Star Trek concluded its three-season run after budgetary restrictions and dwindling audience interest forced it off the air. Even though the show was a prestigious series in its time, garnering a lot of admiration from doctors and scientist, the ‘60s just wasn’t the age of genre shows on TV. That all changed in the ‘70s when TV took over as the outlet for disposable, high-concept viewing. 

While movies spent the ‘70s getting more challenging and more adult, TV doubled down on the stranger genre elements, giving us major series like Wonder Woman, 6 Million Dollar Man, and The Incredible Hulk as well as forgotten gems like Logan’s Run and the Planet of the Apes series. Seeking to capitalize on this trend, Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry pushed for a new series, yet was met with some resistance due to the cost of creating sets and costumes. Given how much of this new genre television was aimed at younger audience, Rodenberry went to one of the biggest names in cheap, younger entertainment: Hanna-Barbera. Thus, Star Trek: the Animated Series was born. 

Week in Review - Star Trek TOS Episode Guide

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Edited by Robert Beach

A week from today we’ll be seeing the latest entry in the Star Trek franchise. Normally this wouldn’t be that big deal. After all, Star Trek hasn’t been relevant since Star Trek: First Contact. However, this is also the 50^th anniversary of Star Trek as a franchise and the beginning of our movement towards a new Star Trek show in the real Star Trek continuity run by Bryan Fuller. That makes this a bigger deal, even if Star Trek Beyond only looks decent as opposed to “50^th anniversary special” good. 

Then again, we’ve had a ton of big anniversaries lately, and it’s not as if the celebrations for Batman, Superman, Doctor Who, or Wonder Woman were all that much more impressive. For the next seven days, I celebrate Star Trek across its history starting with the one that started it all: the original series. Rather than a full review of the show (which wouldn’t fit the show’s format), this is an episode guide. I’ll mainly be looking at the mythos episodes; the ones that make up the core of the original series along with a recommendation on whether or not they’re worth watching.

 

Star Trek Beyond News Round-Up

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Edited by Robert Beach

Each summer season brings its own crop of questions for the blockbuster season. This year, we had questions like “can WB finally get its act together to make good movie?” (so far: no); “can Marvel produce a movie that’s part solo outing and part Avengers flick and have it work?” (yes) “is there enough ‘90s nostalgia for a new Independence Day? (a definite no)”

One of the few questions still looming over the season is whether or not Paramount’s Star Trek franchise can finally escape the ghetto of directionless mediocrity it’s been stranded in since the 2009 reboot. After Star Trek Into Darkness’s underperformed and lackluster audience response, the “Paramount” forces brought in Justin Lin to try and revive the Trek magic and bring the series back to the dynamite franchise it was 20 years ago. That attempt is Star Trek Beyond, and it’s coming later this month. Let’s see what we know. 

Arrow Adds Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog

Edited by Robert Beach 

How do you solve a problem like Arrow?  That might seem disingenuous given Arrow is the show that kicked off the CW-verse, a vast miasma of interconnected television shows that spans 4 series and a huge amount of characters; the likes we haven’t seen since the Star Trek triple threat of Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager in the late ‘90s, but hear me out.  As important as Arrow was to the origins of the CW-verse, there’s no denying at this point the show’s been outpaced by its own spin-offs. 

The Flash rushed ahead to become a massive favorite; Legends of Tomorrow brought superhero team action to life in a way never thought possible, and Supergirl is the best live-action adaptation of the Superman mythos since Superman 2. Arrow has little to do now, especially now that Ras Al Ghul has receded from the series’ emphasis. So how do you keep a show like Arrow relevant and interesting without just trying to rip-off Batman (like in seasons 1 and 2)? Well, obviously you do what worked in season 3, Arrow’s best season; you rip-off Daredevil.

Panel Vision - Evil Duplicate Guide

Evil Duplicates, they’re such a staple of genre fiction it seems almost inevitable that they infect every aspect of geekery.  As one might expect, there are a ton of evil duplicates in the realm of comics, mainly because most superheroes have been around for decades and decades and rather than reuse old characters authors love to make up their own spin on the concept.  That actually proves pretty fruitful as so far a lot of the evil duplicates we’ve got have proved pretty diverse an interesting as far as takes on a very well established concept go.  Granted it helps that we’ve also had decades to weed out the stuff no one cares about but that just means the stuff now is even more interesting.  Given The Flash’s obsession with evil versions of the hero and Supergirl’s premiering Bizarro, I figured now would be a good time to give you the run down on the evil duplicates of DC and Marvel. 

Static Thoughts - X-Files: Pusher

One of the majorly anticipated events of 2016 is the return of the X-Files, a genre show from the ‘90s that lasted 9 seasons, 2 movies, and served to dominate the sci-fi landscape in that decade.  Seriously, Star Wars may have been king in the ‘80s and Terminator was an early wonder of the ‘90s but it was X-Files and Star Trek that truly ruled the ‘90s sci-fi conversation and with good reason.  X-Files managed to grow from a ‘90s curiosity revolving around conspiracy theory Americana like big foot and Area 51 into an incredibly tight and well written horror sci-fi series that was the first time cops and the paranormal were combined in the mainstream. 

The entirety of genre TV has been impacted by the X-Files, with some additional points even into mainstream television, like how Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan got his start on X-Files.  One of Gilligan’s episodes is my subject for today’s review, a season 3 installment called ‘Pusher’ that revolves around a disaffected sociopath with the power to psychokinetically impose his will on people.  Basically, the titular Pusher is like the first draft version of Kilgrave, the villain of 2015’s hit streaming superhero show Jessica Jones.

Star Trek Beyond Trailer

In case my various previous articles weren’t enough of an indicator I am a massive and unapologetic Star Trek fan.  I was first introduced to the franchise through the serviceable if not terribly great 2009 reboot movie but since then I’ve made my way through all the films, nearly all the shows (still not done with Enterprise,) Star Trek: Online, and several interesting EU novels.  However, being a fan is a double edged sword because it means I’ve developed a sense of what I want Star Trek to be, a definition informed more by my own personal likes and ideas about the various series rather than strict adherence to canon.  For instance, I think Star Trek should be driven by character drama and emotion above all else but that doesn’t change the fact the original series was predominately informed by setting up occasions for flights of insanity, wrestling, sword fights, and laser battles. 

So going into the trailer for Star Trek Beyond I’m more than a little hesitant to jump on the proclamations of whether this IS or ISN’T Star Trek.  After all, my own definitions of what Star Trek IS have changed significantly over my time as a fan so it’s not like there’s a hard and firm definition and at the same time the question of definition is ultimately secondary to the question of quality.  So, while I will talk about the Trekkiness of this trailer eventually for now my question is; is it any good, to which the answer is a resounding “not really.”