Star Trek

Möbius Trek

by

On Tuesday evening, I finally finished watching Star Trek: Enterprise (the finale of which is, well, a rather impressive number of bad decisions for a series finale). This was a bit of a personal milestone for me, as it was the first time where I had watched all of Star Trek’s canon at least once. Some, of course, I’ve watched many times, but ENT was the last series I’d never gotten around to watching.

Of course, that milestone only lasted for roughly 36 hours, since as of midnight this morning, the latest episode of Lower Decks went live, and I won’t get to see it until tonight. But I’m not about to complain that my milestone didn’t last long because we’re in the midst of almost six months straight of new Star Trek coming out each week!

So what now? Well, keep going, of course!

As long as I’ve just finished ENT, which is chronologically the first series, it just makes sense to continue on with a chronological re-watch. Using the list from the Star Trek Chronology Project as my guide, I’m rolling right in to the first two seasons of DIS (which, admittedly, will be a little weird for a bit once S3 of DIS starts broadcasting, but crossing time streams is pretty normal for Trek, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to cope), and then it’s on to TOS, TAS, TNG, LDS, DS9, VOY, PIC…and then we start all over again, right? ;)

Right now, I’m particularly looking forward to the TOS/TAS/TNG re-watches, both because they’re the ones I’ve last watched least recently, and because for each of them, though I picked up the remastered sets on Blu-ray for my personal collection, I’ve not actually taken the time to do more than sample a few bits here and there. It’ll be nice to finally see the restorations that have been patiently waiting for me to get around to them.

LLAP 🖖

by

📚 thirty-eight of 2020: The Captains’ Honor by David and Daniel Dvorkin ⭐️⭐️ #startrek #tng

Somehow the Roman gladiator planet from TOS has become a full member of the Federation, with a Starfleet ship crewed entirely by these neo-Romans. It does not go well.

by

📚 thirty-five of 2020: Masks by John Vornholt ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #startrek #tng 🖖

Given current events, it’s kind of amusing to be reading a Trek adventure in a society where everyone wears masks at all times, and their status is determined by the type and quality of their mask.

by

📚 thirty-four of 2020: Power Hungry by Howard Weinstein ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #startrek #tng 🖖

Much better than the last one. While the environmental themes are pretty heavy-handed, it’s nice to find a Trek novel where everything isn’t wrapped up neatly with a bow by the end.

by

📚 thirty-three of 2020: Strike Zone by Peter David ⭐️⭐️ #startrek #tng

Can’t decide if it wants to be comedic or serious, and has wildly out-of-character (or ridiculously exaggerated) moments for nearly every main character. Amusing moments, but not a good Trek novel.

by

📚 thirty-two of 2020: Survivors by Jean Lorrah ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #startrek #tng

Explores Tasha Yar’s past, her reconciliation with parts of that past shortly before her death, and her relationship with Data. Despite having some early-novel oddities, this one was a bit above average. 🖖

by

📚 thirty-one of 2020: The Children of Hamlin by Carmen Carter ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #startrek #tos

Decent for early TNG, though more than a bit on-the-nose with the Pied Piper connections (children abducted from a place called Hamlin by aliens whose language is music). 🖖

Star Trek: LDS meets TAS

by

Here’s a gag I’d like to see on Lower Decks: Either through needing to research something that happened on the TOS Enterprise and reviewing ship’s logs, or perhaps (if necessary, though it’s been done to death) through a time travel mishap, we see the TAS Enterprise crew in all their ’70s Filmation glory.

Here’s a few quick mockups I tossed together using screenshots from the first LDS episode.

The TAS bridge crew says hello to…well, a few random background extras, I guess, since this was the only bridge shot with the view screen in LDS S01E01.

TAS vs. LDS 1

Captain Freeman looks up some historical data on Captain Kirk while briefing Ensign Boimler.

TAS vs. LDS 2

Someone reviewing one of Mr. Spock’s science logs, perhaps?

TAS vs. LDS 3

by

📚 thirty of 2020: Die Standing by John Jackson Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #startrek #dis

A thoroughly entertaining romp with Emperor Georgiou between seasons one and two of DIS, as she adjusts to her new universe and gets recruited by Section 31. Plus ties to TOS and DS9. Fun! 🖖

by

📚 twenty-nine of 2020: The Peacekeepers, by Gene DeWeese ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #startrek 🖖

A bit of early TNG taking on the Prime Directive. A marked improvement from the last (first) novel, but still obviously at a point where the characters were still being developed.