The Art of Star Trek (1995)

The Art of Star Trek (1995)

Authors: Judith + Garfield Reeves-Stevens | Illustrators: Various | Page Count: 298

'If we define art as "the activity of creating beautiful things," then STAR TREK's futuristic, alien, often bizarre imagery most assuredly qualifies.'

I do sometimes 'state the obvious' for the benefit of folks that are curious but aren't a part of a particular franchise's fandom, but a book titled The Art of Star Trek explains itself. So if there's anyone still in any doubt as to what the content is, then you're probably reading the wrong blog.

What can't be gleaned from the cover alone is the sheer range of content inside, from rarely seen production sketches to familiar but still awesome key art, some of which has been used on posters and commercial home video formats for decades, and all presented on lavishly glossy paper stock.

Star Trek: Spock Reflections (2010)

Star Trek: Spock Reflections (2010)

Authors: Scott + David Tipton | Illustrator: David Messina | Page Count: 104

"Your path will be one similar to mine, lieutenant. Learning how to incorporate logic into your relationships and decisions is not merely a matter of Starfleet training — it will be a lifelong journey."

Being promoted as a 'follow-up' to the 'smash hit Star Trek: Countdown (2009) movie prequel' kept me from reading the Spock Reflections TPB for a long time. But it was in my possession and I thought I should at least give it a try before deciding whether to keep it or not. It tuned out there was no need for lowered expectations; the story stands apart and is genuinely quite good.

It could be considered a 'follow-up' to the previous embarrassment in that it came out afterwards, but none of what happened in Countdown has any major bearing on what you get in the newer collection.

It does, however, reference a significant portion of Spock's life before the reboot happened, so readers with knowledge of both TOS and TNG continuity will have an advantage over those without it.

Star Trek: The Return (1996)

Star Trek: The Return (1996)

Authors: William Shatner / Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens  | Page Count: 371

'For a silent moment after, even the rain stopped. When it began again, it felt gentle. Warm. Slow as tears.'

Like The Ashes of Eden (1995) did before it, The Return opens on Veridian III and continues the story of the Star Trek: Generations (1994) film. It's not a flashback narrative this time, though, it's the real deal, an actual continuation of current events.

It engineers a ridiculous scenario that brings together aspects and crew of TOS, TNG and DS9 for a ret-conning adventure that's thick with melodrama and action movie clichés. Some of the connections made are mind-blowing and may have fans either happy-clapping or furiously fighting. Either way, some of the reveals in the last quarter are extremely memorable. It's unfortunate that a large portion of the remainder of the book is such a damned chore to get through.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: TV Movies (1987-94)

Star Trek: TNG: The Complete TV Movies

Dirs. Various / 10 feature-length TV Movies / 835 mins (approx total)

I've covered the individual seasons of The Next Generation elsewhere on The 7th and Last blog, but in order to keep those posts at an acceptable length I didn't dwell too much on the two-parters; aka the TV 'movies'. This post indulges my desire to give them a little more attention.

There are ten in all, and because there's some TNG moments in Deep Space 9's pilot episode I'll add it, too. Naturally, given the number, it'll be longer than my usual post length.

Star Trek: Countdown (2009)

Star Trek: Countdown (2009)

Authors: Mike Johnson / Tim Jones | Illustrator: David Messina | Page Count: 98

"It's worse than we thought."

A prequel comic to the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise. I consider such tie-ins to be mostly easy milk from the cash-cow, but ST:C is mostly water.

Set post-Nemesis (2002) it attempts to link The Next Generation cast with events from the film, acting as yet another passing of the torch, but it's ham-fisted. In most cases cameos from TNG's crew exist for no reason other than to have cameos from TNG crew.

Their actions and dialogue aren't properly tailored to fit how their TV show counterparts would act or speak in the same situation; change the facial likeness and it'd be difficult to guess who it's meant to be. Speaking of which, the artwork is generally good, with characters looking like the actors they represent, and both light and shadow are handled well by the colourist(s).

Star Trek X: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Dir. Stuart Baird

TNG's final cinematic venture was directed by Stuart Baird, who admitted during a video interview that he hadn't bothered to watch even a single episode of The Next Generation television series, and, while viewing Nemesis, it shows.

Instead of constructing what could've been comparable to a TNG version of The Wrath of Khan (1982) he made a dark Star W_rsy film with characters that he clearly didn't understand.

It's saved mostly by the regular cast members, particularly Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Data (Brent Spiner), who imbue their roles with their usual professionalism. And like Insurrection (1998) did, it creates a situation that allows crew members who would ordinarily be absent to be on board the Enterprise (E) when things kick off.

Star Trek IX: Insurrection (1998)

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Dir. Jonathan Frakes

The usually dependable Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) goes ape-shit whilst on an alien planet, during an undercover mission for Starfleet. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew make it their business to find out why.

Insurrection is a mixed bag. The good bits are exciting and even sometimes funny, but for long-time fans it's obvious that it's treading old ground.

However, if you can somehow ignore that you've seen the same kind of thing multiple times already in the weekly TV series, then the story itself is entertaining enough. It's less action-filled than the previous TNG feature film, but on the flip side it contains more quiet, reflective moments, focussing on family and environmental concerns.

The many rewrites are obvious, but production values are high, and aside from one face-palm moment involving Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and a joystick, it's worth watching.

Star Trek VIII: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Dir. Jonathan Frakes

The Borg, having had a rather dramatic redesign to make them look a lot more menacing than they did in the weekly TNG series, attempt to bring the entire Federation to its knees once and for all.

Naturally, the Federation take up arms and fight back. The majority of the fleet is deployed to stop the aggressors, but the Borg have a Plan B.

First Contact is Picard (Patrick Stewart) and  Data's (Brent Spiner) story, everyone else is just along for the ride. That suits me; those two stalwart characters are my all time favourites.

More than just duty, for Picard it's personal. They invaded his ship in Season 02 (episode 16), and they invaded him in Season 03 (episode 26); so he'll fight to the bitter end to protect what's his.

Following in the footsteps of Leonard Nimoy and The Shat, actor Jonathan Frakes is a Trek actor turned Trek director; it was his first feature film, although he'd directed episodes of TNG, DS9, and VOY previously, so he wasn't new to the gig.

Star Trek VII: Generations (1994)

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Dir. David Carson

There's a feeling in Trek fandom that when it comes to the movies the odd numbered entries generally aren't as good as the even numbered ones – at least, up to a point. I don't know if it's a majority feeling or merely a more published one, but for me it rings true. Generations, being film number VII, is an odd numbered entry.

Even though it has Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard in the same film (Oh my!), it's simply not as good as the even numbered features that came immediately before and after it.

It begins in the TOS era (2293), with three of the original cast members doing a kind of royal visit - followed by a news crew, they watch the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B. Kirk is antsy that he's not in the big chair, but deep down he knows change is inevitable: the torch must be passed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hive (2013)

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hive (2013)

Authors: Brannon Braga (story) / Terry Matalas + Travis Fickett (script)  |  Artist: Joe Corroney | Page Count: 104

"The last world of the old Federation fell over a century ago. Resistance was futile."

That's quite the cover art: the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, Borg cubes, Borg spheres, Borg drones, the Borg Queen, Seven of Nine, Locutus of Borg and Captain Picard arranged like a first year art student's scrap book. Something tells me it might be a Borg story.

It also suggests that what's inside is either very exciting or a desperate 'all eggs in one basket' bullshit ploy.

With expectations set for the latter, I discovered that it's really neither. It's standard non-cannon comic book nonsense that's set sometime after the end of TNG's Nemesis (2002) film and the Voyager TV series.

Jean-Luc Picard is still captain of the Federation's flagship, but he has a new number one because Riker is off being beardy and smug on the Luna-class USS Titan.

Star Trek: Fan Collectives (2006-09)

Star Trek: Fan Collective: Borg (2006)

Dirs. Various  |  Number of episodes: 12 + 2 feature-length (FL) movies

The Fan Collective box sets are a collection of various themed episodes culled from each of the live action Star Trek TV series and packaged together in shiny new boxes. The cynic in me thinks it's nothing more than a lazy cash-grab from Paramount, once again exploiting fans who'll buy anything with a Trek logo on it. The optimist in me is forced to agree.

So, with Paramount's shameless tactics established, what do we actually get in each Collective box?

First up, the Borg ("Sounds Swedish") collection contains every episode from both TNG and ENT in which the semi-mechanical, drone-like menaces appeared, which amounts to six TNG and one ENT.

The remainder of the four-disc box is VOY episodes. The Borg played a major role in the VOY series, but it was too much of a good thing. The overuse turned them from a mysterious threat into a collective of chumps. Although it did give us Seven of Nine, who turned out to be one of the best characters in the entire VOY series, in my opinion.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 7 (1993-94)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 7 (1993-94)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Longtime fans of TNG will get the most from what the seventh and last season offers. There's a lot of looking back, while also moving forward. A number of significant events from previous years are referenced or recalled, right back even to the Farpoint mission, the very first episode of Season 1 (1987-88).

Family plays an important role; mothers and sons mostly, but also fathers, brothers and the extended family you create for yourself from people who become closer than just friends, who earn respect a thousand times over just by being who they are at heart, free from any kind of ingratiating agenda.

And while strange new worlds are indeed explored, new life and new civilisations thoroughly sought out, there's also a dangerous limitation to be considered, one that has consequences for more than just the crew of the Federation's flagship. It's something that doesn't get forgotten by the next episode, which does sometimes happen in these kinds of episodic shows, and I'll be looking out for it as I progress through TNG's successor, the Deep Space Nine series, which takes place in the same time period.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 6 (1992-93)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 6 (1992-93)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Something I noted in a previous TNG post rings true again here: that a common theme serves as the basis for a number of different episodes throughout the entire season. This time it's 'transformation'. There's the emotional growth kind, of course, but there's also social, temporal changes (such as ageing), and even a number of actual species transformations!

It begins by concluding the Season 5 cliffhanger, Times Arrow. Thereafter, things progress steadily.

Overall, it's not the most memorable season for fans of TNG, but there are some notable episodes that need to be watched. I don't feel that any of them are actually the best the season has to offer, but they each have lasting consequences. Some examples are:

Ep. 20: The Chase, an episode that explores a question that a great many observant Trek fans have been asking themselves since the TOS days.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5 (1991-92)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 5 (1991-92)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Amid the twenty-fourth century problems tackled by the Enterprise crew (e.g. coolant leaks, transporter malfunctions, stubborn settlers on other planets, etc) are a large number of issues and moral dilemmas that affect people of all eras, meaning the show continued to be both universal and timeless in its topics.

One of the issues successfully tackled was an exploration of gender and attraction that the science fiction genre is well-equipped to deal with.

It's perhaps a coincidence, but more than any of the preceding seasons there are episodes centred around or featuring children: there's a birth, an orphan, an imaginary friend, more than one single parent story, and an episode in which Picard has to deal with a trio of kids all by himself. The later isn't a particularly memorable episode in itself, but it highlights how funny the Captain (i.e. Patrick Stewart) could be when he was allowed to step down from the pedestal of seriousness. Speaking of Picard, he gets a stylish new coat that no one else in the crew gets - ahh, the perks of captaincy!

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 4 (1990-91)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 4 (1990-91)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

TNG didn't have the same level of continuity as the subsequent DS9 and VOY incarnations of Star Trek had, but not all events passed without consequence and, more than any of the preceding years, Season 4 made an effort to address that situation.

It begins by concluding the Season 3 cliff-hanger, The Best of Both Worlds. The episode that follows directly after it explores the feelings that one key member of the crew was left to deal with after his ordeal at the hands of the Borg had ended. In the remaining episodes there are at least a dozen returning characters from previous years, most of whom upset the apple cart in some way.

Speaking of which, Lwaxana Troi is a wonderfully rich character. She gets an opportunity to show that she's more than just a Betazoid thorn with an elevated libido in Captain Picard's side. (Plus, it makes me grin when she converses with the ship's computer.)

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 3 (1989-90)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 3 (1989-90)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

There'll always be exceptions, but in my experience, whether by accident or design, within forms of entertainment patterns emerge if you care to look for them: book two of a trilogy is often the weakest; tracks one and seven of a CD are often the strongest; and season three of a TV series is often one of the best. TNG is no different. Mostly it's business as usual, with Picard having to accommodate self-important assholes at the behest of his superiors and play diplomatic mediator in heated situations, but there's also a lot of new directions taken.

Wesley matures and develops into less of a dick. His mom, Dr Crusher, returns to sickbay, so the argumentative Katherine Pulaski is out. There's no mention of why or where Pulaski went, but I like to think she married an Antedean dignitary and now lives as a cold and miserable fishwife on Antede III.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 2 (1988-89)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 2 (1988-89)

22 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Season Two took the formula that had been suitably refined by the end of Season One and shook it up a little. Not straight away, the majority of it follows the same safely laid path, but as it nears the end a dangerous element that upsets the equilibrium is introduced. The Federation's sense of superiority (that they'd never openly admit to having) is challenged and, much to Picard's disdain, ideologies need adjusted. It's no longer just about exploration.

There were some new additions to the crew roster. Two of them are significant for different reasons, although technically they can both be called healers.

The first is Commander Katherine Pulaski who replaced Beverly Crusher as the ship's Chief Medical Officer. Pulaski appears to be modelled on TOS's Dr Leonard McCoy, but they never go so far as to have her say McCoy's most often quoted line.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1 (1987-88)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 1 (1987-88)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

I remember people saying it was a ridiculous idea making a new Trek, that it was an insult to The Original Series (TOS), but I think having Gene Roddenberry as creator helped smooth the transition for a lot of them. I was too young to feel the nostalgia burn (I was only 11), so I embraced The Next Generation one hundred percent.

The pilot episode is recognisably Roddenberry. It's easy to imagine TOS crew in place of TNG crew.

However, from episode two things begin to change. It's amazing how quickly it settled into a new and unique identity. The actors seemed to bond and a very real sense of camaraderie surfaced. It still paid homage to TOS (Deanna Troi in her "cosmic cheerleader" outfit, and orange skies on alien worlds, etc) but at heart it became a series of quality sci-fi scripts wrapped in a shiny new Trek aesthetic.