Starfleet Uniform Differences Explained

In the past few days, I have noticed a number of Facebook posts where people are confused with Starfleet uniforms. The main issue is where there are two different types of uniform seen in the same episode and as to why this happens. I am going to focus on the TNG era, including TNG, DS9 and VOY.

I’ve answered these posts the best I can, but I’ve come to the conclusion that some people need a visual answer to help them understand, so I’ve attempted to do this with this post.

I’m not going to cover rank insignia and the like, merely the type of uniform seen, and not necessarily who wears it.

Unlike rank, the uniform worn by the main cast has been very consistent once you understand the theory behind why each series has a different uniform other than the real world reason of making each series different from the other.

I’ll explain below that the main reason you may see two different uniforms on screen in the same episode is because Starfleet employed a different style for its shipboard crews and it station bound crews. There is plenty of evidence to support this so keep reading…

Okay, the first instance we see of two types of uniform seen in one episode is at the start of TNG season 3.

ISSUE:

Here, demonstrated with the episode “The Defector”, we see the uniform introduced in TNG’s season 1 worn at the same time as the new uniform introduced at the start of season 3.

The Season 1 uniform featured a coloured pinstripe that ran across the shoulders of the wearer, whereas the season 3 uniform omitted this and added a higher collar with a coloured edge. This uniform becomes the standard shipboard and Starfleet Command uniform for the rest of TNG’s run. [Images 1 and 2]

 

 

 

 

REASON:

Out of universe, the reason is obviously that the production budget didn’t extend to making new uniforms for the countless extras that would be seen in the background, and occasionally, a guest character.

The in universe reason is as simple as gradually phasing in the new uniform to all crew members. You could argue that this wouldn’t be necessary as the replicator could be used to make uniforms for all the crew at the same time then introduce it all at once, which you’d be entitled to point out. It’s a plausible reason that fits in with the reason above.

The next anomaly is seen in DS9’s opener “Emissary”.

ISSUE:

Sisko is onboard the Saratoga during the battle of wolf 359 where he and the crew are wearing the same uniform as the crew of the Enterprise in TNG, and also with his meeting with Picard 3 years later in orbit of Bajor. No issue here, but immediately after his meeting with Picard, Sisko has changed from the black shoulder uniform to one which sports coloured shoulders. What’s happened here? [Images 3 and 4]

 

 

 

 

REASON:

Out of universe, DS9 is a brand new series and needed to look apart from what we have seen in TNG, so not only do we have the show based on a station with no starship in sight, the uniform had to change to distinguish it from what’s gone before.

In universe, the reason for the change is that officers and crew aboard Federation space stations and ground facilities wear a different uniform from those officers who work aboard starships and at Starfleet Headquarters.

This will become clear in the following examples.

In the TNG episode “Birthright”, Dr Bashir from Deep Space Nine is onboard the Enterprise, conducting some sort of experiment that gets the attention of Data, where they are both seen on screen. They are wearing different uniforms, Data with his usual black shoulders, as is the rest of the Enterprise crew, and Bashir is wearing the coloured shoulders that is usual of his and the rest of his crewmates back on the station. [Image 5]

This supports the idea of different uniforms for ship and station crews.

The next example also supports this idea, as we see William Riker come aboard DS9 in the episode “Defiant” wearing his usual black shoulder uniform, which stands out from those worn by the stations crew. It is of course William’s duplicate Thomas that boards the station masquerading as the Enterprise’s first officer. [Image 6]

Arguably the best example of the ship/station variant can be seen in the DS9 episode “Homefront” where a Changeling threat sees Sisko recalled to Earth. Before he departs, Sisko can be seen wearing his usual uniform of coloured shoulders, but when he arrives at Starfleet Headquarters he has changed to the black shoulder variant and meets with his old commanding officer Admiral Leyton. It is unclear why at this point he has changed, but during the conversation he has with Leyton, he is given temporary command of Starfleet Security, a post that would require him to change.

Also at the meeting is Commander Benteen, who is also wearing a shipboard uniform. Later we see a bunch of Starfleet officers in various locations all wearing shipboard uniforms, reinforcing the idea that officers based at Starfleet Headquarters also wear these uniforms as standard. [Images 7, 8 9, and 10]

[Note: Benteen was the commanding officer of the USS Lakota, so would be expected to wear a shipboard uniform, the rest of the Starfleet Personnel seen in this episode were based at Headquarters, so reinforces the idea of ship and station/ground uniforms. The only problem here is that “Homefront” is set way after the events in “Generations” (see below) so with this is mind, Benteen and all other Starfleet personnel SHOULD be in DS9 unifrom by now, the timings are a bit off.]

 

 

 

 

Next up, the one that really gets to people is “Star Trek Generations”, the movie where nobody knows whats going on with the uniforms.

ISSUE:

What we see here are the Enterprise crew interchanging between the two types of uniforms all the way through the movie. [Except Worf; more on that later]

REASON:

Out of universe reasons are pretty embarrassing for a movie, there was not enough money for the entire crew to have custom made uniforms of the type seen on DS9. In fact, Frakes had to wear Brooks’ uniform, which was way too big for him, so much so that Frakes had to roll up the sleeves.

In universe reasons are pretty much as those mentioned earlier with the transition between seasons 1 and 2 to season 3 of the TNG series, the crew were simply phasing in the DS9 uniform. It would seem Starfleet was standardising the uniform so that all personnel regardless of posting wore the same uniform. [Image 11]

The last example in the variant theory is when Worf arrives at DS9 in “The Way Of The Warrior” after the events of “Generations” and the destruction of the Enterprise, although this one doesn’t make much sense. Or does it?

So Sisko asks Starfleet to send over Worf so he can deal with some Klingon problems on the station, he arrives at the airlock and is met by old friend Miles O’Brien. At this meeting Worf is wearing his usual shipboard uniform, Miles his usual staionboard uniform.

If the idea of two different uniforms is correct then why would this be an issue? Well, Worf was onboard the Enterprise while the DS9 uniform was being rolled out, so why didn’t he already have one? It’s been sometime since the Enterprise was destroyed so Worf should have been given a new uniform in the interim no?

Apparently, he was one of those unlucky senior officers that didn’t get a new uniform. Throughout “Generations”, Worf continued to wear his standard shipboard uniform, he was never seen in DS9 variant.

And because he was on extended leave from Starfleet and considering resigning, maybe Starfleet didn’t get around to giving him one.

So during his secondment to DS9 he continued to wear his TNG gold uniform, that is until he decides to stay in Starfleet and accepts a permanent post on DS9 and receives a new uniform, but now, a red one. [Images 12 and 13]

 

 

 

 

[Note: this still doesn’t answer the question as to why the officers at Starfleet Headquarters and on the USS Lakota are not wearing DS9 style uniforms at this point, it only explains Worf’s circumstances.]

Just to show that Starfleet standardised the uniform to the one seen on DS9, that both ships and stations now wore the same clothing, the crew of the USS Voyager sport the DS9 uniform for it’s entire run. [Image 14]

But that isn’t the end. There is one last example of two different uniform variants seen on screen. In the Voyager episode “Message In A Bottle”, the EMH is sent back to the alpha quadrant through a relay network to the experimental Federation starship Prometheus. The crew of the Prometheus are wearing the uniform that was introduced in “Star Trek First Contact” the one that sports the grey shoulders, the one that was also introduced to DS9 in the season 5 episode “Rapture”.

Because Voyager is far from home, it never knew about this new uniform until this episode. It was seen again numerous times when they were eventually close enough to contact Starfleet on a regular basis but chose to continue with the DS9 uniform right up until the series finale.[Image 15]

We do however see Janeway in the grey shoulders as an admiral in “Star Trek Nemesis” [Image 16]

Well, that’s it, I hope this explains it for all of you that were confused. I just hope I haven’t confused you further.

 

 

Star Trek: Discovery Easter Eggs

As with any Star Trek series, episode or movie, Discovery is packed full of easter eggs, those
little tidbits designed to keep eagle eyed viewers glued to the screen, keeping die hard canon fans happy but a waste on the casual observer.

Some are more obvious than others. We know there are Klingons, humans and Vulcans, not really easter eggs, but the subtle details of these and other races hark back to established but sometimes little known facts and eye candy.

Below I have listed these easter eggs from the first two episodes of Discovery, so obviously – spoilers ahead.

First up,

Props

Props are probably the most abundant of easter eggs that can be found in any Star Trek live action series, usually in the form of weapons, computers, vehicles etc.

The phasers seen in Discovery, as well as the communicators appear more closely related to those seen in the TOS episode “The Cage” than those seen in the regular 3 seasons of The Original Series.

Klingon Bat’leths are also seen and mentioned by name, so these three items remain consistent with what we have boldly seen before.

In the Ready Room of the USS Shenzhou we see a couple of other props that have not been seen before but reference some pretty cool stuff.

There is for example, a series of books lined up along a shelf and some of the titles may be familiar to Trekkies. These titles include “Metamorphosis”, “Amok Time”, “All Our Yesterday’s” and “City On The Edge Of Forever”

All these book titles represent titles of TOS episodes – very cool indeed.

As with most incarnations of Star Trek, an anomoly is always present, in the case a bottle of Chateau Picard. While the bottle itself isn’t an issue (the Picard family have been wine makers for hundreds of years so there is no issue here), it’s the vintage that beggars belief…2267!! Discovery’s opening episode is set in 2256. (The bottle cannot actually be seen in the two opening episodes but it’s existence has been seen by the guys at Trek Core who had a tour of the set)

Maybe a time travel story is in the pipeline to establish where this bottle came from – probably not!

Starships

During the battle sequence, a number of Federation Starships turn up for the fight, a couple of them may seem familiar, not in look but in name.

The USS Yeager is one of the ships destroyed at The Battle Of The Binary Stars. A ship of the same name took part in the battle of sector 001 in Star Trek: First Contact. This USS Yeager was a Sabre-class starship and had a registry number of 61947.

Interestingly, there is another USS Yeager, this time with a registry of NCC-65674, a Yeager-type starship which was often stationed around Deep Space Nine.

The USS Shran is another ship from The Battle Of The Binary Stars, this is a reference to the Andorian Shran from Star Trek: Enterprise.

Another reference to the past is the USS T’Plana-Hath, named after the first Vulcan ship to make first contact with humans on Earth.

The opening plot

Starship investigates a Federation outpost damaged by an unknown assailant, attacked by a cloaked vessel. Sound familiar? This is how the story unfolds on another Star Trek production, TOS’s “Balance of Terror”. In that case, the aggressors were the Romulans. Another cool link here is Mark Lenard, who played the Romulan Commander in said episode also played Spock father Sarek. Sarek is a recurring character in Discovery.

Races

There isn’t much for this category just yet, obviously Humans populate the starships with a sprinkling of Vulcan interference and a passing mention of Tellarites and “filthy” Andorians, the main race here is the Klingons.

I’m not going to go into their appearance here, but there are a few things to take note of.

Specifically the Klingon houses. It’s established early on that the Klingon race is fractured into 24 distinct houses that sit on a council, although the empire as we know it is not unified. There are two houses of interest:

The house of Mo’Kal is interesting as it was the house that Captain Janeway belonged in the Voyager episode “The Killing Game”

The house of D’Ghor was mentioned in the DS9 episode “The House Of Quark” where Quark kills a Klingon named Kozak, who is the brother of D’Ghor.

Another little interesting piece of eye candy is that Klingons, once again, have pink blood. The pink blood was first seen (and never again) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. This was to distinguish it from the blood of Colonel West, a Human posing as a Klingon.

Other Mentions

The biggest by far is that of Sarek. Sarek as you know is the father of Spock and Sybok, but in this era, he is step-father of the human Michael Burnham, training her in Vulcan ways for nearly 10 years. Why Sarek is as yet unknown, it could easily have been another character so why Sarek. I have to believe that at some point in the future of the show Sarek’s other children may make an appearance. Remember that at this point in time Spock is already serving on board the USS Enterprise
so a meeting of ships and characters is a strong possibility.

The Vulcan Learning Centre is also seen as the place that Burnham is undergoing her training, the same location that young Spock went to in Star Trek (2009). It looks remarkably similar too. The centre was first seen, albeit in a very basic form (a computer in a hut) in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where an adult Spock is undergoing retraining of his mind after the events of his death and rebirth. Indeed, the word Katra was also mentioned when Sarek and Burnham linked minds, this time however, over the vast distance of space.

The Prime Directive, or General Order 1 is also mentioned, the ultimate Federation rule of non interference of other races and cultures. This is the principle directive seen in all Star Trek series and was part of Enterprise’s mission, although Archer didn’t care much for it.

Number One, again first mentioned in “The Cage” and played by Gene Roddenberry’s then girlfriend and future wife Majel Barrett. The character was dropped with the second pilot episode, but returned again with Commander William Riker in TNG.

Harry Mudd – although hasn’t been seen yet, appeared in the series trailers for Discovery, so I guess he’ll turn up soon. Mudd was first seen in the TOS episode “Mudds Women” and again in “I,Mudd”.

That’s all I have for now, if you know of any other, please drop me a message and I’ll look into it.

Happy Trekking!

 

Star Trek: Discovery Has Landed

Star Trek: Discovery

So, after 12 years, we finally have new Star Trek on the television, Star Trek: Discovery. The first two episodes landed this week, episode 1 “The Vulcan Hello” and episode 2 “Battle at the Binary Stars” to much anticipation and trepidation.

I have been quitely waiting for this new show with mixed feelings. Another prequel series; what timeline will it be set; what’s whith the Klingons; why is the ship design that of a rejected concept from the 70’s?

So what was the show like?

Lets start from the beginning.

First up, the main titles. Thankfully, we have not returned to Enterprise with a vocal track, instead we have returned to the tried and tested orchestral piece familiar to Star Trek fans.

This new theme has the famous Alexander Courage fanfare featured in what is otherwise a very lacklustre piece of music. It doesn’t really convey any type of message through the music as previous Star Trek series did – TNG’s optimistic fanfare, DS9’s sombre tones and Voyager’s message of hope.

Of course, it’s too soon to really tell, but I’m just not feeling it just yet, it feels a little disjointed and lost. The visuals are pretty cool – showing the production art and concepts of the ships and equipment etc, a departure from the title ship soaring through the stars as with previous Trek.

I’m not sold on the design of the ships. The Discovery is a slight reworking of a 70’s concept drawing by Ralph McQuarry that was rejected for Phase 2 and The Motion Picture. Why use a rejected 70’s design for a brand new series made in 2017?

All Federation ships before Discovery and since have avoided angular hull designs for the most part (engine nacelles being the exception), they make the ships look bulky and un-manoeuvarable.

We also see quite a few other ship designs, albeit from a distance so no real detail to report on, but on the surface of it, most of the ships look like those from the Kelvin-Verse.

Speaking of which, the show is set 10 years before The Original Series. There are elements from both the Prime Universe and the Kelvin-Verse in the opening scenes. The ships viewscreen for example is a window-computer screen hybrid just like that of the USS Enterprise and USS Kelvin, the computer screens and consoles also look very JJ inspired. (This is to be expected somewhat as there would be no way of making them look like the original series Enterprise with today’s technology without making the show look like a parody).

The bridge looks similar to the Enterprise too, although much darker, they no longer look like shiny Apple stores.

The sounds are more akin to the Prime Universe, the computer blips and beeps are a classic Enterprise homage as is some of the ship’s equipment, particularly the communicators and phasers.

There is technology that looks quite alien to both timelines, especially the transporter pad, which looks like something out of the TARDIS.

The uniforms are also unique. I think a lot of people were expecting some sort of pre-TOS looking uniform, one that would bridge the gap between Enterprise and TOS, instead we have this blue tracksuit with some braiding. The biggest issue is the use of the Enterprise-specific delta. In TOS, each starship had it’s own insignia differentiating each crew member from another.

This is another element that sways towards a Kelvin-Verse timeline as all ships in Star Trek; the Enterprise and the Kelvin featured the Delta on the uniforms.

Klingons. This is probably the most contentious issue fans have expressed during the run-up to the pilot episodes. Personally, I don’t think the changes are as extreme as the human looking Klingons from TOS to the ridge headed Klingons first seen in the Motion Picture and in all Star Trek series since. The make-up looked very heavy and uncomfortable for the actors, so much so that it seemed to impede the actors ability to speak.

It’s possible that this is simply a different sub-species, akin to the Romulans and Remans seen in Star Trek Nemesis, and the talk of reunifying the 24 Klingon sects back into one Empire may suggest that there are several types of Klingons living in different sectors of Klingon space. In Enterprise it was established that genetics was the reason we have seen human/ridged Klingons in the Prime Universe, it’s plausible there could be others.

The characters themselves are a little more difficult to review, it takes time to get to know each character so we’ll have to be patient here. So far though, enough has been revealed about our main crew members to be interested in their back story, particularly our captain and first officer of the Shenzhou and later, that of the Discovery.

The character with the most potential so far is that of Lt Cmdr Saru played by Doug Jones. His species, his back story, his personality are all to look out for, I’m sure he’ll be a pivotal character.

So overall, I’d give the show a 6/10. Not a bad start but not overwhelming either. It’s definitely one to watch and I think it will turn out to be a great series, but that really depends on you guys, the ones that have complained far too long for new Star Trek on the TV. It’s here now, so watch it and give it a chance. Don’t give up after only a few episodes, otherwise, you’ll kill the whole franchise.

LLAP

 

Star Trek: Discovery Official Trailer

The first official Star Trek: Discovery has just landed offering slick editing and visuals, new look Klingons (try explaining this one), new uniforms and an aesthetic that harks between the Kelvin-verse and prime universe.

Also, that thing Ralph McQuarrie designed seems to stay.

 

 

Trailer Here

 

Star Trek Spoof; The Orville

Seth Macfarlane, the creator of Family Guy, is deep in production of his new sci-fi comedy The Orville, a spoof series that looks remarkably like Star Trek.

The Orville is a one-hour science fiction series set years in the future that follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory vessel. Its crew, both human and alien, faces the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of regular people in a workplace…even though some of those people are from other planets, and the workplace is a faster-than-light spaceship. In the 25th century, Earth is part of the Planetary Union, a far-reaching, advanced and mostly peaceful civilization with a fleet of 3,000 ships. Down on his luck after a bitter divorce, Planetary Union officer Ed Mercer (MacFarlane) finally gets his chance to command one of these ships: the U.S.S. Orville. Determined to prove his worth and write a new chapter in his life, Ed finds that task all the more difficult when the First Officer assigned to his ship is his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki). As the new commander, Ed assembles a qualified, but eccentric crew, including his best friend, Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes), who has problems with authority, but is the best helmsman in the fleet; Dr. Claire Finn (Penny Johnson Jerald), one of the Union’s most accomplished physicians; Bortus (Peter Macon), an alien from a single-sex species; Isaac (Mark Jackson), an artificial life-form from a machine society that thinks biological life-forms are inferior; navigator John Lamarr (J. Lee), whose casual humor cuts through even the most dire situations; Alara Kitan (Halston Sage), a young, inexperienced security officer whose home planet’s high gravity gives her superior physical strength; and Yaphit, a gelatinous creature voiced by comedian Norm MacDonald. Somehow, Ed and Kelly must put the past behind them and, with the help of the crew, navigate fascinating and sometimes dangerous adventures in outer space, as well as the tumultuous and captivating day-to-day personal relationships with their colleagues.

The first episode will be directed by Jon Favreau, with subsequent episodes directed by guest directors including Jonathan Frakes and Robert Duncan McNeill.

The series will premier on Fox sometime during late 2017.

 

DS9 Documentary “What We Left Behind”

Since it’s first airing in 1993, Deep Space Nine has been considered to be the “Black Sheep” in the Star Trek family. Viewers didn’t really give the series the chance it deserved, but thankfully, enough of us had the foresight to see that this incarnation of Roddenberry’s vision had plenty of potential, that the studio were happy to let the show continue. In fact, with a new network in the pipeline, all efforts were focused on that, and the show that would kick start this new network; Star Trek: Voyager.

This left the show producers and writers to do pretty much as they pleased and they turned to darker themes, a more serialised mode of story telling, and, in many ways, put Trek back on course to explore the characters in much more depth than those of The Next Generation. To the point in fact, that we have much more well developed guest characters on DS9 than we do main characters in TNG and even TOS.

Writers like Ronald D. Moore and producer Ira Steven Behr had great foresight into what DS9 could be, and how each character could grow. What they possibly didn’t see was that maybe the audience wasn’t yet ready for such a show.

DS9 was way ahead of it’s time, in that a Star Trek show, could tell stories that would be much more far reaching for both the characters and the viewer. There was no “alien of the week” to deal with, where the crews actions, once we reach the end of the episode, had no consequences. What our heroes did on DS9 could have an effect on the next episode and the one after that, even re-visiting those consequences in another season – real moral dilemmas that took more than a wave of the “end of the episode everything is ok” magic wand.

The way in which people now watch television has had a massive impact in DS9’s renewed interest, where a series such as this is perfect for a binge watching generation glued to streaming networks such as Netflix. (Hence the new Star Trek: Discovery series will run on this very platform).

So to celebrate DS9’s new found fan base, and to give us loyal DS9-ers something new that we have craved since 1999, Ira Steven Behr is making a DS9 documentary that explores everything about the show, it’s characters, it’s stars and the fans and to write an imaginary first episode of season 8 that could shed some light on what happened to Captain Sisko.

Some interviews have already been filmed, but of course, these things need funding, so an Indiegogo campaign has been set up to raise money to get this documentary finished.

Most of DS9’s original cast is on board, and the campaign video itself features Nana Visitor, Terry Farrell, Max Grodenchik, Casey Biggs, Jeff Combs, Armin Shimmerman, Chase Masterson and Hana Hatae.

The director of the documentary will be none other that the late Leonard Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy.

If you need another fix of DS9 then please get behind this great project, and celebrate 25 years of not only the best show on Star Trek, but possibly the best show in all of sci-fi.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/what-we-left-behind-star-trek-deep-space-nine-doc#/

DSTE Closing In

Destination Star Trek is only 2 weeks away now, and we all hope it to be a great 50th anniversary to the worlds greatest sci-fi show ever created.

The three day weekend promises to be filled with awesome guests, parties, talks, photo ops and autograph signings, as well as a chance for old friends to meet up once again who are now veterans of the Destination Star Trek brand.

So what can you expect this year?

Shatner’s World

To top the bill (pardon the pun), William Shatner brings his one man show entitled “Shatner’s World” to Birmingham. It’s a show about passion. He speaks about love, death, motorcycles and gorillas. Well, you get the idea. It’s a fascinating, hysterical turn enjoyed by audiences around the world.

It is the first time this show has been seen in the UK.

Star Trek: 50 Artists, 50 Years

Visitors to Destination Star Trek Europe are in for a real treat with the first European viewing of the brand new Star Trek: 50 Artists, 50 Years art exhibition. This will be on display free of charge for the duration of the event at the NEC.

Federation Ball – Friday Night Party

Come dressed in your finest dress uniform for the Friday night opening party, from 8:30pm (ticket only). Parties will be taking place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, just a 5 min walk from the NEC

Quarks Bar and Casino Party – Saturday Night

it’s the big one on Saturday, we will be taking some inspiration from Quark’s bar when we host the Official Destination Star Trek Europe 50th Birthday Party to celebrate all that is Star Trek.
There will be live entertainment from Star Trek’s very own Rat Pack – Armin Shimerman, Casey Biggs, Vaughn Armstrong, Jeffrey Combs and Max Grodenchik taking to the stage. There will also be a specially commissioned birthday cake, a casino for you to try your luck and a disco till late plus some extra surprises on the night!

Guests, Guests and more Guests

Bridge Photoshoot

At Destination Star Trek Europe we will have both The Original Series Bridge and the Enterprise D bridge from The Next Generation on display at the event all weekend. Both bridges will have the opportunity for you to have a professional picture taken of you in the Captain’s chair, producing a photograph that will be a real keep sake for you to take home with you.

Star Trek Museum

The Filmwelt Collection is returning to Destination Star Trek Europe with its impressive selection of screen used props, costumes and memorabilia.
DSTL 121391With an authentic collection which would make Kivas Fajo envious, Martin Netter has been collecting Star Trek props for over thirty five years and holds the largest private collection on Earth.
Some of the items previously seen at Destination Star Trek Events include costumes and props from all series even including the latest movies. We have seen Borg drones, Odo’s face mask, scripts, concept sketches and even a stuffed Porthos (not really Porthos though!). This year the collection returns with new unseen items for you to browse.

The Crew of the USS Riker’s Beard

I will also be there, representing this blog and as part of the USS Riker’s Beard, I hope to see you there!

Destination Star Trek Europe (DST:50) runs over the weekend of October 7-9 2016 at the NEC, Birmingham

Site Here

Star Trek Discovery

So the news is in, from Bryan Fuller at San Diego Comic Con, the forthcoming Star Trek series will be called Star Trek Discovery, featuring the U.S.S. Discovery NCC-1031.

The ship has been revealed in the video below, which shows what appears to be one of the original designs for the U.S.S. Enterprise, during pre-production of Phase II and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, designed by Ralph McQuarrie.

Also note the low registry of the ship, 1031, which suggests to me at least some kind of prequel, or possible a ship from the past which has arrived in the present (whatever date that may be).

Also another thing to notice is the font used on the hull markings, it looks very much like that of the Enterprise from the Kelvin-verse movies, maybe another hint to the ships origins.

 

For me personally, I don’t like the design of the ship, it’s very un-Starfleet, I always look at it and think urgh whenever I see it in publications about the making of Star Trek and other media.

Anyways, I’ll still be looking forward to the new series, which will be aired on Netflix around the world and CBS Access All Areas in the US.

Bryan Fuller Named Co-Creater of New Star Trek Series

Bryan Fuller, Hannibal creator and former writer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager has been named showrunner and co-creator for the new Star Trek series.

The new series is set to premier on CBS in January 2017, then move to CBS’ All Access digital subscription service. It will be the first original series to launch on a broadcast network but air primarily on an SVOD service.

“Bringing ‘Star Trek’ back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan’s devoted care,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman. “His encyclopedic knowledge of ‘Trek’ canon is surpassed only by his love for Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic future, a vision that continues to guide us as we explore strange new worlds.”

Destination Star Trek Europe Guests

The attending guests of Birmingham’s Destination Star Trek Europe have just been announced and they include William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis and Commander Kruge – Christopher Lloyd.