And then Ships of the Line went and got even better

The Ships of the Line calendar is already one of my favourite Star Trek products, and I swear the images in it get better every year. So I might think how could it get any better? Well, this is how: On his blog Doug Drexler has revealed next year's calendar will feature a centerfold technical briefing sort of thing, with profiles of the calendar's new NX-class refit, and the old Enterprise ringship, as modelled by Mark Rademaker. Text on the page will be supplied by Mike Okuda. Here's the layout for the page at its current state of development:Now, just expand this into a book please...

New Aventine image!

Mark Rademaker, Ships of the Line artist and USS Aventine designer, was kind enough to send me an image to release today. It's a new shot of the Aventine, which he describes as a "rough render of the Aventine that I did before I applied the final paintjob. I filtered it to give it a bit of a "comic" style look." He also noted that, as work will commence on the more refined version of the design soon (ahead of it appearing the cover of Zero Sum Game), that this will be the last image released of the Mark I version! Enjoy:

Updated book schedule, plus new covers and info.

In the wake of the new movie novel cancellations Pocket Books found themselves with a big hole in their schedule for this year, they have now announced, via TrekMovie, what this year's schedule looks like now they've found some books to plug the hole (I've modified TrekMovie's estimated release street dates to the normal offical months):

February:
-TOS: Inception, by S.D. Perry and Britta Dennison
March:
-NF: Treason, by Peter David (mass market paperback reprint)
-Seven Deadly Sins, edited by Margaret Clark (new trade paperback)
April:
-TOS: Unspoken Truth, by Margaret Wander Bonanno
-STO: The Needs of the Many, by Michael A. Martin
May:
-TOS: The Children of Kings, by David Stern
July:
-COE: Out of the Cocoon, edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido (trade paperback omnibus)
August:
-COE: What's Past, edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido (trade paperback omnibus)
September:
-Star Trek, by Alan Dean Foster (mass market paperback reprint)
October:
-TNG: Nightshade, by Laurell K. Hamilton (mass market reprint)
November:
-Titan: Typhon Pact #1: Seize the Fire, by Michael A. Martin
-Aventine: Typhon Pact #2: Zero Sum Game, by David Mack
December:
-Myriad Universes: Shattered Light (new trade paperback)
January
-DS9: Typhon Pact #3: The Rough Beasts of Empire, by Michael A. Martin*
February:
-TNG: Typhon Pact #4: Paths of Disharmony, by Dayton Ward

I think the authorship for The Rough Beasts of Empire must be a typo, as David R. George III, who was previously announced as writing it, has already talked about it a fair bit. I also think the dates for Typhon Pact must be a bit jumbled; it was originally announced as October to January, so it has apparently been pushed back a month, which oddly makes the hole in the monthly mass market schedule worse! This schedule also lists two books in November and no mass market in December, so I think Typhon Pact #2 will probably actually come out in December not November. But the whole thing seems a mess, by pushing Typhon Pact back a month the two new mass market books announced only fill one month in the gap, meaning we don’t get any mass markets from June-August, and indeed no book of any sort in June. I find this especially odd when using the two new mass market reprints two months could have been filled, bring Typhon Pact forward a month couple have filled in a third slot, and delaying one of the two mass markets in April gives you four; hey presto no gap in the mass market schedule! But unless this schedule is going to change that's not what they've done at all...

The other thing of note here is the random 90s TNG book reprint. But not so random it turns out, Laurell K. Hamilton is apparently a popular fantasy writer now, so it seems Pocket are banking on her name to sell this.

Also confirmed is that we wont get a new New Frontier novel this year as previously indicated.

In addition to the basic schedule we also have some new covers and info:

Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many, will apparently "be told as a series of personal narratives of tales leading up to the setting for the Star Trek Online game, all tied together by Jake Sisko", and it's cover looks like this:And a colour cover for Unspoken Truth:

Star Trek Online updates on the way already!

Star Trek Online is just about to start, but they're already annoucing the first round of (free) updates, including new "episodes" and other new content:

Episodes:
-Collateral Damage - Help save civilians caught in a battle between the Borg and Undine.
-Recovery - In this follow-up to Collateral Damage, Rescue colonists infected by the Borg virus and fight Undine determined to destroy them!
-State of Q - Q transports you back in time to do him a special favor.
-Infected - Investigate a federation station that Starfleet has lost contact with.
-The Cure - A planet has been completely taken over by the Borg. Fight them for control of the planet.
-Khitomer Accord - Travel back in time and uncover and participate in the events that led to the release of old Borg you encountered in the Tutorial Episode.
-Into the Hive - Track down a missing Starfleet captain and come face to face with the new Borg Queen.

Other bits:
-Klingon Fleet Actions - Form up with your closest friends and do battle in large engagements.
-A New Klingon Ship - You asked for it, we made it: A Tier 2 Klingon Battle Cruiser.
-Klingon Star Clusters - Seek out new life and civilizations ... and subjugate them! Additional PvE content for the Klingon faction.
-Federation vs. Federation PvP - Practice against your allies before engaging your enemies.
-New Ground Maps - We'll be adding a new Ground Assault PvP map, as well as a new ground Fleet Action.
-More IP Locations - Check out Rura Penthe and our whole solar system, from Mercury to Pluto.

Full details on the Star Trek Online website.

The Children of Kings blurb

The Simon and Schuster website has been updated with a new blurb for the Pike-era novel The Children of Kings, it goes like this:

A distress call goes out from a Federation outpost near the Klingon border. The U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, responds. Starbase 18 lies in ruin. There are no survivors. And there is no clue as to who is responsible for the attack, until Captain Pike’s brilliant science officer discovers a means of retrieving parts of the station’s log.Lieutenant Spock has detected signs of a unique energy signature,one that he believes is Klingon. There are unsubstantiated reports that the Klingon Empire has made a technological leap forward and created a cloaking device—code-named Black Snow Seven—that can shield their ships from even the most advanced sensors. The destruction of the base and the unique energy signaturethat remains prove that the Empire has succeeded.

For generations the Orions have been known as pirates,operating at the margins, outside of legal conventions. A proudand powerful race, the Orions were once a major force in the sector, and they have been using the tension between the KlingonEmpire and the Federation to rebuild their power. Captain Pike is charged with trying to foster cooperation between the Orions and the Federation. A distress call from an Orion vessel offers him the perfect opportunity. But the Orion ship lies in disputed space long claimed by the Klingon Empire, and crossing it could be the spark that sets off an interstellar war.

Thanks to TrekBBS user DarkHorizon for pointing it out.

Ghosts #3 preview

Comics Continuum have posted a six-page preview of this week's TNG: Ghosts issue 3. Here's one page, see the rest at Comics Continuum:

Blue girl attacks McCoy

On his blog Chris Ryall has posted an interior page from the first issue, and cover for the second issue, of John Byrne's Frontier Doctor series. Sexy Andorian eh? I'm sold!On his forums John Byrne has also decribed a series he recently proposed to IDW: "I've also thought it might be fun to do a 12 part maxi-series, with each issue set aboard a different C[onstitution]-Class starship. Perhaps with some connective "theme". (First thought would be the Klingon/Romulan War, since that has been established in official Trek lore -- but it would also happen after SCHISM, and by the time of that series about half the C-Class starships had been blowed up real good! Not sure a possible series would have as much oomph with fewer ships!)"

Star Trek + Mickey Mouse + The Fly = ??

These, or that's the vibe I get from these bizarre big eared "Be@rbrick" Star Trek figures from Japan:Found via Toy News International.

Another Rademaker close up

On his blog Mark Rademaker has posted a second rather abstract preview of his entry into next year's Ships of the Line calendar, this time he advises viewers not to break out "neck[s]" (hint hint)

Cardassians Online

Massively and TrekMovie has posted released from the Star Trek Online team describing the Cardassians in the game. The information is in the same style as that presented on the Online website's factions page, though that page itself hasn't been updated yet.

TrekMovie also report that there is to be a Star Trek Online promotion with Del Taco, in which you'll be able to get Star Trek design cups, codes to earn free time in the gamer, and even a "pet" shuttle craft!