"Star Trek's" 55th anniversary celebration is gaining warp speed after its September birthday kickoff party, with a new retrospective hardcover, "Star Trek: A Celebration" (Hero Collector, 2021) hitting stores Sep. 21 and History Channel's 10-part "The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek" docuseries arriving Nov. 5.
Now Titan Publishing is also aiming for the stars with a fresh "Star Trek" periodical titled "Star Trek Explorer: The Official Magazine." Space.com is on board with a special peek inside the premiere issue, which comes out on Nov. 16.
Alongside in-depth interviews, revealing features and behind-the-scenes reports on fan favorite "Star Trek" films, TV series and other media projects, each quarterly "Star Trek Explorer" issue will spotlight a pair of all-new "Star Trek" short stories. Subscribers will also receive two extra short fiction pieces with their exclusive digital supplement.
Related: Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best
The debut offering of outer space tales for November will be themed around the conniving character of Q, that recurring staple of Trek lore, constant headache of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and master manipulator.
As actor John de Lancie reprises his iconic role in season two of "Star Trek: Picard," acclaimed writers including Lisa Klink ("Star Trek: Voyager," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"); James Swallow (BAFTA-nominated scriptwriter); Una McCormack (New York Times bestselling sci-fi author, and writer of "Star Trek: Picard – The Last Best Hope"); and Chris Cooper (writer of "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood" stories for Big Finish audio dramas) will be composing these new short fiction gems centered around this Machiavellian menace.
Inside the relaunched premiere issue, "Star Trek Explorer" asked the franchise's leading figures who should be in a "Star Trek" hall of fame. Here's what they said.
JONATHAN FRAKES: RIKER, "STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION"
"After Gene Roddenberry, of course: Bill and Leonard and De. [Production Designer] Herman Zimmerman, Michael Piller, Ira Steven Behr. [Producers] Brannon [Braga] and Ron [Moore]. Definitely Rick Berman. Thank God for Rick, because he changed my career. That would just be the tip of the iceberg."
JASON ISAACS: LORCA, "STAR TREK: DISCOVERY"
"I really think of [Costume Designer] Gersha Phillips right away. She's an unsung genius. I made jokes about the costumes all the time being too tight, but it was pretty good for the diet and they do look fantastic. And I loved them. However, when we got to the Mirror Universe, and I got to dress like an '80s indie rocker, I felt infinitely cooler. My kids saw the costume and went 'Dad, you should have worn that all the way through.'"
ROXANN DAWSON: TORRES, "STAR TREK: VOYAGER"
"Ethan Phillips [Neelix]. My Ethan. He's amazing, so funny, and I love him so much. He did an amazing job with Neelix, which was really a very tough character to play. And he was so great on set. I feel he needs to be in the hall of fame."
GARRETT WANG: KIM, "STAR TREK: VOYAGER"
"I would say George Takei or Nichelle Nichols. I know everyone knows who they are, but there's no underestimating their importance to … the world, really. If you think about it, in the '60s, up until that point, there were no positive portrayals of African American women or Asian American men until those two. So, no question, they belong in a 'Star Trek' hall of fame."
WILSON CRUZ: CULBER, "STAR TREK: DISCOVERY"
"I don't know if [Executive Producer] Alex Kurtzman gets enough credit. I give him credit because he was true to his word about Culber and Stamets, and that relationship, plus he's taken leadership of the whole franchise."
Fans can subscribe to Titan Publishing's "Star Trek Explorer: The Official Magazine" today. You get four issues for just $29.99, saving 25%, plus a unique digital supplement every issue featuring loads more "Star Trek" short fiction.
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