STO's Season 13 - Escalation Launching April 25

Star Trek Online's Season 13 – Escalation will launch on April 25 on PC, it was revealed by Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios. Season 13 – Escalation sends players on a mission with the Lukari to help them rediscover their ancient origins, while also dealing with an imminent threat by the Tzenkethi. The newest update to Star Trek Online continues the epic Tzenkethi War story arc and marks the debut of the brand-new War Games system, which pits teams of players against each other in competitive PvE scenarios.

The War Games system offers a fresh type of queue that allows two five-person teams to battle head-to-head in competitive PvE scenarios. To keep players on an even playing field, a new Player Potential system has been introduced that will match players of similar skill in the same matches.

The War Game system will also have a new reputation tied to it, including, for the first time ever, class specific-ship and captain gear. Captains can mix and match gear they earn from any class and also have the option to specialize. To support the new War Games system, a full rebalance pass has been made to ground and space combat to ensure that no matter what choice captains make when outfitting their skills or ship, it isn't a wrong one.

As fans know, Star Trek Online is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game where players can pioneer their own destiny as Captain of a Federation starship, become a Klingon Warrior and champion the Empire through the far reaches of the galaxy, or rebuild the Romulan legacy as the commander of a Romulan Republic Warbird.

In Star Trek Online, players have the opportunity to visit iconic locations from the popular Star Trek universe, reach out to unexplored star systems and make contact with new alien species. Star Trek Online is currently available on PC, PlayStation4 and Xbox One. Season 13 – Escalation will be available on consoles at a later date.

To download and play Star Trek Online today for free, visit http://ift.tt/29yVCpR.

 

via Star Trek Latest News

Bye Bye, Robot Unveils 4 New Prints

Bye Bye, Robot has just unveiled four new Star Trek prints for collectors to add to their collections. The new pieces span the franchise and include The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise.

The DS9 print is by a new Bye Bye, Robot artist named Nicole Padberg Munkdale, who also happened to act at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. Her DS9 piece pays tribute to classic Vegas-style concert marquee posters from the 1960s, but with Vic Fontaine direct from Quark's Bar. Entitled "From the Heart," it measures 18"x24" on heavyweight acid-free card stock and presents colors and imagery from Vic's club.

Returning artist Mark Brayer has created the second entry, and it's done in the same style as his ship series for Bye Bye, Robot. "The Doomsday Machine" boasts a design featuring the U.S.S. Enterprise and U.S.S. Constellation along with key elements from the TOS episode of the same name. Brayer's signature retro book cover-style accents the color and text of his design. Comprised of subtle shades of blue and bright highlights of orange, this visually striking poster is 16"x24" and comes printed on heavyweight acid-free card stock.

Another returning artist, Jeff Foster, offers a pair of new images to collectors for this release. The first piece brings us a view of the classic NCC-1701 in shades of blue, red, orange and white. Thick, angular paint strokes are highlighted by opposing accent lines and the bold front facing view of the ship. Entitled "Blue Enterprise" and sized at 18"x24," this head-on sight stares viewers right in the eye and shows the strength of its subject.

Foster's second painting features three different eras of the U.S.S. Enterprise: TOS, TNG and Enterprise. Set against a colorful nebula background filled with shades of yellow, orange and green, the three ships hover dramatically in their contrasting shades of blue. This piece, titled "Enterprise x3" and measuring 18"x23," encourages viewers to create their own ideas about the story behind this unique meet-up. This piece, along with his other poster, features Foster's striking Modern Impressionist style and was created solely by the use of a palette knife to apply paint to canvas… using no brushes.

Each of the new art prints is printed on acid-free heavyweight coverstock. Priced at $25 apiece, plus shipping, they are now available in the U.S. Go to www.byebyerobot.com to purchase.

 

via Star Trek Latest News

Rainn Wilson, His Name Is Mudd... on Discovery

Let there be Rainn! Emmy Award-nominated actor Rainn Wilson has joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery and he will play -- are you ready? -- Harry Mudd. Mudd, the charismatic conman and intergalactic criminal first introduced on Star Trek: The Original Series, is one of Trek's most-popular characters.

Wilson is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office. His other television, film and stage credits include Galaxy Quest, House of 1000 Corpses, Six Feet Under, Juno, Titus Andronicus and the Broadway production of The Tempest (with Patrick Stewart). He's also written two books, SoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions and The Bassoon King.  

Star Trek: Discovery will be available in countries around the world.

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50 Years Ago Today - Eddie Paskey Finally Gets Screen Credit

Eddie Paskey appeared in nearly 60 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, most of them as Lt. Leslie, but he only ever earned screen credit twice... for "The Alternative Factor" and "This Side of Paradise." So, why do we bring this up now? That's because "The Alternative Factor" debuted on March 30, 1967... or 50 years ago today.

Rather than toast "The Alternative Factor," we're going to tip our cap to Paskey. Did you know that he:

Only ever spoke in "The Naked Time" and "The Conscience of the King."

He was glimpsed sporting gold, blue and, yes, red shirts over the course of his time on TOS. 

 

Served as William Shatner's stand-in and turned up briefly as a Starbase 11 medical care assistant in "The Menagerie, Part 1."

Can thank Shatner for the character name Lt. Leslie. According to Paskey's official site, "This was a result of his friendship with William Shatner. During a scene in which Eddie was at the helm, Bill felt that he should have a name since he was to issue a command to Eddie. Thus, he became 'Mr. Leslie,' named after Shatner's oldest daughter, Leslie."

 

Drove the truck that claimed the life of Edith Keeler in "The City on the Edge of Forever."

Appeared as Connors in "Mudd's Women."

Died in "Obsession" and seemingly came back to life in the next episode.

Played one of Bela's baddies in "A Piece of the Action."

Hand-doubled James Doohan in several episodes.

Retired from acting during season three of TOS. "He had been having cluster headaches that were further aggravated by the set lighting," it's explained on Paskey's site. "In a scene in which he received a 'Spock pinch' and was thrown against a railing, he felt his back go out. At this point, Eddie knew he could no longer handle the job's activities."

Remains a popular guest at Star Trek conventions around the globe.

 

via Star Trek Latest News

Celebrating National Doctors' Day in GIFs

It's officially National Doctors' Day. We kid you not, National Doctors' Day is real thing, and it honors the service of our medics. The holiday was observed for the first time on March 30, 1933, with the date selected to mark the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. National Doctors' Day didn't officially become a holiday until 1990, when President Bush made it so.

StarTrek.com, to celebrate the occasion, ordered up some GIFs -- stat!! -- of Trek docs -- including Dr. McCoy, Dr. Crusher, The Doctor, Dr. Pulaski, Dr. Phlox and Dr. Bashir -- plying their skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy National Doctors' Day.

 

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Pine Boldly Goes With Thunderbirds

Chris Pine, Star Trek's current Captain Kirk, got to boldly go last weekend where few men or women have gone before. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, on March 24, gave Pine a behind-the-scenes look at Thunderbird operations and, as they put it on their Facebook page, "let him experience what 9.2G's feels like... while also getting to experience Mach 1."

Fans of the actor may also be interested to hear that he's set to host Saturday Night Live on May 6 in advance of his co-starring role in Wonder Woman, due out this summer.

 

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9 Things You Should Know About Marina Sirtis

Marina Sirtis celebrates her birthday today, and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Deanna Troi remains as ageless as ever. To mark the occasion, StarTrek.com is pleased to share 9 Things You Should Know About Marina Sirtis. And they are...

The Early Days

Born in London to Greek parents, Sirtis attended the Guild Hall School of Music and Drama. After graduating, she became a member of the Worthing Repertory Theater, where she made her debut as Ophelia in Hamlet.

Why a Ship's Counselor on TNG?

"When I got cast, Gene Roddenberry said that it was his belief that by the 24th century mental health would be as important as physical health, and that you'd need a counselor on board a ship," Sirtis told the crowd at Star Trek: Mission New York in September 2016. "I think we need it sooner. We need it now. He felt and he was right, that it's as important as physical health.

A Memorable "Face"

It should suprise no one that Sirtis selected "Face of the Enemy" as her favorite Troi-centric episode. That's the one in which Troi was transformed into a Romulan. "I was really proud of that one," Sirtis told StarTrek.com in 2012. "That's when they lost the big hair and the glamour makeup and the skintight spacesuit and put me into something that was really unattractive. They seemed to go, 'Oh, wow, yeah, we hired her because she's an actress.' From then on, it seemed that my part got much better in terms of a variety of things. She wasn't just decorative. She wasn't just this nice, understanding person who was there to help everyone out when they had a problem. You saw different sides of her and, like I said, I think that episode of opened a lot of different boxes in the writers' head." 

She Only Played a Futuristic Space Traveler

"I am such a Luddite," Sirtis told StarTrek.com in 2011. "If I could live without a computer, I totally would, because I hate it. I hate technology. I hate the invasion of one's privacy. I hate the fact that people want to know what you're doing 24-7. I mean, personally, I'm not interested in what I'm doing 24 hours a day, let alone what anyone else is doing 24 hours a day. I cannot understand it. It doesn't compute with me. The fact the technology has made Star Trek look better, that's great."

Goodbye, For Now

Her last appearance as Deanna Troi was, ironically, in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, where she played opposite her longtime TNG co-star, Jonathan Frakes.

Another Goodbye

Sirtis and Majel Barrett-Roddeberry, who played Deanna's mother, Lwaxana, had grown very close. Barrett-Roddenberry died in December, 2008, but she got to say farewell to her old friend. "I saw her not long before she passed," Sirtis told StarTrek.com. "It was really hard for me because I'd lost my own mother a couple of years before Majel passed. I remember having a cup of coffee with Majel and saying to her, 'You know, you've got to last a little longer because you're the only mom I've got left now.' Unfortunately, she didn't last too much longer than my own mother. So it was devastating. I really miss Majel. She was just a force of nature. She really was, and the world is a smaller place without her."

The Troi Effect

Sirtis hears all the time from fans who tell her how her portrayal of Troi inspired them to become counselors, social workers or therapists. One such person, a female attendee at last year's Star Trek: Mission New York, credited Sirtis for her becoming a social worker. After she hugged the woman, Sirtis explained to the audience, "That blows my mind because, look at me, loud and obnoxious. That I inspired anybody? Thank you. It's a privilege." 

Mrs. Lamper

Sirtis has been married to rock guitarist Michael Lamper since 1992. He actually played an Acamarian Gatherer in the TNG episode "The Vengeance Factor." Lamper performed earlier this year on Star Trek: The Cruise and was joined for a bit during the show by Sirtis.  

Far from Troi

Since 2013, Sirtis has played the recurring role of Orli Elbaz, Director of Mossad, on NCIS. In her most recent appearance, in the 13th season episode "Family First," Sirtis/Elbas dropped the bombshell news that after Ziva's departure from NCIS, she and Tony DiNozzo had a child together, a daughter they named Tali.

Please join StarTrek.com in wishing Sirtis a Happy Birthday! 

 

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Picard Options Included Lando, Kojak and Herman Munster Actors

We've all seen the legendary internal Paramount memo that listed the various actors considered for roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation. So, we're talking Yaphet Kotto for Picard, for example, and Eric Menyuk for Data (Brent Spiner wasn't even on the initial list). Reggie Jackson, Tim Russ and Wesley Snipes were under consideration for Geordi, and Denise Crosby for... Troi. But, not as familiar are secondary pages that went into more detail about the casting options for role of Picard.

Case in point, Kotto was available, but casting director Junie Lowry was "Still waiting to hear if he'll fly down or if they're only sending tape." The late Paul Gleason, best known as the principal from The Breakfast Club, was "In Texas filming until 4/26." Billy Dee Williams, Lando Calrissian of Star Wars fame, was listed as "available," but "Not interested in syndication."

And the names! The names!! Could you imagine the dapper Don Ameche? Or how about Kojak himself, Telly Savalas, noted as "Available & Interested." Who loves you, baby?! Theodore Bikel was available, too, and he went on to guest star on TNG as Sergey Rozhenko in the fourth-season episode "Family." Would you believe... comedian Dick Shawn? Or how about George Hearn ("Not interested") or 2001: A Space Odyssey's Kier Dullea or William Devane (who was "Tied to Knot's Landing") or the awesome John Saxon?

 How about a few more? Rip Torn ("Not interested")? Fred Gwynne from The Munsters!!!!!!!!!!!!? Dana Elcar? Peter Donat (then busy with something called Earthstar Voyager)? Scott Glenn?

Of course, Patrick Stewart is, was and will forever be our Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but who among those on this list would have fascinated you most?

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