PREVIEW: Discovery Official Collector's Edition Guide

Star Trek: Discovery – Official Collector's Edition, available November 28 from Titan Books, is the essential hardcover guide to the galaxy's newest Star Trek television series. Over the course of 96 pages, it takes fans behind the scenes and into the strange new worlds of Discovery, and is packed with amazing images, including production artwork and exclusive prop photography, as well as extensive features.

Star Trek: Discovery – Official Collector's Edition will cost $12.21. Go to www.amazon.com to purchase it.

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San Francisco Giants to Host Star Trek Night

The San Francisco Giants and Star Trek are teaming up for the third annual Star Trek Night at AT&T Park, to be held On Friday, August 31, when the Giants take on the New York Mets at 7:15 p.m. PT.

San Francisco, of course, is home to Starfleet Command, so what better venue to celebrate Star Trek Night than at AT&T Park? Each special event ticket package includes a ticket to watch the Giants vs. Mets, as well as a collector's edition Star Trek/Giants Starfleet Command Badge Hat, available exclusively with the purchase of a special event ticket. The Giants also encourage all fans to come dressed as their favorite Trek character, combining two favorite passions: the Giants and Star Trek.

Go to SF Giants Special Events to purchase tickets.

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Mirror TNG Adventure Highlights IDW's Feb. 2018 Trek Titles

Are you cold? We're cold. And so, apparently, is IDW Publishing, since they're got their eye on February 2018 and their Star Trek titles for that month. StarTrek.com has details and art. Check it all out:

Star Trek: Boldly Go #17

Star Trek: Boldly Go #17, written by Mike Johnson, with art and a cover by Marcus To, is "I.D.I.C." Part 5 of 6, a/k/a the penultimate chapter of "I.D.I.C." In it, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations has introduced us to myriad versions of the beloved Enterprise crew... but the villain behind it all now threatens to wipe out all realities. Boldly Go #17 will run 32 pages and cost $3.99. Fans should be on the lookout for a B cover by Fico Ossio, as well as a variant cover by Yoshi Toshitani.

Star Trek: New Visions: Isolation

Next, there's Star Trek: New Visions: Isolation, the latest book by writer and photo manipulator John Byrne. The story follows Captain Kirk, who has found himself all alone on the Enterprise before — but what happens when each individual member of the crew finds themselves in a similar state? And who is behind this... isolation? New Visions: Isolation will span 48 pages and be priced at $7.99.

Star Trek TNG: Mirror Broken

Lastly, February will also bring with it Star Trek TNG: Mirror Broken, by Scott Tipton and David Tipton, with art and cover by J.K. Woodward. For the first time in the history of Star Trek: The Next Generation, go into the alternate "Mirror, Mirror" universe to meet the cold-blooded crew of the I.S.S. Enterprise and their captain, the ruthless Jean-Luc Picard. Inspired by the classic Star Trek episode, this topsy-turvy world hosts an adventure of epic proportions, where nothing is what it seems. TNG: Mirror Broken will be told across 128 pages and will sell for $17.99.

For additional details, contact your local comic book retailer or visit http://ift.tt/nnPuH9 to find a store near you. Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for additional details about the IDW's upcoming Star Trek adventures, as well as exclusive First Looks at covers and preview pages.

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Black Friday & Cyber Monday Trek Deals

You don't need a spore drive to jump ahead to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. StarTrek.com is right here, right now, with details about out-of-this-world deal on Star Trek-themed products available from both the Star Trek Shop here on StarTrek.com and other online retailers.

Check out what the galaxy holds:

Black Friday

StarTrek.com Shop

The StarTrek.com Shop is offering up to 65% off on some products, as well as free shipping on orders over $75 running Monday-Thursday and on orders over $35 Friday-Saturday. Just use the following code: BFSHIP. Click here for week sale and click here for the weekend sale.

Anovos

All In-stock Star Trek items are 15% from Nov. 24 to Nov. 27. So, that covers the window from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Anovos will also have some special newsletter-exclusive offers available, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter at bit.ly/anovosnews.

CafePress

CaféPress has a variety of Trek-themed products on sale, including a personalized tea mug, a Live Long and Prosper hoodie, a Lack of Logic pajamas set, a Kobayashi Maru t-shirt, a TNG throw blanket, and a TOS transporter room shower curtain. And be sure to use the code STARTREKGIFT to save $20.

Chronicle Books

Everything on ChronicleBooks.com is 35% off and available with free ground shipping. Just use the code GIVEBOOKS now through December 15, 2017.

Ecell

Are your ears burning for a new Star Trek phone case – or two? If so, Ecell is offering a buy one/get one deal for Black Friday. Designs include a range from from each series, including Discovery. Click here to pick up all Trek cases and click here to beam in Discovery cases.

Harper Collins

Now through December 31, 2017, Harper Collins is offering 20% off, plus free shipping, on The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Revised and Expanded Edition: A Reference Guide to the Future, as well as Star Trek: The Book of Lists. 

Her Universe

The Her Universe folks are getting a head start on Black Friday by offering their deals on Thursday, November 23. They'll have a slew of Trek items on sale, Tees & Tanks at $10, Dresses at $20, 30% Off Regular Items, 40% Off Funko Pops, 50% Off Clearance Items and 20% off site wide all week. Visit HerUniverse.com.

IDW Publishing

Save up to 60% off on IDW's many Star Trek titles via their Star Trek Digital Sale. It'll run from December 20 to January 3, 2018; go to http://ift.tt/xLbOwp.

Simon and Schuster

S&S is also offering a Star Trek Holiday Gift Guide, which will feature about 20 books including some more novelty titles, and all the ST novels published in 2017 at discounted prices. Now through December 3, S&S is also offering Star Trek eBook deals at just 99 cents per title. Among the books available are the Star Trek: Voyager adventures Cohesion, Fusion and Evolution.

Star Trek Mission Crate

The first Star Trek Mission Crate will be available through January 15th, so be sure to use the code STARFLEET15 to save 15%. Further, subscriptions begin at $39.99, and if you sign up for a full year you'll receive an exclusive QMx USS Enterprise refit metal replica as a bonus gift. Warp over to loot.cr/startrek.

 

Titan Magazines

Subscribe to Star Trek: The Official Magazine today and receive a Free Titan Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection Figure. You'll also save 5% off the cover price. Click here to subscribe.

Torrid

Torrid is offering 25% off their products online all week. Among the products discounted are the Star Trek Pajama Top and the Star Trek Pajama Pants.

 

Cyber Monday

StarTrek.com Shop

Today only, save 25% off everything in the StarTrek.com Shop.

Anovos

All In-stock Star Trek items are 15% from Nov.24 to Nov. 27. So, that covers the window from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Anovos will also have some special newsletter-exclusive offers available, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter at bit.ly/anovosnews.

Chronicle Books

Everything on ChronicleBooks.com is 35% off and available with free ground shipping. Just use the code GIVEBOOKS now through December 15, 2017.

 

Ecell

Ecell is back with another great deal on their Star Trek phone cases. On Cyber Monday, buy one and get one 50% off. Designs include a range from from each series, including Discovery. Click here to pick up all Trek cases and click here to beam in Discovery cases.

Hallmark

Get 20% off everything but Keepsake ornaments at Hallmark.com during their Cyber Monday Sale.

Harper Collins

Now through December 31, 2017, Harper Collins is offering 20% off, plus free shipping, on The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Revised and Expanded Edition: A Reference Guide to the Future, as well as Star Trek: The Book of Lists.

 

Her Universe

Her Universe's celebrates Cyber Monday by offering 20% off everything site-wide all week, including their newest release, a Star Trek Fashion Tee.

IDW Publishing

Save up to 60% off on IDW's many Star Trek titles via their Star Trek Digital Sale. It'll run from December 20 to January 3, 2018; go to http://ift.tt/xLbOwp.

Torrid

Torrid is offering 25% off their products online all week. Among the products discounted are the Star Trek Pajama Top and the Star Trek Pajama Pants.

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Captain Who'd Cook the Best Turkey Is...

Lorca? Kirk? Picard? Sisko? Janeway? Archer? Georgiou? According to you, our StarTrek.com readers, one of these legends is the answer to last week's poll question, which was, Which Captain would cook the best turkey? Thousands of fans stuffed the ballot box, and here are the results:

Captain Sisko (59%)

Captain Picard (14%)

 

Captain Kirk (9%)

Captain Janeway (8%)

Captain Archer (6%)

Captain Lorca (2%, 91 votes)

Captain Georgiou (2%, 85 votes)

 

So, did your Captain of choice baste the competition? And don't forget to vote in this week's poll, where we put each Trek series to the test...

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Our Eyes Opened

Philosopher Paul Ricoeur writes that myths are not simply false stories or untrue versions of history. While they are not simply equitable with history, they ought to be understood as the narratives that define the heritage and life of a community. They shape communal identity and help constitute a national sense of self. Ricoeur notes that myths are told in universal terms. We are all intended to see ourselves in these narratives and employ them to help us better understand ourselves and the world. He argues that in aiding the construction of our societal selves a myth "confers upon this experience an orientation" and a trajectory. It sets us on a path and shapes who we are. Myths inform us and help us determine where we go. In doing so, myths address the fundamental enigmas of our existence and help us try to make sense of our lives.

In the fan-favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Darmok," Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew are confronted by a mysterious and bewildering alien culture known as The Children of Tama. The Tamarians communicate through metaphors drawn from their own mythologies and founding narratives. This presents problems for the Starfleet crew, who know neither the meaning of the metaphors nor the originating stories from which they are drawn. Communication is impossible and eventually leads to rising tensions between Riker and the first officer of the Tamarian vessel.

Despite the myriad problems in communication, this is exactly why the Tamarian Captain has come. He is determined to establish a means of dialogue and is willing to jeopardize relations by kidnapping Captain Picard in order to so. What Picard does not initially realize, but would soon grow to learn, is that the Tamarians' identity and sense of self are inextricably constituted and shaped by their own cultural myths. The stories of Darmok and Jalad become the interpretive lens by which they make sense of the world and they struggle to communicate with others who do not share that heritage.

This draws the audience to contemplate the manner in which their own national assumptions are shaped by their cultural myths and stories. Was our nation forged in revolution and war? Was it brought about through negotiation, compromise, and treaty? How do these origins and the way we narrate them affect our sense of self and national identities? How have these narratives shaped the trajectory of our cultural lives?

When we first meet the Children of Tama, the Tamarian captain and his first officer appear to have a disagreement over the course of action. While we do not comprehend the specifics of their dispute, it seems apparent that the first officer had a different reading of both their situation and which stories ought to govern their actions toward the Enterprise. The Tamarian captain begins communicating with the Federation ship by citing "Rye and Jyrie at Lunga." The audience never learns more of these figures or how their story shapes Tamarian culture. It is only after the first failed attempt to communicate that the Tamarian captain cites Darmok, to which his first officer responds with protest. It seems that Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra was a second option, perhaps an alternative sub-history. I imagine that the attempt to gain friendship with Picard through facing a common enemy is an alternative myth or history that the Captain chose to emphasize and bring to the fore at the protest of his first officer.

Each of our nations also have such alternative histories and myths. In Canada, the celebration of "Canada 150" is made complex by the history of a colonizing relationship with our Indigenous people and nations. Many European countries also have colonial histories. In America, there is the history of the trail of tears alongside the histories of slavery and segregation that trouble the dominant cultural myths we share. I imagine Darmok and Jalad to be such an alternative myth that, when told and allowed to shape the actions and perspective of the Tamarian captain, allowed new friendships and cultural growth to occur.

After the events unravel with the Tamarian captain becoming injured at the hands of the creature at El-Adrel, Picard recounts the Epic of Gilgamesh for his wounded friend. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian myth that shaped ancient cultures beyond a single nation. This is the originating story that provided much of the source material for the Hebrew myth of the flood found in the Torah. Despite Picard's insistence that he is not much of a storyteller, he proceeds to recount the heroism and friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. These founding myths shaped human societies and continue to impact our ideas of valor, dedication, and adventure. The stories we use to construct our national and communal selves continue to impact not just individuals, but policy, culture, and countries.

The Tamarian captain was not only acquainted with the dominant myths of Rye and Jyrie, but also the sub-altern myths of Darmok. He allowed Darmok to change him and his approach to others in such a way that allowed for new ways of communicating and the forging of new friendships. It is in listening to new and alternative stories, in addition to those we know well, that growth and maturation occurs. At the close of the episode, Picard is reading the Homeric hymns. His encounter with the Tamarians reminded him that becoming acquainted with our own founding myths and learning to recognize how these stories continue to influence and shape us is essential for self-awareness. Even more important is the recognition that how our own founding myths and metaphors shape indelibly how we see the world and communicate with others. The Tamarian captain desired connection and communication at the cost of his life. He desired to not only share his stories, but to learn human stories such as Gilgamesh. It is in this dialogue and sharing of ourselves that genuine encounter occurs.

Timothy Harvie is Associate Professor of philosophy and ethics at St. Mary's University in Calgary, Canada.  His interests lie primarily in philosophical theology, political philosophy, environmental and animal philosophies, and ideas of the role of hope in society. He is a lifelong Star Trek fan. http://ift.tt/2gkHlyG

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FIRST LOOK: Discovery: Drastic Measures Novel Out in February

The Star Trek: Discovery literary saga will continue in February with the release of Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures. It's written by Dayton Ward, a Trek veteran whose previous books include Hearts and Minds, Legacies: Book #3: Purgatory's Key, Vanguard: Declassified, Seekers: Point of Diversion, Typhon Pact #4: Paths of Disharmony and Starfleet Corps of Engineers: Breakdowns, among others.

Here's the synposis of Drastic Measures, direct from the publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books:

It is 2246, ten years prior to the "Battle at the Binary Stars," and an aggressive contagion is ravaging the food supplies of the remote Federation colony Tarsus IV and the eight thousand people who call it home. Distress signals have been sent, but any meaningful assistance is weeks away. Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Lorca and a small team assigned to a Starfleet monitoring outpost are caught up in the escalating crisis, and bear witness as the colony's governor, Adrian Kodos, employs an unimaginable solution in order to prevent mass starvation.

While awaiting transfer to her next assignment, Commander Philippa Georgiou is tasked with leading to Tarsus IV a small, hastily assembled group of first responders. It's hoped this advance party can help stabilize the situation until more aid arrives, but Georgiou and her team discover that they're too late—Governor Kodos has already implemented his heinous strategy for extending the colony's besieged food stores and safeguarding the community's long-term survival.

In the midst of their rescue mission, Georgiou and Lorca must now hunt for the architect of this horrific tragedy and the man whom history will one day brand "Kodos the Executioner"...

Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books will release Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures on Feb. 6, 2018, as a 400-page trade paperback priced at $16.00 in the U.S. and $22.00 in Canada. It'll also be available as an eBook and eAudio title. Go to simonandschuster.com to pre-order the adventure.

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