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Transformers 2 vs. Terminator 4
Essential sci-fi reading list?
Brandon Routh no longer under contarct to play SUPERMAN
Megan Fox v. Michael Bay on the quality of Transformers
Jul 03 | Leading sci-fi website, Totalscifionline.com has teamed up with Star Trek Magazine to find out who is the best villain in Star Trek. Together, they want to know the diabolical masterminds who have sent a shiver down your spine and set your heart pounding and the evil geniuses who make it seem good to e bad. The top Star Trek villain will appear on a special commemorative Star Trek
Magazine cover, to be revealed later this year. Your vote could also win you year's subscription to Star Trek Magazine.For information on how to cast your vote, go here
Jul 02 | Doug Drexler's Drex Files blog psoted a couple of making-of for two images in Pocket Books 2010 Ships of the Line calendar. You can see Greg Stewart's "Operation Return", and "We Come In Peace For All Mankind" by Robert Wilde.
Jul 02 | Company of Angels (CoA), which was co-founded in 1959 by actor Leonard Nimoy, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as Los Angeles' oldest non profit professional theater now headquartered at the historic Alexandria Hotel in downtown LA. CoA is readying to celebrate this milestone in the history of Los Angeles Theater - with a prestigious Charity Awards Gala slated for October 17, 2009 which will honor actor Leonard Nimoy for his role as a founding member as well as veteran actor Robert Ellenstein. "I'm looking forward to celebrating Company of Angels' 50th Anniversary Award Ceremony and Gala." Nimoy says of this special event in which he is proud to be a part of Check out the official website to learn more about The Company of Angels
Jul 01 | There may be no new Boston Legal episodes, but William Shatner is keeping very busy these days. In addition to his new talk show, Raw Nerve, he took time out to film a new TV spot for Priceline, titled Lighten Up. The clip is viewable on the Priceline Travel Blog
Jun 28 | Eight weeks in, Star Trek still drew audiences in eighth ($3.6 million this weekend, $246.2 million overall).
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By BWilliams / 00:38, 2 August 2005 / Reviews - Books
Synopsis: At one of the farthest edges of the quadrant lies a space station, staffed with an elite group of Starfleet officers and civilian personnel coming together to explore one of the greatest mysteries known to them. Your first stop: Starbase 47, also known as Vanguard.
Review: Any time you have the launch of a brand-new STAR TREK series, whether in print or on television, it always holds the promise of furthering the legend while continuing in the tradition of going where no one has gone before. But in the case of HARBINGER, the first novel of the all-new original series VANGUARD, writer David Mack takes us back to the days of the Original Series by giving us a harder-edged look at a space station on the edge of a new frontier.
Returning from its historic voyage to the edge of the galaxy (chronicled in 'Where No Man Has Gone Before"�), the U.S.S. Enterprise journeys through the Taurus Reach, a vast and little-known region of space in which Vanguard Station has been constructed. Puzzled by the Federation's interest in the Taurus Reach and its close proximity to the Tholian Assembly, Captain Kirk ponders the mystery of Vanguard Station and begins to suspect that there is much more to Vanguard than meets the eye.
Despite what you may think, VANGUARD is not a TOS-era version of DEEP SPACE NINE, as editor Marco Palmieri has stated in months past. Rather, it has its own unique feel and flavor to it that differentiates it from its 24th century counterpart. Right away we meet the diverse crew and company that reside aboard Vanguard Station. Commodore Diego Reyes, a 30-year Starfleet veteran and the station's commanding officer, is one of only four people on board who knows of Starfleet's mission in the Taurus Reach. Reyes is frequently at odds with Captain Rana Desai, the station's JAG officer, on how to serve the Federation's ideals, all the while keeping their personal relationship apart from their professional relationship. Lt. Commander T'Prynn, the station's intelligence officer, harbors an intense secret that may jeopardize not only her mission aboard Vanguard but also her very life. Ambassador Jetanien, the senior Federation diplomat aboard Vanguard, is there to supervise a staff of envoys and aides to deal with all of the diplomatic issues that arise in the Taurus Reach. Lieutenant Ming Xiong, the station's archaeology and anthropology officer, is eager to explore the Taurus Reach while remaining open to an exchange of scientific ideas and building bridges with other alien cultures. Dr. Zeke Fisher, the station's chief medical officer, wants nothing more than to retire and see his replacement, Dr. M'Benga (whom we have seen on a few episodes of TOS), take over.
In addition to Starfleet's presence, Vanguard Station is home to aliens, scoundrels, and rogues from different walks of the galaxy. Tim Pennington, a frontier correspondent for the Federation News Service, wants nothing more than to score the big news story, even at the risk of his own life and reputation. Cervantes Quinn, a rogue trader and scoundrel in the mold of Harry Mudd, Cyrano Jones, and even Han Solo, gets involved in a mix of legal and not-so-legal actions, all the while staying out of trouble with the Federation. Ganz, a merchant-prince in the mold of the characters witnessed in 'The Cage"�, is lured by the promise of new markets for his illegal trade operations, including narcotics, weapons smuggling, and sexual commerce. But even with a mix of Starfleet and non-Starfleet personnel aboard, it wouldn't be a space station without a spy aboard, which is where Anna Sandesjo comes in. Sandesjo, the senior Federation diplomatic attaché, is in reality a Klingon agent named Lurqal, surgically altered to appear human and ordered to investigate Starfleet's interest in the Taurus Reach.
HARBINGER actually owes more to TNG's pilot episode 'Encounter at Farpoint"� than it does to DS9, particularly in Mack's set-up and execution. While the Enterprise undergoes crucial repairs and upgrades to its systems, Kirk and Spock must look into the mystery behind Vanguard Station, as they and the Vanguard Station's personnel learn the true purpose of its creation and the outcome that it may mean for the Federation.
Of course, it wouldn't be a David Mack novel without his signature penchant for suspenseful, hard-hitting action that harkens back to his earlier novels, not to mention an ever-increasing body count in the process. When one of the starships assigned to Vanguard is lost in battle, Mack makes you care about the lives lost, the lives touched by their losses, and the dramatic after-effects that occur throughout the novel's myriad events.
In addition to Mack's tale, HARBINGER also contains a series of illustrated schematics of the Vanguard Station, expertly conceived and designed by Masao Okazaki. It's not all that often we get to see schematics to a starship or base of operations provided for the readers; a few of the past Klingon- and Romulan-themed novels have had such schematics provided. Usually it is left up to the reader to conceive his or her own perceptions of the locations. In the case of HARBINGER it is quite a welcome addition indeed.
A good mystery and adventure is always ripe with secrets for the reader to uncover, and in the case of HARBINGER, David Mack splendidly peppers the first entry of the VANGUARD series with plenty of secrets left for future writers to explore in later installments. That's what makes a good series all the more successful, and I for one am looking forward to further exploring the mystery of and adventure with the crew of the Vanguard Station.
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