Amazon Limited Edition Replica Gift Set

Amazon will have a special gift set home video release of Star Trek. The Star Trek Limited Edition Replica Set will include the three disc Blu-ray edition of the movie along with a solid metal replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise modeled after the CGI version used in the movie. The gift set will be released on November 17, 2009, limited to 5,000 copies and currently set to cost $90.99.

From Amazon:

The U.S.S. Enterprise Commemorative Replica is modeled directly from the digital effects files used in Star Trek (2009). Hand cast in solid metal, the replica incorporates chrome, textured steel and pewter finishes to create a collectible of unsurpassed detail and elegance. From the delta command badge base to the tip of each nacelle, not a drop of plastic was used in the construction of this substantial piece. Each ship is crafted by the artisans of Quantum Mechanix Inc. (QMx), a boutique collectibles maker. The U.S.S. Enterprise Commemorative Replica was created exclusively for Amazon.com to celebrate the maiden voyage of Starfleet's newest flagship, and is available in a limited edition of only 5,000 ships. Each replica comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by QMx and Industrial Light & Magic's Roger Guyett, Visual Effects Supervisor.

• Model directly from the digital effects files used in Star Trek (2009)
• Made of solid metal with chrome, textured steel and pewter finishes
• 8.5 inches long and weighing over a pound
• Limited Edition of 5,000
• Comes with Certificate of Authenticity

Star Trek Books Spring Preview

From TrekMovie.com is a preview of the spring 2010 plans (PDF link) for Star Trek. Currently the plan is five paperback books between January and April. Sadly, the increase in Star Trek volume wasn't enough to prevent the layoff Star Trek editor Margaret Clark from Simon & Schuster after nearly 13 years with the company as part of a workplace reduction due to lagging profits.

Star Trek: Inception
by S.D. Perry (release date: 1/26/10)

Blending the best of both the Star Trek television show and the movie, the story of a younger less experienced Kirk and Spock—and the two great loves of their lives, Carol Marcus and Leila Kalomi.

As man expands beyond explored space, the need to find a way to make inhospitable planets habitable grows greater. One young biologist, Carol Marcus, has a project that she believes can reshape planets. A young committed scientist, she dares to dream of a Federation where there is never any hunger and every world is a paradise. Her dream is shared by James Kirk, a young Starfleet officer and her lover. One of Carol’s more enthusiastic team members is botanist Leila Kalomi. Leila finds Carol’s passion contagious, and sparks the interest of the Enterprise’s science officer, Spock, who convinces her to join Project: Inception.

Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins
by Margaret Clark (release date: 3/16/10)

An all-new collection of engaging novellas showcasing the seven archetypal adversaries of the Star Trek universe.

Lust. Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Wrath. Envy. Pride. These are the seven deadly sins of humanity…but humans are not the only creatures in the universe to surrender to their baser instincts. In the world of Star Trek, entire civilizations are driven by avarice, or anger, or insatiable hunger, or one of the other fundamental urges that have come to define these fascinating species. Now, this edgy collection of original novellas explores these empires from the inside, delving into the qualities that shape their cultures and their worldviews, through characters as compelling as they are provocative. These surprising and engaging tales feature all of Star Trek’s most prominent adversaries, including the Borg (gluttony), the Klingons (wrath), the Romulans (pride), the Cardassians (envy), the Ferengi (greed), the Pakleds (sloth), and the Mirror Universe (lust), and their adventures on the dark side of the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: To Thine Own Self
by David Stern (release date: 3/30/10)

When the Orion syndicate holds the Enterprise’s doctor for ransom, Captain Pike must discover why the Orions no longer fear Starfleet in this new novel set in the classic Star Trek era.

A thorn in the side of civilized space travel for more than a hundred years, the Orion syndicate has gotten bolder. They are harassing more ships and daring to even tangle with smaller Starfleet vessels. When one of the leading members begs Captain Christopher Pike to let his doctor treat one of their own, Pike agrees. But it’s a trap, and the Orions take the doctor hostage. Captain Pike is left to wonder why, since the Orions know that Starfleet does not negotiate. Spock thinks perhaps they no longer fear the consequences, and if so, they must discover what has changed the Orions’ instinctual nature

Star Trek: Unspoken Truth
by Margaret Wander Bonanno (release date: 4/27/10)

Lieutenant Saavik—the compelling female Starfleet officer who is half-Vulcan, half- Romulan—struggles to discover where her loyalties lie.

A wild child, Saavik was left to die in a world so horrifying that it was dubbed Hellguard by those who dared to cling to life there. She was rescued by Spock who took the half-Vulcan half-Romulan child home to his parents, knowing only they could care for the troubled child. As an adult, Saavik followed Spock into Starfleet, but recent events have shaken her. When she comes home to Vulcan to find that other Hellguard survivors are being killed, she wonders if she can dare to call Vulcan home. And when forced to choose, can she embrace the pacifism of Vulcan or is the violence of Romulus her true nature?

Star Trek: New Frontier - Treason
by Peter David (release date: 2/23/10)

Now available in mass market, the exciting New Frontier novel from New York Times bestselling and popular Star Trek author Peter David!

Jumping ahead three years from the events depicted in Stone and Anvil, tensions within the New Thallonian Protectorate are at a fever pitch following the murder of Prime Minister Si Cwan. The sudden power vacuum will have farreaching ramifications for Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, the crew of the USS Excalibur, and all of Sector 221-G itself.

Quinto Updates on Trek Sequel Progress

SciFi Wire recently interviewed Zachary Quinto (Spock) to get an update on the sequel to Star Trek and the new season of Heroes. Overall, the sequel script remains in the discussion phase and he doubts there will be a movie even close to ready for a release next year.

With regard to Star Trek, "I know that they're breaking the stories and working on it," Quinto said in an interview Wednesday at the Video West Arcade in Glendale, Calif., where he was launching the Stride Gum "Save the Arcades" campaign. "J.J. [Abrams] and Bobby [Orci] and Alex [Kurtzman]. But I think those guys have other things that they're working on. Star Trek is a priority, certainly, but I don't think anybody's in a hurry. Which is what I love about them. You know what I mean? Of course the fans and the studio would love it to come out next summer if it could. I think it's going to be much better served by taking time and being clear about the story that they want to tell. Whether or not that involves Khan or Mr. Shatner remains to be seen."

Lego of Spock's Jellyfish Ship

It took long enough but finally some enterprising Lego masters decided to create a model of a Star Trek ship out of Legos. The object is the Jellyfish, the ship that Spock used in Star Trek comics to stop an out of control supernova that had already destroyed Romulus and was about to destroy the Federation. The use of the craft led to a rip in time that caused Nero and himself to go back in time and hop universes and led to the events depicted in the recent movie. For the complete gallery of this Lego beauty, click here.

Writers Discuss Linking Movies

Star Trek Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci continue to fuel speculation on exactly what the sequel will be about, this time continuing the thread that they might kick off their own trilogy of sorts for the rebooted Trek movies with links that would tie the next two films together. This occured during an interview with IESB as they promoted the new season of Fringe. Below is the Trek related segments with the full interview here.

Q: How far are you with Star Trek 2?
Orci: We had about a 15 to 30 minute discussion with the whole gang, and then went our separate ways. We're still in the re-reading and taking it all in phase, before we actually sit down and start designing it.

Q: How much of that involves classic missions?
Orci: Everything's on the table.
Kurtzman: We have to comb through everything and make sure that we leave no stone unturned. That's what we did with the first movie.
Orci: And even when you pitch stuff, sometimes someone will be like, "Wow, that's like that one episode." So, even in trying to stay away from it, you can crash back in there.
Kurtzman: And, there's obviously a lot of expectation with the sequel. We take nothing for granted, at this point. We're only going to do it when it's really right.
Orci: But, we haven't hit the ground running yet.

Q: Could it bridge to a third movie?
Orci: It was more the fact that we talked about the minute you start seeing how much Star Trek there is, and how many ideas everyone's having, you could have enough material for more films. There is 43 years of material. That's all that we meant by that. It has to cross your mind, but we're not leaning one way or the other yet.

Q: How careful do you have to be not to overdo it?
Kurtzman: Well, it's a balance. The approach for us, on the first movie, was, "How do we please fans? And, how do we please people who have no relationship to Trek?" That's what we have to keep asking ourselves, constantly. That's a very tricky formula because it's hard. A lot of what makes die hard Trekkers really focused on Trek are those details that can sometimes be alienating to people who are not on the inside. So, that leads us back to, "What are the big themes and the emotional ideas?" That's a language everybody speaks.

Q: You still have to have Bones say, "He's dead, Jim."
Orci: That's right, that's right. I was watching Star Trek on cable, the other night. The original series has been on rotation, and I noted that. He said, "He's dead, Jim." I was like, "Oh, that has to go."

Q: Wouldn't it be cost effective to do two Star Trek sequels?
Orci: Even if we conceived of stories that were connected, I don't know that we'd be interested in shooting them, back to back. It's not about doing them together. It's just about what's best for the story.

Las Vegas Star Trek Convention Report

G4's Attach of the Show has a brief report (that is of the usual "look at the geeks" style) from the Las Begas Star Trek Convention that was held over the weekend.

Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Writers Update on Sequel Script Progress

Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman continue to provide updates on progress for the script to the sequel to the successful 2009 movie. Long story short, there is no script yet as they are still in the spitballing ideas stage.

According to Sci Fi Wire, the writers are considering revisiting classic Original Series moments but adapting it to the new timeline.

"Even when you pitch stuff, sometimes someone will be like, 'Wow, that's like that one episode,'" Orci said. "So even in trying to stay away from it, you can crash back in there."

At the same time, the writers want to make sure any follow-up is not too Trek-heavy, so as not to confuse the new fans who were brought into the fold by director J.J. Abrams' movie. "A lot of what makes die-hard Trekkers really focused on Trek are those details that can sometimes be alienating to people who are not on the inside," Kurtzman said. "That leads us back to what are the big themes, the emotional ideas? That's a language everybody speaks."

Orci responded with a simple "It's a good idea", at the idea from Abrams good luck charm (he pretty much appears in all his projects) and best friend Greg Grunberg who suggested himself playing Harry Mudd in a future movie. Personally I hope his answer is a diplomatic response and isn't being considered as I considered those episodes to be some of the worst in series.

Considering the secrecy that surrounds JJ Abrams' projects and his (and really the writers) desire to work on new ideas (even if in others sandboxes) that any script will be based on new stories and villains and not employ any episodes from the Original Series as a foundation for ideas and stick with the homage precedent of the current movie.

Eugene Roddenberry on Trek Legacy

Eugene Wesley Roddenberry, the only child of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett Roddenbery, discusses the legacy of Star Trek and his parents with Hero Complex. Below are a few segments with the full interview here.

What was your reaction to J.J. Abrams’ reboot of your dad’s series? And what, if any expectations do you have for future installments?
RR: I began very apprehensive. Someone new was coming in, and they were gonna do my dad’s “Star Trek.” And they even put a commercial out saying, “This is not your father’s ‘Star Trek.’” Which concerned me for two reasons. My love, my respect for my father. What that name means to fans, and the fans’ expectations. I really wanted to make sure they were protected. A lot of them look to the Roddenberrys to make sure this doesn’t go down the wrong road. So, scared, apprehensive. But I’m also not a problem starter, so I wasn’t going to go stomping my feet and knocking on doors and saying, “You’d better do this right.” Uh, when I sat in the theater and saw it, I have to say I was blown away. Bottom line, I was very impressed, very happy. J.J. and [Alex] Kurtzman and [Roberto] Orci, the two writers, did a fantastic job. I think they’re a great team. I’m guessing that Kurtzman and Orci, being fans of “Star Trek,” kept it true to the philosophy, kept it true to the time line and they were able to take their own time line to make changes. And J.J. made it a roller-coaster ride for everyone to enjoy. They brought it out of the old and into the new. They made “Star Trek” cool again.

HC: I like how they created a new time line basically, with Eric Bana going back in time, destroying Vulcan -- so the adventures we’ll watch Chris Pine and Zach Quinto go through will be totally different than what we saw William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy go through. It opens up a totally different facet of the franchise.
RR: Exactly, and at the same time, all the hard-core original fans, myself being one of them, their time line is not disturbed. They didn’t say “screw you” to that and just rewrite it. It’s an alternate reality, and I am fine with that. I am thrilled about that.

HC: Maybe it’s in the gene pool. Which leads me to your mom. What did it mean to you that her voice was in the new film?
RR: It was tremendous. They called and they asked if it could happen, and we did everything we could to make it happen. In fact, it didn’t take much. My mother loved being in “Star Trek.” Not because she loved acting -- [but] because she loved the fans. And I genuinely mean that. She loved the adoration. She really loved being a part of “Star Trek,” and when they asked her to, she said yes with no hesitation. And we were a little bit concerned because her health had started to go downhill and her voice had started to change a bit. And what was very interesting, again, she had not been in the best health. She had not been able to move around much, but when the people recording her came to the door -- 'cause we asked them to do it at the home -- she did a whole 180. She brightened up. She had tons of energy. Her voice changed. So it really brought out the best in her. And she was fantastic.

Bana: No Return for Nero

Sadly, while promoting his current movie The Time Traveler's wife, Eric Bana tells Movie Web that Nero is not returning. Just in case his death at the end of the movie wasn't a hint.

Today we caught up with actor Eric Bana, who was promoting his upcoming film The Time Traveler's Wife, and he revealed that his role in one of the year's biggest films was a one-time-only deal. Bana confirmed to us exclusively that he will not reprise his Nero character in a sequel to Star Trek.

We reported last month that Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have already begun planning the script to the sequel, but they never mentioned Nero specifically and it seems that Bana will not come back for the part.