It's been several years since any of the Star Trek novels were translated into German and published in Germany. The lack of a German publishing program meant the considerable fan base for the Star Trek novels had been left wanting. No longer willing to wait in vain for new material to be published, an ambitious group of professionals, who happen to be fans, have risen to this challenge and filled the gap.

Starting in February 2008, the "Star Trek: Vanguard" series of books will make its German-language debut. CrossCult, the German publisher for titles such as "Hellboy” and "Sin City,” is working with Medienshow Agency and a talented group of translators and genre journalists to re-establish the Trek franchise in German bookstores. Markus Rohde, one of the initiators of the enterprise and editor-in-chief of Germany's leading genre magazine "Space View,” comments: "We know that there's a huge fanbase out there eagerly waiting for new books, and we're happy that we are finally able to publish them.”

If successful, the "Vanguard" series will lead German readers into a new begining for Star Trek fiction as CrossCult hopes to publish new novels for as long as it is economically feasible.

Hopes are high that German fandom embraces the new development: Mike Hillenbrand, co-author of "Dies sind die Abenteuer” ["These are the Adventures"], a highly-acclaimed book about 40 years of Star Trek from the German perspective, is one of the people translating the novels. "We're fans ourselves,” says Mike. "Therefore we are very much aware of the fans' expectations and know exactly how to treat Star Trek. We have been reading the American novels for decades and are very proud to finally bring them back into the German market.”

Hillenbrand's co-translator and author of several genre books, both fiction and non-fiction, is Claudia Kern. "For years," adds Claudia, "German publishers have ignored the fans. They're out there, willing to read books about their favorite science-fiction universe, but no one lets them. We're hoping to change that.”

Hillenbrand and Claudia Kern are currently working on the translations.

Stay tuned for further details regarding the German publishing of the Star Trek novels.