What's New in Trek and Books for April?

Probably like you, I’m sitting in my house, observing my local version of the “stay at home” order so many of us are dealing with during these uncertain times. I hope you and your family and friends are safe and in good health. If you’re continuing to work outside the home I hope you’re taking the steps necessary to keep yourself healthy. On the other hand, if you can take advantage of some unexpected down time at home, perhaps you might catch up on some leisure reading, and hey! Check out these latest offerings from the realm of Star Trek publishing.

First, we have a return to the “alternate timeline” created in the 2009 Star Trek feature film, when a massive Romulan ship travels over 150 years back in time to the early 23rd century, setting into motion a series of events that lead to a completely different reality and The Unsettling Stars, an all-new novel featuring a young Captain James T. Kirk and his inexperienced crew of the Starship Enterprise as they answer a distress call sent by a colony ship of alien refugees under siege by an unknown enemy. Kirk and his crew discover the situation is far more complicated than they bargained for. This new story is written by veteran author Alan Dean Foster, whose connection to Star Trek stretches back to the 1970s with his adaptations of episodes from the animated series. He also conceived the story which became Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and wrote novelizations for the 2009 Star Trek film and its first sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. From Gallery Books, you can purchase a physical copy for $16.00, an eBook for $11.99, and an unabridged audio download for $19.99 on April 14.

Recently released from Modiphius for their Star Trek Adventures roleplaying game is the Delta Quadrant Sourcebook. Thanks to the U.S.S. Voyager’s journey through that distant region of the galaxy, we now have information on a host of previously unknown worlds, species, interstellar phenomena, and technology. Voyager and its crew made many new friends but also a few enemies and all of that is here in this comprehensive reference guide that lets gamemasters and players enhance their Star Trek Adventures campaign. The book is available now for £24.99.

Hot on the heels of the latest Star Trek series, Titan Books brings us their 100-page hardcover Star Trek: Picard Official Collector’s Edition. Go behind the scenes with this comprehensive guide to the new show, including peeks at the production process and detailed information on the cast of characters including Jean-Luc Picard himself, Sir Patrick Stewart. You’ll also find interviews and spotlights with writers and others involved in the creation of this amazing new entry in the Star Trek mythos, all collected from the pages of Titan’s Star Trek Magazine. Order your copy on April 21 for $19.99.

Elsewhere, the world of comics has been impacted by the COVID-19 situation. Most comics publishers have slowed or suspended production as distribution has halted for the time being. In response to this, IDW Publishing has placed its April release slate on hold, including its Star Trek titles. Fans looking for the latest issue of Star Trek: Year Five or the first issue of the all-new Star Trek: Deep Space Nine miniseries "Too Long A Sacrifice" will unfortunately have to wait a bit. The current plan is to send out those comics once distribution resumes. However, the editors and creators want readers to know their work continues and they’re excited to share the new stories they’re concocting. If the slowdown continues into May, watch this space for updates on how those and other projects are proceeding.

Dayton Ward (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling author or co-author of numerous novels and short stories, including a whole bunch of stuff set in the Star Trek universe, and often working with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore. As he’s still a big ol' geek at heart, Dayton is known to wax nostalgic about all manner of Star Trek topics over on his own blog, The Fog of Ward.