Past Updates 2020

DecemberNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJulyJuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuary

 

December

EAS is available on Google News now. Click the Google News icon on the top right of every page to view and (provided you have a Google account) to follow the EAS site news. If this is not your thing, there are more options to follow EAS. This is just a one-time reminder. I will never bother visitors with obtrusive pop-ups to subscribe.

I have added dozens of orthographic views and other pictures to the Starship Gallery, and most notably a new page for Discovery Alien Vessels.

The Discovery finally arrives at the place where the Burn originated and where someone is still alive, after as many as 125 years. Here is my review of Star Trek's first Christmas episode, DIS: "Su'Kal".

Once again, there are several new TNG Observations, especially late in season 1 and early in season 2. You can follow Jörg on Twitter to stay updated. Also, I have reworked the old code of all Observations pages to be CSS compatible and not such a nightmare to edit. If everything looks exactly the same as before, this is just a sign that the conversion worked perfectly.

Emperor Georgiou attempts to change history, but then her stay in her own universe ends abruptly. Back in the 32nd century, Carl reveals his true identity. Read my rant on one of the most disappointing episodes ever made, DIS: "Terra Firma II".

As Georgiou's condition because of her travel though time and dimensions worsens, Burnham takes her to a planet where they could find help. Here is my review of DIS: "Terra Firma I".

Here are two book reviews by Daniel Tessier: the recent Star Trek: Picard prequel The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack and an oldie from 1988, The Three-Minute Universe by Barbara Paul.

Book receives disturbing news from his homeworld, as Osyraa of the Emerald Chain is out for revenge and threatens to destroy the planet. Read my review of DIS: "The Sanctuary".

 

November

I thought it would be fun to compile a complete gallery of Guinan's Outfits (and especially her many hats). And while I was at it, I made some observations.

In order to solve the mystery of the Burn, the Discovery travels to Ni'Var, the planet formerly known as Vulcan that is now home to the Romulan people as well. Here is my review of DIS: "Unification III".

Our new article Risian Logos and Design investigates all appearances of actual and potential logos of Risa, as well as writing and typical design elements.

The retrofitted Discovery is ordered to stand by as a "rapid response" ship. But when Burnham learns that Booker is missing and that there is a chance to trace back the origin of the Burn, she sets out on a rescue mission. Read my review of DIS: "Scavengers".

Having arrived at Federation Headquarters, the Discovery crew have to prove worthy of staying together. Here is my review of DIS: "Die Trying".

The Discovery visits Trill, in the hope that Adira may connect with the symbiont Tal and retrieve lost memories. In the meantime, Saru invites his senior officers to a dinner, compared to which the one with the Klingons from "Star Trek VI" is a smashing success. Read my review of DIS: "Forget Me Not".

 

October

After Michael Burnham has rejoined the crew, the USS Discovery sets a course for Earth and is caught in an unexpected conflict. Read my review of the latest episode of season 3, DIS: "People of Earth".

The USS Discovery too ends up in the 32nd century, and the crew has to deal with different kinds of parasites. Here is my review of the second episode of season 3, "Far From Home".

Michael Burnham arrives in the 32nd century, only to notice that a lot of things have changed for the worse. Here is my review of the Discovery season 3 premiere, "That Hope Is You, Part 1".

New Poll: Rate the first season of Lower Decks.

In the five DS9 Mirror Universe episodes we can see several variations of the emblem of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. Read in Jörg's new article on The Evolution of the Alliance Emblem.

 

September

Not all starship types of Star Trek are well-documented. Sometimes they can be seen only briefly on screen, and further information is hard to come by. I have compiled a list of such obscure designs, together with pretty much everything we know about them: Obscure Yet Interesting Starships.

The cockpit set of Zefram Cochrane's first warp ship, the Phoenix, reappeared several times on Star Trek: Enterprise, sometimes in more and sometimes in less obvious reuses. Read our new article on Redresses of the Phoenix Cockpit.

Many awards, diplomas and other memorabilia can be seen stored in Picard's quantum archive room in PIC: "Remembrance", among them various trophies presented to Picard over the course of his career. Jörg has identified and summarized them in the new article The Trophies in Picard's Quantum Archive.

There are some new designs in the Journal of Applied Treknology. This may be the final update of this EAS subsidiary. The HTML code and the scripts are hopelessly outdated, and I doubt that spending several hundred hours to convert it would be worth the effort.

 

August

The Flaxian ship from DS9: "Improbable Cause" obviously reappears as the Entharan ship in VOY: "Retrospect", but also in another Voyager episode. Read Jörg's new article on Re-Uses of the Flaxian Ship.

Besides the bird of prey emblem that represents the Romulan Star Empire (or, without the two planets, the Romulan Free State), we could see various other Romulan logos or insignias, which Jörg has summarized in the article Other Romulan Logos.

There are many new findings in the TNG Observations, Season 1. To stay updated about his observations (and not just in TNG), I recommend to follow Jörg's tweets.

It looks like most fans like Lower Decks a lot, as a comical but respectful take on the good old Star Trek. While I'm waiting for the international release, see the guest reviews and feel free to add your comments.

Until I am able to watch it legally, there will be no Lower Decks coverage at EAS - no reviews, no articles and no discussions with me. In the meantime, feel free to use the Disqus comment section to talk about the show or submit a guest review. Maybe I will catch up with Lower Decks but it will likely have a low priority. I can't stress enough this is the consequence of being locked out and not because I expect to hate the show.

 

July

The long and short names of Star Trek series and movies are not quite consistent in all publications. Only recently, the announcement that Lower Decks will be officially called "LDS" added another discrepancy. My article on Titles and Abbreviations of Star Trek Series and Movies summarizes the sometimes different styles of referring to series and movies, in official sources and in the fandom.

Star Trek: Prodigy is the title of the second new animated series that is set to air on Nickelodeon. There are also new pictures from Lower Decks and a 90-second clip from the pilot episode, "Second Contact". I'm willing to give both series a chance, although we now have even more proof of how dumb the humor of Lower Decks may be.

As the new official animated series approaches, it is a good time for me to take a break and review "The Quintain", the latest episode of Curt Danhauser's Star Trek Animated. The episode is a homage to James Doohan, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2020.

According to the trailer for Lower Decks, the series is going to be more childish than I expected, and not at all like the show for adults that it was announced as. There is still a chance that the trailer is not representative of the show and that it is going to be more intelligent than we think. But we should be prepared for the worst.

New Poll: What do you think of the design of the USS Cerritos for Lower Decks?

The site is going to move to a new (and faster) server later today. There may be some temporary problems with redirects.

The animated series Lower Decks, created by Mike McMahan, will premiere on CBS All Access on Thursday, August 6. There is no word yet if, when and where the series will be released internationally.

 

June

I have replaced the blurry images in the articles Planets in TOS and TOS Remastered - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Planet Surfaces in TOS and TOS Remastered with HD caps. Thanks to Trek Caps and TrekCore for their effort of capping every Star Trek series!

The Corridor from the Transporter Room to Sickbay is a small set that was built for the first Star Trek feature film in 1979 and that, along with the transporter room, also appeared in many TNG episodes. Jörg has investigated all appearances of the corridor, also as seen from the sickbay office, over the course of 15 years.

No big news today, but a couple of updates that are worth mentioning. I have reworked the classic article on uniform changes with new pictures and information. There are new HD caps, especially of TOS characters, in the Galleries. Finally, the thumbnails in the section Product Reviews are bigger now.

A new article by Jörg and Bernd looks at Starship Mutations, as they came to pass because stock footage of an older or different model version was used. They are usually hardly noticeable, but one episode is a complete mess in this regard.

Here is a new article on the The Evolution of the Vidiian Emblem, which appeared, in the commonly known form, on fewer occasions than we may have expected.

A new speculative article by Ryan Dietz has the goal to diversify the starships of TOS. Also note that the layout of Canon Fodder has been reworked, with more legible font sizes and larger illustrations.

I have replaced all of the over 700 tiny pictures in episode and movie reviews with much bigger screen caps (HD where available).

 

May

I have added a small gallery of Star Trek Picard Characters.

Rick Sternbach and Lee Cole designed various pictograms for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". Many of them appeared as stickers in the Star Trek: The Motion Picture Peel-Off Graphics Book. Our new article on Pictograms from the Star Trek: The Motion Picture Peel-Off Graphics Book identifies the logos from the book in the TOS movies and later appearances on Star Trek. Research by Jörg Hillebrand. Logo reconstructions by Brad Wilder.

New Poll: Do you like the idea of Strange New Worlds?

After months of rumors, the much-discussed prequel series with Captain Pike and Spock has finally officially been announced. It will be called Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. While this is what many fans have hoped and campaigned for, it is not what I want to see and what I think Star Trek needs right now. Read my thoughts and remember you have been warned.

Two new book reviews by Daniel Tessier: the brand-new TOS tie-in The Higher Frontier by Christopher L. Bennett and the classic TNG novel Requiem by Michael Jan Friedman and Kevin Ryan.

See our Observations in PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego II", with everything notable about apples, footballs, hyposprays, Rikers, and more.

More than 20 years ago, neither decent screen caps nor the required bandwidth for heavily illustrated articles were available on the internet. It was a massive pile of work for Jörg and me, but we have eventually revamped nine of the oldest articles of EAS, replacing some 400 tiny pictures with much bigger ones (HD where available), correcting errors and, almost on a side note, adding the newest facts from Star Trek Picard. See The Evolution of the Romulans, The Evolution of Klingon Foreheads, Races with Changing Faces - Major Races, Races with Changing Faces - Other Races and more. Furthermore, there are just Picard-related updates (no layout changes) in the articles The Economy of the Federation, Alien Monocultures in Star Trek, Star Trek Clichés and Fictional Places on Earth.

 

April

Humans, Romulans, Klingons and Cardassians are crazy about an ancient galactic puzzle, whose solution is both surprising and revealing. See our Observations in TNG: "The Chase". The complete HD screen cap gallery can be found at TrekCore.

Here is our article with Observations in PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego I". Ghulion IV aka Coppelius has space flowers, synthetic butterflies, a familiar cat and more for us to see.

Here are some more articles with updates from Star Trek Picard: The Evolution of the Romulan Emblem, The Evolution of the Starfleet Medical Emblem and Planet Mutations.

All starships from Star Trek Picard are now in the Starship Database. Since the series qualifies as authentic looking Star Trek, the new entries can be found in the regular section of the database, spread across twelve different pages. Owing to the static nature of this site, it is not possible to maintain an overview of all vessels that specifically appeared in this one series. See the Curiosity class and Inquiry class, some new shuttles, Kaplan F17 aka La Sirena, Romulan ships, Borg ships and several more. Follow the signs.

More articles updated with facts from Star Trek Picard: The Evolution of the Federation Emblem, The Visual Continuity of Star Trek, Timeline - Post-Nemesis Era and several entries in the Treknology Encyclopedia.

We have finished our article with Observations in PIC: "Broken Pieces". See how the pieces fit together in 286 pictures.

 

March

Here is the first batch of articles with Picard-related updates (aside from some tiny changes that I wouldn't bother to list here): Spot the Difference, Artificial Lifeforms, Locating Starfleet Buildings in San Francisco, The Emblem of Starfleet Command. Much more will follow in the next couple of months.

The first season of Star Trek: Picard ends with an exciting, emotional and meaningful episode. Read my review of PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego II".

Updated Poll: Rate the season finale, PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego II".

Here is our big article with Observations in PIC: "Nepenthe". We show everything interesting about the eponymous planet and the Troi-Riker home in 305 pictures.

Six journalists famously storm the bridge of the Enterprise-B at the beginning of "Star Trek Generations". They work for different news channels or agencies, but the logos actually visible in the movie are not quite the ones we would have expected to see. Our article about Reporters in "Star Trek Generations" investigates the logos and also the costumes in great detail.

Picard and his crew arrive on Soji's homeworld where they meet familiar faces but also unexpected threats. Read my review of PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego I".

Updated Poll: Rate the latest episode, PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego I".

The classic article on the Re-Uses of the Vasquez Rocks Location has been updated with new information from Picard and revamped with HD caps where available. Picard-related updates to all sections of the site will gradually follow after the end of the first season.

We have completed our article with Observations in PIC: "The Impossible Box". Inside and around the Borg cube, this episode is full of visual references.

The latest Picard episode answers many of the lingering questions about Soji and the Zhat Vash and relays messages of compassion, of trust and of hope. Here is my review of PIC: "Broken Pieces".

Updated Poll: Rate the latest episode, PIC: "Broken Pieces".

There is a lot to discover besides graphic violence in the controversial episode "Stardust City Rag". Read the new article Observations in PIC: "Stardust City Rag" by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider.

Data did not have mucus! Read my review of PIC: "Nepenthe", an episode that could have been even better, had it focused on Picard, Riker, Troi, Kestra and Soji on the eponymous planet.

Updated Poll: Rate the latest episode, PIC: "Nepenthe".

Please, my friends, choose to read! Here is the next article in our series, Observations in PIC: "Absolute Candor" by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider.

 

February

30 years after his assimilation, Picard sets foot on a Borg cube again and meets an old friend, who is glad to help. Read my (favorable!) review of PIC: "The Impossible Box".

Updated Poll: Rate the latest episode of the series, PIC: "The Impossible Box".

As the stardust has settled, let's go back to the third episode. Here is the new article Observations in PIC: "The End is the Beginning" by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider. As always: Take your time, it's very detailed.

Here is my review of PIC: "Stardust City Rag". This episode brings the long-awaited excitement but comes with numerous serious issues that make it hard to endure.

Updated Poll: Rate the latest episode, PIC: "Stardust City Rag".

We continue our article series with Observations in PIC: "Maps and Legends". The next two articles are already being prepared.

Picard reunites with a friend, fights against a classic ship and beams aboard someone we know very well. Read my review of the latest episode, PIC: "Absolute Candor".

Updated Poll: Rate the fourth episode of the series, PIC: "Absolute Candor".

After working several days and nights, Jörg and I have completed a huge new article with as many as 250 images: Observations in PIC: "Remembrance". We may take on the whole series in future articles. Note that I will wait for the end of the first season until I update any other section of this site with new information from PIC, and that this process will require several months.

Picard finally heads out into space. Here is my review of the third episode, PIC: "The End is the Beginning".

Updated Poll: Rate the latest episode, PIC: "The End is the Beginning".

 

January

I have reviewed the second episode, PIC: "Maps and Legends".

New Poll: Rate the latest episode, PIC: "Maps and Legends".

New Poll: Rate the Star Trek: Picard series premiere, "Remembrance".

Star Trek: Picard has finally arrived in Europe. Here is my review of the first episode, "Remembrance". Note that it will take a couple of weeks until I have the time to tend to Picard-related updates to articles, although I expect they won't need the "Reboot" caveat.

Here is my review of the latest Short Treks episode, "Children of Mars". The Picard prequel starts off with an everyday story, builds up anticipation and ends with big shocking news - and many questions.

While I'm waiting for a chance to watch the latest Short Treks episode "Children of Mars", here is a comment on Patrick Stewart's interview with Variety, in which he announced Picard as a series where "The world of 'Next Generation' doesn't exist anymore."

Happy New Year 2020! There are a couple of new entries in the list of Visual Crossovers with Other Series/Movies.

Besides several other housekeeping tasks, I have also replaced well over 100 old screen caps in the Starship Database with better ones (HD where available).

 

Go to Past Updates 2019