STAR TREK BOOK GIVEAWAY

We have a few more days left for a Geek Daddy's Star Trek Day giveaways for people to get their entries in. Eaglemoss Collectibles provided me with copies of their new Hero Collector books Star Trek: A Celebration and Star Trek Shipyards: Starfleet Ships 2294 - The Future. One of each for me to review and one of each to giveaway. If you'd be geeked to receive one of these books for FREE throw your name in the hat to win before Monday, September 13, 2021.

It is EASY to enter this giveaway! Head over to @Geekdad248 and give my Twitter account a follow. Then just retweet each of the contest tweets. Simple as that!

Follow @Geekdad248 + RETWEET for chance to win the coffee table book #StarTrek Shipyards: Starfleet Ships 2294 - The Future courtesy of @HeroCollector_ a chronological history of the Starfleet starships in Star Trek TV & films #StarTrekDay #Giveaway pic.twitter.com/bNDZMAymap

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) September 9, 2021

Follow @Geekdad248 + RETWEET for a chance to win the coffee table book #STARTREK A CELEBRATION courtesy of @HeroCollector_ which provides an indepth 255 page retrospective on the making of the classic #scifi television show in honor of its 55th anniversary #StarTrekDay #Giveaway pic.twitter.com/PqXBlGIsgm

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) September 9, 2021

For extra entries you can also visit the contest entry pages on this blog that were posted on Star Trek Day. Just follow the entries in the rafflecopter form on each contest page. Go here for → Star Trek: A Celebration. Go here for → Star  Trek: Starfleet Ships 2294 - The Future. Don't wait around though because this giveaway wraps up at 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, September 12th. Good luck to all our entrants!

Star Trek: Starfleet Ships 2294 - The Future

This fantastic in-depth reference book covers Starfleet vessels including the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC- 1701-D, U.S.S. Voyager and Starfleet's first true warship - the U.S.S. Defiant. The final chapter features time traveling ships from the distant future. All the featured ships are illustrated with CG artwork, including original VFX models made for the TV shows. Includes Starfleet starships from Discovery Season 3 and Picard!

Star Trek: A Celebration

Celebrate the 55th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series with this incredible definitive guide. Featuring new interviews, archival conversations, never-before-seen art and sketches, and more, this is the comprehensive collection of interviews, history, photos, and artwork from Star Trek: The Original Series.

STAR TREK STARFLEET SHIPS ENCYCLOPEDIA

To celebrate STAR TREK DAY, a Geek Daddy is giving away an incredible book courtesy of HERO COLLECTOR. I love perusing through artwork, blueprints, diagrams, pictures and maps of science fiction settings and spaceships. Reading books with this content is such a great way to immerse yourself in a Sci-Fi fandom. 

So I'm geeked about getting my hands on Star Trek Starfleet Ships: 2294 - The Future. This hardcover, 311 page encyclopedia highlights more than 50 Federation starships that appeared in television series ranging from the U.S.S. Enterprise of the 24th Century seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation to the Starfleet spacecraft encountered by the U.S.S. Discovery when it time jumps from the 23rd to 32nd century. It even has the U.S.S. Zheng He from Star Trek: Picard featured inside this book! 

Star Trek Starfleet Ships: 2294 - The Future is filled with informative details about these Starfleet ships as well as FAN-tastic illustrations, CG artwork and photographs of original VFX models utilized in the production of Star Trek episodes. Star Trek fans are sure to be amazed by this encyclopedia of Starfleet spacecraft! It absolutely earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval for my personal enjoyment from flipping through its pages.

One lucky winner will be sent their very own copy of this book courtesy of HERO COLLECTOR. Just complete the rafflecopter entries below before 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, September 12, 2021 to participate in this giveaway. Must be a United States resident to be eligible for this promotion. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hero Collector is the publishing arm of Eaglemoss Collections which is known for crafting highly detailed science fiction and pop culture themed models, toys, games and other collectibles. For more information go to herocollector.com

STAR TREK A CELEBRATION

Today marks the date Star Trek debuted in the United States. It first aired broadcast by NBC on September 8, 1966. Creator Gene Roddenberry aimed to take the Western genre that was popular that time and transport those stories to a Sci-Fi themed outer space setting. Launching way before Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, more than fifty years later that original tv series has led Science Fiction to overtaking Westerns in popularity, has a diehard fan base, and inspired numerous television shows and movies that continue the mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise "to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before."

STAR TREK A CELEBRATION published by Hero Collector, the publishing division of Eaglemoss Collections which is known for crafting highly detailed science fiction themed models, toys and collectibles, is the definitive guide to the making of the original Star Trek television show. This 255 page hardcover table top book features cast and crew interviews, never before seen art and sketches, and more! It is a comprehensive collection of information and imagery that any Star Trek fan will be geeked to read through.

To celebrate Star Trek Day, courtesy of a Geek Daddy's friends at Hero Collector, this blog has one of these FAN-tastic books to give away to one lucky fan of our blog. For a chance to win it, just complete the Rafflecopter entries below before 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, September 12. One randomly selected entrant will receive the prize. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

STAR TREK A CELEBRATION has extensive character profiles both on the crew members featured in the pilot for the show such as Captain Pike and Dr. Boyce to the cast we all know and love from the series that made it onto NBC and into syndication including Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura. Who is your favorite Star Trek character from the original series? Mine is that indispensable engineer Mr. Scott who was a miracle worker at getting the starship out of danger in just the nick of time.

I'm always excited by blueprints and diagrams of sci-fi space ships and this book doesn't disappoint in that regard. There is a tremendous section full of artwork depicting the design of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Ever heard of Jefferies Tubes? These are what access corridors used for doing maintenance on Federation starships are called in the movies and tv series that follow the original Star Trek. They are named after Walter Jefferies who designed sets and props for the original Star Trek episodes. This chapter is complimented by commentary by Jeffries himself on his designing the Starship Enterprise. Awesome!

There are also sections of the book devoted to show props like the communicator that inspired today's wireless phones, the art department that made strange new worlds come alive on television screens, and the costume designers that dressed characters to reflect the clothing worn in this futuristic science fiction voyage. The book even has a chapter that shows some of the magic that went into creating the special effects done by the show's VFX department.

STAR TREK CELEBRATION is chock full of behind the scenes pictures, imagery from episodes, and insights by cast and crew about the series' production. I was just wowed by this book. It absolutely earns a Geek Daddy nod of approval for allowing Star Trek fans to become totally immersed within the creation of this pop culture sensation.

For more information about the book or to purchase one for yourself head at warp speed over to herocollector.com

STAR TRECK TRIDIMENSIONAL CHESS SET

Play chess like Captain Kirk, Spock and the crew of the starship Enterprise did with this screen accurate as seen on the original Star Trek television series game set available now from The Noble Collection. Enjoy a sci-fi angle to this classic game of strategy as players utilize a three dimensional chess board. While the rules are fairly similar to standard chess play there are some 23rd Century adaptions for science fiction fans to geek out over with the tridimensional layout of the game as well as the addition of mobile board sections that are in motion throughout a match. There are new rules to expand the fun of your matches to where no chess game you've played has gone before!

My son and I have been having some good times battling one another in Star Trek Tridimensional Chess. It takes a few games to get down moving up and down in addition to across the chess board. Plus your opponent being able to move board segments offensively and defensively adds an extra dimension of strategy that takes some getting use to. But once you have a few matches under your belt the game becomes comfortable to play and really isn't that intricate to get a grasp on. 

The Noble Collection's Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set looks just like the one played by Captain Kirk and Spock on the tv show but it isn't just a prop replica. It is a fully playable game adapting chess rules that has provided my family with numerous exciting bouts in our basement game room. Whether you are a chess player or Star Trek fan this game is a great addition to incorporate into your family game nights. Plus it makes an incredible addition for anyone who has Star Trek themed decor in a home or office.

The Star Trek Chess Set is approximately 13 inches tall and features translucent acrylic elevated game boards. 32 diecast game pieces representing traditional chess pawns, bishops, rooks, knights, kings and queens are included with the set. It takes about five minutes to set up the chess set out of the box and begin playing though as I said it may take a few matches before you completely get the new game rules mastered. Once you get the game down this is an energetic, exciting version of chess to play.

For more information or to purchase a Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set for yourself, go to noblecollection.com 

HENRY FORD MUSEUM STAR TREK EXHIBIT

I was finally able to get over to see Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds before this limited engagement exhibition departs to a new city. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, has been hosting this collaboration with MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington) and CBS Consumer Products throughout the summer. The Star Trek exhibit will be packing up and moving on to a new destination on September 2, 2019 so Trekkies who still want to check it out should head over to The Henry Ford at Warp 9!

Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds has a variety of costumes and props from the television shows and movies on display.  There are also interactive opportunities that lets visitors pretend they are a part of Star Fleet themselves. This temporary Star Trek gallery at The Henry Ford is free to explore with paid general admission to the museum.

See the Star Fleet uniforms worn by the cast of the original Star Trek television series (1966 - 1969). They even have actual Tribbles used in filming everyone's favorite Star Trek episode. Wow! The costume used for the iconic battle between a Gorn and Captain Kirk looks impressive for a 1960s era prop.

You can even see the actual navigation console and captain's chair that were used in the original Star Trek television series' bridge set. They've been refurbished to make them look new but these props are more than 50 years old. You can just picture Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) and George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) taking their spots on the set to shoot a scene with William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and the rest of the bridge crew of the starship Enterprise. I've seen this prop so many times watching Star Trek episodes on television it was a real thrill for this sci fi fan dad blogger to be just steps away from the real thing.

Also on display are costumes and props from other Star Trek television series including The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, Enterprise and the newest show Discovery.

There are costumes and props from the Star Trek movies too!

While you are there take a trek through a Jeffries Tube. Any Star Trek fan will know what these are though my wife didn't understand why I was so geeked to climb into one. These are tubes that can be utilized by crews for doing maintenance within Star Trek's Federation starships.  They are often used within Star Trek stories for also avoiding bad guys too. They are named for Star Trek production designer Matt Jeffries who designed many of the sets, props and ships for the shows, including the original Enterprise.

The whole family was thrilled though to be beamed into a Star Trek away mission. The Transporter Experience lets you be filmed in your own Star Trek scene. Grab your phasers and tricorders for a fantastic time in this interactive opportunity within the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibit.



Resistance is futile! Anyone who visits Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds can't resist becoming a science fiction fan! From viewing original scripts, concept art, models, props and costumes from Star Trek television shows and movies to participating in interactive experiences like climbing through a Jeffries Tube or being Beamed Up to the Starship Enterprise anyone who explores this exhibit is sure to be geeked.

For more information about visiting The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, go to thehenryford.org. Ticket prices for admission to the museum are $24 for adults (12-61), $18 for youth (5-11), $22 for seniors (62+) and children 4 and under are free.

Eaglemoss Star Trek Starships

My wife and kids know I am fascinated by sci-fi spaceships so they surprised me this Christmas by giving me some Eaglemoss Star Trek Starships as a holiday gift.  These are some impressive die-cast reproductions of space craft that have appeared within the five Star Trek series that have aired on broadcast television (Star Trek 1966 - 1969, The Next Generation 1987 - 1994, Deep Space Nine 1993 - 1999, Voyager 1995 - 2001, and Enterprise 2001 - 2005).  Eaglemoss goes into great detail in crafting these models working with CBS, which owns the televisions franchise, to get inside details about the ships shown within episodes of the various Star Trek series.  The creative team at Eaglemoss is provided access to the actual CG models used on the shows and when it exists photography of original physical studio models that may have been produced for use within Star Trek shows.

The kids went through the Eaglemoss online shop and picked out three Star Trek Starships they though would look impressive displayed in my home office. They picked out the USS Defiant (that appeared in Star Trek and Enterprise), USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C (which appeared in The Next Generation), and USS Prometheus (Voyager).  They really look great on display!  Every Eaglemoss Star Trek Starship is hand-painted to replicate the imagery of the space craft as seen on TV and is made up a combination of die-cast metal and ABS plastic providing a real level of quality to each model.  Models average about 5 inches long and come along with a black display base with clear plastic stand to allow you to nicely show off your Star Trek Starship.

In addition to working with CBS on the appearance of these starship, each magazine also comes along with a sixteen page glossy magazine that provides an in-depth look at how the model appeared on television featuring interviews with studio staff and show cast along with material from the studio's Star Trek archives.  The magazines feature behind the scenes info about the episodes the starship appeared in, pictures from the television series involving the model, artwork and design sketches used in show production and information about the ship's crew and technology.  These magazines are interesting to flip through with stories about how scripts were developed and sets were crafted to film scenes.  I've always enjoyed examining science fiction blueprints, maps and schematics of fantastic creations and places and wish these magazines were a bit more detailed in that aspect but overall these provided a nice compliment to the die-cast models they accompany.

The only disappointment in these products was that my kids specifically selected one model because it was hyped for being able to glow-in-the-dark to simulate how the USS Defiant went into interphase being caught between dimensions during the  Star Trek episode "The Tholian Web."  Of course this caught the kids attention thinking it would look cool glowing at night.  This feature works but not very well.  The model needs to be placed under an intense beam of light for about ten minutes then will glow for a couple of minutes before the effect quickly fades.  I guess you could also shine a black light on it if you have one to get the effect.  Either way it would have been nice if the model absorbed light throughout the day and used that energy to power its phosphorous effect for a longer period of time once the lights go out.  I actually really like the model itself but it would have really been great if the glow-in-the-dark feature was much more user friendly.

All in all these Eaglemoss Star Trek Starships were a wonderful holiday gift that this sci-fi fan was delighted to get.  They are out of the ordinary collectibles that look great to display and provide nice quality for the price you pay.  From my personal experience, I'd recommend you checking out this collection of more than 100 die-cast models that highlight the impressive history of Star Trek on television.

Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek's premiere on television by participating in the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Experience at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.  From July 9 through October 31, 2016 visitors to the 12,000 square foot exhibit will be immersed in the experience of being a cadet training for a crew spot on a Star Trek space ship.  Do you have what it takes to be assigned to NCC-1701, the Starship Enterprise?

Entering the exhibit you are provided a wrist band that is coded to your admission ticket.  You'll be greeted by a hologram of a Vulcan training instructor who advises you on your assignments. Throughout the experience you'll need to scan your band against identified panels in order to participate in various training sessions.

How will you do in a phaser shootout? What are your linguistics skills when it comes to speaking Klingon?  Can you diagnose an illness or injury with a tricorder? How will you fare in the legendary Kobayashi Maru training simulation?  How you score in all of these scenarios will determine which specialty you are assigned at the conclusion of your cadet training - language, medicine, engineering, navigation, science or command.

In addition to these interactive training sessions, the exhibit also features models, props, and costumes from various Star Trek television shows that are really interesting to see first hand.

Another highlight is being able to take facial features from a variety of the aliens featured in the television shows and transform yourself into your own unique Star Trek persona.

The best part of the experience for me was the Transporter Room which simulates people being teleported just like in the television show.  People stand in a tube off to the side of the room and a hologram of the person is projected onto a transformer pad set in the stage set located at the middle of the room.  Your hologram than appears to transport your image with the same special effects from the Star Trek television shows.  I tried to get some pictures and video but they don't do justice to watching the effects live in front of you.

The exhibit wraps up with a mock up of the bridge of the Enterprise from the Star Trek: The Next Generation television show.  There are terminals around the edge of the room that allow you to engage in the Kobayashi Maru simulation while you wait to get a photo op in Captain Picard's bridge command chair.

Leaving the Star Trek: The Star Fleet Academy Experience you are provided a report card based upon how you excelled during your cadet training.  Of course I was identified as having Command potential!

Turn in your wrist band and you'll have emailed to you a copy of your Starfleet Academy report card, your Star Trek alien portrait, and a video showing you in the transporter room which make for nice souvenirs.

For more information, visit IntrepidMuseum.org/StarTrek.

#StarTrekNYC