This week, we’re Trekking Out some new information about the Jean-Luc Picard series. Then we look at doing the right thing in the wrong way, head to the Paley center “For Your Consideration”, and trek out the numbers for Star Trek: Discovery.
In Star Trek Online and gaming news, you can now harness the technology of Section 31 in Star Trek Online, and could loot boxes in video games be disappearing soon?
Then, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with the incomparable Mother Klingon on Star Trek Discovery… Mary Chieffo!
This Weeks COMMUNITY QUESTIONS are:
What items from the Section 31 lock box are you most excited about?
Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website!
by Jake Morgan
If you’re excited for the next Star Trek series – the We-Still-Can’t-Believe-It-Doesn’t-Have-A-Title-Picard-Show – but you don’t live in the United States, you may have wondered where you’d be able to watch Jean-Luc’s return. Well, wonder no more!
On Monday, May 13th, it was announced that CBS Studios International and Amazon have teamed to bring the ‘Legendary’ Jean Luc Picard to an international audience – excluding the United States and Canada.
In a press release, Vice President of Worldwide Content Licensing for Amazon Prime Video – Brad Beale – said //QUOTE//With the incredible Sir Patrick Stewart returning as the beloved Jean-Luc Picard, we’re excited we can give ‘Trek’ fans both old and new, the opportunity to see him back in action. It’s a terrific addition to our already robust catalog of exclusive Amazon Prime Video content.//END QUOTE//
For those in Canada, CBS Studios International has once again teamed with Bell Media. According to the Star Trek homepage //QUOTE//The latest addition to the Star Trek franchise will air day-and-date with the U.S. on Bell Media’s cable networks, Space (in English) and Z (in French), and the following day will stream exclusively on Crave, Bell Media’s subscription video-on-demand service.//END QUOTE//
That wasn’t the only news coming from the Picard camp. Star Trek’s Overseer – Alex Kurtzman – sat down with the LA Times to talk about the direction of Star Trek – including Picard’s return.
Reiterating what he has said in the past, Kurtzman told the paper //QUOTE//It’ll be very different than ‘Discovery.’ It’ll be slower, more meditative. It speaks to the rainbow of colors we’re playing with in all these different shows.//END QUOTE//
Kurtzman further discussed the series – and its mature lead – saying //QUOTE//The mandate was to make it a more psychological show, a character study about this man in his emeritus years. There are so few shows that allow a significantly older protagonist to be the driver […] What happens when circumstances have conspired to not give him the happiest of endings? Hopefully, it’s a reinforcement of [‘Trek’ creator Gene] Roddenberry’s vision of optimism. He’s going to have to go through deep valleys to get back to the light.//END QUOTE//
Kurtzman also touched on the upcoming Section 31 series, lead by Star Trek: Discovery star Michelle Yeoh. //QUOTE//People locked in on Georgiou as being a wonderful oddity. She is wicked, devious, manipulative and yet somehow radiates this incredible heart. People love her […] We looked to shows like ‘Killing Eve,’ to franchises like ‘Mission: Impossible,’ things that were complicated on a plot level but also a character level. I think it’s fun for people to see a show with a protagonist who’s entirely unreliable. At the end of the day, she’s going to do the right thing, but in the exact wrong way.//END QUOTE//
But what about Star Trek: Discovery? Well we’re glad you asked. In preparation for the upcoming Emmy awards, Star Trek has started its push for the Academy’s consideration. “Star Trek: Discovery – A Fight For the Future” launched on Wednesday May 8th to spearhead that push.
“A Fight for the Future” is a two floor interactive exhibit – exclusive to the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles, California – which highlights the ‘behind-the-scenes’ aspects of the production. Along with a virtual reality experience, items on display include make-up busts, costumes, models, concept art, and set pieces – including the Captain’s chair. President of CBS Television Studios, David Staph, said of the presentation//QUOTE//This exhibit will allow fans a tactile experience never before seen beyond the studio’s stages.//END QUOTE//
The exhibit, which is FREE to the public from the time of this recording until Sunday July 7th, kicked off the show on May 7th with a “For Your Consideration” Panel – featuring the stars and show runners of Star Trek: Discovery. Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, and Wilson Cruz had interesting takes on their characters, Ethan Peck spoke about the weight of taking over the iconic role of Spock, and Alex Kurtzman said of season 3’s jump to the future //QUOTE//Part of it was knowing we had all these canonical issues that needed to be squared away. Jumping them to the distant past or the future was the only answer. The challenge of season three is going to be this: How do you reinvent the world and the future while staying true to everything that Star Trek is at its core?//END QUOTE//
For more information on the Paley Center, the “Fight for the Future” exhibit, and the “For Your Consideration” panel, trek out the show notes.
In more good news for Star Trek: Discovery fans, recent numbers indicate that the latest Star Trek series is in hot demand.
Parrot Analytics – a leading Streaming-Entertainment data analytics company – reported that, between April
6th and May 5th,Star Trek: Discovery was //QUOTE//the most in-demand digital original series worldwide//END QUOTE// and was also the #2 Science Fiction series worldwide.
It’s worth noting that the finale of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season, “Such Sweet Sorrow”, aired on April 18th, putting it in the middle of the data window.
by Anthony Cox
Every major power in the galaxy has them. The Romulans have the Tal Shiar. The Cardassians have the Obsidian Order. The Klingons have… well, maybe not every major power. The Federation has Section 31. A covert and clandestine organization that while they may share the same goals as Starfleet, their means, much like their existence in the Star Trek universe, can be far more controversial. With the launch of Rise of Discovery this past Tuesday comes the Section 31 lockbox. The contents of which, while random, will contain some of Section 31’s most desirable technology. Every Section 31 lockbox will contain a Faulty Holo Disguise that will break when entering combat. There are also 6 new captain traits to choose from, 3 ground and 3 space. Two new Starship traits. Several new kit modules including Decloak Mine Trap, Agonizer Brain Scramble, Covert Assault Drone, Stasis Bubble, and Weaponized Dark Matter. Many of these drawing inspiration from Section 31 gadgets seen in Star Trek Discovery’s first two seasons. New Space Weapons are also available. These new Phaser beams or cannons generate less threat than normal phasers and the regular phaser proc has been replaced with a boost to flight speed and turn rate. And captains also have the chance at getting two new consoles, the Computer-Assisted Flight Algorithms console, which when activated improve your speed and turn rate, and also boost your damage when attacking an enemy’s rear arc. The Boronite Laced Weaponry console infuses your weapons with Boronite that will open rifts near your target’s location, pulling in other nearby rifts and causing kinetic damage to enemy hulls.
The Section 31 lockbox is also finally giving us the chance to pilot two of the most requested ships from Star Trek Discovery. The Section 31 Intel Science Destroyer and the Na’Qjej Intel battlecruiser. The Intel Science Destroyer, an upgraded version of Captain Leland’s ship, comes with a Commander Science/Intelligence bridge officer station and a Lt. Commander Tactical/Intelligence station. It comes with an innate power to switch between Dark mode, giving your ship a massive bonus to stealth, and Tactical mode, which not only activates the experimental weapon slot and increases weapons power, flight speed, turn rate and inertia, but also upgrades the Lt. Commander Tactical station to a Commander seat while downgrading the Science Commander seat to a Lt. Commander. The ship also comes with the Universal Console, Enhanced Tractor Drones, the Experimental Weapon, Invasive Coilgun, and the starship trait, Exitus Acta Probat. Meanwhile Klingon forces can acquire the Na’Qjej Intel Battlecruiser, also known as the Klingon Cleave ship. First seen tearing its way into our hearts during the Battle at the Binary Stars. This ship features a Commander Engineering/Intelligence seat and a Lt. Science/Intelligence bridge officer station. As expected, this Intel Battlecruiser has a Universal Console that boosts your Kinetic damage and charges your ship directly at your target, slicing through it like a Ginsu knife. The starship trait, Ceaseless Momentum will grant you even more kinetic damage boosts each time you fire a torpedo. Both of these ships have the standard Intel ship abilities. For a full list details on the lockbox items and ship stats trek out the show notes.
Speaking of lock boxes, last fall the Federal Trade Commission promised to investigate loot boxes after Senator Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire wrote a letter regarding the heavy usage of predatory microtransactions. Now the video game news site KOTAKU is reporting that Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has introduced “The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act” that aims to ban loot boxes in video and mobile games. The ban would end pay-to-win microtransactions in //QUOTE// games played by minors //END QUOTE// including games //QUOTE//whose developers knowingly allow minor players to engage in microtransactions.//END QUOTE//
The Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry’s lobbying arm, responded by saying, //QUOTE//Numerous [other] countries determined that loot boxes do not constitute gambling. We look forward to sharing with the senator the tools and information the industry already provides that keeps the control of in-game spending in parent’s hands.//END QUOTE//
While the bill is targeting games that are aimed towards minors, it’s unclear how this might effect games that are played by a mix of adults and children.
Trek out the show notes for a link to the article.
In this week’s PC patch notes:
In this week’s Console patch notes:
For a link to the full list of patch notes, trek out the show notes.
One of the most difficult things to manage when leveling up a new character, or an alt character, is managing gear. And maintaining decent ground gear is almost never a top priority. Luckily, now that alt characters have access to almost any mission in the journal once they are out of the tutorial, there are a few pieces of gear that I recommend getting right away. A lot of players will agree that the best budget ground set to get, even for end game content, is the two piece Romulan Naval Kit & Armor set from the mission, “Uneasy Allies,” and the two piece Nakuhl Temporal Operative Shield & Weapon set from the mission, “Temporal Front.” Together this combination gives any class of captain great stats for doing critical damage with an additional 30% more crit damage while crouching. The resistance and Nakuhl shield proc will come in handy if you’re on the receiving end of too much damage. And the great thing about these items is that you can now get them very early in the game and all 4 of pieces can be upgrade for free to Mark 12. So you can use them all through leveling and even for high level ground content. While space sets are not guaranteed to upgrade for free. You should always check your mission rewarded equipment before discarding it.
Elio is a Northern New Jersey Cuban-American and graduate of Kean University, having earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance in 2011. He has performed in internationally renowned performance halls such as Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, as a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, and in Beijing, China as a representative for Kean University. Since 2012, he has had the wonderful opportunity to Executive Produce Priority One – the premiere Star Trek Online podcast. Whether recruiting, managing the global team of talented volunteers, arranging interviews with special guests, editing, web-development, finding sponsors, managing crowd funding, or writing content for the podcast, Elio has a hand in it all. A long-time Trekkie, Elio has been watching the series since he was a child and sneaking in late night, back-to-back, episodes of TNG reruns. He finally embraced the Trekdom in college and spent many hours catching up on the entire multiverse…. instead of studying.
This week, we’re Trekking Out advice from a golden wizard, and CBS’ response. Then we chat about what Picard’s old friends think about a reunion, #StarTrekantino’s progress, and the farewell […]
Gabe Weisdorfer on 2019-05-21
What items from the Section 31 Lock Box are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about the Section 31 Weapons Pack, mainly so I can try to get the Section 31 Vanity Shield. That thing would look awesome on my Galaxy dreadnought or my Defiant class.
seannewboy on 2019-05-20
Wonderful show everyone.
Looking forward to the Picard show.
Dont really need anything from the new box. If its not a space weapon/.console set, or a romulan item, typically i dont really need it.
Tyler Maxwell on 2019-05-20
What items from the Section 31 lock box are you most excited about?
Meh, most of it looks fine. Nothing that I’m necessarily drooooling over, but the stuff looks interesting enough; I’ll probably eventually get the stuff from the Exchange for my DISCO character.
I don’t think the Senate bill (who’s sponsor, frankly, I question his understanding on the matter and motivations) will cause Lockboxes/Loot Boxes/similar ‘gambling-esque’ game mechanics/etc. to disappear entirely, if they go at all. Regardless of “Think of the children!” outrage groups and players’ feelings on the subject (and I can’t think of many players that are super into loot boxes, I figure most just treat them as a necessary evil which pays for the game that allows them to play for free), there’s just too much money to be made from the things for game publishers to give them up without a fight; meaning lots of lobbying money, and getting other congressmen on their side to make enough changes to the bill to basically neuter it.
Plus, games like Star Trek Online ‘technically’ have an age minimum to play them anyways, so games could just do something like that to restrict children’s access to loot boxes. (Of course, kids can easily/usually do just lie about their age to get around those restrictions and play the game, but then the legal burden of responsibility is on them.)
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