EAE Award Winners 2004

19992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018Since 2019

 

Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site (January 2004)
Among the myriad of Star Trek sites there are some that really blow me away because of their sheer amount of content. One of them is Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site, definitely the most informative of its kind. No matter what I'm looking for, be it a screen capture, a quote, an observation or background information, it's there. The site's content is just too extensive to list only the most important features. The main index has links to no less than 18 sections, each with a number of sub-sections. There are meticulous summaries of all Voyager episodes, databases on the lifeforms, characters, planets and ships that appeared in the series, special sections about the most important people and vessels and a collection of quotes, all richly illustrated with screen caps. Furthermore, the site provides extensive background information on the making of the series and the actors. Wallpapers, games, humor and several more features complete the site. It is worth mentioning that everything is always reliable and up to date, although the series has ended. Congratulations to Janet for creating and maintaining one of the biggest and most useful Star Trek sites!

SDCE - Star Trek Database Central Europe (February 2004)
This month's pick is a German website that has been around for quite a while and has been updated regularly ever since. As a database, SDCE covers a variety of topics like ships, planets, races or persons. With its concise information it may not be the most exhaustive Star Trek database on the web, yet the currently 18989 entries are quite impressive. But most of all SDCE's ease of use is absolutely convincing. It is possible to browse by categories, by letters or to enter search terms. User contributions or corrections are encouraged. The design of SDCE is quite simple and fast, without unnecessary effects or overly large graphics. Since I know that many German fans need a dictionary to understand English websites, it is good to have something in German to refer to. I would like to honor the effort of creating and maintaining this useful site with the EAE Award.

Star Trek Norge (March 2004)
Already at the first glance Star Trek Norge presents itself as a site with lots of content, even if I don't understand very much of it, as everything is in Norwegian. The central features of Star Trek Norge are frequently updated Trek news and articles, an integrated message board, a media center and a database with an extensive illustrated episode guide. Furthermore, there are personal accounts, an archive of Norwegian Sev Trek and other comics and a Trek shop. The site design is beautiful and original. The only point of criticism is that some links open in a new window, although I would expect them to stay in the frame set. And there are a couple of rather large advertisements that increase the loading time especially for modem users. But it's always worth waiting for. Summarizing, Star Trek Norge proves that a top-notch Trek site doesn't necessarily have to be in English.

Star Trek Media (April 2004)
Maintaining a media site is hard. Not only because of possible legal issues, but in particular because of the huge required data volume. I see this month's EAE Award as an opportunity to thank the people who go through this pain to always bring us the most recent episode trailers. Startrekmedia.com is the probably largest site of this kind, with trailers for all movies and almost every Trek episode. The database on various topics is currently rather scarce and seems to be under construction. But the site also has an image database that allows registered members to upload their favorite pictures. The idea to build a community governs the site, and it is emphasized with the attached discussion board, an IRC chat and a newsletter. The design of Startrekmedia.com relies on few simple graphical elements. There is one interesting feature, that many links are thumbnailed, even if they lead to a text page. This graphical approach provides a very good preview. Congratulations to the people of Startrekmedia.com for creating an invaluable Trek site!

The Tricorder Site (May 2004)
It is almost impossible to encompass everything about Star Trek from the Big Bang to Daniels in one website. Some limitation of the scope is inevitable, otherwise everything would likely remain superficial. The Tricorder Site is a perfect example of a site that focuses on one topic and discusses all of its aspects in depth. Images, movies and descriptions of tricorders and some other fictional devices, information about the props and replicas, downloadable animations, even circuit diagrams how to make the LEDs flash can be found at the site. In addition, there is a list of not just random links for more information, something that many webmasters neglect to maintain. But anyone who has explored The Tricorder Site is not likely to find much more about these devices elsewhere anyway. The design is pleasant browsing, not graphically ambitious but completely concentrating on the content. No doubt The Tricorder Site is a deserving recipient of my award!

Star Trek Voyager Info (June 2004)
Star Trek Voyager Info is a pleasant reading because the site doesn't play around with the content or the web design, but presents all the important facts about Star Trek Voyager on fast loading pages with easy navigation. The site is ideal for anyone who would like to look something up, be it facts on a particular episode, a race or a character. A very interesting feature is the well-done tour of the ship. There is also a dictionary as a fast key to the terminology of the series. Aside from the database,the site has interactive features like polls and a wide variety of quizzes. Star Trek Voyager Info doesn't try to re-invent Star Trek sites, actually its content and presentation is quite conventional, but it is quite obvious that a indefatigable fan created all this, and not a mere archivist who is glad about every closed chapter. Congratulations!

The Unofficial Star Trek Fact Files Index (July 2004)
The Star Trek Fact Files were a weekly publication with fact sheets to be collected and filed. The Unofficial Star Trek Fact Files Index is much more than just an A-Z index to the Fact Files, although this feature is already something missing in the rather expensive magazine series. In addition the site has amendments, information on the Japanese edition, various supplements, special sections on the new series Enterprise and the feature film "Nemesis", star maps, a site search, and much more. Above all the work that is put into reconstructing alien ships (all with home-made schematic diagrams), keeping track of their miniature histories, and pointing out other oddities such as re-used plots deserves praise. Unfortunately the printed Fact Files were discontinued, but this site is the best place one could think of to fill the gaps and get some things straight. Only PDF documents in the Fact Files style ready for print-out would be still better... But I am digressing. Thanks to Gary for creating such a invaluable resource! 

Star Trek Endeavour (August 2004)
Star Trek Endeavour is an exemplary German online fan fiction site. The storyline encompasses four seasons, set in the rebuilding phase after the Dominion War. Each episode can be read online or is available for download. Navigating through Star Trek Endeavour is fast and straightforward, and is additionally facilitated with contextual links on each page. The most important aspects of the series, like the characters and ship, may be looked up in the same fashion. Furthermore there is an extensive FAQ. The episode promos are a special feature of Endeavour, and like their counterparts on TV they are successful in creating interest in the episodes. These ads, like all other illustrations on the site, are beautifully and flawlessly designed and give the site a unique look. Congratulations to Oliver, the webmaster of Star Trek Endeavour! 

Star Trek: The Animated Series (September 2004)
Kail Tescar already won the EAE Award for his site Main Engineering which is sadly offline by now. But Star Trek Animated, formerly a part of the main site, is still up and thriving. Moreover, Kail keeps updating the site although the series vanished from the screen 30 years ago. The features of the Star Trek: TAS are just too numerous to list all them here. Naturally there is information about the episodes, the cast and the ships. There are also sections with stills, animations, fan art, desktops, skins, a coloring book, a calendar, sounds, games and other downloads. But the comics are the probably most fascinating part of the site - skillfully drawn original stories in TAS style that are likely to become an addiction! A site about the Animated Series couldn't be more complete than Star Trek: TAS, much less could it be more animated. Congratulations to Kail Tescar and thanks for his great work!

Green Mole (October 2004)
Green Mole is a Trek site in German that started off as a fan fiction series. In the course of its life, webmaster Andreas Gruber has supplemented the site with a variety of other features like book reviews, a gallery of starships and TV ads with Trek stars. The section with articles on miscellaneous topics like canon policy, stardates, uniforms or the existence of Marines is even more interesting, as it bears numerous original and personal ideas, much like what I strive for here at EAS. The design of Green Mole is excellent because of its easy navigation and the pleasant balance between plain text and graphic elements. The way that single passages of the text like quotes or headlines are highlighted deserves particular praise. Although I admit I have read only small bits of the fiction, Green Mole strikes me as an overall well-designed and wide-ranging site. I hope that Andreas keeps up his great work by frequently yet carefully adding new features.

Strange Fascination (November 2004)
Strange Fascination was brought to my attention only recently, and I soon noticed that there was something special about it. First of all, the site lives up to a motto that could be be "everything you always wanted to know about Spock". Spock's private life and his duties, his family and friends, his personality and skills are covered in detail. Secondly, there is always a personal touch, be it in the self-made sketches of Spock's various apparel or the selection of quotes, tunes, or desktop pics related to the character. Finally, the site also has a convincing web design. It is easy to navigate and has just the right amount of graphic elements. I hope that Strange Fascination will continue to be updated in the future, there is still a lot to discover even if Spock's last appearance in Trek dates back more than a decade. Congratulations to webmistress Karen!

HyperTrek (December 2004)
An introductory note on HyperTrek says that the site is deliberately made for Italian Trekkers who don't speak English. While I understand this was the right thing to do, it's a pity for everyone else because the site is packed with information. HyperTrek has the content of several decent Trek sites combined. There are fairly complete listings of the episodes including TAS and Phase II, on characters, actors, technology, planets, species and more. All canon (well, and some FASA) sources are properly quoted, something that is neglected in other databases. The design was always plain and simple, relying rather on the small icons than on large illustrations. Recently the top menu has been converted to an adaptable side bar which significantly facilitates the navigation through the site. What I like very much too is the alphabetical topic listing, an index that truly deserves its name. Congratulations go to Luigi Rosa for one of the biggest and best Trek databases!

 


Proceed to EAE Award Winners 2005

TopShare
View as gallery