Past Updates 2013

December November October September August July June May April March February January

 

December

Two more reviews of TNG season 6 episodes. Here are "Starship Mine" and "Lessons".

Here is my review of the double feature TNG: "Birthright I+II".

There are a couple of changes in the Starship Database, where I have gradually incorporated new information from the TNG-R episodes, among other adjustments. We now have confirmation (or a very good idea) what the Antares class and the Deneva class look like. Special thanks to Daniel Petri, who has reconstructed the Aurora and the Class J from TOS-R in 3D.

Here are two more reviews of TNG season 6 episodes: "Face of the Enemy" and "Tapestry".

We have compiled a big new article on Classical Music in Star Trek that identifies most of the pieces (and their composers) that were played in various episodes and movies. Also included are public domain or Creative Commons licensed recordings of 40 of the pieces. The ogg files can be downloaded or played in the embedded player of an HTML5 browser. Please note that you are prompted to log in when you click the sound files. Simply use the user name and password that appears in the pop-up.

The much-anticipated next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds I". Find the HD cap gallery of the exciting episode at TrekCore.

 

November

Two more reviews of TNG season 6 episodes: "Ship in a Bottle" and "Aquiel".

Continuing my TNG season 6 reviews with the two-part episode "Chain of Command I/II".

I have developed a new script to include RSS feeds and social media, actually a combination of the RSS2HTML parser and my own code. The new script eliminates the need for unreliable third-party services, it corrects the so far unusable faulty Facebook and Google+ feeds, it allows to use CSS to correct bad HTML in the original feeds, it works much faster because everything is cached on the EAS server, and it preserves your privacy. The result can be seen on the pages EAS Today (EAS site and social media news) and Trek Feeds (news from the most important Trek sites). It may not look very different, but it works a lot better and faster than before.

Making of the "Observations" Articles.

The next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "Transfigurations". Find the HD cap gallery of John Doe's transformation and more at TrekCore.

A new story by Travis Anderson: Catalyst. The longstanding truce between the SID and Section 31 is done. Section 31 weaves one web after another in an effort to rewrite history and redraw the political maps of both the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Can the secretive agency be stopped or will their plans reach fruition and spawn a war that could end all wars?

 

October

Continuing my TNG season 6 reviews. Here are "A Fistful of Datas" and "The Quality of Life".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Ménage à Troi". Our friends at TrekCore have compiled an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

The next two TNG season 6 reviews: "True Q" and "Rascals".

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "Sarek". As usual, our friends of TrekCore have posted an HD screen cap gallery of the episode. Be sure to check out the remastered planet Vulcan!

Here are my next two TNG season 6 reviews: "Relics" and "Schisms".

Here is finally an update of the Journal of Applied Treknology. See all the Recent Additions (8 designs, 32 pictures) at a glance. Those who have submitted designs can find the feedback in this thread at the SCN.

The next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "The Most Toys". Find the HD cap gallery of Kivas Fajo's collection and more at TrekCore.

The first two TNG season 6 reviews: "Realm of Fear" and "Man of the People".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Hollow Pursuits". Enjoy the gallery with 432 HD screen caps of Barclay's (mis)adventures at TrekCore.

More updates with information and screen caps from "Star Trek Into Darkness", especially on the page about Abramsverse Ship Classes.

 

September

The next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "Tin Man". TrekCore has a gallery with 475 HD screen caps of the episode with its great visual effects.

I conclude my TNG season 5 reviews with the outstanding episode "The Inner Light" and both parts of "Time's Arrow".

I couldn't obtain the TNG season 4 Blu-rays before they were officially released in Germany last week. I have seen only a few episodes so far, but here is a preliminary review of the TNG season 4 Blu-ray disc set. For this season, the in-house team of CBS Digital only took care of the second part of "The Best of Both Worlds" and the two-parter "Redemption I/II". They outsourced most of the work to the company Modern VideoFilm. From what I have seen of it thus far, the result is on par with season 3. The image quality is great (yet a bit dark at times), the new planets are beautiful and the episodes are largely free of mistakes.

Join Picard on Risa with our Observations in TNG: "Captain's Holiday". Our friends of TrekCore have captured the beauty of this resort in the form of 441 HD screen caps.

Here are two more TNG season 5 reviews: "I, Borg" and "The Next Phase".

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "Allegiance". As usual, our friends of TrekCore have posted an HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

The next two TNG season 5 reviews: "The Perfect Mate" and "Imaginary Child".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Sins of the Father", with its in-depth look into Klingon politics. See the gallery with 408 HD screen caps from this episode at TrekCore.

Congratulations to MadMan aka Ricky Wallace, who wins an EAE Award for his great 3D modeling and its presentation!

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "The Offspring". Find the gallery with 371 HD screen caps from the episode at TrekCore.

Two more TNG season 5 reviews: "The First Duty" and "Cost of Living".

 

August

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise". You can see the gallery with 416 HD caps from this wonderful episode at TrekCore.

Here are the next two TNG season 5 reviews: "The Outcast" and "Cause and Effect".

The next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "A Matter of Perspective". As usual, you can see the HD cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

I have reviewed Fan Phenomena: Star Trek, an anthology of mostly scholarly essays on the Star Trek fandom.

Here are still two more reviews of TNG season 5: "Power Play" and "Ethics".

I have reviewed two more episodes of TNG's season 5: "The Masterpiece Society" and "Conundrum".

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "Déjà Q". See the HD cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

I have updated the Abramsverse fleet charts, as well as my take on the size of the new Enterprise. Thanks to MadMan for the images of the Vengeance. The CG model is still a WIP, and I will update the graphics when it's finished.

Reviews of two rather mediocre episodes from TNG's season 5. Here are "Hero Worship" and "Violations".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "The High Ground", Star Trek's take on the IRA terrorism. See the gallery with 472 screen caps from this episode at TrekCore.

Find some more images from "Star Trek Into Darkness" in the Galleries: Abramsverse Characters and Abramsverse Sets and Props.

 

July

The next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "The Hunted", an episode with several great action sequences. As usual, you can see the HD cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Here are two more TNG season 5 reviews: "A Matter of Time" and "New Ground".

I have finished more reviews from TNG's season 5: "The Game" and the double episode "Unification I/II".

I made a couple of layout changes. Most notably, the main index was rearranged.

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "The Defector". See the gallery with 382 screen caps from this great episode at TrekCore.

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "The Vengeance Factor". Go to our friends at TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of this episode.

Here is our season 3 update of the article on Notable Changes in TNG Remastered.

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "The Price". See the HD cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "The Enemy". Go to our friends at TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of this episode.

I have updated the Links page, which was in need of attention.

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Booby Trap", an episode with superb visual effects. Go to our friends of TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of "Booby Trap". Also note that we have updated the previous articles about season 3 episodes with new information.

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "The Bonding". See the HD cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

 

June

I have updated the article on Planet Mutations with information from the remastered TNG episodes.

Here is our next article: Observations in TNG: "Who Watches the Watchers". As usual, you can find a big HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "The Survivors". Go to our friends at TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of this episode with its great planet matte and space scenes.

A new article about the Size of Goroth's Ship and Skalaar's Shuttle from ENT: "Bounty". Thanks to Ed Bailey for the contribution!

Here are some comparison shots from the TNG-R season 4 trailer. See the trailer and many more caps at TrekCore.

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "The Ensigns of Command", in which we spotlight the Sheliak and their ship, among other things. Go to our friends of TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

We begin our coverage of TNG's season 3 with Observations in TNG: "Evolution". As usual, you can find a big HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Here are two more reviews from TNG's season 5, of "Silicon Avatar" and "Disaster".

I have updated the Abramsverse Ship Classes with information from "Star Trek Into Darkness".

In my ongoing effort to modernize the site, the EAS Today page now includes a script that selects a random page (out of several hundred) from EAS and illustrates it with a random image from that page. Have fun exploring EAS with the new function! Note that while the script was not hard to do, even including an extremely cryptic regular expression, it took me several days to get the CSS to work. Please tell me if there are still problems with your browser.

 

May

I have reviewed "Pilgrim of Eternity", the first episode of the new fan film series Star Trek Continues.

Here is a preliminary version of the Inconsistencies in "Star Trek Into Darkness". Note that this is just a list of possible flaws that I found. I have probably overlooked several facts and will frequently have to revise everything, but I will not include all kinds of theories how it could be made more plausible.

I have included pictures to several previously text-only articles, such as Aliens with Human Appearance, T-Races or Star Trek Clichés.

The e-mail forms are working again. There was nothing wrong with the server. My e-mail provider GMX simply rejected all mails coming from my server without notice, although it is not blacklisted, and even with all filters disabled! There was no way for me to see that any messages sent via the forms since March even existed. Since GMX totally ignores bug reports, I have switched to an account with another provider. You can still send me e-mails to my GMX address, only the forms take a different way.

Here are my reviews of "Darmok" and "Ensign Ro" in TNG's season 5.

I have finally reviewed "Star Trek Into Darkness" (with full spoilers). If you are going to contribute a guest review, you may want to wait until the review form is operational again, because it's much easier for me that way. I will gradually update all other sections of the site with information from the new movie, but this currently isn't a priority.

I only noticed today that I have never received any e-mail forms since the emergency server move (beginning of March), apparently because the new server never sent them off. My apologies, especially if you sent reviews of the new movie, which are probably lost. Please contact me by e-mail until we have solved the problem. HTML is not affected.

Here is my review of the double feature "Redemption I+II" (season 4 finale and season 5 premiere).

CBS reveals the complete contents of the TNG season 4 Blu-ray set and of the special "Redemption" Blu-ray disc (the latter only in selected countries). See the full press release at TrekCore.

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Shades of Gray", the infamous clip show that concludes the second season. TrekCore has an HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

New Poll: If you have already seen it, rate "Star Trek Into Darkness".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Peak Performance". As usual, you can find an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Here are two more TNG season 4 reviews: "The Mind's Eye" and "In Theory".

I am unable to focus my eyes on 3D movies without getting a headache. Since STID is shown exclusively in 3D anywhere in a radius of 100km, I won't be able to see it any time soon. Feel free to send your reviews with spoilers using the form, but please refrain from e-mailing me with questions and notes on the movie.

Now that I have seen a bit of it, here is a preliminary review of the TNG season 3 Blu-ray disc set. Our observation articles for season 3 are in work, but it will still take some time to process all the HD screen caps.

 

April

Two more TNG season 4 reviews. Here are "Half a Life" and "The Host".

Here are two new TNG season 4 reviews: "Qpid" and "The Drumhead".

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "The Emissary". Go to our friends at TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery.

Two more TNG season 4 reviews. Here are "Identity Crisis" and "The Nth Degree".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Manhunt". As usual, you can find an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

New Poll: Rank the final "Star Trek Into Darkness" trailer.

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "Up the Long Ladder". TrekCore has an HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

TrekCore has compiled an interesting article on Pan & Scan Effects in TNG that I republish at EAS.

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "Samaritan Snare", in which you can discover the things that make the Pakleds go, and more. Go to our friends of TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

Here is our visual analysis of the spectacular first Borg episode: Observations in TNG: "Q Who". TrekCore has over 400 HD screen caps of the episode.

The next article in our series: Observations in TNG: "Pen Pals". This article is unusually extensive, as there is a lot to be discovered in this episode. As usual, you can find an HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

New renders in the Starfleet Museum, such as of the Torsk, the Conqueror and the Valley Forge. Thanks to Arcas, Dragonpyper, Gazzatrek, Robert Willson and Tadeo D'Oria!

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "The Icarus Factor". As usual, you can find an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

 

March

Masao and Dan have compiled an all-new article on the Giant-class transport for the Starfleet Museum.

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "Time Squared". TrekCore has an HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

I have included the ships from the status display in "The Measure of a Man" to the ship list (at least those that are not contradicted by clearer canon evidence).

Two more episode reviews of TNG's season 4. Here are "Galaxy's Child" and "Night Terrors".

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "The Royale". Go to our friends of TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

Two more episodes of TNG's season 4 reviewed: "Clues" and "First Contact".

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "Contagion". Go to our friends of TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode with 481 images.

My attempt to include social network content (in the form of the Trek Feeds) into the site is doomed to fail. Twitter has terminated their RSS feed and Feedburner will stop working soon. In order to offer social content I would have to switch to uncustomizable widgets that "phone home", or hire a full-time programmer who knows to work with all the different APIs. The Web 2.0 is taking further steps to exclude independent sites such as EAS.

I have updated the list of Notable Changes in TNG Remastered with the episodes of season 2.

Our next article: Observations in TNG: "The Dauphin". TrekCore has an HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

Here is another list of console props that appeared on screen, this time of consoles rented from Modern Props. We will expand the list with more sightings as we are preparing articles in the Observations section.

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "The Measure of a Man". We also identify the additional scenes in the extended version on the season 2 Blu-ray set. As usual, you can find an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Here is a list of Consoles Built for Star Trek. We will expand the list with more sightings as we are preparing articles in the Observations section.

 

February

EAS has to move to a new server. As this is unscheduled and I don't have any time to runs tests, some things may not work correctly until everything is configured.

Here is our article with Observations in TNG: "A Matter of Honor", an episode with various visual highlights. Go to our friends of TrekCore for an extensive HD screen cap gallery of the episode.

Continuing the TNG season 4 reviews with "The Wounded" and "Devil's Due".

A new story by Travis Anderson: Cat & Mouse. The Iridian Enforcers have encroached on the Federation's borders. In order to prevent a cataclysmic war, Macen's team has to push out beyond explored space.

TrekCore has posted the HD trailer for "The Best of Both Worlds", including a comparison to the SD version.

Two more TNG season 4 reviews: "The Loss" and "Data's Day". On a different note, I forgot to announce the 15th anniversary of EAS, which was first uploaded on January 21, 1998. See a complete reconstruction of the old site.

Jörg has compiled a detailed article on the Changes to the TNG Sets Between Seasons 1 and 2.

CBS has issued a press release with the complete contents of the TNG season 3 Blu-ray set and of the special "The Best of Both Worlds" Blu-ray disc. Both will be available on April 30. Read more in my TNG Remastered Blog and find the complete press release at TrekCore.

I am testing ways to embed more off-site content in EAS Today and Trek Feeds. Note that I could do still more in terms of social network integration, but I will not use any widgets that don't blend in, that execute a lot of uncontrollable code on my site or that report your browsing habits.

 

January

Here is our next article: Observations in TNG: "Unnatural Selection". TrekCore has a gallery with over 400 HD screen caps of the episode.

Here are the next two TNG season 4 reviews: "Future Imperfect" and "Final Mission".

We continue our series with Observations in TNG: "The Schizoid Man". See the HD cap gallery of the episode at TrekCore.

Two new TNG season 4 reviews: "Legacy" and "Reunion".

TrekCore reports that the release date for TNG's 3rd season on Blu-ray will be April 10th (in Australia, with the dates for North America and Europe probably being similar). There will be an additional Blu-ray disc with a feature-length cut of both parts of "The Best of Both Worlds".

Congratulations to Trek.fm. The versatile site wins the EAE Award for January 2013.

EAS wishes you a Happy New Year 2013! Here is my review of Starship Farragut's latest adventure, "The Price of Anything".

 

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