We have an updated on new info on a couple of Star Trek movie adaptations. The Alan Dean Foster Star Trek novel is now available for pre-order, plus an audio version has been confirmed. And Rittenhouse has just announced their Star Trek movie collectible cards set. We have exclusive details on all of that below.
Star Trek: The Novel + Return of Audio
The novelization to the film is going to be 192 pages and sold in a trade paperback edition. This will be the first time a Star Trek novelization has been released in this format (the first six Star Trek films were released as regular paperbacks, although there were special book club hardcover editions) and the TNG era films were hardcover editions. The release date is set at May 12th with a retail price of $15. Fans can now preorder the book at Amazon for the discounted price of $10.20.
There will be an audio version of the book, also available on May 12th. Fans could choose between either an e-audio book version for $17.95 or a compact disc edition at $29.99. This will be the first time a Star Trek book has been offered in audio version since 2007’s Vulcan’s Soul. More details and preorder information will be available soon.
Regarding dates, Pocket Books has told TrekMovie that the 12th is the official release date because they do all releases on Tuesdays, but in this case the book is ‘likely’ to be available on the Friday before (the release date of the film). TrekMovie will have more updates on the book as it approaches, including an interview with Alan Dean Foster.
Star Trek: The Cards
A second adaptation of the film is available in a different format from Rittenhouse Archives, the licensee for Star Trek trading cards On May 8th, Rittenhouse will premiere their Star Trek Movie Card Set. The basic set includes 72 cards with images of the film on one side and the narrative of the film on the back. The card set continues a tradition as every Star Trek film has had a trading card set. The set sells for $25 from the Rittenhouse Archive website or could be ordered through comic book stores.
For fans who like autograph and chase cards, the better bet is to purchase a box of Star Trek movie cards for $84 from Rittenhouse. Each box will include the basic 72 card set, plus a guarantee of 2 autographed cards or costume cards per box. Plus, the box will include a sampling of cool chase cards.
Confirmed signers for the autographed card set include Karl Urban (McCoy), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), John Cho (Sulu), Eric Bana (Nero), Bruce Greenwood (Pike), Jacob Kogan (Young Spock), Alex Kurtzman (writer and producer), Roberto Orci (writer and producer), and JJ Abrams (director). Rittenhouse is promising more signers, likely to include Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock). Rittenhouse and its owner Steven Charendoff have pioneered many innovations with the hobby. For example, unlike some companies that use stickers signed by celebrities placed on cards, Rittenhouse’s Star Trek cards are actually signed by the celebrities.
Costume cards feature film-worn swatches of materials worn by Pine, Quinto, Urban, Saldana, Greenwood, Cho, Yelchin, and Leonard Nimoy (Spock). The other chase cards will include "Enterprise," "Character," and "Behind the Scenes" cards not available in the basic set. Also, Rittenhouse is offering a nice album to neatly display and maintain your collection. The album includes an exclusive promotional card available no where else and sells for $25.
In the next few weeks, Trekmovie will feature an article looking at the excellent recent Rittenhouse release "Star Trek Movies in Motion" (featuring films before 2009) and the soon-to-be-available Women of Star Trek trading card set.
The Rittenhouse Star Trek movie trading cards will be available on May 8th (same as the movie itself). More info and pre-order info SciFiHobby.com.
Exclusive image of one of Rittenhouse ‘Star Trek’ movie cards
cool
Only 192 pages? Not very encouraging about the depth of the movie’s script, I’d say.
(Regular paperbacks are called Mass Market paperbacks.)
What’s next STAR TREK the Bath TOWEL… or even better STAR TREK the FLAME THROWER! … The Kids Love It!!
I am awaiting the STAR TREK BEDROOM SLIPPERS!!!!!!
I want one of this Cards
#3. you make it sound like merchandising for a movie has never been done before, or is a bad thing. You couldn’t be more wrong on both counts. Plus ST fans will buy ANYTHING and why not, they love it. I don’t see anything wrong with it the more people know about the franchise the more fans we can attract and more movies/TV will be made. The money flows, everyones happy.
2. Really, Thorny? First off, many times for press releases a novel’s length is estimated. And by my quick check, 192 pages in a trade paperback should net you 60,000 words of story, and that’s not shabby.
But what’s more, are you really going to judge a story’s quality to entertain by its length? Size matters not. I’ve read comics—hell, comic STRIPS—that have meant more to me than some novels when I’ve finished them.
And I’ve read plenty of movie novelizations that don’t do justice to a film or its script that are longer than 192 pages. Also, I’ve read plenty of novelizations I’ve loved even more than the film—and Mr. Foster is responsible for many of them.
Unwet thy pants, sir. :)
@ #3 lol
@ # 6 dude have you ever seen spaceballs?
@6: It’s a Spaceballs quote, so I hope #3 was just kidding.
Besides, you’re saying you wouldn’t buy a Star Trek flamethrower?? :D
I still have the complete set of star trek TMP trading cards from topps…..man, that makes me feel old…..
Love it love it
IIRC, Mr Foster’s Star Wars novelisation wasn’t particularly long either and that had way more depth than a movie could allow. I loved it! Just because a book or a movie isn’t very long doesn’t mean it’s bad. Look at The Old Man and the Sea as an example of a very short book that is brilliant!
I wonder who’ll read the audiobook and whether it’ll be enhanced with music and FX like Prime Directive was!
to all star trek card collectors –
the next issue of NON SPORTS MAGAZINE is giving away a free star trek movie promo card featuring kirk
Is there an actual movie in there somewhere? I’m beginning to have my doubts.
Wow… apparently I JAMMED the radar… didn’t mean to upset you # 6 It was all in good fun. It was just an attempt at “colorful metaphors”
#9 The flame thrower is on my amazon wishlist as we speak lol!
and #6 this is for you! :D
“Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower. ” – Yogurt
Does anyone know where i can pick up some liquid schwartz???
-“We Brake for NOBODY” Eagle 5 Capain Lonestar signing off.
PS Beware of PIZZA THE HUT!
Trade PB is the format associated with hip young literary novels and young adult fiction.
It looks bigger, not thicker, on the shelf and appeals to young people. A class Star Trek Mass Market PB would be around 280pp in Trade, so this is relatively slim.
This indicates that the Trek publishing franchise could be redeveloped for the YA market, which is very hot right now, instead of the classic SF market–with its nerdy MMPB format.
In the publishing business today, the young editors who run the YA business are much more graphic novel/videogame/Japan-friendly, where the old editors who run the SF business are calcified and arthritic.
In sum, Trek fans should take this as a good sign. New blood, greater potential for financial success and some Kirk-like balls in hiring one of the greatest Trek novelizers to write a slim book in a new format.
To quote Tuvok uh I mean Tim Russ in Spaceballes. “WE AIN’T FOUND S**T!!!!”
Is anyone else upset that McCoy isn’t next to Kirk in that picture? Not that it will stop me from going and seeing the movie and enjoying the heck out of it, I just wish the poster had the central 3 of Kirk, McCoy, and Spock. Uhura shouldn’t be in the center.
Yes. Star Trek audiobooks make my ears feel GOOD!
Also, I have to agree with SirRobin’s comment #18. McCoy MY BOI 4 EVA!
Maybe the Shat could do the reading for the audio version…..
Who is reading the book on tape? Tell me it is not some lame unknown like it has been in the current book on tapes. They need to get the cast from the movie
Who is reading the book on tape? Tell me it is not some lame unknown like it has been in the current book on tapes. They need to get the cast from the movie. Maybe Nimoy or someone?
Hopefully later they will do a mmpb version of the novelization, like the HALO novels do. I just do not like the trade paperback format. :P
I’m very happy to read that it will be an audiobook as well. I have about three dozen Star Trek books on tape/CD/mp3 and some are outstanding with only one or two clinkers. The audio version of Generations is better than the film for example. Other original stories, such as Q-Squared, Crossover, Imzadi, The Devil’s Heart, and Reunion are so good that they would’ve made terrific episodes or even films. I had always hoped Frakes would read the Titan series.
As far as the novelization goes. I mean look at the the ST: TMP book. I have never read it, but how the heck did Roddenberry get that much novel out of his movie……? So length of book does not correspond at all with content of movie
When are we going to hear about the soundtrack? Any chance we could hear a tease of the new main theme?
All those of you actually, incredibly, complaining because of the marketing; a film marketed to this extent, like every other potential blockbuster, is a good thing for the film itself. And the new ST needs all the audience awareness it can get.
# 3 – When my brother and I were kids back in the 1970s, my mother got us a Star Trek beach towel. As I recall, it was an image of Spock, and the artwork reminded me of the animated series.
What Odkin (#27) said, and in a big way.
And why does the novelization of the film (@ amazon) read “Star Trek (Star Trek: the Original Series)”? Before it flames up, the powers that be need to give this series an official moniker (TNG, VOY, TAS, etc.) as, obviously, the Shatner/Nimoy/Kelley Trek is the only “Original Series”.
Hmmm. Sounds like a poll, eh?
7. Kevin…
In my opinion, 192 pages is thoroughly in the “lightweight” realm. This is less than half the length of the most recent Star Trek mass market paperbacks. Even allowing for a 25% increase in pages for mass market, this is still a thin book. Really, this is a novella, not a novel.
Of course, it could still be a good read, but I think this brevity means the storyline either doesn’t have much meat to it, or that Mr. Foster wasn’t given sufficient time to really flesh out the story. Either way, this isn’t a good sign.
Are there great stories that are told in few pages? Sure, but they usually aren’t by themselves in one overpriced title. I hope the page count is wrong, as you suggest, but I doubt Pocket pulled that number out of thin air.
way cool picture…i’v putten the picture as my desktop.
i’m sure it will be with the other rest.
“The card set continues a tradition as every Star Trek film has had a trading card set. ”
I used to collect/buy/sell these card sets once upon a time but I don’t recall a set ever existing for ST:TWOK. I remember a postcard set and a playing card deck but unless we’re talking about a set made many, many years after the fact I don’t believe one ever existed. I haven’t messed with cards since the late 90s so maybe someone created a set for ST2 since then and that may be what you’re refering to. Otherwise I think that’s an error.
18. SirRobin –
“Is anyone else upset that McCoy isn’t next to Kirk in that picture? Not that it will stop me from going and seeing the movie and enjoying the heck out of it, I just wish the poster had the central 3 of Kirk, McCoy, and Spock. Uhura shouldn’t be in the center.”
Seriously?! SERIOUSLY?! Is anyone *upset* about that?! Seriously?! That’s a joke, right? You were joking. Seriously?! I’m — I’m just — seriously?! Are you kidding me??! Incredible…
Hello Izbot,
There is no error with the article. There was a TWOK large sized card set during 1982 by FTCC and a “regular” widescreen set of 72 cards from 1994. Every feature film has had trading cards. Trading card sets have a variety of formats. Thank you for question.
35. John Tenuto –
Thanks, John. I remember the large size cards (I called them postcards). I thought I got out of collecting cards in the late 90s but apparently it was around 94 and I never got that TWOK set. Now that you mention it I think that was around the time Generations came out and they started making the ‘widescreen’ sets that I quit buying them. Thatnks again for the clarification.
Hello Izbot,
I know what you mean about the nontraditional sized formats. They were a strange fad!
Best,
John
“This will be the first time a Star Trek book has been offered in audio version since 2007’s Vulcan’s Soul.” Um that’s just like a year ago. Is it really that newsworthy? Makes it sound like it’s been decades or something…
Hello Stan,
If you don’t like the way I write my articles, you are free not to read them.
I think the novelization and trading cards are news, and if you don’t like that I also provide some context (ie: the last time there was an audiotext) then you are free to visit the other Star Trek websites that will merely tell fans a price and a link with no other information.
John
27: If you go the Esurance website and watch the behind the scenes clip, there’s about a minute and a half of movie score there.
#3 :: Spaceballs is the win. You just got a little higher on my list of like 10000 people in the world who are awesome. I can see it now…
Yogurt: “Star Trek — The Flamethrower!!” (Insert flamethrowing) “The kids LOVE this one.”
Aaaaanyways, cool! Don’t know if I’ll pre-order; may just wait for it to come… So far, the only book I’m preordering is “The Romulan War”. GIVE ME TRIP, GIVE ME TRIIIIIIP. :D (My eyes are gonna burn if I read “The Good That Men Do” and “Kobayashi Maru” again.)
The ST novel manuscript came in at about 79,000 words. Not War & Peace, not Stephen King, but far, far from a novella.
When comparing number of pages in a book, remember also that font size enters into the number of words per page.
#3, I actually DO have a trek bath towel – got it back at Benecia ’75 (a trek convention In Atlanta in 1975 when I was 12).