“Quite a lovely animal, captain. I find myself strangely drawn to it.” — Mr. Spock
The android Data had a ginger tabby cat named Spot in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mr. Barclay had a white Persian cat named Neelix on Voyager. Chief Miles O’Brien had a white and gray cat (with an abundance of hair) named Chester on Deep Space Nine. Scott Bakula was a cool cat who starred as Captain Archer on Enterprise (plus there was that Shore Leave Planet cat thing). The ever-present Mr. Spock dug cats, famously being drawn to the sleek black cat Sylvia on the original series. And the animated series even featured a cat as a bridge officer with its Lt. M’Ress.
A crew being upstaged by a fantastic cat is a rite of passage, a staple, a linchpin in the world of Star Trek.
Enter the latest: a Maine coon cat named Grudge. Star Wars has The Book of Boba Fett, and this week, Star Trek Discovery hasThe Book of Grudge, available now here at Amazon.
With the exception of the vast expanded universe of Star Wars and Star Trek, no other sci-fi property has branched out in the past ten years in as many exciting ways as the Alien universe. Every new tie-in novel consistently has been packed with suspense and innovative takes on Weyland-Yutani and its influence years before, during, and after the events of Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie. Each year fans of Alien celebrate April 26 as Alien Day, reflecting not a specific day inside the Alien universe, but the designation of the moon in the film Aliens:LV426. Back in 2019 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of the original Ridley Scott film, and the tie-ins keep coming now that the Fox movies fall under the Disney umbrella. Here’s a list of what you should check out if you’re an Alien fan. First up, the new novel, Aliens: Infiltrator.
With the exception of the vast expanded universe of Star Wars and Star Trek, probably no other sci-fi property has branched out in as many exciting ways as the Alien universe. Every new tie-in novel consistently has been packed with suspense and innovative takes on Weyland-Yutani and its influence years before, during, and after the events of Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie. Each year fans of Alien celebrate April 26 as Alien Day, reflecting not a specific day inside the Alien universe, but the designation of the moon in the film Aliens:LV426. There’s even more reason to look back this year, as 20th Century Fox is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of the original Ridley Scott film. Check out the Fox contest (expires tonight) here. The recognizable Reebok stomper worn by Ellen Ripley in Aliens is coming back, too–part of the contest, and expected to be for sale soon here.
Next week for the first time U.S. audiences can access a documentary on legendary Alien concept artist and designer H.R. Giger streaming on OVID.tv, and we’ll be reviewing it soon here at borg. Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World is a documentary on the artist’s unique vision, available May 3.
An eagerly awaited book for Alien fans is coming. You’ll want to pre-order the new J.W. Rinzler guide to the 1979 film, The Making of Alien,here (we’ll be reviewing it in July).
No book or film has portrayed the people behind the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as more vile and despicable as author Alex White envisioned them in his novel released for Alien Day 2018, Alien: The Cold Forge, a sequel to the second film in the franchise, James Cameron’s Aliens. The Company is proceeding to fulfill one of its initial ideas, to weaponize the Xenomorphs for military use. Alien: The Cold Forge is Aliens as if written by Michael Crichton, a blend of Congo and Jurassic Park with aspects of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy tie-ins and Project X.
Last year we reviewed Alien Covenant: David’s Drawings by Dane Hallett & Matt Hatton (check out our review here). This boxed edition contains two books, providing readers an insight into the most intriguing character from the Alien prequels. The in-universe sketchbook contains more than 200 illustrations from the set and will take you inside the mind of David. Plus Developing the Art of an Android provides an interview with Hallett and Hatton, the artists behind the sketchwork.
And there’s Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo by Rory Lucey (reviewed here), which reminds us: In space, no one can hear you meow. Aboard the USCSS Nostromo, Jonesy leads a simple life enjoying The Company cat food and chasing space rodents. Until one day his cryostasis catnap is rudely interrupted. The humans have a new pet and it’s definitely not house trained. This full-color illustrated book offers a cat’s eye view of all the action from the movie Alien.
Not enough? You say you want a full-on fix of Alien today? Check out any of these Alien tie-ins and films previously reviewed here at borg:
The ginger tomcat named Jones, aka Jonesy. He co-starred with human actor Sigourney Weaver in Ridley Scott’s science fiction classic Alien. Now nearly 40 years later, Jonesy gets his own book. Recounting from his perspective the events aboard the USCSS Nostromo on its fateful mission encountering xenomorphs, Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo is now available in bookstores. It is much, much, better than you might think. And it’s a contender for best gift idea for the holiday season, especially for anyone who likes cats.
Lots of books aim for humor and don’t quite get it right. The balance between cutesy and adhering to the parameters of the source material is not an easy thing. Writer-artist Rory Lucey has cats and he is a fan of Alien. When he showed the movie Alien to his wife for the first time, her natural question was: Does Jonesy survive? From there, Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo was born. And like a really fabulous look at a day in the life of a dog, Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye Issue #11 (2013’s single best comic book issue), readers will not encounter any actual words in this book. And that’s as it should be.
That’s the original Jonesy in Alien (left), and Rosie the cat (right), who is just a little afraid of what Jonesy might encounter in this new book.
Lucey takes his knowledge of cat behavior and fills in the blanks of the film–those times when we didn’t see Jonesy hissing at the xenomorph behind you, what was he up to? Scratching, taking a bath, sleeping, licking things he shouldn’t be–yes, all that, and much more. And all of it fits into the story from the original film perfectly. It’s even better than A Die Hard Christmas. Here are some images from the book:
With the exception of the vast expanded universe of Star Wars and Star Trek, probably no other sci-fi property has branched out in as many exciting ways as the Alien universe. Every new tie-in novel consistently has been packed with suspense and innovative takes on Weyland-Yutani and its influence years before, during, and after the events of Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie. Each year fans of Alien celebrate April 26 as Alien Day, reflecting not a specific day in the history of the franchise, but the designation of the moon in the film Aliens: LV426.
No book or film has portrayed the people behind the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as more vile and despicable as author Alex White has envisioned them in his new novel released for Alien Day 2018, Alien: The Cold Forge, a sequel to the second film in the franchise, James Cameron’s Aliens. The Company is proceeding to fulfill one of its initial ideas, to weaponize the Xenomorphs for military use. Alien: The Cold Forge is Aliens as if written by Michael Crichton, a blend of Congo and Jurassic Park with aspects of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy tie-ins and Project X. Never before in the Alien stories will readers want to see a corporate rep get his just desserts as the brutal, psychopathic corporate exec Dorian Sudler, embarking on a resource slashing audit of the experimental science station RB-323. A dying woman must carry out her own secret gene research project among the layers of secret projects within Weyland-Yutani–if she is to survive. Exciting? Yes. Suspenseful? Definitely. Readers will also learn the true name of the Xenomorphs, and encounter an entirely new use of the Weyland-Yutani borgs (like Bishop and David) that we haven’t seen before. Order your copy of Alien: The Cold Forge now, here at Amazon.
Coming later this year is Alien Covenant: David’s Drawings by Dane Hallett & Matt Hatton. This boxed edition contains two books, providing readers an insight into the most intriguing character from the Alien prequels. The in-universe sketchbook contains more than 200 illustrations from the set and will take you inside the mind of David. Plus Developing the Art of an Android provides an interview with Hallett and Hatton, the artists behind the sketchwork.
In the vein of fun tie-in books likeA Die Hard Christmas, get ready for Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo by Rory Lucey. In space, no one can hear you meow. Aboard the USCSS Nostromo, Jonesy leads a simple life enjoying The Company cat food and chasing space rodents. Until one day his cryostasis catnap is rudely interrupted. The humans have a new pet and it’s definitely not house trained. This full-color illustrated book offers a cat’s eye view of all the action from the movie Alien.
While you’re at it, check out these Alien tie-ins previously reviewed here at borg.com:
