Ships of the Line calendar 2015

 Well, it's arrived!

 And it doesn't disappoint.

 I thought I'd go through each month and describe the image (or what I think is going on), picking out the bits I find most fascinating. I've even included some (very poor quality) scans of a few images. Only snippets, mind, not the whole image (except for the centre-spread image which has been easily accessible online since 2012) otherwise who would bother to buy the calendar when they could just gawp at it here for free?

Cover: Vanguard Down, by Doug Drexler

The original Constitution-class USS Enterprise defending Starbase 47, aka Vanguard, against Tholian fighters.

This image is from the cover of the final novel in the Vanguard series, Storming Heaven, released in 2012.

January: Explorers, by Jenny DeSalle and Ali Ries

The Columbia-class SS Enterprise passing a stellar phenomenon.

February: Xindi Reptilian, by Jenny DeSalle and Ali Ries

The Columbia-class SS Enterprise travelling with two Xindi-Reptilian ships.

March: Zero Hour, by John Eaves

The Sovereign-class USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E after performing saucer separation in a planetary system, together with two V-class attack fighters, 227 and 469.

April: Prowling, by Douglas E. Graves

A Klingon D'ama-class battlecruiser flying over a cratered moon.

May: Leif Ericson, by Gabriel Koerner

In close proximity to a ringed gas giant planet, the USS Enterprise holds position with the Leif Ericson.

June: U.S.S. Titan, by Tobias Richter

The Luna-class USS Titan approaches a Watchtower-class space station in orbit of a class M planet.


Center: Starbase Bajor Proposal, by Doug Drexler

Modular space station 173 under construction near the Celestial Temple in the B'hava'el system. In the background, an Excelsior-class starship arrives through the Temple gates, and in the foreground, workbee 003 and three Danube-class runabouts (including the USS Rio Grande NCC-72452 and the NCC-72752*) carrying cargo modules assist in the construction efforts.
This temporary station is being put together by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers as a base of operations and support hub for the imminent construction of Starbase Bajor, the replacement of the destroyed Deep Space 9.
 
This image is similar to the Typhon Pact novel Raise the Dawn's cover image from 2012. The main difference is that this does without the Sphinx workpod above the Rio Grande in the lower left.

* The registry number of the second runabout is actually NCC-72452, the same as the Rio Grande's, so, as it's barely legible, I've taken the liberty of changing the 4 to a 7 as it's the least recognisable number in the sequence.

July: Assault on the Moons of Nibia, by D. M. Phoenix

On an attack run towards one of the moons of Nibia*, four Sabre-class starships; USS Garza NCC-61813, USS Sanders NCC-61822, USS Sentry NCC-61898 and USS Peterson NCC-61815, come under fire from a moonbase.

* Memory Alpha assumes Nibia is a planet, but Khan's little tirade gives no indication that this is so. I rather think Nibia to be an individual, perhaps a self proclaimed queen of the star system or area where the moons exist.

August: Joint Operations, by Alain Rivard

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A's type-4 shuttle, Galileo, departs the Miranda-class USS Reliant's shuttlebay 1, leaving behind a travel pod and a couple of workbees.

September: WOLF 359 + 8 days, by Andrew Probert

The Annie, DT-2015, and two of her sister ships along with numerous Sphinx workpods, retrieve lifeboats and ship wreckage from the aftermath of Starfleet's battle with a Borg cube at Wolf 359. 

Among the damaged and destroyed ships are the USS Kyushu, USS Saratoga, USS Ahwahnee and the USS Princeton. Wrecks of a Nova-class, a Nebula-class and two Constitution-class starships can also be seen. A lifeboat, D-05, bearing the registry NCC-2101 indicates that the USS Star League was present at the battle, and Sovereign-type escape pods retrieved by the Annie mean that either a very new starship class was also present (although not a Sovereign or Akira-class as these weren't in service in 2367), or an older ship that had been refitted with the new pods.
 
October: Occupation, by Alain Rivard

Three K't'inga-class and two D5-class battlecruisers docked at Deep Space 9.

November: Romulan War, by Dan Uyeno

A Romulan bird-of-prey attacks three Daedalus-class starships, including the USS Archon and USS Essex, during the Earth-Romulan War. The Federation starships are launching missiles from their dorsal launch tubes.

December: Sisters, by Michael Wiley

SS Enterprise and USS Enterprise side by side above a class M planet.


 And there you have it. Another amazing selection of starships from some very talented artists. I can't wait for next year's now!

If you're interested - and how can you not be? - the calendar is on sale now. Here are some handy-dandy links: Amazon UK, Amazon US. I can't be bothered to do any more, but you're not stupid - I'm sure you can work it out for yourselves.

 Right. I'd better go as I can feel that unpleasant tingle that means Witchface is about to reappear...