Ever watched Star Trek: The Next Generation and thought to yourself: “You know what would improve this show? Replacing all those talented human actors with the most evil, narcissistic creatures on the planet.”
Well, if so, you’re in luck. Following on from last year’s inexplicably popular Star Trek Cats, which recreated iconic scenes from The Original Series in feline form, artist Jenny Parks has done it again for The Next Generation.
It’s a bizarre idea, and one that Parks manages to pull off with a combination of wit, charm, and an ability to somehow make these hideous creatures look cute (this writer’s more of a dog person, in case you hadn’t guessed).
So, instead of the familiar TNG crew, we’re presented with their feline equivalents, with each of the crew represented by a cat which, surprisingly, quite suits them. Picard is portrayed as a Sphynx (I’ll be honest, I just Googled “Mr Bigglesworth” – I don’t know breeds, they’re all evil), which is a little harsh considering it’s possibly the most hideous creature to ever walk the Earth, something which Patrick Stewart is far from, although similarly hairless. And the rest of the crew – including the likes of Tasha Yar and Barclay, get appropriate feline doppelgangers. The standout is a slightly mad-looking Worf, complete with cute forehead ridges. Data’s cat Spot, who would presumably be human in this even-more-evil mirror universe, is sadly absent, however.
As with Star Trek Cats, the furry crew are shown recreating a number of classic scenes from the series, so we get cats dressed as Sherlock Holmes and Watson; Picard fending off the affections of Lwaxana Troi (the look on his face almost makes you feel sorry for a cat); Ferengi cats; Darmok with cats; Q as a cat; and even an appearance from Locutus (cats as Borg – the ultimate evil).
Cute as it is (if you like cats obviously), it’s a slightly odd concept, appealing primarily to that small subset of cat lovers with excellent taste in TV. Jenny Parks, the artist behind the books, is part of this demographic, describing herself as a “scientific illustrator that also happens to be a shameless nerd and cat lover.” It shows, with both her love for the hairy monstrosities and Trek apparent on every page. She adds lots of lovely little touches, like cat Picard staring longingly at his pet lionfish, or the look of superiority on Q’s face (that’s a cat’s natural expression towards humans anyway isn’t it?)
If you enjoyed the original Star Trek Cats, this is an excellent companion piece. It’s relatively short at 60-odd pages, but if you’re into both cats and Trek, you’ll find much to amuse. Although next time we’d recommend Parks diversify slightly and use a less evil creature. Voyager with hamsters? Deep Space Nine with dogs? Discovery recreated with ring-tailed lemurs?
STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION CATS / AUTHOR: JENNY PARKS / PUBLISHER: CHRONICLE BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 27TH
