[press release]
Admiral James T. Kirk and Starfleet’s finest captains materialize on dramatic Canadian Star Trek™ stamps
Bold explorers are shadowed by the menacing villains they faced

OTTAWA, April 28, 2017 /CNW/ – Canada Post today issued a set of seven Star Trek stamps that celebrate each of Starfleet’s finest leaders, dramatically depicting them with the most cunning of the adversaries they confronted on their voyages.

Five stamps are dedicated to the exploits of James T. Kirk (Montréal-born actor William Shatner), Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula).

Two additional stamps feature the intrepid shuttlecraft Galileo, which was often deployed for missions too dangerous for the U.S.S. Enterprise, and the ominous Borg cube, which has been specially enhanced with holographic foil and embossing.

A sequel to last year’s 50th anniversary collection, these seven stamps feature:

• Admiral James T. Kirk with Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan™, 1982)
• Captain Jean-Luc Picard with Locutus of Borg (Star Trek: The Next Generation™, 1987-1994)
• Captain Benjamin Sisko with Dukat (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine™, 1993-1999)
• Captain Kathryn Janeway with the Borg Queen (Star Trek: Voyager™, 1995-2001)
• Captain Jonathan Archer with Commander Dolim (Star Trek: Enterprise™, 2001-2005)
• The classic shuttlecraft Galileo (first appearance in Star Trek, 1966)
• The Borg cube (first appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1989)

About the stamps
Designed by Signals Design Group and printed by the Lowe-Martin Group, the five stamps featuring Starfleet heroes measure 24 mm by 30 mm and are available in booklets of 10, as a pane of five stamps, and as an uncut press sheet. The shuttlecraft stamp, measuring 24 mm by 20 mm, is available as a coil of 50 stamps. All seven stamps, including the uniquely-shaped Borg cube, which measures 67 mm by 62 mm and is enhanced with holographic foil and embossing, are available ready-to-mail in a prestige booklet. The Official First Day Covers – all cancelled in Vulcan, Alberta, except Kirk’s, which is cancelled in Montréal, Quebec – are available only as a set of seven.

From Canada Post’s Details magazine (philatelic catalogue):

Captain’s log
Stardate: April 27, 2017. A second year on the edge of the final frontier concludes our exploration of the best of Star TrekTM. We’ve discovered seven new stamps and added them to our collection. Led by James T. Kirk (played by Montréal-born William Shatner), they feature three Starfleet captains who followed in his footsteps and one who made humanity’s first foray into interstellar space. Although we have made some great discoveries, our mission has also been dangerous. Starfleet’s finest share their stamps with some of the galaxy’s most nefarious villains. We also learned of a tiny but intrepid shuttlecraft coil stamp and a large, looming Borg design …

TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED …
INCOMING TRANSMISSION …

We are the Borg. Lower your shields and prepare to be assimilated. Your technological and philatelic distinctiveness will be added to our own. Your stamps will bring us closer to perfection. Resistance is futile.

After Star Trek finished its three-year run in 1969, fans were left yearning for more stories from the stars. William Shatner’s James T. Kirk had captured imaginations and, with fan interest mounting, Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuted in 1979, kicking off six original series feature films – including fan favourite Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. But Kirk did more than inspire fans, he set the standard for every Starfleet captain to come. Five stamps in this issue pay homage to Kirk and his counterparts Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway and Jonathan Archer. These Starfleet heroes saved the galaxy time after time, even in the face of the seemingly unstoppable villains whose likenesses loom in the background. Two other stamps celebrate the intrepid Class-F shuttle and ominous Borg cube.

Designed by Kosta Tsetsekas and Adrian Horvath, of Signals Design Group, these stamps share a similar look to those issued in 2016, with a more modern feel.

“There’s more drama,” says Horvath, adding that, as a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, revisiting the futuristic series stoked a renewed interest in his favourite episodes.

Admiral Kirk vs. Khan Noonien Singh
After completing his original five-year mission and earning a promotion, Admiral James T. Kirk set an unassailable standard for every Starfleet captain. But being stuck behind a desk at Starfleet Command made the aging admiral restless. Kirk rejoined the U.S.S. Enterprise, the first step toward a final show- down with his most cunning and deadly adversary: Khan. Set on revenge, the genetically enhanced superhuman cost Kirk the life of his closest companion.

Captain Picard vs. Locutus of Borg
More “by the book” than Kirk, Captain Jean-Luc Picard led his crew with stern professionalism. When Borg drones invaded the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, they captured and assimilated Picard into the Borg Collective. Renamed Locutus and forced to be the Borg’s spokesperson, Picard was eventually rescued by his crew, though not before he was the Borg’s unwilling agent of destruction. Haunted, Picard finally overcame his demons in a final showdown with the Borg Queen.

Captain Sisko vs. Dukat
Posted to the space station Deep Space 9, near the planet Bajor, Captain Benjamin Sisko took to heart his mission to help the Bajorans recover from the Cardassian occupation. Dukat, the dangerous former prefect of the station, considered Sisko’s new role as a personal affront – and wanted revenge. This animosity led to escalating tensions between the Federation and a new, powerful enemy known as the Dominion, and placed Captain Sisko at the centre of a battle between good and evil.

Captain Janeway vs. the Borg Queen
Sent to pursue renegades known as the Maquis, Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager thought they’d be home in no time. Unexpectedly, Voyager and a Maquis vessel were transported to the other side of the galaxy. Far from home, the two crews united and began a decades- long journey back to the Federation. In the end, Janeway faced off against the enigmatic Borg Queen and used the Collective’s advanced technology to speed Voyager’s return home.

Captain Archer vs. Commander Dolim
One of Starfleet’s earliest pioneers, Captain Jonathan Archer represented United Earth before the founding of the Federation. In 2153, Archer and the Enterprise NX-01 responded when the mysterious Xindi suddenly attacked Earth. The Enterprise trailed the Xindi to a dangerous region of space known as the Delphic Expanse, where Archer confronted Commander Dolim, a genocidal Xindi-Reptilian convinced that the destruction of humanity would ensure the survival of his people.

The shuttlecraft – Galileo
The U.S.S. Enterprise carried a fleet of shuttlecraft designed for short-range space exploration, planetary landings, and (often) dangerous missions. The first of these shuttles – named Galileo (NCC-1701⁄7) – met an explosive fate in orbit around Taurus II, seconds after its crew was beamed safely to the Enterprise. In honour of the spunky little craft, its name was passed on to future models, making it the most famous of the Enterprise sidekicks.

The Borg
The cybernetic Borg had no interest in diplomacy; they sought only to achieve perfection by assimilating different species. Those assimilated lost all sense of individual identity and became merely an extension of the Borg Collective – a fate many considered worse than death. The appearance of a Borg cube – the Collective’s formidable spaceship – often meant the destruction of a civilization. Resistance, as the Borg said, was futile.