I wonder if the lighting reflected on the hull in the cover art was added by whoever assembled the cover, or if rather this is the original artist using his old model. (I suppose we'll find out if Pocket continues the practice of crediting the artist on the copyright page...)
Oh, I love him just fine... in the 23rd century. Nothing against Kirk, he's my hero and he's awesome and I love 'im to pieces, but he's already got, what, 7 books this year? (Counting JJ-Kirk, that is.) That's plenty. If I want stories of him in the 24th century, I'll read the Shatnerverse books. This x 100. In fact, I'm rather hoping it's a fresh story about the Nexus that doesn't necessarily deal with the fact that characters we know exist in it. I really enjoyed the last TNG ebook because the format let it feel like an episode, so I'm rather hoping this one will be a nice, comfortable non-universe-changing episodic story.
^I'm with you guys there. There is no way they wouldn't make a big deal out of Kirk's return. Even if they didn't say it out right, it would definitely be in a big event story, and leading up to it we'd hear all about how someone might be returning.
I'm just amazed that such a great story point of possibilities as the Nexus isn't worthy of a trilogy like so many other big stories. Kirk return aside (I find that sooo unlikely) the "this could change so many characters" aspects of nexus experiences should warrant much more than an e-book. The fact that it's only getting such a release, with no apparent fan-fare, makes me really leary... not that I won't read it, just... I think something fishy is up.
Why did we need McCoy, Spock or Scotty? Or, keeping with the novels, Uhura and Chekov? The barn door has been flung open, ripped from it's hinges and burned to ashes. It's not like bringing Kirk to the 24th century would somehow cheapen his death.