>>Was that a Star Trek: New Earth reference back there towards the end?
>>:)
>
>Not specifically; rather, they are both references to a phrase that
>was used to summarize the original series when it was being pitched to
>the network. (For those who may not know, Wagon Train was a
>popular Western of the time, so the description would have meant
>something very specific to a TV executive.)

Ah, a case of parallel references then.

For those that don't know, there was a series of Star Trek novels that took place between the events of the first and second movies, wherein the Enterprise is tasked with escorting a full-blown colonization fleet composed mainly of privately owned vessels...

...And a brand new class of colony ship drafted by none other than Scotty himself, known as the Conestoga-class.

The real interesting thing about these ships was that Scotty had the brilliant idea to make the entire warp drive and primary impulse drive a separate construct altogether that can be docked and undocked from a Conestoga so maintenance and repairs can be conducted without endangering any of the colonists. Known as "Mules", they of course had a few more of these than they had Conestogas, and they were kept by a "roundhouse" ship where Scotty headed up that part of the operation.

It's a great series of books that kinda recaptures the TOS feel, but has the elements of the films as well.

And the first novel in the series is titled, Wagon Train to the Stars.