“Yesterday’s” Comic> Star Trek: Untold Voyages #5

“Isn’t this where we came in?”

Star Trek: Untold Voyages #5

FINAL ISSUE

Marvel/Paramount Comics (July, 1998)

“Odyssey’s End”

WRITER: Glenn Greenberg

PENCILER: Michael Collins

INKER: Keith Williams

COLORIST: Matt Webb

LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos

EDITOR: Tim Tuvoy

Another five year mission is coming to an end, and it isn’t just the new uniforms the crew has to deal with. Chekov is becoming first officer aboard the Reliant and that can only end well. Meanwhile the new commanding Admiral wants to get Kirk out of a starship again (what is their deal?) while Saavik prepares to enter Starfleet. The ship is diverted from their trip home to assist the Yorktown when it’s attacked trying to stop the mass kidnapping of Lycos V. After getting the survivors off and learning the cadet who took charge after the bridge crew was initially killed misunderstood what Kirk would do and continued the attack Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are brought aboard the alien ship. They probe Kirk’s mind (I’m guessing this is another Paramount Star Trek staple given how often it happened to Pike in Early Voyages) before he manages to fight it off when Spock makes mental contact as the aliens probe his mind as well. Together our trio learns that these are descendants of the “Preservers”, who moved some aliens off of other planets to protect them, but these new “Abductors” as Spock refers them are trying to undo this, not realizing they’re causing all new problems. Kirk is able to make them see reason before crossing in the Romulan neutral zone and causing even more problems bringing them back to Vulcan. All this has convinced Kirk to indeed return to Starfleet Command, but as a teacher to show new students that his famed antics were the exception, not the rule, and has Enterprise assigned as Yorktown‘s replacement training vessel, under Spock’s command.

What they got right: As a possible set of events that led to where the crew was for Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (I’ve already reviewed that adaptation miniseries when it came out from IDW) it works rather well. It sets up the new uniforms, explains why Kirk went back to Admiral status and became an instructor, and gives us a good story on top of it all.

What they got wrong: The aliens are based on the ones you hear about from alleged UFO abductees. You know, thin and grey with large black eyes. Has this become another sci-fi rite of passage or something?

Recommendation: This miniseries was for the most part rather good and worth adding to your Star Trek comic library. Don’t worry, there are more Star Trek comics coming even if I don’t own them all.