Thanks to IDW Publishing for the review copy!
STAR TREK: YEAR FIVE tells the story of the final year of the Enterprise’s original five year mission. As has been the pattern thus far, the story has been told in two issue arcs, with an overarching story connecting the series. In Issue 9, the Enterprise visited the homeward of new alien ally (and Sulu love interest). For some reason, the crew decided it would be a good idea to get involved with secret peace talks between the planet’s two warring factions, with predictably horrible results. This issue picks up after Chekov’s actions seemingly ignited an all out civil war.
While the set up was caused by a stupid decision (which is kind of inexcusable given the fact that Spock is in charge while Kirk is in a coma), the war does provide an opportunity for the kind of standout visuals that would be impossible on TV. It also gives Chekov more to do than he has had so far in the series. I found myself agreeing with McCoy at the end of the issue, who hilariously puts things in perspective in sickbay.
I’ve praised this series for how well it meshes with the live action adventures of the original crew, but it occurred to me that we’ve never heard Sulu talk about Ayal in the movies that take place after this series. In that sense, this mini arc seems out of place. The Ayal/Sulu romance seems a bit rushed (four issues) in an otherwise spot on series. That awkwardness aside, this issue has nice messages about war and acceptance and makes you think.
While this mini-arc stumbles a bit, STAR TREK: YEAR FIVE continues to be a great series for fans of the original show. If you haven’t read issue 9, there’s enough explanation in this issue to figure out what is happening, though I recommend starting with issue 7, which is when Ayal first appeared.
STAR TREK: YEAR FIVE #10 is available now.
Check back soon for my thoughts on issue 11 of this series.
Have you read the issue? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
