Star Trek Comics Weekly #34

An ongoing discussion of how Star Trek comics provide prequels, sequels, and tie-ins to the episodes and films…

34: DC Comics, 1994–1995

Steven H. Wilson’s guest-writing stint on DC Comics’ Star Trek issue #45 had brought back Trelane, an omnipotent juvenile brat from the classic episode “The Squire of Gothos.” It should come as no surprise, then, that the author’s other two Trek tales for DC, in issue #61 and Star Trek Special #2, also offered sequels to popular episodes. This week, we’ll examine issues #61–68, along with Special #2 and Star Trek Annual #5, from the standpoint of how these tales, including Wilson’s, handled sequels, prequels, and tie-ins to onscreen Trek—which there were aplenty, as every single issue in this span directly connected to at least one past episode or film.

Issue #61, beautifully illustrated by Rod Whigham and Arne Starr, revisits Star Trek‘s 1965 pilot, “The Cage,” and its later reworking, “The Menagerie,” providing an epilogue to the saga of Christopher Pike and Vina long before each would return on the large and small screens. The Enterprise travels back to Talos IV after Federation scientists figure out how to cure Pike’s condition. Vina and Pike have a son called Philip (honoring the pilot’s Doctor Boyce, no doubt), whom they conceived with help from Talosian science.

Having learned to wield the Talosians’ mental abilities, Philip projects an illusion of an attacking le-matya (from the animated “Yesteryear”) to scare Spock away, out of fear that the Vulcan will take his father from their home. In the end, the youth’s fears prove unwarranted, for the Pikes—who have been successfully reclaiming the planet’s surface—opt to remain with the Talosians rather than returning to Earth. James Kirk and Spock thus recommend General Order 7 be lifted, and that Chris be named a contact specialist to bring Talos IV into the Federation.

Spock notes that it has been twenty years since the Enterprise‘s last visit, ignoring stories in novels and even DC’s inaugural series that had utilized the Keeper’s people. Nonetheless, this may be the strongest of Wilson’s three Trek tales. The plot flows logically from “The Cage” and “The Menagerie,” with Pike and Vina building a new future for themselves and for their former jailers. Philip is the key to both, as he’s given his parents a deeper joy beyond illusion.

Kevin Ryan penned issues #62–64, drawn by Starr and Whigham, which comprise a powerful two-parter and subsequent standalone tale built around Kirk’s friendship with Gary Mitchell (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”), as well as his ingenuity in the face of adversity. In the two-parter—one of the finest Trek comics from any publisher, and I’ll die on that hill—Kirk is propelled 300 years into an uninhabited planet’s past, where he spends decades alone, determined to find a way home. An orphaned cub (whom he names Gary in his friend’s memory) is Kirk’s lone companion throughout, a loyal pet and protector who stays with Jim until the captain dies of old age—after he builds a massive Starfleet insignia out of rocks, of course, so his crew can rescue him via time travel.

Ryan displays expert knowledge of Star Trek in this engaging and emotional tale, offering astute observations about not only Kirk’s brother Sam (“Operation—Annihilate!” and more recently Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), but also Jim’s prior adventures on both Neural (“A Private Little War”) and Amerind (“The Paradise Syndrome”), which helped prepare him for the hardships of surviving alone in the wilderness. What’s more, Kirk recalls a lesson from Academy instructor Ben Finney: “If you’re lost or stranded, the first order of business is always survival. If you can be found, they’ll find you.” This advice is ironic, for Finney would go out of his way in “Court Martial” not to be found in the Enterprise‘s engineering section after framing Kirk for his own murder.

Kirk considers how much he misses Carol and David Marcus, indicating he’d spent at least some time with David before honoring Carol’s request that he stay away from their son (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). Ryan would expand on this premise in future issues with a nuanced storyline (to be discussed in an upcoming column) exploring the value Kirk places on family and friendship. Both are at the core of Ryan’s story in issue #64, a flashback tale centered around young Jim Kirk’s bond with Gary Mitchell.

Following Mitchell’s death in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” Kirk records a letter to Gary’s parents and recounts their adventures together (the comic has the two friends serving aboard the USS Farragut under Captain Garrovick, from “Obsession”), including a mission to Dimorus to rescue an archeological team, when Gary had taken a poisonous dart meant for Kirk and had nearly died. That event was referenced onscreen, but with few details provided; here, the Farragut is shown responding to a mayday at the time, after the local Dimorans attack the archeologists out of fear. (Oddly, the crew debates whether the Dimorans are sentient, despite their possessing clothing, weaponry, and a spoken language—kind of like how the apes in Planet of the Apes consider humans to be animals despite their loincloths.)

Kirk recalls the death of his father George—portrayed onscreen under different circumstances in the 2009 Star Trek film—noting how much he’d appreciated Robert April, George’s close friend (and the Enterprise‘s captain before Christopher Pike, per “The Counter-Clock Incident” and Strange New Worlds), being the one to deliver the news. April’s mention is somewhat surprising, given Paramount’s (more accurately, the late Richard Arnold’s) edict at the time of the comic’s publication that The Animated Series was off-limits to writers. Thankfully, this reference, like the above le-matya appearance, was apparently overlooked as a cartoon tie-in.

Howard Weinstein’s storyline in issues #65-68 revisited “Amok Time” by bringing back Stonn and revealing what happened after T’Pring ended her betrothal to Spock in order to be with him. Sadly, Spock’s warning to Stonn in the episode—that having something is not always as pleasing as wanting it—has proven true, for their marriage ended in divorce after only six years. The couple produced a daughter, T’Ariis, but T’Pring then entered a period of religious study, abandoning her husband to pursue Kolinahr (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and taking no part in their daughter’s upbringing.

Such parental failure on T’Pring’s part may seem brutal, but it’s believable, given her cold, calculated dismissal of Spock in “Amok Time,” not to mention her willingness to see an innocent man die so she can pursue happiness. Also, it’s fascinating to note that T’Pring’s depiction more resembles Strange New Worlds‘ Gia Sandhu than The Original Series‘ Arlene Martel, even though the comic predated Sandhu’s casting by decades.

Stonn has a second wife, Sepora (a corpulent Vulcan, something rarely seen in Star Trek), who raised T’Ariis as her own. He’d tried to prove himself worthy of T’Pring, knowing her choice of Kirk as her champion had shown no faith in his chance at a combat victory. With no heroic exploits, Stonn had felt inadequate, overshadowed by Spock’s fame. No matter how many treaties he’d negotiated or wars he’d averted, Spock’s name outshone his—particularly when the latter died and was resurrected in Star Trek III: Search for Spock. Competing with a rival is difficult. Competing with a legend who can save the universe and come back from death? Nearly impossible. How tragic it is that neither Stonn nor T’Pring found happiness in their pairing.

Michael Jan Friedman, DC’s primary writer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, penned the fifth Star Trek Annual, accompanied by artist Carlos Garzon. In this tale, set during Kirk’s five-year mission, the Enterprise crew experiences strange dreams of Balok (“The Cormobite Maneuver”), the Onlies (“Miri”), Charles Evans (“Charlie X”), Lieutenant Stiles (“Balance of Terror”), and Leonre Karidian (“The Conscience of the King”), all characters from early in Star Trek‘s first season.

The common element in each dream is Janice Rand, who was still in the crew when those missions occurred. Now a Starfleet intelligence operative (perhaps explaining her Spacedock and Starfleet HQ postings in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), the former yeoman was captured during a covert mission by an illusion-casting species, and has been broadcasting the dreams to summon a rescue from her ex-shipmates. Just as Wilson had provided closure for “The Cage,” Friedman here offers a satisfying coda to Rand’s limited time aboard the Enterprise, as actor Grace Lee Whitney’s abrupt departure from the show had left her character in limbo until the theatrical films and later Star Trek: Voyager.

The second Star Trek Special featured a pair of tales from Kevin Ryan and Steven Wilson, each firmly grounded in onscreen canon. Ryan’s story, a sequel to “The Tholian Web,” sees Kirk’s crew retrieving the USS Defiant from interspace, as the vessel’s disappearance into another reality has caused widespread spatial instability in both universes. Tholian Commander Melene assists the Enterprise in this mission. A Romulan saboteur attempts to spark a Tholian-Federation war, but Scotty sees through her ruse and the Defiant is safely recovered.

Through no fault of the comic’s creators, this tale would be negated by Star Trek: Enterprise‘s “In a Mirror, Darkly,” which would reveal the Defiant had ended up in the “mirror” universe a century in the past, then had remained there as the base of Hoshi Sato’s power in conquering the Terran Empire. Here, the Defiant instead enters a dimension in which time moves more slowly than in the prime universe—and this time the starship is recovered. It’s one of the few times a comic sequel has been wholly overwritten by an episode, but the story is no less enjoyable for having been discredited.

Sulu’s presence as a member of the Enterprise crew sets this first tale (illustrated by Chris Wozkiak and Jeff Hollander) before his departure for the Excelsior in issue #35. Conversely, the second tale, from Wilson and artists Rachel Ketchum and Rich Faber, takes place with Sulu now commanding the Excelsior. This resonant story pairs up Spock’s two protégés, with Saavik (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) supervising the cadet training performance of Valeris (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovery Country). Tension results from this pair-up, as Valeris considers herself superior to humans and rudely rejects Saavik’s half-Romulan heritage.

As an ensign, Valeris already displays the arrogant bigotry that would inspire her to join Admiral Cartwright’s conspiracy in the sixth film. Her belief in Vulcan superiority is absolute, and she advocates her kind running the Federation, spreading Surak’s philosophies, and forcing peace on the galaxy. Given her isolationist beliefs, it’s easy to see her evolving into the traitor she’ll become. Saavik warns Kirk about Valeris’s attitude, but honors Spock’s request that she not damage the latter’s career with a poor evaluation. Saavik soon leaves the Enterprise because of this, explaining why Spock would choose Valeris instead of Saavik to replace him as science officer.

DC’s long tenure on Star Trek and The Next Generation was nearing its end by this point, with Paramount soon opting to end its contracts with not only DC but also Malibu Comics, the short-term caretakers of Deep Space Nine. Next week, we’ll start wrapping up our examinations of all three titles, beginning with another look back at Friedman’s Next Generation saga. Then, as springtime approaches, be here to witness Marvel Comics recapturing the captain’s chair.

Looking for more information about Star Trek comics? Check out these resources:

• The Complete Star Trek Comics Index, by yours truly
• The Star Trek Comics Checklist, by Mark Martinez
• The Wixiban Star Trek Collectables Portal, by Colin Merry
• New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics, by Joseph F. Berenato
• Star Trek: A Comics History, by Alan J. Porter

Rich Handley has written, co-written, co-edited, or contributed to dozens of books, both fiction and non-fiction, about Planet of the Apes, Watchmen, Back to the Future, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, Stargate, Dark Shadows, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, Red Dwarf, Blade Runner, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman, the Joker, classic monsters, and more. He has also been a magazine writer and editor for nearly three decades. Rich edited Eaglemoss’s Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection, and he currently writes articles for Titan’s Star Trek Explorer magazine, as well as books for an as-yet-unannounced role-playing game. Learn more about Rich and his work at richhandley.com.