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‘Star Trek Volume 3 Ongoing:’ Advance TPB Review

 

Star Trek Ongoing V3The new IDW Star Trek series has been an ambitious (and canon!) set of stories set in J.J. Abrams’ reimagined world of Star Trek. Taking place between the 2009 film and the upcoming sequel, this series revisits classic original series (TOS) stories and tells them in a new way. While some story arcs in this series have largely been plucked from TOS with some minor revisions or twists part way through, Volume 3‘s stories “The Return of the Archons” and “The Truth About Tribbles” are more of nods to these classic tales, using the same elements to recapture the feeling of those episodes but heading in a completely different direction within a few pages.

The first of the two stories in this volume is “The Return of the Archons.” The Enterprise arrives at a planet full of humans rigidly controlled by a computer. This storyline spins a lot of the original episode’s plot points on its head, and I really enjoyed the outcome. The story of the “The Return of the Archons” frankly makes a lot more sense in the context of Trek lore in this version than the original. The stories of the USS Archon and the people of Beta III are woven into a larger plotline, which feels like it’s a nod to some of the other Trek TV series like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and ties this era of history into the other Trek series in a way TOS simply didn’t have the ability to do as the first series. I was really happy with these elements and can’t wait to see where the creative team intends to take them in the long run.

We also finally see the return of everyone’s favorite asexually reproducing balls of fur in “The Truth About Tribbles.” The 2009 Star Trek film had a good time and was a bit silly in between the drama and action. This story arc is like one of those moments but extended. Centered around Scotty (naturally) and his frequent transporter experiments, the Tribble problem goes way beyond what occurred in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” I was a bit sad not to get the “Garbage scow” Klingon bar fight from the episode, but the arc had enough fun Scotty moments that its loss can be forgiven. I also have to give the story credit for using the Klingons in a different way and in a manner that once again ties into the later Trek series.

Overall, IDW’s Star Trek has been a great series which manages to retell and capture the spirit of TOS episodes, usually while adding context in the larger Trek universe. The two stories here serve as a great showcase of Star Trek‘s ability to tell both smart and fun stories.

 

 

Kristine Chester, Fanbase Press Senior Contributor

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Favorite Comic Book SeriesAtomic Robo Favorite D&D Class:  Wizard Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:  Cookies N' Cream

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