Miscommunication And Rapid Evolution In Star Trek: Year Five #3
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
The Enterprise heads for Federation Space with their new Tholian passenger. Scottie tries to set up a hospitable environment for the alien while Captain James T. Kirk deals with some personal business. Kirk is interrupted by Dr. McCoy, who informs the captain that they’ve arrived near the planet Sigma Iotia II. When last on the planet, the Enterprise found a civilization based around 1920’s Chicago mob culture, and Bones violated the Prime Directive by accidentally leaving a Starfleet Communicator on the planet. Now, Kirk, Bones, and Spock discover that the planet has made massive leaps in technology and culture, and they go to the planet to investigate.
Star Trek: Year Five #3 finds the Enterprise crew still struggling in trying to communicate with their new Tholian passenger and revisiting a planet that gave them trouble in the past (and in a classic original series episode).
One thing that immediately strikes me in reading this comic is how well writer Brandon Easton has captured the vernacular and speech of the Enterprise crew. Kirk, Bones, Spock, and Scott talk like Kirk, Bones, Spock, and Scott. It’s really impressive.
The story as a whole is quite compelling too. The crew are trying to accommodate and communicate with a species quite unlike humanity as well as witnessing how their small actions can impact an entire civilization in a relatively short amount of time.
The comic ponders the smart questions on civilization, communication, and how we can all connect with one another that makes Star Trek so compelling, and it does so in an engaging manner.
Martin Coccolo’s artwork captures the aesthetic and characters of classic Star Trek impeccably well. The characters look like themselves, and the detailing is downright emmaculate. Colorist Fran Gamboa does justice to the classic look as well with a highly-contrasting cosmic palette.
Star Trek: Year Five #3 finds the crew grappling with some of the more complicated problems they’ve ever had to face. From familial issues to complete inability to communicate, this is a very engaging read. This one gets a recommendation for sure. Check it out.
Star Trek: Year Five #3 comes to us from writer Brandon Easton, artist Martin Coccolo, color artist Fran Gamboa, letter Neil Uyetake, “showrunners” Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, cover artist Stephen Thompson with Charlie Kirchoff, and variant cover artist J.J. Lendl.
Final Score: 8.5/10
