Star Trek, Volume 5

Star Trek (2011) #5

by Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, Claudia Balboni (Illustrator)

Find out how Doctor Leonard 'Bones' McCoy found himself on a shuttle to Starfleet Academy with James T. Kirk! Learn new secrets about Uhura's past and witness her first meeting with Spock! Discover what led young Montgomery Scott to devote himself to engineering. And, witness Sulu's and Chekov's first meeting at Starfleet Academy, and learn how their paths intertwined all the way to the bridge of the Enterprise! All overseen by Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci.


Collects issues 17-20.

Genres: Star Trek, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comic Book, Media Tie In

104 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Mike Johnson is a comic book writer.

An almost lifelong Trekkie, he has scripted more Star Trek comic books than anyone else to date.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Starfleet was created to teach those who need guidance, guard those who need protection, and promote a message of peace to all we encounter." -- Admiral Richard Barnett, on page 87

Call it Star Trek: The Wonder Years or Star Trek: My Back Pages - this volume collects four short stories focusing on some pivotal childhood or adolescent / young adult moments in the lives of eventual U.S.S. Enterprise crew members Doc 'Bones' McCoy, Lt. Uhura, Engineer Scott, and the dynamic helmsman / navigator duo of Sulu and Chekov. (Usual headliners Kirk and Spock sport only cameo appearances in two of the tales.) Expect a little humor, a dash of tragedy, and mostly a lot of middle-of-the-road sci-fi drama. My favorite moments were the fleshing out of the irascible physician's melancholy past (it may not seem like it, but he cares, damn it!), and Sulu's cheer-worthy scene where he demonstrates much more integrity than some of his duplicitous academy classmates.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I brought this because it was on sale, but more importantly because it has Uhura on the cover. When I was a kid and watching OST in re-runs, I loved Uhura. I wanted to be Uhura. The only other woman of note was Chapel, and all Chapel seemed to do was moon over Spock. Uhura did things. (Yeah, I know Rand, but really, c'mon).

Nichelle Nichols is awesome.

Zoe Saldana does a damn fine job as Uhura, and the reboot #3 is awesome, so go away.

This edition gives you back stories for Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekhov, at least in the Kelvin timeline. It was a fun read. The Uhura story was good. Enjoyable.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was a bit more throw away than some of the previous ones. Still fun if not anything approaching deep or adding anything to the ST universe.

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Ongoing Volume 5 from IDW (2013), written by Mike Johnson, with artists Claudia Balboni, Luca Lamberti and Erica Durante, collects issue #17-20 of the ongoing series following the crew of the USS Enterprise from the new movies Kelvin universe.

This fifth volume deviates from the usual format of the series so far, as it includes four original stories, each focusing on the « origins » of members of the Enterprise crew.

In order, we are treated with the story of how McCoy joined the academy, of Uhura’s past and her meeting with Spock, of the origin of Scotty’s career in engineering, and of the days of Kirk, Sulu and Chekhov at the academy.

Not surprisingly, the younger years of the characters haven’t been deviated much by the USS Kelvin incident. We learn why McCoy wasn’t that fond of space, and his divorce still is what nudged him towards Starfleet. The first meetings of Spock and Uhura, though, and of Kirk, Sulu and Chekov have been provoked by the timeline divergence. However, we had never learned much about Uhura, and Scotty’s pasts pre-Kelvin, and those are new additions to the canon. We even get to learn about Scotty’s ancestry.

Mike Johnson is still on (good) writing duty. The artwork is inconsistent this time around, alternating between new styles, some issues faring better than others.

Overall, it’s good to see IDW focusing on an original form of storytelling, and even more character background. The next volume will pick up after the second Kelvin timeline movie, Star Trek Into Darkness.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying all of these little pieces of backstory! Very fascinating!

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew they could do it: 4 one-shots. Each one brings insight into one of the main characters. While it doesn't advance the story, very much like everything so far, the character's backgrounds explain their goals in life, their values and their personalities. As different as they are, they all end up in Starfleet and excel at their jobs.

With all his arrogance, dr. Leonard McCoy is a softy at heart. He couldn't save his marriage because he dedicated too much time to his work, but he found a home and a purpose in Starfleet.

Nyota Uhura made the first move on Spock. We should all be so lucky... Her childhood was marked when she lost her uncle, but she became all the more strong for it. The memory brings her and Spock closer together.

Montgomery Scott has been a rebellious boy since early chilhood. His atitude isn't wat Starfleet is looking for, but his skill is undeniable.

Hikaru Sulu is being tested to become the newest member of Red Squad, a group of Starfleet students of the highest order. He is given a task dangerous for his and other students' lives, so he decides against it at the last second. Another student has a similar task, but his shuttle stalls. Sulu helps his colleague steer the shuttle to safety. When he is commended by Red Squad and invited to join their ranks, he refuses in favor of earning his commission on his own.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume has a lot of similarities to the previous one and mostly tells origin stories of some of the crew members. Uhara, Scotty, and Sulu are the main focus this time and I thought Scotty's story was the best of the bunch though each one was solid. My only complaint is that these stories would have a greater effect on the reader if they didn't do them all one after another, because each issue/story has an emotional moment which becomes a bit trite when each issue has one. Regardless, they were fun to read and enhance your appreciation for the characters which is the main goal.

The artwork this time is not as strong as previous volumes. The characters lack a bit of detail and there are panels where it is hard to tell who you're looking at unless you slow down for just a second and think about it. Drawing real people's likeness is tough panel after panel, but I would say this art is not as good as previous volumes unfortunately. Overall though, if you've made it this far into the Star Trek series, it is safe to assume that you will enjoy this this volume and probably want to read the next one too.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fifth volume is a collection of comic books that really takes a look at many of the primary characters in the Star Trek alternate timeline, explaining how they ended up being the people they were in the re-imaged Trekverse. This includes stories for McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Chekov, and Sulu.

Each of the stories is interesting and help explain how and why they are different from the original characters, particularly the romance between Uhura and Spock. The storytelling was actually pretty good.

[Diz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a pretty disappointing volume. The stories seemed a little too cheesy and they tried a little too hard to teach moral lessons. Also, the art was really uneven. At times the characters didn't resemble the actors from the movies. There were also some strange intrusions from our modern day, for example a poster on Chekov's wall that said "Keep calm and play chess". Overall, it doesn't feel like Star Trek.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of stories that introduces classic Trek characters from the new alternate timeline.

[Roxane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sur le blog : https://onceuponatimeinabook.wordpres...

J’ai attendu d’avoir quelques volumes supplémentaires, avant de continuer la lecture des Comics Star Trek. Pourtant, j’avais énormément envie de le lire, puisqu’il est centré sur des personnages dont on connaît le moins de choses, à savoir Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Chekov et Sulu.


#1 – Bones.
Ce numéro est centré sur le passé du docteur Leonard « Bones » McCoy, et revient précisément sur ce qui a amené Bones à rejoindre Starfleet.

Dans ce volume, les dessins sont de Claudia Balboni, avec des additions de Luca Lamberti. Et je dois dire que ce sont les dessins que j’ai le moins aimé jusqu’ici. Principalement, car je ne les trouve pas assez précis dans la ressemblance avec les personnages des films. On sait que ce sont eux, mais les traits sont moins fidèles que dans les volumes précédents, illustrés par d’autres dessinateurs. Cependant, je n’ai bizarrement pas eu ce ressenti pour tous les personnages.
Je n’irais pas jusqu’à dire que je ne les ai pas aimés, je dirais juste que ce ne sont pas mes préférés de tous les volumes que j’ai lu jusque-là.

Le personnage principal de ce numéro est donc Bones, comme le titre l’indique.
J’ai vraiment aimé revenir sur le passé du docteur, pour en apprendre plus sur lui et connaître la vraie raison de son engagement auprès de Starfleet. De plus, j’ai vraiment été surprise d’apprendre que contrairement à ce qu’il dit à Kirk dans le film de 2009, il n’a pas rejoint Starfleet à cause de son divorce. La vraie raison est beaucoup plus touchante et inattendue, puisque je croyais vraiment à la raison du divorce.
On le suit donc de l’enfance, à l’université, puis dans son travail au Mississippi, jusque sur l’Enterprise.
J’ai bien aimé que les répliques du personnage soient moins comiques qu’en temps normal. Cela ajoute un peu de gravité à certains passages. Voir le personnage avant son arrivée à l’académie de Starfleet était intéressant, car on le voit sous un autre jour. Ce qui était aussi très intéressant, c’était d’avoir les commentaires de Bones dans le présent, via son journal de bord, qui nous parle en même temps que les flash-backs.
Du coup, je ne vois plus Bones du même œil. Cela me donne très envie de regarder de nouveau les films, en me concentrant plus sur son personnage, vu que je ne le vois déjà plus de la même manière.

L’intrigue ici est très simple. Il s’agit d’apprendre ce qui à poussé le docteur Leonard McCoy à rejoindre Starfleet. Il n’y a pas de revirements de situations, rien de très surprenant au niveau de l’histoire, mais c’est compensé par les révélations concernant Bones. Et s’il n’y avait que ce numéro-là dans le volume 5, ce serait un coup de cœur assuré !

Vous aurez donc compris que ce numéro aura été un coup de cœur à lui tout seul, même si les dessins sont loin d’être mes préférés. J’ai vraiment aimé en savoir plus sur l’un de mes deux personnages préférés. La façon dont le passé est incrusté dans le présent, par les flash-backs du docteur est vraiment bien faite et mon regard a changé vis-à-vis de son personnage.


#2 – The Voice Of A Falling Star.
Ce numéro est centré sur un épisode de la jeunesse du lieutenant Nyota Uhura.

Je ne m’étendrais pas sur les dessins, qui sont des mêmes dessinateurs dans tous les numéros de ce volume. Je dirais simplement que j’ai eu un peu moins de mal avec la ressemblance des personnages, à savoir Spock et Uhura.

Le personnage principal de ce numéro est Nyota Uhura. Il y a aussi quelques interventions de Spock au début et à la fin, mais elles sont minimes.
Je dois dire que ce n’est pas un personnage auquel je me suis très attaché, dans les films. Mais j’ai beaucoup apprécié apprendre ce petit passage de son passé, qui s’avère assez triste. Cependant, cela ne me fait pas vraiment m’attacher au personnage. C’est juste un élément de son passé, aussi tragique soit-il. Ce qui ne veut pas dire que je n’aime pas son personnage, nuance.
De plus, j’ai apprécié comment le passage de son enfance m’a permis d’ajouter une autre dimension à la relation Spock/Uhura.

Ici aussi l’intrigue est très simple, il s’agit juste de raconter un passage du passé du lieutenant Uhura. Cependant, ce que j’ai trouvé original c’est la façon dont est amené le flash-back. En effet, c’est Spock qui procède à une fusion mentale avec Uhura. Pourquoi je trouve cela original, alors que ce n’est pas la première fois que l’on voit Spock faire une fusion mentale ? Tout simplement, parce qu’on est témoin de ce que vois Spock, c’est-à-dire un passage de la jeunesse de la jeune femme, alors qu’en temps normal que ce soit dans les films ou autre, on ne sait pas ce qu’il voit.

J’ai bien aimé ce deuxième numéro, même s’il apporte un petit éclairage sur le passé du lieutenant Uhura, cela n’aura pas s’suffit à ce que je m’attache à son personnage. Cependant, j’ai bien aimé le côté relationnel entre Spock et Uhura et j’ai trouvé la façon d’amener le flash-back, plutôt originale.


#3 – Scotty.
Ce numéro est centré sur le passé de Montgomery « Scotty » Scott, qui était de toute évidence destiné à devenir l’ingénieur en chef de l’U.S.S. Enterprise.

J’ai toujours le même ressenti en ce qui concerne les dessins, même si dans celui-ci, Scotty était plutôt ressemblant à plusieurs moments se déroulant au présent.

Le personnage principal de ce numéro est donc Scotty, comme l’indique le titre.
J’ai vraiment aimé découvrir le passé de Scotty, même si on a déjà eu un numéro sur la façon dont il a rencontré Keenser et est arrivé sur Delta Vega avant de rencontrer Kirk. Ici, on en apprend plus sur sa famille, son héritage familial en ingénierie, qui remonte au moins à 1787. D’ailleurs, j’ai vraiment aimé voir qu’il avait l’ingénierie dans le sang, si l’on peut dire, puisqu’on le voit pour la première fois essayer de réparer un vaisseau alors qu’il a entre 11 et 13 ans. De plus, j’ai beaucoup apprécié de voir la cornemuse introduite dans certains passages sur son enfance en Écosse.
On suit ensuite Scotty dans ses démarches pour entrer à Starfleet, sans grand succès, pour ensuite avoir une opportunité à laquelle il n’aurait sans doute jamais pensé. Pour ensuite en arriver à ce que l’on sait déjà de son passé, jusqu’à Delta Vega.
Autre chose que j’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé, cela a été la façon de penser de Scotty. Parce qu’il est vrai, on est rarement dans sa tête, dans les films. Alors ici, savoir ce qu’il pensait en même temps que les flash-backs se déroulaient était vraiment très appréciable et apporte un réel plus à ce numéro.
J’ai comme souvent avec Scotty beaucoup ri. En réalité, c’est surtout grâce au fait que ‘est un personnage qui n’a pas de filtre entre ses pensées et ses paroles, ce qui créer parfois des situations un peu cocasses .Pour le personnage, ce n’est pas forcément drôle, mais c’est le contraire pour le lecteur. Et c’est aussi ce que j’aime chez le personnage de monsieur Scott.
Plus j’en découvre sur son personnage, plus je le trouve attachant et plus je l’adore !

Ici aussi l’intrigue est très simple, il s’agit toujours de raconter des passages du passé de Scotty, ce qui nous amène à cerner un peu plus le personnage et à comprendre son parcours. Mais parfois la simplicité fonctionne parfaitement, la preuve ici.

En apprendre plus sur l’un de mes deux préférés était vraiment super, surtout en incluant l’origine Écossaise de Scotty à différents moments.
Ce troisième numéro est également un coup de cœur !


#4 – Red Level Down.
Ce numéro est centré sur le passé de messieurs Pavel Andreievich Chekov et Hikaru Sulu et un passage de leur séjour à l’académie de Starfleet.

Je ne change toujours pas de ressenti en ce qui concerne les dessins, même si dans celui-ci aussi, les personnages étaient plutôt ressemblant à plusieurs moments.

Le personnage de Chekov est celui qui m’a le plus surpris, dans ce numéro. Que ce soit de par l’aide qu’il fournit à Kirk, pour un fameux passage du film de 2009 ou de par sa réaction lors de la cérémonie. De plus, c’est également un personnage que j’aime beaucoup, dans les films, et que l’on découvre un peu plus par le biais de ce Comics.
Le personnage de Sulu quant à lui m’a moins surpris. Je m’attendais à ce qu’il réagisse comme cela. Mais on en apprend un peu plus sur ses ambitions, et j’ai bien aimé cela.
Je n’ai pas grand-chose d’autre à dire sur ces deux personnages, puisqu’il n’y a pas assez de révélations sur leur passé, pour que je parle d’évolutions entre le passé et le présent des personnages.

Niveau intrigue, c’est encore très simple, il s’agit toujours de raconter un passage du passé de messieurs Chekov et Sulu. Cependant, j’ai été surprise par Chekov, dans le troisième numéro et ai donc beaucoup aimé celui-ci, même si ce n’est pas un coup de cœur, comme pour les numéros un et trois.

[SamB · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Star Trek 'graphic novels' are always compilations of around four issues of the comics. Sometimes, those four comics tell a coherent story and so work well as a single volume (albeit with artificial breaks), whereas occasionally, such as here, they're just four separate stories. They're linked by each being an origin story for a secondary character, but other than that there's no through-line.

This edition was harder to rate than most. The McCoy and Uhura stories were both absolutely excellent and quite touching, something rarely encountered in this format. The Scott and Sulu/Chekov ones are more typical, and are both quite throwaway - the Sulu/Chekov one in particular is harmed by combining the two characters' stories, giving neither any room to breathe and just resulting in two completely generic stories; Chekov's in particular could literally be about any character.

Recommended, if only for the first two parts.

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge lover of character development and focus on more minor characters. So I was naturally going to love this issue with its focus on other crew members of the Enterprise. I loved getting some backstory into them, seeing important moments in their lives that shaped them into the people we knew them as when the movie started.

I don't really know what else to say about it. They were all very enjoyable. Uhura's story was touching and heartbreaking. Bones had a nice plot that showed how much he loved his patients and what he devoted to them. Scotty's was fun to see the mad scientist in him, and Chekov and Sulu were great to show how they faced a challenge.

I love this crew. I don't know what else I can say about it.

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

IDW's Ongoing Star Trek series ran 60 issues and is collected in 13 volumes. I bought the entire run in digital format via a Humble Bundle last weekend and have read non-stop in my spare time. I enjoyed volumes 2-5 very much. After Darkness and the later volumes struck me as middling, with the story quality picking up toward the end of the run. The final volume takes huge risks, leading me to believe they knew they were coming to an end and had nothing to lose. I'm still not sure I enjoy how often these stories go to alternate or parallel dimensions or timelines, but the source-material certainly did frequently enough. Overall, I'd give the series 3 stars, with 4 to 5 stars for the volumes I mentioned above. [Based on my read/re-read of March 2019]

[Gina Marie ~books are my drug of choice~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

just ok

I’ve read a lot of fiction based on the original series as well as the spin-offs. Remaking the original with new people is lazy and unless the artist is really bad this is just more of the same. Create something new in the Star Trek universe don’t just try to remake something that people already know and love. I probably would have read and enjoyed this had it not been for the pictures of the remake characters. Sorry but when you try to fix something that isn’t broken you do the breaking. I was really looking forward to seeing some backstory of the original characters and instead I got muddled junk that wasn’t true to the original characters. Sorry but this is a no for me.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic focuses on how the other members,besides Jim and Spock,of the crew of the Enterprise became Starfleet officers.

We see the loss of Uhura's uncle,Bones's desire to be the best he can at his job,and also gow Sulu refused to fall in with the bullies and how Chekov helped Jom cheat in the test.The beginning of Uhura and Spock's romance is also featured here.

Nice filler for the first movie.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Backstory one-shots for Bones, Uhura, Scotty, and Sulu/Chekov. Seems like a shame that Sulu and Chekov are given half the space, but the stories here are all pretty fun. After this, the series starts into Star Trek Into Darkness promotional material, so this might just be leftover ideas before a significant shift in direction, but the Bones and Uhura stories, at least, have key details to add to those characters' histories.

[James Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story gives some background to Dr. Mc Coy. He originially had no desire to join Starfleet. We also find out about his marriage.

We find out how Spock and Uhuru met in the second story. The third story involves Scotty while the fourth one involves Chekov and an elite group of students.

Sort of a weak volume, basically.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek Vol. 5

What drives the brave and the bold to sign up for Starfleet? As the crew reflect on their lives, readers discover what it is that led them to the 'Enterprise'.

The stories were nice and the artwork was good. Johnson is helping redefine this new cast of characters in light of the 2009 movie.

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just keeping track of which ones I've read.

This one is all vignettes from the characters' pasts. McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Chekov, and Sulu.
Basically, what Star Trek 2009 did for the Kirk and Spock characters, this volume covers the background lives of the rest of the crew.

[Taaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of origin stories. Except for a few research mistakes (like McCoy here being from Mississippi instead of Georgia) this is fine. Nothing too adventurous or dark and also no screwing up with TOS stories this time around.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid origin stories of Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov. Each issue stands alone, but also fits into the bigger overall story. This has better than average artwork. This series is as strong as any Star Trek series, the possible exception being the Mirror Universe.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ch. "Bones" was unexpectedly emotional for me, it nearly made me cry. "The Voice of a Falling Star," which is the following chapter, continues with the themes of fighting against great odds and lost. Definitely two of the best chapters so far in the Star Trek comic series for me.

[Jason Werden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really impressed with the story-telling and artwork of these comics.

[Lynn Alan Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

All new stories that give background to some of the characters.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the backstories of the bridge crew of the USS Enterprise of the Kelvin Timeline.

[Apostolos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting background stories for sulu and chekov

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Stories like the ones featured in this volume make me wish with all my being that we could have gotten a show with this AOS crew. Great stuff!

[Jamie Lovett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's still good stuff, but you can kind of feel the creators stretching the content thin between this series and Countdown to Darkness while waiting for Into Darkness to hit theaters.

[Michael Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories

These are all page turners. Engaging. The characters are "new" canon. They seem real and match what we've seen in the new films. Good job!