Didja Notice?

 

This issue opens some months after the events of Star Trek Beyond, while the Enterprise-A is still under construction.

 

The introductory paragraph on the inside front cover of this issue explains that after the events of Star Trek Beyond, various members of the crew of the Enterprise have been re-assigned to new ships or new roles and some have chosen to spend time away from Starfleet.

 

Captain Kirk is assigned to command the U.S.S. Endeavour while the Enterprise-A is under construction. This may be a nod by the writer to the DC Comics Star Trek series of 1984-1987 in which, after the destruction of the Enterprise in the 1984 film Star Trek: The Search for Spock, Kirk was given command of the U.S.S. Excelsior, with most of his original crew intact.

 

The Endeavour is an Aegis-class starship, a class seen in the Star Trek: Bridge Crew virtual reality game released in May 2017, with the U.S.S. Aegis (NX-1787), set in the time after The Vengeance of Nero", as its crew searches for a new homeworld for the Vulcans.

 

The Endeavour's registration number is NCC-1805.

 

On page 1, various crewmembers of the Endeavour speculate on rumors about their new captain, including that he's got augment blood, making him basically immortal (from the blood of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness), that he got a Russian kid to write all his papers for him at Starfleet Academy (Chekov...not true, so far as we know), and "he's shorter than I thought," (a common misperception among the public about its heroes--that they are tall).

 

On page 3, Commander Valas informs Captain Kirk that the ship will be arriving at the Pellion system in one hour. Pellion appears to be a fictitious system, not previously mentioned in the ST universe.

 

Also on page 3, Kirk remarks to Lt. Darwin that it's good to see a familiar face. Darwin filled in at the navigator's post for Ensign Chekov when he became the Enterprise's chief engineer after Scotty abruptly resigned in Star Trek Into Darkness.

 

In panel 4 of page 3, Kirk's tunic has the Starfleet insignia on the wrong side of his chest!

 

On page 4, Kirk introduces himself to the crew of the Endeavour, remarking on the recent retirement of Captain Derbes. This is the first mention of the good captain who previously commanded the ship.

 

In his introduction, Kirk remarks that he is an interim captain of the Endeavour, assigned to an exploratory survey to last one year.

 

On page 6, Spock is wearing the same Vulcan robe he was wearing in the original timeline in Star Trek: The Motion Picture when he first boarded the Enterprise.

 

On page 7, Lt. Uhura is seen with Spock on sabbatical on New Vulcan, wearing a gown very similar to that which was worn by Spock's betrothed, T'Pring, in the TOS episode "Amok Time".

 

Page 8 shows the Golden Gate Bridge leading into San Francisco.

 

Page 8 reveals that Scotty has become an engineering teacher at Starfleet Academy.

 

The Starfleet cadet who asks Scotty about his qualifications after serving aboard the Enterprise is an Andorian. It appears that Jaylah (who was admitted to the Academy at the end of Star Trek Beyond) is seated behind him in the lecture hall.

 

Page 9 reveals that Sulu has been promoted to lieutenant commander and is the first officer of the U.S.S. Concord (NCC-6871). A later class of the U.S.S. Concord is mentioned in the original timeline in the Star Trek Encyclopedia as NCC-68711.

 

The captain of the Concord is Captain Craig Terrell in this issue. It's possible he's meant to be related to the Captain Clark Terrell who was captain of the U.S.S. Reliant in the original timeline in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. (However, issue #3 of this series, "Resistance is Futile", refers to him as Clark Terrell in the "What has come before" paragraph on the inside front cover, so I guess the "Craig" named used here was in error; then again, Sulu refers to him as "Craig" in issue #6, "Hila"!)

 

Page 10 reveals that the Concord is on a six month survey for Starfleet. However, the Concord is found shattered by the Endeavour on page 16, ending its mission.

 

Page 12 reveals that Commander Valas is a Romulan, the child of dissidents who escaped the Romulan Empire to the Federation. She was born in Seattle.

 

On page 15, Uhura says, "Fascinating..." It appears that she has picked up some of Spock's mannerisms!

 

Also on page 15, Spock tells Uhura that his father has prepared a special plomeek soup of his own recipe. Plomeek soup was first mentioned in the original series episode "Amok Time" when Nurse Chapel prepared some for Spock. In the Kelvin timeline, in The Gemini Agent, Spock partakes of plomeek broth at the faculty dining hall on the Academy grounds, telling Uhura it is the only native Vulcan dish he finds edible at the dining hall.

 

Both Sulu and Uhura report that the opponent that destroyed the Concord stated, "Resistance is futile." This is, of course, the customary greeting of the Borg, seen in the Next Generation era of Star Trek. The following issue, "Assimilation", confirms the Borg connection. The Borg were also hinted at in the Kelvin Timeline in The Delta Anomaly.

 

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