"After Darkness, Part 3" was the twenty-third issue of IDW Publishing's ongoing series of Star Trek comics, published in July 2013. Colors and lettering were done by Stellar Labs. This comic was edited by Scott Dunbier, with Roberto Orci credited as the story consultant.
Summary[]
- Following the events of Star Trek Into Darkness, the surviving elements of Section 31 secretly plot to ignite a war between the Romulan and Klingon Empires. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, Commander Spock's behavior has turned violent and unpredictable as he suffers the effects of the Vulcan condition known as pon farr. The Enterprise travels to the colony of New Vulcan seeking the aid of Spock's father Sarek only to meet a Vulcan woman calling herself Spock's betrothed...
In command of the USS Enterprise, Scotty observes the Sasaud via the helmet cameras but advises against beaming up the away team given the volcano's magnetic field. The Vulcans attack with their enhanced adrenaline making them immune to the stun setting leaving Kirk with no choice but to order emergency transport in spite of the risks.
T'Pring declares the Sasuad lost. Pon farr was sated in part by returning to Vulcan and now Vulcan is gone. The logical course of action is to write them off and let them be. Kirk is not a logical man however and makes other plans. In the brig, Kirk explains his plan to McCoy and Scott to have all of the Sasaud beamed aboard for study. Neither the doctor nor the engineer are particularly eager about the plan but it can be done. Once all twenty-five Vulcans are beamed aboard, Pavel Chekov informs the captain of a plan he and Carol Marcus have been working on. A plan to resurrect Vulcan.
In the briefing room, Chekov eagerly explains the plan. Every time anyone uses a transporter, the device compensates for all the environmental changes. This is normally an automatic process, but it can be manually overriden to replicate conditions of another environment. Carol explains the issue with the Sasaud is that they quite literally cannot go home again and pon farr requires a return to Vulcan. With modifications to the transporter, both it and the Vulcan nervous system can be tricked into believing Vulcan has returned.
Nyota Uhura visits Spock in the brig, recalling when Spock fell in love with her. When she first beat him at chess. Spock gave no reaction to his defeat but the next day, he left Uhura his king. A piece Uhura now returns, a symbol that, no matter what the future brings, she will always love him.
In the transporter bay, Carol and Chekov proceed with their experiment. The Sasaud are beamed down en masse with the modifications flooding their minds with memories of their lost homeworld and returning them to normal. Kirk then has Spock beamed aboard who, in typical fashion, only asks for a new uniform.
T'Pring speaks to the bridge crew again, informing them that not only are the Sasaud are returning to normal life, the experiment has given them a method to negate the effects of pon farr, something that will likely abandoned in the new era they find themselves living in. Spock and T'Pring end their relationship amicably, though their bond means much to them, they simply belong in different worlds. Unseen, Uhura indulges in a small smile.
Elsewhere, Section 31 agents review the pieces of the chess board. The Enterprise has left New Vulcan, the Klingon fleet is on route to Orion while the Romulan one is on course towards Khitomer, all exactly as planned. The male asks whether the Romulans should be informed of more details, but the female disagrees. The Romulans can fight battles in Earth's stead. When the time comes, the advanced technology that Khan gifted Section 31 will shift the balance of power in humanity's favour.
References[]
Characters[]
- Pavel Chekov • James T. Kirk • Carol Marcus • Leonard McCoy • Sarek • Spock • Spock Prime • Hikaru Sulu • T'Pring • Nyota Uhura
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Earth • New Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Vulcan
Shipboard locations[]
- bridge • prison bay • transporter room
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Sasaud
- Referenced only
- Section 31 • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • chief medical officer • commander • doctor • first officer • lieutenant • officer • senator
Science and technology[]
- medicine • phaser • transporter • warp drive
Other references[]
Appendices[]
Background[]
- The only title information given is on the cover, with the phrase After Darkness. The Part 3 is taken from solicitation information.
Related Stories[]
- TOS comic: "Vulcan's Vengeance" - The Romulans appear in this story.
- TOS comic: "Countdown to Darkness" - Section 31 is still trying to destroy the Klingon Empire.
- TOS movie: Star Trek Into Darkness - As the title suggests, this story is set after the movie.
- TOS comic: "After Darkness, Part 2" - This issue is a continuation of the previous issue.
- TOS movie: Star Trek - Vulcan's destruction is mentioned in passing.
- TOS comic: "The Truth About Tribbles, Part 2" - Admiral Archer's prized beagle is mentioned in passing.
- TOS comic: "IDW Star Trek, Issue 19" - see above.
Images[]
Cover gallery[]
Connections[]
previous comic: After Darkness, Part 2 |
The Original Series (IDW series) | next comic: IDW Star Trek, Issue 24 |
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External Links[]
- After Darkness, Part 3 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- IDW's Star Trek After Darkness Trilogy Ends Wednesday at StarTrek.com, the official Star Trek website