An Infinite Jest

"An Infinite Jest" is the seventh issue of Marvel Comics's Star Trek Unlimited series, published in January 1998. This issue is the second issue of the series to feature a single feature-length story, and the first of the series to have a crossover interaction between The Original Series and The Next Generation. Previously, Issue 6 had a feature length story that omitted TOS from Unlimited for the first time (due to the Telepathy War crossover), while Unlimited, Issue 4 had a TOS and TNG tie-in, although the two series did not directly interact in the two stories in that issue.

Description

Two starships, two crews – one adventure! Trelane and Q cause Kirk and Picard to change places!

Summary

Log entries

First officer's log, stardate 49827.5 (October 30, 2371, William T. Riker recording).: Today sees the launch of the USS Enterprise-E of the new Sovereign-class. She's a fine craft, a credit to her name. Yet it's a time of pride tinged with regret. The Enterprise-D got us out of more scrapes than I care to recall. She went before her time on Veridian III. I think the captain took it harder than any of us, as if part of him died down there.

Captain's log , supplemental (recorded by James T. Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise-E).: We're in orbit around Salvation. Kang is holding back, waiting for word on his promised weapons technology. At present lying to a Klingon is the least of my worries.

Captain's log , supplemental (recorded by Jean-Luc Picard aboard the USS Enterprise).: Orbiting Salvation, I sense the final act of this surreal drama is finally about to be played out. Sensors indicate Gowron's ship is in pursuit and closing fast... I only hope we can resolve the so-called secret of Salvation in time!

References

Shipboard locales

USS Enterprise: bridge • briefing room

USS Enterprise-E: bridge • ready room

Races and cultures

android • Betazoid • Human (African • French • Japanese • Russian • Scottish) • Klingon • Q • Vulcan
Referenced only: Cardassian • Neanderthal

States and organizations

Federation • Klingon Defense Force • Klingon Empire • Q Continuum • Starfleet (command division • operations division • sciences division • Starfleet Command)
Referenced only: Borg Collective

Science and classification

bat'leth • cloaking device • combadge • communicator • computer • data bank • deflector shield • disruptor • docking clamp • drydock • impulse engine • isolinear chip • shield • ocular implant • phaser • phaser bank • phaser emitter • phaser rifle (phaser rifle (2264)) • photon torpedo • positronic brain • rapier • sensor • sledgehammer • starship • subspace radio • tricorder • torpedo launcher • viewscreen • VISOR • warp drive

Ranks and titles

admiral • bishop • captain • chief engineer • chief medical officer • commander • commanding officer • communications officer • counselor • detective • doctor • engineer • ensign • esquire • first officer • flight controller • helmsman • king • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • general • navigator • officer • operations manager • rear admiral • science officer • second officer • security • security chief • strategic operations officer • tactical officer

Other references

23rd century • 24th century • alcohol • alert status • animal • armor • assimilation • blood • bluff • Borg Incursion of 2366-2367 • brain • breakfast • calendar • captain's log • cell • century • chess • clothing • communication • diplomacy • divorce • drink • ego • empathy • feather • Federation-Klingon War of 2372-2373 • Federation Starfleet ranks • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • Federation Starfleet ranks (2370s-2380s) • first officer's log • five-year mission • fire • flagship • French language • galaxy • genetic hybrid • gray cell • hair • honor • hour • humanoid • language • lifeform • log entry • marriage • medicine • mind-meld • minute • month • nanosecond • nut • pawn • physics • planet • planetoid • poker • rank • recreation • red alert • school • second • service record • ship commissioning • space • star • stardate • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • Starfleet uniform (2373-2386) • subspace • Swahili • technology • three-dimensional chess • time • title • tree • trial by combat • uniform • universe • weapon • year

Timeline

Chronology

2245 (23rd century): Enterprise launched under April. (introduction page)
2251: Pike assumes command of Enterprise. (introduction page)
2264: Kirk assigned to command of Enterprise. (introduction page)
late 2260s: Picard finds himself on the original Enterprise in Q's bizarre chess game.
stardate 8210.3 (2285): Enterprise destroyed. (introduction page)
2360s–2370s (24th century): Picard commands the Enterprise-D for seven years. (introduction page)
30 October, 2371 (stardate 49827.5): Enterprise-E launched, with Trelane placing Kirk in command.

Production history

January 1998: First published by Marvel Comics.
17 September 2020: Reprinted in Graphic Novel Collection #130. (Eaglemoss)

Appendices

Background

The entire story took place in an alternate reality, except for the final three pages, in which the USS Enterprise battled Kang's D7-class battlecruiser and the USS Enterprise-E launched from drydock.
Montgomery Scott lacked the moustache he'd worn in earlier stories in Unlimited, suggesting that the prime reality combat with Kang's ship took place prior to 2270, or at least prior to the events of this series. The two ships did exchange fire in TOS comic: "The Hunted", but Scott was in command and James T. Kirk was on the surface of a planet during that battle.
While the TNG alternate reality segment was explicitly set in October 2371, the USS Enterprise-E was later established to have been commissioned and launched in the prime reality in 2372, in TNG novel: Ship of the Line.
The alternate reality Riker's log entry suggested that Kirk had been in command of the USS Enterprise-D at Veridian III.

Images

Connections

Star Trek Unlimited comics

#1 ("Directives" & "Dying of the Light") • #2 ("Action of the Tiger" & "The Unkindest Cut") • #3 ("Message in a Bottle" & "Sins of the Fathers") • #4 ("None But the Brave" & "Inheritance") • #5 ("Secret Lives" & "As Flies to Wanton Boys ") • "Heart of Darkness" • "An Infinite Jest" • #8 ("The Boy", "The Warrior" & "The Veteran") • "Trekkers" • "A Piece of Reaction"

Published Order
Previous comic: #5: As Flies to Wanton Boys	TOS comics (Unlimited)	Next comic: #8: The Veteran
Previous comic: #6: Heart of Darkness Telepathy War	TNG comics (Unlimited)	Next comic: #8: The Boy
Previous comic: Heart of Darkness Telepathy War	Star Trek: Unlimited	Next comic: The Boy
Previous story: Heart of Darkness Telepathy War	Stories by: Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton	Next story: The Boy
Chronological Order
Previous adventure: Maneuvers	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: Ship of the Line

External links

An Infinite Jest article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
An Infinite Jest article at Siskoid's Blog of Geekery, with comments by editor Tim Tuohy.

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki