IDW Star Trek, Issue 2 is the untitled second issue of IDW Publishing's 2011 ongoing series of Star Trek comics. The issue consists of the second part of a Kelvin timeline adaptation of Samuel A. Peeples's TOS episode: "Where No One Has Gone Before", as adapted from his screenplay by writer Mike Johnson. Issue art is by Stephen Molnar, with colors and lettering by John Rauch and Neil Uyetake, respectively. This comic was edited by Scott Dunbier, with Roberto Orci credited as creative consultant.
Summary[]
- In that time I've crossed the galaxy, seen things I could never imagine and will never forget. But exploring the unknown means encountering threats you never dreamed of.
- Never more so than now.
The USS Enterprise arrives at Delta Vega. In sickbay, Gary Mitchell tells James T. Kirk, Spock and Leonard McCoy that, were he in Kirk's place, he would do what he can sense Spock wants Kirk to do: "Kill me while it's still possible." Refusing to be stranded on Delta Vega, Mitchell blasts Kirk with energy from his hands but is knocked out by McCoy with a sedative. Kirk, Spock, Montgomery Scott, Lee Kelso and the unconscious Mitchell are beamed down to the mineral processing facility on Delta Vega, where Kirk places Mitchell behind a force field in the crew quarters while Scotty and Kelso search for the materials they need to restore the ship's warp drive. Mitchell revives, walks out through the force field and stuns Kirk and Spock with the energy from his hands. Mitchell encounters Kelso, who pulls a phaser on him, but Mitchell forces his former friend to shoot and kill himself with the phaser.
Scotty finds the reviving Kirk and Spock and tells them that Mitchell has escaped and Kelso is dead. Kirk takes a phaser rifle to confront Mitchell, following a bearing given to him by Pavel Chekov on the ship. He orders Spock to quarantine the planet and leave if he has not returned in three hours.
- Spock was right. Whatever's taken over Gary... whatever killed Kelso... it's not Gary anymore.
- I just hope it's still mortal enough for me to—
Awaiting Kirk in the rocky wilderness, Mitchell offers him a Kaferian apple. He makes plants grow all around them, describing himself as "the god of life... The creator of worlds." Kirk fires at Mitchell, who deflects the blast with his hand. He demonstrates his powers by transforming the landscape around them into a bar in Iowa where the younger Kirk got into fights, then to the exam hall at Starfleet Academy. Returning the landscape to its original state, Mitchell promises to give Kirk "a decent burial" after taking over his ship. He forces Kirk to kneel before him and beg forgiveness for his failure and his humanity. As Kirk does so, Spock comes up behind Mitchell and nerve-pinches him. Ordering Spock to stand back, Kirk levels the rifle at the fallen Mitchell, but is shocked when Gary opens his eyes, which have briefly returned to normal. "Do it, Jim—" Mitchell urges his friend. "Do it before—" As one of Mitchell's eyes starts to glow again, Kirk shoots and kills him, then falls to his knees beside his dead friend.
- Captain's log, stardate 1313.4. I buried my friends today.
- Not just my friends. Members of my crew.
- And I know that this pain... this terrible, searing pain... I know that it's my job to bear it.
- Because the lives of the rest of my crew depend on it.
Kelso and Mitchell are buried in space. Spock joins Kirk in the briefing room. He offers to play chess with Kirk later on, saying that "Mr. Mitchell often... Gary often spoke of your proficiency." Kirk accepts the offer, and Spock leaves for Engineering, leaving Kirk alone in the briefing room.
References[]
Characters[]
- Pavel Chekov • Lee Kelso • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Gary Mitchell • Montgomery Scott • Spock
- Referenced only
- Hikaru Sulu
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Delta Vega I • Milky Way Galaxy • Mineral Processing Facility DSE-Grissom
- Referenced only
- Delta Vega
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy
- Referenced only
- Klingon Empire
Science and technology[]
- animal • force field • galaxy • hypospray • lifeform • orbit • phaser • phaser rifle • phaser rifle • plant • quarantine • replicator • rifle • star • star system • starship • time • transporter • universe • warp drive
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • commander • commanding officer • doctor • ensign • first officer • helmsman • lieutenant • navigator • science officer
Other references[]
- 203-R • briefing room • captain's log • chess • command • conn • engineering • Federation Starfleet ranks • Federation Starfleet ranks (alternate 2250s) • God • government • helm • insect • Kaferian apple • log entry • memory • nation-state • no-win scenario • planet • quarters • races and cultures • rank • rock • sickbay • stardate • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform • technology • title • uniform • Vulcan nerve pinch • weapon • year
Information[]
- Whereas the opening stardate in TOS comic: "IDW Star Trek, Issue 1" was consistent with the stardate format in the 2009 film, the stardates in this issue are in the same format as those in TOS. They are also in the same range (1312.4–1313.8) as the stardates in the prime timeline equivalent of this story (TOS episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"), even though that version of the events occurs seven years later than this one (2265).
- Mitchell addresses one of the major continuity issues raised by the 2009 film by mentioning Spock stranding Kirk "on another Delta Vega". Thus the "Delta Vega" in the Vulcan system is not the same planet as that depicted in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and this story.
- Among the significant differences between this story and its prime timeline equivalent are the following:
- The characters of Chekov and McCoy are added to the story, while Alden, Dr. Mark Piper and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner are omitted.
- Kelso's construction of a self-destruct device for the Delta Vega facility is omitted. Also, Mitchell forces Kelso to shoot himself rather than strangling him telekinetically.
- Due partly to the omission of Dr. Dehner, Kirk's final confrontation with Mitchell is very different. Mitchell does not make a grave for Kirk, although he expresses his intention to do so. The scenes conjured by Mitchell of the Iowa bar and Starfleet Academy (both modeled on sets from the 2009 movie) are added. Rather than Dehner helping Kirk to defeat Mitchell, Spock does so by using the Vulcan nerve pinch (which was not introduced in the original series until TOS episode: "The Enemy Within"). Kirk shoots Mitchell directly in the chest rather than causing rocks to collapse on him.
- This story's depiction of the deaths of Lee Kelso and Gary Mitchell is contradicted by TOS movie: Star Trek Into Darkness, in which Kirk states that he has not lost any crew members since taking command of the Enterprise.
Appendices[]
Related stories[]
- TOS episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before": This issue depicted part of the events of the Kelvin timeline version of "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
- TOS movie: Star Trek: Gary Mitchell recreated the image of a bloodied and beaten James Kirk in the bar.
Images[]
.jpg "Gary Mitchell (alternate).jpg (37 KB)")
Cover gallery[]
Connections[]
| previous comic: IDW Star Trek, Issue 1 |
The Original Series (IDW series) | next comic: The Galileo Seven, Part 1 |
|---|
External link[]
- IDW Star Trek, Issue 2 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.