Year Five, Issue 4 is the fourth issue of the Year Five miniseries, published by IDW Publishing. It was released in August 2019.
Description[]
With the situation on Sigma Iotia II quickly unraveling, it's up to Kirk and Bones to stop a dangerous group of radicals from unleashing a space/time fissure that could destroy the planet. Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, Scotty uncovers a secret that risks the safety of the Tholian passenger. The final year of the original mission continues here!
Summary[]
In their travels across the galaxy, both James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy have seen all manner of strange sights, but nothing could have prepared them for the sight of Spock running for president of Sigma Iotia II. When Spock makes a televised address, however, he draws their attention to an underfunded space station that is hurtling towards a fiery death. When the two ask Kris Jamek about this, the man is not only open about it, but admits he allowed it to happen. After all, isn't the exploitation of the underclass how Earth grew? Hasn't all "humanitarianism" been the result of some awful tragedy? Jamek is immovable however, insisting that Starfleet handle it. When McCoy asks about their crew, Kirk answers that some power relays were disrupted but he's sure that Scotty has it handled.
Aboard the USS Enterprise, Scotty works to undo an incredibly tense situation, but as more security officers arrive, the leading redshirt, Ensign Satie, panics and fires at Scott, the environmental suit absorbing the blow a little too easily. With that, Scott orders security to take the mutineers to the brig while Uhura returns her attention to the Tholian child.
After reuniting with Spock and an increasingly wound up Jojo Krako, Kirk and McCoy are brought to the command center where Jamek reveals, despite the coming danger, he cannot do anything: it's after three o'clock on an election day and the senate cannot possibly make a decision fast enough. Joining Krako's force, the three assault the air base from where the station was launched while Kirk orders Scotty to quickly repair the Enterprise.
Aboard ship, Scott tests a theory. With Sulu and Uhura's help, he drags the forcefield generator in front of the engines but even the Tholian's heat field has no effect on the warp core. When Sulu steps forward, however, his phaser begins to smoke and the autonomic protocols prepare to eject the warp core. Figuring everything out, Scotty drags Ensign Satie to the briefing room, impressed by the depraved ingenuity of the conspiracy. Satie altered the frequency of the phasers to a low pulse, which alone is harmless, but can cause severe dilithium cracking when bounced off another crystal structure, such as a Tholian's body. When pressed for his reasoning, Satie reveals that his sister was aboard the USS Defiant. Scott sympathizes with the man's motives but cannot condone his actions, leaving to take charge of the crisis.
On the surface, Kirk's party has reached the control room and prepares to send up a rescue rocket, only for the air force to arrive overhead. While the rocket can launch, its collision with the airplanes will cause its warp energies to leak out and kill them all. Fortunately, Scotty has repaired the tractor beam, though at the cost of shutting down the artificial gravity, saving the station. And for a moment, Kirk is fulfilled, but the moment passes as he regards a picture of Carol Marcus and glumly notes that she was right. Without chaos, he doesn't know who he is.
The next morning, Spock is elected president, with his first act being to resign. Before he leaves, however, he gives three commands. The first is to draft a resolution for fair funding distribution. The second is that everyone read The Republic by Plato, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and The Teachings of Surak, so as to teach the planet both logic and empathy. The third is that a ruling triumvirate be established to fairly balance all viewpoints; the first two members will be Marcon Cloyed and Jojo Krako, with the third to be decided by general election. McCoy offers a much simpler solution: Taking back his once lost communicator.
Back aboard ship, the trio discuss the impacts of their careers, the good and the bad, before Scotty reveals that Uhura has been making great progress with the Tholian child, or "Bright Eyes" as she has dubbed them. As the Enterprise heads towards Starbase 14 for Ensign Satie's court martial, Kirk reflects on Uhura's progress with the Bright Eyes. After all, if Starfleet wants to one day negotiate with the Tholian Assembly then they need to learn to say "hello."
References[]
Characters[]
- Bright Eyes • Pavel Chekov • Marcon Cloyed • Kris Jamek • James T. Kirk • Jojo Krako • Leonard McCoy • Satie • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Aaron Satie
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Iotia City • Sigma Iotia II
- Referenced only
- Starbase 14
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Astro-Liberation Party
Technology and weapons[]
Ranks and titles[]
Other references[]
Appendices[]
Background[]
Related Stories[]
- TOS episode: "The Tholian Web": Ensign Satie's sister was aboard the Defiant.
- TNG episode: "The Drumhead": Ensign Satie is a cousin of Aaron Satie.
- TOS comic: "The Primate Directive, Issue 1": Uhura dubs the Tholian "Bright Eyes," the name Zira gave to George Taylor when they first met.
Connections[]
| Star Trek: The Original Series — Year Five | ||
|---|---|---|
| Omnibuses/Issues | Odyssey's End | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 |
| The Wine-Dark Deep | 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 | |
| Weaker Than Man | 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 | |
| Experienced in Loss | 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • Captains of Sea and War | |
| Creators | Brandon Easton • Jackson Lanzing • Collin Kelly • Jody Houser • Jim McCann | |
| Cover artists | Greg Hildebrandt • Stephen Thompson • Charlie Kirchoff • J.J. Lendl • Marc Laming | |
Timeline[]
| previous comic: Year Five, Issue 3 |
The Original Series (Year Five) | next comic: Year Five, Issue 5 |
|---|
External Links[]
Year Five, Issue 4 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.