IDW Graphic Novels: Countdown and Year 4

Countdown is an essential graphic work for anyone who was confused by the Star Trek movie. This story is by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and is adapted for graphic form by Mike Johnson and Tim Jones. This book draws the crew of the Enterprise E, captained by a Data rebooted from the B4 model (something of a stretch IMO). We find out how Nero and his crew came to be the bald, tattooed Romulans we saw in the movie, and more about Spock's life on Romulus.

Year 4 is a graphic continuation of the Original Series, after the events involving Janice Lester. All stories are written by David Tischman. Some of the stories are a lacking in originality but are in all a good set of tales. One story, in particular,is an obvious homage to the write in campaign that saved Star Trek back in the day. A treat in this collection is the presence of characters we met in the Animated series, such as Arex and M'Ress.

TOS: Arena

What can be said about this iconic episode? One of the classic episodes. It's got Manly Kirk, and alien in a bad rubber suit, papier mache rocks, and Bronson Canyon. This episode is a piece of our cultural landscape.

ENT: Stigma

In which we learn that T'Pol has a disease known as Pa'Ran Syndrome, a disease transmitted through mind melds. Phlox has exhausted all the treatment options at his disposal, and wants to take advantage of the Interspecies Medical Exchange conference to update his research. Porblem- in this time period mind melding is considered socially unacceptable. When lying fails, and the VMD discovers that T'Pol has Pa"ran sybdrome, she is recalled. Archer demands a hearing, which leaves T'Pol still on the Enterprise but another Vulcan's future is uncertain.
This is one of those episodes that whacks you about the head with it's moral. While I understand and agree with the "moral of the story", sometimes the way Star Trek addresses issues is tiresome.

ENT: Precious Cargo, The Catwalk, Dawn

Precious Cargo has the Enterprise taking two aliens into their shuttle bay to offer assistance with repairs to their ship and a stasis unit. When the stasis unit malfunctions and Trip breaks the resident out, he eventually learns that the occupant is not a passenger, but the crown sovereign of Krios, who has been taken for ransom. By this time, the alien captain has left Enterprise and Trip and the Princess must escape. They steal an escape pod and land on a nearby swampy moon, during which time Trip and the Princess have many Han and Leia moments. Although he rescues her, her planet's laws will not allow her to fraternise with him- but she hunts that she could be in position to change those laws soon.
You would think Archer would learn, but in The Catwalk he is once again allowing aliens on board to offer assistance. This time the aliens have warned him of a neutronic storm front approaching and they ask sanctuary. T'Pol and Phlox inform Archer that the storm fron, which they cannot outrun, will kill all organic life on the ship within 3 minutes of exposure. Trip opines that they will be able to survive in "The Catwalk" ( cue the Right Said Fred); the service shaft that runs along each nacelle. However, this requires the warp drive to be shut down, three days into their 8 day confinement, the warp engines come online and Trip discovers a contingent of the same aliens who warned them of the stormfront. Was it a ploy, or were those aliens on the run?

In Dawn, Trip is testing the shuttlepod's autopilot in the orbits of a gas giant's many moons. An unidentified alien ship attacks, and they both crash land on one of the moons. Both their ships and transceivers are interfered with by the selenium isotopes in the moon's crust. When they make contact with the assailant's "mother ship" T'Pol reveals that the race, the Arkonians, is one the Vulcans were unable to establish long term diplomatic relationships with. Despite that they agree to work with Enterprise to find their respective ships. Time is short because the temperature difference between day and night on the moons is extreme- and the missing men must be found before the sun comes up. Because THAT'S original. Trip and the alien get all "Enemy Mine" while their ships search and rescue.

ENT: Singularity and Vanishing Point

IN Singularity, the Enterprise is heading to investigate a black hole in an unusual location, between two stars. As the two day journey to study this unusual occurrence progresses, thew crew acts increasingly erratic and obsessive. Trip wants to build the perfect Captain's chair, reed wants to institute "Reed Alert", Hoshi wants to make the perfect meal, and Phlox just wants to slice up Travis's brain. Of course, T'Pol is the only one not affected, and she uses her knowledge of human physiology to wake Archer enough to help her pilot out of the radiation causing the damage. After everyone recovers, Archer decides that some things were fine the way they were, (His old chair, lowered 2 cm) but that some changes, like Reed's "tactical alert" may just save the day.
"Vanishing Point" sees Trip and Hoshi on the surface of an alien planet, apparently devoid of life, examining the inhabitants ruins. When an approaching polaric storm requires them to be beamed up, Hoshi is anxious. Her anxiety is not alleviated after her return to the Enterprise, when she finds herself increasingly invisible, until she completely vanishes. The end is one I won;t reveal, but that I consider something of a cheat.

ENT: "Marauders" and "The Communicator"

Mauraders has the Enterprise trying to purchase deuterium from a processing facility on a desert planet. Plucky kid on desert planet inspires Anakin jokes. The miners seem scared and unable to part with their deuterium, ands insistent the Enterprise be gone within 2 days. When Archer learns that the Klingons have been putting the squeeze on the colonists, he helps them squeeze back.
In "The Communicator", Malcolm leaves his communicator behind when he, Hoshi, and Archer had gone incognito to explore a prewarp planet. When he and Archer to to retrieve it, they cause a greater cultural contamination than they had tried to prevent, and place their live in danger in the process.

ENT:The Seventh

A middle of the night transmission to T'Pol sends her on a secret mission by request of the Vulcan High Command. She asks Archer to accompany her and Travis, and that his presence be kept secret from High Command. T'Pol reveals that she is in search of Menos, a surgically altered operative -turned -fugitive she had been sent to retrieve 17 years ago. As her emotional recall falters, her banished memories resurface, causing to T'Pol to act irrationally.Archer's presence is much needed by T'Pol as a touchstone in turbulent moments.

TOS : The Squire of Gothos

When Sulu disappears from the bridge, Kirk is also transported away. When sensors are unable to detect them, Spock, Bones and two minor characters transport down to the planet to look for them. there they find an old fashioned Earth style castle and a capricious entity known as Trelane. When Trelane discovers that members of "the fairer sex (gag) are aboard the Enterprise, he transports down the entire bridge crew, including Uhura and the miniskirted yoeman of the week, for his own entertainment. When Kirk realises that Trelane draws his power from his mirror, he goads them into a duel, shooting the mirror instead. However, returning to the ship does not guarantee escape. Kirk is able to escape, eventually, with the help of some even more superior beings.
Note of interest: Kirk describes Trelane's vision of Earth as being 900 years out of date, proof of a writer that can't so math. It's more like 400.