In Review: Star Trek: Year Five #25

Synopsis: The five-year mission may be over, but now it’s time for the next adventure to begin. Join the crew of the Enterprise for the end of an old chapter and the beginning of a new.

The Story

Set shortly after their five-year mission. This one-shot story shows what happened after the Enterprise crew returned to earth and the stories are bookended by Admiral Kirk and Bright Eyes signing an accord between The Federation and Tholian peoples. While Kirk and Bright Eyes are colonizing a planet. Sule and Chekov are visiting another colony and find themselves having to negotiate a peaceful resolution after having been kidnapped. Meanwhile on Earth, Dr. McCoy is busy trying to enjoy retirement while repairing his cabin.

Spock has resigned his commission and returned home to Vulcan. While Scotty is working the Enterprise refit and gets a visit from Uhura who declares her interest in him.

This comic is not so much a story. But more of a series of brief vignettes.

The Artwork

The art in this issue is a little inconsistent. But for the most part, the artists manage to keep a sense of continuity throughout the book. The best sequences are the ones involving Spock and his return to Vulcan. The second best sequences are the brief moments with Uhura and Scotty. Granted from certain angles the character likenesses get a little iffy.

Overall

This final bumper issue of Star Trek: Year Five does a good job of filling in some of what happened after Kirk’s first five-year mission. I really enjoyed how they used Bright Eyes in this story. As he was such a huge part of this comic book series. The various writers do a solid job of the story. Managing to use some continuity from the classic series and films. I was surprised to find Paul Cornell contributing to this given that he took a break from comics to focus on his novels. But it was nice to see his name in this book.

Some of the highlights include Uhura declaring her interest in Scotty. And of course Spock’s return to Vulcan. In fact, Spock returning to Vulcan is mostly shown here and doesn’t rely on dialogue or description.

Overall. While not an essential issue in this series. This final bumper story, which is told by various writers gives a little closure to the story. And lets us look at events that might have taken place after the original series ended.