IDW's Star Trek Year Four question

[ryan123450]

I know TAS is taking into account by the folks at IDW in their Year Four series, but in what fashion. Do they consider it the fourth year of the five year mission? Years 4 and 5? Just year 5? How will the future Year Four comics mesh with TAS episodes chronologically? Will this all lead up to a Star Trek: Year Five comic series?

Hope the IDW writers/editors will chime in. Thanks.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Who knows? It's part of the fun of watching the "Year 4" stories unfold. The prologue in "Spotlight on Star Trek" showed the crew as they were at the end of "Turnabout Intruder"/Year 3, right down to Chapel's brief turn as a brunette (before returning to blond in TAS/Year 4).

I'm watching out for clues that certain TAS episodes are occurring between each issue but I can't say I've spotted any yet.

I'm expecting that, at some point - if IDW does do a "Year 5" - Chekov will leave the ship to retrain as a security chief, since that was what was planned for his return to the ship for "ST: Phase II" (they even made him red uniform shirts, which were auctioned off at Christies!), and which settled into the role we saw him play in ST:TMP.

 

[HIj'Qa]

Stardate-wise, the books have been falling amidst and among the TAS episodes.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff.

 

[ryan123450]

I use your timeline site alot HIj'Qa, but I'm kinda confused by your placement of those five issues. Can you run me threw your reasoning for your order and placement?

 

[HIj'Qa]

At this point, each Year Four issue has to go after 'Turnabout Intruder,' as the end of Year Three; then by Stardate if there is one, then any other indicator. #4 didn't have a Stardate, but felt very late to me.

I try to put every title on the board, at least as a placeholder until the Timeline gets officially updated.

Everything Subject to re-placement at any time!

 

[foravalon]

You rock, HIj'Qa! Thank you so much for your consistent updates to the time-line. It's the only current resource of it's kind right now and it's extremely helpful! So once again, Thank you!

 

[8of5]

foravalon said:
It's the only current resource of it's kind right now

Not quite, Memory Beta also maintains a chronology which is updated with new releases and is working on incorporating old comics, and computer games, into it as well.

 

[Therin of Andor]

HIj'Qa said:
Stardate-wise, the books have been falling amidst and among the TAS episodes.

I'm assuming you mean rearranged "Star Trek Log" (by Foster) dates (as used in the most recent Pocket Timeliners' timeline), not the wacky, scattered stardates used in TAS itself.

 

[HIj'Qa]

TAS as placed in the VOTI Timeline, which is the Foster novelizations basically, with a few intersperions.

Timeline also avail as a downloadable, nice printy PDF, searchable, yummmm
Timeline in PDF

 

[foravalon]

8of5 said:

foravalon said:
It's the only current resource of it's kind right now

Not quite, Memory Beta also maintains a chronology which is updated with new releases and is working on incorporating old comics, and computer games, into it as well.

Thanks 8of5! But I actually literally meant "of its kind", namely an almost direct representation of the official Pocket time line released in VOTI, in the same format, but consistently updated.

I do appreciate Memory Beta's effort to incorporate those older comics into the time line as well though, however I don't personally recognize the games, but it's nice to see where they might go.

 

[terpette]

Somewhat derailing the topic, but... anyone have an idea how long the run for the Year Four comics is? I've been trying to snap up all the IDW Trek stuff at my local comics store. Just want to make sure that the guy doesn't miss pulling any issues for me.

(Our local shop has a free subscription service that's quite lovely. If anyone's in the southern Baltimore County area, I highly recommend Cosmic Comix. PM me for more info...)

Karen

 

[8of5]

terpette said:
Somewhat derailing the topic, but... anyone have an idea how long the run for the Year Four comics is? I've been trying to snap up all the IDW Trek stuff at my local comics store. Just want to make sure that the guy doesn't miss pulling any issues for me.

Six issues, last one was out last week.

Another miniseries "Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment" starts in April, that will be five parts.

 

[Christopher]

I believe the first Year Four miniseries is 6 issues, but it's being followed by another Y4 mini by D. C. Fontana, The Enterprise Experiment. I think by its nature it's going to be a fairly open-ended thing -- any miniseries set in the TOS/TAS timeframe could fall under that rubric -- but all of IDW's stuff seems to be in 5- or 6-issue miniseries, enough to make up one trade paperback each.

 

[terpette]

Thanks, 8of5 and Christopher. We hadn't been to the comic shop in a couple months, and just got all our subscriptions restarted. I need to pull a list of the IDW stuff and hunt down any missing back issues now. And then maybe take a couple days off work to read 'em.

Karen

 

[Therin of Andor]

terpette said:
I need to pull a list of the IDW stuff and hunt down any missing back issues now.

Memory Beta will prove useful for numbers and titles of back issues, and future plans.

 

[AndrewIDW]

Although we've made no definitive plans about this, it seems likely that Year Four will be composed of several different miniseries--probably four total, with issues numbering six/five/six/five. That would make 22 issues total, just like 22 episodes of what would have been Year Four of the TV series.

When we've reached 22 issues total of Year Four, we will almost certainly want to transition into Year Five, and may very well likely follow the same miniseries format as Year Four. So, barring unforeseen circumstances, TOS will have a mainstream "anchor" title for quite some time, though there will likely be short breaks between the different miniseries so that the writers & artists can regroup.

Andrew Steven Harris
Editor
IDW Publishing

 

[8of5]

Cooooool

 

[indianatrekker26]

that's great news, Andrew. It will really make Star Trek Year Four feel like a lost season. Heck, once you get past Year Five, I'd love to see IDW cover the area between "The Motion Picture" and "The Wrath of Khan"

 

[Therin of Andor]

^Don't forget there was an excellent Marvel/Paramount comic mini-series, "Star Trek: Untold Voyages", that filled in some of those random adventures in comic book form.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

^Yes that was one of the few Marvel Trek books I enjoyed. But if IDW does the second five-year, I'd like Christopher L. Bennett to handle the writing choirs. Vote Christopher L. Bennett for Trek comics!