Kelvin Timeline Novel Placements

[Stevil2001]

Do any of you folks who think about these things have any theories as to when The Unsettling Stars and More Beautiful than Death are set relative to IDW's Kelvin timeline comics?

 

[ryan123450]

I imagine @Leto_II does, but I haven’t heard his take on this yet either.

 

[Leto_II]

I imagine @Leto_II does, but I haven’t heard his take on this yet either.

Matter of fact, I totally do. Back in May 2020, I posted my analysis of The Unsettling Stars' placement in the Kelvin Timeline's chronology to the Facebook Timeliners-group -- basically, it covers two different time periods; the first one very early in the new Enterprise crew's mission following the events of the 2009 film, and the second period some four months later:

Star Trek: The Unsettling Stars Timeline Notes

• Early 2258: Flashback-sections of IDW's Kelvin Timeline Starfleet Academy issues #1-4 take place, not long prior to Nero's destruction of Vulcan (as depicted in the first J.J. Abrams film). Cadet Uhura detects a signal from the presumed-lost U.S.S. Slayton in the Wagner-219 star system.

• February 11, 2258 (Stardate 2258.42): Nero destroys Vulcan, the "present-day" events of the 2009 movie take place, and the U.S.S. Enterprise launches under the new command of Captain Kirk at the film's conclusion, following Spock Prime's observance of Kirk's promotion-ceremony on Earth.

• Mid-February, 2258: Spock Prime begins his search for a new Vulcan homeworld immediately following Nero’s defeat and the repair/departure of the Enterprise, as seen in the film (the "Legacy of Spock" storyline). After delivering Spock Prime to the U.S.S. Mueller (as depicted in IDW Star Trek Ongoing #55), the Enterprise journeys off on its initial shakedown-cruise.

• Mid-February, 2258: Star Trek: Bridge Crew (Oculus VR-game) takes place, overlapping with Spock Prime's search for a new homeworld for the Vulcan-refugees. Prior to the Legacy of Spock storyline from IDW’s monthly series, the provided stardate (2258.161) was highly problematic when taken in context with those immediate post-movie tales, but the release of Alan Dean Foster’s new novel makes this stardate even MORE problematic, given its dating-cues placing this book very shortly after the events of the 2009 film. (Otherwise, this would be a June-dating.)

• c. Mid-to-Late February, 2258: The events of Chapters 1-9 of the novel The Unsettling Stars occur, established as taking place very shortly after the defeat of Nero in the film. The final location of a new Vulcan refugee-homeworld has not yet occurred.

• c. Mid-to-Late February, 2258: While the U.S.S. Enterprise is off exploring strange new worlds, Spock Prime continues his search for a new Vulcan-homeworld (c.f., IDW Star Trek Ongoing #56-57). Spock Prime finishes his search for a new Vulcan homeworld. Near story’s end, the Enterprise intervenes in the final battle, therefore placing this issue immediately after the events of Chapters 1-9 of The Unsettling Stars.

• Spring (into Early Summer), 2258: Star Trek: D-A-C, IDW Star Trek Ongoing #1-2 ("Where No Man Has Gone Before" adaptation), IDW Star Trek Ongoing #3-4 ("The Galileo Seven" adaptation), IDW Star Trek Ongoing #5-6 ("Operation – Annihilate!" adaptation), IDW Star Trek Ongoing #15-16 (Prime Universe framing-story of "Mirrored"), and IDW Star Trek Ongoing #7-8 ("Vulcan's Vengeance") take place over the course of the next several months.

• c. Late June, 2258: Chapters 10-16 of novel The Unsettling Stars take place. Second section of novel occurs after a nearly four-month timejump from the first nine chapters, during which a significant number of other tales can exist. The Enterprise returns to the planet SiBor to deal with the Perenorean techno-crisis.

• August, 2258 (Stardate 2258.241): IDW Star Trek Ongoing #9-10 ("The Return of the Archons" adaptation) takes place.

It is noted in IDW Star Trek Ongoing #1-2 that the Kelvin Timeline adaptation of TOS: “Where No Man Has Gone Before” occurs some time since the U.S.S. Enterprise left Earth following the end of the movie (per Scotty’s log-entry in the first issue) and arrival at the galactic rim, which would account for the events of the first section of The Unsettling Stars, Star Trek D-A-C, and the “Legacy of Spock” storyline, as well as Gary Mitchell and Lee Kelso subsequently joining the crew probably at some point very shortly after the events of Chapters 1-9 of the Alan Dean Foster novel take place.

Regarding David Mack's novel More Beautiful Than Death, the flashback to the destruction of Vulcan (during pp. 268-271) obviously takes place during Mid-February, 2258, during the events of the 2009 movie.

The bulk of the novel's narrative (Chapters 2-26, 28-32, and the first half or so of Chapter 27, along with that chapter's final paragraph) then occur vaguely during the later spring of 2258 (it's mentioned in the book that Kirk's last cadet physical-exam took place "seven months ago," meaning that September would be the absolute latest that these chapters could take place), and that it's also been "months" since T'Pring's scheme began.

Finally, the events of Chapter 1 and Chapters 33-35 of the novel carry themselves out shortly afterwards, in an overlapping fashion. At the novel's end, the starship is assigned to a long-distance exploratory mission, which I then have immediately preceding the very first issue of the 2011 IDW monthly series (the J.J.-verse adaptation of TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"), allowing enough time for the ship to take on brand-new crew, including Gary Mitchell and Lee Kelso.

(Also, Scotty and Keenser's opening repair-work upon the Enterprise engine room in issue #1 the IDW ongoing Kelvin-series could very well have been caused by the concluding events of More Beautiful Than Death, which works out quite nicely.)

 

[Stevil2001]

Awesome, thanks! I knew someone would come through, but not in such beautiful detail.

 

[Leto_II]

^ Thanks, Stevil! Also, I meant to mention earlier that those notes for The Unsettling Stars were actually written before David Mack's novel was released this past summer, but I think Mack's book slots quite nicely into the chronology without any difficulties that I can see.

 

[ryan123450]

I knew @Leto_II would come thru on this. He has the most extensive knowledge of the Kelvin chronology of probably anyone on earth.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Is More Beautiful than Death compatible with the "After Darkness" comic arc?

 

[Leto_II]

Is More Beautiful than Death compatible with the "After Darkness" comic arc?

It is, yes -- David Mack's novel takes place approximately two years prior to the "After Darkness"-storyline (Spring 2258 vs. mid-May, 2260), and also Spock's pon farr has yet to take place during the events of the novel (it gets brought up several times, in the context of T'Pring/"L'Nel" wanting to take Spock on as her new mate when the process does eventually begin, following the death of Kelvin-Stonn in Nero's destruction of Vulcan).