The original Star Trek TV series followed Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise on a five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after three seasons, which means we never got a proper look at how that mission ended. (Though, we did get some idea from Star Trek: The Animated Series.)
Now, we will.
According to THR, IDW Publishing is launching a comic book series called Star Trek: Year Five, which will explore the end of Kirk and company’s first five-year mission. The series will explore the crew’s feelings about the end of their mission and their return to Earth.
The writer’s room for the series includes Brandon Easton, Jody Houser, Jim McCann and the team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. Kelly and Lanzing will be writing the first issue in the series, which will be illustrated by Stephen Thompson.
“[Star Trek: Year Five is] a vital, hard-hitting, character-focused look at Captain Kirk on his last year in command,” said Lanzing. “[Kirk’s actions in the series] will have huge ripple effects, from the outbreak of war in the Alpha Quadrant to an unprecedented strain of trust with Spock. We’ll turn a mirror on modern society, just as [the original television series] did in the 1960s, and go boldly towards meaningful, heartfelt stories.”
“With Year Five, we don’t just want to thrill — we want to channel the power of [franchise creator Gene] Roddenberry’s original vision, to tell a story about the future that illuminates our present,” added Kelly.
Illustrator Greg Hildebrandt will also be working on the series. The veteran comics illustrator, who has never worked on a Star Trek story, despite being a longtime fan of the franchise, said he “admired the social, moral and political statements that were obvious in Gene Roddenberry’s plot lines… It was an honour to paint this cover art of the original cast. Having painted Trek before, it was a kick for me at 80 years old.”
Star Trek: Year Five will launch in April.