Description

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy                                       Variant Comics Lot
Featuring the Compete Subscription Variant Covers Collection.  Awesome!!
Writers: Mike Johnson & Ryan Parrott
Artist: Derek Charm
Letterers: Neil Uyetake, Tom B. Long & Andworld Design
Editor: Sarah Gaydos
Subscription Variant Cover #1 by: Jen Bartel
Subscription Variant Cover #2 by: Elizabeth Beals
Subscription Variant Cover #3 by: Paulina Ganucheau
Subscription Variant Cover #4 by: Robert Wilson IV
Subscription Variant Cover #5 by: Stephen Thompson & Lisa Jackson

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before.

Star Trek is an American space opera media franchise based on the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry. The first television series, simply called Star Trek and now referred to as “The Original Series”, debuted in 1966 and aired for three seasons on the television network NBC. It followed the interstellar adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew aboard the starship USS Enterprise, a space exploration vessel, built by the United Federation of Planets in the twenty-third century. The Star Trek canon of the franchise includes The Original Series, an animated series, five spin-off television series, the film franchise, and further adaptations in several media.

A bold new chapter for Star Trek begins here, in an all-new series that shows you what life is like for cadets at the galaxy’s greatest school! Witness the student days of the iconic cast before they joined the Enterprise, immediately before the blockbuster 2009 film! Plus, meet an all-new group of students as they embark on bold new adventures of their own!

In the year 2258, Cadet Uhura discovers an unusual audio signal from deep space. With Cadet Chekov’s help she locates the signal’s origin in system Wagner-219 but finds that all Starfleet records about the system are classified! How will she proceed in solving this mystery?

Three years in the future, Cadet T’Laan is prepared to leave the Academy, feeling out of place as a Vulcan. Professor Trumble convinces her to take part in the upcoming Centennial Competition, joining a team of fellow cadets in a series of tests against students from across the Federation…

Story/Spoilers
In issue #1Sub, 2258, San Francisco. Nyota Uhura tells Spock of an unusual signal she detected in the long-range sensor lab and her idea of requesting usage of communication equipment on Mars to better track the signal. Spock however has a rather different conversation subject. He feels that their differing posts in Starfleet makes their relationship inappropriate and warrants unwanted speculation. Uhura coldly says that if Spock feels that way, he is free to take his leave. As she settles for a meal alone, an alien female “Jackie” storms past, communicating with her friend about her failed date with a “lying, misogynistic, narcissist with dreamy blue eyes” and how she is done dating humans. On cue, James T. Kirk follows explaining that he naturally talks like that telling Jackie to ask anyone who knows him such as… Uhura… who is a terrible example if he thinks about it. Sitting down in Spock’s chair, Kirk’s charm fails on Uhura even after he apologized for the bar fight when they first met (or at least he intended to apologize). He offers to take her to a nearby bar, but she walks off to the long-range sensor lab. Late at night, a classmate pulls away Uhura from a terminal before the latter detects a faint transmission and the word “Slayton”.

The next morning, Spock wraps up his class but notices Uhura in the room. She is not here to see him, however. She wants to speak to Cadet Pavel Chekov. Chekov is able to decipher more about Uhura’s mysterious signal and, though he cannot offer precise galactic coordinates, narrows it down to emanating from Wagner-219.

Uhura attempts to learn more about Wagner-219, discovering it is in fact a star system. When she puts in a data request however, she is denied access.

Cadet log, supplemental: Adopting a Starfleet officer’s custom of maintaining a personal log has proven beneficial to my studies here at the Academy. I was surprised to discover that it is not a common practice among the cadets. It is just another example as to why I prefer an atmosphere that cultivates learning instead of civil pleasantries. I am convinced now more than ever… …That I am making the correct decision today.

2261, Starfleet Academy. Cadet T’Laan despairs at the emotional and frivolous atmosphere of the campus as she walks to Professor Trumble’s office. Though the Tellarite attempts polite conversation, T’Laan gets right to the point. She wants to transfer out of the academy and rejoin her people on New Vulcan. Trumble launches into a story of his own time at the Academy. In his day, he was the only Tellarite on campus but soon made a name for himself playing Parrises squares. T’Laan fails to see how this bears relevance to her situation. Trumble explains that the Inter-Academy Exploratory Competition is just around the corner, and he wants T’Laan on the Starfleet Academy team. Though appreciative of the offer, T’Laan’s intent is to leave the Academy. Not represent it. Trumble makes her a deal. Win or lose, he will assure her transfer. But…the young Vulcan just might find a reason to stick around.

Cadet’s log, supplemental: At Professor Trumble’s request, I have agreed to represent the academy in this year’s centennial competition. To commemorate the occasion, Starfleet is holding a reception for all visiting delegates and participants. Attendance is unfortunately mandatory. Despite my previous reservations, it is only logical to cultivate personal interactions with the cadets I will be working with on the team. On a personal note, I have learned that the New Vulcan colony has sent a delegation to participate. I would be remiss if I didn’t admit I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces.

2261. T’Laan enters the auditorium where she will meet her teammates. Before doing so however, she seeks out the delegation from New Vulcan only for their leader, Diak, to greet her with contempt for staying safe on Earth instead of helping on New Vulcan. The terse reunion is witnessed by Lucia Gonzales and Shev Akria, two members of the Starfleet team with T’Laan quickly butting heads with the Andorian. The other two members, Vel K’Bentayr and Grace Chen, then introduce themselves. Trumble praises that they are already bantering (the hallmark of any good team) before saying that, in spite of the “friendly competition”, points matter. How the cadets place will reflect on their postings in the future. His advice is to watch out for the Vulcan team who have the physical and mental advantage. An admiral then gives a speech, recapping how Starfleet Academy was founded in honour of the lost starship Slayton and to ensure future explorers are prepared for the harshness of the unknown. And this contest is to encourage cooperation between species and build a future where, together, they will all travel to places no one has gone before.

Next in issue #2Sub, 2258. In the cafeteria at Starfleet Academy, Nyota Uhura talks to Pavel Chekov about her findings regarding Wagner-219, a system bursting with subspace anomalies. Uhura is convinced that the ban relates to more than just rough seas, but Chekov is unwilling to risk his future over the mystery. Sympathetic, though disappointed, Uhura thanks him for his aid. What Uhura needs now is someone “with a blatant disregard for authority and the ego the size of-“, as if on cue, Uhura invites the passing James T. Kirk to join her, claiming to need his help.

Meeting Kirk during his exercise routine, Uhura explains her problem and Kirk is eager to help solve the mystery. When Uhura asks how he plans to break in, he answers that they’ll just walk right up to the archive vault and run their search there. Though Kirk’s thickheadedness drives him forward, he is curious as to what drives Uhura forward, not buying that it’s due to simple morality. Conceding, Uhura answers that no one’s last words should go unheard. She learns that the hard way.

Kirk leads Uhura to the archive vault, under the pretense of looking at Klingon biological samples (a friend of Kirk’s took part in a Klingon autopsy some months back) via McCoy’s credentials. After Uhura convinces the clerk that they speak Klingonese, they are escorted to a terminal and gruffly told not to leave the room under any circumstances. Which they do the second the guard leaves. In the hall, the two briefly discuss Uhura’s love life before Kirk directs her to find an open room in the restricted vault. No sooner have the two begun to search does a voice call out to Uhura.

2261. The Academy Centennial Games consist of five challenges, each skill essential to any future Starfleet officer. The first challenge is marksmanship, where Shev Akria puts his skills to use. As the other four watch, Grace Chen asks about Vel’s odd habit of narrating literally everything. Chiming in Lucia explains that Monchezkins communicate via an electro-chemical hivemind so the whole “talking” thing is new to him. But he’s not telepathic so any dirty thoughts are safe.

In the simulator, Shev shoots his way through the competition until only he and fellow Andorian Dreva remain. But in his overconfidence, Shev has neglected one fact that Dreva exploits. The walls are photon reflective, her perfect shot eliminating Shev and securing victory for Andor. As his teammates discuss how Shev’s disapproving father will view the loss, Lucia puts her foot in her mouth when she off-handedly refers to T’Laan’s (now deceased) family.

The next two challenges pass much better with Grace and Lucia scoring first place in piloting and trivia respectively (the latter by a significant margin). The final two events will not be held until tomorrow… so in the meantime, maybe they should just head to the party… a type of event not enjoyed on Vulcan. After enduring a Rigelian’s flirtations, T’Laan excuses herself, preferring to devote her time to competition prep.

As the other three watch Vel absolutely own the dance floor, they ponder where their Vulcan teammate has snuck off to. T’Laan has found refuge in the deep space sensor lab, using its computers to help her plan out the best route for the scavenger hunt that will end the competition. The map takes them near Wagner-219, a quarantined system. Accessing audio logs relating to the system, T’Laan listens to one left by Nyota Uhura who hypothesizes the travel ban is covering something up.

Next in issue #3Sub, 2159. It has been 47 days since the Slayton was marooned in Wagner-219 thanks to a temporal anomaly. The Slayton still has power, it just can’t go anywhere. After Captain Hendricks tries his hand at sending another distress signal, Juliet Bashir informs him of the plummeting supplies and crew morale, mutiny is even being discussed. Bashir proposes a photon detonation, but Hendricks finds the risk too high. At those words, Jack Somers marches in with his band of mutineers.

2258. Corned by a security guard, Nyota Uhura manages to intimidate him into thinking she was clearance before Kirk arrives to defuse the situation, the guard, Phil, is an old friend of his. After confirming that everyone but Uhura loves Kirk, Phil guides them a room where Uhura pulls up the relevant file learning of Somers’ mutiny. Though Uhura wants to make the news public, Kirk backs out, viewing the reveal of such a closely guarded secret as grounds for immediate expulsion.

In a history lecture the next day, two security guards enter for Uhura at the direct orders of Admiral Marcus himself. Passing Kirk in the hall, he swears to have said nothing. Entering, the admiral confirms that Kirk already confessed to Uhura being the mastermind and that, while Starfleet Command doesn’t normally monitor the activities of the cadets, illegal entry into the archives cannot be overlooked. Recognizing that Uhura won’t be deterred however, Marcus explains what happened to the Slayton. Once the craft went missing, rescue missions were sent out to no avail. When the ship’s last transmission was intercepted, it was recognized that Jack Somers, son of Admiral Somers (the man who founded Starfleet Academy), was the lead mutineer. And that is a secret that Starfleet Command is determined to keep. Before the admiral can impose a punishment however, there is someone who requested to speak on Uhura’s behalf: Spock.

2261. The next challenge is medicine. Each cadet has been given a dummy patient that will be dead from internal bleeding within two minutes. The objective is to determine the best course of action to contain as much of the bleeding as possible before the patient dies. Vel makes the unusual request however for cold saline, which he uses to induce hypothermia. Once the time elapses, Vel has stopped none of the hemorrhaging. When asked for an explanation, he explains his actions by pointing that his “patient’s” core temperature has been dropped to negative twenty-seven degrees, reducing its need for oxygen and minimizing damage to the vital organs. The nurse confirms the explanation, even noting that the patient is still technically alive with ten minutes to stop the bleeding. When the examiner points out Vel did not follow the directive, Vel retorts that the goal of medicine is always to save the patient.

The last individual test is a transporter simulation. The dummy away team is stranded on a hostile planet with deteriorating surface conditions, the cadets much lock onto the team and beam them through the hazardous conditions. Though T’Laan makes constant adjustments to the transporter beams, Diak simply beams the party right through the cloud, after requesting a medical team to stand by the transporter. It was logical to prioritize their survival over their immediate safety. Hours later, T’Laan continues her adjustments to the beams despite her team’s attempt to cheer up. Their words have no impact however, the whole experience only serving to reinforce T’Laan’s initial belief that she should transfer out of Starfleet and back to the Vulcan survivors.

Seeking solace, T’Laan makes her to the Sketia tree on the academy grounds where Trumble approaches her. T’Laan wearily reveals that she joined Starfleet in response to her parents’ belief that the Vulcan race was stagnating. At their advisement, she joined Starfleet to do something extraordinary with her life. And the day she joined the Academy, was the day Vulcan died. Trumble then speaks of the first time he visited Vulcan and first saw a Sketia tree. Trees that normally have orange leaves and drooping branches, quite unlike the blue-leaved, proud specimen that rests on the grounds. Trumble attributes this tree’s unusual appearance to Earth’s soil, and notes that it proves the words of her parents. If the tree had stayed on Vulcan, it would be dead. On Earth, it is unique, even extraordinary.

The next morning, the shuttles launch from Starbase 1 for the final event. A scavenger hunt around the Sol system.

Next in issue #4Sub, 2258. Though Admiral Marcus is ready to expel Uhura, Spock comes to her rescue, claiming she was acting on his orders, presenting security clearance from five days before her accessing the archive. Though skeptical, the Admiral releases Uhura, after one last warning to not mention anything, she saw in the archives, before he has Spock sit down for a long and arduous discussion on security protocols.

When the two reunite, Spock reveals that he had grown curious about Uhura’s research, which he learned about from Chekov, and put in the security authorization. So technically, she was acting under his supervision. It seems as though Uhura’s words have finally touched Spock. When one cares for another, they are forced to protect them in any way they can. With those almost romantic words, the two embrace.

2261. The Starfleet Academy teams finds themselves on Planetoid GP-575 with orders to scan and analyze the atmospheric composition. As Shev rants, Vel amuses himself by playing with an alien flower only for the “flower” to be revealed as part of a gigantic “space worm”. The beast lunges at the cadets, its hide proving immune to the stun setting, only for Shev to distract long enough for everyone else to return to the shuttle and loop back to pick him up.

Mid-flight, the cadets bemoan that they are now in last place. Presently, their flight path takes them close to Wagner-219, the computer warning them against entering on account of all the temporal anomalies. Grace Chen theorizes however that by sling-shotting themselves around Wagner’s star, the anomalies could quickly put them in first place. After convincing T’Laan that such a plan is worth the risk (mainly to deny victory to the arrogant Vulcan team), the shuttle changes course for the forbidden system.

Once the craft comes to edge of the anomaly’s energy field, the effects are instantly noticeable, with the time/space shortcut looking to save them two hours before Grace notices that they’re not going faster. Space is slowing down. At that, consoles begin to explode as the shuttle falls into the anomaly. As Vel works on healing Shev, the girls attempt to restart their ship only to pick up a transmission from a ship that should not exist anymore. The long missing Slayton.

On the ruined bridge of the Slayton, tensions continue to mount before Yan picks up a transmission. At Hendricks’s order, Lucia Gonzales appears on screen, offering assistance.

Finally in issue #5Sub, As Bran Hendricks hopes Cadet ship A-137 is hiding a much larger ship behind it, Lucia Gonzales is dumbstruck to see the Slayton, requesting that she and her fellow cadets be allowed to beam over to explain things. Hendricks uses the cadets’ arrival to quickly defuse the mutiny but as Jack Somers reminds him, while turning over his phase pistol, luck is the refuge of the incompetent.

A short time and five transporter trips later, the cadets have briefed the senior staff on their inadvertent time travel but note they have no way of getting the Slayton out of the system. As T’Laan explains, Wagner-219 was quarantined due to an undulating temporal maelstrom with continually shifting linear viscidity caused by dark matter rippling and gravitational distortions. Or in layman’s terms, they’re stuck in “time quicksand”. The more energy the ship burns, the faster time passes relative to them outside the temporal field. After overhearing Chen’s metaphor, T’Laan has an… unorthodox idea on how they can escape.

As Somers and T’Laan modify the engine, the latter tells the former of the changes to Earth in the last century, particularly Starfleet Academy. Despite his dislike of his father, Somers notes he was correct in Earth needing better space training, as indicated by Hendricks’ lack of competent leadership. As T’Laan questions if this was the rationale behind the mutiny, she casually notes that his plan of controlled torpedo detonations would have only served to drain the power reserves more quickly and turn the ship into a tomb. Still unconvinced, Somers points out that T’Laan’s plan is to make the shields into a giant sail. But where is the wind going to come from?

Much to Shev’s shock, the wind will come from detonating the cadets’ ship. Given that random energy bursts only drain power, it is T’Laan’s hope that a large, controlled explosion, such as a warp core breach will allow the Slayton to sail beyond the range of the anomaly. And given that only the Slayton can carry everyone to safety, it only makes sense to blow up the cadet ship. Or as Grace puts it, they’re going to detonate a bomb inside the time quicksand and try to surf the splash out. The problem is, one of the cadets will have to fly A-137 to the detonation range and detonate its core. And that is exactly the kind of challenge Grace signed up for.

Once Grace gets far enough, the shields are raised and the core is detonated, slamming two hundred teratons of energy onto the aft shields. Though the ship’s hardware is pushed to its limits, the Slayton manages to exit the system whereupon it is hailed by the USS Wilson. Humbled, Somers offers himself for punishment only Hendricks to wave it off. Somers’ modifications allowed them to survive as long as they did, something he will make note of in his log, but he is more than willing to leave disciplinary charges to the powers that be. In the meantime, they’re going home.

One week later, the admiralty decorates the five cadets for not only rescuing the lost crew but for embodying the best that Starfleet can be: Races from across the galaxy coming together to do the unimaginable. Once the ceremony concludes, T’Laan seeks out Diak, now admiring the Sketia tree, to congratulate him on his victory and see him off. After speaking of New Vulcan, though noting it will never be the same as the original, he rescinds his earlier statement saying T’Laan will be welcome on the colony. Elsewhere, the other four discuss their own problems and wonder if T’Laan will still head home. Vel thinks however that “home” is a place that is hard and worthwhile. At that, Grace realizes the Monchezkin has vocalized his first abstract thought, but the moment is ended when Vel promptly runs off… distracted by the alluring smell of pie.

In the months since the competition, T’Laan has grown quite acclimated to Starfleet Academy finding joy in what logic alone could not bring her, even taking part in ultimate frisbee. But she is still Vulcan and when Professor Trumble inquires as to her plans for semester break, she replies she’s going to spend her time off studying.

As T’Laan settles in for a quiet break, she is unexpectedly contacted by Nyota Uhura, having heard of the rescue of the Slayton and wanting to thank her for solving her old academy mystery. When she asks about how it was solved however, T’Laan says it’s a long story. Much to her amusement however, Uhura only settles in for the story.

Variant Comics lot contains: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy {Complete Subscription Variant Cover Collection} (2015 – 2016) Issues #1-5.  IDW Publishing

Variant Comics are bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

All First Printings
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Publication Date: 2015 – 2016
Format per comic: FC, 32 pages, Comic, 10.25″ x 6.5″
UPC: 827714009736

Collectible Entertainment note: Subscription Variant Comics 1Sub,2Sub,3Sub,4Sub,5Sub are in Fine condition.  Nice Set!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Star Trek collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Recommended.

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