Making It Fit

Star Trek (1984 series) annual No. 1
DC Comics
Mike W. Barr, writer
David Ross and Bob Smith, artists

These days, I try almost anything with Star Trek in the title. I've been a fan of The Original Series since growing up watching reruns in syndication in the 1970s. In fact, my brother and I used to plan our entire Sunday afternoons around the television when I was in grade school — we'd watch not only "Star Trek" but the Irwin Allen science-fiction greats "Land of the Giants," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "Lost In Space" all in one big afternoon block. When those shows were over, "Maverick" would come on (I don't know how the western fit in with all of those sci-fi programs; maybe it was the comedic aspects of the show since its lead-in was the unintentionally cheesy but lovable "Lost In Space."), and then it would be six o'clock, time to change the channel to catch "The Wonderful World of Disney." Those were great days!

Anyway, that helps show my love for classic "Star Trek" goes back a ways. But I didn't always buy everything Star Trek. I don't think I bought a single copy of the 18-issue Marvel Comics series that came out in the wake of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979. This later DC version of the Enterprise crew was a little more on my radar, but still wasn't a guaranteed purchase month in and month out. A lot of what would catch my eye about this series were the "special" issues that didn't just continue the movie adventures of the classic Enterprise crew, but tried to shoehorn stories into that original television run, something in comics called a retcon, or retroactive continuity. This annual from 1985 is one of the first such attempts at such a story in this series.

There is a brief framing sequence at the beginning and end of this issue set in the then-current movie timeline. But the bulk of this comic is made up of a lengthy flashback showing "The First Mission" of James T. Kirk's classic crew in a story titled "All Those Years Ago ..." Now the easy thing to do would be to just show some mission where all of the familiar characters are getting used to working together, but Mike W. Barr and company take things a step further. Included in this tale is the actual change of command ceremony where Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise from Christopher Pike, who is being promoted to the rank of fleet captain. Pike, of course, was the captain of the Enterprise in the original pilot episode "The Cage," footage from which was repurposed into the only classic two-part episode, "The Menagerie."

Great attention to detail is shown including a number of characters who only ever appeared in one episode of the "Star Trek" television program and working them into this story. Gary Mitchell, Lee Kelso and Number One are all featured in this comic. Even important characters from Star Trek canon who really played minor roles in the television show — characters like Capt. Robert April, Dr. Mark Piper and Admiral Nogura — get at least a mention in this story. All of that work adds layers that make this story feel like it really could be the untold story of the crew's first mission together.

As more and more Trek is written, I can't swear that this story holds up and still fits in with everything else seamlessly, but at the time this issue was written, this WAS the definitive version of these events. It simply had to be to include so much attention to detail. And that's a great reason why I still enjoy reading this story three decades after it was first released, and feel justified in heartily recommending it to any Trek fan who hasn't had the pleasure before.