Star Trek: Countdown
Encyclopedia
Star Trek: Countdown is a four-issue comic book
prequel
to the 2009 film Star Trek by IDW Publishing
. It follows the characters of Spock
and the Romulan
Nero during the year 2387, detailing the events that cause them to travel to the 23rd century. The story serves as both a lead up to the film and as a continuation of the Star Trek: The Next Generation
franchise.
a way of having The Next Generation
characters "pass the baton" back to the originals. When asked whether the filmmakers' involvement in the comic made it canonical, Orci stated he was in no position to declare whether it was, though he felt it could easily remain as such unless it was contradicted in a future film.
Writers Tim Jones and Mike Johnson were fans of The Next Generation and worked for Orci and Kurtzman's production company. They were allowed to read parts of the script and watch parts of the film to understand Nero more. They chose to give his Romulan crew informal dialogue to reflect that they are miners, not politicians or warriors. In figuring out where The Next Generation characters would be eight years after Star Trek Nemesis, Jones and Johnson decided if Picard had left the Enterprise, then Data – whose resurrection in B-4's body was heavily hinted at the end of Nemesis – would become captain since he is Starfleet
's most capable strategist. The writers made an error of Spock stating he had lived on Romulus for forty years, which the writers tried to explain by saying Spock might have visited the planet before "Unification". The word forty was later changed to twenty in the trade paperback.
The Starfleet uniforms
seen in the comic resemble those developed for Star Trek Online
. Cryptic Studios
is tying into the comic by including Picard's promotion to ambassador to Vulcan and Data's resurrection and promotion in the backstory to its game. Another in-joke in the comic is the inclusion of the mascot from Bad Robot Productions
– J. J. Abrams
' production company – in Picard's quarters.
The third issue of Star Trek Countdown was the first comic to be released in stores and on the iPhone
on the same day. The four-issue comic series Star Trek: Nero
takes place shortly after the events in Countdown.
and Romulan
tensions have generally subsided, with Spock
the official Federation ambassador to the Romulans. Data
is still alive and has become captain of the Enterprise-E
after successfully imprinting his memories onto the prototype android B-4. Jean-Luc Picard
is now Federation ambassador to Vulcan, Geordi La Forge
has retired to develop his own ships, and Worf
is a General in the Klingon
Empire.
The galaxy is threatened by the Hobus star, which will become a supernova
. Spock proposes that the Romulans transport the precious mineral Decalithium to Vulcan, where it can be converted into red matter capable of turning the star into a short-lived black hole
, therefore ending its threat. The senate opposes Spock, but he finds a comrade in Nero, the leader of the miners. Nero witnessed Hobus consume a planet first-hand and offers to secretly transport Decalithium, noting it would be better than doing nothing and then leaving his wife and unborn son to die. Nero's ship, the Narada, is attacked by the Reman
s, but the Enterprise rescues them and escorts them to Vulcan with Decalithium taken from the Reman ships. On Vulcan, the council opposes Romulan use of red matter, infuriating Nero; he vows if Romulus is destroyed, he shall hold them accountable.
Nero returns to Romulus to discover Hobus has gone supernova and destroyed his home world. Driven mad by his loss, he attacks Federation Olympic class hospital ships that have arrived to give aid, believing they have come to claim his people's territory. He beams surviving Romulan senators onto his ship and kills them for not listening to Spock, and then claims the Praetor's ancient trident, the Debrune Teral'n, which is the greatest symbol of Romulus. He and his crew then shave their heads and apply tattoos to signify their loss. Nero goes to the Vault, a secretive Romulan base, and has the Narada outfitted with Borg
technology to begin a rampage against his enemies.
With the supernova expanding, Spock decides to deposit the red matter weapon. He takes the Jellyfish, a ship developed by La Forge that can withstand extreme environmental conditions. The Narada goes about destroying and assimilating Federation, Klingon and Cardassian
ships alike, wounding Worf and damaging the Enterprise in the process. When Spock successfully destroys the supernova, the Narada appears to attack when the black hole flings it and the Jellyfish back in time, leaving Picard and the crew of the Enterprise as witnesses to Spock's sacrifice.
, Ain't It Cool News
, TrekMovie.com and TrekWeb were positive. IDW editor-in-chief Chris Ryall blogged that although more than the intended volume had been printed, Countdown sold out within two weeks of its publication. IGN also positively reviewed the third and fourth issues, while io9
also published a positive review of the entire series.
and hardcover
editions:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the 2009 film Star Trek by IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
. It follows the characters of Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
and the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
Nero during the year 2387, detailing the events that cause them to travel to the 23rd century. The story serves as both a lead up to the film and as a continuation of the Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
franchise.
Publication history
The comic came about because Anthony Pascale, editor of TrekMovie.com, kept requesting to the film's co-writer Roberto OrciRoberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J....
a way of having The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
characters "pass the baton" back to the originals. When asked whether the filmmakers' involvement in the comic made it canonical, Orci stated he was in no position to declare whether it was, though he felt it could easily remain as such unless it was contradicted in a future film.
Writers Tim Jones and Mike Johnson were fans of The Next Generation and worked for Orci and Kurtzman's production company. They were allowed to read parts of the script and watch parts of the film to understand Nero more. They chose to give his Romulan crew informal dialogue to reflect that they are miners, not politicians or warriors. In figuring out where The Next Generation characters would be eight years after Star Trek Nemesis, Jones and Johnson decided if Picard had left the Enterprise, then Data – whose resurrection in B-4's body was heavily hinted at the end of Nemesis – would become captain since he is Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
's most capable strategist. The writers made an error of Spock stating he had lived on Romulus for forty years, which the writers tried to explain by saying Spock might have visited the planet before "Unification". The word forty was later changed to twenty in the trade paperback.
The Starfleet uniforms
Starfleet uniforms
In the fictional Star Trek universe enlisted personnel and officers in the United Earth Starfleet and, later, the United Federation of Planets' Starfleet wear a variety of uniforms.-Star Trek: The Original Series:...
seen in the comic resemble those developed for Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online, often abbreviated as STO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios based on the popular Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis...
. Cryptic Studios
Cryptic Studios
Cryptic Studios, a wholly owned Perfect World subsidiary, is a small American massively multiplayer online role-playing game developer headquartered in Los Gatos, California.-History:...
is tying into the comic by including Picard's promotion to ambassador to Vulcan and Data's resurrection and promotion in the backstory to its game. Another in-joke in the comic is the inclusion of the mascot from Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot Productions is an American film and television production company owned by J. J. Abrams. It is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, What About Brian, Fringe, Six Degrees, Undercovers, Person of Interest and the feature length films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , ...
– J. J. Abrams
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
' production company – in Picard's quarters.
The third issue of Star Trek Countdown was the first comic to be released in stores and on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
on the same day. The four-issue comic series Star Trek: Nero
Star Trek: Nero
Star Trek: Nero is a four-issue comic book prequel to the 2009 film Star Trek and sequel of the previous book Star Trek: Countdown, both by IDW Publishing. It follows the character of the Romulan Nero and his crew in the time between the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the kidnapping of...
takes place shortly after the events in Countdown.
Plot
The comic is set eight years after the film Star Trek Nemesis. FederationUnited Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
and Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
tensions have generally subsided, with Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
the official Federation ambassador to the Romulans. Data
Data (Star Trek)
Lieutenant Commander Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek...
is still alive and has become captain of the Enterprise-E
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
The USS Enterprise is a Sovereign-class starship in the Star Trek franchise. It serves as the primary setting of the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
after successfully imprinting his memories onto the prototype android B-4. Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
is now Federation ambassador to Vulcan, Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is a regular character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature films, played by LeVar Burton...
has retired to develop his own ships, and Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
is a General in the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
Empire.
The galaxy is threatened by the Hobus star, which will become a supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
. Spock proposes that the Romulans transport the precious mineral Decalithium to Vulcan, where it can be converted into red matter capable of turning the star into a short-lived black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, therefore ending its threat. The senate opposes Spock, but he finds a comrade in Nero, the leader of the miners. Nero witnessed Hobus consume a planet first-hand and offers to secretly transport Decalithium, noting it would be better than doing nothing and then leaving his wife and unborn son to die. Nero's ship, the Narada, is attacked by the Reman
Reman
In the fictional Star Trek universe, Remans are natives of the planet Remus. They were first introduced in the movie Star Trek Nemesis and were also shown in several episodes of Star Trek Enterprise...
s, but the Enterprise rescues them and escorts them to Vulcan with Decalithium taken from the Reman ships. On Vulcan, the council opposes Romulan use of red matter, infuriating Nero; he vows if Romulus is destroyed, he shall hold them accountable.
Nero returns to Romulus to discover Hobus has gone supernova and destroyed his home world. Driven mad by his loss, he attacks Federation Olympic class hospital ships that have arrived to give aid, believing they have come to claim his people's territory. He beams surviving Romulan senators onto his ship and kills them for not listening to Spock, and then claims the Praetor's ancient trident, the Debrune Teral'n, which is the greatest symbol of Romulus. He and his crew then shave their heads and apply tattoos to signify their loss. Nero goes to the Vault, a secretive Romulan base, and has the Narada outfitted with Borg
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
technology to begin a rampage against his enemies.
With the supernova expanding, Spock decides to deposit the red matter weapon. He takes the Jellyfish, a ship developed by La Forge that can withstand extreme environmental conditions. The Narada goes about destroying and assimilating Federation, Klingon and Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
ships alike, wounding Worf and damaging the Enterprise in the process. When Spock successfully destroys the supernova, the Narada appears to attack when the black hole flings it and the Jellyfish back in time, leaving Picard and the crew of the Enterprise as witnesses to Spock's sacrifice.
Reception
Reviews of the first issue of Countdown by IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
, TrekMovie.com and TrekWeb were positive. IDW editor-in-chief Chris Ryall blogged that although more than the intended volume had been printed, Countdown sold out within two weeks of its publication. IGN also positively reviewed the third and fourth issues, while io9
Io9
io9 is a blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The blog focuses on the subjects of science fiction, futurism, and advancements in the fields of science and technology....
also published a positive review of the entire series.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
and hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
editions:
- Star Trek: Countdown (104 pages, April 21, 2009, ISBN 1600104207)
- Star Trek: Countdown (104 pages, November 25, 2009, ISBN 1600106390)
- Star Trek: Countdown (104 pages, November 12, 2009, Amazon.co.uk Exclusive packaged with Bluray release Star Trek 2009)