Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Star Trek: The Original Series (IDW) #13

Star Trek: Burden of Knowledge

Rate this book
The next adventure of the classic Enterprise crew begins here! When a routine Federation diplomatic visit turns suddenly and unexpectedly violent, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy find themselves kidnapped and halfway across the galaxy! An Original Series-era miniseries from the creative team behind Spock: Reflections!

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2010

19 people are currently reading
91 people want to read

About the author

David Tipton

230 books10 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
34 (18%)
4 stars
80 (44%)
3 stars
55 (30%)
2 stars
8 (4%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Jeffrey.
148 reviews2 followers
January 27, 2015
Really reads like episodes from the original series. Great sense of character and tone.
Profile Image for A.L..
Author 5 books7 followers
October 9, 2018
This was a fantastic read. I really enjoyed it. It's a brief collection of four (I think) issues of the Star Trek comic book that combine to form a few small stories and one big narrative.

The art was stunning. The artists obviously know the imagery and the actors of the original series. Everything from facial expressions to body positions to the way they held different instruments ... everything is spot-on. I was really impressed.

The plot was fun too and felt like it was in the same vein as the original series episodes (with perhaps a slightly modern twist). I know this description is vague, but I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say, the story felt like a story that could fit right in with the original series episodes. It even included the trademark dialog between Kirk, Spock, and Bones that ended so many episodes.

Highly recommended for fans of Star Trek the Original Series. A fun, quick read.
Profile Image for Kieran McAndrew.
3,084 reviews20 followers
April 27, 2021
First Contact is a vital part of the Federation's mission to expand knowledge and understanding of alien races. However, this comes at a price and when Kirk discovers that an alien race is using this initial meeting to try to gain the upper hand, he must decide whether this mission has come at too high a price.

The Tiptons have written a good story, which questions the Federation's supposed higher goals. The artwork is clear and bright and the alien races are beautiful to behold.
Profile Image for Andrew Beet.
173 reviews3 followers
April 17, 2019
Great

Loved reading this liked the ending of chapter three so I went on and read chapter 4 would read again
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,438 reviews38 followers
July 28, 2012
More wonderful tales from the fabulous world of Captain Kirk and "Star Trek".
6,233 reviews40 followers
August 26, 2019
There's a planet that wants to join the Federation. A spacecraft attacks and Kirk, Spock and Bones end up kidnapped. Some kind of trade deal had gone bad.

Then another story involves a planet where people have an implant that allows they access to an Internet-type setup. There's some people, though, that don't want that and Kirk and group try to figure out just what to do.

Another story involves a cruise spaceship that has been destroyed with some five thousand dead. Then there's some Klingons, some Tellerites attacking the Enterprise, two Lt. Thompsons when there should be just one and an art gallery.
Profile Image for Kacey.
1,451 reviews6 followers
October 11, 2018
I feel like there's very little I can say about these comics anymore that I haven't said in every single one I've read so far. I just love these stories. I love the characters, I love the situations they get into and how the problems are solved. I love how true to the show's ideas and themes these feel and how it seems like any of these could've just been another episode.

It's all super enjoyable and I'll read any Star Trek comic I can find. The ones for the OS and AOS have been so delightful, and I'm sure once I know more context from TNG I'll be enjoying those comics as well.
Profile Image for Charlie K Bales.
18 reviews
September 2, 2019
Old crew new adventures

I am so glad to find a comic with the old crew I grew up with exploring the universe, tackling new races and new problems with the same charm that capture me as a child.
26 reviews
February 23, 2020
Beautiful art work

Really enjoy this engaging story. Really shows intelligent plotting and that the crew does not always respond with violence but logical and. Quick thinking. Lovely artwork!
Profile Image for Chad.
143 reviews
December 11, 2020
I am not a normal comic reader, but lately I have been incorporating more into my Star Trek read thru. And this one fits well into the theme. I loved the stories and how they connected. There was a clear beginning middle and end, thru the four stories. I recommend this one.
Profile Image for Lauren!.
5 reviews
December 1, 2025
Great characterization and beautiful art. It’s like I’m watching an episode of TOS, but with an unlimited budget.

“Knowledge in and of itself is an admirable pursuit, but without compassion— Well, we’ve seen where it can lead.”
Profile Image for Johan.
1,234 reviews2 followers
August 26, 2017
Consists of several stories, varying between 2* and 3*.
Profile Image for Doctor Doom.
963 reviews6 followers
March 10, 2020
great artwork... true to characters... fun read... original stories tied to Star Trek canon
Profile Image for Steven Shinder.
Author 5 books20 followers
September 8, 2022
More episodic than I was expecting, though that does harken back to the structure of the TV show.
Profile Image for Quinn Rollins.
Author 3 books51 followers
February 9, 2012
One of the best things to happen to IDW Publishing's line of Star Trek comic books is the writing team of brothers David and Scott Tipton. Whether writing the Original Series, Next Generation, or Deep Space Nine, they have a knack not only for characterization, but for the kinds of adventures that the respective crews would "really" be having. That talent is on display in their most recent trade paperback, Star Trek: Burden of Knowledge.

The 2010 book collects four connected stories from Captain Kirk's Enterprise, and has the look and feel of the 1966-69 television series. The stories stand alone well, but form a connected arc that is a satisfying story.

Uncertain Prescriptions has Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy beaming down to the Mygdalian homeworld. These new aliens have astounding medical technology, and want to join the Federation for additional protection. They're also hiding a secret that can either be a great asset or a great danger--it's up to Kirk to figure it out.

Failure to Communicate is a visit to Waassertla, a peaceful, beautiful planet where the entire population is constantly connected via cybernetic implants. This unity is idyllic, but doesn't provide any room for privacy or individuality. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Uhura are caught in the middle of a conflict that might disrupt that peace for good--but give the Waasertlans freedom as well.

A Matter of Perspective examines a conflict between two classic Star Trek alien species, the blue-skinned, antennaed Andorians and the pig-faced Tellarites. Both are members of the Federation, and thus allies to Captain Kirk and our heroes, but both end up drawing the Enterprise into the middle of a budding war.

The Burden of Knowledge brings the Enterprise full circle to Mygdalia, where the secret they've been hiding comes back to endanger the life of an Enterprise crew member...and we meet more classic Trek aliens on the way.

The relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is well-established by this point, and the Tiptons use that bond to explore the issues brought up in these stories. That includes some humor, some philosophical discussions, and some high adventure. Captain Kirk is still impulsive, but brainier than he usually gets credit for; Spock is pitch-perfect, and Dr. McCoy is used particularly well in his role as Kirk's conscience. Scotty and Uhura are also used well, but Sulu and Chekov don't have to do beyond driving the ship. Which is fine. The scripts are good, the aliens and situations imaginative, and are completely within the realm of Classic Star Trek.

The artwork by Federica Manfredi is very clear and consistent. The likenesses to the actors playing these iconic characters are very good, and whether drawing the familiar settings of the Bridge, Transporter Room and other Enterprise interiors, the lines of the starship itself, or new exotic locations, Manfredi seems to get it all right. The paper and printing in this collection is high quality, and will hold up well over time.

If you're a fan of classic Star Trek and of comic books, this collection is all win. You can boldly go where no man has gone before--in the pages of a comic book. The Tipton brothers and IDW make it so.
Profile Image for Mikael Kuoppala.
936 reviews36 followers
July 16, 2013
Scott and David Tipton's "Burden of Knowledge" nicely combines elements from various recent Star Trek graphic novels and reveals a fascinating conspiracy that ties together several previously separete storylines. The chapters of the book are themselves standalone stories that also coalesce into a unified whole during the final pages.

The story takes us to the farthest reaches of the Milky Way galaxy, involves wonderful science fiction concepts and comments current political themes sharply. It also has just the right tone for a TOS adventure, it really feels like a missing tale from the original 5 year mission.
Profile Image for Spencer.
45 reviews
October 25, 2013
This was a pretty good graphic novel. It is a collection of "episodes" that are very true to the original series, in feel, subject matter, even characters and dialogue. A fun one.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.