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Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline (IDW) #18
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
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! Plus, meet an all-new group of students as they embark on bold new adventures of their own! The first new characters in the Star Trek movie universe make their mark here.
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2016
33 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Mike Johnson
608 books53 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Mike Johnson is a comic book writer.
An almost lifelong Trekkie, he has scripted more Star Trek comic books than anyone else to date.
Mike Johnson is a comic book writer.
An almost lifelong Trekkie, he has scripted more Star Trek comic books than anyone else to date.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
September 3, 2021
3.5 stars
"We are a family, bound not by birth or blood, but by our ideals. Our mighty house spans millions of light year and is fortified by the belief that the very differences that set other apart bring us together." -- unidentified high-ranking Starfleet Academy instructor, in chapter 1
This was a pretty good graphic novel that was marred by one editorial or stylish misstep - it used a dual (dueling?) narrative that wasn't really required for the plot to be interesting. I suppose for a bit of name recognition they included a number of the major characters like Uhura, Spock, and Kirk - still academy cadets here, and a few years away from manning their posts on the U.S.S. Enterprise - in the one marginal storyline, but I think writers Johnson and Parrott (and I much enjoyed their Star Trek: Manifest Destiny graphic novel earlier this summer, which led me to seeking out more of their work) should've just focused solely on the other plot thread. They introduce a completely new five-member team of rookie cadets - a wonderfully diverse crew, both in background and temperament, consisting of two Earthlings and three aliens (including a Vulcan, the story's heroine) - who are assigned to work together in a large-scale intellectual / physical competition in celebration of the Starfleet Academy's 100th anniversary. Much to their surprise, they enter into an extraordinary circumstance and get to save the day in a big way by the final chapters, and I kept thinking how I would likely enjoy several volumes devoted entirely to their further adventures in that 'final frontier.'
"We are a family, bound not by birth or blood, but by our ideals. Our mighty house spans millions of light year and is fortified by the belief that the very differences that set other apart bring us together." -- unidentified high-ranking Starfleet Academy instructor, in chapter 1
This was a pretty good graphic novel that was marred by one editorial or stylish misstep - it used a dual (dueling?) narrative that wasn't really required for the plot to be interesting. I suppose for a bit of name recognition they included a number of the major characters like Uhura, Spock, and Kirk - still academy cadets here, and a few years away from manning their posts on the U.S.S. Enterprise - in the one marginal storyline, but I think writers Johnson and Parrott (and I much enjoyed their Star Trek: Manifest Destiny graphic novel earlier this summer, which led me to seeking out more of their work) should've just focused solely on the other plot thread. They introduce a completely new five-member team of rookie cadets - a wonderfully diverse crew, both in background and temperament, consisting of two Earthlings and three aliens (including a Vulcan, the story's heroine) - who are assigned to work together in a large-scale intellectual / physical competition in celebration of the Starfleet Academy's 100th anniversary. Much to their surprise, they enter into an extraordinary circumstance and get to save the day in a big way by the final chapters, and I kept thinking how I would likely enjoy several volumes devoted entirely to their further adventures in that 'final frontier.'
February 5, 2018
This is hands down my favorite IDW Star Trek (Kelven Timeline) book. Honesty, it is wonderful. On one hand, it is a mystery, on another a Spock/Uhura story, and on a third, a group bond story. The story starts with Uhura picking up a mystery message and her determination to find out about it. We then switch to a group of cadets, including a Vulcan who is thinking of leaving Starfleet, who are in the Academy after Uhura and the others have graduated (so in between Darkness and Beyond). Eventually, the two stories merge, in a rather wonderful way. And I love the closing panels. It is such a wonderful story.
The cadets are cool too. Various groups, including Vel who is like my favorite. I really enjoyed this.
The cadets are cool too. Various groups, including Vel who is like my favorite. I really enjoyed this.
February 8, 2018
At the start I thought the story was a little juvenile and I didn't love the art. By the end I was on board with the story mostly (even if it still seemed like a kids Star Trek). Decent but no memorable addition to the Star Trek comic world.
July 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this! This takes place in two different times: one is with Uhura, Spock, Kirk, etc in 2258 when they are all still at Starfleet Academy. Uhura is trying to solve the mystery of a strange faint transmission she catches in the lab - it almost sounds like a distress call. When she investigates, she finds herself in trouble as she starts to uncover something the academy doesn't want publicized. In the other story, which takes place a few years later, we follow a new cast of characters than we've seen in the movie reboots. T'laan is a Vulcan who would like to leave Starfleet Academy to return to New Vulcan, where she thinks she belongs. Her advisor agrees to allow her to withraw IF she agrees to compete in a kind of Starfleet team sport competition against other schools before she goes. She reluctantly agrees, and her teammates mostly welcome her with open arms. I found myself enjoying this storyline even more than the first. T'laan's teammates are interesting and I loved learning about their characters. The two storylines do eventually end up overlapping and everything ends in a very satisfying way.
This was a really fun read. I would definitely recommend it to fans of the Star Trek movie reboots, and really any fans of science fiction and comics. If you like your science fiction to be a bit feel-good with a dash of mystery, this is the read for you.
This was a really fun read. I would definitely recommend it to fans of the Star Trek movie reboots, and really any fans of science fiction and comics. If you like your science fiction to be a bit feel-good with a dash of mystery, this is the read for you.
September 8, 2020
The Academy is Where All Adventures Begin
In 2258, Cadet Nyota Uhura finds herself facing expulsion from Starfleet Academy when she comes across a distress signal from the U.S.S. 'Slayton'. The destruction of the 'Slayton' led directly to the foundation of the Academy and Admiral Marcus wants some events to remain secret.
Three years later, Vulcan cadet T'Laan participates in the Academy's Centennial Games as her last duty before resigning her commission to join her people on the New Vulcan colony. When her team accidentally enters a forbidden sector, T'Laan finds the fabled ship and turns her life upside down.
The story is excellent and there is a nice mixture of A and B plots to bring everything to a conclusion. On the down side, the artwork is indistinct and Spock especially suffers from bland likenesses which fail to capture him in any meaningful way.
In 2258, Cadet Nyota Uhura finds herself facing expulsion from Starfleet Academy when she comes across a distress signal from the U.S.S. 'Slayton'. The destruction of the 'Slayton' led directly to the foundation of the Academy and Admiral Marcus wants some events to remain secret.
Three years later, Vulcan cadet T'Laan participates in the Academy's Centennial Games as her last duty before resigning her commission to join her people on the New Vulcan colony. When her team accidentally enters a forbidden sector, T'Laan finds the fabled ship and turns her life upside down.
The story is excellent and there is a nice mixture of A and B plots to bring everything to a conclusion. On the down side, the artwork is indistinct and Spock especially suffers from bland likenesses which fail to capture him in any meaningful way.
July 7, 2017
Definitely working with the modern new Trek-verse where authority is untrustworthy and concerned more with appearances than morals. But we SHOW THEM WRONG with INGENUITY and MORALS and FRIENDSHIP and PURE SMARTS.
Star trek my heart forever, indeed.
Star trek my heart forever, indeed.
September 9, 2019
"Starfleet Academy" is a fun Star Trek story which can be read just fine even if you're not a huge Star Trek movie fan.
The story contains two parallel plots, one taking place when Uhura is a student at Starfleet Academy, and the other there years later, when the Vulcan T'Laan wants to quit her studies at the Academy to go to New Vulcan, because she feels she doesn't fit in.
Uhura discovers that the S.S. Slayton, one of the pioneer starships, sent an S.O.S. before vanishing forever, never to be found. She decides to investigate, but discovers most files about the incident are classified, so she turns to her boyfriend, Spock, for help. He refuses, and she's left sneaking around with Kirk, trying to get to the bottom of things.
Three years later, T'Laan is told to join an inter-school competition between future cadets, in the hopes that she'll eventually fit in with the other students and decide not to abandon her studies. She and her team come across a message from Uhura about the S.S. Slayton.
The story is a bit predictable, but it feels really good and it's in perfect tone with the STU.
The volume (at least, the one I read) also contains a few comics from before Picard ever showed up on screen. They're colored and drawn the way you'd expect them to be in the late '60s or early '70s and they're called "The Youth Trap". The crew of the Enterprise end up on a planet where they're reduced to babies by a mad scientist. The story is silly and the writing bordering on the ridiculous with lines like:
The story contains two parallel plots, one taking place when Uhura is a student at Starfleet Academy, and the other there years later, when the Vulcan T'Laan wants to quit her studies at the Academy to go to New Vulcan, because she feels she doesn't fit in.
Uhura discovers that the S.S. Slayton, one of the pioneer starships, sent an S.O.S. before vanishing forever, never to be found. She decides to investigate, but discovers most files about the incident are classified, so she turns to her boyfriend, Spock, for help. He refuses, and she's left sneaking around with Kirk, trying to get to the bottom of things.
Three years later, T'Laan is told to join an inter-school competition between future cadets, in the hopes that she'll eventually fit in with the other students and decide not to abandon her studies. She and her team come across a message from Uhura about the S.S. Slayton.
The story is a bit predictable, but it feels really good and it's in perfect tone with the STU.
The volume (at least, the one I read) also contains a few comics from before Picard ever showed up on screen. They're colored and drawn the way you'd expect them to be in the late '60s or early '70s and they're called "The Youth Trap". The crew of the Enterprise end up on a planet where they're reduced to babies by a mad scientist. The story is silly and the writing bordering on the ridiculous with lines like:
"Suffering sun spots – Our two engineers... they've been reduced to five-year-olds!"
March 5, 2024
Honestly, this was just a lot of fun and the art was brilliant too. Can’t ask for much more.
April 12, 2019
The beautiful 47 is here as well. The story, while fairly slow, methodical and sometimes dry, is the perfect Star Trek story with part techo jargon, part camaraderie and all heart. I expect any Star Trek fan will agree and I'm sure plenty of other readers can enjoy it too.
Uhura needs help with a distress signal from deep space that originated from a location classified by Starfleet. She will have to break some rules to do it.
Three years later T'Laan wants to leave Starfleet, but professor Trumble convinces her to participate in the Centennial Competition. She and her team mates will slowly forge an unbreakable bond during the competition. They will have to work as a team to succeed and, ultimately, survive. Their greatest challenge will come from the origin of the signal Uhura discovered.
Uhura needs help with a distress signal from deep space that originated from a location classified by Starfleet. She will have to break some rules to do it.
Three years later T'Laan wants to leave Starfleet, but professor Trumble convinces her to participate in the Centennial Competition. She and her team mates will slowly forge an unbreakable bond during the competition. They will have to work as a team to succeed and, ultimately, survive. Their greatest challenge will come from the origin of the signal Uhura discovered.
July 7, 2019
Nothing beats a good, simple story, and the Starfleet Academy is one of them. It follows T'Laan - a vulcan who wants to quit the Academy to join New Vulcan, but her professor advises her to join the contest between different schools as part of the Starfleet team. In a separate thread, Uhura is trying to solve the mystery of a missing ship, USS Slayton, which is actually the starting point for the Starfleet Academy.
The story is simple, predictable, but satisfying, and well told. The characters are interesting, and the atmosphere captures that idealistic futuristic-world-peace feeling I had when I was watching my first Star Trek episodes on Tv - it's Star Trek the way I expected it to be. And it works well.
The story is simple, predictable, but satisfying, and well told. The characters are interesting, and the atmosphere captures that idealistic futuristic-world-peace feeling I had when I was watching my first Star Trek episodes on Tv - it's Star Trek the way I expected it to be. And it works well.
January 29, 2023
so cute!! the coloring was really great, it gave so much dimension to the settings and characters. i didn’t really like the uhura/spock/kirk plotline, it felt repetitive and didn’t do anything the movie hasn’t already done. this totally could have stood by itself with the new cast, they were all so memorable and I would have rather them be more fleshed out than read part of a movie in graphic novel form. I hope they expand on the new cast in future chapters, i’d love to see those boys’ road trip!!
August 29, 2018
Boring story and I couldn't stand the style of art. Boo. It was mostly the art style I just couldn't get into.
January 13, 2025
A nice little story that makes good use of the Kelvin-timeline characters. The change from the main series art style to this more cartoonish representation is quite nicely done. Overall, a high quality little package.
August 2, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Star Fleet Academy does skew a bit young - with a confectionery sweet plot that perhaps feels not only forced but also doesn't come together by the end. Author Johnson tries to tie in a completely separate plot in order to keep it within the new Star Trek movie franchise. But it doesn't really work and feels oddly tacked on. As a middle grade sci fi graphic novel, it is undemanding. Not so much as a Star Trek franchise, though.Story: T'Laan mourns the loss of her Vulcan homeworld and feels guilty about being at Star Fleet when it happened. She is coerced into joining a Star Fleet competition with several other cadets and finds herself competing against other Vulcans (who are sore she is at Star Fleet when the homeworld needs to be rebuilt). At the same time, Uhura and Spock have a rocky relationship (cadet to teacher) and Uhura convinces Kirk to break into high clearance files at Star Fleet because she wants to know why no one is talking about a missing ship whose distress call she heard. Both Uhura and T'Laan's paths will converge over that century's old missing ship.
Author Johnson doesn't stretch his writing muscles here - we have the usual unexplained anomaly that causes a time paradox. The ship in question has a very odd looking crew that are very un-Star Trek like and in the process of a mutiny. And the cadets are put in odd danger in order to complete the competition (which includes survival, piloting, medical skills, etc.).
The usual characters are there - Andorians, etc. But the plot holes and lack of believability strain what could have been a much tighter story. E.g., Starfleet has done a coverup on the missing ship - but then they mention that same ship in the cadet's competition speech. If you are hiding an embarrassing situation in the past, why mention it randomly all the time? It's things like that (as well as space suddenly being VERY small so that cadets can randomly drive past that same anomaly that eats ships) and it just gets a bit silly.
Even if written for kids, I don't feel it has to be dumbed down. As well, the plot with Uhura is so pointless as to make me wish it had been excised altogether. The tie-in wasn't needed and it makes no sense that Uhura does so many illegal things to get information and then does nothing about it in the end.
In all, nicely illustrated but definitely a Twinkie - a treat that is not very fulfilling and instantly forgotten once finished. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
July 9, 2016
There are two separate plotlines in this story that go back and forth. One is from Fans of the Star 2258 when Uhura, Kirk, and McCoy were all at the academy. Uhura discovers a distress call, but has difficulty trying to access information about the system where the call originated. When she investigates, she finds herself in trouble as she starts to uncover something the academy doesn't want publicized. The other is 2261 when they are on the Enterprise and a new group of cadets are making their way through Starfleet. Another group of cadets is competing in a series of competitions in honor of Starfleet Academy's Centennial Celebration. During one of the competitions they encounter the same distress call. Will they have any better luck finding its source and solving the mystery of the crew who sent it?
There are new characters introduced for this series who are a sampling of personalities and races from the member planets of the Federation. T'Laan is a Vulcan who wants to leave Starfleet Academy. Her advisor says he will reassign her if she participates in the competition. The other new characters are also members of this team. Lucia Gonzales and Grace Chen are human. Shev is Andorian and Vel K'Bentayr is Monchezkin. Each of them were chosen for the Academy's team due to their various skills in engineering, marksmanship, history, etc. Unlike the well-known characters, this team is still learning how to work together and appreciate each other's strengths.
For those who have been Trekkies for awhile, there are enough of the classic characters to make them comfortable and not feel that they have abandoned the well-loved characters. Spock and Uhura and the difficulties of their relationship, Chekov's prodigious skills, Kirk's reputation as a womanizer and rule breaker are all included. We also see Admiral Marcus and even hear a little of the reasons why the Academy was founded. And the two groups of characters eventually have a way to connect, wrapping up the story line of this first book and clearing the way for new adventures.
I found that the story was not overly involved. It was actually a bit boring at the beginning, but it got better. I must say I really liked the illustrations. The colors are glorious and they were not overly done. It was easy to follow the story and see what was happening in the illustrations. Overall a good read that should appeal to seasoned Star Trek readers and new readers.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
There are new characters introduced for this series who are a sampling of personalities and races from the member planets of the Federation. T'Laan is a Vulcan who wants to leave Starfleet Academy. Her advisor says he will reassign her if she participates in the competition. The other new characters are also members of this team. Lucia Gonzales and Grace Chen are human. Shev is Andorian and Vel K'Bentayr is Monchezkin. Each of them were chosen for the Academy's team due to their various skills in engineering, marksmanship, history, etc. Unlike the well-known characters, this team is still learning how to work together and appreciate each other's strengths.
For those who have been Trekkies for awhile, there are enough of the classic characters to make them comfortable and not feel that they have abandoned the well-loved characters. Spock and Uhura and the difficulties of their relationship, Chekov's prodigious skills, Kirk's reputation as a womanizer and rule breaker are all included. We also see Admiral Marcus and even hear a little of the reasons why the Academy was founded. And the two groups of characters eventually have a way to connect, wrapping up the story line of this first book and clearing the way for new adventures.
I found that the story was not overly involved. It was actually a bit boring at the beginning, but it got better. I must say I really liked the illustrations. The colors are glorious and they were not overly done. It was easy to follow the story and see what was happening in the illustrations. Overall a good read that should appeal to seasoned Star Trek readers and new readers.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 9, 2016
'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott with art by Derek Charm tells a pretty good story of Starfleet cadets and has really cool art.
There is a wrapping story that goes back to when Uhura was in the academy. She finds a strange distress call that may go all the way back to the reason the academy was founded. She tries to investigate, but finds that the information is classified. Spock won't help her, but perhaps rule-breaker Kirk will.
The main story follows a group of cadets as they prepare for their final tests at the academy. One is a Vulcan woman named T"laan who doesn't want to finish school, but wants to head out to help re-establish New Vulcan. She is convinced to stay with her strange group of classmates. They all have their strengths and weakenesses. The tests that face them will lead them into unexpected danger and they will have to use all their strengths to survive.
I really liked the story. There are a few familiar characters, but the new ones that are introduced are very much of a Star Trek universe. I love the art style. It's very clean and well done. I can definitely see the reboot Uhura, Spock and even Admiral Marcus in the art but it does it with a more minimalist style. I like a good Star Trek story and this definitely hit all the right notes for me.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
There is a wrapping story that goes back to when Uhura was in the academy. She finds a strange distress call that may go all the way back to the reason the academy was founded. She tries to investigate, but finds that the information is classified. Spock won't help her, but perhaps rule-breaker Kirk will.
The main story follows a group of cadets as they prepare for their final tests at the academy. One is a Vulcan woman named T"laan who doesn't want to finish school, but wants to head out to help re-establish New Vulcan. She is convinced to stay with her strange group of classmates. They all have their strengths and weakenesses. The tests that face them will lead them into unexpected danger and they will have to use all their strengths to survive.
I really liked the story. There are a few familiar characters, but the new ones that are introduced are very much of a Star Trek universe. I love the art style. It's very clean and well done. I can definitely see the reboot Uhura, Spock and even Admiral Marcus in the art but it does it with a more minimalist style. I like a good Star Trek story and this definitely hit all the right notes for me.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
July 12, 2016
I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
3.5 stars!
This was a super-cute beginning to a new Star Trek comic series.
We have our favourite characters - Spock, Uhura, Kirk, Chekov etc. - in their current representation from the movies, and follow their adventures at Star Fleet Academy, as Uhura detects a hidden message of distress and attempts to work out who it is and how she can help.
We also meet a new set of characters who are studying at the Academy, and follow as they take part in various challenges and competitions. When they accidentally stumble across something completely surprising, the two storylines of all the characters intertwine with each other.
I was a little confused by the timeline, as it does keep jumping back and forward multiple times, but in the end I just went with it and almost ignored the dates - one set of characters are in one date, one are in the other.
The artwork however, is gorgeous - there's something about comics or graphic novels set in space that means the artwork - for me - has so much more potential to be beautiful.
I think one problem would be that I feel you already need a knowledge of the basic Star Trek universe and characters to understand this. I know all the characters and about Vulcan race etc, but many may not get what is going on.
Overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely continue with the series!
3.5 stars!
This was a super-cute beginning to a new Star Trek comic series.
We have our favourite characters - Spock, Uhura, Kirk, Chekov etc. - in their current representation from the movies, and follow their adventures at Star Fleet Academy, as Uhura detects a hidden message of distress and attempts to work out who it is and how she can help.
We also meet a new set of characters who are studying at the Academy, and follow as they take part in various challenges and competitions. When they accidentally stumble across something completely surprising, the two storylines of all the characters intertwine with each other.
I was a little confused by the timeline, as it does keep jumping back and forward multiple times, but in the end I just went with it and almost ignored the dates - one set of characters are in one date, one are in the other.
The artwork however, is gorgeous - there's something about comics or graphic novels set in space that means the artwork - for me - has so much more potential to be beautiful.
I think one problem would be that I feel you already need a knowledge of the basic Star Trek universe and characters to understand this. I know all the characters and about Vulcan race etc, but many may not get what is going on.
Overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely continue with the series!
June 26, 2016
I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I walked into this one not knowing what to expect. I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. One of the things that first drew me into this, other than the fact that it was a Star Trek series, is the beauty of the cover. The colors are glorious. All of the illustrations in this are gorgeous and the colors chosen make things pop out at you. I was greatly impressed by the illustration style. The story was also quite compelling. I liked the two different sets of characters. There are the well known characters, and there is a new group of students from Starfleet Academy. I loved how both stories intertwined to make a great little story. There was mystery, intrigue, and excellent continuity. Combined with the beautiful illustrations it was fantastic. While the story was not overly involved and didn't exactly blow my mind, it was an excellent read and a great use of my free time. It is a lovely read for Trekkies and I would recommend this to fans of science fiction as well. I think anyone that reads this will enjoy it immensely.
I walked into this one not knowing what to expect. I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. One of the things that first drew me into this, other than the fact that it was a Star Trek series, is the beauty of the cover. The colors are glorious. All of the illustrations in this are gorgeous and the colors chosen make things pop out at you. I was greatly impressed by the illustration style. The story was also quite compelling. I liked the two different sets of characters. There are the well known characters, and there is a new group of students from Starfleet Academy. I loved how both stories intertwined to make a great little story. There was mystery, intrigue, and excellent continuity. Combined with the beautiful illustrations it was fantastic. While the story was not overly involved and didn't exactly blow my mind, it was an excellent read and a great use of my free time. It is a lovely read for Trekkies and I would recommend this to fans of science fiction as well. I think anyone that reads this will enjoy it immensely.
July 4, 2016
HELLO, MY NAME IS TAMARA AND I AM A SLUT FOR STAR TREK TIE IN NOVELS AND COMICS. I'm not joking here by the way. I call them "published fanfiction" and they are the best. Sometimes they're bad but most of the time they are enjoyable enough. And the best part is that with Star Trek, that they have been publishing these stories for DECADES. That also goes for the comics. You will never really run out of material to read.
ANYWAY! This comic doesn't really focus on the AOS crew, but rather on some new recruits. Well mostly on the recruits. And I am pretty sure it's set in between the first film and the terrible Into Darkness film. You get to see a bit of the crew while they were still students, which is always fun!! But it's mostly about this rookie crew and the adventure they get into during a a sort of "triwizard tournament". IT'S FUN! READ IT IF YOU LOVE STAR TREK!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
ANYWAY! This comic doesn't really focus on the AOS crew, but rather on some new recruits. Well mostly on the recruits. And I am pretty sure it's set in between the first film and the terrible Into Darkness film. You get to see a bit of the crew while they were still students, which is always fun!! But it's mostly about this rookie crew and the adventure they get into during a a sort of "triwizard tournament". IT'S FUN! READ IT IF YOU LOVE STAR TREK!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
May 31, 2016
This is freakin adorable. I've read the Star Trek books set at Starfleet Academy and didn't think much of them - but this captures everything I love about Start Trek. A good old adventure with races, flirting and time travel - and a happy ending with medals and an award ceremony.
I love the mix of old characters and new (T'Laan is such a bae - I hope she's in the new film!), and the different vocal patterns of the different alien races was just done perfectly.
I especially enjoyed the little glimpse into Uhura/Spock's early relationship.
my only regret is the lack of Bones, who is my always-and-forever fave of any character in any fictional universe. Where was he for this whole story?! Pfft.
I love the mix of old characters and new (T'Laan is such a bae - I hope she's in the new film!), and the different vocal patterns of the different alien races was just done perfectly.
I especially enjoyed the little glimpse into Uhura/Spock's early relationship.
my only regret is the lack of Bones, who is my always-and-forever fave of any character in any fictional universe. Where was he for this whole story?! Pfft.
July 25, 2016
I enjoyed the main story set after the enterprise crew left the academy. But I felt the story featuring the Enterprise crew at the academy was shoehorned in just as a draw for sales. It didn't at all fit with the timeline of the first movie. The story featuring the new academy students was fun, entertaining and reminded me of an episode of Next Generation. The art in the book was clean and simple and looked great in a Star Trek setting.
Received an advance copy from IDW and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from IDW and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 17, 2016
I read this book with the help of NetGalley.I loved reading it.The new characters introduced are remarkable.T'Laan and her team is amazing.I liked how Uhura tried her best to intercept the distress call.The rescue of starship Slayton is awesome.This book is amazing.
August 3, 2016
This is such a fun and enjoyable "Star Trek" book which was a real pleasure to read. I was especially impressed with the amount of detail that was put into the background of the panels.
October 1, 2016
Really refreshing Star Trek comic, with beautiful art, diverse characters, and the spirit of Star Trek flowing through it. Love this and can't wait for more!
November 13, 2018
In the 1990s when Marvel re-obtained the rights to the Star Trek franchise, they created an all-new series about the cadets of Starfleet. Titled Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the book was set during the time of The Next Generation. Nog, the Ferengi child from DS9, was one of the main characters. But other than he, it was pretty much an original concept. The series ran for 17 issues before being cancelled.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy from IDW Publishing is a continuation of that 90s series. That was my first thought when I saw this trade paperback at a recent swap meet. On this cover of this book is a Vulcan and an Andorian. Both species were main characters in the Marvel series. So with the faces of Kelvin timeline Spock, Kirk and Uhura, I assumed that this was the new timelines reboot of the book. Turns out, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy from IDW Publishing is NOT a continuation of that 90s series.
In this 2015-16 miniseries, the adventures of Kelvin timeline Kirk and company are intermingled with an all-new class of cadets. The new students' storyline takes place 3 years just after the events of 2009's Star Trek, in which the planet Vulcan is destroyed by Nero.
A young Vulcan cadet struggles with the decision to continue her studies at Starfleet or to resign and help the founding of New Vulcan. Her faculty adviser tries to persuade her to stay until the completion of a Starfleet competition against other academies of higher thought spread across the universe. Usually an Academy loner, the Vulcan cadet now must learn to work as part of a team of misfits. Meanwhile, three years into the past, Uhura uncovers a dark secret about the founding of Starfleet. What she uncovers and the adventures of the new class combine to make an epic storyline that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There's lots of great Easter eggs in this book. Mike Johnson (Star Trek/Green Lantern) crafts an intriguing story that spans 'generations'. But really, the magic of this book is all thanks to artist Derek Charm. The illustrator of the Star Wars Adventures series, also from IDW, Charm loves to add characters and elements taken from other parts of whatever franchise he is tackling. It really connects the story so perfectly. I'd love to share a few examples, but if you were to decide to read this book, I'd be spoiling quite a bit of fun.
One thing that irritated me was a small level of story inconsistency. In the first two issues, the story jumps back and forth 3 years. In issue #3, the story is said to occur back and forth only 2 years apart. If that was the natural progression of the story, I would be fine with this. However, in the fourth issue, it's back to a 3 years distance between Kirk's class and the new cadets.
For a story that did some really amazingly unexpected things with the Star Trek franchise, that small error is a huge blotch! It's like someone put a pink mole of the Mona Lisa! Despite this, I'd really like to see these characters again. Another miniseries would be great. Since Chris Pine is supposedly done with the Star Trek films, a movie based on this new group would be freaking awesome!
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy from IDW Publishing is a continuation of that 90s series. That was my first thought when I saw this trade paperback at a recent swap meet. On this cover of this book is a Vulcan and an Andorian. Both species were main characters in the Marvel series. So with the faces of Kelvin timeline Spock, Kirk and Uhura, I assumed that this was the new timelines reboot of the book. Turns out, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy from IDW Publishing is NOT a continuation of that 90s series.
In this 2015-16 miniseries, the adventures of Kelvin timeline Kirk and company are intermingled with an all-new class of cadets. The new students' storyline takes place 3 years just after the events of 2009's Star Trek, in which the planet Vulcan is destroyed by Nero.
A young Vulcan cadet struggles with the decision to continue her studies at Starfleet or to resign and help the founding of New Vulcan. Her faculty adviser tries to persuade her to stay until the completion of a Starfleet competition against other academies of higher thought spread across the universe. Usually an Academy loner, the Vulcan cadet now must learn to work as part of a team of misfits. Meanwhile, three years into the past, Uhura uncovers a dark secret about the founding of Starfleet. What she uncovers and the adventures of the new class combine to make an epic storyline that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There's lots of great Easter eggs in this book. Mike Johnson (Star Trek/Green Lantern) crafts an intriguing story that spans 'generations'. But really, the magic of this book is all thanks to artist Derek Charm. The illustrator of the Star Wars Adventures series, also from IDW, Charm loves to add characters and elements taken from other parts of whatever franchise he is tackling. It really connects the story so perfectly. I'd love to share a few examples, but if you were to decide to read this book, I'd be spoiling quite a bit of fun.
One thing that irritated me was a small level of story inconsistency. In the first two issues, the story jumps back and forth 3 years. In issue #3, the story is said to occur back and forth only 2 years apart. If that was the natural progression of the story, I would be fine with this. However, in the fourth issue, it's back to a 3 years distance between Kirk's class and the new cadets.
For a story that did some really amazingly unexpected things with the Star Trek franchise, that small error is a huge blotch! It's like someone put a pink mole of the Mona Lisa! Despite this, I'd really like to see these characters again. Another miniseries would be great. Since Chris Pine is supposedly done with the Star Trek films, a movie based on this new group would be freaking awesome!
February 14, 2023
Volume 8 of the Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection.
Set in the so-called Kelvin Timeline, the main story here begins with Uhura discovering a mysterious distress signal whilst at Starfleet Academy. Several years later a team of cadets find themselves following up on Uhura's investigation, leading to a starship thought lost for a century.
In the back-up story, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise encounter an alien with the power to de-age them into children.
I'll admit I went into the main story of this book with a heavy helping of cynicism. I've never liked J. J. Abrams' reboot of the Trek franchise and initially this seemed like it was using that, already somewhat shaky, starting point to launch an all-new cast of nobodies as if they were part of the larger franchise.
I'm also willing to admit that I was wrong to be so critical. Whilst the reboot movie characters are mostly used as a framing device, the story of the new characters turned out to be genuinely engaging. The team of cadets are diverse and interesting and I enjoyed seeing them have to overcome their inherent differences to become a team, before that team goes on to face a real challenge outside of their Academy activities.
Also, whilst I was never a particular fan of 'Enterprise', I did get a little nostalgia kick out of seeing an NX-class starship turn up.
As with almost every one of the throwback stories from Gold Key comics, the back-up story here is silly, poorly-written and doesn't feel like Star Trek much at all. Thankfully it doesn't entirely ruin the enjoyment of the main story.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
Set in the so-called Kelvin Timeline, the main story here begins with Uhura discovering a mysterious distress signal whilst at Starfleet Academy. Several years later a team of cadets find themselves following up on Uhura's investigation, leading to a starship thought lost for a century.
In the back-up story, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise encounter an alien with the power to de-age them into children.
I'll admit I went into the main story of this book with a heavy helping of cynicism. I've never liked J. J. Abrams' reboot of the Trek franchise and initially this seemed like it was using that, already somewhat shaky, starting point to launch an all-new cast of nobodies as if they were part of the larger franchise.
I'm also willing to admit that I was wrong to be so critical. Whilst the reboot movie characters are mostly used as a framing device, the story of the new characters turned out to be genuinely engaging. The team of cadets are diverse and interesting and I enjoyed seeing them have to overcome their inherent differences to become a team, before that team goes on to face a real challenge outside of their Academy activities.
Also, whilst I was never a particular fan of 'Enterprise', I did get a little nostalgia kick out of seeing an NX-class starship turn up.
As with almost every one of the throwback stories from Gold Key comics, the back-up story here is silly, poorly-written and doesn't feel like Star Trek much at all. Thankfully it doesn't entirely ruin the enjoyment of the main story.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
August 5, 2019
This is a neat book about Star Fleet Academy. It takes place over two time periods, one in which the characters from the Kelvin-universe storyline are still students at the academy and a second time-line in the future where there are new cadets at the school.
Spock is a teacher there at the time and he ends up breaking up with Uhuru. Kirk is there and is definitely not as mature as he is in the movie.
In the future there is another Vulcan, T'Lann, who wants to leave the Academy and go to New Vulcan, the planet that remaining Vulcans settled on after the destruction of their home planet. (Again, the Kelvin timeline only.)
She's with some other cadets including an Andorian who is really nasty to her.
Matters then revolve around a missing Starfleet vessel that is reported to have disappeared in a certain area. The problem is that the new cadets pick up a signal that seems to be from the ship that had disappeared around a hundred years before.
Checking into what they can find out about the ship the students uncover a mystery, learning that virtually all information about the ship is classified.
Then there's a competition between groups of cadets and it turns out the group with T'Lann and up finding out a lot more than they expected about what happened to the missing ship. That won't do them much good, though, if they don't survive what is going on.
I was actually surprised at the quality of the story. It ties things between past and future fairly well and it gives the new group of cadets interesting personalities.
Spock is a teacher there at the time and he ends up breaking up with Uhuru. Kirk is there and is definitely not as mature as he is in the movie.
In the future there is another Vulcan, T'Lann, who wants to leave the Academy and go to New Vulcan, the planet that remaining Vulcans settled on after the destruction of their home planet. (Again, the Kelvin timeline only.)
She's with some other cadets including an Andorian who is really nasty to her.
Matters then revolve around a missing Starfleet vessel that is reported to have disappeared in a certain area. The problem is that the new cadets pick up a signal that seems to be from the ship that had disappeared around a hundred years before.
Checking into what they can find out about the ship the students uncover a mystery, learning that virtually all information about the ship is classified.
Then there's a competition between groups of cadets and it turns out the group with T'Lann and up finding out a lot more than they expected about what happened to the missing ship. That won't do them much good, though, if they don't survive what is going on.
I was actually surprised at the quality of the story. It ties things between past and future fairly well and it gives the new group of cadets interesting personalities.
March 11, 2019
I had the opportunity to obtain a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In the interest of full disclosure: this title was archived before I had a chance to download it, so I purchased a copy for myself and that’s the one I read.
I LOVED this. Starfleet Academy stories of any kind are my jam and this is exactly what I expected it to be. The main story, set after the events of the 2009 film, connects with the secondary plot line involving Uhura, Kirk and Spock, set during their time at the Academy. Each story develops independently and then ultimately they join up and culminate in a very satisfyingly typical Star Trek way. I enjoyed this glimpse into the school life of characters I know and love while also getting to know new characters. I especially enjoyed following T’Laan on her quest for purpose and belonging (Vulcan diaspora stories are also my jam).
I definitely recommend this for anyone curious about what it would be like to go to Starfleet Academy, or how the Academy began; or who just wants a Star Trek story both fresh and familiar.
I LOVED this. Starfleet Academy stories of any kind are my jam and this is exactly what I expected it to be. The main story, set after the events of the 2009 film, connects with the secondary plot line involving Uhura, Kirk and Spock, set during their time at the Academy. Each story develops independently and then ultimately they join up and culminate in a very satisfyingly typical Star Trek way. I enjoyed this glimpse into the school life of characters I know and love while also getting to know new characters. I especially enjoyed following T’Laan on her quest for purpose and belonging (Vulcan diaspora stories are also my jam).
I definitely recommend this for anyone curious about what it would be like to go to Starfleet Academy, or how the Academy began; or who just wants a Star Trek story both fresh and familiar.
October 24, 2022
This is a fun exploration of the Kelvinverse that has quite a bit of background fanservice for Trekkies while being comprehensible for casual fans, which is the point of the kelvinverse. Every long running franchise reaches a point where it gets so stuck in the minutiae of its own lore that it either stagnates or becomes incomprehensible. The solution to this is a soft reboot, things had to change for Star Trek to keep going for better or worse. First I will say that this is clearly coming from a YA angle, which I assumed from the setting so wasn’t disappointed there. It has very Star Trek-ian intrigue plot. The A plot involves the cadets and the B plot involves the way in which Uhura accidentally helps them along their way. T’laan’s struggle with losing her home is genuinely touching and all the new characters have fun chemistry. The art is very crisp and pretty but using some obvious cheap shortcuts are distracting. Overall a fun read for people who are interested in Star Trek but inessential
July 19, 2018
I don't usually read graphic novels--the lack of "scene breaks" as the story changed from one group to another was a bit disconcerting to me.
One storyline involves Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and Chekov--though it mainly focuses on Uhura pursuing information on a message she isolated. Another involves Starfleet cadets 2-3 years behind that group who are competing in a tournament that reminds me of the one in the Harry Potter series--though in this case there are teams with different members being tested in different specialties. The third storyline involves a ship whose disappearance many years before prompted the founding of Starfleet academy as a place to train those who would go out into space. The storyline does eventually connect these three stories into one.
The art was well done, for the most part. In addition to the graphic novel story, there are some full page pieces of art done by various artists. All in full color.
One storyline involves Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and Chekov--though it mainly focuses on Uhura pursuing information on a message she isolated. Another involves Starfleet cadets 2-3 years behind that group who are competing in a tournament that reminds me of the one in the Harry Potter series--though in this case there are teams with different members being tested in different specialties. The third storyline involves a ship whose disappearance many years before prompted the founding of Starfleet academy as a place to train those who would go out into space. The storyline does eventually connect these three stories into one.
The art was well done, for the most part. In addition to the graphic novel story, there are some full page pieces of art done by various artists. All in full color.
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