Star Trek: The Enterprise Incident

Star Trek: The Original Series (IDW) #3

by D.C. Fontana, Derek Chester, Gordon Purcell (Artist)

Lieutenant Arex, from Star Trek: The Animated Series, stars in this special tale from IDW.

IDW’s Star Trek: Year Four, from David Tischman and Steve Conley, chronicled an untold adventure from the Enterprise’s fourth year under Captain James T. Kirk. Readers delighted at seeing the cartoon’s Arex and M’Ress return to the spotlight.
This volume presents the acclaimed sequel, Year Four—Enterprise Experiment, co-written by Star Trek television writer and editor D.C. Fontana, with an exciting new mission for Arex involving the Romulan Empire.

Genres: Star Trek, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Ebooks

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2008

About the author

Dorothy Catherine "D. C." Fontana (born March 25, 1939) was an American television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original Star Trek franchise and several western television series. After she attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, she moved to New York City briefly to work for Screen Gems as a secretary, but soon moved to Los Angeles where she worked in the typing pool at Revue Studios. She became the secretary for Samuel A. Peeples, who she sold her first story, "A Bounty for Bill", for the series The Tall Man. Her initial work was credited under the name Dorothy C. Fontana.

After Peeples left the studio, she moved to work for Del Reisman, a producer on The Lieutenant. The show was created by Gene Roddenberry, and after his secretary fell ill, Fontana covered. The Lieutenant was cancelled after one season, and Roddenberry began working on Star Trek. He had her work up one of his ideas into the episode "Charlie X", and after she re-wrote "This Side of Paradise", he gave her the job of story editor. She continued in this post until the end of the second season when she wanted to pursue her freelance writing work. She was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for an episode of Then Came Bronson.

Roddenberry brought Fontana back to write for Genesis II, and then as story editor and associate producer on Star Trek: The Animated Series. During the 1970s she worked on a number of series such as Logan's Run, the Six Million Dollar Man and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Roddenberry hired her to work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but while she was given an associate producer credit, the experience soured the relationship with Roddenberry and resulted in a claim put to the Writers Guild of America. She later wrote an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as the plots for several of the franchise's video games, in addition to a comic story and an episode of the fan-made series Star Trek: New Voyages. She was awarded the Morgan Cox Award in 2002 by the Writers Guild of America, and named twice to the American Screenwriters Association's hall of fame.

D. C. Fontana died December 2, 2019, after a brief illness.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Enough games, Captain. Surrender your ship." -- Liviana Charvanek, Roman 'Warbird' commander

"No Romulan will ever set foot aboard my ship . . . except as a prisoner." -- Captain James T. Kirk, definitely not in the mood for her s***

There is a fair amount of potential with Year Four - The Enterprise Experiment (the 'year four' part being nod to the original 1966-1969 Star Trek TV series lasting for only three of an intended five seasons, and that this story's outline was also slotted for use in the unrealized fourth season) but it disappointingly flamed out for me after the first two involving chapters. I know that the respected Dorothy 'D.C.' Fontana wrote a number of the notable scripts for the show, but this plot became increasingly muddled and overcrowded before concluding with a disengaged non-ending. It was nice, however, to have the alien character Arex - who was created for the 1973-1974 animated series - back in action as a necessary part of the command staff on the U.S.S. Enterprise's bridge.

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like my reviews of these comics all end up being the same: me praising them. But that's exactly how I feel. I thoroughly enjoy the stories and love seeing more from the characters. I like how they expanded on ideas presented in the series, and many of those other plot points were put into play here. The action bits were enjoyable and the flashbacks helped fill in some gaps. There was a nice little theme of family going on that I enjoyed.

Not sure what else I can say about these comics. Every time I read them I love them and want more.

[Lungkisser · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Highly recommend you watch "The Enterprise Incident" first!) Solid 4. Like most beta canon Trek, new or old continuity, it tells a good story with a whimper of an ending. Still, consistent art, good story until that point, plenty of Arex... this was very solid.

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

DC Fontana was an incredible TV writer but this just shows that writing comics is a different art form.

[Aron · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up,...good but not great.

[David Agranoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reason for reading this is pretty simple. I have researched and written about D.C. Fontana off and on throughout the last couple of months. When IDW launched a comic series called Star Trek Year Four it was obvious that D.C. Fontana had to be one of the writers. Released in 2006 in Fontana’s mind it is clear it takes place in the same era as the animated series that she was the story editor .
Gene Coon and Dorothy Fontana are debatably more important to the writing of Star Trek than even the show’s creator Gene Roddenberry. Much of the tone, style, and consistency was in the hands of those two writers who were in the foxhole of daily production much more than Roddenberry.

Fontana started her time at Star Trek before it was even a thing. She gave Roddenberry notes on his early drafts and answered the phones in the Star Trek offices. It is interesting that this is a sequel in part to Fontana’s episode Enterprise Incident. It was an episode that she changed dramatically from the first draft to the shooting draft, but it was a fight. Personally as someone who has read Fontana's original treatment for the Enterprise Incident, I kinda wish they had produced that. Nonetheless.

Fontana tells the story of the continued development of the Starfleet cloaking tech that the enterprise had stolen from the Romulans a year earlier. Now with Arex in the crew, this story does have a TAS feel. That is fine for me I always liked how much more Science Fiction the Animated Series felt.
This story has Romulans, a bad cloaking device that phases the Enterprise out of space-time, and plenty of legacy characters. The second half is a sequel to Errand of Mercy, just like the first ST novel by James Blish, with lots of sequels to those stories. There are callbacks all over the place to various episodes. This is where we see the most Fontana influence. Most interesting in the second storyline involves Kor trying to steal Preserver technology. A storyline that got developed in the later seasons of TNG that Fontana said she never watched.

The stories are good with a few moments that made me smile wishing we got this as an episode in a fourth season. Of course, it is not exactly that. There is a hint of modern storytelling and enough to make it feel a little deeper. Fontana re-writes her own back story for McCoy’s daughter and that was really interesting to me. It was also fun to see her use Carol Marcus a creation of Star Trek 2.
Big thumbs up.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

I am one of those faithful Star Trek fans who will gladly read stories (stories, novels, graphic novels) featuring the original Star Trek cast/crew. When you add in an author such as D.C. Fontana, who wrote for the original series, and the excitement level for a book like this is high.

The book reads like a classic Trek episode. Here, while the Enterprise is testing a new cloaking device (having stolen such a device from a Romulan ship) Kirk and Spock find themselves boarding the ship from a shuttlecraft only to discover that they are out of ‘phase’ with the rest of the ship’s crew. Only Lt. Arex is slightly visible to Kirk and Spock (due to some technical, fortuitous accident). It is during this time that the Romulans arrive, with Ambassador Sarek, and an old-fashioned pistol (phaser pistol) fight may ensue in the corridors.

I will almost always have fun reading new adventures from my favorite starship crew, and I definitely enjoyed this, but scribe Fontana does something that I don’t really like too much … she gets too cute trying to bring aspects from multiple episodes into one story. She does, however, have a better understanding of the characters than many Star Trek comic writers.

Many comics/graphic novels have stories that span multiple comics issues which really does create a different kind of story (because each ‘issue’ has an entire story with rising action and a climax). This graphic novel is built more as an actual episode with one large story as the focus.

The art here is fine. I think Gordon Purcell is probably one of the best artists for Star Trek graphic novels currently working in the field.

Fun read? Yes. Not to be missed? Only because it’s D.C. Fontana telling a Star Trek story.

Looking for a good book? True Star Trek fans will want to read D.C. Fontana’s story in the graphic novel Star Trek: Year Four – The Enterprise Experiment.

I borrowed this through the Kindle Unlimited program.

[Joseph Szabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me just say that Star Trek is one of the great joys of my life. I’ve watched every series, every film, multiple times. If I’m being honest, it is not the best Science Fiction or television show ever. But it’s damned fun and I love it to death.

Now, when it comes to Star Trek books and comics, I’m usually not a fan. I don’t much like adaptations of any licensed material to the printed word. This does not include Marvel or DC or anything that started in the printed word because the comics came first and the movies and tv shows came second. So, that doesn’t count.

What does count is this book. It’s licensed. But, as a fan of Star Trek, I would be crazy not to want a fourth or fifth season of the original Trek. And, since this was written by D.C. Fontana, a legendary writer of the Star Trek television program, I gave this comic a shot.

And…I was happy with it. Very happy.

It got more personal than the original show did with the characters. It showed backstory and gave us a few surprises.

The dialogue between characters is spot on. I actually heard the voices of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and Deforest Kelly when I was reading their speech and since I watch a lot of Trek it was very easy to hear them.

The art was passable. It was a bit too laggy but still, this is what I would want from a season of Trek.

So, as a licensed from previous media to the printed word, this was good.

I’m probably going to read season five as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a pretty strong start with A LOT of little continuity crumbs far beyond the episode explicitly referenced in the title ("The Enterprise Incident"). But the ending is pretty weak and seems to be setting up a lot of things that couldn't possibly have been delivered on due to like the very nature of the Trek timeline.

also thought it was really interesting that the miniseries kept gesturing at the kind of emotional turmoil and triumvirate distance that we presume took place between the end of the five year mission and TMP. and as much as I enjoyed seeing that, it felt out of place since per the characters' frequent reminders, the mission has an entire year left. Then again, they all seemed pretty miserable by Year 3 already so actually that might be in keeping with what we've seen on the screen already....

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full scale experiment with the captured Romulan cloaking device goes awry, endangering the 'Enterprise' when the Romulans track the signal and launch a mission to reclaim their technology.

Fontana's story is in keeping with the spirit of 'Star Trek' and, understandably, her characterisation is spot on. The artwork is of a high standard and there is a good sense of dynamism.

The bonus feature of the outline story is interesting to read as well.

[Sean Goh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story starts out great with the phasing problems, then loses steam when the Romulans and THEN the Klingons show up and everything becomes muddled. Flashbacks happen without warning, suddenly the captured Romulan is toasting the admiral and then there's a tripartite secret meeting on an isolated moon??? The mind is boggled.

[Terry Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly reads like an ambitious series of Classic Trek 4th season episodes, with callbacks to past characters and plot points that wind and weave together for an even more connected universe. Solid artwork by Gordon Purcell hits the perfect spot of Trek Tech and actor likenesses. Simply put - one of the best Trek graphic novels ever published by creators who know and love the characters.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a continuation not just of the Original Series, but of several episodes of that series. Fontana takes the freedom from pricey special effects made possible by the graphic novel and uses them to advantage. I enjoy following the continuing adventures of the Enterprise crew. Been doing it most of my life. This was a fine addition to the continuing story.

[ISMOTU · Rating 4 out of 5]

New classic Star Trek stories by one of the original series writers. DC Fontana revisits some old friends while dropping hints about the future and delivering solid Star Trek fun. The art by Gordon Purcell is spot on.

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected much better writing from D.C. Fontana. The only reason it rised above one star was the medley of familiar characters which filled me with the nostalgia of her much better scripts on Star Trek: TOS.

[H. Givens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the substantial roles for Kor and the Romulan Commander, but I'm confused about what actually happened in the political machinations... and it seems incredibly racist for them to just dress Sulu up like a Klingon as if he can pass for one with no effort?

[Ben A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfactory series written by Trek Legend D.C. Fontana that feels like genuinely like a couple of serialized episodes of The Original Series. It's possible that my expectations were slightly too high however.

[Patrick McWilliams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool story tying together the aftermath of several TOS episodes. Didn't get the clandestine meetings with Starfleet brass though, and from other reviews, I'm not the only one.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far to similar to multiple episodes of subsequent ST series and a half dozen other sci-fi shows to be truly enjoyable.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this had the opposite problem of the previous Year Four book in that it had too much dialogue and was too slowly paced for me to really get engaged in the story.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Well, not meh, it's like watching more Star Trek. Nothing too thrilling, but it is satisfactory if you're hoping for more Star Trek.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining sequel to TOS season 3 episode "The Enterprise Incident." The character moments that stand out to me is when the crew members think about their families back home and their family on the Enterprise. After losing his brother Sam, Kirk believes that he will die alone and is unable to be with David, the son he had with Carol Marcus. A flashback in this story also incorporates Bones' daighter Joanna McCoy, who was intended to appear in TOS and has only been mentioned in The Animated Series. Some touching and bittersweet moments throughout. This volume also has an example of a five-book proposal within the last few pages.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.C. Fontana earned most her fame working on ST TOS. Here she brings her knowledge of the characters and the various competing interstellar empires to a well crafted tale. She realistically deals with the whole Organian problem (maybe not a great solution, but a good one).

I've read 4 of the TPBs put out by IDW, and three of them have been good to surprisingly good. There may be some fan service, but the characters have been dealt with well, and stories have been average science fiction/space opera (which is better than most comic stories nowadays)

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek and overall sci-fi television master Dorothy Fontana herself is behind an epic story that attempts to bridge the gap between the political situation seen in the original series and the movies ten years later. The task is enormous, but Fontana does indeed manage to achieve the near impossible and deliver a coherent and smart political saga that doesn’t fail to deliver on the plot or character level.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a big rush to tie a lot of the ancient races together at the end but for the most part this works (in no small part to DC Fontana). Although I couldn't help but think of the Ancient Head Grabber from SG1. Seeding stuff for the future while also giving the main three a couple of good flashback and reflection pages.

[michelle+8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Significantly better than Star Trek: Year Four, this book tells two interconnected stories set in the fourth year of the Enterprise's five year mission. The first story is a sequel to The Enterprise Incident, while the second follows up on the events of Errand of Mercy. Fantastic art, great dialogue, not enough Leonard McCoy. ;)

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treat for those who love Star Trek. It is an original story written by the legendary DC Fontana. The artwork compliments the story. All I can say is flawless! Definitely a must read and must have for Star Trek fans.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A definite step up from the 'Star Trek' Year Four graphic novel. The Enterprise runs into both the Romulans and the Klingons, and I feel this connected really well with multiple conitnuities, whether that be TAS, TOS episodes, or the TOS novels. This is more like a 3.5 stars out of 5.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pure joy to read, because not only was it written by an original "Star Trek" writer but it was well written as well.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great drawings, and as always, D.C Fontana is the best!