Captain Kirk pointing a phaser in Star Trek 2009
By
Shaun Corley
Published 2 minutes ago
Shaun Corley is a Staff Writer for ScreenRant, a position he has held for five years. While he enjoys many types of comics and graphic novels, he has a particular interest in the licensed Star Trek titles.
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Although Paramount may disagree, Star Trek’s Kelvin Universe has too much potential to be discarded. The studio effectively put the Kelvin Universe to rest recently, to the disappointment of Star Trek fans, who felt it a missed opportunity. That assertion is hard to argue with, especially after seeing what IDW Publishing did with the Kelvin Universe.
IDW, who obtained the Star Trek comics license in 2006, published tie-in titles to 2009’s big-budget reboot film, helmed by JJ Abrams. The first batch set the stage for Star Trek, showing events only alluded to in the movies. The publisher also released two ongoing series set in the Kelvin Universe, as well as various miniseries, all showing what could have been.
Star Trek's Kelvin Universe Gave the Franchise a Hypospray in the Arm
Star Trek's Kelvin Movies Showcased a Leaner, Sleeker 23rd Century
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s longest-running franchises, debuting in 1966 and thrilling fans worldwide. Yet by the mid-2000s, it was beginning to show some wear and tear. After the cancellation of Enterprise in 2005, Paramount decided to go back to basics, shifting the focus once again to Kirk and Spock, the icons who started it all.
At the time of Star Trek's release, JJ Abrams was perhaps best known as one of the co-creators of the popular TV show Lost.
The result was 2009’s Star Trek. Director JJ Abrams spared no expense in retooling the 23rd century. The franchise’s aesthetics were updated for the modern era, with technology and ships that looked sleek and futuristic. The movie was a smash hit, and helped keep interest in Star Trek alive.
It was followed by two sequels: Into Darkness and Beyond. However, these two were not as warmly received by fans and critics as the first. The two movies still managed to turn a profit at the box office, but it was clear the returns were starting to diminish. From there, the Kelvin movies entered into limbo.
Paramount Pictures Has Put the Kelvin Universe on the Back Burner
Paramount Squandered Star Trek's Kelvin Universe
Chris Pine stars in J.J. Abrams' Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies.
Today, Paramount has seemingly shifted the focus back to the Prime timeline. Every Star Trek show since Discovery has been set in that timeline, leaving its Kelvin counterpart in the dust. Then, last month, Paramount announced they were pursuing a new path with Star Trek movies, one that does not include the Kelvin characters.
While the Kelvin films were controversial with Star Trek fans, the news that Paramount had discontinued the series was still greeted with disappointment by fans. They felt the Kelvin Universe and its characters never had the chance to reach their potential. With only three films starring the crew, this complaint makes perfect sense, which is where IDW comes into the picture.
IDW's Star Trek Comics Set the Stage for JJ Abrams' 2009 Film
These Star Trek Comics Fleshed Out Nero, As Well as Spock's Journey to Save Romulus
Star Trek Kelvin Cast
The first batch of Kelvin-related Star Trek comics arrived before the movie, and acted as a prequel to it. The first, Star Trek: Countdown, detailed Spock’s attempts to halt the Romulan Supernova, as well as his first meeting with Nero. Starring characters from The Next Generation, Countdown set the stage for the birth of the Kelvin Universe.
Countdown was followed by another miniseries, this one focused on Nero. Much like Countdown, it fleshed out events that were only alluded to in the film, such as the decades Nero spent in a Klingon prison. Nero also made the shocking revelation that his ship, the Narada, used Borg technology. Another mini, concerning Spock, was also released.
IDW's 2011 Star Trek Title Arrived on the Franchise's 45th Anniversary
IDW's Star Trek Series Told New Stories, As Well as Old Ones With a Fresh Coat of Paint
Star Trek Kelvin Gary Mitchell
IDW’s next Kelvin-set series arrived in 2011. Simply titled Star Trek, the book followed the adventures of Kirk as a newly minted Starfleet captain. Mike Johnson, one of the book’s primary writers, worked closely with Alex Kurtzman and the late Roberto Orci, who wrote the script for Star Trek, in order to ensure the comic gelled with the movies.
The title took a unique approach, by retelling classic Star Trek episodes using the likeness of the Kelvin crew and their ship. The book’s first arc was a riff on the first season episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and was followed by new takes on “The Galileo Seven” and “Operation: Annihilate.”
Yet the book did not merely retread old ground, as it also explored the fallout from the first movie. In issues 7 and 8, the survivors of the destruction of the Vulcan seek vengeance on the Romulans, forcing Kirk to act. The two-part story established an arc that would continue through the book’s end: the Vulcans’ search for a new home.
IDW’s first volume of Star Trek ran 60 issues and concluded in 2016, shortly before the release of Beyond, the final Kelvin film. By the book’s end, it had largely abandoned the retellings, instead focusing on new stories. It still, however, found time to riff on both “The Tholian Web” and “The Doomsday Machine.”
The Kelvin Universe introduced some exciting new characters to the Star Trek franchise, and IDW’s comics gave them their time to shine. Gaila, Kirk’s Orion girlfriend from the first movie, received a backstory, as did Keenser (Scotty’s friend) as well as Hendorff, the Security Officer who called Kirk “cupcake.” These stories showed the Kelvin Universe’s potential.
Finally, Star Trek gave fans something they had been wanting to see since 2009: a crossover between the Kelvin and Prime Universes. Issues 35-40 of the series saw the trickster figure Q pay a call on the Kelvin Enterprise crew. The book’s two-part finale featured a full-on meeting between the two universes.
A Complete Guide to IDW's Kelvin-Set Star Trek Comics
Title
Year of Publication
Number of Issues
Countdown
2009
4
Spock: Reflections
2009
4
Nero
2009
4
Star Trek Movie Adaptation
2010
6
Star Trek
2011-2016
60
Countdown to Darkness
2013
4
Khan
2013
5
Starfleet Academy
2016
5
Manifest Destiny
2016
4
Star Trek:Boldy Go
2016-2018
18
Star Trek: Boldly Go Mixed Things Up By Bringing the Borg Into the Mix
IDW Teased More Kelvin Comics, But They Have Yet to Appear
IDW followed Star Trek up with Boldly Go, a new series that picked up the threads from Beyond. Kirk and McCoy, while waiting for the Enterprise to be refitted, took a position on another starship. Boldly Go also brought the Borg to the Kelvin Universe as well as feature the franchise’s first Romulan in Starfleet.
Beyond ran for 18 issues, concluding in 2018. By this point, the writing was on the wall for the Kelvin Universe. Star Trek returned to television, with the Prime Universe-set Discovery. Furthermore, Picard had been announced by this point, as had Lower Decks. All of these shows, set in the Prime Universe, did not bode well for the Kelvin crew.
The Kelvin crew’s final appearance in comics (so far) came in 2022’s Star Trek #400, with a tease that more was coming soon. However, if there were any plans for IDW to release a new Kelvin series, they have thus far failed to materialize. With Paramount moving to a different movie strategy, the Kelvin Universe seems dead.
IDW's Kelvin-Set Star Trek Comics Showed Its Potential
The Kelvin Movies Tried to Copy the Comics' Approach, But It Did Not Work As Well
Paramount scrapping the Kelvin Universe did it a grave disservice, and IDW’s comics prove it. The studio had the opportunity to create exciting new stories that could have pushed the franchise to new heights. The 2009 film went a long way to restoring public faith in the Star Trek franchise.
The second Kelvin-set film, Into Darkness, took a cue from the comics by retelling a classic Star Trek story, in this case The Wrath of Khan. Unlike the comics, however, Into Darkness was merely a hollow retreading. It lacked the charm and humanity present in IDW’s Kelvin Star Trek comics.
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