Year Four, Issue 2 was the second of a six-part comic book miniseries written by David Tischman and published by IDW Publishing in 2007. The story took place during the fourth year of the five-year mission of Captain James T. Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise.
Publisher's description[]
During a routine visit by the U.S.S. Enterprise to Aarak 3, a major supplier of dilithium to the Federation, an attack on the royal palace reveals a group of zealots who resent the Federation's intrusion and desire a return to "the pure ways" of the ancestors. Captain Kirk must figure a way to prevent the zealots' coup while not violating the Prime Directive.
Summary[]
- Captain's log, stardate 6372.2. The Enterprise has made a detour on its way to Starbase 14, stopping to replenish our supply of dilithium crystals at Aarak III – where King Marat has accepted gifts and technology in exchange for Federation mining rights. The planet has one of the galaxy's largest supplies of dilithium – the only substance powerful enough to fuel a starship engine.
Marat and Princess Sharday shared a glass of ice wine with a landing party from the Enterprise at their palace. Two Traditionalist suicide bombers broke into the room, but Kirk knocked the bomb away and Leonard McCoy pitched it outside of the building before it blew up. It was the rebels' sixth attack on the government in less than a year as they continued to push for an end to the Federation's mining agreement.
Aboard the Enterprise, Sharday personally installed a new crystal in the engine room with Montgomery Scott. She offered to show him intermix adjustments that would improve the engines' efficiency and made minor adjustments to the plasma flow, but secretly tried using a bad crystal to blow up the ship. On the surface, Kirk spoke with one of the suicide bombers, discussing aspects of the Prime Directive, but a guard sided with the rebel and released him. Together they abducted Kirk and tried to blow him up in a dilithium mine.
While both sides failed in their plots, they did manage to wreck their mine, giving both sides plenty of time to decide the planet's future for themselves.
References[]
Characters[]
- Arex Na Eth • James T. Kirk • Marat • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Sharday • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Aarakians (guard, suicide bombers)
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Aarak III
- Referenced only
- Starbase 14
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and technology[]
- bomb • dilithium • intermix • mining • phaser • transporter
Ranks and titles[]
Other references[]
- government • ice wine • ion storm • matter-antimatter reaction • natural resource • Nomad • Prime Directive • rebellion • snow • spear
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
- 2268 or prior
- The Federation negotiated a dilithium mining agreement with Aarak III, exchanging gifts and technology with King Marat.
- 2268 or prior
- Traditionalist rebels on Aarak III began using terrorism to end the mining agreement, with escalating violence lasting at least one year.
- 2269
- En route to Starbase 14, while encountering an ion storm the Enterprise blew out at least one dilithium crystal, then diverted to Aarak III for resupply.
- Stardate 6372.2
- The USS Enterprise arrived in orbit of Aarak III.
Appendices[]
Information[]
- This comic was scheduled as the August issue of the miniseries, but was actually released just a late of the month on September 5th.
- This issue was available in three covers, two of equal availability; one by Steve Conley and one by Joe Corroney, and the third, a photomontage, of more limited availability.
- Oddly the Corroney cover features Pavel Chekov who does not appear in the comic at all, and Sulu who appears in a single frame at the conn.
- In classic TOS style, the situation in this comic openly pulls on current affairs; comparing the perception of the Federation's interest in Aarak III's dilithium, and the subsequent insurgent activity, to past events. This is likely referencing the current situation with the United States of America's interest with the oil rich nations of the middle east and the insurgency faced by western forces in Iraq.
- The stardate given for the Editor's Log on the letters page of issue is 60985.3 which like previous editorial content would place it in 2383. The letters page also includes an advert for the next issue of this miniseries.
- This issue also contains a one page The Trek Life comic strip, in which the trio of Trekkies discuss what they imagine occupied the Enterprise's final two years of five-year mission and Kate reveals her desires for Mirror Spock.
- The remaining eight pages of editorial content in this issue include a one page advert for the first issue of the Alien Spotlight miniseries, featuring Zach Howard's cover for the issue, and threatening "The Gorn are coming!".
Related stories[]
- TOS comic: "Cura Te Ipsum" – In 2268, following a catastrophic explosion aboard the Enterprise, Montgomery Scott and a team mined for replacement dilithium on inhabited Kala.
- TOS comic: "Dilithium Dilemma" – In 2273, after the ship's crystals had been fused, Enterprise Arcturian mining engineer Taskul led a team through an old dilithium mine on Forma VI.
Images[]
Connections[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: Year Four, Issue 1 |
TOS comics Year Four |
Next comic: Year Four, Issue 3 |
| Previous comic: Year Four, Issue 1 |
Comics by: David Tischman |
Next comic: Year Four, Issue 3 |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Year Four, Issue 1 |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: Year Four, Issue 3 |
External link[]
- Year Four, Issue 2 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.