Star Trek Guide

Star Trek's Boldly Go: The Sequels Fans Should've Gotten

Star Trek: Boldly Go is the sequel fans of the J.J. Abrams’ movies should have gotten. Published by IDW, the series ran for two years and gave fans a tantalizing taste of what the Abrams movies could have been. Writing chores were handled by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott, with Tony Shasteen handling art duties.

J.J. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise in 2009 with the movie of the same name. Dispensing with previous Trek continuity, the movies were set in an alternate timeline, officially called “The Kelvin Timeline,” named after the USS Kelvin, which was attacked by future Romulans, leading to the new timeline. It was followed by two more movies: 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek: Beyond. Whereas the first movie was met with acclaim from critics and Trekkies alike, reaction to the other two were more divided; Into Darkness was criticized for being a retread of Wrath of Khan and Beyond, while viewed slightly better, failed to capture the magic of the first film.

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The Kelvin timeline represented a golden opportunity to break with tradition and tell new stories with new characters that are not afraid to take risks, and Boldly Go does just that. Set after the events of Beyond, the series opens with Kirk now in command of the USS Endeavour. Spock and Uhura are on an extended sabbatical on Vulcan and Sulu is the first officer on the USS Concord. A number of new characters such as Valas, the only Romulan in Starfleet, are introduced as well.

But what sets Boldy Go apart are the stories, and the first arc shows that the best. The Borg, who are not known to the Federation at this time, attack the Federation, capturing Sulu’s husband and daughter, and attempt to assimilate Spock. A joint Romulan-Federation task force defeats the Borg, but knowing they will be back, the two attempt an alliance in the second story arc. The arc is every bit as epic as the movies, maybe even more so. Plot holes from the movies are filled in as well. For example, the Narada, the Romulan ship from the future that attacked the Kelvin, is explored further, revealing a surprising connection to the Borg.

Paramount seems to have abandoned the Kelvin timeline in favor of the original, meaning Boldy Go and any subsequent Kelvin Trek comics will be the only glimpses fans get of these characters. If that is the case, Star Trek: Boldly Go has proven itself as the Kelvin stories fans should have gotten all along.

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Source: screenrant.com