TrekInk: Review of Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive #3 + 7-Page Preview

IDW Publishing and BOOM! Studios present the next installment of Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive this week. Taylor is loose on the Enterprise and General Marius is ready to ride. Spoiler review after the break.

Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive #3, February 2015
Written by Scott Tipton and David Tipton, art by Rachael Stott, colored by Charlie Kirchoff, lettered by Tom B. Long, essay by Dana Gould, edited by IDW Publishing’s Sarah Gaydos and BOOM! Studios’ Dafna Pleban


Regular Cover: art by Rachael Stott, colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Subscription Cover: art by Kevin Wada


Retailer Incentive Cover

The Story
While Doctor Zaius worries about famine, civil unrest, and the increasingly militaristic gorillas, Taylor tricks Kyle into beaming him aboard the Enterprise. When the landing party finds Chekov injured, Kirk warns the crew that an intruder may be on the ship. Taylor overpowers Kyle, takes his clothing, and begins exploring. Kirk and Spock escort Chekov back to the ship while McCoy and the others continue learning from Zira and Cornelius. Spock advises Kirk that Taylor must be found immediately. The trauma of his recent experiences has made him angry, suspicious and dangerous. They deduce that Taylor will go for a shuttle. Kirk moves to intervene. The Captain is confident he can talk Taylor down, and he does, but not before they give each other a beating. Now that they’re on the same page, Kirk agrees to fully brief Taylor, but to do so, he needs to know more about Klingon activity.


Maybe Kirk should have accepted Spock’s offer to help subdue Taylor!

Meanwhile, Kor has some new toys for General Marius, provided to guarantee his authority over apes and humans. Marius is pleased. Kor even more so.


Kor whispers sweet nothings into willing ape ears!

The Review
We’re three issues into the mini-series and the Tipton brothers have been slow to reveal what the Klingons really want. Although I’m still a little frustrated by brief glimpses of Kor and his scheming, the writers have done an outstanding job this issue working through the inevitable conflict between Taylor and Kirk, who settle their differences like men (or very angry apes), beating each other nearly senseless (until Kirk’s uniform tunic is in shreds). The story gives us a real sense of Taylor’s terrible circumstances. He has nowhere to go. His anger is completely understandable. Kirk handles Taylor, but I think he also recognizes that there won’t be an easy solution, if any, to Taylor’s problems. Lost in this tale of Taylor’s anger, are the serious problems faced by the apes. I thought the opening panels with Zaius were going to be some kind of framing device to move the story along, but the closing frame was missing from this issue. That part of the story has to come in the next issue. I’m anxious to read it.

Artist Rachael Stott is going to be a superstar. I thought her art in the first two issues was sensational. Her work is even better in this issue. Look closely at her panels and you’ll find fascinating and amusing detail, as well as likenesses with real emotional impact. Charlie Kirchoff’s vibrant coloring also has a huge impact on the quality of this mini-series. Tom Long’s lettering skills are to be applauded. His work flows very nicely with this issue’s dynamic story. Ms. Stott’s cover for this issue features Kirk and Taylor flying across the bridge at each other. The cover has an offbeat dynamic that I like, which carries through into their shuttle bay brawl. Kevin Wada’s subscription cover is very unusual and I don’t really know what to say about it. The style looks sort of familiar but I can’t place it and I don’t find it very appealing. It tasks me and I don’t know why! On the other hand, the Gold Key photo cover of McCoy and the glare of a gorilla is terrific. Creating these retro covers for the mini-series was a great idea. What’s next? Kor has provoked the gorillas to their tipping point. What will the crew of the Enterprise do in response? I’m looking forward to finding out.

The Preview
Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive #3 will be at your local comic shop this Wednesday, March 4. Kneel before Marius’ might as you make your purchase, human! You can also enjoy this preview.

Look for TrekMovie’s review of John Byrne’s Star Trek: New Visions #5 this week. Star Trek #43 has been scheduled for release next week.


Cover art by Joe Corroney

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Mark Martinez is an obsessive-compulsive Star Trek comics reader and collector. You can visit his website, the Star Trek Comics Checklist for more than you ever needed to know about Star Trek comics!

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Is Spock in this comic ?

:-(

One can only ponder from a treat like this, what wondrous cinematic dreams may come?

#1. SirMartman – March 3, 2015

I am confused. What in the article causes you to conclude that he might not so be?

@1. Sure looks like it.

#3

It’s clearly a Nimoy inspired comment

Just say “NO” when it come to these cross-over stories…

Man, Heston’s a prime specimen of man in this thing, hey?

Apes and later TOS have a lot in common, I’d say.

I have to say that after the death of one of the most beloved icons of the Trek universe, this kind of treatment of the franchise seems wrong. I know the comic is one in a series and it was planned long ago. But when I think about what Mr. Nimoy brought to his role, and the decades of service that he gave to the Trek world long after the show went off the air, this kind of Trek/apes thing feels so disrespectful to all that Star Trek stands for.

I choose to see this wonderful franchise through Mr. Nimoy’s eyes: thoughtful, provocative, pushing on themes that matter. I remember an interview about ST:TVH, where he said he wanted to do a film not with aliens and mysterious worlds, but about our planet and what was at stake for us as a species. And it worked. The film resonated with so many people–and it still does today. That’s the Trek I relate to–the vision that Gene Roddenberry originally had and the way Mr. Nimoy brought that vision to his character and to so many of the fans all over the world.

I respect Paramount and their need to keep the franchise alive any way they can. But in light of losing such a huge luminary like Leonard Nimoy, this just seems out of place so close to his death.

For those of us still feeling the sting of his loss, I wish you all well. And for you, Mr. Nimoy, thanks again for everything you did. You have been, and always shall be, an inspiration.

#8. StevenPDX – March 3, 2015

I understand your concerns but the facts of Trek are that this is not the first its been rendered in comic book form from the beginning and through the decades. If it is truly your desire that all illustrated Trek stories in which Spock is not rendered to whatever high standards you are using to discount this publication then you are going to have to come up with a method of time travel to go back to the beginning to correct this in more than just this publication.

But a less labor and resource intensive method would be just to regard the characters depicted here as the adventures of the alternative Spock which Nimoy himself endorsed. Thus, no fuss and no muss.

@9 Disinvited

Great point and a good way to look at it. I appreciate the insight.

I’ve got no issue with Spock being drawn here or in any other comic. My issue is the concept of this comic itself: a cross between Star Trek and…Planet of the Apes. Really? It just seems like such a silly crossover and not worthy of the core concept of what I think Trek is all about. What’s next? Trek and Transformers? Trek and Shrek?

You are absolutely right….my standards are too high and out of date and I need to live in the “now” Trekverse and not the “then” Trekverse. I’d just like to see this amazing collection of characters, stories, and canon treated with more respect than POTA.

Appreciate your post, the article, and this site.

Oddly enough, I am finding this POTA crossover rather entertaining so far!

While they’re at it, how about crossovers like:
Star Trek Voyager / Lost in Space
Star Trek TOS / Space 1999
Star Trek: The Forbidden Planet
Borg vs Skynet

and the king of all crossovers:
Star Trek / Star Wars

Just saw this guys, i totally agree and we should all do something about it.

https://twitter.com/Alexandrakis/status/573153821028843520

JP

Star Trek/Gilligan’s Island
Star Trek/The Brady Bunch
Star Trek/Archie & Jughead
Star Trek/Bevis & Butthead
Star Trek/Barney & Friends
Star Trek/Mork & Mindy

# 12. Finnegan – March 4, 2015

” Star Trek/Gilligan’s Island
Star Trek/The Brady Bunch
Star Trek/Archie & Jughead
Star Trek/Bevis & Butthead
Star Trek/Barney & Friends
Star Trek/Mork & Mindy” — Finnegan

Star Trek/Gilligan’s Island: Already been done see:STAR TREK: VOYAGER

Star Trek/The Brady Bunch: Already been done see:STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION’s crew compliment, i.e. children

Star Trek/Archie & Jughead: Already been done see:ARCHIE comics illustrator Dan Parent

http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7zv2qT73p1qb9k5wo1_500.jpg

Star Trek/Mork & Mindy:

Oh man, can you imagine if they reboot THE VOYAGE HOME movie and the Klingon computer gets confused when they ask it to search for members of the genus Orca?

Jesus, what the hell will be next; Star Trek meets Sgt. Bilko?

I’ve wanted to see a “Star Trek / Iron-Man” crossover. Ditto for the much-demanded “Star Trek / Star Wars” mash-up.

I’d rather eat my own sh@t than read this AND I’m a fan of both!

Wow! Some real ‘franchise snobbery’ going on here! Star Trek, an intelligent 1960s action/adventure/scifI/fantasy entertainment TV series meets one of the most intelligent action/adventure/scifI/fantasy entertainment movie series of the 60s and 70s, yet it’s ‘offensive?’

Actually, it’s a crossover that’s so obvious that I’m surprised it hasn’t been tried before! Apes is full of exactly the blend of thoughtful action-adventure drama that should appeal to fans of the original Star Trek show.

People need to lighten up and accept that licenced comicbooks allow the kind of crossovers that play with the ideas expressed in both. I mean, if it was ‘Star Trek Meets the Spice Girls’ I can understand the irritation, but Planet of the Apes is a massive, complex series that has a lot of similarities to Star Trek: a six ‘original series’ movies that include complex time travel, two modern day ‘reboot’ films, a TV show and a Filmation cartoon.

Besides, who wouldn’t want to see a face-off between William Shatner and Charlton Heston? ;)

What weird stuff.

oh, and why does Kirk have Lt. Commander stripes only in that first panel?

# 16. fansincesixtynine – March 4, 2015

” oh, and why does Kirk have Lt. Commander stripes only in that first panel?” — fansincesixtynine

Maybe another indication that he’s the altKirk who gets demoted and promoted faster than he can warp to Vulcan from Earth?

The Paramount Pictures’ 2015 copyright notice is probably the dead giveaway.

Is Planet of the Apes legit sci fi?

It was certainly (sort of) idealistic, wasn’t it? Have the folks bashing this seen PotA?

Planet of the Apes was originally scripted by Rod Serling — it was rewritten (Serling’s script called for an advanced ape society that would have cost a fortune to film). It’s sci fi.

It was a popular movie and it had campy moments. But Trek had them too — and Trek was a TV show that was relatively popular with the general prime time audience, despite the well-publicized myth that nobody but a handfull of letter-writing fans was smart enough to understand it.

Trek was never Masterpiece Theatre. It was (good) popular entertainment. Five quatloos!

Mork and Mindy / Star Trek,,

its all ready been done,,

http://trekspace.ning.com/video/1977635:Video:116331

:-D

# 23. Jack – March 4, 2015

” Trek was never Masterpiece Theatre. It was (good) popular entertainment. Five quatloos!” — Jack

In the 1960s, when those two science-fiction marvels were being translated onto celluloid for the first time, MASTERPIECE THEATRE wasn’t MASTERPIECE THEATRE but THE FORSYTE SAGA.

And to paraphrase THE TELEGRAPH’s Sarah Crompton:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3575198/Granadas-grand-undertaking.html

And whatever else we end up criticizing them for, we should remember that these 1960s’ versions were good because they were good – not because they were true to science.

We also need to remember that it was in the right place, at the right time – had it come along five years later, Trek, as a morality play, would have been buried by Norman Lears All In The Family.

Isn’t this the movie Penny was in with Wil Wheaton on Big Bang Theory?

The important issue to me is trying to imagine what Heston imitating Shatner would sound like?

Or what is going on between that spectacularly drawn Nova and Dr. McCoy???

Remember the purpose of the vulcan IDIC – there is infinite merchandise to part trekkies from their money in infinite combinations!

IIRC from Shatner’s memoirs, IDIC was only created for the show in order to sell plastic hippie medallions to fans.

;)

STILL RUNNING THIS STUPID AND PATHETIC, STAR TREK / PLANET OF THE APES CRAP!

# 29. Dom – March 6, 2015

” IIRC from Shatner’s memoirs, IDIC was only created for the show in order to sell plastic hippie medallions to fans.” — Dom

The whole reason anything from episodes to merchandise with STAR TREK emblazoned upon it exists is so that someone, somewhere could make money off of it. IDIC may had the novelty of being the first piece of STAR TREK merchandise blatantly produced to do that in a cash grab but I fail to see how that somehow makes the CBS licensed for a piece of that same action STAR TREK pizza cutter morally superior somehow? I mean at least IDIC made it on screen which made it canon. I’m still waiting for the Pizza Cutter to achieve that.

It is a rare thing that artists see any sort of commercial return on the level of the monetary sums tossed about for their works after their lifetimes that I fault not a one that comes up with some scheme to make their art at least pay for its costs to them to produce it while they are still alive.

Pointing out that IDIC was created to put money in Roddenberry’s pocket is exactly the same as saying STAR TREK was created to put money in his pocket. Yeah, so?

Here’s another news flash: IIRC Shatner performed the role of Captain Kirk for money. Shocking isn’t it?

#30. Rickindc – March 6, 2015

You will find that from their inception comic books have all had the ability to process letters to their publishers regarding the issues they currently print. They still do. This process has been upgraded in recent times to include:

Facebook:facebook.com/idwpublishing
Twitter:@idwpublishing
Instagram:instagram.com/idwpublishing.

Your message of your concerns for the idwpublishing’s financial well-being regarding their publishing decisions would be far more effective if you make your concerns known there as trekmovie.com is not in any way, shape, or form responsible, neither for the publication nor the existence of the STAR TREK / PLANET OF THE APES comics.

#14 – Disinvited: I was attempting to demonstrate how ridiculous this cross-over crap is, not looking for examples. I weep for the future.

31. Disinvited

I was commenting on 28 wi-kiry-lan’s humorous IDIC-related remark about infinite combinations of ripping off fans and simply remarking that even IDIC itself was created to merchandise hippie medals. It was indeed the first blatant cash grab and thoroughly irritated Leonard Nimoy who was concerned about the direction the show was taking at that point! I was laughing about it good-naturedly and put a winking smiley with the remark.

At the end of the day, there are two distinct poles of fandom: people who like Trek as a fun adventure series that makes you think and, at the other end of the scale, fans who consider Trek to be a religious text that is a lifestyle guide, eschewing the drive for financial gain.

So it’s quite funny from this correspondent’s perspective, speaking from the former viewpoint, that those whose views push towards the latter tend to worship a cheap piece of tat created to boost a marketing company’s profits as a central tenet of their religion. It’s a hilarious bit of hypocrisy.

There’s really no need for you to pass comment on my remark other than it seems that you’re being mean-spirited. It’s possible to pick apart pretty much every post on any chat forum on the basis you’re using. I hope whatever else is clearly upsetting you today resolves itself and wish a nice weekend. Life’s to short to be unhappy, so have a great one! :)

#33. Finnegan – March 6, 2015

And I was attempting to have some fun with it while slowly opening your eyes to the fact that this “cross-over crap” as you so eloquently put it has always been with Trek from the beginning with it crossing over with a spinoff series attempt in ASSIGNMENT EARTH to crossing it over with the original pilot that NBC did not want to be a part of its STAR TREK series in THE MENAGERIE. And the crossing over continued with the next series which was animated with its inclusion of Larry Niven’s Kzinti in THE SLAVER WEAPON which carried over to the comic strip which brings us right back to the comic books where the current ones gain their legitimacy in attempting crossovers with this legacy firmly ensconced in Trek’s roots not to mention fanzines.

Now, if you want me to commiserate with you that this particular implementation is flawed in that it unnecessarily clutters its narrative with a parallel universe transition when Hodgkins’ Law of Parallel Planet Development would more than suffice and bring this more in line with Boulle’s (whose name never seems to be mentioned in these things’ credits) original novel then I hear you.

#33. Finnegan – March 6, 2015

And I was attempting to have some fun with it while slowly opening your eyes to the fact that this “cross-over crap” as you so eloquently put it has always been with Trek from the beginning with it crossing over with a spinoff series attempt in A$$IGNMENT EARTH to crossing it over with the original pilot that NBC did not want to be a part of its STAR TREK series in THE MENAGERIE. And the crossing over continued with the next series which was animated with its inclusion of Larry Niven’s Kzinti in THE SLAVER WEAPON which carried over to the comic strip which brings us right back to the comic books where the current ones gain their legitimacy in attempting crossovers with this legacy firmly ensconced in Trek’s roots not to mention fanzines.

Now, if you want me to commiserate with you that this particular implementation is flawed in that it unnecessarily clutters its narrative with a parallel universe transition when Hodgkins’ Law of Parallel Planet Development would more than suffice and bring this more in line with Boulle’s (whose name never seems to be mentioned in these things’ credits) original novel then I hear you.

#8: That’s a ridiculous comment. The comic has been in the works for a year.

#30: Please give the keyboard back to mommy. It’s bedtime.

# 34. Dom – March 6, 2015

” So it’s quite funny from this correspondent’s perspective, speaking from the former viewpoint, that those whose views push towards the latter tend to worship a cheap piece of tat created to boost a marketing company’s profits as a central tenet of their religion. It’s a hilarious bit of hypocrisy.” — Dom

I don’t know where you are getting that my response is some sort of attack.

I do find it interesting that you find it perfectly fine for you to go beyond merely noting wi-kiry-lan’s clever turn of the concept on itself to dredging up Shatner as an excuse to jeer and laugh at what you regard as a “hilarious bit of hypocrisy.” but if, somehow, I were doing the same as you imagine about the imaginary division you find between the “cheap piece of tat”, as you put it, props that the magic of film makes worth $64,000 to some and that symbol art which never even went for significant fraction of that, you call foul?

Successful Art rarely has the ceiling of its value determined by the cost of materials to the artists or whatever was in said artists’ minds when they created it. It is set by whatever it evokes in those that appreciate it for whatever reason.

You don’t appreciate the IDIC as art, others do. I don’t see what laughing and jeering at those who do see value in what you do not accomplishes or how it better demonstrates your superior keen wit in appreciating a joke ? Different strokes for different folks. Why couldn’t you just leave it at expressing the amusement at wiki’s cleverness and dispense with the deprecations on IDIC appreciators in fandom?

“At the end of the day, there are two distinct poles of fandom: people who like Trek as a fun adventure series that makes you think and, at the other end of the scale, fans who consider Trek to be a religious text that is a lifestyle guide, eschewing the drive for financial gain.” — Dom

You see only two distinct poles. I’ve been at this for quite a few decades and I’ve seen a whole spectrum of poles and their individual polar extremes. You do Trek fandom an extreme disservice to limit your thinking to only that dichotomy to attempt to encompass it.

It is also a wonderment that those who claim STAR TREK makes them think can’t shake themselves from the false notion that what is true depends on the messenger. Truth is absolute. It doesn’t automatically become false because the devil himself doth spake it.

Some find IDIC a personal truth no matter that Harold Hill himself hawked it. Come to think of it, at the end THE MUSIC MAN didn’t Harold find that he was such a good salesman that in the end he convinced himself? C’est la vie.

the crossover is something fun,that’s it,i am enjoying it myself, now there is no way i would want to see this as a film or even an episode,however as a comic and non cannon why not!!! its not like you have to read the story,were as something like voyager,which is cannon,you would have to,plus i don’t recall anything much been said about doctor who crossover!!! is there a differences?

#40. pilotfred – March 10, 2015

Well, Trek drew on established SF literature authors and in that respect I’d much rather that a “crossover” episode, if one were to exist, be The Enterprise visiting the planet as the author originally portrayed in his novel.

This comic book is a fun mix of the movies but let’s face it, most of the lead stars in the Fox film are departed so there’s little to no chance that something like this could go into production for the theaters quite as played out on these pages.

There have been animated versions where such movie crossovers could be played out but one has to wonder to what end?

But again, I remind people if STAR TREK were a CBS TV series right at this moment that network makes all kinds of crossover demands for stunt night programming so its not as if crossovers could never occur if it were.

“The market for something to believe in is infinite.”” — artist and cartoonist Hugh McLeod

http://www.pe.com/articles/people-695536-feel-believe.html