Kirk Is Blasted To The Past In Star Trek: New Visions #16 – Review & 5-page Preview

Review: Star Trek: New Visions #16 – ”Time Out of Joint”

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Photoplay by: John Byrne

After last month’s convoluted mess of an issue, John Byrne settles down and brings us three more enthralling stories complete with suspense, thrills, and more cameos that you can shake a phaser at.

Cover by John Byrne

We pick up in engineering, with Scotty and Kirk frantically trying to regain power to the ship. The Enterprise is trapped in orbit around the rogue planetoid DT-262, a planet they were sent to study. What’s interesting is that this issue starts in the middle of the story. That’s important to note because of what happens next – Kirk’s Picard-esque time jump. Yes, this is a reimagining of “All Good Things…”, except the fate of all mankind isn’t at stake. Instead of Picard, it is now Kirk who is traveling back and forth through time in order to save the Enterprise from destruction.

Kirk is having a weird day

What I love about this issue is that Byrne is able to successfully put his own spin on several classic Trek storylines and characters without the hokiness he can be known for. It’s not perfect by any means – he misspells a classic character’s name, the reason for the time-shifting really isn’t explained, and the story seems to end abruptly. That may all sound bad, but there’s so much fun in it that you kind of forget all of the mistakes and are able to enjoy the ride. The amount of cameos and easter eggs in it alone make it worth your time to give it a read.

Look out for surprise guests in latest Byrne comic

Home (Five Page Short Story)

“Home” is a short story focused on a newly promoted Lt. Janice Rand (in a blue uniform) as she returns to start her new assignment on the Enterprise. Everyone is happy to see her, including her friend Lt. Tonia Barrows, who was also recently promoted. It’s fun to see Janice interact with the crew again – and we also get to see what a Janice Rand/Chekov meeting would have looked like.

Janice in blue

Those Who Play With Cats (One Page Short Story)

In this final, one-page story, we are treated to the arrival of a certain Caitian Lieutenant to the Enterprise and how that might have looked in TOS. Sulu, the first to greet her, is in love with her at first sight. Apparently the Enterprise corridors are a great way to pick up women (this is, after all, in the days before Ten Forward). He’s totally enamored with her and shamelessly offers the Enterprise’s newest communications officer a tour of the ship.

Me-Wow!

This may seem random to some readers, but what you might not know is that Sulu and M’Ress do have a love connection from the 1984 DC run, even sharing a kiss. (You can check out the classic “Who Killed Captain Kirk” here). If Byrne did this as a nod to this comic on purpose, that was one hell of a deep cut. Oh, My!

Sulu and M’Ress from 1984

5-Page Preview: Star Trek New Visions #16

Click thumbnails to enlarge

Star Trek New Visions #16 out tomorrow

John Byrne’s Star Trek New Visions series #16 will be released tomorrow, Wednesday June 7th and retails for $7.99. You can order it at a discount at TFAW.