The countdown to the motion picture event of 2009 begins here, in the exclusive graphic novel prequel to Star Trek, the upcoming blockbuster film from Paramount Pictures! JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman present the origin of Nero, the mysterious Romulan who will ultimately threaten the survival of the entire universe. Don't miss this story that brings STAR TREK back to the big screen!
Star Trek: Countdown
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I managed to hit the lottery and get my copy of the Star Trek: Countdown trade paperback very early from Amazon (before the release of Issue #4). Personally I would have preferred to win a real lottery, but that's no reflection of my opinion of Countdown itself. I skipped the comics as I always do these days, preferring to wait for the collected versions to be released. It's often less expensive (as it was in this case) and sometimes you get extras (as you do here, I suspect).
This will be a spoiler-light review, as so few have even seen the concluding Issue #4 at this point. Star Trek: Countdown is a prequel of sorts to the upcoming film, but takes place completely in the post-Nemesis Next Gen timeframe (8 years after Nemesis). Countdown is the story of a Romulan named Nero, a hardworking family man who captains a mining vessel. After barely avoiding a stellar catastrophe, he returns to Romulus with a warning of the pending doom that threatens the entire Romulan Empire. When his fears are rejected, he decides to take on a mission to save his world with the help of some unlikely (and familiar) allies from the Federation. But events will not go as planned, great losses will be incurred, and a villain intent on utter vengeance will rise from the ashes.
Short spoiler-free review: STC is a pleasant, fairly compelling story with wonderful art by David Messina. The TPB includes 5 pages of character sketches by the artist that may not be included in Issue #4, which alone may make it worth picking up the TPB. Despite being intended as a direct prequel to the film, STC stands very well on its own right up to the non-cliffhanger ending. The best aspect of it is the "passing of the torch" feel because of the inclusion of many well-loved characters, undoing some damage inflicted by Nemesis. I found the quality of both the character art and the space battles to be exceptional, the best I've ever seen in a Trek comic. I can't judge how well it succeeds as a prequel at this point, but the story and some specifics in it do raise some questions about some pre-conceptions fans (including myself) have about the movie storyline. The series is let down, however, but some plot-holes and grade school science fiction that I sincerely hope are not going to creep into the film itself.
Some light spoilers follow, so if you want to be surprised, stop reading now.
I've seen some criticisms leveled at Messina's character art, but I found it to be very good. His renderings of Spock, in particular, are just excellent. The character sketch section in the back and Giovanna Niro's cover are wonderful.
As I indicated above, I thought the story was better than average. Despite the number of cameos, they didn't feel forced. It's good to see how some of our favorite characters have moved up over the years, though there's really no time for development of anyone except Nero himself and, to some extent, Spock. The quiet moments are the best. Unfortunately, I feel that the story and Nero's progression is really let down by the contrived cataclysm of the Hobus system supernova. It's never explained how the explosion could possibly endanger Romulus so quickly, let alone Vulcan and the Federation, let alone the whole galaxy. And when Spock tells the Vulcan council, "It threatens the entire Universe," without any further explanation, it just goes from bad science fiction to stupid. I also have to wonder about what seemed to me to be a big plot hole, specifically that if the danger to Romulus was so immediate, why in the world would Nero have left his family there?
But those are the only big weaknesses that jumped out at me. I was impressed by how self-contained the story was because of the conclusion. Countdown could lead directly into the movie, or standalone on its own, and that's more than I expected.
This will be a spoiler-light review, as so few have even seen the concluding Issue #4 at this point. Star Trek: Countdown is a prequel of sorts to the upcoming film, but takes place completely in the post-Nemesis Next Gen timeframe (8 years after Nemesis). Countdown is the story of a Romulan named Nero, a hardworking family man who captains a mining vessel. After barely avoiding a stellar catastrophe, he returns to Romulus with a warning of the pending doom that threatens the entire Romulan Empire. When his fears are rejected, he decides to take on a mission to save his world with the help of some unlikely (and familiar) allies from the Federation. But events will not go as planned, great losses will be incurred, and a villain intent on utter vengeance will rise from the ashes.
Short spoiler-free review: STC is a pleasant, fairly compelling story with wonderful art by David Messina. The TPB includes 5 pages of character sketches by the artist that may not be included in Issue #4, which alone may make it worth picking up the TPB. Despite being intended as a direct prequel to the film, STC stands very well on its own right up to the non-cliffhanger ending. The best aspect of it is the "passing of the torch" feel because of the inclusion of many well-loved characters, undoing some damage inflicted by Nemesis. I found the quality of both the character art and the space battles to be exceptional, the best I've ever seen in a Trek comic. I can't judge how well it succeeds as a prequel at this point, but the story and some specifics in it do raise some questions about some pre-conceptions fans (including myself) have about the movie storyline. The series is let down, however, but some plot-holes and grade school science fiction that I sincerely hope are not going to creep into the film itself.
Some light spoilers follow, so if you want to be surprised, stop reading now.
I've seen some criticisms leveled at Messina's character art, but I found it to be very good. His renderings of Spock, in particular, are just excellent. The character sketch section in the back and Giovanna Niro's cover are wonderful.
As I indicated above, I thought the story was better than average. Despite the number of cameos, they didn't feel forced. It's good to see how some of our favorite characters have moved up over the years, though there's really no time for development of anyone except Nero himself and, to some extent, Spock. The quiet moments are the best. Unfortunately, I feel that the story and Nero's progression is really let down by the contrived cataclysm of the Hobus system supernova. It's never explained how the explosion could possibly endanger Romulus so quickly, let alone Vulcan and the Federation, let alone the whole galaxy. And when Spock tells the Vulcan council, "It threatens the entire Universe," without any further explanation, it just goes from bad science fiction to stupid. I also have to wonder about what seemed to me to be a big plot hole, specifically that if the danger to Romulus was so immediate, why in the world would Nero have left his family there?
But those are the only big weaknesses that jumped out at me. I was impressed by how self-contained the story was because of the conclusion. Countdown could lead directly into the movie, or standalone on its own, and that's more than I expected.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Beardyjin
Format:Paperback
"Countdown" is the official prequel to J.J. Abram's film prequel to the original Star Trek television series. While the STAR TREK film promises to be a "jumping on" point for non Star Trek fans, this miniseries is definitely written for the long-time fans!
I'm definitely more a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation than the original series and as you can tell from the cover this miniseries uses some key characters from ST:TNG. Without going into spoilers, fans of ST:TNG should be VERY happy with this miniseries. I definitely want to go back and watch the last ST:TNG episode ("All Good Things...") again after reading this series. Events involving Romulans following the last ST: TNG film (Nemesis) blend well into this miniseries, which promises to end where the new film begins.
Despite my fanboy gushing and five stars, this miniseries is not without its flaws. Cons include mediocre artwork, which is unfortunately increasingly typical for IDW books. There is also some re-treading of familiar Trek plot territory (yet another unique galactic phenomenon that threatens to destroy the galaxy) and the character Nero's motives for revenge that sets up the main conflict of the miniseries and upcoming film has (forgive the pun) seriously flawed logic. However, the use of familiar characters in a way that's true to their well developed on-screen counterparts more than made up for all of that.
Star Trek Countdown is a must have for an ST:TNG fan!
I'm definitely more a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation than the original series and as you can tell from the cover this miniseries uses some key characters from ST:TNG. Without going into spoilers, fans of ST:TNG should be VERY happy with this miniseries. I definitely want to go back and watch the last ST:TNG episode ("All Good Things...") again after reading this series. Events involving Romulans following the last ST: TNG film (Nemesis) blend well into this miniseries, which promises to end where the new film begins.
Despite my fanboy gushing and five stars, this miniseries is not without its flaws. Cons include mediocre artwork, which is unfortunately increasingly typical for IDW books. There is also some re-treading of familiar Trek plot territory (yet another unique galactic phenomenon that threatens to destroy the galaxy) and the character Nero's motives for revenge that sets up the main conflict of the miniseries and upcoming film has (forgive the pun) seriously flawed logic. However, the use of familiar characters in a way that's true to their well developed on-screen counterparts more than made up for all of that.
Star Trek Countdown is a must have for an ST:TNG fan!
11 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Star Trek: Countdown" is a fascinating, thrilling four-part adventure that serves as a prequel to this summer's blockbuster return of Gene Rodenberry's vision of the future: "Star Trek!" What makes this prequel unique is that it is actually set almost a full century AFTER the events of the film. Set in the Next Generation era, and featuring several of that show's iconic characters, it tells the origin story of Nero, a Romulan miner who will eventually become a threat to the entire universe, and the main nemesis of Kirk and Spock 100 years in the past.
Featuring beautiful imagery, a few surprise appearances and a story that builds toward an inevitable climax, "Star Trek: Countdown" serves as a fantastic prequel to the next epic chapter in the Trek franchise!
Grade: A
Featuring beautiful imagery, a few surprise appearances and a story that builds toward an inevitable climax, "Star Trek: Countdown" serves as a fantastic prequel to the next epic chapter in the Trek franchise!
Grade: A
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good!
Excellent story background. Good to learn the whereabouts of our old friends. Very good intro to the movie, which was great also.
Published 19 hours ago by Christopher Valdes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Countdown, A marvelously space read. True to the founder of Star Trek,
Wonderful read. Great graphics, art and story match the motion picture to a four star rating. Very excited by movie, purchased as soon as it was available.
Published 2 months ago by Vincent Goins
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good re-read, still a bit pandering.
I enjoyed reading this before the movie came out, and again 4 years later, but I still think it adds unnecessary plot points simply to bring back favorite characters for no reason... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Benjamin Stiefel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!!!!!!
I choose this book cuz I love star trek. Never seems to fell me. I would have like to have seen more of TNG crew appear.
Published 4 months ago by All AROUND GAMERS
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't order this if you use a Kindle for PC
Beware: if you use a Kindle for PC, don't make the mistake of buying this. It can not be viewed on a Kindle for PC or downloaded by a Kindle for PC. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kevin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Your one-stop shop for the answers to all your complaints about Star...
So Star Trek (2009) has gotten only two different reactions: you either loved it... or you hated it. Read more
Published 15 months ago by RW Griffith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Prequel
I really enjoyed the newest Star Trek movie and had fun reading a story similar to it. This graphic novel is a must have for new and old Star Trek fans.
Published 15 months ago by epmom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great continuation of the Next Generation
I've been a fan of Star Trek in all its incarnations pretty much my entire life so when something new is approaching I get very excited. Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Baxter
5.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy prequel to the latest Star Trek movie
This book is a prequel to the most recent Star Trek movie that established a new story line for the original crew. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Charles Ashbacher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prequel to the Movie
For me this comic made Star Trek 11 all the more better as it expanded on the background and especially on the character Nero and how he goes from a good man to a murderous foe. Read more
Published on May 14, 2011 by TigerEmerald
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