Need a refresher on issue 13? Read our recap here and catch up.
Star Trek: Boldly Go is kicking off a multi-issue arc called “I.D.I.C.,” or “infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” The phrase is the cornerstone of Vulcan philosophy, highlighting the importance of all the variables in life. Boldly Go posits it as a chance to explore those variables and take a peek at other versions of the Starship Enterprise, and how different or similar our crew can be in each of them.
It’s a classic idea in the Trek universe that’s been used time and time again, the concept that there are multiverses or alternate realities, from the Mirror Universe to even our current story: Boldy Go is based off the J.J. Abrams films, which are an alternate reality to the original series. Now in I.D.I.C., we’re getting AUs to the AU.
‘I.D.I.C. Part 1’ gave us a world where Spock was raised human (as Simon Grayson) and Kirk was raised Klingon. The two are motral enemies with hints that they’ve battled before, and maybe even that Klingon Kirk killed this universe’s Uhura. That universe collided with our own, and not in Part 2, we’re seeing even more versions of our crew arrive.
The first is the gender-swapped version, another classic alternate universe trope, which appeared in IDW’s previous Star Trek series. Jane Tiberius Kirk is captain of the Enterprise, and she and our main Kirk remember each other. There’s also another version of the Enterprise, a more futuristic ship with a cyborg crew.
Of course, they all get mixed together. Jane Kirk, regular Bones and cyborg Uhura land on Vulcan where a Spock, one who never joined Starfleet, greets them. Regular Kirk, cyborg Sulu, Grayson and the female Chekov land together on a different planet, and this storyline may be the one with the most conflict. Grayson doesn’t believe Kirk isn’t the Klingon Kirk form his world, and Kirk doesn’t understand why Spock doesn’t trust him. Chekov’s quick thinking takes out Grayson briefly, but more troubles arise: the planet they’re on is ruled by “the house of Khan.”
Part 2 is still mostly set up, proving Boldly Go is committing to this multi-arc issue. Previously, the comic was much more focused on standalones and two-parters, but I.D.I.C. has the potential to be a big and rich continuing story. There’s so much plot potential from each of the different pairings (including Klingon Kirk, who I assume is now with our regular Spock) and their precarious situations, plus the character development and interactions. One thing that was great about Part 1 was seeing how much Simon Grayson was like our Kirk — cocky, impulsive but dedicated to helping people.
And what will happened when our characters meet the other versions of themselves? Simon Grayson and Spock would have a lot to unpack about their feelings towards Vulcan, and I’m sure Kirk (and Jane Kirk) won’t be thrilled to see that they have a Klingon equivalent. There’s a lot of ground that can be covered, and hopefully the next few issues dive in and explore all the potential that writer Mike Johnson has already set up.
Star Trek Boldly Go #14 is available now from IDW Publishing.