There is much ground to cover and writers Mike Johnson and Tim Jones, along with artist David Messina, waste no time in setting up the circumstances and providing a foreshadow for things to come.
Working from a story conceived by the writers behind the upcoming film, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, Johnson and Jones move briskly through the introduction of Nero, the main character and the antagonist in the new Trek film, and the crisis that sees him brought together with legendary Trek icon Mr. Spock.
Spock, Messiah
The setting is forty years after Spock's arrival on Romulas to shepherd a new peace between Vulcan and the Romulan Empire, and consequently forty years after the adventures of the Next Generation.
The story opens with Nero, a captain of a Romulan mining ship in the midst of an operation when he and his crew are witness to a cataclysmic eruption of the Hobus star, which they barely escape. Days later, Spock, now an official ambassador for Vulcan, brings news to the Romulan Senate of this same threat which he has been studying for some time, and suggests a possible solution to the problem.
Although scorned by the Senate, he finds a believer and ally in Nero and the two make plans to try to halt the threat themselves. As they attempt to do so, they're attacked by Remans (the offshoot race of the Romulans introduced in the film Star Trek Nemesis).
The issue ends with a standoff between the Reman warships holding Spock and Nero prisoner and the Enterprise-E, now commanded by a resurrected Captain Data.
Spock and Nero: Two Rebels
The issue brings Nero into focus quickly, establishing him as a man of both character and conviction whose crew is intensely loyal to him. His motivation is made clear in the scenes with his wife who carries his unborn child. Likewise, the progression of Spock's character is kept intact as he is no longer conflicted by the duality of his human/Vulcan heritage.
The crisis which brings Nero and Spock together is epic and well told, if a bit on the predictable side. It brings comparison with other Star Trek adventures -- the film Star Trek Generations being one that immediately jumps to mind -- as well as a parallel with Superman: The Movie, where Spock essays the Jor-El role as the only one who clearly sees the imminent threat to Romulas.
Mike Johnson and Tim Jones provide a fine script with great character moments for both Spock and Nero, particularly their scenes together which form the foundation of this story. The artwork by David Messina is very convincing with a shadowy effect in most scenes that foretells the direction of the story.
The first issue of Star Trek Countdown sets the story off on a good start, leaving the reader eager to read further on.
Click here for a review of Star Trek Coundown #2
