Plot Summary:
When we last left our heroes, Nero watched his homeworld get pwned by the explosive destruction of the Hobus star. (For more details, see issue #1 and issue #2.)
This issue starts a short time after the supernova with Nero getting his distinctive tattoos to honor his dead family. In a pseudo flashback, we see Federation medical frigates arrive at the scene just after the tragedy. They offer Nero their help. But no, Nero's being a big ol' grumpy gus about it and thinks the Federation is looking to claim Romulan space. Nero then beams over mining exposives and destroys the Federation ships.
He then learns that the Romulan Senate escaped via a shuttle. The Senate beams aboard Nero's ship. Nero blames the Senate for ignoring his warnings and delaying the evacuation of Romulus until it was too late. He then grabs a bladed staff (which was shown in one of the trailers) and impales a senator.
Cut to the "present", with Picard and Spock sitting with the Vulcan High Council. Spock believes that the Hobus supernova threatens the whole galaxy and that his plan to implode the supernova from within with a black hole created from red matter is the only solution. But how to get close enough to the center of the Hobus star to deposit the red matter? Why, with a super-cool new ship, of course! The "Jellyfish" is a prototype ship designed to withstand extreme atmospheric pressures. Just what we need!
Nero goes to a top-secret Romulan base called "The Vault", the coordinates for which he obtained by torturing senators. The Commander of the base is duped into letting him aboard. She shows him some super-secret, state-of-the-art Romulan weapons created from retrofitted Borg technology... for which, she says, Nero's mining vessel, the Narada, would make a perfect prototype.
The Jellyfish (which is also shown in the trailers) is flown to Vulcan by... Geordi LaForge! This is a regular TNG reunion!
Aboard The Vault, the Commander reveals that she knows that Nero cares nothing for the Romulan Empire now, and he is only interested in revenge. She's cool with that and offers her help, transforming Nero's simple mining ship into one of the most advanced weapons in the galaxy. Nero decides to start his quest for vengeance with Vulcan.
Cut to Ambassador Picard's quarters. Picard shows Spock video of the bodies of the Romulan Senate found floating in space. The Federation ships were nowhere to be found. Spock automatically assumes Nero's involved. Spock reveals that he is to fly the Jellyfish to deposit the red matter in the supernova (despite the fact that Geordi is obviously way more qualified).
Nero tests his new ship by destroying a Federation ship or two. But before the Narada can warp to Vulcan, it's intercepted by a Klingon fleet commanded by (guess who)... General Worf!
What does this tell us about the movie?
This issue shows us that Nero's motive is simply one of pure vengeance. (I was hoping he would be more complex than that.) The comic also explains how he got a ship that's essentially a super-weapon, and how that ship came to be. It also gives the backstory behind the Jellyfish and how Spock, by piloting the Jellyfish, ends up in the movie.
It doesn't really explain how Nero goes back in time and how Spock follows him. I guess we'll see that next issue.
Overall:
This issue was better than the others because the plot had a much more definite purpose and it introduced important elements from the movie. Also, the art was better with some great beauty shots of the ships we can expect to see. This issue deserves a score of 4/5. Only one more to go!
Related reviews: Star Trek: Countdown #1, Star Trek: Countdown #2
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