Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 Has All the Makings of the Next Great Star Trek Epic (Review)

Exciting things are happening in the world of Star Trek comics. IDW Publishing has been the home of Star Trek comics for over a decade and is currently releasing new titles that will continue to captivate Trekkies of all generations. If you want to capture new readers and generate some buzz around your next hot comic, it needs just the right hook. Or in the case of Star Trek: The Last Starship, you can have two hooks. That’s one of the great things that Star Trek: The Last Starship has going for it. The story tackles a legendary event from Star Trek lore, and also brings Captain James T. Kirk back from the dead. What more could you ask for out of a Star Trek comic?

I’ll admit up front that I’ve never been the biggest Star Trek fan. Whenever the “Star Trek vs. Star Wars” debates rise up, I’ve always sided with Star Wars. So with that in mind, I went into Star Trek: The Last Starship with an open mind that wasn’t already filled with Star Trek history, because I didn’t know much of it. However, this introductory issue is accessible for new readers. I’m sure you’ll get much more out of the reading experience if you’re already familiar with The Burn and the lore behind Captain Kirk being alive again, but it’s not necessary to enjoy the comic.

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The creative team does a great job of having Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 carry the same emotional weight as a feature film or TV series. The tense opening moments introduce readers to Captain Sato as he holds a tense negotiation that could impact the future of Starfleet and the Federation. Then, the calm of victory is quickly snatched away from us in the blink of an eye. Being able to convey the cost of death in a comic is no easy feat, but with Star Trek: The Last Starship, the fear and grief just oozes off the pages. And speaking of pages, there’s a neat data page that piggybacks off of the “cost of death” discussion that I rather enjoyed.

What can’t be overlooked is the work that the art team is putting in. You can feel the drama as the surviving Starfleet captains debate what their next move is going to be, especially when an unexpected outsider enters the discussion. There is a saying in comics that sometimes the writer needs to step aside and let the art do the talking, and that’s definitely the case in a couple of panels. The combination of art, colors, and shadows increases the level of suspense.

I won’t spoil how Captain Kirk is alive again, but the scenes leading up to that moment are sure to bring goosebumps to longtime Star Trek fans. Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 reads and feels like an event comic, and it’s only the first issue. I’ll take that as a good sign of things to come.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 goes on sale September 24th.