Comic Book Review – Star Trek: The Last Starship #1

      Villordsutch critiques Star Trek: The Last Starship #1…

      I'm uncertain if the creators of this new Star Trek comic from IDW Publishing are grappling with linonophobia—especially if it’s on the loose—or if they suffer from apeirophobia, as they truly need to find closure. Perhaps they face both! Colin Kelly (Star Trek: Year Five) and Jackson Lanzing (Batman: The Brave and the Bold) seem to have issues with how both Picard and Discovery concluded on-screen; each series appeared to believe everything was resolved, but as the inaugural issue of The Last Starship illustrates, it definitely was not.

      Set in 2401 AD (with a Stardate of 749047.7), the Federation has succeeded in bringing the Gorn into cooperation, the last of the galaxy's adversaries. The outlook is immensely optimistic. But fate quickly intervenes. The Burn, last encountered in Star Trek: Discovery, sweeps through all four quadrants of the Milky Way, crippling warp capabilities for dilithium-powered vessels and destroying any ship caught in warp at the moment.

      Thanks to the courage of its engineer, a few crew members manage to survive aboard the USS Sagan. Upon returning to Earth, they find that nearly one trillion lives have already been lost to the Burn. The brightest minds of the Federation now predict that its prosperous civilization has merely a year left to endure. Their only chance for survival hinges on reaching out to one of their oldest and most formidable foes. However, the Borg delegation that arrives is not who anyone anticipated—it’s someone who once assured they would be present.

      Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 is, without a doubt, shaping up to be an unexpected stroke of genius. I won’t delve too deeply into spoilers, but if I were to ask you to identify some of the less strong moments from both Picard and Discovery, I’m sure you'd have several in mind. If someone were to pitch a comic based on those particular instances, you’d likely decline and save your funds. Yet with The Last Starship, that would be a misstep. The writers are evidently eager to resolve those loose ends and complete the unfinished narratives.

      My only critique—though minor—is that I didn’t truly connect with the devastated crew introduced at the beginning, prior to the galaxy's collapse. Oddly, I felt a stronger sense of empathy for the stranded individuals on the PADD. Yes, the pace is Warp 9, but a bit more depth to the future crew would have been appreciated.

      Fortunately, the frenzied pace is perfectly captured by the artistic team. Adrián Bonilla and Heather Moore animate Kelly and Lanzing’s dialogue with visuals and colors that effectively convey the urgency of the Federation's crisis.

      Star Trek: The Last Starship is simply outstanding. With numerous unresolved plotlines lingering from previous Star Trek series, this comic appears poised to bring them to a conclusion. Personally, I hope to see a reexamination of The Burn. Instead of attributing it to a Kelpien throwing a tantrum, could we perhaps revisit it as an Omega Particle combined with a dilithium catastrophe instead? I’m receptive to alternative, non-Kelpien concepts.

      Rating – 9/10

      @Villordsutch