IDW is taking Star Trek to its boldest place yet with Star Trek: The Last Starship, far into the future where the Federation has crumbled to nothing. A single ship, hoping to carry the dream of peace in the universe, now exists, captained by a Delacourt Sato. Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 is out this week, bringing war to Sato’s ship with hard choices that need to be made.
For fans looking for more when it comes to the big hook of this series – namely, Captain Kirk has been cloned with all of his memories – you’re in luck, as that’s where this issue starts. Sato meets with Kirk, and the two discuss peace, death, and everything in between. Sato questions Kirk on how many lives were lost under his leadership, with Kirk only knowing the number of his crew lost, not all lives on both sides. It’s an interesting perspective given that traditionally, Star Trek preaches peace, yet when the enemy is defeated, the souls aren’t counted.
That conversation directly connects to all-out war later in the issue. At the same time, Sato preached about saving every life. It’s hard to argue in tough times, when fast decisions need to be made; sometimes, breaking some eggs is required to save those closest to you.
An interesting convo.
Credit: IDW
The battle scenes are exceptionally visualized, with camera shake and explosions included for the Trekkies out there. Artist Adrián Bonilla has a detailed style that feels grounded yet fantastical, with lasers and fire bursting from control panels. Some of the crew get hit hard, and you feel it as their heads whip back. There are some jaw-dropping moments, too, like a double-page splash featuring all the enemies our heroes face and a full-page splash of the outside of the ship as it vibrates.
Before the battle, writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing flesh out the crew quite a bit. The ship’s doctor, for instance, is a bit too high on his own supply. Given the state of the universe, I guess that’s the best you can get. The engineer, the Borg queen, is also fully fleshed out, which is important given how thin she felt after the first issue. Given all these new takes on the key crew, it’ll be interesting to see Kirk interact with them in future issues.
Given the brevity of single issues, it’s easy to see why an argument for peace is made only for the story to dive right into war very quickly, and that can feel on the nose. On the reverse side of that negative, an argument can be made that the story isn’t decompressing its point.
Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 deepens its themes and raises its stakes, delivering a gripping combination of philosophical tension, explosive action, and smart character work as Sato’s crew confronts both the ideals of the Federation and the brutal reality of survival.
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