How do you break the unstoppable alliance of The Klingons and Decepticons? How does “Fortress Tiberius” grab ya? Your Major Spoilers review of Star Trek Vs. Transformers #4 awaits!

Previously in Star Trek Vs. Transformers: With the Enterprise disabled by the Klingon-Decepticon alliance, things look dire for Spock, Optimus Prime, and the landing team to save the day. But with the Autobots’ help, can Captain Kirk come up with a solution to save the day from a massive Cybertronian threat?

TITANS IN COMBAT

We pick up where last issue left off, as the Decepti-Klingons field Trypticon, a giant robot dinosaur who dwarves even the likes of Optimus Prime, to finally destroy the Autobots and the crew of the Enterprise. With a little help from Ratchet and the knowledge in Jim Kirk’s mind, Fortress Maximus has been reconfigured into a duplicate of the Enterprise itself, with Kirk’s mind as driving force, and the ability to transform. The battle rages, but in the middle of it all, Starscream gets his hands on the hidden cache of Dilithium and, armed with the cloaking device that the Klingons shared, sets off to conquer a planet of his own: The Klingon Homeworld! Kirk and company follow suit, with their new Enterprise and a hold full of Autobots, rendezvousing with the real Enterprise and chasing the Decepticons, who have taken after Starscream in the Klingon’s starship. But they may be too late, as Starscream has arrived on Q’onos already, with no one ready to stop his Dilithium-fueled madness.

BETRAYED BY STARSCREAM? WHAT A SHOCK

This series has been a hoot from day one, and this issue doesn’t skimp on the animation-inspired adventure. Seeing the interactions between the two casts is half the fun (including Lt. Arex and M’Ress as well as Windblade and a couple of other lesser-known Autobots) and I really enjoyed moments like Sulu’s assessment of Megatron (“He seems the type”) and Kirk successfully overcoming the mind of Fortress Maximus’ assault. Philip Murphy’s art once again captures the Filmation Star Trek likenesses perfectly and keeps the Transformers very close to the 80s modeling, including adapting newer characters back into that style. The combat sequences between the Titans are well-blocked and the coloring and production make it all look like cel-shaded animation, making each page a visual treat. When I picked up this issue, I thought it was going to be part 4 of 4, and it should tell you all you need to know that I was incredibly pleased to realize that there was another issue of this story coming.

BOTTOM LINE: A PERFECT SYNTHESIS

When this limited series was announced, I wasn’t sure how they could make the Star Trek universe and the Transformers mythos work together. But using the animated continuities was a stroke of genius that makes the whole thing work, leaving Star Trek Vs. Transformers #4 with a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars overall thanks to its strong plotting, art, and clever story points. I’m looking forward to seeing how this all plays out, and I hope that it gives us a big moment for Optimus, who spent much of this issue on the sidelines.

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