Time to boldly go where only sixty-five years of captains have gone before! Your Major Spoilers review of Star Trek #400 from IDW Publishing awaits!
STAR TREK #400
Writer: Chris Eliopoulos/Wil Wheaton/Declan Shalvey/Mike Johnson/Collin Kelly/Jackson Lanzing
Artist: Luke Sparrow/Joe Eisma/Seth Damoose/Megan Levins/Angel Hernandez/Ramon Rosanas
Colorist: DC Alonso/Ronda Pattinson/Steve Dellasala/Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Jake Wood/Nathan Widick/Neil Uyetake/Neil Uyetake
Editor: Heather Antos
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $7.99
Release Date: September 7, 2022
Previously in Star Trek: Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise/Defiant/Voyager/Discovery. Its sixty-five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds…
To seek out new life and new civilizations…
To boldly split infinitives no man has split before!
BEYOND THE RIM OF THE STAR-LIGHT
This issue reminds us that the first Star Trek comic books were released in 1967, and also that there have been nearly 1000 issues of various Trek four-color adventures, which makes IDW’s record of 40% of that output pretty impressive indeed. The first story in this issue takes us back to the end of the beginning, seemingly showing us Kirk’s final Captain’s Log before turning into something entirely different (and much more optimistic) than that. It serves as a very in-depth love letter to TOS, followed up by a short story set during the Cardassian Wars, featuring Miles O’Brien and Elim Garak. It’s not a bad story, but it’s also not really all that much of a tribute to the seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a favorite of mine. The Kelvin Universe gets a one-page feature, with Scotty and his alien assistant dealing with something that promises “To Be Continued,” followed by this issue’s crown jewel. Entitled “A Matter Of Choice,” it features an adult Wesley Crusher at a crossroads, approaching an elderly Jean-Luc Picard for advice. Set in/around the events of Star Trek: Picard, it’s an engrossing story, and the most successful tale that the issue has to offer.
MY LOVE IS WAND’RING IN STAR-FLIGHT
For reasons I can’t understand, Star Trek: Voyager is pretty much unrepresented here, save for the pinups at the end of the issue, while six full pages are devoted to a cartoony tale of The Starfleeter, a character with whom I’m unfamiliar. It’s cute, it’s uplifting, but it’s not the kind of thing I expect from a big anniversary issue like this. None of the creators in these pages really fails on a story-telling level, though there are some clarity issues here and there. As always, there are some real Trek deep cuts in these pages as well, like Gary Mitchell (also a tease for a To Be Continued), Kore Singh, and Enabran Tain. I’m also surprised not to see anything (or recognize anything) from the most recent Trekkery, like Star Trek: Discovery or Lower Decks. I wonder if that might be a licensing issue for IDW, or perhaps a conscious attempt to honor specifically the comic book side of Rodenberry’s future dream?
BOTTOM LINE: CELEBRATING SOME MORE THAN OTHERS, BUT CELEBRATING WELL
All in all, though, even at $7.99, Star Trek #400 is a nice, stand-alone issue in the Bronze Age tradition, featuring a lot of creators having fun, Wesley Crusher getting a big moment in the sun, a truly impressive tease of something to come tying into the second pilot from 1966, earning a better-than-average 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. I had expected more of the Abrams Trek in these pages, but what we got is satisfying enough for my tastes. (It’s definitely not for non-Trekkers/Trekkies/Trekubinos.)
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STAR TREK #400
This issue is odd in what is chooses to highlight and what it doesn't but what it does it does well, and Wheaton's story is well worth checking out.
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Writing7
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Art7
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Coloring7
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