Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #4 is written by Robbie Thompson and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Serg Acuña, colours by J.P. Jordan and letters by Jodie Troutman. Main cover art (left) is by Travis Mercer.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #4 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The Seed has taken hold—body, mind, and soul. Now under its control, Una and Jinare have become relentless drones, driven by vengeance. As Chapel struggles to untangle the lies binding them together, La’An, Spock, Scotty, and D6 fight to reconnect with the Enterprise…but first, they must survive the crushing abyss—and a colossal sentient squid guarding the way to the surface.Aboard the Enterprise, Uhura intercepts a strange signal pulsing from Poilant’s surface—faint, fragmented, and impossible to trace. But Ortegas spots something else: a glowing red light spreading across the terrain, its shape disturbingly familiar. Is it…a ship? Or something far more dangerous?
Review
The mission is about to get even more complicated as the penultimate chapter of Robbie Thompson’s brilliant Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation arrives in comic book stores. As the storylines on the planet and in space finally converge the stage is set for a dramatic conclusion… if the Enterprise crew can survive that long…
Things are pretty desperate for the crew of the USS Enterprise as we return to the story. Thompson chooses to open this issue with events on the ship rather than down on the surface. Pike, Ortegas, Uhura and the remaining crew are fighting for their lives against the alien drones. The continuation of the story wastes no time whatsoever as a brilliant idea from Uhura may just save the day. The fact Thompson doesn’t miss a beat between issues results in Seeds of Salvation #4 hitting the ground running at a very tense pace.
Meanwhile Nurse Chapel is also fighting for her life down on the planet. As the series began with Chapel it’s fitting that Thompson has always kept one eye on her. Perhaps giving Chapel more focus than a traditional ensemble story would.. But there’s a burden on her for the crew’s current situation which shines through strongly this issue and resonates really well. Whilst it’s difficult to balance a large cast in 20 pages, having this small further emphasis in key moments really helps to tie the book in to Star Trek’s legendary character storytelling.
The overall focus of Seeds of Salvation shifts this issue, pushing towards resolution ready for next month’s finale. The flow of the narrative across the four issues feels perfectly in-step with how an episode of the series would be written. We’ve established mostly – not counting out a final issue twist – who our villains are and with enough of the crew in danger this penultimate chapter does exactly what it needs to in pulling the focus back to the core cast. This is the issue where the action needed to reach fever pitch in order to allow the finale time to draw everything to a satisfying conclusion. All signs point to Thompson being able to steer the ship towards that landing so I’m looking forward to seeing where it ends up.
Before we get there Captain Pike has one rather serious issue to deal with, which is encapsulated in a stunning final splash page from artist Serg Acuña and colourist J.P. Jordan. It’s always difficult to strike the right balance with a penultimate issue. Too much action and it could leave the finale with little do. Not enough action and you run the risk of alienating some of the audience before the end. With the introduction of the Una-Seed and the arrival of an even more destructive drone, Thompson is able to take grand steps towards the finish line without resolving all of the crises the crew is facing.
The scale of this issue is also a wonderful challenge for Acuña and Jordan. Having worked on the previous two issues, Acuña is adept at handling all of the different elements of the story. At times it feels like a cool mashup of the Kelvin-era movie aesthetic and the Strange New Worlds series itself. It makes sense given the scale of the action at play this issue and looks great on the page. Jordan’s colours also do a wonderful job in bringing a dynamic style to the various settings. From the green of the vines to the blackness of space and the murky blue ocean. It all looks great and I would happily see more from this creative team in the future.
Verdict
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #4 delivers exactly what a penultimate chapter should: escalating stakes, character-driven tension, and a cliffhanger that demands resolution. Thompson’s pacing mirrors the series’ best episodes while Acuña and Jordan craft visually stunning chaos. One issue left and the landing looks assured.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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