If like us you are feeling lost following the season finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, then we have some news to cheer you up today. IDW Publishing has announced a brand new four-issue comic book titled Star Trek: Strange New Worlds–The Illyrian Enigma. The series will launch in December and is set between the show’s first season and its eagerly anticipated second season which is due to launch in 2023.
The four-issue Illyrian Enigma reunites the acclaimed co-executive producer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Kirsten Beyer and prolific Star Trek author Mike Johnson, whose recent collaborations include the miniseries Star Trek: Discovery–Adventures in the 32nd Century and Star Trek: Picard–Stargazer. Fan-favorite artist Megan Levens (Star Trek: The Mirror War–Troi, Star Wars Adventures) and colorist Charlie Kirchoff (Star Trek: Year Five) also join the creative team, bringing this far-flung space adventure to vibrant life on the comic page.
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds–The Ilyrian Enigma, Commander Una Chin-Riley—first officer and helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise— stands accused of unlawful genetic modification by Starfleet. Sparing no time, Captain Pike and his crew set out in search of evidence to prove her innocence!
In a joint statement, Johnson, Beyer, and Kirchoff say, “The only thing more fun than Strange New Worlds is more Strange New Worlds. We’re thrilled to bring fans the first comic book adventure starring everyone’s new favorite crew, in an all-new story that picks up where Season One left off. We couldn’t be happier that Megan Levens is beaming aboard to join us!”
“What ultimately draws me to any project is the characters, and after only one short season, I’m already so deeply invested in the entire cast of Strange New Worlds,” says Levens. “It’s remarkable that they’ve been able to successfully bring together new interpretations of classic characters we’ve known and loved for over half a century, and fresh faces that are already as compelling and relatable as their more established crewmates. Bringing this cast onto the comic page for the first time has been a delight for me, both as a Trekkie and as an artist!”
“When Strange New Worlds came out we knew that the show was something special,” says Senior Editor Heather Antos. “We’re thrilled to bring in Kirsten and Mike’s expertise from behind the scenes, as well as an artistic duo who captures the warmth and whimsy of this universe as effortlessly as Megan and Charlie, to explore even stranger new worlds in comics.”
IDW Publishing’s Strange New Worlds tie-in is the latest in a series of well-received Star Trek projects based on Paramount+ streaming series, expanding the scope of such beloved shows as Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. In addition to the several tie-in miniseries in 2022, IDW recently announced the October launch of its biggest Star Trek comic book initiative yet: an all-new ongoing series, simply titled Star Trek, featuring a new universe of continuity where Benjamin Sisko takes the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise with a crew assembled from many different iterations of Star Trek canon.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds–The Ilyrian Enigma #1 will be available with four cover variants, including Cover A by Megan Levens, Cover B by Jake Bartok, and two retailer incentive editions by Liana Kangas and Malachi Ward, respectively.
