Sons of Star Trek #1 is written by Morgan Hampton and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Angel Hernandez, colours by Nick Filardi and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover are (left) is by Jake Bartok.
Sons of Star Trek #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
From the mighty pen of acclaimed Cyborg writer Morgan Hampton comes a new four-part miniseries spinning out of IDW’s Eisner-nominated Star Trek series and fan favorite Star Trek: Defiant series! In the aftermath of Kahless’ harrowing Day of Blood, Jake Sisko struggles to find his place in the universe now that his family has been reunited and his father, Benjamin Sisko, has once again saved the galaxy. Meanwhile, Alexander Rozhenko is recovering mentally and emotionally from his time as one of Kahless’ devout followers. Although his father, Worf, was able to break him away from the Red Path cult, Alexander is haunted by his actions during the bloody coup and is unsure of his ability to atone for the devastation he caused. Jake and Alexander find their stories intertwined as they’re thrust into an alternate universe where they followed their father’s footsteps into Starfleet stardom. As officers aboard the U.S.S. Avery, Jake and Alexander encounter alternate versions of other children of Starfleet legends who show them they all may have a bit more in common than it would seem.
Review
This week, IDW’s Star Trek universe continues to grow with the addition of a brand new series. The four-part Sons of Star Trek, written by Morgan Hampton, focusses on the progeny of several Trek legends. There’s Jake Sisko, the son of Captain Benjamin Sisko. Nog, nephew to Quark and son of Grand Nagus Rom. Alexander Rozhenko, song of Worf and recent follower of Kahless. Finally there’s QJ, or Q Junior, the son of Trek’s own mischievous imp Q. Together this group will spin-off from the main Trek series following the events of the Day of Blood storyline .
Hampton cleverly pulls the characters together through their own shared experience of family and acceptance. Some of those threads pull from the character’s histories in live-action. Whilst also taking a healthy dose of story from IDW’s current Trek initiative to-date. Alexander’s strained relationship with his father began back in Star Trek: The Next Generation before continuing in Deep Space Nine. But last summer’s Day of Blood saw him falling in with a clone of the formerly-mythological Klingon icon Kahless. The clone breezed through the galaxy leaving a wave of destruction as he single-handedly set out conquer the galaxy. Hampton perfectly encapsulates Alexander’s seething anger toward his father and how that’s translated in to his lack of identity.
Long-time Trek fans will rejoice at seeing Jake and Nog back together again. For seven seasons the pair entertained us on Deep Space Nine, introducing a generation of TV viewers to the self sealing stem bolt. Living amongst the Starfleet officers on the station inspired Nog to become the first Ferengi to enlist and become an officer. That led him to playing a devastating part in the Dominion War. Equally devastated was Jake. Losing his mother to the Borg, living through the Dominion War and then losing his father for three years to the wormhole. It’s all taken its toll on one of Trek’s youngest characters.
But part of the beauty of Deep Space Nine was its ability to play with tone. Hampton capitalises on that to breathe new life in to these two characters brilliantly. They carry their pasts with them and that’s evident through dialogue and narration. But rather than simply picking up where Deep Space Nine left off Hampton moves them on, bringing them in to the present day of Trek comics. Creatively, it’s the difference between simply emulating what’s come before and creating something original. Hampton has certainly achieved the latter here.
Hampton is able to sidestep a contrived reason to have Alexander on board Deep Space Nine by intrinsically connecting the three characters through their shared experiences. Tying in their meeting to Jake’s journalistic aspirations is another wonderful callback to Jake’s life before his father ascended to join the Prophets. But all of this attracts the attention of the Young Q, first seen on Star Trek: Voyager. Bringing him in really completes Sons of Star Trek, rounding it out as metaphorical next generation.
I want to choose my words carefully from here as the remainder of issue #1 is a wild ride. It pulls in familiar faces and honours so much of Star Trek’s legacy. Q Junior certainly takes after his father with a misguided sense of duty to help mankind. Events play in to plenty of classic Trek episodes where Q would appear to cause havoc for our heroes. It also evokes classic episodes like TNG’s “Cause and Effect”. Hampton brilliantly brings in a swathe of unexpected familiar faces in new and inventive ways which will really engage with readers across the board.
Artist Angel Hernandez and colourist Nick Filardi have both worked in this universe before. Hernandez’s visual style is able to encapsulate the aesthetic of Star Trek without slavishly recreating sets and faces from the various series. Hampton gives plenty of chance to honour what has come before and Hernandez rises to that challenge beautifully. Spending time on Deep Space Nine feels familiar. Whilst shifting location to the aptly titled U.S.S. Avery gives chance to create something new and original. Meanwhile Filardi’s colour palette dutifully brings to life uniforms and starship interiors.
Verdict
A worthy entry in to the Star Trek pantheon, Sons of Star Trek #1 explores familiar themes and concepts in a refreshing and original way.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
