Star Trek #21 is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. Artwork is by Megan Levens, colours by Lee Loughridge and letter by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Levens. The book is published by IDW Publishing.
Star Trek #21 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
Welcome to the Pleroma, a place outside time and space where god-level species have gathered to discuss the fate of the universe! It’s up to Captain Sisko and his valiant crew of the U.S.S. Theseus to persuade the gods to allow them to help repair Kahless’ unraveling of space-time, but will they listen to mere mortals responsible for their prophesied undoing?
Review
It’s time to put your metaphysical thinking caps on Star Trek fans. The super-team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing are cementing their own God-like status in the franchise by taking Captain Sisko and the crew of the Theseus outside space and time. As the series tackles its most ethical, moral and existential questions to date, can it keep itself on track rather than get lost on its philosophical journey?
Even the most ardent Trek fan is probably wondering what the exact direction of travel is as the “Pleroma” arc continues. We have a threat to all life in the universe which brings the highest stakes in the series so far. We also have the Bajoran Prophets looking to reclaim Captain Sisko, Dr. Crusher searching for her son Wesley and now the notion that Starfleet has the technology to reach outside of space and time. It’s a lot to wrap your head around. But Kelly and Lanzing do an admirable job of keeping everything on track by rooting it in the franchise near sixty-year history.
Star Trek has fully embraced the idea of trippy visuals. Megan Levens is having real fun this issue designing the world outside space and time where there are no rules. It’s never nonsensical. But you can feel that this is both somewhere new and somewhere that the rules of physics no longer apply. It could easily have looked silly or comedic and that would work if this were a Lower Decks book. But Levens has found the perfect amount of absurdity to keep things on track.
This issue takes an incredible deep dive in to god-like creatures from across the Star Trek franchise. It pulls from every incarnation of the franchise for a who’s who lineup. From The Original Series there’s Apollo, Trelane, a Metron, a Tholian, Charles Evans and the Guardian of Forever. The Next Generation‘s Kevin Uxbridge turns up alongside Voyager’s Caretaker and Rukiya M’Benga from Strange New Worlds. Together this gang is presiding over all of existence and is connected to the Traveller who is represented here by Picard’s Kore Soong. It’s an impressive lineup and further helps to keep the mission on track.
Morally Star Trek #21 is posing a lot of questions and, rightly, not answering a whole lot of them. With so much going on it feels right that the series is giving time for the reader to let it all sink in. So whilst we watch T’Lir grappling with the council’s decision not to revive the Organian people there’s plenty of time to understand the weight and the context of that decision. Whilst this series has functioned incredibly well as a mix of action-adventure and Trek’s more ethical ideology, this issue really shows Kelly and Lanzing leaning heavily in to the latter in the best possible way.
Our first foray in to the Pleroma is a lot to take in. As it comes to a dramatic conclusion there’s three strands of the story which now feel distinct from one another. With T’Lir grieving, Sisko facings the wrath of the Prophets and Beverly searching for Wesley we have plenty to await in the next issue. Each has their own hook and plenty of mileage to see this arc through to conclusion.
Verdict
Star Trek #21 is a densely packed adventure which really does go where no one has gone before. The series continues pushing the boundaries of where the franchise is willing to go in comic books and does so with an eagerness for portraying the best that Star Trek has to offer.
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