Star Trek #500 is published by IDW Publishing. The anthology features seven stories from writers Jordan Blum & Patton Oswalt, Jody Houser, Magdalene Visaggio, Stephanie Williams, Morgan Hampton, Mike Chen, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing & Christopher Cantwell and an essay piece by Dayton Ward. Artwork is by Leonard Kirk, Vernon Smith, Meagan Huang, Tench, Megan Levens, Angel Hernandez and Davide Tinto.
Star Trek #500 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
Celebrate IDW’s 500th issue of Star Trek comics (and an early Star Trek Day!) with this landmark oversized anthology issue! This collection of five short stories spans through fan-favorite eras of the beloved franchise from Lower Decks to Strange New Worlds, legacy characters from The Next Generation and the original series, written and illustrated by Star Trek comics veterans and new voices alike. Plus, don’t miss out on the prelude to 2025’s big Star Trek and Defiant comic crossover event written by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Christopher Cantwell!
Review
This week we Star Trek fans get to celebrate a significant landmark in the near sixty-year old franchise’s history. Hitting comic book stores today, Star Trek #500 celebrates IDW’s long-term commitment to publishing stories from across the franchise. To mark the occasion the publisher has put together this fun, poignant and story-driven anthology which stories from some of Trek’s biggest comic book names.
As a whole the book celebrates both classic and new Trek-alike. It’s great to see characters from The Original Series alongside those from Discovery, Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds. There are plenty of touch points which enable the creative teams to show us the great and good of Star Trek’s storied history. Whilst at the same times, stories themselves are easily able to focus on secondary characters like La’an Noonien-Singh, Lore and even Deep Space Nine: The Dog of War’s lovable pooch Latinum.
The book opens with the Taylor Swift inspired title of “I Knew You Were Tribble When You Walked In” by Jordan Blum who writes alongside nerd-legend and actor Patton Oswalt. It’s a poignant yet humorous story which is told from the perspective of a Tribble. Yes it transpires the lovable furry creatures which because the stuff of Trek legend have an inner monologue. It turns out they’re just looking for community and love and this particular Tribble thinks they’ve found it with none other than James T. Kirk. It’s an unexpected story to kick off the book with its off-kilter humour. But it does allow artist Leonard Kirk to show off most of the key cast members from TOS as well as one or two from Deep Space Nine which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Moving earlier in the timeline but more up-to-date in franchise, next is Jody Houser’s “Yesterday’s Shadows”. Houser taps in to the events of season 2 Strange New Worlds episode “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”. That episode saw La’an sent back to the present day for a mission tied to her infamous heritage. Along the way she formed a bond with SNW’s version of James T. Kirk, or at least the version which existed in this reality. Unfortunately he was killed off – sorry, spoilers – and so “Yesterday’s Shadows” picks up with La’an still trying to recover from the ordeal. Houser captures La’an’s voice perfectly and expands on the subplot from season 2. Bringing in George Kirk makes this like a deleted scene from the series itself.
Stephanie Williams’ “The Unexpected Mentor” comes next. It’s lovely to see Captain Burnham and members of the Discovery crew finding a home in comics. Especially so soon since the series came to an end on our screens. The series typifies the emotions and emotional connections the crew of a Starfleet vessel experience during their time in space. So here Williams explores the connection between Burnham and young alien whom she rescues during an evacuation mission. It’s another great example where writer perfectly encapsulates the voice of their lead character. Burnham translates really well to the page and short story manages to make a strong impact. Artist Tench also brilliantly renders the characters on the page. It’s a cool teaser for what a future Discovery comic book would be and I’d like to see more of their adventures continued in this way.
The next three stories, Mike Chen’s “Latinum Glove”, Magdalen Visaggio’s “Go See Cal!” and Morgan Hampton’s “What’s a Q to You?” each picks up from recent Trek series. Chen and Hampton both return to their own limited-run Star Trek series whilst Visaggio picks up on Ryan North’s recent Lower Decks miniseries. Each of these stories spotlights more of what makes Trek… well… Trek! They’re also a testament to the breadth of storytelling which IDW has brought to the franchise across 500 issues. It’s only fair the publisher gets a moment to pat themselves on the back for its incredible inclusivity and storytelling.
The final story in the anthology comes from Trek’s main creative team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing who join forces with Star Trek: Defiant writer Christopher Cantwell for a story set in the main continuity. It would have been criminal to miss the current blockbuster run of comics out of this book. It also makes sense it comes at the end and finds IDW looking forwards the future. Lore and Data have only just made a return to the wider Trek narrative after a break and this story ties in to the upcoming Lore War #1 which is set to debut in March 2025. This one caught me a little off guard. I had to go back and re-read it to try and understand what was going on. It seems like Lore is up to his old tricks but with some rather potentially calamitous consequences.
With Kelly, Lanzing and Cantwell on board this is likely Trek’s next event piece and if that’s true it is certainly starting with a bang. What consistently impresses me about these creators is their innate ability to tap in to these characters. The brotherly bond (or lack thereof) between Data and Lore feels almost untouched from its time in The Next Generation. Lore’s maniacal ego is barely contained within the pages. Whilst Data’s cool, calm and collected appearance betrays his latest attempt to thwart whatever it is his brother has planned. Consider me teased IDW!
Verdict
Star Trek #500 is not only a testament to one of sci-fi’s longest running franchises. It’s also a testament to the incredible storytelling of IDW and its commitment to bringing Trek to readers week after week, year after year. This collection encapsulates every corner of the Trek universe with something for fans old and new alike. It celebrates the past and enthusiastically looks ahead to a very bright future.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
