Star Trek: Red Shirts #5 is written by Christopher Cantwell and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Megan Levens, colours by Charlie Kirchoff and letters by Jodie Troutman. Main cover art (left) is by Chris Shehan.
Star Trek: Red Shirts #5 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
Only two red shirts remain. The other ten crewmembers on Mission Squawkbox have plummeted hundreds of feet to the ground, been eaten alive by giant alien insects, or been exploded into a million tiny bits by falling torpedoes. Each death has dealt a blow to Ensigns Raad’s and Miller’s morale… Is Starfleet really the paragon of cooperation it claims to be? Or is it willing to expend its members’ lives for the sake of peace? With both Klingons and Romulans breathing down their necks, Raad’s and Miller’s loyalty will be tested. Are they for Starfleet? Or themselves?
Review
The final issue of Christopher Cantwell’s Star Trek: Red Shirts has arrived. Journey’s end. Will any of this poor group of Starfleet officers survive? Or is the ultimate punchline to the classic trope that none shall make off Arkonia 89 in one piece? With the Klingons and Romulans brokering a deal for Starfleet intel, Cantwell has one last twist ready to pull the rug out from under us all…
I’ve not been shy about how much I’ve enjoyed seeing Christopher Cantwell subvert Trek expectations with this series. It has been particularly interesting to see Cantwell introduce a captivating cast of characters, only to begin picking them off one by one from the outset. So to reach this final issue with only two red shirts left things are looking pretty bleak. This final issue brings things full circle by taking us back to planet Neural and Ensign Miller’s brush with a Mugato.
Some of the best stories find their ending in their beginning and Cantwell is taking that metaphor very literally. Rooting this final chapter in Miller’s experience on Neural adds a lot of context to events. The story shifts on its axis again, perhaps a little out of nowhere, but with so much gusto that I have to admire Cantwell for doing it so late in the game. Thematically everything happening in this finale fits perfectly with the tone of Red Shirts, sticking the landing as smoothly as bringing the U.S.S. Voyager down to a planet’s surface.
I’m choosing my words as carefully as I can here to avoid spoilers. Events on the Romulan ship are already pretty tense coming in to the finale. So anyone expecting Miller and Raad to make it out unscathed should probably think twice. But Cantwell sticks to giving these two as much fight as he can. Even in the face of certain doom. To add some nice balance to the finale Raad is pretty central to the action, using her quick wits to inject some healthy mistrust between the Romulans and the Klingons. Though the fight may not be quite as bloody as you anticipate.
I’m not going to go in to detail on HOW the plot of Star Trek: Red Shirts resolves itself. But what I will say is that the ending is a satisfying, if somewhat inevitable, way to bring these stories to a close. What surprised me most were the open-ended elements to it. In many ways Cantwell’s final surprise is leaving the door open enough that there could be just a little bit more story to tell…
Megan Levens draws the hell out of this chapter. It’s been great to see what Levens and Kirchoff have been able to do in bringing Cantwell’s story to life. Here we’re seeing classic elements of Trek – namely the Romulans and Klingons – brought to life more so than in previous issues. Everything feels so authentic to Gene Roddenberry’s world, right down to the classic ship designs. There’s still plenty of the trademark body horror which Cantwell has written in to the story to give it a brand new edge. Levens depiction of Miller’s injury in the opening page is gory as hell. Only enhanced more by Kirchoff’s colours.
As a proof of concept that Star Trek stories don’t have to follow established characters, Red Shirts couldn’t have been more successful. Though some may argue its finale feels a little rushed I’d say the signs were there from the beginning. The journey has been gnarly, surprising and thoroughly entertaining.
Verdict
Star Trek: Red Shirts #5 brings Cantwell’s subversive Trek story home with surprising grace. The finale honours the series’ themes while leaving just enough room for possibilities, proving Trek doesn’t need familiar faces to work. A gnarly, entertaining ride from start to finish.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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