Star Trek: Lower Decks #17 is written by Tim Sheridan and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Vernon Smith, colours by Charlie Kirchoff and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by also by Murphy.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #17 is available from today, in and print and on digital where all good comics books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or buy digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
Captain Freeman and Mariner take the fight straight to the skies in the stolen U.S.S. Illinois, charging headlong into an old-school showdown against a mysterious wave of space invaders surrounding Laapoonia! Somewhere in the chaos, Boimler and his away team may be trapped—if they’re even still alive. But as the missing Laapeerians’ fate grows more uncertain and Starfleet closes in on its rogue crew, the clock is ticking faster than a falling pixel. Can the Lower Deckers outmaneuver both their enemies and their own command before it’s game over? Find out in this month’s explosive issue of Star Trek: Lower Decks!
Review
Bravo Tim Sheridan and Vernon Smith. Bravo Star Trek: Lower Decks. Today the series drops I would call a quintessential chapter of Lower Decks storytelling. An issue which is equal parts hilarious and action-packed, furthering the story with plenty of surprise twists.
Sheridan got me on page one (below) with this month’s “Last time in Star Trek: Lower Decks…” page. I took it as a hilariously meta joke about Star Trek: Picard and failed to see how it could be relevant to the story. After finishing a full read through its clear this one-page joke works on multiple levels. It becomes the perfect bookend to this chapter of the story. It also plays a long-game with the reader so that when the other shoe drops on the last page the tension is ratcheted up to maximum. Honestly it’s a stroke of genius on Sheridan’s part and Lower Decks benefits hugely from his creative use of Trek history.
Back in the present day of Lower Decks and there’s a lot of exposition to cover off to keep things moving. Luckily Sheridan has a way with words that plays on this fact, keeping the issue moving at a rewarding pace whilst gently poking fun at the ridiculous complexities of Star Trek storytelling. Simplifying the situation: Mariner is onboard the war ship hoping to find Boimler and the missing crew alive. Whilst Captain Freeman has hijacked the USS Illinois and is in hot pursuit. Refreshingly Sheridan is teasing out the story over the course of multiple issues rather than making this a single or even two-part story. It expands on Lower Decks’ 30 minute comedy format, allowing it time to breathe and it’s something this story in particular has really benefitted from.
What’s always refreshing about Lower Decks, particularly under Sheridan is now unpredictable it can be. At this stage in the story we’ve been through the perfect setup with the warship. The stakes has been set high with the potential loss of Boimler and Tendi. Plus we’ve seen that culminate in Freeman going rogue and stealing her old ship just to circle the story back to previous arcs. It’s impossible not to feel Sheridan’s robust grasp on who everyone is and what has led them to this moment. Be that from episodes of the series or from previous stories in this very book.
That unpredictability is rife throughout this month’s issue. Though there are predictable moments – nobody really thought the away team was dead – they’re neatly stitched into the story using entirely out of the box thinking which safeguards the gratification of watching events unfold. This is only added to further by tantalising moments which are left hanging for next month. Just who is captaining the war ship? I feel like it’s going to be a familiar face but have genuinely no clue who it could be. Sheridan could throw in absolutely anyone from Trek cannon at this point but I completely trust that it will be worth the payoff when it arrives.
All of that bombasticity (that’s not a word but I’m making it one) leads us into the brilliant bookend to the Picard moment above. The reveal is so brilliantly out of left field that there is no way anyone will see it coming. Taking an irreverent joke and making it a key plot point is the most Lower Decks way to round out the issue and I love that this is where the story is going. It blows the whole arc wide open for next month really making it feel like we’re building towards a huge conclusion. There’s so much more I want to say but also don’t want to spoil the experience…
Once again Vernon Smith does an incredible job of bringing Lower Decks to life. Much like last month this issue is so vibrant and full of life on every page. Scenes with Mariner on the war ship are very fluid. All of that movement and action is perfectly captured on the page and is so easy to bring to life in the imagination. The inclusion of the Picard cast on the first page brings that moment from the series to life in perfect Lower Decks style and has me craving seeing a The Next Generation adventure fully brought to life in this way.
Verdict
Star Trek: Lower Decks #17 is a fantastic issue pushing warp 9.5. Every aspect of Tim Sheridan and Vernon Smith’s story is slotting together perfectly to create a quintessentially Star Trek story deserving of silver screen treatment.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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