Star Trek: Zero Point #1 is written by Charlie Jane Anders and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork and colours are by Isaác Sánchez González, and letters by Jodie Troutman. Main cover art (left) is by XX.
Star Trek: Zero Point #1 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
The tie-in series to Star Trek (2026) starts here! From Nebula and Hugo Award–winning writer Charlie Jane Anders (New Mutants, Lessons in Magic and Disaster) and artist Isaac Sánchez González (TMNT, Godzilla) comes an extremely CLASSIFIED mission. A starship graveyard on the moon. A captain haunted by failure. A mission that could change the future of the Federation…or end it entirely. Raffi Musiker takes command of the U.S.S. Endeavour—and is immediately handed a classified directive from Starfleet. Follow the guidance of a powerful, untested A.I., built from mysterious technology recovered in the Epsilon Corridor, that can predict threats before they happen. But these missions aren’t exploration—they’re a gamble. As systems fail, pressure mounts, and missions spiral out of control, Raffi must decide who to trust: her crew…or the machine guiding them. Because some discoveries are better left buried. And some warnings come too late.
Review
2026 has already been a huge year for the Star Trek franchise. Turning 60 years old is a milestone for any franchise, let alone one which squarely as one of the only sci-fi franchises to cross-over into mainstream appeal. IDW has already begun to reinvent the franchise with the release of Star Trek #1 and today it’s the turn of companion series Star Trek: Zero Point to expand on that story. It’s time for Trek to tackle AI with a brand new ship and a very familiar captain…
Charlie Jane Anders is setting out to explore Star Trek through a new yet very traditional lens. The franchise has always had a knack of contemporary commentary through a future lens. This book does exactly that, framing a story about modern A.I. through a classic Trek story which just so happens to continue on from events in the ever-popular “present day” of the franchise. Handily that also happens to make Zero Point the perfect companion to Christopher Cantwell’s main Star Trek book.
So here in issue #1 we find ourselves picking up with Raffi Musiker six years after the events of Frontier Day, witnessed in the finale of Star Trek: Picard. Following the attack by The Borg thousands are dead and ships have been lost. Raffi uses the anniversary as a moment of solitary grief and reflection. Only this year she is joined by Admiral Janeway, the first piece of connective tissue between the two Star Trek books. Janeway has a mission for Raffi and a promotion to captain is just the beginning.
Before even beginning to flesh out the world of Zero Point Anders illustrates a keen eye for character. Raffi is such a recent (and fan-favourite) addition to the franchise that her voice needed to be recognisable to the reader. Crucially, Anders nails it from page one. The self-deprecation and lack of self-belief reverberate from the page in the opening moments of issue #1. But of course no Star Trek character remains in one place for long, so those recognisable traits do give way to some meaningful character development as Raffi takes on her very first command.
Surrounding Raffi is a cool cast of supporting characters. Anders is certainly not making Zero Point a solo story and so an off-beat version of the classic Trek ensemble is under construction. I should have realised one of the most inspired character choices given their on the cover. But when Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Tendi shows up there was an audible gasp from me. I love when these newer Trek books meld continuity from across the different eras of shows so bringing Tendi in as Raffi’s second in commad. There is another familiar face that I won’t spoil here who offers a cool connection to The Original Series movie-era. It’s clear Anders has picked recognisable faces carefully and then bolstered them with some fun new faces that I hope we’ll come to know more about in upcoming issues.
As for the highly classified mission the U.S.S. Endeavour will be embarking upon? Well it features shades of Minority Report and 2001: A Space Odyssey in the best ways possible. Even Admiral Janeway points out the mission pushes the boundaries of what Starfleet is willing to do. But thanks to some Soong-inspired tech we’re exploring a Starfleet whose knee-jerk reaction to the events of Frontier Day has them desperate to avoid a repeat crisis.
It’s certainly an intriguing story with more than enough gas in the tank to keep me coming back beyond this issue. Enough is teased about the purpose for the A.I. without the need to dangle some sort of deeper nefarious mystery in our faces. Anders sticks to her guns in keeping the mission very matter of fact which I really appreciate. There may be some questionable motives hiding underneath the surface down the line. But for now those are not the agenda for Star Trek: Zero Point and do the crew is diving (literally) head first into their mission.
Artist Isaác Sánchez González is another inspired choice for Star Trek comics. The series debut of the main-line Star Trek book is like nothing we’ve seen before from the franchise. Zero Point is essentially the-same-but-different. It’s equally stylish as its counterpart but González‘s artwork has its own unique identity. It’s heavy on detail and small flourishes which really bring Zero Point to life. There’s a lot to dig into on a re-read, looking at the finer details of ship design and characters’ facial expressions.
All in all this is a more than solid start for Star Trek: Zero Point. It ticks all the boxes with a cool ship, ensemble cast and intriguing central mystery. I could make a pun about moving at warp speed at this early stage but that seems too obvious…
Verdict
Star Trek: Zero Point is off to a flying start. Charlie Jane Anders has crafted a familiar-yet-fresh setting for the newly minted Captain-Raffi Musiker to embark on a missions which should pack equal parts social commentary and space exploration. I can’t where to see where the U.S.S. Endeavour goes from here.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We are also members of the Forbidden Planet Affiliate Program.
