REVIEW: ‘Star Trek,’ Issue #400

Star Trek #400 is an anthology comic published by IDW Publishing. As this marks the 400th issue of the ongoing Star Trek series, various creative teams have assembled to deliver stories from across Star Trek canon. Whether it’s from the original series or newer entries like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, there’s something for everyone to read here. And that’s a strength that’s unique to Star Trek: everyone who gets into it is bound to be drawn to a certain series.

There are six stories in total. “Captain’s Log” takes place after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and is written by Chris Eliopoulos with art by Luke Sparrow, colors by DC Alonso, and letters by Jake Wood. “Soldier On” features Miles O’Brien from Star Trek: The Next Generation; it’s written by Declan Shalvey with art by Seth Damoose, colors by Alonso, and letters by Neil Uteyake. “Meanwhile” is a one-shot set in the Kelvin universe; it’s written by Mike Johnson and illustrated by Angel Hernandez with Steve Dellasala on colors and Uteyake on letters.

“A Matter of Choice” is written by Wil Wheaton with art by Joe Eisma, colors by Alonso, and letters by Nathan Widick; it ties into the end of Picard‘s second season, as the titular Captain is approached by Wesley Crusher. “The Starfleeter!” is an adventure starring Discovery‘s Kayla Detmer; it’s written by Johnson, illustrated by Megan Levens, colored by Ronda Pattinson, and lettered by Uteyake. Finally, “A Perfect System” is written by Jackson Lanzing & Colin Kelly, illusrated by Ramon Rosanas, colored by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Widick.

What makes this anthology work is that its stories vary in terms of tone and craft. “The Starfleeter!” is a cute short story, with Levens taking a chibi-styled approach to Kayla and the Klingon chancellor L’rell and Johnson writing it in the form of a storybook. And “Captain’s Log” will no doubt bring a tear to long-time Trekkies’ eyes, mainly due to Eliopoulous’ emotional take on the history of the original Star Trek series and Sparrow’s pitch-perfect rendering of events from the original series. And as someone who fell back in love with the franchise after seeing the Kelvin-era films, I’m glad that it received a story in this one-shot.

But the standouts are “A Matter of Choice” and “A Perfect System.” The former is special not just because it features writing from an actual Star Trek alum, but it also speaks to the core of why Trek has endured. What makes Trek a beloved franchise isn’t the cool spaceships or the space battles, it’s how the characters work toward a better tomorrow. That singular tenet is at the heart of Wesley and Picard’s conversation, and Wheaton pours his heart into it. It also helps that Eisma and Alonso pepper a two-page spread with Wesley’s memories of his interactions with the Next Generation crew. This sequence would melt even the hardest of hearts.

“A Perfect System” serves as a prelude to the upcoming Star Trek comic series, with a story that connects to one of the very first episodes of the original TV series. Though short, it’s a chance for Lanzing and Kelly to ruminate on the core tenets of Trek, and challenge them with an unseen but major threat. Rosanas illustrates the majesty of the universe in just a few pages; planets are formed out of the mere void of space, and a character is literally split into their separate components in the story’s shocking ending. All of it is given rich color and texture by Loughridge, making me look forward to their first issue on the series proper.

Star Trek #400 is both a celebration of the Star Trek universe in comics and a roadmap for its future, as it features stories from across the final frontier. With a new Star Trek series set to launch later this year, the hope is that the new creative team continues to tap into the elements that make Trek a standout in the world of sci-fi.

Star Trek #400 is be available wherever comics are sold and with our ComiXology affiliate link.