William Shatner’s Captain Kirk is back from the dead in a new Star Trek series. Fans saw Captain Kirk die back in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations, but there’s always been a lingering feeling that he would eventually be brought back. Picard revealed that Starfleet has Kirk’s body in stasis, so there has been speculation that he could return in another series down the line. That time has come, but instead of it happening in a live-action series on Paramount+, this Captain Kirk-focused project comes from an IDW Publishing comic book.
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Star Trek: The Last Starship is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art by Adrián Bonilla. The comic takes place during The Burn, a galaxy-wide disaster that caused the destruction of every active warp core, killing trillions and shattering the peace, stability, enlightenment, and mutual protection the United Federation of Planets provided for seven centuries. Facing a true wild west in space, a mysteriously resurrected Captain Kirk will lead a new crew and ship in a seemingly impossible effort to uphold Starfleet’s mission of unity across the cosmos.
It would appear that Star Trek: The Last Starship takes place in the centuries between Picard and Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, since later seasons of the latter are set in the far future and deal with the ramifications of The Burn.
“Forget everything you know about Star Trek,” Lanzing said. “The Last Starship is a new crew, a new era, and a completely different tone; our aim is to be literary, intense, innovative, and most of all, accessible. We’re bringing you into the Federation’s darkest hour through the brilliant, noir-soaked lens of artist Adrián Bonilla with zero homework required.”
He added, “Longtime Trek fans will have a deep and fascinating reading experience, to be sure – this is a pivotal moment in Trek history that’s never been even glimpsed before – but above all, The Last Starship is a dark and complex sci-fi you can hand to anyone. We’ve spent the last eight years celebrating all that Trek has ever been. Now, it’s time to rebuild it from scratch and discover all it can be.”
“The only familiar face is the one you’d never expect to see in this era: Captain James T. Kirk,” stated co-writer Kelly. “William Shatner’s iconic performance transcends borders – Kirk is one of the great characters of the modern fiction canon with a timeless actor to match. He was also the first Star Trek character we ever wrote – a leader and warrior poet with boundless tragedy and contradiction. Now, we’re honored to be taking this character into truly uncharted, groundbreaking territory in The Last Starship – as the Federation’s greatest pioneer must face down the inferno that threatens to consume his entire legacy.”
Star Trek: The Last Starship joins three more Star Trek limited series launching this year from IDW. Those are Star Trek: Red Shirts, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Destruction, and Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming.
Are you excited for Star Trek: The Last Starship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! The first issue goes on sale September 24th.
