The Thing About Space Lizards: Reviewing ‘Star Trek’ #13

Stopping a killer of Gods and ending a Day of Blood probably should earn Ben Sisko’s crew some time off. Unfortunately, they did such a good job that Starfleet has a whole new mission for the Theseus gang. Guess that time off will have to wait.

A new threat emerges as Star Trek #13 explores strange new realms, as Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Marcus To, Lee Loughridge, and Clayton Cowles kick off a whole new chapter.

Because of various types of limitations, the Star Trek TV series was no stranger to alien races, planets, and more that went left unseen. It was only recently thanks to animation that the series began to really explore Orions, who have been around since the original series days.  All that we knew about the Tzenkethi came in small snippets of dialogue from two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (“The Adversary” & “Paradise Lost”).

Their presence was not necessary for the first episode they were mentioned since it was more about the crew racing the clock to stop a Changeling trying to reignite the war. Being envisioned as giant lizard beings it’s pretty easy to see why the 90s shows never brought them to the screen. There are reasons that a lot of the early to mid-Trek focused a ton on alien races that all looked vaguely human/humanoid with various protrusions that set them apart.

Comics have no budget restrictions when it comes to bringing things to life. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for them to bring this race of beings to visual life. It’s also a dangling plot that is connected to Sisko’s past which is ripe for exploration in this series. We do like to see Sisko and his crew really diving into their emotional beats and pasts.

Since it began, this series has been graced with many fantastic artists. I must say I was quite happy to see that To was making the leap to the space side of things. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to review quite a few things from him and I never get any less happy to see his specific artistic stylings. Every single space that is on the page just always feels truly realistic. Even just a room that is metallic within a ship or station, there is just such depth and scale to everything.

While all that is great, it’s the expressiveness that really stands out. There is a panel featuring the greatest cameo, one Admiral Kathryn Janeway, in particular, that really sticks with me. It’s a small shot of her from the shoulder up staring at Sisko and saying a few words. The tilt of the head, the shiny light in her eyes, and the slight smile are so energetic. I would not be shocked if this Janeway moved off the page and began walking around my room giving orders.

Loughridge’s colors really play into that overall feeling. There are some that are vibrant and pop, but most of the colors are very toned down. It allows the characters and other elements to command the attention while keeping the spaces open and vast. Realistic or grounded are terms thrown around a lot, including by me in reviews. Everything about this franchise is fantastical and beyond our world, yet there are elements familiar to us.

One of my favorite aspects of these colors is how different spaces have their own vibe. Purples, yellows, reds, and greens become dominant lighting schemes for different spaces. It creates a uniqueness rather than everything being the same naturally gray space that comes with Starfleet. A little visual quirk that makes the ship and other places so fun.

It takes a truly artful hand to stuff a closet or vehicle (such as a moving truck) or other space full of things in a functional and accessible way. Filling a story with limited space to the brim with all types of moments without it feeling overwhelming takes the same sort of touch.

Good thing Kelly and Lanzing are a duo with that power. It never ceases to amaze how much they manage to skillfully pull off in a given issue. All of it is given ample room to breathe and develop without feeling rushed or placed there just for the sake of it.

Just in this issue, we get Sisko at Starfleet (yay Janeway cameo!), backstory beats for Sisko, Lily, and the Satos, Data mulling Lore stuff, bits with Tom Paris, the Tzenkethi buildup, and the return of another face from the past. Beat for beat it moves together, each thing gracefully leading to the next.

So glad to see that as we’ve seen in various other non-canon mediums over the years, Starfleet’s longest-suffering ensign indeed got a promotion upon his return to the Alpha Quadrant. Welcome back Lt. Harry Kim, or should we say Agent Kingsnake?

Choosing best friend pairs in Star Trek is like asking to choose a favorite child. That being said, the Paris/Kim dynamic has always had a high special place in my heart. Therefore, seeing them together again definitely brings quite a bit of happiness. Truly Tom’s place in this series (a welcome surprise as he wasn’t part of the announcement) has been a gift. We’ve gotten to see more of one of the characters high on the list of actually really developing in their Trek screen time.

As noted, there is a ton of backstory and character moments found here. That means characters have a lot to say, and it’s got to be contained and energetic on the page. Cowles manages that all the time dropping in bits of personality and emotion along the way. Making sure everything flows through the page framing the characters or the focal point of any given panel.

Each caption box has a font that is pretty much the same, yet the insignia/images attached do a ton of work. Those along with the way that Cowles presents the words allow each character’s personality to really radiate. Their voices are loud and clear as we read through every word.

Star Trek #13 is now available from IDW Publishing.