Their Father’s Son — Reviewing ‘Star Trek: Sons Of Star Trek’ #1

For decades, the characters of Star Trek have sought out new life, met new civilizations, and have always done it boldly. Sometimes though, the bold place that one must go starts with a look deep inside of oneself.

On the other hand, maybe that discovery comes from a Q-powered trip to an alternate universe. Tomato, potato really.

Legacy characters of all shapes and sizes unite for Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek #1, the latest in IDW Publishing’s bold new Trek line. A tale of sons adrift from Morgan Hampton, Angel Hernandez, Nick Filardi, and Clayton Cowles.

I’m certain at this point that there isn’t anything that IDW could announce Trek-wise that I would not preemptively shout in joy about. This book was proof of that fact since I was giddily excited the moment it was announced at New York Comic Con. All that excitement was well-founded now that the series is here before us.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was many things throughout its run, but one thing that remained at the core was the father/son story of the Siskos. It had it’s ups and downs, as all relationships do, but at the end of the day, the love between the two was without question. While the main Star Trek series has given us room to explore the senior Sisko’s mindset upon his return, we haven’t gotten to really see Jake.

Hampton changes that here. I fell in love with Hampton’s writing with the recent Cyborg series from DC Comics. Funnily enough, also a father and son story. In this case, the father-son story extends from one son and one father to four sons and four fathers. Talk about escalation.

We get a good grip on where the three Starfleet-related sons happen to be, and the struggles they are going through. Alexander is a character that was done a disservice through the years, barely seen as a child before being abandoned by his father very early. Some of that was picked up in DS9 before the IDW books put that duo through the absolute wringer.

Seeing a universe where the three are all in Starfleet is an intriguing one. Especially since two of the three have not a single desire to be there.

It also gives Hampton the perfect excuse to play with a variety of toys, from every avenue of Trek. From the departed but never-forgotten Jadzia Dax, to the recently introduced Liam Shaw (Star Trek: Picard) and Mariner Beckett (Star Trek: Lower Decks) to even stalwart supporting characters like Alyssa Ogawa (Star Trek: The Next Generation). Barfly Morn being in Starfleet and super talkative (a frequent joke from DS9 where we never heard him speak), and the controversial Tuvix (Star Trek: Voyager) are some of the hilarious wild additions.

Hell, we even get the return of Gul Dukat who instead is Captain Dukat in this flipped upside-down universe. One where various species like Cardassians are seemingly part of the Federation and the organization is at war with the Breen.

Hampton provides all that aforementioned character stuff in addition to just a fun little Groundhog’s Day-type situation for our characters to navigate. Giving just enough to hook the reader for the rest of the short series.

I don’t think I’ve ever come across Hernandez’s artwork before, but I like what I see. Like others who are working on the current Trek books at IDW, Hernandez hits that perfect spot of characters who feel familiar without being carbon copies of the actors. Just close enough that we’re like “Oh yeah that is Jake/Nog/etc” without thinking too hard about seeing their actors on the page.

Outside of the characters, there is a ton of depth and effort put into the settings and set pieces. We open with a gorgeous multi-panel page paying tribute to three versions of Trek. Following that up two pages later with a truly amazing full-page spread of the starship Theseus approaching Deep Space Nine with the wormhole behind it. Give me that print right now and it’s going in a frame on my wall in a prominent placement so I can see it when I go to sleep and wake up every day.

Emotions are spot on, and the characters move through the pages in a very real and tangible way. Great weight comes from the artwork and also the colors that Filardi is bringing to the party. Each ship and space has its own feeling. The Theseus is far brighter and more hopeful, while DS9 is still as dark and heavy as it always was on the show, thanks to all that dour Cardassian architecture and styling.

Most of the vibrancy is left to the uniforms, letting those blues, golds, and reds pop, especially under the far brighter settings on the different starships we see. Overall, the balance of light and dark is spot on and makes sure the vibes are felt.

There is a lot for Cowles to do here, which is no different from the other Trek work he’s been putting in. Plenty of character captions that are colorful and unique, and ways to spice up the dialogue. Shifted fonts, big explosions of color and size, SFX that are just as vibrant and loud as the uniforms. It all really makes sure we are right there with the characters, hearing their voices perfectly in our heads.

Oh, I almost forgot about the laugh that burst out of me when the best DS9 Q-related moment gets a callback here. Jake Sisko being proud that Siskos punch Qs was spot on. That’s the kind of legacy you want.

Star Trek: Sons Of Star Trek #1 is now available from IDW Publishing.