Review — ‘Star Trek: The Last Starship’ #10 Kicks Off The Series’ Final Arc
by Tom Smithyman
Star Trek: The Last Starship has always been an odd fit for the franchise.
The series takes place after the Burn, the catastrophe that killed trillions and broke the Federation apart. It’s a period of time that no other show or series has chronicled and, therefore, has no familiar characters in it.
So writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly tried to add some intrigue by bringing a Borg-cloned James T. Kirk into the era. But it’s not Kirk. Not really anyway. And he’s not a captain, but rather a first officer to a commander we don’t know and don’t care all that much about. Lanzing and Kelly didn’t do themselves any favors. The result: a comic series that seems to be ending before its creators had hoped.
The Last Starship begins its final voyage in this 10th issue, picking up 25 years after Kirk and the Borg commandeered the U.S.S. Omega to fight the evil Emerald Chain. Or are they evil? Series protagonist Admiral Sato is now working with the Chain to stop Kirk. It’s not that Sato supports the terrorists, but he believes that he needs to appease them since the Federation is largely powerless.
Well, you know what they say about negotiating with terrorists. And you know how Kirk approaches these challenges. The results are fairly predictable and, given how little time is left for the series, things move quickly.
Series artist Adrian Bonilla is back following his father’s death (Bonilla pens a poignant tribute at the end of the issue). The artwork seems to be slightly blurry, as if we’re watching this future through cheesecloth, which may be appropriate.
This series will likely only ever be an asterisk on the franchise’s 60-year history. But that’s no reason for the creative team to avoid closing things out with a bang (not a Burn).
Star Trek: The Last Starship #10 — written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, illustrated by Adrian Bonilla, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Clayton Cowles — is available in comic book stories and on digital platforms from IDW.
Overview
This series begins its final story arc to make way for a more approachable title featuring Seven of Nine as the captain of the Enterprise. That leaves this series’ creative team left with quickly wrapping up the details and putting things back where they found them.
