Advance Review — ‘Star Trek: Red Shirts — Ghost Of The 21st Century’ Is Not Your Father’s ‘Trek’
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
This entertaining limited series continues to push the boundaries of what Star Trek can be. Unfortunately, some of the hurried illustrations occasionally get in the way of the storytelling.
Overall
8/10You know you’re not reading your typical Star Trek story when a couple of naked post-coital Starfleet officers start phasering everyone in site and beaming other out into space.
Of course, you’re probably reading Star Trek: Red Shirts — Ghosts of the 21st Century because it’s not your father’s Trek.
As this limited sequel series begins to draw to a close, this fourth issue is a non-stop climax featuring Andorian security officer Lyna and red shirt Harry who is desperate not to go the way of most of the franchise’s doomed red shirts. The pair have stumbled onto Section Null, a group of officers who are only in Starfleet to make money and gain power. Not very Star Trek of them!
Writer Gerry Duggan gives us plenty of action in this fourth issue as the pair are fighting virtually the entire crew of the U.S.S. Baychimo, which is controlled by Section Null operatives. The ship’s commanding officer, Captain Miller, is a Romulan operative hellbent on escaping the Federation and defecting to the evil empire. And he’s not above sacrificing the whole crew to make it so.
Duggan’s script calls for plenty of phaser fire, a near beheading thanks to a Klingon bat’leth, and some creatively deadly use of a transporter. It’s as if he knows the line that Trek never crosses, then gleefully jumps past it.
Scott Buoncristiano’s illustrations are not as successful, though. As we saw in the previous issue, several panels lack detail — to the point that it’s difficult to believe he would be happy seeing that work in print. Deadlines are tight in monthly comics, and Buoncristiano’s artwork can suffer from it. Still, though, it’s easy to follow what’s happening throughout the action-packed issue. That’s no small task.
The last issue of the previous Red Shirts miniseries shocked readers with a surprise reveal. We’ll see whether this new creative team has something like that up their sleeves or if they’ve broken enough Trek taboos already.
Star Trek: Red Shirts — Ghosts of the 21st Century — written by Gerry Duggan, illustrated by Scott Buoncristiano, colored by Charlie Kirchoff, and lettered by Jeff Eckleberry — will be available on Wednesday in comic book stores and on digital platforms from IDW.
