By Avery Kaplan and Ollie Kaplan
In Star Trek: The Last Starship, the struggling Federation looks to a long-dead hero for their salvation in the wake of the devastation of The Burn. With the first issue of IDW’s new Franchise flagship comic series heading back for a second printing, two crewmembers from Comics Beat’s Star Trek command team are beaming in to offer their thoughts on the series that has everyone talking.
The first three issues of The Last Starship are written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly. They are illustrated by Adrián Bonilla with colors by Heather Moore. The lettering is by Clayton Cowles and the design/production is by Neil Uyetake. And, the series’ main covers are illustrated by Francesco Francavilla. Like all of IDW’s Franchise comics, The Last Starship is produced under the guidance of Group Editor Heather Antos.
Please note: this article includes SPOILERS for The Last Starship #1. While the forthcoming The Last Starship #2 and #3 were also read for review, spoilers from these issues will NOT be included in this discussion.
What do you think of The Last Starship’s first issue?
AVERY KAPLAN: As I previously mentioned in my blurb for the issue in The Beat’s weekly Wednesday Comics Reviews column, I was a big fan of the first issue of The Last Starship. I think it’s a promising start to a new era for IDW’s flagship Franchise comic. While I wasn’t crazy about the inclusion of James T. Kirk, who I feel has had his story sufficiently told over the past six decades, I did enjoy the elements that were pulled from this most recent era of Star Trek, particularly “The Burn” from Star Trek: Discovery and Jurati from Star Trek: Picard. This is particularly since it seems less and less likely that many of these elements will get their due on screen due to Paramount’s dwindling Franchise programming. Ollie, what did you think?
OLLIE KAPLAN: Overall, I think IDW has been bringing it lately with its official Star Trek comic book line. Early on in the publisher’s most recent reboot of the Franchise comics, I criticized the diversity of the creative teams that were assigned to the books, finding it not in line with Gene Roddenberry‘s IDIC* principles. However, in the past year, IDW has really stepped it up with the diversity of Star Trek stories that are being told—and who is telling those stories. Given what is happening in the world, what the publisher is putting out week-to-week goes above and beyond when it comes to a commitment to diversity.
*(That’s “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”! — Obvious Avery)
When it comes to The Last Starship: I have a mixed relationship with Lanzing and Kelly’s collaborative work. However, I was particularly excited to see what they did with this story because it somehow seems perfect for their skill set. In conversations with them, I learned the co-creators are lore hounds, and that franchise knowledge really shines in this series. For hardcore Trekkies, there are little nuggets of fan service—in a good way!—throughout the series. One example of this was the reference in the first issue to the Season 3 episode, “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” which is about a planet at war, where each side is half black and half white (though on opposite sides from each other) and committed to destroying each other over an inconsequential, maybe even non-existent, difference. Similar to the message of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, this comic book series is about letting go of our perceived differences to work toward a better world for all.
Without spoiling anything, what did you think of The Last Starship issues two and three?
AVERY: I enjoyed them, and I appreciated how the first three issues formed a complete “first chapter” for the new series. It feels like the creators are being given the chance to tell the story at their pace, which affords the confidence to take the time to unfold all the details. Together, I thought the first three issues felt like they were channeling Star Trek cinematic energy… Sort of in the same way Picard Season 3 did.
OLLIE: I am also enjoying this series. As I said above, I love all the tie-ins to other franchise entries across mediums, and the series is Lanzing and Kelly at the top of their game. If I were a creative writing instructor at Starfleet Academy, I would give their work on the series an A+++. They have cracked the code of their collaborative work, beating their very own creative writing Kobayashi Maru. And without getting into spoilers, this series has been a fun way to play with one of my favorite Star Trek tropes: that the bridge crew always comes back.
AVERY: Yes, you do know about the Black Mountain, right, readers? In addition to Lanzing and Kelly, I also want to shout out the work the other creators on the series are doing on this title. Bonilla has done a great job with the artwork, creating a gloomy aesthetic that is still recognizable as Star Trek. This is augmented by Moore’s excellent (but intentionally limited) color palette. And Cowles is doing an excellent job with the lettering, especially in certain especially arresting scenes… you’ll know the ones I mean.
What do you hope to see from the future of the series?
AVERY: I’m hoping we get plenty of expansion for the supporting characters who were created specifically for this series. While the returning characters like Kirk and Jurati are all well and good, and I’m interested to see what becomes of Jurati in particular, I am most interested in the exploration of these new crew members. Plus, the U.S.S. Omega is built around an interesting concept, and I want to see that potential fulfilled as well.
OLLIE: I am also excited to see what happens with Jurati. I nearly burst from excitement when she appeared in the first issue.
In addition to enjoying the comic’s self-referential moments, I like its heavy-handed use of the classics to tell Kirk’s hero’s journey and explore his very human desire to attain immortality through self-sacrificing heroic acts. What is especially cool is how Kirk’s journey in these first issues has mirrored the journey of William Shatner over the last few years, as he grapples with the experiences he’s having near the end of his life, like going to space.
Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 is currently available at your Local Comic Shop (LCS), with more issues on the way soon. Final Order Cutoff (FOC) for The Last Starship #3 is Monday, November 3rd, 2025, so let your LCS know you want a copy today!
Keep up with all of The Beat’s Star Trek coverage here.
