Star Trekis ready to answer one of the biggest mysteries from season three ofPicard.Just as IDW Publishing winds down their line of acclaimedStar Trekcomics, it already has one eye to the future, announcingThe Last Starship.The new title will star a resurrected Captain Kirk, and just how he returned will be one of its central mysteries.Picardseason three may hold the key.
As announced here onScreenRantlast week,IDW’sStar Trek: The Last Starship,will be written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, who are no strangers toTrekcomics, having worked on bothYear FiveandStar Trek.They will be joined by Adrian Bonilla on art.The Last Starshipfollows Captain Kirk, mysteriously revived centuries after his death. Set during the time of the catastrophic “Burn,” the newly returned Kirk must not only deal with a hostile galaxy, but learn the secrets of his rebirth. Why Kirk was resurrected, and who did it, will driveThe Last Starship.
Captain Kirk’s Odyssey Came to an End in the 24th Century
YetStar Trek: The Last StarshipBrings Kirk Back, Half a Millenia Later
Captain Kirk is a Starfleet legend, having commanded two historic five-year missions aboard theUSS Enterprise,but even legends must come to an end. Kirk’s journey did just that in 1994’sStar Trek: Generations.In the movie, Kirk teams up with Captain Picard to stop the El-Aurian Tolian Soran’s plans to co-opt the Nexus. Picard pulled Kirk out of the Nexus, where he had been trapped for roughly 80 years. The two captains took the fight to Soran, but during the conflict, Kirk was killed. Picard left Kirk’s body behind on Viridian III, buried in a grave on a hill.
Star Trek: The Last Starshiprevives Kirk, approximately five centuries after his death. The aforementioned “Burn” was a galaxy-wide event that caused all dilithium to explode. Dilithium is one of the key components in warp drive. Without it, there is no faster than light travel, and as a result, galactic society broke down. Not even the almighty Federation was spared: both Earth and Vulcan, who helped found the organization in the 22nd century, left, leaving only a small handful of planets behind.Star Trek: Discoveryfirst mentioned the Burn, withDiscoveryable to make new dilithium.
AlthoughDiscoverymay have put the Burn storyline to rest, the actual event itself has not been glimpsed on-screen, makingThe Last Starshipa historic moment in theStar Trekfranchise.
AlthoughDiscoverymay have put the Burn storyline to rest, the actual event itself has not been glimpsed on-screen, makingThe Last Starshipa historic moment in theStar Trekfranchise. The Burn dramatically realigned the galactic power structure, one that had been in place for hundreds of years. The Federation fell apart, leaving a massive power vacuum.The Last Starshipinjects Captain Kirk into the situation. Kirk is effectively a “stranger in a strange land.” Yet, as fans know, Kirk does not believe in a “no-win scenario,” meaning he will find a way to survive.
The Mystery of Kirk’s Revival Will Be Central toStar Trek: The Last Starship
Section 31 Has Kirk’s Body, But For What Reason?
IDW has promised that the mystery of who brought Captain Kirk back to the land of the living will be front and center inStar Trek: The Last Starship. Advanced information on the series did not reveal much in terms of plot or story, other than Kirk being the only familiar face. WhenThe Last Starshipwas announced, fans began speculating on how Kirk would return. Fans also wondered who was capable of bringing Kirk back to life. Several options were floated, but the answer may lie in a throwaway reference inStar Trek: Picard’s third season.
Other curiosities at Daystrom Station included a mutant “attack Tribble” as well as the bodies of nearly all the Soong-type androids.
In season three, Worf and Raifi travel to Daystrom Station, a Section 31 dark site. The nefarious organization stored a number of deadly and powerful devices there, and even some life-forms. The contents of Daystrom Station were a smorgasbord of Easter Eggs forStar Trekfans, but in a ghoulish turn of events, it was revealed thatSection 31 possessed Captain Kirk’s body. At some point after he died on Viridian III, Section 31 retrieved his corpse and brought it to Daystrom Station. Their reason for doing so was never revealed, with some speculating it tied in somehow to the Nexus.
Did Section 31 Revive Kirk In the Distant Future?
Captain Kirk Would Make a Great Symbol of Hope in a Dark Time
The name Phoenix carries multiple connotations in theStar Trekuniverse: the mythological bird but also Zefram Cochrane’s first warp ship, which triggered a rebirth of the human race.
As fans continue to debate the “how’s” and “why’s” of Kirk’s return, the answer may lie with Daystrom Station. While some fans believed that Kirk’s body was a way for Section 31 to access the Nexus, there may have been other reasons for grabbing the body as well. Kirk’s body was part of “Project Phoenix,” but once again, the specifics were left to fans’ imaginations. The name Phoenix carries multiple connotations in theStar Trekuniverse: the mythological bird butalso Zefram Cochrane’s first warp ship, which triggered a rebirth of the human race.
Section 31 was shown to be alive and well inDiscovery’s31st century, meaning they were also active at the time of the Burn, which leads to a possibility: the organization somehow revived Kirk, either by cloning him or other means, as a way of upholding Federation ideals during a dark time. Kirk is a legendary figure in galactic history, and his return to theStar Trekuniverse would give desperate people a symbol to rally around. Yet this is quite benevolent for Section 31, indicating there may be a darker reason for Kirk’s return inStar Trek’snew comic.
Star Trek: The Last Starship#1 is on sale this September from IDW Publishing!
