Back in the day, when we had no idea that the Star Trek mythology would become so expansive, there was always a hint of untold stories about the folks on the Enterprise before Uhura, Scotty and the gang.   We were briefly introduced to Captain Kirk’s predecessor, Captain Pike, and shown the tragic ending to his career.  Little fanboys watching the show via 70s reruns (like me) couldn’t help but wonder what adventures that guy had in the earlier part of his career.

Over the years, I read a few paperback books focusing on Captain Pike. Marvel published a series called Early Voyages (that didn’t really do it for me) and more recently John Byrne took a crack at it again at IDW.

With all that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by IDW’s new series Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath. This series spins out of the recent Star Trek Discovery mythology.  As is the case for many longtime fans, this new reboot seemed to have so many troublesome issues for me that I’ve kind of drifted away from it.  Oh, I’m not shaking my fists with fan rage. Like a party that isn’t that great, or meant for me, I found myself slinking out the back door when no one was looking. 

But this new comic series looks like fun! Tony Shasteen is a strong artist. He’s able to capture the characters’ likenesses and still provide plenty of action and movement. He even evokes one actor’s likeness from the original series, which was a pleasant surprise for me.

Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson deliver a script that intrigues the reader, and, like every good first issue, leaves you hungry for more at the end.  I mentally exclaimed, “Wait, it’s over already?” on the last page, which is always a good thing.

One of the nice things for me was that the story just kind of touched up the Discovery characters and plot developments.  There’s just a whiff of those characters in this story.  It’s as if the writers pulled the lapsed Star Trek fans aside and said, “Eh, you don’t have to know any of that stuff. Just jump onboard and we’ll have fun.”

What about the Rocketships?

Back when I was a kid, there weren’t a lot of Star Trek toys or collectibles. The stuff that was out there seemed a bit off. And that Gold Key comic series never quite got it right. Having Spock exclaim things like “Great Bouncing Nebulas!” sent a signal to the reader that the adults creating it didn’t take it as seriously as you, the reader, did.

The AMT model kits back then were kind of cool, but it was really tough to get the glued parts to dry correctly so the Enterprise’s nacelles would be at the proper angles.

That’s why I love the amazing ships from Eaglemoss. This company continues to create top-notch Star Trek starships that always look great.  And their new Discovery line of ships somehow makes the show all the more enjoyable. Let’s face it, the ships are, in many ways, the uncredited co-stars of Star Trek. 

And there’s so much care and thought put into their products. You just know the folks producing these are fans too.

Eaglemoss has two ways for collectors to go about it all. You can subscribe and get the ships delivered to your home.  There’s a lot of extra goodies if fans do it this way.

Or if you’re a more discerning fan, or a fan with less space to display a collection, you can just go to the Eaglemoss shop and purchase ships individually.

But back to the new IDW comic series – it debuts today, September 4. Hope you can snag a copy at your local comic shop.

Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath#1

IDW

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Here’s a preview: Star Trek Discovery Aftermath Preview