IDW's Star Trek comic has just offered an answer to the perennial question of "which Enterprise is the coolest," as crews from two different eras, and two different timelines, agree that the USS Enterprise-A from the franchise's Kelvin timeline has the most "style," at least compared to the ships of the early 25th century.
Star Trek #26 – written by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, with art by Ángel Hernández – brings together the Kelvin Universe's Enterprise, helmed by a young Captain Kirk, and the crew of the USS Theseus, the all-star cast of the comic, which includes characters from multiple Trek generations, including a much older version of Montogomery Scott.
In addition to being an immediate classic Trek moment, the scene also amazingly finds the characters coming to a consensus about which era of Trek ship designs was the best.
Star Trek's Most Beloved Characters Unanimously Agree: The Kelvin Timeline's Enterprise Is The Best Looking
Star Trek #26 – Written By Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Art By Ángel Hernández; Color By Lee Loughridge; Lettering By Clayton Cowles; Main Cover By Ramón Rosanas
Ever since the first variant of the USS Enterprise's design was introduced, Trek fans have debated which is the "coolest," or most visually engaging. While this moment in Star Trek #26 won't necessarily quell the fandom's ongoing discourse on the topic, by any means, it does possibly give an insight into the opinion of authors Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. Or, in any case, it is an amusing moment that suggests that there is a parallel to the real-world "they don't make 'em like they used to" sentiment many people share today.
While it might seem like little more than a fun throwaway at first, this moment is another example of the creative team's grasp on both Trek lore, and Trek fan culture.
In the scene, Voyager main cast member Tom Paris notes that the Enterprise-A has "way more style" than he remembers it having, while young Sulu remarks that he "expected a ship from the future to have...a bit more style." These overlapping opinions playfully hint at the prevailing aesthetic interests of the Trek galaxy; while it might seem like little more than a fun throwaway at first, this moment is another example of the creative team's grasp on both Trek lore, and Trek fan culture.
That is to say, Star Trek #26 makes this an important in-universe point, reflecting the fandom's debate, and even going so far as to envelop it into canon itself. In many ways, these are the moments in which IDW's Trek flourishes the most; while the series has become one of comics' most ambitious ongoing storylines in the two years of its publication so far, its best moments have been those small, vital points at which it has expanded and recontextualized familiar Trek elements.
IDW's Trek Highlights The Expanded Parameters Of The "Coolest Enterprise" Debate
Star Trek #26 – Variant Cover Ángel Hernández; Available Now From IDW Publishing
As mentioned, Trek fans have engaged with the "best" Enterprise question for years, but it was only in the past fifteen years, since 2009's cinematic quasi-reboot, that the debate's boundaries have surpassed the franchise's original timeline, growing to encompass the Kelvin Universe as well. The shout-out to the Kelvin Enterprise-A in Star Trek #26 also serves as a tribute to the way the film reinvented and revitalized the franchise. Arguably, readers might live in an alternate timeline, in which IDW's current ongoing Star Trek series doesn't exist, were it not for J.J. Abrams' 2009 Trek and its sequels.
Pop culture counterfactuals aside, this moment also highlights the fact that the conversation about the "coolest" Enterprise is only going to continue to grow more complicated over the next generation of the franchise's life cycle, as more stories play with the Trek Multiverse, while others push deeper into the future. All the while, the Enterprise will remain a touchstone for the franchise, and while it is difficult to supplant the classic Trek ship designs as the GOATs, more and more artists are going to try.
The Moment Star Trek Declared The Enterprise-A The "Coolest" Highlights What Makes The Comic Stand Out
Star Trek #26 – Variant Cover By Jake Bartok
Beyond its implications for Trek lore, the Enterprise-appraisal scene in Star Trek #26 also showcases authors Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing's inventiveness on the page, which has been another core attribute of the comic's success. Expertly illustrated by Ángel Hernández, the moment occupies a single page, conventionally laid-out in three rows of three panels. Yet as traditional as the layout might be, there is a unique dynamism to the way the scene cuts between the two ships' bridges, with dialogue overlapping at key points.
The meet-up of two legendary Trek crews, from the franchise's main timeline, is just the latest, greatest swing that the Star Trek comic series has taken.
It is cinematic in the best sense of the word, which is to say that there is a sense of movement and action on the page, something that can be said of most pages in most issues of IDW's Trek. The series rarely lapses into static images, or stilted dialog, and most importantly, its novel take on Star Trek is never boring. The meet-up of two legendary Trek crews, from the franchise's main timeline, is just the latest, greatest swing that the Star Trek comic series has taken.
Star Trek #26 is available now from IDW Publishing.
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Star Trek (2022)
It’s stardate 2378, and Benjamin Sisko has finally returned from the Bajoran Wormhole omnipotent—but his godhood is failing with every minute. Sent by the Prophets on a mission to the deepest parts of space aboard the U.S.S. Theseus, he witnesses the unthinkable: someone is killing the gods. And only Sisko and his motley crew of Starfleet members from every era of Trek can stop them.
