Star Trek Announces New Era With All-New Series Dedicated to Voyager, Red Shirts, and More

IDW Publishing’s break-out Star Trek line of comics is expanding, with the publisher set to launch multiple new series, including a Star Trek: Voyager comic, a Strange New Worlds comic, and perhaps the most exciting, Star Trek: Red Shirts, which will follow the franchise’s most expendable characters on some of the galaxy’s most dangerous missions.

As revealed by StarTrek.com, the first details about the next generation of Trek comics were revealed; Star Trek: Red Shirts – written by Christopher Cantwell, who is currently authoring IDW’s Defiant series, with art by Megan Levens – will inaugurate a new era, followed by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds Of Destruction and Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming.

While the announcement of the end of the current run of Trek comics will be bittersweet for readers, it is clear there is still a great deal to look forward to in the Trek comic book universe.

IDW's Pivotal "Trek" Comic Run Is Ending – Now The Publisher Has Revealed What Comes Next

Star Trek: Red Shirts; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds Of Destruction; Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming; All Coming In 2025 From IDW Publishing

After three years, IDW's much-lauded Star Trek ongoing series – written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing – is coming to an end, as is Christopher Cantwell's Star Trek: Defiant. Together, these titles have reinvented and reinvigorated Trek lore, all while proving comics are the perfect medium for the franchise. That is a lot to live up to, and the slate of books just announced by IDW make it clear they plan to follow up this thrilling era with a roster of exciting new stories, starting with Red Shirts, which the publisher described this way:

STAR TREK: RED SHIRTS, kicking off in July, is the start of an all-new heartrending Star Trek five-issue miniseries by writer Christopher Cantwell (Star Trek: Defiant) and artist Megan Levens (Star Trek), featuring Starfleet's most intrepid and doomed crewmembers: red shirts. Now, finally, they get their own story.

Led by an experienced officer embedded on the snow-ridden planet Arkonia 89, the crew of the U.S.S. Warren has a small window in which to pin down spies seeking to steal classified secrets and keep Starfleet data out of their nefarious hands.

They face threats not only from their faceless enemies but from the brutalizing elements and wildlife of a planet far from home. The red shirts’ lives and Starfleet's sanctity are on the line…and no one is safe.

Writer Christopher Cantwell offered a personal tease to fans of Starfleet's most underrated crewmembers:

"We will get to know these ensigns and lieutenants intimately before they are likewise crushed, disrupter’d, and sucked into space. Who will survive? Will any? And what is the true nature of their planetside mission to hunt down mysterious spies? This is a major melody Original Series-era story in the key of Death, one I’ve wanted to tell for years, equal parts fun and harrowing, subversive and celebratory of the boldest tunic color one can wear in Starfleet—security red.”

This story stands out for its potential to offer a different perspective on the Star Trek universe, and to originate some strong new comic-first Trek characters – if, as the nature of the story and its advanced solicitation make clear, any of them can survive the miniseries. Beyond that, the announced Seeds of Destruction and Homecoming books will continue to expand on the stories of the franchise's beloved, familiar characters, including the casts of Brave New Worlds and Voyager.

IDW's Next Phase Of Trek Comics Will Tie In More Closely With The TV Shows

What's Next For The Strange New World & Voyager Crews

While Red Shirts is doing something new and unfamiliar, IDW's other new Trek comics will tie in more closely with the franchise's TV canon, starting with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Destruction, the synopsis for which reads:

It's classic adventure tale with plenty of twists and turns as the crew explore an ice-covered planet and the scary secrets that are lurking deep beneath the surface.... Featuring beloved characters First Officer Una Chin-Riley, Security Officer La'An Noonien-Singh, Science Officer Spock, and Nurse Christine Chapel - plus, a new adorable robot sidekick named D6!

Notably, Seeds of Destruction is being written by Robbie Thompson, who is also a part of the writers' room for the upcoming fourth season of the TV version of Strange New Worlds, meaning there could potentially be some direct ties between his work on the show and the comic miniseries.

And of course, for diehard Captain Janeway fans – who are legion among Trek aficionados – IDW is also celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager's television premiere, with the new Homecoming series. About the book, IDW teased:

Thirty years after the show made its unforgettable debut, Captain Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager are back for one final mission before they head home! From imaginative co-writers Tilly and Susan Bridges and acclaimed artist Angel Hernandez comes STAR TREK: VOYAGER - HOMECOMING this September, a five-issue limited series that offers the final resolution fans have been waiting decades to witness. The final shot of the Emmy-award winning series featured the iconic ship approaching Earth before the screen goes dark… But what if just moments after that, there was one last emergency for the determined Captain Janeway and her brave crew?

In other words, this series will serve as a direct, immediate sequel to the end of the Voyager finale, something that is certain to scratch a nostalgic itch for fans of the TV show; in all, Star Trek is at a high point thanks to IDW Publishing, and this next era seems as promising as ever.

Star Trek: Red Shirts will be available July, 2025 from IDW Publishing: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds Of Destruction follows in August; Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming beams on to shelves in September.

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