Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #1!A new Star Trek comic has unveiled the franchise’s most powerful weapon ever - one capable of committing genocide on god-like species. IDW Publishing has inaugurated a new era of comics for the franchise with the debut of Star Trek #1, which sees Captain Benjamin Sisko and a diverse crew of Starfleet officers come together to discover what is killing the god-like species of the galaxy–and they get an up-close look at their new foe’s impressive, and terrifying, power.
Within the Star Trek universe, there are a number of god-like races and beings, including the Q, the Metrons, the Organians and the Prophets. These beings live on other planes of existence, interacting with lower life forms, such as humans and Vulcans, as they see fit. These species and beings are possessed of intelligence and motivations beyond corporeal life forms. A number of classic Trek episodes involve the crew encountering such beings, and usually either outwitting or impressing them. Now, in IDW’s new flagship Star Trek title, a powerful and mysterious force is slaughtering these gods, and it is up to Benjamin Sisko and the crew of the USS Theseus to discover, and stop, whatever is committing galactic genocide.
The Prophets have sent Sisko back to the human plane of existence to stop whoever is killing the gods. After being cleared for duty by Starfleet, Sisko is given command of the Theseus, which he takes to the Hephaestus Nebula. There, they find the Crystalline Entities - massive, snowflake-looking creatures, each of which has the power to consume entire planets. The Theseus’ sensors detect another, unknown ship in the Nebula - a ship that unleashes a weapon that wipes the species out of Star Trek canon. The issue comes from Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Ramon Rosanas, Lee Loughridge and Clayton Cowles.
Star Trek's Gods Have Met Their Match
Star Trek fans know that the Crystalline Entities, first glimpsed in Star Trek: The Next Generation, are nothing to be trifled with - they have been responsible for the destruction of at least two planets, and yet here they are slaughtered as if they were nothing. Whatever or whoever is behind the extinction of the most powerful beings in the Star Trek universe possesses immense power - power seemingly beyond anything the Federation or Starfleet has encountered. Some of these beings, such as the Crystalline Entities, took the crew of the Enterprise down to the wire in the past, and yet this new weapon cut right through them.
Whatever is behind the systematic slaughter of the gods has a powerful weapon, one they have no hang-ups on using on entire species. Its only limitation is seemingly that it is at least attached to a ship, suggesting it may have technological needs that could limit how often it can be used. Nevertheless, it's clear the slaughter will continue, and even Sisko's rapidly dwindling powers are no direct match for this new threat. Star Trek's mysterious new weapon is capable of wiping out beings who themselves can kill planets, making it abundantly clear why the Prophets have sent Sisko back to stop this major new existential threat.
Star Trek #1 is available from IDW Publishing now.