Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: The Last Starship #1!
After 59 years, Star Trek has quietly exposed the Klingons’ worst war crime. One of the primary races of the Star Trek universe, the Klingons were the Federation’s one-time enemy, who became their greatest ally. Now, in a first look at Star Trek: The Last Starship #4, centuries of goodwill between the Klingons and Earth go out the door.
IDW Publishing shared their January solicitations, including Star Trek: The Last Starship #4, which will be written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Adrian Bonilla. IDW’s solicitation for the issue reads as follows:
First Officer Wowie Carter was once called the child without fear. But with the Federation in freefall and Earth still reeling from a brutal Klingon assault, fear is all that remains—and Wowie is cracking under its weight.
By the era of The Last Starship, the Klingons had joined the Federation, making this attack all the more shocking.
The Klingons Have Been Enemies and They Have Been Allies
How Star Trek Depicted the Klingons Has Changed Over the Years
Introduced in the first season Star Trek episode “Errand of Mercy,” the war-like Klingons would become one of the franchise’s primary antagonists. Star Trek initially depicted the Klingons as savage brutes who were bent on one thing: conquest. Looking like normal humans at first, the Klingons’ look was updated for the movies.
Star Trek retooled the Klingon look for the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. However, fans hated it so much the franchise beckpedaled on it completely.
The franchise’s portrayal of the Klingons became far more nuanced thanks to the inclusion of Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation. By the 24th century, the Federation and the Klingons had become allies, and they remained so, with one notable exception: during the buildup to the Dominion War, relations briefly fell apart thanks to the manipulations of the Founders.
In Time, the Klingons Joined the Federation, But Then Tragedy Struck
The Burn Devastated the Star Trek Universe
Eventually, the Klingons would join the Federation, an event hinted at on Star Trek: Enterprise and fully realized on Discovery. At the beginning of Discovery’s third season, the ship was pulled ahead to the 31st century, where they found a vastly different galaxy. It had just been ravaged by a catastrophic event known as “The Burn.”
As detailed in Star Trek: Discovery, the Burn wrecked devastation in the galaxy unlike any seen before. The galaxy’s supply of dilithium exploded, killing countless numbers instantly. Dilithium is central to warp drive, and without it, the Federation fell apart. The galaxy fell into chaos and anarchy, and crime and piracy made a return.
IDW Publishing’s Star Trek: The Last Starship is set in the months after the Burn, and its first issue drives home just how tragic the event was. The galaxy was nearly united, possibly for the first time ever. Races as diverse as humans, Andorians, Klingons, Kazon and others were united under one banner. The Burn undid all of this progress.
In the Wake of the Burn, the Klingons Have Become Star Trek’s Biggest Enemeis Once Again
The Klingons Tried in Vain For Years to Take Earth
And if the solicitation for The Last Starship #4 is any indication, not only did the Federation fall apart, but old rivalries returned as well. As documented in Star Trek: Enterprise’s pilot, “Broken Bow,” human and Klingon relations got off to a rocky start and remained so until the early 24th century.
And during the era of the Burn, centuries after joining the Federation, the Klingons have seemingly turned their backs on it. IDW’s solicitation mentions an attack on Earth. Star Trek has established that such attacks are rare, meaning the Klingons achieved a feat that eluded them, and other enemy races as well.
Other notable races that successfully attacked Earth include the Breen and the Borg.
The solicitation for Star Trek: The Last Starship does not give any indication as to how bad the Klingons attack on Earth will be, but they are renowned for their violent natures. The Klingons do not show mercy to their victims, and they no doubt massacred many civilians during the attack.
The Burn Took a Toll on the Klingons, and the Galaxy as a Whole
Can Captain Kirk Restore Peace to the Star Trek Universe?
Star Trek: The Last Starship is a book of hope: hope that a revived Captain Kirk can somehow save a broken galaxy. However, it is always the darkest before dawn. With the galaxy on fire, the Klingons have returned to their violent ways, and committed their biggest war crime to date by betraying Earth and the Federation.
Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 is on sale January 26 from IDW Publishing!
