Star Trek's Next Era Is Less Than 1 Month Away, And A Fan Favorite Hero Is The Series' New Lead

The next major Star Trek series finally follows a key hero as the franchise's main star right from the beginning. Star Trek has reinvented itself several times throughout the decades, starting with The Next Generation, which moved the Enterprise and its crew roughly a century forward. The 1990s expanded that reinvention further when Deep Space Nine established a permanent space station, and Voyager restored the traditional starship format, but placed its crew 70,000 light-years from home in the Delta Quadrant. Enterprise then went in the opposite chronological direction, serving as a prequel about humanity's earliest deep-space voyages and the formation of the Federation.

Each era in Star Trek history has been spearheaded by a charismatic captain. After Kirk established the iconic model, Jean-Luc Picard made the captain's chair a position of philosophical authority. Benjamin Sisko brought a more personal and politically complicated form of command to Deep Space Nine, Kathryn Janeway faced the franchise's biggest logistical challenge, commanding Voyager while stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and Jonathan Archer commanded humanity's first true deep-space Enterprise. Christopher Pike has gained particular importance as the compassionate, emotionally perceptive predecessor to Kirk, while Michael Burnham helped redefine the franchise's relationship with its captain tradition by becoming captain of the Discovery in the far future.

Now, Seven of Nine has an opportunity to join this lineage from a unique position, having spent much of her life outside Starfleet, struggled to gain acceptance within the Federation, served under other captains, and eventually inherited the Enterprise-G.

Seven Of Nine Stars In The Upcoming Star Trek #1

Star Trek #1; Written By Christopher Cantwell; Art by Dennis Menheere

Set five years after the Star Trek: Picard finale, IDW Entertainment's Star Trek is about to enter a new era in comic book format, with Captain Seven of Nine at the center of new adventures aboard the Enterprise-G. Her new crew includes Lt. Commander Sato, who appears to be a descendant of Star Trek: Enterprise's Hoshi Sato, along with Jack Crusher, the son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, who serves as Seven's special counselor. In Star Trek #1, Seven adjusts to Raffi Musiker's absence and confronts the high expectations left behind by the legacy of previous Enterprise captains.

The Enterprise-G's first mission takes Seven and her unusually assembled crew far beyond the familiar boundaries of the Federation, as they travel beyond the known galaxy to find a new home for a dying people. Their search leads them to the Epsilon Corridor, an unexplored region containing three apparently habitable Class-M worlds collectively known as the Trinity. The planets initially seem ideal for colonization, but their pristine appearance quickly gives way to a mystery involving strange physical phenomena that Starfleet's century-old probes somehow failed to detect.

Writer Christopher Cantwell, known for Star Trek: Defiant and Star Trek: Red Shirts, joins artist Dennis Menheere for a first arc designed as a psychological thriller that expands Star Trek beyond its familiar four-quadrant setting. Seven, Jack Crusher, and Crash La Forge must keep their fractured crew together while confronting whatever presence has shaped the Trinity. Star Trek #1 arrives on September 23, 2026, only weeks after the franchise's 60th anniversary, with pre-orders due August 17.

IDW's Star Trek Is A Must-Read

The New Star Trek Comic's Star And Setting Are Key To The Franchise

Seven of Nine is the central character of an ongoing series commanding the Enterprise-G from the very first issue. Seven is one of Star Trek's most complex characters, yet her previous adventures have always centered on ensemble casts. Seven's Borg perspective gives the familiar Enterprise formula a protagonist with a unique relationship with humanity. IDW's Star Trek can treat her captaincy as the beginning of a genuine new chapter, with Seven having to define what kind of commander she wants to become.

The Epsilon Corridor lies beyond the known galaxy, so Seven and the Enterprise-G will be far away from the Federation's familiar political landscape, where Starfleet's accumulated knowledge offers little protection. The Trinity initially looks like an explorer's dream, with three Class-M worlds suitable for the Revlavan refugees, no visible civilization, and no detectable threat. However, the strange temporal and spacial distortions promise to revive one of Star Trek's oldest strengths: using the unknown as a playground for scientific and philosophical mysteries. Besides, IDW's Star Trek has the freedom to expand the post-Picard status quo and push deeper into the 25th century.

What do you think will happen in IDW's Star Trek?

Star Trek #1 is available September 23 from IDW Entertainment