Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Debuts a New Story (Advance Review)

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In a memorable scene from Mad Men, Don Draper helps his client, Lucky Strike cigarettes, reframe a problem. They were worried that the new ban on advertising cigarettes’ health benefits on TV would hurt their campaign. Draper brilliantly points out that this restriction, which they saw as a weakness, was actually a unique opportunity – a strength in disguise.

He described the situation as an unprecedented advertising chance, comparing it to the early days of cereal marketing. Because they had six companies all selling the exact same product, they had complete freedom to create any image they desired. Ultimately, they chose the slogan “Lucky Strike: It’s Toasted,” as it allowed them to define the brand however they pleased – it was like starting with a completely clean slate.

Reading Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Lost Contact #1 made me realize how much creative freedom this new series has. Because the setting of Starfleet Academy is so different from what we’re used to, the writers can really explore fresh ideas and bring a sense of novelty back to Star Trek, like it did when the franchise first began.

This comic is created by Layne Morgan (writer), Coralí Espuna (artist), Nora Serrano (colorist), and Neil Uyetake (letters and design). It tells the story of cadets whose training exercise unexpectedly turns into a genuine, dangerous mission.

How does Lost Contact hearken back to the original Star Trek stories?

Many Star Trek shows have attempted to recreate the original series’ feeling of discovery and adventure – that sense of venturing into the unknown each week with no idea what to expect. In fact, there’s even a series titled Strange New Worlds that directly aims for that same feeling.

Because the show is set so far in the future, the writers have a lot of creative freedom – it’s like a fresh start. It truly feels like experiencing Star Trek again for the first time. It makes you wonder about fundamental concepts, like what ‘first contact’ with a new species would even look like in this setting.

Throughout the series so far, it’s become clear that the show aims to reimagine familiar Star Trek themes in a fresh and unexpected way, all while honoring the original spirit of the franchise. This issue’s writer, Layne Morgan, does the same thing.

In this issue, Morgan essentially revisits the familiar sci-fi trope of an exploration team landing on an unknown planet and meeting a strange new alien. However, she puts a twist on it by framing the story as a training exercise that quickly spirals out of control.

How does the story highlight the soap operatic qualities of a group of young people thrown together?

What’s great about shows with a large cast is that the story can shift focus to different characters whenever needed. However, because many TV seasons are getting shorter, it’s harder to dedicate enough time to developing each character’s individual storyline.

Back when Gunsmoke was on television – and each season had a lot of episodes, usually 26 for the first fifteen years, then 24 for the last five – there was enough time to focus on different characters like Doc Adams and Kitty in their own episodes. But with shorter seasons of just ten episodes, it’s harder to give everyone that kind of dedicated focus.

These miniseries are fantastic because they allow characters like Genesis Lythe to be the main focus. She narrates this story, and her desire to prove her abilities is key to the combined training exercise between Starfleet Academy’s top students and the best from the War College.

As the show has demonstrated, the two groups don’t always get along, and this issue really amplifies that conflict by sending them on a mission together, especially since they’re separated from their instructors. This situation – which has been previewed in the issue’s description – highlights the differences in their personalities and explains why they ended up at either Starfleet Academy or the War College, revealing a lot about each character.

It’s enjoyable to watch Morgan use the confusion of the mission to explore the conflicts between the five cadets. They all have different ideas about how to proceed, particularly when things go wrong. The characters feel well-developed because their reactions are believable and consistent with their personalities – you can easily predict how each one will respond in a given situation.

Coralí Espuna’s artwork is a highlight of this story, bringing a beautiful, artistic quality to the characters. The use of color is particularly striking – each location has its own unique palette. Importantly, the mission itself is associated with a specific color scheme, and when that scheme changes, it signals that things are going wrong.

The new series will launch roughly a month after the first season concludes, which is perfect timing. Fans will be excited to continue following their favorite characters, and this story offers a great blend of the show’s current relationships with elements from classic Star Trek, all brought to life with beautiful artwork.

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2026-02-18 20:16