Comic Book Review: Star Trek Waypoint #1

Jorge Arenas |

Oct 29, 2016

For me, becoming a fan of Star Trek started with The Next Generation. The crew of the Enterprise D were my guides as they took me on their travels throughout the galaxy. With Star Trek Waypoint #1 by IDW, I am able to continue the journey I started with the Enterprise crew twenty two years ago. This is an anthology series that houses tales from both the Original Series and The Next Generation, which are each penned by separate authors. As we are ending the fifty year anniversary of Star Trek it’s nice to see a reflection into the past, which I hope will provide hope for the future of the franchise.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”B01LXV7835″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Star Trek Waypoint #1[/easyazon_link] is divided into two stories. The first, “Puzzles,” is written by Donny Cates. Here we see Enterprise E sent by Starfleet command to investigate an unknown ship. As we are drawn into this story we are treated to a beautiful example of the friendship shared by now Captain Geordi LaForge and Commander Data. Though this issue centers around the mystery of the unknown ship, it also focuses on the relationship between these two friends. The back and forth exploration asks that same old question that has followed their friendship since the beginning of TNG. What does it mean to be human? Seeing this nod and few others in this issue was both fun and interesting. Though if you’re not a fan, or don’t have the knowledge of the series, it will be lost on you.

“Puzzles” is drawn by Mack Chater and colored by Jason Lewis and Dee Cunniffee. This trio’s work excels at being able to show the faces of two of the most recognizable people in the entire series. In this, they are able to put together visual cues from the characters that fans of the show will recognize. They also create an environment that feels both true to the Enterprise and expresses the emotion carried in the story. As you look at Geordi’s face towards the end of the story, his reaction to Data’s decision isn’t only spelled out in the writing, but all over the face of the character. You can see the emotion come right out of the art in that scene.

The second story, “Daylily,” centers around Communications Officer Uhura as she’s stranded due to a badly timed transport. “Daylily” is written and drawn by Sandra Lanz. The one thing that struck me about this story is how it kept you interested in what was going on with Uhura as she simply sat and waited. Centering around a creature she finds, you get to watch her try and interact with a humanoid being. Watching her interact with the creature is interesting because she’s not only out of her traditional element. But also, she’s using her abilities as a Communications Officer to attempt basic communication with this creature. The back and forth seen here gives us a view of Uhura that we don’t normally seen.

Uhura herself is drawn with respect to how she looked in the Original Series, and the environment used felt like a strange and exotic world. All of these elements combined gave me a sense of enjoyment as it lead me to the end of this issue. The art surrounding the creature she spends the issue with looks like something that you would see in the original series. The combined art of the environment and characters in this story gives you the 1970s television look.

The Verdict

[easyazon_link identifier=”B01LXV7835″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Star Trek Waypoint #1[/easyazon_link] delivers with two stories that will give fans of each television series plenty to enjoy. In the first story, we’re given a look into the friendship of Captain LaForge and Commander Data as they are sent to investigate a strange and unknown ship. In the second story, we’re given a simple tale of a stranded Uhura as she waits for the all clear to be beamed back aboard to the Enterprise. Though written by two different people, both stories do a great job at capturing the essence that each show had. Though if you’re new to either series, you might lose some of the magic written to each story, but this issue is pretty solid.