IDW recently released a collection of the first mini-series of Star Trek: Red Shirts by Christopher Cantwell and Megan Levens. Cantwell (a seasoned IDW Star Trek veteran having writing the fantastic and extremely fun series, Star Trek: Defiant), returns with a story shining the spotlight on science fiction’s favorite batch of cannon fodder: the red-shirted Starfleet security officer.
The poor plight of these nameless officers has long been a punchline for Trek fans, and I was curious to see how a series centered on these ill-fated men and women would work. Going in, I had assumed that Cantwell would take a humorist/satirical angle on the material, but what he delivered was much greater than that. Star Trek: Red Shirts could be the outline for a Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie. This mini-series more closely resembles Reservoir Dogs in space than any Star Trek television show or film I could compare it to. This mini-series is a gritty and grounded look into the hearts and minds of those who are constantly risking life and limb for the nebulous greater good of the Federation. These poor souls are all too aware of their division’s survivability rate on missions and yet they still step on that transporter pad like the heroes they are.
Our heroes are called to complete an away mission on a faceless planet in order to discover who has hacked into a Federation monitoring station. It wouldn’t be giving anything away to point out that the mission goes as well as expected for these Red Shirts. Cantwell almost cruelly removes characters as soon as we, the readers, have just let them into hearts. The story unfolds in this bloody fashion, as with each death the reader gets a glimpse at the greater mystery Cantwell is weaving. Ensign Chip Miller, who, on his very first away mission suffered severe injuries, acts as the reader’s eyes and ears. Miller is full of cynicism for his position as a security officer, having seen the callous disregard his superior officers have for his safety. After sustaining his injuries in the line of duty, Miller waited days for rescue, making him feel like an after-thought to Starfleet. Cantwell shows just how far the loyalty and patriotism of these red-shirted heroes goes, as they are thrust into a deadly battle of cat and mouse with a cadre of classic Star Trek villains. Miller is the star, but I appreciated how each officer had different personalities and very different methods on confronting the inevitable chaos and danger of their everyday lives.
Levens’ art must convey both the classic aesthetic of Star Trek and the often brutal scenes required by Cantwell’s script. Levens captures the raw emotions of the script beautifully in her face work, as readers feel every emotional punch alongside the characters. The action is fast paced but always easy to follow and beautifully framed. This has the feel of a big-screen action movie, and I hope Levens returns to Star Trek soon. This brutal and visceral action movie is vividly brought to life by Charlie Kirchoff’s colors. From the shadow work to the blazing energy-weapons, he brings Levens’s art to life. Jodie Troutman’s lettering work here is great. Given that a lot of the story is told through Miller’s inner monologue, Troutman always ensures that the word bubbles never distract from the action or overcrowd the panels, letting the work of Levens and Kirchoff shine.
I really enjoyed this twisty action thriller of a book. IDW once again shows that Star Trek can accommodate a variety of different genres, and I love how the editors of that line aren’t afraid to push the franchise into new directions. My only disappointment is that there won’t be a direct follow-up as far as I know. Cantwell and Levens have a strong framework for exploring a new corner of the Star Trek universe, and I hope they get the chance to continue this story. Any fan of Star Trek should pick this collection up; another win for the IDW team.
Creative Team: Christopher Cantwell (Writer), Megan Levens (Artist), Charlie Kirchoff (Colorist), Jodie Troutman (Letterer)
Publisher: IDW Publishing
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