Star Trek: Discovery introduced the 32nd century era (and the devastation of The Burn) in its third season; however, the show never really provided much insight into the franchise’s iconic Klingons. This all changed last week with the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (“Vox in Excelso“), which revealed that a century after The Burn, the Klingons were on the brink of extinction. While it may not technically be canon, the new comic book series Star Trek: The Last Starship offers an explanation for how the proud warrior race became galactic refugees.
“In the burning detonations across the stars…”
Star Trek: The Last Starship is the new flagship Trek series from IDW. It launched last September, and is set during the immediate post-Burn era, about a century before the events of Starfleet Academy. And the first story arc focused on how the Klingons were affected by The Burn.
Klingons living as refugees in the 32nd century in Starfleet Academy‘s “Vox in Excelso” (Paramount+)
The eponymous “last starship” for the new comic book is the USS Omega, which Starfleet hastily constructed (powered by a Borg transwarp drive) immediately after The Burn wiped out the rest of the fleet. Under the command of Captain Delacourt Sato, the ship’s mission is to try to hold what’s left of the Federation together. Oh, and his crew also includes a resurrected James T. Kirk (long story).
The first crisis Captain Sato and the USS Omega deal with is a surprise attack by the Klingons. After The Burn, a militant Klingon named Ha’shet had risen to power to lead her “Black Path” cult to bring Klingons back to their roots. She declared war on the Federation with:
“In the burning detonations across the stars, did annihilation come to our people. More lives than any battle. More souls than any plague. Gone without meaning. Without honor. For centuries have our people walked a red path of peace. Our true nature consigned to history to make way for Utopia. Our ancient myths weaponized against us to make us compliant. Now we walk a new path. A Black Path. And with it, a new promise: The Federation’s end.”
Klingon fleet attacks in Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 (IDW)
“Soon, the screaming starts.”
Through the first three issues, the new comic tells the story of how a Klingon fleet arrives at Earth and drops warp cores as antimatter bombs, devastating cities like San Francisco, London, and Rome. With the help of someone who knows how to fight Klingons — namely James T. Kirk — the “Black Fleet” was defeated. Captain Sato directly challenges Ha’shet to combat and kills the Klingon leader with a giant bat’leth made of programmable matter.
And here’s where things get really dark: Sato declares himself captain of the Klingon fleet and sends them back home with new orders. In a captain’s log that would even take Benjamin Sisko aback, Sato reveals what happened next:
“They go into the darkness on my order. Back to their warrior halls and ancient battlefields. Soon, the screaming starts. Twenty-nine Klingon worlds light up with dilithium detonations, their last transmission is a roar in a thousand voices. And then they’re just gone.”
Sato declares himself leader of the Klingons in Star Trek: The Last Starship #3 (IDW)
As this is happening, the devastated Earth declares independence from the Federation. The comic then jumps forward five years (in the latest issue released in January) as Sato tries to rally what’s left of the Federation. On Discovery we saw that a century later, there is still something left of the Federation and Starfleet to build upon, which eventually leads to Earth rejoining.
On Starfleet Academy, we have seen it was a very different story for the Klingons. Left without worlds of their own, the Klingons were refugees and scattered, on the brink of extinction… until Captain Ake (with the help of Klingon cadet Jay-Den Kraag) found a Klingon solution, giving the proud warrior race a new lease on life on Faan Alpha, a new homeworld.
Captain Ake and Jay-Den Kraag in Starfleet Academy‘s “Vox in Excelso” (Paramount+)
None of the specifics from The Last Starship were mentioned in Starfleet Academy, but this story could explain what did happen and why the Klingons needed a new homeworld. Comics are not officially canon; however, the licensed comic books are made to be consistent with it and IDW coordinates the development of the comics with Paramount.
The Last Starship #3 cover by Francesco Francavilla (IDW)
Hopefully, Starfleet Academy will return to the Klingon storyline in upcoming episodes and we will learn more about the fate of the famed warrior race.
ICYMI: First Starfleet Academy comic coming in April
IDW will launch their first direct tie-in comic to the new TV series on April 28th. The 5-issue Star Trek Starfleet Academy: Lost Contact will tell a story about the cadets getting cut off from contact with their teachers while on a lifeless, low-oxygen planet, and “they’ll have to work together and use everything they’ve learned in class about first contact to make it off the planet alive!”
(IDW)
You can order Star Trek comics at your local comic shop. Or pick up individual digital editions at Amazon/comiXology.
Keep up with all the Star Trek comics news, previews and reviews in TrekMovie’s comics category.
