Comic Book Review: Star Trek: Red Shirts written by Christopher Cantwell, art by Megan Levens
One of the running jokes among Star Trek fans, especially when talking about the original series, is the “redshirts”, characters whose only purpose in the story is to die to establish that the situation was dangerous and how the danger worked. If a random Security officer (whose uniforms had red shirts) beamed down with a character whose actor was in the credits and therefore had a continuing contract, that “redshirt” was doomed. For a more humorous/metafictional take on the subject, see my review of Redshirts by John Scalzi.
This miniseries (collected into one volume) treats the subject a bit more seriously. Twelve Security officers are given a secret assignment. Someone has been hacking into a solar wind detection antenna array on the desolate planet Arkonia 89. Their mission as it’s described is to lure in the spies with a data disc containing vital secret information partially transmitted through the antenna. Once it’s known who the spies are, they are to be captured or eliminated, and Starfleet Command will take it from there.
The Dramatis Personae page introduces us to the doomed dozen, including several Klingon War veterans, a champion kickboxer, a native Arkonian, and a Vulcan who chose Security because he’s considered low intelligence by Vulcan standards but is book smart by Security standards.
Our initial narrator is Ensign Chip Miller, a rookie Security officer who barely survived his disastrous first away mission, nearly losing an eye and having to survive alone on a hostile planet for several days. The resulting scarring makes him look tougher than he actually feels. He starts the mission pessimistic, and gets more discouraged the worse things get. Also, he has a peanut allergy.
The deaths start almost immediately, as even the arrival method is high-risk. A combination of extreme weather, lethal wildlife, equipment failure, poor decisions and two hostile alien militaries whittle down the survivors one or two at a time. Who, if anyone, will survive? Will the real mission objectives be met?
This is a darker, more cynical take on Starfleet than we’re used to, suitable for the subject matter. While the cover art makes it look like a horror series, it’s more of a war/espionage genre story. Despite a cameo by the Enterprise crew, this is the dirty underside of hidden agendas and being expendable for the mission.
The art is decent, most importantly it’s relatively easy to tell the characters apart despite more realistic faces. The coloring by Charlie Kirchoff is darker than most Star Trek comics, reflecting the somber tone.
Content note: gory violence, usually fatal. Some “monsters” die. Injury to the eye.
Overall: This is not a series for when you want a bright, happy story with a positive conclusion. If you like your Star Trek grittier, with the Federation sometimes having serious setbacks, this might be to your taste.
