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Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: The Last Starship #1! The new Captain Kirk is the Star Trek franchise’s answer to Captain America. IDW’s new flagship Star Trek series, The Last Starship, brings Kirk centuries into his future, giving him the biggest mission of his storied career: save the Federation. Kirk’s new status quo makes him a man out of time, just like Captain America. Speaking with Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources, The Last Starship writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly offered further insight. Cronin drew a comparison between Kirk’s last moments, as seen in Generations, and Captain America’s revival in modern day. Cronin refers to Kirk as a “man out of time” in The Last Starship, much like Captain America in the Marvel Universe. The Last Starship is drawn by Adrian Bonilla. Captain Kirk is a Star Trek Legend, Full Stop Kirk Returned to the 24th Century, Only to Die Shortly After There have been multiple captains of the starship Enterprise during Star Trek’s 59-year history, and James Kirk may be the best known. The captain of the Enterprise during a series of five-year missions, Kirk cemented his place as a Starfleet hero thanks to his dynamic command style and ability for quick thinking. By the time Kirk disappeared on the maiden voyage of the Enterprise NCC-1701-B, he had ascended to the status of legend. Unfortunately, Kirk was seemingly lost on that trip. Unbeknownst to all, Kirk was actually transported into the Nexus, an interstellar phenomenon that transcended space and time. Arriving in the 24th century, he was killed fighting Doctor Soran. Captain Kirk Returns to the Land of the Living in Star Trek: The Last Starship Captain Kirk Returns in the Star Trek Franchise's Darkest Hour: The Burn Yet legends refuse to die, and IDW’s Star Trek: The Last Starship brings Captain Kirk back to life in a grand fashion. Revived in the 30th century by a mysterious faction of the Borg, Kirk must fight to hold the Federation together at a pivotal moment in its history: “The Burn,” the single most devastating event to ever hit the galaxy. Star Trek: Discovery’s third season revealed more about the Burn: an accident triggered a chain reaction destroying the galaxy’s supply of dilithium. This element is integral for warp travel. Without it, the Federation, which now spanned the entirety of the galaxy, fell apart. The Last Starship’s opening pages put a personal spin on the Burn’s devastation. Captain Kirk Is A Stranger in the Galaxy That Reveres Him Captain Kirk Has a Great Deal in Common With Captain America From the beginning, Star Trek: The Last Starship’s creative team of writers Lanzing and Kelly and artist Adrian Bonilla have stressed the “stranger in a strange land” elements that are present in the book. Kirk died in the late 24th century, after living his life in the 23rd and is now revived in the 30th. As Brian Cronin points out in the Comic Book Resources interview, this gives Kirk a great deal in common with Captain America. Like Kirk, Captain America awoke to find himself in a vastly different world than he remembered. Despite this, Captain America never abandons his moral code, regardless of what time frame he is in. Captain Kirk Will Fight Two Battles: Adjust to a New Time, and Save the Galaxy Kirk Must Contend With a Federation That Now Includes Klingons Much has changed in the galaxy since Captain Kirk’s heyday. As noted earlier, the Federation now stretches across the galaxy. In addition to founding members such as the Vulcans and the Andorians, the Federation now includes former enemies, such as the Tholains, the Romulans and even the Klingons, and it is this last one that may give Kirk pause. As seen in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Kirk has reason to hate Klingons: one of them killed his son David. Kirk spent the next decade nursing a grudge against the warrior race, and this was used against him in his trial in The Undiscovered Country. That film ended with the promise that Kirk would work through his issues. Star Trek: The Last Starship could continue Kirk’s acceptance of the Klingons. Kirk was instrumental in beginning the peace process with the Klingons, despite his misgivings. Kirk disappeared into the Nexus before he could see the fruits of his efforts. Furthermore, he was only in the 24th century for a short period, giving him no time for a history lesson. Yet now, in the 30th century, Kirk is confronted with peaceful Klingons who are affiliated with the Federation. Lanzing and Kelly hint that this will require some adjustment on Kirk’s part, but it could bring his arc from The Undiscovered Country full circle. IDW’s advanced solicitations revealed the Klingons attacked Earth after the Burn. Will Kirk have to broker peace again? Captain Kirk Is Now Traveling the Same Path Captain America Did in the Marvel Universe One Captain America Story Best Showed His Struggles to Adjust The struggles that Captain Kirk will face in the 30th century of Star Trek: The Last Starship mirrors those of Captain America after his revival in contemporary times. When Captain America went onto the ice, America had just won a world war. Furthermore, the world underwent massive cultural shifts while Captain America was in hibernation. For Captain Kirk, not only will he have to come to terms with Klingons and Romulans in the Federation, but he must learn centuries of history and technology that happened while he was “dead.” However, the events unfolding in the rest of the galaxy in response to the Burn complicate this adjustment. Cronin points out in the interview that when Captain America returned to the present day in Avengers #4, he moved on quickly. This owed more to the storytelling conventions of the time, leaving later generations of writers and artists to mine gold from Captain America’s struggle to assimilate to the world around him. Perhaps the best example of this type of Captain America story came in 1974. The “Secret Empire” arc, not to be confused with the 2017 crossover of the same name, pits Captain America against a wide-reaching conspiracy that was firmly entrenched in American life. Written as a response to the Watergate Scandal, the story is regarded as a classic. Star Trek: The Last Starship Makes Captain Kirk Just Like Captain America And Star Trek: The Last Starship could give Captain Kirk an arc similar to Captain America’s in the Marvel Universe. Even before he disappeared and was presumed dead, Captain America was a hero and icon to Americans. When The Last Starship opens, Captain Kirk is but a memory to Starfleet, but he still inspires the organization centuries later. “Secret Empire” was a watershed story for Captain America, one that examined the character’s relevance to America and the Marvel Universe as a whole. Star Trek: The Last Starship can do something similar for Captain Kirk by transporting him to a different time. Far from being an outdated relic, he is a symbol of hope and unity for a broken people. Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
