Review by C.J. Bunce
Who was there when the Federation starship Voyager finally made it back to Earth? What happened in those first days? Until now fans of the seven-year Star Trek series didn’t know for sure. Now IDW Publishing is offering up a window into that very event in Star Trek Voyager: Homecoming, a new five-issue mini-series. It’s just in time for the series’ 30th anniversary. The first issue arrives in comic shops today. In my view Star Trek Voyager was the best of all the franchise’s shows. Why? It fulfilled Gene Roddenberry’s vision with its lost crew in the Delta Quadrant where they actually explored strange new worlds, new lifeforms, and new civilizations, exploring where at least Earthlings had not gone before–and they did it with a captain who stuck by her principles and those of Starfleet. It also had some of the best stories, thanks in no small part to some of the greatest showrunners of them all: Michael Piller, Rick Berman, and Jeri Taylor.
You’ve probably encountered tie-ins from large franchises with characters you know as well as yourself, and then they say that thing that you know they would never say? The first issue of Star Trek Voyager: Homecoming passes the test. Janeway, Tuvok, Chakotay, Paris, Torres, the EMH, Harry, and Seven are all there, greeted by some familiar faces. The EMH especially taps the magic from Robert Picardo to take action in the first chapter, when a presence from the past takes the crew full circle. But wait–is that a variant cover featuring “Flashback” era Captain Sulu? Take a peek inside a preview of the first issue below, courtesy of IDW Publishing:
And here are two more of the four cover options for the first issue:
And here’s a look at later covers:
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dog of War artist Angel Hernandez provides a spot-on look back at the ship and the crew, exactly like fans would hope for. The mini-series was written by Star Trek Prodigy consultants Tilly Bridges and Susan Bridges. Color work is by Charlie Kirchoff.
It will be fun to see where these creators take our favorite characters next. Add Star Trek Voyager: Homecoming to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic shop now. It arrives in stores today.
