If Star Trek fans thought that the last few years of IDW Walk comics have added a whole new dimension to the franchise's familiar lore, they better get ready for next year as the series hints at a revolutionary shift in the mythology surrounding Benjamin Sisko. The new revelation may prove controversial, but it is not at odds with what is already known. Walk devices for telling stories.
Star Trek #28 – written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art by Tessa Fowler – finds Captain Sisko jumping back in time to “a Bronze Age Bajor,“leaving the indigenous population to question whether he is”a terrible threat or the prophet they were waiting for.”
From this synopsis, readers immediately began speculating that Sisko is about to instigate a classic causal cycle, creating the myth that would later lead to him being considered the Emissary of the Prophetsas originally pictured in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Star Trek is about to reveal a major twist in the story of Benjamin Sisko's Bajoran prophecy
Star Trek #28 – Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing; Art by Tess Fowler; Main Cover by Ramón Rosanas
The full teaser for Star Trek #28 says the following:
Lore has destroyed the multiverse and its fate is now in the hands of Benjamin Sisko. But after the USS Theseus reaches the Celestial Temple, Sisko finds himself without his crew… or any technology… on Bronze Age Bajor. The ancient Bajorans don't know what to make of him: is he a terrifying threat or the prophet they've been waiting for? If Sisko wants to save his own life from the Orb of Destruction, he must first save himself…
So far, authors Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing have more than proven that they can be trusted to pull off an ambitious time- and space-hopping journey. Walk story and use it to deliver emotionally deep moments from the franchise's most beloved characters. So it's not really a question of whether the issue will provide a satisfactory progression to Sisko's arc in the comics – the answer is almost certainly yes. Instead, the question is how radically this story will alter fans' understanding of Walk canon.
In more ways than one, Kelly and Lanzing Star Trek The ongoing series at IDW has been an extensive project of reinvention, recalibration, recontextualization—whatever readers call it, the authors have dedicated themselves to addressing Walk from new and familiar angles. They have already made many interesting contributions to Star Walk canon, and for the most part, the new things they brought to the franchise have been adopted by the fandom. There is no reason to suggest that Sisko's adventure on Bajor in the distant past will be any different, but there is a long Walk fans are, to some extent, understandably hesitant.
Why a big change to the story of Sisko's journey will have a harder time winning over fans
Star Trek #28 – “Old Sisko” Variant Cover by Tess Fowler
The idea of the casual loop is iconic in science fiction and has been used memorably in Star Trek before. So, it's not that it's out of place in the Walk universe that might leave readers hesitant to adopt the trope's use, if that's really where the story of Star Trek #28 goes. Instead, the main reason for some fans' doubts is not exclusive Star Trek not at all, but it's part of the discourse around all great franchise narratives.
As long as the story does justice to Sisko's character and advances Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing's story, its lore implications will be deserved, whatever they may be.
In other words, the change runs the risk of making the Walk universe feels smaller and more insular, which would be at odds with the series' overall commitment to expanding the universe. Similar to criticisms of contemporary Star Wars storytelling, There is a growing sense that the “star” characters of each franchise need to be connected to every important moment in the franchise's history, rather than Star Trek and Star Wars stories being set in vast universesof which the stories told are only a fraction of the larger story.
How valid this concern is remains up for debate – but what can be said is that a story should not be pre-judged before it is told, and so fans will have to reserve their opinions on the matter until Star Trek #28 is released. The synopsis could, of course, be obscuring an even bigger twist, although that's not even necessary. As long as the story does justice to Sisko's character and advances Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing's story, its lore implications will be deserved, whatever they may be.
IDW's Star Trek literally redefined the “lore” Star Trek fans are familiar with
The War of Knowledge Coming March 2025
Captain Sisko's journey back in time to Star Trek #28 is part of a much more ambitious reimagining of Walk universe, as it is precipitated by the destruction of all Walk Multiverse of Data's evil brother, Lore. The War of Knowledgethe franchise's big crossover in 2025, it seems like a summary of everything Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing have done with the franchise in almost three years. While we hope it won't be a swan song for the creators' time on the book, it will certainly be an important milestone for the franchise, which has the chance to significantly redefine Walk comics moving forward.
As with any distortion of reality Walk tale, authors are within their rights to return everything to the status quo before the arc began, but they also have the opportunity to fundamentally alter the arc's composition. Walk universe – if IDW is willing to let them go that far, of course. Overall, 2024 was the biggest year yet for IDW Walk “renaissance”, and it looks like 2025 has the potential to surpass it, making Star Trek A must-read for comic book fans and devotees of the franchise.
Star Trek #28 will be available January 22, 2025 from IDW Publishing.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Star Trek science fiction franchise. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals on a space station near a planet called Bajor.