Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Omnibus, Vol. 1 by Mike Johnson (Author), Kirsten Beyer (Author), Ryan Parrott (Author), Megan Levens (Illustrator), Angel Hernandez (Illustrator)
First, in The Illyrian Enigma, set between seasons one and two, Una is accused of unlawful genetic modification by Starfleet and Captain Pike sets out in search of evidence that could prove her innocence. But when Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise get caught in the Pryllia colony, home to the elusive Illyrians, the mission objective quickly shifts from gathering evidence to exonerate Una to…breaking out.
Then, in The Scorpius Run, set course with Captain Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the Scorpius Constellation as they become the first Federation vessel to explore this uncharted region of space! In this romp across the stars, the Enterprise crew learn what it truly means to explore the strange and unfamiliar when they lose contact with Starfleet and everything outside the region. After entering a crime lord’s starship competition to save an innocent pilot, the Enterprise jets through a gauntlet of dangerous environments in the unexplored Scorpius sector. But cosmic storms and sentient ship-eating asteroids aren’t the only obstacles the crew will have to overcome!
Collects Star Trek: Strange New Worlds—The Illyrian Enigma by Kirsten Beyer, Mike Johnson, and Megan Levens; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds—The Scorpius Run by Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, and Angel Hernandez; two short stories, “Yesterday’s Shadow” from Star Trek #500 by Jody Houser and Vernon Smith and “Facemaker” from Star Trek: Celebrations by Mags Visaggio and Tench.
Review:
As a fan of Strange New Worlds, I jumped at the chance to read this omnibus of several original stories. There are a couple short stories that are sweet and funny. But The Illyrian Enigma is an exciting new take on the mysterious alien species. The authors weren’t afraid to forge their own backstory for the aliens, and it’s surprising and inspired. Then, “The Scorpius Run” is another longer story, but is similar to other stories we’ve seen before. The Enterprise and her crew are forced into a starship race. It’s still fun and includes some unique aliens we haven’t seen before. The artwork for each run is fantastic – the characters are spot-on and the colors are as bright and vibrant as the series. This was a solid collection that fans will all enjoy.