Review by Frank Plowright

This slightly slimmer second collection continues the format of the first by offering five different stories, each strongly featuring an alien race from the Star Trek universe, stretching across different eras and franchises.

The Cardassians are supplied by the writing team of Arne and Andy Schmidt. There’s a good story of honour, loyalty and betrayal at the heart, but the telling does its best to muddy this, not helped by Agustin Padilla’s art being technically good, but not always clear. A resolution that fails to provide an ending seals a disappointment.

Keith R. A, deCandido spotlights the Klingons looking back to an encounter with the Federation after the Organians have put an end to their hostilities. It’s cleverly written in unfolding the truth over time, and J. K. Woodward’s painted art (sample spread left) hits some elevated peaks, although can seem rushed on other pages. When the story was reprinted in IDW’s pocketbook Classic Collection format Woodward revisits his colouring, but this is the better version.

Q’s appearance is set during the Next Generation era, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Scott and David Tipton have Q become Jean-Luc Picard in his attempts to understand what it is to be human, but he picks an unfortunately delicate moment. In a story very much about talking heads, Elena Casagrande’s cast likenesses are variable, but she conveys the emotional moments. Q being so far above humanity that he lacks patience is key, but there’s a feeling of going through the motions about the entire endeavour.

The Romulans were very well handled by John Byrne in Volume 1, so Ian Edginton and Wagner Reis have big shoes to fill. Their subject is Commander Acastus, sick of being overlooked for promotion, so planning a campaign to become a senator. It’s a well drawn and devious tale of political shenanigans with a fitting ending.

The volume closes with Stuart Moore and Mike Hawthorne (sample spread right) looking at Tribbles. Humans and Klingons crash land on a planet inhabited by a lot of hungry Tribbles, who remember liking humans, but not caring for Klingons. As with their original TV appearance, the Tribbles, may seem harmless, but there are a lot of them. It’s fun, but predictable.

This is a weaker selection than the first volume, with nothing greatly resonating beyond the Klingon tale. It’s also available in hardcover as part of the Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection in the UK.