Review by Karl Verhoven

The idea of the Starship Enterprise finding itself in territory previously unknown to Starfleet has been a plot common to Star Trek, largely due to the opportunities available for episodes not messing with continuity. It’s what co-writers Ryan Parrott and Mike Johnson use to involve the Enterprise in a deadly race that could leave them beholden to a regional gangster.

Parrott and Johnson have anticipated a race involving several starships, all well designed by Angel Hernandez, may not be thrilling enough on its own, so introduce the extra complication of dividing the Enterprise crew among the participating craft. In return the Enterprise is allocated new staff. A further complication is that the rug is consistently pulled. “Nothing in this race is ever quite as it appears” announces smug string-puller, Zephyr.

Hernandez really raises the bar for any future Strange New Worlds artist, filling the panels with technological detail, designing multiple new alien species, and pulling out all the stops for a race between assorted starships. The default page is spectacular, and Hernandez frequently rises above.

Captain Pike’s unwanted mission is to take part in the race, survive and restore his crew. The key to everything is discovering how Zephyr is manipulating proceedings, and if that can be discovered the other necessities will be easy. Unfortunately, no-one has ever managed to beat Zephyr. That sort of mission has become bread and butter for the Enterprise, and the writers are unable to use the tension of a crew member in danger of death or the ship being destroyed, as we know that’s not going to happen. The suspense is therefore sustained by what Spock and Una are separately experiencing, which is suitably intriguing.

Mystery and tension are sustained through escalating threats until the smart end, meaning The Scorpius Run has the thrills The Illyrian Enigma lacked. You can make up your own mind as they’re combined as the first Strange New Worlds Omnibus.