Star Trek: Red Shirts

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1-5

by Christopher Cantwell, Megan Levens (Illustrator)

The doomed Starfleet crew members, the red shirts, must track down spies on an isolated planet in this graphic novel.

Stranded on the snow-ridden planet Arkonia 89, the crew of the U.S.S. Warren has a small window in which to pin down spies seeking to steal classified secrets and keep Starfleet data out of their nefarious hands.

They face threats not only from their faceless enemies but from the brutalizing elements and wildlife of a planet far from home. In this complicated story of betrayal, loss, and redemption, the red shirts’ lives and Starfleet’s sanctity are on the line…and no one is safe.

This heartrending story by writer Christopher Cantwell (Star Trek: Defiant) and artist Megan Levens (Star Trek) marks a new beginning for the Star Trek universe, featuring Starfleet’s most intrepid and doomed crew members: red shirts. Now, finally, they get their own story.

Collects the complete miniseries Star Trek: Red Shirts #1–5.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 12, 2026

Reviews

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Star Trek: Red Shirts" is an intense, suspenseful book that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. Focusing on the "Red Shirts" of the Starfleet Security Service, this book pulls no punches as it portrays the officers of Starfleet who form the tip of the spear and the thankless and often brutal work they are called to perform. Expect strongly defined characters, lots of action - often gory, unflinching adherence to duty, hidden agendas and enemies and a number of sudden twists.

Note: I read this story arc in single issues. I will modify this review as needed when the trade comes out

[East of Reality · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Redshirts. Used up, ignored, left behind; they’re the first to be beaten up and the last to ever get names. If they get them at all. It’s a running joke … but this comic takes the joke and decides to play it straight, lets you get to know a handful of redshirts on a mission — a mission they’re given only the sketchiest briefing about, only partial information and zero backup — and then kills them off, one by one. These poor hopeless fools think they’re doing something good, being a spark of light in the darkness … and for what? For who?

Despite how dark it is, and how gory, I enjoyed this comic. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, and I get that, but I think it’s an excellent character study and does some actual quality world building. The art is clean, the action is easy to read, and each death is memorable. I felt sorry for these characters, I wanted them to live, and the end? Ouch.

Very much worth the read! Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Renato]

Redshirts is darkly comedic. But it is also pretty dark.

(In the TOS era) : Ten Redshirts sent to a planet to investigate some spy equipment that has been hacked.

The premise feels akin to that funny D&D campaign idea where you fill entire party is full of Paladins. Mixed in is a "Final Destination" twist with the creative and unique deaths our party is about to encounter.

One nice little touch is that each chapter begins with a Dramatis Personae of all of the redshirt involved, with each subsequent chapter X-ing or greying out the characters as they get killed off.

Once again: if it were not for the tongue-in-cheek trope, this book would come off as extremely dark and cynical, feeling very Un-"Star Treky".

[Joel Jorden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was actually skeptical going into this miniseries, wondering if anyone could actually tell a compelling story focused on a bunch of "redshirts." But these security officers have an important mission, and not all of them will make it out alive...

This miniseries feels like the Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie we never got. It's got quirky interesting characters, violence, profanity, morally ambiguous characters, and double and triple-crosses!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christopher Cantwell takes the nameless people in red who are always the first to die on away missions and gives them names, backstories, hopes, fears, and dreams—and then kills them.

There's a cynicism running through this title that completely turned me off. I do tend to like the darker, morally complex Trek stories, but this one is so devoid of hope it should be called Star Trek: Grimdark.

Received via NetGalley.

[Declan O'Keeffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek comics taking some wild swings this year, and this one paid off. this was a fun comic with some fun twists and surprises. A great fun mini series.

[Javier Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

me gustó mucho la trama y dan unos giros