Review: Star Trek Discovery – Aftermath

Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath chronicles the efforts of Captain Pike and Chancellor L’Rell to bring about peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons following the events of Season Two of Star Trek: Discovery. Commander Pike is accompanied by Spock, whose adopted sister has gone missing along with the U.S.S. Discovery. This graphic novel also includes a story featuring Commander Saru, who must rescue the crews of the Discovery and the U.S.S. Dorothy Garrod from interstellar pirates.

Beyer and Johnson’s gripping story is brought to life by atmospheric illustrations from Shasteen and Hernandez, who perfectly capture the visual intricacies of human emotion in difficult situations, such as the hijacking of a ship or the breakdown of political communications. The illustrations within the novel portray the grief and worry experienced by Spock through an empathetic rendering of body language and facial expressions that speak volumes to the reader.

Both of the stories in Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath are highly appealing in terms of plot, but also carry a nuanced discourse on human nature and emotion. The Klingon narrative aptly suggests that peace and equality between races should be a very real and achievable goal, and yet a hopeful future is threatened by those who are dangerously narrow-minded. The stories within this graphic novel comment on the importance of unity in the face of danger from a common enemy.

The combination of insightful storylines, vivid illustrations and highly emotive colour palettes make for an immersive and compelling reading experience.

You can buy a copy of Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath here:

---

Big thanks to my friends Amy, Ruth and Grace at Paper Lanterns for providing me with an advance review copy of this graphic novel!

This review was originally published in Paper Lanterns Issue 3. You can purchase issues 1-3 and check out more reviews here: