'Star Trek': Life after Khan begins with IDW's 'After Darkness'

Image credit: IDW Publishing[/caption]

The "new" mythology of Starfleet began with the brand-reviving J.J. Abrams film Star Trek in 2009 and extended with Star Trek Into Darkness this summer, but the canon is not limited to those silver screen cornerstones — the events chronicled in the Paramount videogame also "count as canon" (as Trek producer and writer Roberto Orci has pointed out on many occasions) as do the events in the Star Trek comic books from IDW Publishing, the fourth largest comic book publisher in America (since 2011) and a brand that just posted the best market-share month in its 14-year history.

Issue No. 22 of the IDW Trek series arrives this week at stores and, as the After Darkness title suggests, it takes the story beyond the events depicted in Star Trek Into Darkness and, in doing so, becomes the first official Trek tale in any medium to take the story baton past the most recent film's Khan story.

And (with Orci's guidance as the creative consultant on the comics series) it may hint about the priorities for the next cinematic mission. To learn more about the spirit of the IDW series, we mind-melded with writer Mike Johnson (who is teamed with artist Erfan Fajar on story pages and the gifted Tim Bradstreet on select covers) to find out if he's in Federation space or out of his Vulcan mind.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The rhythms of Star Trek feel different than anything else in sci-fi and I imagine it's daunting to maintain the tricky balances within all of that. Or do you think I'm overstating the singular nature of Starfleet fiction?

MIKE JOHNSON: I do think there are hallmarks of Star Trek stories that are unique among big pop culture franchises. Above all, Trek embodies a fundamental optimism about the future (even in a movie called Into Darkness). Everywhere we look these days we see how bad the future's going to be: zombie hordes, alien invasions, teenagers shooting arrows at each other. But Trek shows that we made it to the 23rd century, and we have cool spaceships and flying cars and a united, peaceful planet. It doesn't mean bad things never happen. But they aren't the only things that happen.

The first page of Star Trek issue no. 22 (Image credit: IDW Publishing)[/caption]

There have been six different Star Trek television series and they add up to 720-plus episodes, if I did the math right. When you think about that entire output, are there a handful of episodes that you would cite as the ones that stick with you most? And if you can, is there any common link you see connecting them in tone or type?

I grew up on original series reruns, and then watched The Next Generation from the premiere episode, so it's a mix. For TOS, I'd say "Amok Time" really blew my young mind, because we saw Spock really lose it. He kills Kirk! When you're a kid and you see something happen, it really happens: "Spock killed Kirk!" You're not old enough yet to be figuring out how the screenwriters are gonna get out of it. For TNG, my favorite episode is "Measure of a Man." It does what Trek does better than anything: Tell a dramatic, tense, emotional story primarily through debate and ideas.

If you assembled a mix-and-match crew from different Trek franchises with a goal of interesting group dynamic, what might it look like?

I'll stick with the TOS/TNG theme. For Captain: I'll go with Kirk. I'd follow Picard into the depths of Kronos, but I gotta go with the original here. (I have a theory that Picard actually represents the Kirk/Spock dynamic acting itself out in one person, but that's a separate nerd-convo) For First Officer: I'm promoting Data to first officer in place of Spock. No one can replace the Vulcan, but I'd love to see the emotion/logic dynamic play out between Kirk and someone who is all machine, not half-human. Medical Officer: Bones. The guy in charge of healing everyone is the crankiest guy on the ship? Perfect. Engineer: I'll go Voyager for this one and choose B'Elanna. Half-human, half-Klingon, and a female scientist in a traditionally dude-heavy franchise. Helmsman: Sulu. Best pilot in Starfleet, and he has a sword. Communications: Uhura. Obviously a breakthrough character for American TV, but mostly just one of the coolest characters in any Trek show. Security: Tasha Yar. She's still alive in my universe. Navigator: I would have Chekov and Wesley battle to the death — in "Amok Time" style — in the pilot episode. Winner gets the chair.

NEXT PAGE: Megos, Glommers, Tribbles>>

Pages 2 and 3 from 'Star Trek' issue No. 22. Image credit: IDW Publishing[/caption]

Are you a fan of the animated series? I want to sit and watch the entire run, which I have not seen since I was a kid with my Mego Spock action figure.

I had the Megos too. They don't make them like that anymore. Well, they do, but they cost $300. I love the animated series. It's a fascinating example of how Trek couldn't be killed off simply because the live-action series was canceled. It was destined to survive. We ended up using the animated series in the comic twice, first when we introduced the ravenous Glommers in our Tribbles story, and later when we used Captain Robert April in our movie prequel series.

Is there a Trek voice that you find the most difficult to pin down or hold to?

This sounds like a cop-out, but I find all of them relatively easy to write simply because the actors and writers over the years have done such an amazing job of creating such unique characters. And that goes for the new cast as well. The tricky part is actually balancing the various qualities each character brings. For example, Kirk has to be commanding as well as daring, Bones has to show his skill as a doctor and not just be metaphor-spouting comic relief, Uhura can't just be defined by her relationship to Spock.

NEXT PAGE: Attack of the Doubt Goblins>>

Page 4 of 'Star Trek' issue No. 22. Image credit: IDW Publishing[/caption]

Talking to Bob Orci, it's amazing how he flips from movies to TV to videogames and, with this venture, acts as Starfleet command on the overall course of the stories. Does that range of possibilities excite you as a protégé looking to the future, or does it add to the population of doubt goblins that linger in the mind of most creative types?

I'm stealing the phrase "doubt goblins." Look for them to attack Kirk in an upcoming issue. One of the great things about working with Bob is that he is not a snob when it comes to various storytelling media. The old dynamic had film on top as most important, followed by TV, then animation, with comics clinging to the bottom and literature off in the woods somewhere muttering to itself. That hierarchy has crumbled thanks to the great work being done by artists of all types in all different media. Games are now a legitimate art form. Comics are the basis for the most popular movies in the world. Actors move between film and TV without a stigma. It's a strange, great new world.

When humor works on Star Trek, it's awesome and it usually does work, to the credit of many, many people. What have you learned about the engine room of that humor?

I think humor in Trek works because no matter how nerdy or obtuse the concepts might appear, the moments that make up the stories are all grounded in the personalities of the characters. I think there's been an assumption over the years that Trek is somehow humorless and boring given the subject matter, but if you look at old episodes you'll see Shatner having a blast, and Nimoy killing it with just a single eyebrow twitch. For all the powerful dramatic moments, Trek has never been afraid to poke fun at itself.

NEXT PAGE: Time travel = dated?>>

Alternate cover for "Star Trek" issue No. 22 (image credit: IDW Publishing)[/caption]

If Star Trek had to eliminate two of these three tropes, which one would you save? 1) Stories about time travel. 2) Stories about teleporter malfunctions. 3) Stories about a crew member who turns bad (or seems to, due to mind control/impersonator/evil-double).

I don't believe in no-win scenarios, but if I have to choose, I'll keep the shape-shifting/mind-possession stories. It's interesting to watch the early episodes and realize that the "mental" stories were so prevalent simply because they didn't need a ton of visual effects. They relied on the talent of the actors to tell the story. Even now, when effects are readily available, I think the best stories involve the characters interacting with each other in unexpected ways.

What would you like to see in the next Trek director now that J.J. is feeling the Force of a franchise switch? Either in qualities of the person, their priorities or background experience?

I hope it's someone who understands and enjoys the spirit of the first two movies, a spirit of optimism and adventure and family no matter how dark things get. I don't think it matters whether the new director can speak Klingon or not. But do they love these characters? If they do, we're in good hands.

Geek Deep Dive: Writing the 'Star Trek' history book, 'Federation: The First 150 Years'

KHAAAAAAAAN! 'Star Trek' retro poster push wants to put 'Space Seed' on your wall