In this review of Star Trek: The Last Starship #4, Wowie Carter takes center stage, leading a story of one person’s hope for the future.
Star Trek: The Last Starship #4
Written by: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Art: Adrián Bonilla
Main Cover: Francesco Francavilla
Variant Covers: J.J. Lendl, Francesco Francavilla
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: January 21, 2026
This review contains spoilers
After the Klingon attacks in Star Trek: The Last Starship #3 and Earth’s decision to leave the Federation, the crew of the Omega must carry delegates to Babel to decide a new home for Federation headquarters. The Borg transwarp technology installed on the ship will allow them to arrive at Babel in four months, but due to time dilation, 23 years will pass for those outside the ship.
Before departing, First Officer Wowie Carter visits his parents at their home on Earth. He tries to get them to understand the mission he’s about to go on, but they’re afraid and feel that Wowie should stay. He goes anyway.
There’s a time dilation jump of five years (one month on the ship) and Wowie returns to his parents’ home, which is now a protected facility of the United Earth Science Directorate, founded by his father. His mom has kept his room the same, including a recently found replica phaser his father made for him when Wowie was young.
He goes to meet with Solara, a former crew mate on the Sagan, asking her why she left. She lets him know that she didn’t feel needed and hadn’t wanted to impede Wowie’s progression in command. She plans to join him on the trip to Babel, but after he leaves, Solara cryptically voices concern to herself that things are not going to be okay, not unless they do something.
After another time dilation jump of 13 years (three months on the ship), Wowie returns to Earth to find that his father has passed away. He ends up talking to a man on a park bench, asking the stranger what his hopes are for the future of humanity. When the man doesn’t give an answer, Wowie is saddened. He leaves his replica phaser on the bench and beams back to the Omega, where he talks to Captain Sato about allowing Kirk to take over as first officer, due to his experience.
The final page of Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 has us on Babel with Solara in a room by herself. She’s digging in a bag, pulling out an arm band with an Emerald Chain insignia on it and placing the band on her arm.
Analysis
I’m going to quickly admit that I found Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 to be a little more confusing than it should have been, at least initially. When the time jumps were taking place, I wasn’t sure how Wowie was getting back to Earth if he was onboard the Omega and en route to Babel. Apparently, transporter technology in the future is exceptional, even in a Starfleet that’s down to its last ship. Writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly don’t make this abundantly clear, leading to the potential of being pulled out of the story wondering how this was happening. I was able to piece it together eventually, though I was left to ponder that if the transporter tech is this good now, why can’t everyone just beam over to Babel?
In any event, this Wowie-centric story is a good one. There’s less action and explosions than in the previous issue, but we get a good glimpse into what makes the Omega’s first officer tick. The writers have created a strong character in Wowie, one who has high hopes for the future. He’s also smart enough to realize that Kirk should be the first officer.
The character of Solara is only present for a few pages, but looks to have a big role in the story to come. As a member of the Emerald Chain, we can assume she’s up to no good, but exactly what remains to be seen.
The artwork in Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 by Adrian Bonilla remains consistent from previous issues. The style is distinctive and eye-catching. If you’ve been a fan of the way the first three issues looked, you’ll be happy to know that this one looks the same. The colorist does change for this issue, though. Lee Loughridge takes over for Heather Moore, but there’s no noticeable difference. The consistency between issues helps to tie the work together.
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 focuses on character development rather than heavy action to propel the story forward. The balance of characters and action between issues makes this title hard to skip. Have fun, comic lovers!
