In this review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3, amid the icy depths of the planet Poilant, the landing party discovers if they have a green thumb after sentient vines begin picking off the crew one-by-one, while Christine Chapel rethinks her vacation plans.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Serg Acuña
Main Cover: Travis Mercer
Variant Covers: Andy Price, Travis Mercer
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: November 12, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3 begins with a flashback as Christine Chapel is advised against joining the U.S.S. Enterprise by her friend Jinare. The memory dissolves into the present, beneath the frozen surface of Poilant where the landing party has encountered sentient vines called “The Seed” who have already possessed the research team led by Jinare (rocking her best Poison Ivy look).
“Jinare” explains The Seed’s history in an attempt to sway Christine to their cause, but she actively resists the empty promises. La’an frees Christine, and the Seed vines reform into a pair of large creatures which gives the landing party something else to punch. Number One (Una Chin-Riley) orders Spock, La’an and helper bot D-6 to hightail it back to the submersible and signal for help, while Number One and Christine deal with the threat from Jinare.
Meanwhile in orbit above Poilant, The U.S.S. Enterprise finds itself surrounded by dozens of alien drones that have called for backup.
Down below, La’an is captured by the vines, leaving Spock and D-6 to reconnect with Scotty (who has gone trigger happy against another snare of sentient vines). The three launch the submersible towards the surface, but debris from the destroyed research station above rains down on them, followed by a sonic attack that incapacitates the group. The unmanned sub tumbles down into the inky back watery depths.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is under attack by the alien drones, which are part of a tech-heavy race called the Arken, (with a more than passing resemblance to the Borg). Elsewhere, Christine has an unsettling conversation with “Jinare’s” disembodied voice, explaining The Seed’s plan for revenge against the Arken using one of their ships.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3 ends as Christine comes face to face with vine-possessed La’an and Una.
Analysis
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3 (and the series as a whole) is an interesting experiment as a fun, pulpy, B-movie adventure, but it feels hollowed out for a Star Trek story. The characters still feel off, and most them appear to be going through the motions except for Christine (although the research team’s helper-bot D-6 is a continued welcome addition).
Writer Robbie Thompson mixes in character bonds (the opening flashback between Christine and Jinare, Christine and Una later on), fisticuffs against malevolent plant creatures, and plenty of humor (D-6 gets the best one-liners). Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3 is largely utilized as an exposition dump from Jinare and Uhura to get readers (and the characters) caught up on the previously unknown centuries-old struggle between the Arken and The Seed.
The Arken, planet conquerors with weaponry enhanced by artificial intelligence is too reminiscent of The Borg, although the next two issues might illustrate their differences. Readers don’t want stories to reinvent the wheel, but the characters should sound right as we are experiencing the story through their distinct points of view.
Scotty’s hilarious reaction to a vine attack is a nice touch, but the plot twists feel too telegraphed and lack surprise throughout the series. Travis Mercer’s art is impressive, but his characters don’t match the their likenesses, with the exception of Pike, Uhura and Christine. The Jinare “Poison Ivy” design is sufficiently creepy. The close-ups of Scotty and the Enterprise attack are standout scenes.
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Salvation #3 is another unfortunate misfire; a decent effort with uneven execution. The story and characterizations works better as an original idea, rather than as a Star Trek story. The overall artwork is impressive, but the character likenesses are inconsistent. This series is probably more for die-hard fans and Trek completists. IDW has bookshelves full of stellar Trek stories that are much more worth your time.
