Space: the ol’ near-infinite panel gutter. These are the carefully recorded Star Trek voyages of Ensign Avery Kaplan. Her mission? To dutifully observe and analyze the various arms and evolutions of the most Redshirt-splatterin’ sci-fi Franchise to ever grace the small screen. This week, she’s got a freshly replicated advance review of IDW’s Star Trek: Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century #1.
This review avoids spoilers, but if you want to completely reserve the thrill of this issue for its release date – and we certainly won’t blame you – perhaps wait to read the article until you’ve enjoyed the issue for yourself. But also note that the review does spoil the preceding 2025 Redshirts series.
Star Trek: Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century #1 arrives at your Local Comic Shop (LCS) on July 22nd, 2026, with a Final Order Cutoff (FOC) of June 15th, 2026 – so make sure you talk to your LCS ASAP to ensure your copy of what promises to be another smash-hit (with an emphasis on the “smash”) series.
Star Trek: Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century #1
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Scott Buoncristiano
Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Publisher: IDW
Previously, on Star Trek: Redshirts…
The original five-issue of Redshirts – written by Christopher Cantwell, with art by Megan Levens, colors by Charlie Kirchoff and letters by Jodie Troutman – was one of Comics Beat’s Best Comics of 2025. The series told an original story cast almost entirely with original (and mostly ill-fated) characters, which broke many of the “rules” of the Franchise while telling a unique story that played on the meta “redshirt” trope in the most interesting way since John Scalzi’s fourth wall-disintegrating novel.
As is befitting the “redshirt” troupe, IDW’s Redshirts was filled with plenty of gory and sometimes innovative security officer deaths (my favorite was the one that concludes Redshirts #3, and echoes the transporter accident in Star Trek: The Motion Picture). The protagonist was Chip Miller, an ensign and redshirt who was mauled by a Mugatu and subsequently abandoned during an away-mission gone wrong.
As we come to find out, Miller was subsequently rescued by Romulans, who recruited him as an intelligence asset and sent him to infiltrate Starfleet (you know, just “Romulan things”). It seems that Miller has a chip on his shoulder about the whole “mauled by a Mugatu” thing, and he’s taking it out on Starfleet, who he feels uses certain recruits as expendable assets. Mariner, when she portrayed Vindicta.
However, Miller’s possibly legitimate complaint is somewhat complicated by the extremely high body count that accumulates as he accomplishes his clandestine goals over the five issues of the original Redshirts run (for the record, my favorite death was in the third issue). In the final issue, we not only learn that Miller is a Romulan asset, but we also see him commended by his superiors for completing his mission successfully. What will the future of his Starfleet career hold…?
And now, the continuation…
In my review of Redshirts #5, I wrote, “readers won’t be surprised to discover there are some twists and turns in this conclusive issue. Suffice to say that these wrinkles open up the possibility of strange new sequels to Red Shirts, but probably about slightly different topics.”
It turns out this assessment was accurate. Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century is very clearly a sequel to the original series and remains true to the hallmarks that made Redshirts so memorable. But judging by the first issue, it also shifts focus and presents a different kind of story. While Miller does return, he isn’t exactly the focal point of the story (or at least, not in the first issue). And instead, we get a new and different protagonist, one who may actually ██ █ ███████ ████████ █████?
As one expects from an advance review, it’s difficult to discuss this issue while avoiding spoilers. What I can say is that there is an upping of the ante on the gore factor, and while it may not top Redshirts #3’s gruesome death in its first issue, Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century still has four issues to achieve that goal. The art is excellent, and you will wince!
And perhaps, like yours truly, you are curious about the title. Never fear: you will understand what it means by the conclusion of the first issue, and the implications of its meaning seem to foreshadow a very intriguing plot line.
Ultimately, Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century #1 is a fantastic opening issue. Like the best sequels, this series stands to build upon the best elements of the original run while simultaneously doing its own distinct thing. Given that Duggan co-wrote one of the best and most over-the-top runs of Deadpool, I can’t say I’m overly surprised.
Coming this summer
As mentioned above, Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century #1 arrives at your LCS on July 22 nd, 2026, with a Final Order Cutoff FOC of June 15 th, 2026. Whether you’re already a fan of the original run or merely intrigued by the premise, I urge you to contact your LCS today and tell them you’re interested in Redshirts: Ghost of the 21st Century #1.
