If you’re keeping up with the state of Star Trek, you’d probably think it fair to say the franchise is somewhat beleaguered. Paramount’s plans for the IP are yet to be revealed beyond the suggestion that it remains important and the announcement of a new rebooted Star Trek film, but other specifics are conspicuously absent. Before the end of the current era of shows, we’ll have new seasons of both Strange New Worlds and the newly canceled Starfleet Academy, and from there, it looks like fans will face something of a wilderness. It surely won’t be long before new Star Trek projects are announced, but it also feels strange that there are no TV shows currently in production. Luckily, Star Trek does have another universe more than worth visiting, and a new update is particularly exciting.
Back in Summer 2025, IDW launched the excellent Star Trek: Red Shirts, offering a whole new perspective on one of the most abused parts of Starfleet lore. Written by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by Megan Levens, the dark 5-issue run was a revelation, and when it ended in December, a vacuum opened up. Happily, it’s now been confirmed that a sequel series is coming almost exactly a year after the original launched, in July 2026. Star Trek: Red Shirts – Ghost of the 21st Century is set to be written by Gerry Duggan with artist Scott Buoncristiano at his side. In other words, the best new Star Trek series of recent memory is getting a sequel with serious talent behind it.
Star Trek: Red Shirts – Ghost of the 21st Century Continues The Redemption of Star Trek’s Whipping Boys
Star Trek: Red Shirts was always about giving a voice to the voiceless while also acknowledging (and not disrespecting one of Trek’s most famous and beloved tropes), and the first details of Ghost of the 21st Century sound like we’re getting an even darker take on the meme. The official synopsis promises a fate worse even than guaranteed death for the Red Shirts:
“Revenge is a dish best served on time delay… On the Federation’s farthest frontier, red shirts don’t just die—they’re used. When conscripted security grunt Harry Deubert finds contraband hidden inside a fallen comrade’s body, he uncovers Section Null—a secret Starfleet directorate turning disposable red shirts into assets in a sprawling criminal conspiracy. Teaming with Lyna Taval, an Andorian officer with her own covert agenda, Deubert digs too deep…and becomes a target. Someone inside Starfleet Security is selling out the Federation. And once Deubert and Taval learn what red shirts are really for, there’s no going back.”
Duggan’s statement also offered some more details, promising that “this new volume of Red Shirts is going to leave a very big bruise on Star Trek.” He also reveals, “The Romulans have an insidious plot to destabilize the Federation, and it’s my privilege to help them and drop as many bodies as we can along the way. Set your phasers for fun, and see you in space.” Despite the criticism from some Star Trek fans of modern Trek’s fascination with deconstruction and shallow nostalgia, Red Shirts balanced both perfectly, and this new release sounds like the perfect escalation. If you haven’t had a chance to read Star Trek: Red Shirts, treat yourself, and then look out for Ghost of the 21st Century hitting shelves on July 22, with preorders kicking off on June 15, 2026. Here’s the covers…
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