Warning: contains potential spoilers forStar Trek: Lower Decks#3!
There is a new planet in theStar Trekuniverse, and it is a true gift to fans. Over the course of its 58-year history,Star Trekhas taken fans across the galaxy, one full to the brim with exotic and dangerous worlds. Now, in a preview forStar Trek: Lower Decks#3,theCerritoshead to one of the coolest planets ever seen in the franchise.
Ryan North has penned all of IDW’sStar Trek: Lower Deckscomics.
IDW shared a preview forStar Trek: Lower Decks#3 withAIPT. The issue, written by Ryan North and drawn by Jack Lawrence, opens with theCerritoswrapping up a second contact mission with the planet Clarew.Captain Freeman notes the planet developed as “precisely as ancient Earth’s early science fiction authors predicted.”Indeed, the planet is right out of a 1930s science fiction magazine, with monorails, service robots and other futuristic flourishes. Furthermore, Clarew society stresses finding the perfect role for everyone in their society.
Star Trek’sCoolest New Planet May Look Weirdly Familiar to Science Fiction Fans
Clarew IsStar Trek’sTribute to Science Fiction’s Golden Age
The planet Clarew fulfills the dream of many science fiction writers from the early 20th century.While scholars debate where the science fiction genre truly began, some pointto Mary Shelley’sFrankensteinas the beginning, while others point to the works of Jules Verne and HG Wells. Whatever the case, by the 1930s, science fiction had begun finding a larger audience, evidenced by the many short story magazines and fanzines in existence. Often labeled “Science Fiction’s Golden Age,” this era helped set the tone for the genre, one that still persists to this day, for better or for worse.
Science fiction’s Golden Age produced some astounding visions of the future, some of which look quaint in hindsight.
Science fiction’s Golden Age produced some astounding visions of the future, some of which look quaint in hindsight.The “pulp” science fiction magazines were replete with giant robots, laser guns, rocket ships and bug-eyed aliens. Many, but not all, Golden Age science fiction writers held largely optimistic views of the future, or at least technology’s role in it. These writers believed that technology would ultimately benefit humanity, making lives easier and more fulfilling. The citizens of Clarew embody this philosophy, and have used it to create a utopia where everyone fits in.
Star TrekTook Many of Its Cues from Science Fiction’s Golden Age
Star TrekHelped Keep the Space Opera Genre Alive
Star Trekdebuted on television long after science fiction’s Golden Age passed, but it took many of the concepts introduced in the works of trailblazing authors and gave them new layers. Early science fiction sometimes featuredgalactic civilizations like the Federation, and they were usually protected by some altruistic organization, be it the Lensmen or Starfleet.Star Trekworks in this subgenre, which is often referred to as “space opera.” Other aspects of space opera include larger-than-life heroes and vile villains, like the type seen onStar Trek.
Star Trekhelped keep the space opera genre alive, and added elements of its own to the mix, and the preview forLower Decks#3 drives this point home. Captain Freeman talks with the Clarew envoy about her ship’s technology. The Clarew native uses terms that would not be out of place in a Golden Age science fiction story, such as “interstellar rocket ship” to describe theCerritos.Prior toStar Trek’sdebut in 1966, many science fiction ships were rockets, or resembled flying saucers.Star Trekbroke this mold, ushering in a new era of starship design.
Star Trek’sBest New Planet is the Ideal Federation Member
Clarew Represents theStar TrekPhilosophy Perfectly
It is only fitting then thatStar Trekwould visit a world straight out of the works of classic science fiction stories. The planet Clarew is a clean and shiny utopia, where technology is unchained and allows genuine progress. Beyond being a technological paradise, Clarew fulfills the dream of many science fiction fans: of a world where everyone belongs, and has a productive role in society. These values are also inherent in the Federation and Starfleet, making Clarew an ideal candidate for membership. They also establish Clarew as the coolest planet in theStar Trekuniverse.
Source:AIPT
Star Trek: Lower Decks #3 is on sale January 15 from IDW Publishing!
