Warning! Warning! Spoiler for Star Trek #22 ahead!
Time has always been malleable in theStar Trekuniverse, but a returningWesley Crusher just confirmed that the temporal nature is “nothing like we thought,” making his reunion with his mother as impactful onTreklore as it was an emotional pay-offfor the decades that fans have invested in these characters.
Star Trek#22 – written by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, with art by Megan Levens – features Wesley’s brief homecoming, as he spends a precious few moments with Beverly before disappearing once more.
What is likely to be most striking to fans is how Wesley appears: as an older man, physically older than Beverly, and having lived on a scale few other humans ever have. Yet as he notes, all the while, there were some aspects of an ordinary human existence that he seemingly regrets having missed out on.
“I Finally Found You”: Star Trek’s Beverly & Wesley Crusher Reunion Is a Tragic Twist for Wil Wheaton’s Character
Doctor Crusher has at long last been reunited with her son Wesley, but it is far from a joyous occasion, as she learns his heartbreaking life story.
Wesley Crusher Reveals The True Nature Of Time In The Star Trek Universe
Star Trek#22 – Written By Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Art By Megan Levens; Color By Lee Loughridge; Lettering By Clayton Cowles
What exactly Wesley means by his declaration about time and infinity is left for readers to puzzle over – and that is precisely the point.
From the start of IDW’s currentStar Trekongoing series, authors Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have endeavored to tell a story with a grand scope, to some degree eclipsing even the most ambitious entries in franchise history. Issue-by-issue, they have redefined the nature of space, time, and existence in theTrekuniverse – and then threatened them all in turn, creating incredible dramatic stakes for the series.Star Trek#22 proved to be no exception to this incredible project, asWesley Crusher revealed that time is “infinite in both directions,” before leaving his mother with a dire warning.
What exactly Wesley means by his declaration about time and infinity is left for readers to puzzle over – and that is precisely the point. Kelly and Lanzing have been downright gleeful in putting the “sci-fi” back inStarTrek, throwing wild ideas at the wall one after another, without getting overly bogged down by the mechanics or the metaphysics of it all. To a large degree, this has been a core part of what has made their series soengaging for long-timeTrekfansin particular.
That is to say, especially since theoriginal run ofTrekTV showsended withEnterprise, theStar Trekfranchise has become more and more of an interstellar action-adventure series. Kelly and Lanzing’sStar Trekcomic series returns to the unabashed science fiction roots of the franchise, while still delivering exciting action and high-stakes drama with aplomb. By packing exciting ideas like “time is infinite in both directions” into every issue,Trek’sauthors have made the universe wild, wonderful, and unpredictable once more.
According To Wesley, The Fate Of The Universe Is In Beverly Crusher’s Hands
Star Trek"Pleroma" Part 4 (Of 7)
As this arc reaches its mid-way point, writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing have set up two opposing philosophies of existence; now, the remaining issues of the “Pleroma” storyline will be about discovering which one triumphs.
Wesley and Beverly Crusher’s reunion inStar Trek#22 is short-lived, but it covers several memorable moments before it is over. It also forwards the plot of the “Pleroma” arc, which escalates significantly in this issue as Data’s evil twin Lore sets into motion his plan to become a god, and perhaps destroy the universe in the process. According to Wesley,they have reached “the fulcrum” of the universe’s fate, and that it is “in [Beverly’s] hands now.“Wesley further explains that he can’t take part in what is about to happen, before disappearing yet again from his mother’s life.
“Stay strong,” Wesley tells Beverly right before he’s gone, adding, “Fight what seems inevitable.” This directly reflects another scene inStar Trek#22, wherea Bajoran Prophet in the guise of his mothertries to convince Benjamin Sisko that he has cannot stop the “end of the universe.” In this way, as this arc reaches its mid-way point, writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing have set up two opposing philosophies of existence; now, the remaining issues of the “Pleroma” storyline will be about discovering which one triumphs.
Star Trek Teases The Wesley Crusher Spin-Off Fans Never Realized They Wanted
Wesley’s Space-Time Adventures
Later in their conversation, Beverly prods Wesley, saying, “you must have at least one good story to tell your mother” – and in this way,Star Trekhas teased an incredible potential spin-off series.
Another notable aspect of Wesley Crusher’s appearance inStar Trek#22 is just that: his appearance, and how it belies exactly how much of space and time he has traversed off-screen, and off-page. Wesley is depicted as a man in his fifties or sixties, approximately, but he explains to Beverly that he is actually far older. While he hesitates to put a precise number on it, he estimates his age at being “a couple thousand years old.” In this way, Wesley has officially become one ofTrek’slongest-lived main characters.
Later in their conversation, Beverly prods Wesley, saying, “you must have at least one good story to tell your mother” – and in this way,Star Trekhas teased an incredible potential spin-off series. Wesley has experienced parts of theTrekgalaxy never touched by other humans, and his experiences extend over a total of millennia, even if that is a nonlinear calculation. Fans have always wanted to know ’s experience as a Traveler, andit seems as though the current era ofStar Trekcomics would be the perfect opportunity to give them that story.
The Crushers' Brief Reunion Is A Heartbreaking Payoff To A Decades-Long Plotline
An EmotionalTrekEpic
It is a heartbreaking sequence of panels when Beverly asks Wesley to assure his “poor all-too-human mom” that he missed her, even during his thousands of years of cosmic exploration; Wesley in turn replies, “Oh. Oh, Mom. Every. Single. Moment.”
Of course, the most impactful part of the Crusher reunion scene fromStar Trek#22was the way that it provided a satisfying emotional moment for the mother-son duo.Especiallyearly inThe Next Generation’srun, Wesley and Beverly’s dynamic was an essential part of getting fans to invest in the new version of the franchise. Wesley’s unexpected evolution into a cosmic character came late inTNG’srun, and as a result, created a dynamic that has never been fully explored until this scene.
To one degree or another, most parents grapple with their children leaving home to pursue their own goals – but only Beverly Crusher knows the sadness of having her son ascend to an entirely different kind of existence. So, it is a heartbreaking sequence of panels when Beverly asks Wesley to assure his “poor all-too-human mom” that he missed her, even during his thousands of years of cosmic exploration; Wesley in turn replies, “Oh. Oh, Mom. Every. Single. Moment.“However fans felt about Wesley’s exit fromThe Next Generation, this is a crushing pay-off years in the making.
While futureTrekstories are sure to feature further encounters between Beverly and Wesley – even this was arguably not the first sinceTNGended – the fleeting nature of their time together inStar Trek#22 is particularly effective on a narrative level. It makes the scene that much more narratively potent, in particular Wesley’s admission that he missed his mom for thousands of years. In this way, this moment is a sterling example of the heights IDW’sStar Trekhas proven dead-set on reaching for with its current run of comics.
Star Trek (2022)
It’s stardate 2378, and Benjamin Sisko has finally returned from the Bajoran Wormhole omnipotent—but his godhood is failing with every minute. Sent by the Prophets on a mission to the deepest parts of space aboard the U.S.S. Theseus, he witnesses the unthinkable: someone is killing the gods. And only Sisko and his motley crew of Starfleet members from every era of Trek can stop them.
