Star Trek and Green Lantern To Cross Over In The Spectrum War

Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War will be written by veteran Star Trek comic writer Mike Johnson with interior art by Angel Hernandez. The first issue will be available in stores and online in July, featuring covers from Gabriel Rodriguez, Francesco Francavilla, Elsa Charretier, and Garry Brown. Following issues will feature covers from Declan Shalvey, Marc Laming, and more.

“We’ve looked forward to bringing these two iconic universes together for a long time,” said Greg Goldstein, IDW President and COO. “Star Trek and Green Lantern both share so many of the same science-fiction adventure themes and ideals, that a galaxy-spanning crossover like this is simply…logical.”

“Green Lantern is one of the most popular, storied characters in the history of comic books and a modern DC Comics icon. An entire universe of Green Lanterns and other supporting characters have grown out from his original adventures in the 1940’s, and this series really showcases the intergalactic scope of the franchise,” said Bob Harras, Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics.

Based on the cover image at right, it seems likely the ultimate showdown is between Klingons (or at least the forces of General Chang, the villain of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) with Sinestro Corps rings and Ganthet, who presumably is the one to summon Hal Jordan to fight alongside the crew of the Enterprise. That the villain bears little resemblance to Chang beyond the eye patch is not surprising; the rebooted Trek universe has shown some flexibility in that regard, particularly with Khan looking dramatically different. That Christopher Plummer’s likeness rights are probably more expensive then they’re worth might be an additional motivator to give Chang a more modernized Klingon appearance.

Since the films prior to 2009 are non-canon in the Abrams-created Star Trek universe, this will likely be the first encounter between Kirk and Chang, unless it turns out that this is the Chang from the previous universe, carried over as was Leonard Nimoy’s Spock.

It’s almost a shame this couldn’t have been Star Trek: The Next Generation; it could have been some fun fodder for storytelling to have Data encountering the Emotional Spectrum. Ah, well. Another time.