Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek Writer Morgan Hampton Breaks Down the Debut Issue

On Wednesday, IDW Publishing launched its latest Star Trek comic, Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek #1, from writer Morgan Hampton, artist Angel Hernandez, and colorist Nick Filardi. As described in ComicBook.com’s advance review of the issue, Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek picks up where the , but focuses not on the captains and crews of Starfleet vessels, but instead on the children of some of Star Trek’s best-loved characters. Jake Sisko is still glowing after his father’s return from the Celestial Temple. Alexander Rozhenko, son of Worf, is in a holding cell for his role in the Red Path’s uprising. Nog, the first Ferengi in Starfleet, is beginning to become jaded with his current position. [SPOILERS for Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek #1 follow.]

Jake, Alexander, and Nog’s collective angst attracts the attention of Q Junior, the son of Q, the near-omnipotent being from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager (and that one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine when Benjamin Sisko punched him in the face, something Jake hasn’t forgotten). Taking a cue (no pun intended) from his father, Q Junior whisks the three young men away to an alternate reality where they find themselves serving aboard a Star Trek vessel with a surprising crew, including Jadzia Dax, Tuvix, and Beckett Mariner. Most surprising is the commander of the vessel, Captain Dukat.

There’s no getting out of this easily for the boys as Q Junior is forcing them to relive their seemingly doomed mission over and over until they get it right and learn whatever lesson he’s trying to teach them. The problem is that they don’t know how to do their assigned jobs properly nor understand what QJ expects them to learn.

ComicBook.com had the opportunity to ask Hampton a few questions about this first issue, what he has in store for the trio of young Star Trek progeny, and more. IDW Publishing also provided ComicBook.com a first look at Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek #2. Both the interview and the preview pages are included below.

This feels like a Q setup from a classic Star Trek episode. Did you look at any specific episodes when getting into the mindset for writing Sons of Star Trek?

Yes, absolutely! I watched a lot, honestly, to make sure that I got everyone’s voice down. It’s also my comfort show, so it’s on 24/7. But specifically, I pulled a lot from the Next Generation episode “Tapestry”, which is probably my favorite Q episode. It’s got such a strong core that reminds me of A Christmas Carol where Q helps Picard reconcile with a pivotal moment in his past. And then there’s “Q2” from Voyager which serves as the introduction of Q Junior, Q’s son.

 I was taken by the conversation between the Siskos about Jake’s creative writing. I don’t know if it was intentional, but Captain Sisko’s line — “Writing isn’t about creating the impossible. It’s about creating the familiar so that all of us facing the impossible can get through another day” – instantly made me think of Benny Russell in “Far Beyond the Stars.” What can you tell me about that scene and the theme you’re playing with there?

I don’t think I did that on purpose, but in honing Sisko’s voice, it just felt like the most Sisko response in that moment. He’s a Captain, but he’s always willing to put that aside to be a father. It’s one of his best qualities. So that’s what this scene is for me. It’s Sisko dressing down his ranks, and titles, and simply being a father for his son who is in a transitionary period. Writing dialogue for Sisko is crazy, and this was my favorite line to write, so I’m glad it resonated.

“Far Beyond the Stars” is not just one of the best Star Trek episodes, it’s one of the best episodes of television ever! So maybe in the back of my mind, I was channeling some Benny Russell without even realizing it, which would be fitting for that character.

What can you tell me about Alexander right now? He helped attempt a bloody coup, yet he doesn’t seem remorseful. Instead, he’s still harboring resentment directed at his father and what Worf represents. Is there hope for Alexander, or is that something you want to keep close to the vest for now?

I think there’s hope for everyone. That’s something Star Trek is always so good at conveying. Without going into too much, Alexander is definitely at his lowest point, and he’s having a hard time piecing himself back together after what he went through with The Red Path because he’s realizing, there weren’t that many pieces in the right places to begin with. So it’s not that he’s not remorseful, it’s that he doesn’t know how to feel, because he’s never been given the tools to navigate the world in a healthy way, so all that bubbles to the surface is anger and resentment.

It was exciting to see some of the familiar faces who are going to be working with Jake, Nog, and Alexander in this alternate reality that Q has concocted. Some make immediate sense – we get to use Jadzia again, and she knows all three of the boys – but then others are more surprising. What can you tell us about why you chose these people for this crew?

This was probably the most fun aspect of developing this series. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Christopher Cantwell. They’ve also got these really cool, and unexpected crews in their Star Trek books, and seeing that, I realized I could have a little bit of fun with my crew as well. And then add in the fact that this story primarily takes place in another universe, it just meant that the world was my oyster. So I just had fun with it. I chose some characters that I felt like would never get approved, but to my surprise and excitement, they did! But on a deeper level, these are characters with a lot of depth, some of which we’ve seen play out, and some of which we haven’t. But all of them will be able to give something to our protagonists on their own journeys of self-discovery as they try to make their way home.

Lastly, I’ll ask about Captain Dukat. For my money, Gul Dukat is the greatest villain in Star Trek’s history. How like that Dukat is this Starfleet Dukat? What differences should readers be looking out for?

I would completely agree with it! I think this Dukat is very similar in his presence and the respect that he demands. It’s just packaged differently because he’s coming from a universe where Cardassia has a completely different history. But putting Jake, and Nog up against Dukat in this way where they have to not just work with him, but under him, creates a very interesting dynamic that’s been fun to explore.

Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek #1 is on sale now. Star Trek: Sons of Star Trek #2 goes on sale on April 24th.