Star Trek SNAFU In An All-Star Conflict

by Vince Brusio

The ongoing talking point in our interview with writers Scott and David Tipton for Star Trek: The Q Conflict (NOV180677) was that nearly anything is possible when Q is involved. With the deck furniture arranged in that context, meaning ANYTHING is possible no matter how the furniture is arranged, how do those in charge of making executive decisions prepare for such a conflict? One answer is quite simple. Who’s not afraid to break the furniture? Who’s willing to go toe-to-toe with a God? These kinds of insights are a glimpse into what we talked about with Scott and David in this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview for their new series from IDW Publishing that hits comic shops in January 2019.

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Vince Brusio: The scope of this series is enormous! How many different suits sat at a table to tell you where you could and couldn’t go in determining the fate of these high-profile characters from four different Star Trek camps?

David Tipton: It was not quite that difficult, but certainly Scott and I worked with CBS and IDW on the cast of characters during the development of this story. A lot of thought went into what characters would end up in this particular situation and why.

Scott Tipton: We’ve always had good luck in working with CBS on storylines and characterization, and even on a concept as big as this, they were up for anything as long as it made for a good story – specifically, a good Star Trek story, which is always our first concern. And having good editors like Denton Tipton (no relation, honest!) and Chase Marotz certainly doesn’t hurt.

Vince Brusio: You’ve dabbled in “warping” Star Trek characters with series like Mirror Broken. But now you’re going beyond that by putting people together in the same room together which technically should not be possible because of timelines, correct? Will there be explanations in the story which explain the mechanics of how such a thing is made possible in The Q Conflict? How much of this heavy lifting was left to your own devices versus outside input?

David Tipton: I think we have seen in the past that Q has significant powers to play with the rules of normal time and space. Q’s abilities are at the centerpiece of the story here.

Scott Tipton: And again, both the powers-that-be at IDW and CBS were up for anything we could come up with involving a little time-jumping around, so long as it all made sense within Star Trek canon. And when Q is involved, nearly anything is possible!

Vince Brusio: Out of the four crews represented, which captain do you see being the most stable in this situation? Which one is the most reactionary?

David Tipton: Keep your eyes on Janeway; we saw in Q’s appearances on Voyager that she was particularly effective at dealing with Q.

Scott Tipton: And while Picard probably has the most experience with Q, Captain Kirk dealt with more than a few of these kinds of uber-powerful near-gods, and his approach to dealing with them may well be very different. And then there’s Sisko, who just flat-out wants no part of it.

Vince Brusio: Is this story in any way an opportunity for you to delve into personalities or ticks of crew members that were previously left unexplored?

David Tipton: It will be very interesting to see how Q gets along with other godlike powerful beings in this story. We’ll see him interact with the Metrons and the Organians from TOS, for example, among others. Are they equals? Is there tension surrounding that question? We’ll see how that turns out.

Scott Tipton: And so much of the appeal of this series comes in the members of the various crews interacting for the first time. What would Janeway say to a young Ensign Chekov? How would Worf react to being on the original Enterprise? These are the sorts of moments we’re hoping readers will be drawn to.

Vince Brusio: If you were able to “geek out” over a particular scene that you think best represents the pulse of this series, what would we see, and why should we pay attention?

Scott Tipton: There’s a big double-page scene in the first issue that I’m hesitant to give away, but you’ll know it when you see it. It’s going to look fantastic, and it sums up the whole series. I can’t wait for it to hit the stands.

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.