Star Trek's Timely New Spin-Off Hits the Ground Running (Advanced Review)

Published Sep 4, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: contains potential spoilers for Star Trek: Zero Point #1! Star Trek’s timely new spin-off has hit the ground running. 2026 is Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, and will also see the launch of two exciting new comics. The first, the adjective-less Star Trek, follows Captain Seven of Nine aboard the Enterprise as she embarks on a dangerous mission into unknown territory. Now, IDW is shining a light on Seven’s lover, Raffi Musiker, as she charts a potentially dangerous new course. Played by actress Michelle Hurd, and introduced in the first season of Star Trek: Picard, Raffi Musiker quickly became one of the franchise’s compelling characters. Originally an assistant to Admiral Picard, Raffi left Starfleet at the same time he did. Instead of retiring, however, Raffi drifted, falling into addiction. She also nearly lost her family as well. Across Picard’s three seasons, Raffi found herself once again: she kicked her addiction, repaired familial relationships, and found love with fellow cast-off Seven of Nine. Picard culminated with Seven taking command of the Enterprise, with Raffi as her First Officer. Recently, in the Star Trek 60th Anniversary Special, Seven and the crew of the Enterprise set off to explore the Epsilon Corridor, a deadly mission that could take years. This alone could test Raffi and Seven’s bond, but now matters have become even more complicated. Raffi is given a new mission herself, one that could potentially save the galaxy, or destroy it in the brand-new Star Trek: Zero Point. Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final FrontierTrivia Challenge 🚀ShipsEnterprise! ⭐CrewMake it so ☠EnemiesResistance is… ⚡TechWarp speed! 📖LoreLive long… ENGAGE → 01 The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series? ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656 ✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager. ✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager. NEXT → 02 Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character? AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek ✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise. NEXT → 03 Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called? AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive ✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols. NEXT → 04 “Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called? AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472 ✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.” ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.” NEXT → 05 Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him? AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula ✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard. NEXT → 06 Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called? ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive ✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive. NEXT → 07 At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called? AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru ✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario. NEXT → 08 In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain? AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat ✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record / 8 Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty? ↻ RE-ENGAGE Star Trek: Zero Point's First Issue is Impressive, Full of Big Ideas and Lots of Heart Star Trek: Zero Point's Cast of Characters Are Unique and Intriguing Star Trek: Zero Point, written by acclaimed science fiction writer Charlie Jane Anders and drawn by Isaac Sanchez Gonzalez, begins six years after Picard’s finale, where the Borg attempted on Frontier Day to destroy the Federation. Raffi is still haunted by that day, and Zero Point’s opening pages do a wonderful job of not only bringing readers up to speed, but also effectively establishes the emotional beats that will drive the story. In an era where tech companies promise that AI is “inevitable,” Zero Point takes on a new and urgent layer. Zero Point’s premise is also timely. Starfleet Command has unveiled a sophisticated new AI system, called “Sybil.” Sybil is designed to identify potential threats to the galaxy, and particularly the Federation, with the goal of neutralizing them in the early stages before they grow into full-blown crises. Naturally, objections to the new system exist, but Starfleet is adamant about Sybil. In an era where tech companies promise that AI is “inevitable,” Zero Point takes on a new and urgent layer. Star Trek: Zero Point is not all big ideas though, and Anders and Gonzalez have crafted an intriguing cast of characters. Whereas previous Star Trek comics were culled from across the entire franchise, most of Zero Point’s officers are new to the franchise, save one exception: D’Vana Tindi, from Star Trek: Lower Decks, is assigned as Raffi’s First Officer. Older and more mature, Tindi becomes the voice of reason. Other new characters include a Caitan raised by the Ferengi and a disgraced Tzenkethi, along with a newly joined Trill. Star Trek: Zero Point Is One of Trek's Best Debuts Star Trek: Zero Point is one of the best Trek debuts in recent memory. Anders and Gonzalez waste no time in setting up the themes of the book. Raffi struggles with her Frontier Day failures, and this motivates her to go along with Sybil and her new mission. The feeling of powerlessness has driven Raffi her whole life, and now she has the opportunity to do something about it. However, Tindi is not sure of Sybil, giving voice to modern-day concerns about the use of AI. Star Trek is all about social commentary, and Zero Point does not skimp in this area either. Star Trek is about characters as well, and Zero Point delivers in this area too. Raffi was one of Picard’s breakout stars, and Zero Point is giving her a chance to shine. Anders and Gonzalez nail Raffi’s characterization, showing why she was so great in the first place. The new personnel introduced in Zero Point’s first issue are intriguing as well, bringing a new kind of dynamic to the franchise. The return of Tendi is most welcome as well, and sure to please fans of Lower Decks. Zero Point's Launch Is A Highlight of Trek's 60th Anniversary Star Trek’s 60th anniversary has seen its share of ups and downs, but Zero Point is a firm high point for the celebration. Anders comes to comics having written speculative fiction, and she leans into this background throughout Zero Point, creating high-idea concepts that fire up the imagination, while Gonzalez’s art breathes vibrant life into the characters. Zero Point opens up a new chapter in Star Trek history, and the creative team has hit the ground running. Star Trek: Zero Point is on sale October 14 from IDW Publishing!