Star Trek is bringing back the one race that even the Borg fear–and I could not be more excited. In late 2022, IDW unveiled an ambitious reboot of their line of Star Trek comics, crafting a galaxy-spanning story drawing on characters from across the franchise. Many familiar faces have returned, and in a first look at Star Trek #25, one of the galaxy’s most powerful, and feared, alien races returns.
IDW shared their October solicitations with League of Comics Geeks, including Star Trek #25. Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and drawn by Liana Kangas, the issue is the first part of the new “When the Walls Fell” storyline. IDW’s solicitation reads as follows:
The android Lore has done the unthinkable: He has detonated the Orb of Destruction, unmaking the universe. After an extra-galactic tumble on the ensuing shockwave, the Theseus sinks into fluidic space. There, the crew melds in and out of a manifold of realities. Benjamin Sisko is against a godkiller once again, but this time it’s up to him alone to save reality itself!
Long time Star Trek fans will recall that fluidic space is the home of Species 8472.
While the solicitation does not state if they will be in the issue, both variant covers show a member of Species 8472, which seems to imply they will be involved in some capacity.
Star Trek’s Powerful Species 8472, Explained
Species 8472 Are One of Star Trek’s Greatest Loose Ends
When Voyager was hurled into the Delta Quadrant, fans knew it would not be long before the ship would encounter the Borg, who called it home. At the end of Voyager’s third season, in the episode “Scorpion Part One,” they finally meet the Borg–only to learn their cybernetic adversaries were on the run from another, even more fearsome alien race. These aliens, who the Borg designated Species 8472, lived in another dimension, called “fluidic space.” What separated Species 8472 from the rest was their ability to resist assimilation. As such, the Borg could not defeat them.
None of the contemporary Star Trek shows have made use of Species 8472, and with the Borg now off the table as of the early 25th century, they may never be seen again.
Although Captain Janeway and Voyager’s crew were able to assist the Borg in turning back Species 8472’s invasion, the terrifying creatures are still out there. Janeway and company would only encounter Species 8472 one more time before returning home, leaving them one of the franchise’s biggest dangling plot lines. None of the contemporary Star Trek shows have made use of Species 8472, and with the Borg now off the table as of the early 25th century, they may never be seen again. Species 8472 were a fascinating race full of untapped potential.
Species 8472’s Return to the Star Trek Universe Raises Big Questions
Will They Side With the Theseus? Or Destroy It?
If Species 8472 is indeed returning, it raises the question of what role they will play. Judging from the solicitation, the universe has been destroyed, and the Theseus is moving between other realities. If they have entered fluidic space, then they are now in Species 8472’s crosshairs. 8472’s last televised appearance ended with a truce, of sorts, between them and the Federation. Species 8472’s return to the Star Trek universe has me excited to see what role this powerful race, one feared even by the Borg, will play in future issues.