2009’s Star Trek movie breathed new life into a franchise that had been floundering for a few years, and now many Trek fans are eagerly awaiting the next film.

In the meantime, IDW Publishing will release a new comic book series featuring the new versions of the classic crew. Star Trek #1 comes out in September and will feature stories that re-imagine episodes of the original television series, as well as tell new stories. The series will be under the creative control of Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, and will be written by Mike Johnson with art by Stephen Molnar, and covers by Tim Bradstreet and David Messina.

The series will start with a re-imagined version of the second Star Trek: TOS pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before” and will go from there to expand the universe of the new movie timeline. Talking about the series, Orci said, “Movies cost money. Lots and lots of money, but comics give us unlimited budgets to take the crew of the Enterprise farther than they’ve ever been. Join us!”

I like the idea of filling out the new Star Trek universe with new versions of the classic series. My guess is that fans of the show will enjoy seeing how these new versions depart from the original. My only worry would be that I am not familiar with the creative team on the book (outside of Orci), so I am not sure what to expect from them. If they’re up for it though, there are a lot of good stories to tell and a lot of interest in the characters. I love what IDW has been doing with most of their comics, and I have high hopes for this series. Engage.