Summary

• T'Lir, the last of the Organians, warns of the horrors of godhood in Star Trek #20.
• Kahless embarks on a quest to kill the gods, leading to a reign of terror--and potentially the end of the universe.
• Humanity's progress to godhood may actually be a trap to avoid, as seen in the attitudes of the Organians.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #20!

Over the past three years, IDW’s flagship the last of the Organians, has some pointed comments about being a god-like being. Previously, it had been established this was humanity’s fate, but T’Lir’s observations make it sound horrible.

Star Trek #20 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and drawn by Megan Levens. T’Lir reflects back to their life on Organia, before permanently incorporating into the body of a Vulcan.

On Organia, they talk to their father about the old ways, before the Organians became gods. Their attitude towards the old days borderlines on nostalgia.

In a text piece made to resemble their diary, they discuss a yearning they are feeling, for something more than what is on Organia.

Being a god, they conclude, leads to stagnation.

The Gods Of the Star Trek Universe Are Afraid for the First Time

Kahless Took His Predecessor's Mission to Heart

IDW’s Star Trek title used the franchise-spanning god war as a means of exploring the relationship between people and their gods. Kahless, the Klingon Emperor, took up the mandate of his namesake and embarked on a quest to kill the gods once and for all. Forcing the Shapers of Sardakesh to build him a god-killing weapon, Kahless embarked on a crusade of vengeance, forcing the Bajoran Prophets to send Benjamin Sisko back to our reality to stop him. Numerous gods, such as the Organians or the Crystalline Entities, fell before Kahless' reign of terror temporarily concluded.

One of Kahless’ first victims was Gary Mitchell. Gaining god-like powers in the second Star Trek pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” Mitchell eventually grew into them, shaping planets and entire star systems. Despite his great power, Kahless kills him. Before Kahless delivered the death blow, however, Mitchell concluded that humanity’s ultimate endgame was to become gods themselves. Other statements from across the franchise, from other god-like beings such as Q, confirm this fate. In time, humanity will be like the Organians, and maybe even more powerful.

Is Star Trek's Final Frontier Truly a Trap?

Or Can Humanity Transcend Even the Gods?

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Yet the Organians’ attitudes seem to suggest a different route for humanity: stagnation and stasis. On Organia, T’Lir was chided for their desire to explore, learn and feel. T’Lir saw things in the universe their fellow Organians did not, and they were ostracized. Growth and progress are two of Star Trek’s biggest underpinnings, and their path to eventual godhood confirms this. Yet, to hear T’Lir talk, godhood is the exact opposite of these values. If T’Lir is right about godhood, and if humanity’s progress to it is indeed the final frontier, then it makes it a trap to be avoided.

Star Trek #20 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!