The recently published collection of Star Trek Captain’s Log one-shots from IDW gives some not-as-famous Starfleet Captains time in the spotlight. Captains Pike, Sulu, Harriman, and Jellico get tales showing how they face the hardships of being a captain. Difficult decisions, training new Number Ones, negotiations, and letting go of the past – Captains have very busy days. You get the impression that no day is typical even if Sulu does mention it can get boring.

I found the stories to be fun. The stories have different writers and for the most part, different artists. The varying styles are apparent as you flip through the stories. Each captain has his moment, and readers can take away morals from each captain’s actions (or inaction). Harriman’s pages were the most fun for me, but that’s mostly because Bones makes an appearance. There’s nothing like a good talking-to from Bones (which the writer, Marc Guggenheim captured perfectly) to set a person straight. If you are not a big enough Star Trek fan to recognize most of the names of the Captains, this may not be your cup of tea. There are probably better places to jump into the Star Trek world. Even if you only know a little, like me, you’ll find things to like in this collection.