Oct 25, 2011 6:45 AM

Interview With Star Trek/Legion of Super-heroes Writer Chris Roberson

Trekkies and Legionnaires, alike, are in for a sprockin’ (or Spockin’, depending upon the universe, I guess) treat, as this month sees the release of Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #1. When it was announced in July that IDW and DC Comics were going to bring together these major geek franchises, you could practically hear the […]

Trekkies and Legionnaires, alike, are in for a sprockin' (or Spockin', depending upon the universe, I guess) treat, as this month sees the release of Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #1. When it was announced in July that IDW and DC Comics were going to bring together these major geek franchises, you could practically hear the collective sigh of contentment reverberating from the comic shops and message boards. Fans of both quickly began speculating on what interactions, scenarios and races writer Chris Roberson would throw into the futuristic mash-up.

Here to shed a little light on what the, er, future holds for this historic pairing is Chris Roberson. He's a long-time fan of both, so rest assured, the characters involved will be handled with the fan-love they deserve.

GeekDad: If you could add just one more sentence to the solicits for the crossover, what would you add?

Chris Roberson: "If the concept of the Enterprise crew meeting the Legion of Super-Heroes doesn't appeal to you, there may be something wrong with you."

GD: What appeal does using The Original Series (TOS) over the other Trek franchises play to?

CR: I've been a huge fan of virtually every incarnation and spin-off of the Star Trek franchise (don't get me started on Voyager, though), but there's something about the purity of the original series that really appeals to me. Seeing all of those concepts and conflicts play out in their original forms has a real immediacy to it that I think sometimes got lost as things got codified over the following decades.

That, and the uniforms look really cool.

GD: At what point in TOS timeline does the story take place, roughly? It's set after the initial 5-year mission, yes?

CR: Technically, it's set during the tail end of the 5-year mission, sometime not long after the end of the original series. So that all of the televised adventures we've seen have already happened, but the characters are still in much the same forms. (Scotty hasn't grown his mustache yet, for example.)

GD: How did you get involved in the project?

CR: IDW contacted me out of the blue and asked if I'd be interested. I didn't hesitate for a second before accepting. But the project was so much in my wheelhouse, as a lifelong fanatic for both franchises, that I suspected for weeks that someone was playing a prank on me.

GD: What sort of research did you do going in, having already been a huge fan of both franchises?

CR: I really started doing the research for this project when I was eight years old, so I didn't really need to do much more. But it was a great excuse to sit down and watch a bunch of original series Star Trek episodes and reread a huge stack of old LSH comics!

GD: Am I correct in assuming a layer of Easter eggs are hidden throughout for fans of both Trek and Legion?

CR: Yes.

GD: Could you tell us a little about your early impressions of Legion and Trek? How have those impressions changed over time?

CR: I don't know that my feelings about either franchise have changed over time, just refined. I think what I found appealing about both Star Trek and the Legion was that they were immersive, well-realized future worlds with lots of depth (backstory and history) and breadth (expansive setting). Optimistic, almost utopian futures in which humanity has gone out into the stars, made friends with alien races, and formed a democratic union of planets which is defended by an organization composed of representatives from all of the member worlds.

GD: I have to ask, what are your favorite Trek and Legion stories? Are they just the mega-arcs, or do you hold a fondness for any of the less-referenced episodes/issues?

CR: My favorite Trek episode changes from day to day, but today it's probably City on the Edge of Forever. My favorite Legion story likewise changes all the time, but today it's probably a close tie between The Great Darkness Saga and the Death of Ferro Lad storyline.

GD: Having been "grounded" as of late, have you been enjoying playing around through time and space?

CR: I'm having a blast!

GD: You've stated elsewhere certain Enterprise crewmen take center stage, thematically due to the six slots available upon the Enterprise's transporter pad. Had there been no such restrictions, what would you have done with Scotty and Bones?

CR: One of my favorite bits of business featuring those two characters was the "transparent aluminum" scene in Star Trek IV, so I imagine we'd see something that echoed that.

GD: Who has the coolest aliens: Legion or Trek? Which would be your favorite race from both?

CR: That's like a parent being asked to choose your favorite child! Don't make me pick just one!

GD: I haven't heard anything about Legion-style letter pages for this series. You've spoken at length about your longstanding love for the Legion. Did you ever try your pen at a letter to the Legion?

CR: I was a member of a Legion of Super-Heroes amateur press association in the late '80s, early '90s, and wrote lots of fan stuff for that, but I don't remember if I ever wrote into the Legion letters' page or not. I may well have, but if I did, it wasn't ever printed.

GD: What about your artists Jeffrey and Philip Moy? They're not exactly new to these characters, are they?

CR: The Moy brothers have a distinguished background with both of these franchises, and it shows. Their passion for this project is evident on every page!

GD: What would be another dream crossover you would love to work on?

CR: I think Doctor Who and Star Trek would be a natural, though I'm not sure which incarnation of Trek would work best (or which Doctor, for that matter!).

GD: Superman: Grounded – Are you happy for the way the story arc turned out? Any thoughts for the Super-verse in the future?

CR: I was able to accomplish pretty much everything I set out to do with my run on Superman, and I'm really proud of how it turned out. I hope that readers enjoyed it, too!

GD: What's happening to iZombie with The New 52? Is it going on hiatus or is it simply gone to that comic cavalcade in the sky?

CR: Vertigo has been exempt from any of the shake-ups associated with the New 52, so iZombie is still chugging along, same as before.

GD: Is there plans for Chris Roberson in the DC New Universe, IDW or elsewhere?

CR: My new creator-owned series with Rich Ellis, Memorial, is starting up from IDW in December, and I'm still hard at work on Elric: The Balance Lost for Boom Studios. A little ways over the horizon I'll be writing one of the arcs of Vertigo's new ongoing series Fairest, which will be another adventure of Cinderella in the Fables universe.

GD: The first thing that sprang to mind when I heard of the crossover was the Planet X novel years back, where Star Trek: The Next Generation crossed over with Marvel's X-Men franchise. Are you familiar with the story by any chance?

CR: Familiar with it, but I'm afraid I haven't read it.

GD: We know we'll be seeing Borg, Klingons, Khunds, etc., but the questions is will "there be whales here?"

CR: Without Scotty there to deliver that great line? I couldn't do that to him!

GD: Final question: True or False: Space Lincoln is the coolest president in space. Ever.

CR: Well, OBVIOUSLY.

GD: Kind of what I thought, Chris. Thanks so much for dropping by to answer some questions and feed our excitement over the crossover.