Magic: The Gathering's first-look video (below) and several images from the upcoming Star Trek MTG edition dropped back on Tuesday, July 14, and since then a pile of negativity has accumulated on social media. One of the earliest complaints, posted in the comments section of the teaser appearing on @Wizards_Magic and Trek’s official Instagram accounts reads as follows: “We got autographs now??? 😭😭😭," @ m.slatzz asked. “I love Star Trek, but what are we doing here man[?].”
The Star Trek MTG edition contains autograph cards, which can be obtained through the Beam Me Up bundle ($99.99), Draft Night ($119.99), and/or the Collector Boosters ($39.99). One, which fans can look over below, features none other than Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise, and the other captures the artistic image of Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager.
As a lifelong Trekkie, I don’t see why anyone who loves the Star Trek franchise and plays Magic: The Gathering would have a problem with the possibility of finding autographed cards. This doesn’t seem logical at all, but much more negativity toward the new edition has continued to pop up online since. For instance, @jomacomi wrote simply “DISLIKE BUTTON” in the comments section of the images posted by @Wizards_Magic, which over 1,400 users have “liked” since July 14.
I don’t play MTG myself, but many things about the Star Trek edition have rubbed some players the wrong way. Another user, @marcoscollado7, wrote: “After 30 years of playing and following Magic I feel authentic shame of what the game has become, never once visited plenty of planes and yet they put them in a list of planes with [unlikeliness] to visit again to visit again first you have to go there. But we go Marvel twice and now to Star Trek, why? Easy cash grab.”
“Thanks for another set I can completely skip Wizards,” @ striemeraustin wrote. “I’ve never had such a simple time ignoring the game before lol.” Meanwhile, @maxwell_the_spencer, piled onto the unexplainable online hate by writing: “You guys really outdid yourselves, @wizards_magic. I didn’t think the UB slop for Star Trek could look worse than other UB sets. You guys never fail to disappoint.”
Fortunately, Star Trek MTG has supporters online, too. For instance, @thefoxyloxy13 wrote in defense of the upcoming edition: “For all the haters out there.... you don't represent all of [the] MTG fans. Yes, I love in-universe lore and always will. But I've been playing since Ice Age and now I get to play with my kids/nephews because they enjoy Iron Man over [Nicol Bolas]. It makes the game more accessible and, for some of us, more fun. Go take your finger wagging elsewhere because these sets have been a blast for the rest of us.”
After looking over the video and images myself, I can see where some Star Trek fans might complain about the autograph card images of Kirk and Janeway not appearing exactly like actors William Shatner and Kate Mulgrew respectively. However, it’s important to note that the artwork is fantastic, even though it’s a more stylized approach of recreating the characters — not caricature, but not 100 percent authentic-looking either.
However, the “Khan, Engineered Evil” MTG card singling out the villainous Khan Noonien Singh from the feature film Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) is a spot-on artistic representation of actor Benedict Cumberbatch. On the other side of coin, though, the image of Benjamin Sisko appearing on the “In the Pale Moonlight” card looks NOTHING like fan-favorite actor Avery Brooks.
As a Star Trek fan, I love whenever new content is added to the franchise. So, I think social media users like @_mr.r0bot, who wrote, “RIP MTG 🪦 🙏,” are overreacting. However, I’m not a Magic: The Gathering aficionado, but this seems like the same level of gratuitous griping the Starfleet Academy streaming series had to endure from online trolls and so-called fans.
Magic: The Gathering’s Star Trek edition drops on Friday, Nov. 13. What are your opinions on all the MTG criticisms? Share your thoughts and comments with us regarding the upcoming game on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
And for more information on Magic: The Gathering's Star Trek edition, visit MTG's official website.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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