Star Trek comics have rarely gotten the royal treatment Wildstorm is giving the U.S.S. Enterprise-E in the hardcover book "Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Gorn Crisis," in stores now.

Written by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta (who have collaborated on the "Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights" series and two novels based on the animated film "Titan A.E."), "The Gorn Crisis" features painted artwork by Igor Kordey (whose work includes illustrated stories based on "Star Wars," "Alien" and "Predator").

Of the many different Star Trek comics that have come out over the years, "The Gorn Crisis" stands out as a breakthrough in the realm of comics based on Star Trek. Not only is the level of attention to detail and story much more consistent with the Star Trek universe than previous comic incarnations, this gorgeous hardbound volume is lavishly assembled, making "The Gorn Crisis" a worthy gift for any Star Trek fan.

The story happens during the Dominion War, showing what the Enterprise-E crew were up to while the events of the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were taking place. Communications between the Gorns and the Federation have been non-existent since the legendary encounter between the Gorns and Captain Kirk of the original U.S.S. Enterprise (the classic Original Series episode "Arena").

Captain Picard's mission is to make contact and enlist help from the Gorns in the Dominion War, using the "If-we-fall-you're-next" brand of logic. However, Gorn society is in the midst of an upheaval. After decades of isolation, the warrior caste is seizing power in a bloody coup, seeking to return to their warrior ways of conquest starting with the enemy who delivered the Gorns their most humiliating defeat- the Federation.

Without divulging too much of the plot, the last thing the Federation needs during the war with the Dominion is another war so close to home, and Picard and his crew must not only stop the Gorns, they must convert them into allies.

While "The Gorn Crisis," like original Star Trek novels and other comic-book originals, is not officially part of the Star Trek canon, the comic book form allows for sequences that would be prohibitively expensive to film (for example, hordes of Gorn troops) for anything short of a feature film.

The story of "The Gorn Crisis" holds up nicely within the Star Trek universe, and the art is simply breathtaking. Lushly produced, the sumptuous painting leap off the pages with vibrant, electric color. The high production value of this volume allows the art to escape the confines of standard comic art boxes and bleed all the way to the edge of the page.

Another plus to "The Gorn Crisis" follows the story in an afterward entitled "The Gorn Dossier" where artist Kordey details how he approached depicting the Gorns. While the look of the Gorns comes straight out of "Arena," their planet, how they live, their architecture, their ship, all of these things were open to interpretation, and Kordey put some time and though into the process, detailing his process in this bonus section.

Unlike standout Star Trek novels, most of the Star Trek comics in the past have faded into obscurity, a throwaway idea passed off to the B-list of artists and writers at various comic book companies. "The Gorn Crisis" transcends this sad trend and deserves a place on any Star Trek fan's bookshelf.