Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek First Look — Captains, the Borg, Shock Lands, and Everything Revealed So Far

Magic: The Gathering's final set of 2026 has broken cover in style. The official First Look for Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek aired on the 14 July episode of WeeklyMTG, and it delivered far more than a teaser — we got legendary cards, new mechanics, a full Commander deck line-up, and a genuinely surprising reprint announcement. With a release date of 13 November 2026 and prerelease events running 6–12 November, there is plenty of time to plan, but the hype is very much already at warp speed.

The Captains Take the Helm

The First Look opened with two of Star Trek's most iconic figures. Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Kathryn Janeway are both mythic rares, and they introduce a brand-new Officer creature type to Magic — a type created specifically for this set, signalling that Wizards of the Coast is treating the crossover as a genuine design pillar rather than a cosmetic reskin. Both cards arrive with multiple alternate arts, including surge foil treatments. Janeway's card features the Explore ability, though Wizards has confirmed Explore itself is not a main mechanic of the set — it is a flavourful nod on her card specifically.

Also revealed were Spock, the Borg Queen, Seven of Nine, and the U.S.S. Enterprise-D as a Spacecraft card. The set draws from across 60 years of the franchise — the classic original series, the films, and modern series alike — so collectors can expect a very wide net of beloved characters before full spoiler season begins.

New Mechanics: Assimilate and the Stardate Bonus Sheet

The centrepiece new mechanic is Assimilate, anchoring the We Are the Borg Commander deck (more on that below) and built around artifact creatures. The sci-fi design space established in last year's Edge of Eternities set has clearly given Wizards a foundation to work from.

The set also features a Stardates bonus sheet — a special series of reprints woven into booster packs. One confirmed inclusion is Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, one of the most sought-after cards in recent memory. The bonus sheet framing as in-universe stardate logs is a clever piece of world-building that gives even reprints genuine collector appeal.

On the reprint front more broadly, all ten Shock Lands are confirmed to appear in the main set — a substantial boost for players looking to round out Commander and Pioneer mana bases, and likely to keep prices accessible at launch.

Four Commander Decks, Each in Surge Foil

The Star Trek Commander line-up consists of four decks, each built around a three-colour identity:

• Federation Fleet (Jeskai) — starships and card draw, drawing on the Picard and Janeway eras
• Landing Party (Bant) — landfall and away-team exploration, rooted in the original series
• Klingon Fury (Mardu) — aggressive Warrior combat
• We Are the Borg (Esper) — artifact creatures built around the new Assimilate mechanic

Every deck will also be available in an all-surge-foil Collector's Edition, which is likely to be the prestige purchase for dedicated fans of both franchises.

Signed Collector Booster Cards

Perhaps the most eye-catching product announcement: Collector Boosters will contain cards with real actor signatures, including William Shatner, Kate Mulgrew, and others. There will be seven signed headliners in the set, and Wizards has confirmed they are not all Captains. Authentic autographs on collectible cards is a significant step, and given how popular signed inserts are in sports cards and other TCG sets, these are almost certain to command a premium on the secondary market.

What to Expect Next

Full spoiler season has not yet begun — the First Look revealed around 26 cards from a set that will contain a full expansion's worth of content plus a dedicated Commander set (set code TRC). Face commanders and complete decklists for the precon decks have not been published yet. Expect a proper spoiler season closer to the November prerelease window.

For UK collectors, prerelease events run 6–12 November at local game stores, with the global tabletop release on 13 November 2026. If you want to play before launch, finding a participating LGS for prerelease weekend is your best route. We will be covering every major card reveal between now and November, so keep an eye on the TCG Listing blog as spoiler season approaches.