Brandon Sanderson, author of the beloved Cosmere series, has long been a fan of Star Trek and Magic the Gathering. These are topics he has talked about frequently over the years, but thanks to the upcoming MTG Star Trek crossover, he got to talk about both things at the same time.
Sanderson and his co-host, Dan Wells, kicked off this week’s podcast by discussing a few of the new cards being released this November. In particular, Sanderson pointed out the mono red Captain James T. Kirk card featuring what they agreed was “a perfect Kirk”.
“I thought their Kirk was really clever,” said Sanderson about the card. “If you have no options, he gives you them, right? He draws you a card and/or you discard a card and then draw one. So if you have no cards in hand, he gives you a card. So he solves the unsolvable problems, he makes a red shirt, and he buffs your team with a rousing speech.”
The specific card Sanderson is talking about here is one of multiple versions of William Shatner’s portrayal of James T. Kirk from the original series. It’s a card you can pull from the base set, as opposed to one of the Commander Decks up for preorder. The MTG Star Trek sets aren’t releasing until later in November, so it’s unclear how common of a card this will be right now.
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As for why Brandon Sanderson is talking about it on his podcast this week, we can only speculate. It could be that he just loves Star Trek and Magic the Gathering and wanted to spend some time talking about it. However, his penchant for tabletop adaptations and obvious interest in Magic the Gathering would suggest something more. This is perhaps just another sign that a Universes Beyond collab is in the works for Sanderson’s sprawling Cosmere books.
This isn’t exactly a new theory, as fans have been convinced that Sanderson’s MTG collab is all but inevitable for a while now. Outside of his own personal interest, Sanderson showcased his ongoing relationship with Wizards of the Coast when he exclusively previewed a new card for Tarkir Dragonstorm back in March 2025. There’s also been some discussion on Reddit about how he actually already created a custom Stormlight Archive set.
With the upcoming Apple TV adaptation in the works and massive new Stormlight board game on its way to Kickstart later this year, I certainly wouldn’t rule out an MTG crossover like this in the future.
Jacob Kienlen
Senior Audience Development Strategist
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor’s degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics — from TV series to books and the latest LEGO sets.