Brandon Sanderson, celebrated author of the Cosmere series, has expressed admiration for an upcoming Magic: The Gathering card depicting Captain James T. Kirk from the original Star Trek series. Sanderson, a known fan of both franchises, discussed the card on a recent podcast, calling it a "perfect Kirk."
Sanderson and his co-host Dan Wells reviewed several new cards set to release in November. The mono-red Captain James T. Kirk card, which will be available in the base set of the MTG Star Trek Universes Beyond release, particularly caught Sanderson's attention. He praised the card's design for its thematic relevance, noting its ability to generate options when none exist, effectively drawing a card or allowing a discard and redraw. "He solves the unsolvable problems, he makes a red shirt, and he buffs your team with a rousing speech," Sanderson remarked.
The MTG Star Trek set is slated for release later in November, and the specific rarity of this Kirk card remains undetermined.
Sanderson's public discussion of the card adds to ongoing speculation about a potential Magic: The Gathering crossover with his own Cosmere book series. The author has previously previewed a Magic: The Gathering card for the Tarkir Dragonstorm set in March 2025 and has been linked to fan-created custom sets for his Stormlight Archive series. With an upcoming Apple TV adaptation and a new Stormlight Archive board game in development, a Universes Beyond collaboration for Sanderson's works appears increasingly plausible.