BotTalk Reviews

And now with the latest hit paramount plus tv show Starfleet Academy (cancelled) comes the latest in tie in properties in the form of an all new comic series Starfleet Academy. And thus we begin with Genesis Lythe narrating, they disembark on a training exercise that combines both academy and war college on a mission to survive in different environments on a planet we learn was devastated by the burn. Everything seems like it would be fairly straightforward where both academy and war college would learn to work together as a team as they did in the days before the burn. But that would be boring so they find a random alien of unknown origin, a storm of some kind is coming in that disrupts all electronic signals, and the cadets are really unprepared because this is freshman year. But I’m sure they’ll figure something out. Okay let’s start with what I did like : I like that we’re going to get more stories in the 32nd century so automatically I hope IDW continues on in this timeframe and ...

Okay first off let's talk about this issue's cover. This is the image for a season six we SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN. So IDW did it for this issue and good on them. This was something we needed and I like that they homaged the Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) movie poster. Okay and now the thrilling conclusion! The Enterprise's cloak is malfunctioning. Katherine Pulaski comes to save the day. Crew reunited with each other.  Another happy ending. This is a solid issue wrapping up the five issue story arc. The writing fits the tone of how Lower Decks should be so hopefully we get more from these current writers and hopefully they keep it at this level.  I make no secret that I trash these comics monthly, but I am also honest enough to admit when one is good, and this Laapoonia arc was actually good. I laughed at the notes daring people to send in hate mail. And the next time on Star Trek but not really page was just great. However this was a five issue arc that essential...

A woman orders a product called Healthy Root.  Deciding not to eat it she puts it in a pot and takes care of it until a baby pops out.  As it continues to grow people become afraid of it, her landlord asks her to get rid of it.  She takes the plant baby out of the city and into a wooded area.  She attempts to leave it in the woods but can't bring herself to strand it alone.  The baby grows massive roots, becomes a tree and the two remain together. This is a nice little story... but not a Twilight Zone story.  The art is too cartoony for one.  I'm not saying it is bad at all.  You could expand on this and make it a children's book.  It just feels like its own thing with a Twilight Zone logo slapped on.  It also takes too much time to get going, which seems to have been a problem with several of these issues.  They spend too much time building to the 'thing'.  In a TV show it is necessary to establish characters.  In a comic...

As the Emerald Chain threatens the Council, Agnes charges in, only to be struck down.  Put before a vote, the Emerald Chain solidifies its place in the galaxy, while the Federation is stripped of its power.  Sato and Kirk disagree on a course of action.  While the doctor attempts to save Agnes, Kirk infiltrates the Emerald Chain ship in orbit.  Kirk attempts to sacrifice himself and take the ship with him but is beamed out.  Later, Sato confronts Kirk and together they sit on the bridge. As this mini series progressed it became less and less about Kirk.  Which was a bit disappointing.  Why bring him back just to put him on the sidelines, and not even as commander of a starship even.  This issue goes into what Kirk is thinking and feeling since being brought back.  It does much to put a band aid on the situation.  But where do we go from here?  We know how things will progress, somewhat, given what we know from Discovery.  Starf...

Last time in the continuing saga of Laapoonia!  Cerritos was docked for repairs, the away team shuttle blew up, Freeman and crew stole the Illinois and mariner stole a shuttle and made her way to the unknown ship. And now the saga of Laapoonia is far from over. Turns out Mariner stealing a shuttle was all part of the plan to get Mariner on the ship to find and rescue the missing and presumed dead away team. Mariner does what Mariner does, rescuing kidnapped Laaperians and Laapoonians, but finding no away team she and her rescued group storm the bridge only to find out that... something is revealed in next month's issue. Meanwhile on the Illinois, Freeman and crew calmly wait for Mariner's signal, and once that happens they go on the attack and are about to beam over a security team when they suddenly hit an invisible force in space that makes a complete left turn into spoilers I’m not revealing. This has been a pretty fun story so far. It still carries that lighter tone the iss...

Godzilla Vs. Sasquatch Story, Art and Letters by Colleen Coover Dog Day Afternoon Story and Art by Cat Farris Letters by Sandy Tanaka High Score Story and Art by Caitlin Yarsky Colors by Heather Breckel Letters by Sandy Tanaka Under Siege In The 503 Story by Mark Russell Art by Eryk Donovan Letters by Sandy Tanaka

Dr. Emily Sorensen is brought in to consult on a meteorite that is emitting strange sound waves.  Once they arrive the men venture into the ocean depths to investigate.  Sorensen stays behind on the sub and detects an unusual sound.  The nearby fish begin to attack and the men return to the sub.  The decision is made to destroy the meteorite despite Sorensen's objections.  She begins to hear the strange sound again, seemingly talking to the meteorite.  She leaves the men to die as the fish attack them.  The meteorite attaches to the sub and it returns to base.  The military service members open it only to find a mutated Dr. Sorensen at the controls.   The art by Francesco Francavilla is great as always.  The story... at first it unfolds as a typical Twilight Zone episode.  Abbreviated of course, but it feels normal.  Sorensen is not taken seriously by the military or even her fellow scientist.  The sound that only she can ...

Uhura falls through the Guardian of Forever and ends up in 1963 America’s south to quickly learn about the injustices black Americans suffered in that time (and beyond, but yeah) meanwhile Kirk and Spock also go back in time to retrieve her in the most middling story about racism and how things eventually get better because of the foundations laid by men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the people who followed him. Okay first thing, this was something I could’ve lived without but Discovery demanded we needed it: Carl. It made sense in a galaxy post time wars, but does not in a time when they met the Guardian of Forever and it was a giant stone portal not Carl. Next, there are better ways to tackle prejudice and racism than this comic based off of a TV show that tackled racism and prejudice far better.  One store employee gets mad at Uhura for being there and there’s a sign? And that’s all the injustice they show. She meets Dr. King, neat. And in the middle of a protest (that loo...

The Babel conference begins.  Sato addresses the members then it begins to fall apart with shouts and accusations.  After a recess Sato's mentor, Solara, is allowed to speak and suggest founding something called the Emerald Chain.  Meanwhile, a ship at warp approaches.  Once it drops out of warp, it will explode.   This would work better as an episode.  Tense negotiations, backroom dealing.  These make good drama for tv.  In a comic... it is difficult to pull off and keep it compelling.  Kirk has been pushed aside.  You'd think with his experience he would address the delegates at least once.  I appreciate what they are doing here.  And introducing the Emerald Chain is a link to Discovery.  But I found this issue ground things to a halt.   six out of ten.

Archer and Boothby explain once they returned they were considered traitors for suggesting humanity was no threat.  The Doctor infects the 8472 station with nanoprobes. Voyager manages to escape as the 8472 exiles agree to an alliance.  Voyager returns to Earth.  Barclay greets the crew while Hugh greets their Borg allies.  The crew make their reunions.  At a get together the Doctor takes a holophoto of the Voyager crew.   Dr. Katherine Pulaski has a surprising cameo as one of the doctors working to cure Tuvok.  A lot of wrapping up takes place with the crew reuniting with their loved ones.  Chakotay and Seven break up as he confesses he still has feelings for Archer.  Some connective threads relate to Picard, with Seven applying to the Academy, though we know she is rejected.  In a way it feels like Return of the King here, with several long moments wrapping up our characters.  It is certainly more satisfying than what we got in th...

Last time on lower decks!  The away team had attempted to escape the planet by commandeering a shuttle on Laapoonia, the Cerritos, hanging in space having dealt several blows on an attacking ship, and having taken a pounding, saw the shuttle carrying the away blow up, and withdrew to safety. And now issue sixteen. The surviving Cerritos crew are grounded at a fleet scrapyard starbase. The admiral and his wife are coming to visit so Captain Carol Freeman hatches a plan to steal an old starship, her first assignment, and go find her crew she doesn’t believe are dead, though Starfleet has them already listed as K.I.A. I feel like this is a good issue that gets dragged a bit in the middle and toward the end just for the sake of having sexbot jokes, but otherwise it’s a decent continuation of a story that being a TPB will help. So far the overall story is good, but with each individual issue being slightly bumpy they need to get to the destination faster. But! 7/10