Bottalk Reviews

The Enterprise, broken into pieces, floats in space. Pike and the bridge crew try to get a handle on the situation... but Mr. Spock manages to restore the ship. Eventually, they manage a work around the rules of the race. Only one ship can win, so the remaining ships fuse together and win. The different aliens work together and save the day. This was a mess. The destroyed Enterprise floating in space is... absurd. It makes the nitpicker in me scream internally. How does this even work? And no one died? Then the ship gets fused back together... and the other ships join as well. It's silly. It's like something from an old cartoon. You even have the main villain shouting "This I command!" like he's Serpentor or something. This entire mini was a waste of time. But at least the art was nice. five out of ten.

Picard and the cadets beam up to the ship and prepare for their test. As the test begins Picard gives his first 'Engage'. Romulans beam on board and the cadets work together to overcome them. The situation is far from over as five Romulan ships lay in wait. None of the Starfleet vessels look even remotely like anything that would be around during Picard's academy days. The Romulan ships are passable, but the Starfleet ships stick out like a sore thumb. It's not even a question of art style. There was just no thought put into it. six out of ten.

Over drinks Harry tells Tom that he misses Voyager. After they returned from the Delta Quadrant he didn't fit in on other ships and started taking on other, bigger jobs. As the attack begins the Tzenkethi, Starfleet and Romulans battle the attackers. In the end, Sisko is literally stabbed in the back by the Romulan Commander. This was a solid issue. We learn more of the Tzenkethi, specifically that the attackers are their evolutionary ancestors. The conversation between Harry and Tom is nice, and I really like this characterization of Harry. It fits and isn't extreme or over the top. Facing the impossible and trying to survive daily for seven years changed him from a naive ensign. As a fan of the Romulans I find them underused in this issue... though the final page certainly has an impact. seven out of ten.

Spock dreams of Captain Pike, feeling that it may not be him but some other force trying to communicate with him. On the bridge Worf informs the senior staff that Rasmussen is headed for Talos IV. He also reveals that while General Order Seven was lifted, the Talosians are not allowed to leave the planet in an unspoken quarantine policy. Suddenly, Sisko, Riker and Janeway show up telling them to turn the Defiant over to one of them. Spock arrives and informs them they are not on the Defiant, but already on the surface of Talos IV. Rasmussen plans on leaving Talos IV with a Talosian so he can sell their perfect illusions. The entire set up is a ruse created by the Keeper. He wants to leave Talos IV and explore. He used Rasmussen, allowing him to think he had control over the Keeper in a bid to eventually leave the planet. Rasmussen is arrested. The Keeper asks Worf to take him with them... but is denied. Later, Worf gives orders for Ro and B'Elanna to repair Rasmussen's

Picard attempts to go over strategy with several other cadets during an exam. They fail. Later, an argument with Resh leads to him reading Picard's mind without permission which turns into a fistfight. Picard is determined to prove himself and pass the exam. I'm a little unclear on what exactly is going on. The issue opens with the cadets taking an evasive maneuvers exam... which they fail. But they can retake the exam the next day? Or a different exam? Having Picard butt heads with a person nearly as stubborn as him is fine, but we've seen this confrontation before. Again, I'd prefer a non YA, cutesy pie artwork Academy mini series. This just grates on my nerves as it progresses. six out of ten.

The hijacked Enterprise fires on the alien ship which is being flown by Mr Spock. Spock attempts to reason with the crew of the alien ship, to little avail. Meanwhile, Sam and the alien who hijacked the Enterprise are blown into space and rescued by Number One. After a heartfelt speech from Pike, the alien returns the Enterprise to him. As Spock arrives offering assistance the Enterprise seemingly breaks apart. There is a lot going on in this issue. Perhaps too much. The race aspect, which I have not been a fan of since issue one is downplayed here. Pike getting control of the Enterprise and Spock taking control of the alien ship are the main beats of this issue, which make it the best one thus far. six out of ten.

After a brief struggle with the Tzenkethi, they agree to allow the away team access to their leader. On the way, Tom yells at Harry for bringing his daughter on such a dangerous mission. Upon meeting the Tzenkethi leader a Romulan Tal Shiar agent makes her presence known. She implies knowing the truth as to how the Romulans entered the Dominion War. Later, a group of Remans show up and it is revealed the Tzenkethi strong hold will soon be under siege. The infamous Nemesis dune buggy makes a brief appearance here. I never imagined the Tzenkethi as dinosaurs, I guess I always imagined them more along the lines of the Gorn. still, this is a race that has never been seen on screen (aside from Star Trek Online I believe), so getting to know them here is... fascinating. seven out of ten.

As the Defiant bridge crew review the past and current whereabouts of Hugh, the ship comes under attack... by Hugh and his forces. He demands they turn Lore over. Worf lowers the shields and invites Hugh to search for Lore. Worf and an away team beam on to Hugh's ship with the intent of capturing him. They are stopped by Nomad. Later, Worf and Hugh discuss the situation. Hugh sends Nomad to attack a Borg cube and cuts the drones off from the collective. Later, Worf offers Hugh a place on the Defiant, that they might track down Lore together. Hugh accepts and the Defiant warps off to locate the next target. This was a really fun issue. The inclusion of Nomad was unexpected, though I think the Borg connection unnecessary. Adding Hugh to the Defiant certainly fills the gap left by the departing Lore. A somewhat loose cannon with goals that could possibly conflict with those of Worf and the Federation. seven out of ten.

In a flashback we see Picard's life growing up in France. The disapproval of his father and jealousy of his brother. After sharing, Spock orders Picard to attend the party. At the party Picard watches a classmate get bullied... only then for the bully to get his comeuppance. The flashback of Picard's farm life is, while nothing we haven't seen before, charming. the rest of the book feels like all ages fluff. And I'm sorry, but the art doesn't do it any favours. this is inoffensive, but rather bland. six out of ten.

The race continues. The Enterprise attempts to navigate through a dangerous section of 'track' while getting pummelled by lightning, solar flares and coronal ejection. Meanwhile, the ship Una is on decides to raid Enterprise, resulting in a running phaser battle on the ships hull. During the battle Aisla changes computer access, locking Pike out. At this moment, the ship Spock in on comes up from behind... and Aisla intends to destroy it. This issue was much better than the previous two. The stakes are raised and we have multiple situations going on at once. Even though Sam got KOed at least he was given something. Often times in the show it feels like they forget he exists. The art continues to be a highlight of this mini. six out of ten.

Troi realizes that Armus is just another of Redjac's tricks. Also, the captives that were rescued turn out to be Holograms, the real crewmen are still being held hostage. Later, Redjac and Armus attempt to storm the bridge while Data, once again, tries to rescue the hostages. Using a map of Redjac created from when he possessed Scotty, Troi is able to dispel him. The hostages are freed and the crew celebrates Halloween in peace. I would have liked more involvement from Armus. Even though it isn't real, Armus has little impact after his shock appearance at the end of the previous issue. The battle between Redjac, Armus and the bridge crew feels much too short. I am happy that Scotty is able to be helpful, as he seemed to have little impact last issue. seven out of ten.

The fallout from Day of Blood... Sisko attends a mandatory celebration and speaks with Admiral Janeway briefly, and then Admiral Sato. T'Lir is being reassigned and Sisko is ordered to investigate a Tzenkethi build up along the Cardassian border. Sisko, Paris and Ensign Sato beam down to meet a Starfleet Intelligence operative... who turns out to be Harry Kim. The reunion is short as a group of dinosaurs attack the away team. Nice reference to Admiral Dougherty and 'Insurrection'. T'Lir, I suspect, will be back as their involvement in this book has been mysterious to say the least. Nice to see the crew get a bit of downtime and reflection after Day of Blood. The Tzenkethi have always been an interest of mine. They have been explored in a few novels but, I think, this is the first time a comic will tackle them. seven out of ten.