Bottalk Reviews

Ro and B'Elanna fight as Hugh and Spock look on.  Ro's words seem to reach her for a moment.  Long enough for Worf to knock her out.  As the Defiant crew weigh their options Spock takes things into his own hands, literally, and mind melds with the possessed B'Elanna.  He finds himself in a hellish landscape for a brief moment until Worf breaks the meld.  Spock runs off and with no other options Hugh suggests he assimilate B'Elanna.  Deep in the Starbase Spock finds a door... a door which opens to reveal a gigantic monster emerging. We grow closer to a Sela face turn in this issue.  I think it is wise to keep her out of the main action this issue.  There is some minor continuity here with Hugh mentioning the Starfleet project to reclaim assimilated Borg.  Or as they will be known in season one of Picard, xBs.  Worf has little to do this issue.  The first half is dominated by the fight between Ro and B'Elanna and later the actions of Spock and Hugh.  So not much room

T'Lir recounts his time on Organia and how Kahless's weapon tore a hole in time.  How he chose to incorporate and be born as a Vulcan.  The hole in time worked backwards, destroying his people twenty two years ago.  T'Lir asks for help in getting to Pleroma, a Council of the Gods, so that he can repair the damage Kahless's weapon caused and save his people.  Later, Sisko finds himself in the Prophet space speaking with his mother.  She says he must not go to Pleroma. Sato and T'Lir have an argument and later she is approached by a Section 31 operative. Doing some mop up work from the Day of Blood event makes sense.  I'm not sure the drama from Sato is warranted though.  Sisko even describes it as 'high school level' and given the character interaction and bickering in the Defiant book, I've had my fill of it.  Sisko being forbidden from going to Pleroma is an interesting wrinkle.  We'll see how that plays out.  And with Wesley Crusher being name-

The Defiant bridge crew face off against the parasites, killing several.  Meanwhile, Sela is on route to the Defiant when her ship strikes a mine.  A message from her father is less than welcoming.  Later, he offers to restore her reputation within the Romulan government by working with him.  After a brief discussion about her mother she rejects his offer.  Meanwhile, the Defiant crew continue to battle the parasites, and argue with each other, when B'Elanna Torres attacks them.  She has been infected with a parasite.   This issue feels very rushed and jumbled.  The Defiant bridge crew continue to bicker with one another, mostly directed at Worf.  It feels out of place given their current situation though.  Instead of Star Trek it feels more like a Syfy channel action movie.  Sela's story is interesting but I'm unsure about her face turn.  It's not unwelcome.  Some of my favourite characters are those who seek redemption like Magneto.  I think it needs to grow and expan

The space battle begins and the Theseus is caught in the middle.  Kim offers help but Sisko refuses, not trusting him.  Dr. Crusher sends a message informing Sisko the Tzenkethi planet core is dead.  Soon, the planet will explode.  The crew grasp for solutions.  Sisko makes a speech while the planet core is stabilized.  The space battle ends.  The Romulan commander dies... at the feet of Praetor Shinzon.  At issue's end T'Lir appears with a new mission for Sisko. I had hoped that Scotty and Crusher would be the ones to solve the problem of Tzenkethi's unstable core, especially since that story thread felt so disconnected from the main story.  Sisko's solution feels... very deus ex machina.  It just happens.  Still, I enjoyed this arc and the inclusion of Shinzon was certainly a surprise.  I would have liked a final scene between Sisko and Kim or at the very least Tom and Kim.   seven out of ten.

On DS9 Sisko has a discussion with Jake and Nog.  Jake feels like being a writer is not as important to him as it once was and Nog has accepted a post on the USS Burton but admits he finds it hard fitting in.  Jake goes to interview Alexander when Q's son appears. Q Junior offers Alexander a glimpse of another way.  He snaps his fingers and Jake, Nog and Alexander are suddenly in strange Starfleet uniforms, on an unfamiliar ship, face to face with Tuvix and Mariner.  Jake hugs Jadzia but the reunion is cut short by a red alert. On the bridge Jake encounters the Captain... Dukat.  The Breen destroy the ship but Junior resets time, giving the trio another chance. When I heard about this comic I was skeptical.  But the execution is intriguing.  I felt the Day of Blood crossover did a lot of damage to the character of Alexander, especially since the old expanded universe novels had him as a successful Ambassador.  I do feel there are way too many familiar faces on the ship.  Jadzia, Tu

Picard finally says, 'Make it so!' as he orders the other cadets to execute his plan.  But, it turns out the whole thing was a test.  Picard and the other cadets were on a Holodeck and the test was actually to see how well they worked together as a team.  They fail.  Later, at a party we learn that Cadet Doq is actually Q in disguise.   Little of surprise here.  The cadets fail but learn a valuable, Saturday morning cartoon, lesson about team work and such.  Picard's close friend is actually Q, which feels like the laziest thing I've read in a very long time.   five out of ten.

Defiant arrives at Starbase 99.  The process of turning over the prisoners is tense and Worf continues to grow bitter over his current situation.  Later, while discussing Borg assimilation the Starfleet security officer dies suddenly. They confront Benny who has a large parasite in his chest.  Worf attempts to inform the Starbase crew only to discover they have been taken over by the parasites also. Spock and Hugh's conversation about the Romulan star is a nice little nod.  This is not the first reference to its impending explosion.  Makes me wonder if it will be a future 'event' for IDW.  The parasites from 'Conspiracy' make an appearance here.  They have been featured in several TNG/DS9 expanded universe novels and I've always felt there was more to mine storywise.  With the Defiant crew fractured I have to expect the parasites will further create dissent and distrust in future issues.   seven out of ten.

Captain Sisko and Admiral Sato argue over the current situation. Sisko refuses to give up but learns Harry Kim is a failsafe if the situation gets out of hand, which it has. On the planet's surface Harry activates explosives, destroying the Tzenkethi shipyard and fleet. Sisko beams down and confronts the Tzenkethi and Romulans but is soon faced with Harry and Ensign Sato held hostage. They beam back to the ship where Sisko learns Data is out of commission while the Cardassian fleet confronts the Romulans. Harry being a back up in case peace talks fail is an interesting twist here. Even more so having Ensign Sato act as accomplice. I can imagine how Tom will react. The Crusher/Scotty portion of this story continues to be the least developed aspect of the story. It feels disconnected from everything, though I assume will be brought to the forefront next issue. Sisko arguing with the Admiral at the beginning of the issue feels like something he would do on the series. You ca

Nymira loses two thousands strips of Latinum in a gambit designed to draw Benny out from hiding. She must also face a Gorn and for this, Worf attempts to train her in combat. Worf faces the Gorn and wins. They assault his compound and capture him. Back on the bridge, the crew revolt. They refuse to follow Worf any longer. Worf announces the crew of the Defiant is disbanded. While there is a lot going on in this issue it feels... unfocused. The mob aspect should be fun, but it comes off as stuff we've seen before and done better in other episodes. Worf fighting a Gorn should be the centrepiece, IMO, of the issue but it feels like a throwaway idea. I do enjoy the crew refusing to follow Worf. This feels like a natural result of their missions and everything they have experienced since issue one. six out of ten.

Confronted with the Romulans, Picard and Resh bicker about the proper course of action and who is in charge.  The crew refuse to listen to Picard and he is aggravated with the breakdown in command and their lack of faith in him.  Later, Picard saves Resh from an exploding console and this forces him to realize he was wrong.  The crew put their hands together for a 'Go team!' moment. I've tried to give this mini a chance but it increasingly gets on my nerves.  The cutesy pie, low stakes, and inane dialogue just grates on my nerves.  Resh is one of those characters you encounter from time to time in media that exists to cause a problem for the protagonist.  He has little other characterization.  The one thing that made me laugh was the Romulans trapped in a modern grocery store, wishing for death.  That got a chuckle.  Again, I feel this mini is best for young readers.  Even the old Star Trek: The Next Generation - Starfleet Academy books from thirty years ago were better wri

Sela takes possession of Time Travel technology and ends up in the past... face to face with her mother. They go through a mine field and save each other from attack. Tasha is eventually returned to her ship and has little memory of the encounter. Sela sets course for the Defiant. Picard in command of the April? This comes out of the blue. Most novels and comics do not place Picard in command of a ship between Stargazer and Enterprise D. Honestly, I prefer the events of the novel The Buried Age by Christopher L. Bennett to fill that gap. This was an ok issue. I would have liked more interaction between Tasha and Sela. If Tasha is going to forget everything, why not let them have a deeper conversation and let Sela learn something. I did enjoy the Romulan intrigue at the beginning of this comic. Could have used more of that to be honest. I guess I expected more from an annual but I guess the trend for the past ten years or so seems to be a throw away story for an annual. Or

The wounded Sisko is attended to by multiple EMHs. He is informed by Admiral Sato that the situation has grown worse and the Cardassians are massing a fleet to deal with the Tzenkethi. The Theseus leaves to meet the Cardassian fleet and Sisko puts First Speaker Daman on notice. Meanwhile, Scotty and Dr. Crusher explore beneath the surface of the planet. They determine the Tzenkethi homeworld will soon explode. The Scotty and Crusher subplot feels like an afterthought here. And as important as the revelation is, it shouldn't be. The scenes between Harry and Ensign Sato feel a bit forced. And once again Harry reminds us he was an Ensign for seven years. Once was enough. seven out of ten.

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