IDW’s Star Trek concludes its current ‘Red Path’ arc with an action-packed tenth issue. This series continues to deliver in really exciting ways. The characterization of legacy characters is on point, the world-building of the post-Voyager time period is engaging, and the plot feels fresh and interesting. While Star Trek Issue #10 is not the most elegant in terms of its storytelling, this issue sets up all the necessary pieces for the big Day of Blood event series. Let’s jump in.
When we last left off, Sisko was about to be executed for his war crimes against the Cardassian Union while the crew of the Theseus battled the Red Path cult for control of a Bajoran orb. A great climax that unfortunately ended up not having the most logical resolution.
Cold-Blooded Cardassians
It turns out that this entire trial for Sisko was a scheme from Barada Damar. He wanted to assemble all of the Cardassians who represented the old Cardassia to execute them in one fell swoop. Barada Damar wishes to usher in a new era for Cardassia, one which isn’t bogged down by the sins of the past. While this maneuver is very cold-blooded and very Cardassian, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. Why bother having the trial for Sisko at all if the trial was just an effort to assemble all of Damar’s political enemies in one place? The trial made for a good dramatic story in the previous issues, but it now doesn’t add up in hindsight.
Another piece of inelegant storytelling comes from one of the cutaway pages. Usually, these pages are the highlight of the issues. They provide an opportunity for extended storytelling or worldbuilding in a different medium from the comic. The first cutaway is a transcription of a conversation between Sisko, Damar, the Jem’hadar guard, and the Vorta. They discuss their plan for getting back to the Theseus and assisting with their fight with the Red Path. While this conversation is interesting, it feels like a conversation that could have happened in the standard comic pages but was cut for space and appropriated as a cutaway page. Usually, these pages are used to tell the story beyond the story, but instead, it was just used to explain how our characters got from one location to another.
The War Remains
The highlight of Star Trek Issue #10 comes from the conclusion of the fight with the Red Path on the abandoned Cardassian station. The decrepit Vorta working with Damar enters a secret storage facility and unleashes a Founder who survived the biogenic virus. Sisko naturally panics, thinking the Vorta is here to restart the war. However, seemingly out of nowhere, the Vorta executes the Founder. The Vorta does this out of revenge for how the Founders abused and manipulated the Vorta for so long. This is a great thematic moment as it echoes what happened on Cardassia. The destruction of those who represent the past to usher in a new era.
Star Trek Issue #10 ends on a wonderful captain’s log from Sisko. He ruminates on his place in the universe and his role going forward. After acting cold and distant when leaving the wormhole, Sikso is finally starting to regain his humanity. We even see Sisko enjoying a meal with Cassidy, Jake, and his daughter. This is the first time in this series we have seen Sisko reunited with his family, people that have been mysteriously absent since the series began. The moment is heartwarming, and one that Sisko deserves.
Issue #10 Preview
Overall
One small reference that is worth calling out is we see a brief panel of Tom Paris enjoying his Captain Proton holodeck adventure with T’Lir and another officer. It is great to see Tom still playing out this story and sharing it with more people. After all the crew members enjoy their downtime, the Theseus receives an urgent message from Worf, who captains the Defiant: Kahless has arrived at Qo’nos and he’s out for blood.
Overall, while Star Trek Issue #10 had a few issues (pun intended), it was an engaging ride that concluded this arc of the story and set up the next. The stakes keep rising making the wait for ‘Day of Blood’ all the more tantalizing.
In the next issue…
Issue #11: Only emissary Sisko and his crew of Starfleet’s finest and disgraced ambassador Worf and his band of insurgents can save the universe. But they are divided in every sense of the word… In space, Lieutenants Paris and Torres fight over control of the Defiant while Spock and Scotty do everything they can to keep the Theseus from being cleaved in two. On the ground, Ro and Sela have given up hope, and siblings Data and Lore can’t see eye-to-eye, all while their captains resist the urge to tear each other apart. Can they defeat Kahless and his Red Path when they cannot overcome their own differences?
Release Date: 23 August 2023
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