830. The Tantalus Trap!PUBLICATION: Star Trek #12, DC Comics, March 1985
CREATORS: Mike W. Barr (writer), Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran (artists)
STARDATE: 8217.8 (follows the last issue)
PLOT: While our Spock mentally beats mirror Spock into submission and comes out of his coma, Kirk deals with the mirror Enterprise's auto-destruct sequence by separating its saucer section in the middle of the explosion. He then ties the Tantalus field into the ship's systems and uses it to disintegrate the Excelsior's power supply converter and shutting her down. Capturing the mirror crew and placing them in stasis, Kirk retakes Excelsior, but is told to give it back to Styles. Instead, Kirk flies into the mirror universe to stop a mirror fleet before it attacks, taking on Barr's original crew from the starbase, just as the bird of prey returns with...?
CONTINUITY: Saucer sep would not become an onscreen possibility until TNG, but did make it into various technical guides. Still around: Excelsior, Styles, the Tantalus field, the Mirror folk, including Marlena.
DIVERGENCES: If that's Spock in the bird-of-prey, it might cause problems with the start of ST IV.
PANEL OF THE DAY - Saucer separation used to be cool.
REVIEW: The hits keep coming. Barr did a good job making mirror Kirk win every battle in a new and clever way, and this time around, he gives the real Kirk the same M.O. Surprisingly exciting. And while there are necessarily fewer character moments, you have to applaud Uhura's line when given the bridge, "Better late than never." Bah-ha!
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