1025. TrappedPUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #22, DC Comics, August 1991
CREATORS: Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Peter Krause and Pablo Marcos (artists)
STARDATE: 44292.2 (follows the last issue)
PLOT: The lost crew of the shuttle Einstein has found an agglomeration of ships on the other side of the vortex. A Klingon component tries to reel them in, but it's a Federation beam from elsewhere in the structure that succeeds at doing so. The Betazoid that greets them explains that long ago, the ships that were lost to the vortex decided to create the structure to make shielding easier. It's long gone generational, with Romulans, Ferengi and pre-alliance Klingons feuding with Federation-aligned species. Their only hope, using the shuttle to get to an empty but warp-capable alien craft out of range of the tractor beams. Meanwhile, as Picard contemplates replacing his presumed dead crew members, the Enterprise-D embarks on a new mission - helping a race of mermen move their ancestral statues from their doomed planet before a comet collides with it. Troi is convinced they are hiding something, however, so she beams down to the planet to explore and finds a sentient sea serpent trapped behind a wall. She's seen too much and the natives seal her in...
CONTINUITY: Commander Shelby (The Best of Both Worlds) is mentioned as a possible replacement for Riker.
DIVERGENCES: None.
PANEL OF THE DAY - It's about your room's decor, Captain...
REVIEW: Though the Einstein stuff has been seen before (in the Animated Series) and will be seen again (in Voyager) in other guises, it's still a good set-up for adventure and conflict. A bit heavy on the exposition as opposed to getting to know the characters a bit better, but fine. The Enterprise stuff is stronger, however, making great use of the the comic book medium to bring us sights hardly realizable on a tv show. The undersea realm looks like something right out of Aquaman, the aliens have a striking look and it's just plain fun to see the TNG cast swimming about.
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