1200. JudgmentPUBLICATION: Starfleet Academy #11, Marvel Comics, October 1997
CREATORS: Chris Cooper (writer), John Royle and Tom Wegrzyn (artists)
STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)
PLOT: Omega Squad faces the death penalty for having broken General Order 7 and gone to Talos IV. Spock defends them using testimony from Corey Zweller about Captain Picard's Academy days and how Starfleet was lenient with cadets who broke the genetic engineering laws to save Marta Batanides from a dangerous alien pregnancy. Turns out Marta is on the panel of judges and never knew what the others did for her. In the end, not only are the cadets not believed about the Dominion's plans to commit genocide on the telepathic races, but they are all sentenced to death by the new Academy Commandant despite the other judges calling for clemency (all except Nog who, as a Ferengi, was unfamiliar with Federation laws)...
CONTINUITY: See previous issues (Spock, Talos IV).Jean-Luc Picard appears from his Academy days, as told by his old chum Corey Zweller (Tapestry). Marta Batanides (Tapestry) also appears in the flashback and currently known as Admiral Keith. Picard fought Chalnoth (Allegiance). Boothby has been feeding Spock information.
DIVERGENCES: Commander Zweller has the pips of a captain.
PANEL OF THE DAY - Oooh, BURN!
REVIEW: A real disappointment. Though it's fun to see Picard's Academy days and his two pals from Tapestry - and not as a back-up either - Spock's courtroom strategies veer on the ridiculous. He's just manipulating the judges more making his case. So the court stuff is nonsense, and the art feels more 90s than ever. Meanwhile, Omega Squad doesn't get much to do except get punished. I can't recommend this issue even for the Picard stuff.Once again, because of the Telepathy War crossover brewing across Marvel's Star Trek titles at this point, we will move on to another series until they are all in sync. Yay, cliffhanger. Tomorrow: Marvel's version of DS9!
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