Star Trek 1232: Betrayal

1232. Betrayal

PUBLICATION: Starfleet Academy #14, Marvel Comics, January 1998

CREATORS: Chris Cooper (writer), Chris Renaud and Andy Lanning (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)

PLOT: During a training exercise between Omega and Nebula Squadrons, T'Priell's true Romulan self is activated. "Selke" defeats each member of Omega Squad in turn, as well as their Trill teacher Zund, and fakes their deaths by destroying a runabout. They awaken inside an ancient temple/tomb as Selke is revealed to them, where she and her mentor leave them entombed with vicious creatures. On Deep Space Nine, Nog hears the news of their deaths seemingly from Kamilah's ghost and he doesn't believe it. So when Nebula Squad's cadet Yoshi calls, they decide to go save their friends...

CONTINUITY: See previous issue (Admiral Brand). Edam is pumped full of Jex (issue #1).

DIVERGENCES: A Cardassian cadet, even one from a family opposed to Dukat's, surely would have made the news?

PANEL OF THE DAY - She's not the girl we used to know.
REVIEW: T'Priell's turning is well played, with "Selke" completely ruthless, even evil, and yet sometimes showing signs that her sleeper programming wants to take back hold. She gives Pava a chance to kill her for what she's done, and cries almost unconsciously. The comic is very much making use of its own continuity, with the appearance of Yoshi, Matt's old roommate and the Jex drug featured in the first issue. And though Nog has been reassigned by the show's makers, Cooper is still using him. It's like he's never left. (And heck, Kamilah's here too, as a disembodied voice.) Good action all around, with some smart maneuvers from both the heroes and the villain, which makes me think there's more to leaving them buried in an old temple than meets the eye, because as is, it seems like a strange plan.

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