1281. In the Sleep of Death, What Dreams May ComePUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation - Perchance to Dream #3, Wildstorm Comics, April 2000
CREATORS: Keith R.A. DeCandido (writer), Peter Pachoumis and Lucian Rizzo (artists)
STARDATE: 48501.9 (follows the last issue)
PLOT: Worf fights through his hallucinations and saves the Damiano governor from assassination. He does put himself off-duty, and soon is in sickbay, along with more and more infected personnel. On the planet, security personnel once again save the governor from assassination, and the details of the dreaming illness are made known to her. The Damiano police chief suspects a telepathic weapon from an older time is being used, and this is proven in the investigation. The Vulcan security officer and now Troi have been propagating it. The only known cure is exposing the weapon to multiple personalities disorder, overwhelming it. Dr. Crusher suggests Picard undergo a mindmeld to bring his past alternate personalities to the surface...
CONTINUITY: See previous issue (Worf's dreams). Worf also dreams of K'Eleyr's death and his subsequent murder of Duras (Reunion). Deanna dreams of losing her powers (The Loss) and of her "son" Ian (The Child). Geordi dreams about his lost mother (Interface). Riker dreams about his disapproving father (The Icarus Factor). Picard's other personalities include Sarek ("Sarek"), Kamin (The Inner Light) and Locutus (The Best of Both Worlds). Nurse Ogawa and Dr. Selar appear, as does back-up tactical officer Lt. McDowell (The Next Phase).
DIVERGENCES: Selar is incorrectly dressed in gold, having been mistaken for the Vulcan security officer in the story.
PANEL OF THE DAY - How empathy works
REVIEW: Though still quite a bit talky - especially in its references to past episodes - I'm warming to the story. The politics of the situation are coming to a head, as is the telepathic weapon plot. There are good character moments, like a Damiano trying to recruit Data into the police force and the Vulcan security officer's scenes. However! The art just doesn't stand. It looks especially rushed in this issue. Likenesses aren't as strong as in the previous two, and anatomy is often distorted. Troi is particularly badly represented, even ugly and misshapen. For all their alienness, the Damiano have a colloquial lingo that doesn't match the rest. And then there's the action beat in which an officer pushes the governor out her shower through a plate glass tube. Looks more dangerous than the assassination attempt. Throw in a coloring error and some cross-eyed characters to complete the effect. It's a mess.
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