889. Spirit in the Sky!PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #2, DC Comics, March 1988
CREATORS: Michael Carlin (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist)
STARDATE: 42120.3 (between Datalore and Angel One)
PLOT: It's Christmas aboard the Enterprise, and as celebrations are being held, the Enterprise meets the Creeg, a race chasing some kind of living energy. Though friendly at first, they eventually show their hostile colors. The energy being escapes from Data where it was hiding, and touches the Creeg captain. All beings touched by it want to give it love through belief instead of capturing it. Though the crew can't see it (except for Geordi and the "touched"), but it looks like Santa Claus. Healed by all the love, it heads into space while the Federation and Creeg leave as friends.
CONTINUITY: None.
DIVERGENCES: The stardate is plainly wrong, as this is not set in the second season (in fact, it follows last issue's mission, despite having to be later than that). Klingons celebrate the coming of their gods... but didn't the first Klingons kill them? Wesley calls his mother "Ma". This time, Data is nervous and later feels "wonderful". The holodeck is called the holo-chamber. The ship seems to have sizable communities of at least two alien races you've never heard of.
PANEL OF THE DAY - TNG Christmas wear (not pictured to protect the innocent: Data's open vest)
REVIEW: What. The. Hell. I thought it was going to be that lame cliché, you know, with the Star of Bethlehem in space. But it was actually the completely ridiculous notion that Satan Claus is an energy being. Incredibly dumb, with poorly motivated characters, and Picard still a grade-A jerk and clumsy diplomat. The bickering Bickleys are still at it in the background, with more unfunny arguing. The art isn't as bad as in the previous issue, the weird angles abandoned, and Marcos' aliens have an interesting design.
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