Star Trek 985: Star-Crossed

985. Star-Crossed

PUBLICATION: Star Trek v.2 #73, DC Comics, July 1995

CREATORS: Howard Weinstein (writer), Rachel Ketchum and Mark Heike (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (Kirk's Academy days following Annual #2; 6 years later as First Officer of the USS Eagle)

PLOT: After Kirk cheats on the Kobayashi Maru test, Carol Marcus is the one who sells him out to the Academy, but they give him a commendation. Six years later, they're serving together on the USS Eagle, where they resume their relationship. The captain counts on Kirk to evaluate Carol and see if she's Starfleet material. Though she's brilliant, she also has more than a little difficulty with authority, as is made plain when an unauthorized excursion puts her landing party in jeopardy. Rather than face more reprimands, she leaves Starfleet and Kirk behind, not telling him the real reason for her departure: the baby she's carrying...

CONTINUITY: We see Kirk's Kobayashi Maru test and it matches that of the novel The Kobayashi Maru. Gary Mitchell (Where No Man Has Gone Before) and Carol Marcus (ST II) are still in his life (following the events of Annual #2). The USS Eagle would be used heavily in the Last Unicorn's Star Trek role-playing supplement, The Andorians: Among the Clans. David Marcus (ST II-III) is conceived here.

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Kirk's secret weapon in the Kobayashi Maru test: An acid-squirting flower!
REVIEW: I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for comics that explore the Kirk-Carol relationship. Carol Marcus is one of those rare female characters that are designed to be his equal, and her very presence makes you not care if there's much action in the same issue. Weinstein also subtly lays in the sexism inherent in the TOS era by having Kirk rise quickly through the ranks, taking the same kinds of risks Carol gets in trouble for. I've often criticized the writer for his plots, but I generally think he is spot on when it comes to dialogue and getting the characters right. That's why Star-Crossed works. The plot is preordained (though he fills in a lot of details) and he lets the characters drive the story.