1082. The Choice / Cry Vengeance / Out of TimePUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation Special #2, DC Comics, 1994
CREATORS: Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Gordon Purcell and Terry Pallot (artists) / Chris Claremont (writer), Chris Wozniak & Jerome K. Moore (artists) / Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Steve Erwin and Charles Barnett III (artists)
STARDATE: Unknown (between Timescape and Descent) / Unknown (between Phantasms and Dark Page) / Unknown (the same)
PLOT: In The Choice, Ro is faced with reliving the events that got her court-martialed. Before she joined the Enterprise, she allowed Seriphami terrorists to make her believe they were in their vulnerable healing trance and stunned her commanding officer who was about to inadvertently kill them. It was a trick however, and her actions resulted in the death of that officer. Today, the Seriphami are using the same strategy, but Ro can't take the chance they're not bluffing. She runs into their midst unharmed, proving they're really healing up, and has to shoot Riker before he kills them. Rather than get the court-martial she expects, she's commended for her actions. In Cry Vengeance, a supernaturally long-lived Jamie Finney arrives on the Enterprise-D under an assumed name, on a mission to avenge Kor's death. She dies in battle with Gowron, squaring any debts and feuds Kor might've had (I think, see Review). In Out of Time, Morgan Bateson of the Bozeman has trouble coping with having been trapped in a time loop for 80 years, so Troi brings him in touch with Scotty, who's in the same boat.
CONTINUITY: Ro first met the Seriphami on Garon II, leading to the events that got her court-martialed (Ensign Ro). The second story is a sequel of sorts to Claremont's Debt of Honor GN, and features Ben Finney (Court-Martial)'s daughter Jamie Finney (now a Fleet Captain posing as "Colleen McMurphy) and Vulcan/Romulan Fleet Captain T'kir (Debt of Honor). Finney's holodeck program features the Enterprise-A from that story and Kor (Errand of Mercy). Kurn was first seen in Sins of the Father, and Gowron and Duras in Reunion. Alexander also appears, and is still using the Ancient West holodeck program (A Fistful of Datas). Out of Time features Captain Morgan Bateson (Cause and Effect). Scotty entered the TNG era in Relics.
DIVERGENCES: I'm surprised there are only three races that use "particle beam weapons", all of them never seen before. Bat'leth is misspelled Bat'telh. Kor has apparently been murdered - not according to Blood Oath! Why is Bateson still wearing his outdated uniform whent his is clearly (from Troi's) years after Cause and Effect. The details of Bateson's story may well be contradicted in the novel Ship of the Line.
PANEL OF THE DAY - One Claremont script, one scene with nudity.
REVIEW: In "The Choice", Friedman gives me two things I like - a story that fills in a gap in Trek lore, and more Ro Laren! The details of her court-martial, muted on the show, are believable and don't make Ro out to be the bad guy, and her solution in the present is classy and shows her growth. Top notch art from Gordon Purcell here as well. The art on Cry Vengeance is even better, what with frequent cover artist Jerome Moore on board. Unfortunately, Chris Claremont's story makes use of his every tic. There's needless voiceover, a ninja chick with unexplainable powers (Jamie hasn't aged a day because of Vulcan yoga!), word bubbles that are so numerous they obscure the art, and continuity so opaque as to make me give up in frustration. Debt of Honor was a fine graphic novel, but trying to give it a TNG sequel is just messy and indulgent. Out of Time is a short little interlude that makes a natural connection. It's not Ship of the Line, but is cute as an instance of TV's Frasier needing a psychiatrist's help.
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