1084. Friends and Other StrangersPUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #67, DC Comics, January 1995
CREATORS: Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Deryl Skelton (artist)
STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)
PLOT: Riker goes back to Altair III with other former officers of the USS Hood who went on a mission 8 years ago and wound up with sacred books-on-tape (well, in little balls, at any rate) they pledge to keep safe and return after the Altairian civil war ended. Meanwhile, Ro and another officer have taken an ambassador back to a starbase and must return to the Enterprise in a shuttle. They never make it, however, because a Tisatti ship damages it and it crashes on an unknown planet. Only Ro survives, and she is taken by a mysterious robed figure. On Altair III, Riker and his colleagues hike to a monastery, but a rope bridge collapses under their feet...
CONTINUITY: Troi and Barclay are seen together, a friendship started in Realm of Fear and carried through Voyager. Ben the waiter appears (Lower Decks). The Altair III mission (in which Riker didn't let Captain DeSoto beam down) was first mentioned in Encounter at Farpoint. One of Riker's old colleagues heard something about Lt. Thomas Riker (Second Chances).
DIVERGENCES: Ro Laren shouldn't be on board at this point (Preemptive Strike). It is suggested here that Captain DeSoto died since he was last seen in Tin Man, at Wolf 359 (The Best of Both Worlds); Treachery, Faith and the Great River may suggest he has not (but that's not made explicit). He is called Jonathan instead of Robert.
PANEL OF THE DAY - You CAN take the 'hood out of the man!
REVIEW: As I've said before, I like it when the comics (and novels) are used to fill in the gaps in continuity. We've heard about Riker's Altairian mission a few times before, but never its specifics. Friedman uses that gap to introduce us to Riker's former crew (as he does for Picard in Reunion and Sisko in Saratoga), and I like how (again, as usual) he attempts to make the guest crew feel like a good alternative to the Enterprise's. I hope to discover more on these characters as the story develops. The Ro Laren stuff also holds interest, setting up a mystery, but also exploring her personality. And she's one of my favorite ancillary TNG characters...
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