Star Trek 1145: Baby on Board

1145. Baby on Board

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #12, Malibu Comics, July 1994

CREATORS: Charles Marshall (writer), Leonard Kirk and Bruce McCorkindale (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)

PLOT: When a cranky Bajoran baby is abandoned at Quark's, it gets suffled between every member of the cast as they get called to duty. On the same day, a Starfleet inspector is ready to give DS9 a bad grade based on how tired its personnel seems. When he sees the baby, he guesses everything and forgives them. The baby's mother awakens from a fever in the infirmary and collects her child.

CONTINUITY: There's a flashback to Jennifer Sisko (Emissary). Keiko and Molly appear.

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Just what you're buying comics to see.
REVIEW: Another comedy issue from Charles Marshall, and while I'd prefer they spaced these out a little, it's at least better than issue #11. Quark changing diapers wears thin pretty fast, but once the entire crew gets in on it, we do get some good moments. Sisko remembers how Jennifer taught him how to hold a baby. Kira sings a Bajoran lullaby. And O'Brien's magic touch with children is invoked. Marshall's lazy writing is on show though, with the resolution all too easy, and timeline problems with Odo melting into a puddle after playing with the baby too long (there's just no time for it to be that long). Not perfect, but still enjoyable fluff.