Star Trek 1216: Homeostasis, Part One

1216. Homeostasis, Part One

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Voyager #4, Marvel Comics, February 1997

CREATORS: Howard Weinstein (writer), Jesus Redondo and Sergio Melia (artists)

STARDATE: 49640.1 (between Innocence and The Thaw)

PLOT: Voyager is suffering from depleted supplies, both in terms of food and duranium, without which the phasers will have to remain offline. A brief Kazon attack makes the need to find these abundantly clear. Neelix leads the ship to a duranium-rich colony he once traded with. Unfortunately, the planet has been devastated by a botanical virus and strip-mined by parties unknown (the Kazon). The population is nowhere to be found, but Janeway won't take duranium from the planet without permission, so they keep looking. Meanwhile, Kazon cargo ships set a course for the colony...

CONTINUITY: The Kazon haven't been seen since Investigations.

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - First look at Kazon cargo ships!
REVIEW: If there ever was a Voyager-style title... No "two factions" plot (as yet), so that's promising. In point of fact, it's the best issue yet. It easily fits in the Kazon-infested Season 2 and deals with supply problems in a way that the show didn't do enough. Though there's little mystery to who the culprits are, the confrontation between Voyager and the Kazon should be of interest. Weinstein doesn't dump a lot of technobabble on the reader, opting instead for character moments like Neelix interfering with Kes' career. So a little more like this, please.