Star Trek 1238: An Infinite Jest

1238. An Infinite Jest

PUBLICATION: Star Trek Unlimited #7, Marvel Comics, January 1998

CREATORS: Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton (writers), Ron Randall, Tom Morgan, Art Nichols, and Scott Hanna (artists)

STARDATE: 49827.5 (follows issue #5)

PLOT: Q and Trelaine want to play a game of "who's captain is better?" and switch Kirk and Picard's place in space and time and throw some cross-time Klingon threats at them. Their crews see nothing amiss, but the captains do confide in each other's telepaths/empaths. The omnipotent tricksters accuse the heroes of cheating because Picard uses boldness and Kirk uses diplomacy, as per the era they are in. Q and Trelaine reset everything and decide to fight it out mano a mano instead.

CONTINUITY: The Enterprise-E (First Contact) is launched. Both Trelaine (The Squire of Gothos) and Q (Encounter at Farpoint through All Good Things...) both appear, as do Gowron and TOS Kang (Day of the Dove). Worf is on loan from DS9 again. Spock verifies the mindmeld he will one day have with Picard (Unification).

DIVERGENCES: The events surrounding the launch of the Enterprise-E may contradict the novel Ship of the Line. The link between Trelaine and Q revealed in Q-Squared isn't acknowledged.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Unflattering?
REVIEW: Before the Telepathy War, Star Trek Unlimited produced a TOS and a TNG story. In this issue, Abnett and Edginton merge the two crews into a fun romp that I wish could have gone on longer. It's great to see the crews react to the other captain's style, Kirk putting the moves on Troi, and Picard calling on the intimate link he shared with Spock. Great expressions throughout from each "side"'s artists as well.