1414. Captain's Log: JellicoPUBLICATION: Star Trek - Captain's Log: Jellico, IDW Comics, October 2010
CREATORS: Keith R.A. DeCandido (writer), J.K. Woodward (artist)
STARDATE: 45982.6 (some time before Chain of Command, between TNG Seasons 5 and 6)
PLOT: First officer Leslie Wong has just come aboard the USS Cairo from a space station in the Solarion system. She's a tough officer, as an over-eager ensign discovers, but doesn't enjoy being dressed down by Captain Jellico. The ship detects a Cardassian science vessel just outside the system, but actually inside it thanks to a loophole in the border treaty. Jellico warns off the Cardassian ship, which makes a run for the station, hidden guns blazing. Thanks to a tactic devised by Wong, the Cairo manages to stop the Cardassian ship. Wong is commended and decides to stay, while the ensign who gave her trouble is transferred off.
CONTINUITY: Edward Jellico and the Cairo first appeared in Chain of Command. Leslie Wong would eventually become captain of the USS Cairo and be reported killed in action during the Dominion War (In the Pale Moonlight). The Solarion system plays a part in a number of novels (A Weary Life, Mere Mortals, A Singular Destiny). The Cairo is on a four-shift rotation (Chain of Command).
DIVERGENCES: None.
PANEL OF THE DAY - Caught by the teacher!
REVIEW: Another excellent Captain's Log with beautiful watercolor artwork (even if it makes heavy use of photo reference - Gulk Zarkat is obviously Warner's Gul Madred from Chain of Command). The focus isn't so much on Jellico, who remains as distant and unknowable as he did in Chain of Command, but on Leslie Wong, a character who only existed as a name on the roll call of the dead in In the Pale Moonlight. From that mention, and the necessary link to the USS Cairo, a whole character is created, one that is as no-nonsense as Jellico, even if they seem in conflict. Sometimes, it's the people who are the same you have to watch out for. Despite Jellico being a hardass, there is still a lot of indiscipline on the ship, and the sense that you can still have a personality even in such a stifling military setting. We've also got deceiving Cardassians and a techie solution that doesn't descend into babble. Strong enough that I'd like to see further adventures of the Cairo starring Jellico and Wong.
Comments