Comics Review: Star Trek Manifest Destiny #4

The Enterprise crew go head-to-head with the Klingons in issue number 4 of Star Trek Manifest Destiny, which came out today. Read on for our spoiler free review.


Cover art for Star Trek Manifest Destiny #4
Issue #4 sells for $3.99 at IDW

 

“Very well, Captain, we shall die together.”

Death is inevitable for everyone. Mortality defines people’s existence. It’s just most hope for death to come after a long and fruitful life. However, those who serve realize that death could come at any moment. Although, Captain Kirk must not have ever thought it would be at the hands of Klingons who violently took control of the Enterprise. Star Trek Manifest Destiny #4, by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott, concludes IDW’s mini-series event as Kirk, Spock and McCoy each separately and with a little luck work to thwart the Klingon’s perceived victory.

Issue four opens as Spock is nowhere to be found, Kirk has been stopped by Sho’Tokh and McCoy is begging the new commander of the Chonnaq not to destroy the Enterprise. Johnson and Parrott entertain in Manifest Destiny’s ultimate chapter, as the action in the final issue does not disappoint and remains at the cinematic level established in the previous three issues.

Two battles take place, one within the Enterprise and one on the Klingon ship, where Johnson has placed McCoy, Uhura and Sulu. McCoy has been the reader’s’ eyes since beaming down and being captured by the Klingons in Manifest Destiny #1. Issue four finds him reasoning and arguing to save his shipmates lives. It’s just, pleading for mercy has not seemed to work that well up to this point. In fact, Johnson has shown a certain ruthlessness in the new timeline Klingon’s portrayal that almost makes the prime universe warriors seem tame and Tribble like.

“So much for ‘honor.’ It’s just all about killing with you Klingons, isn’t it?”

Capturing the personalities of the new Star Trek timeline perfectly, Johnson’s dialogue makes it seem as if Karl Urban is uttering the lines in the reader’s head. His voice is never more perfect than when McCoy attempts to convince Divash not to destroy the Enterprise in order to kill her former commander. The righteous indignation when he believes that all Klingons want is to kill, and that honor is just something they talk about.

Johnson however does not let the Klingons, McCoy or the readers off the hook, as he embraces what Star Trek is at the end of the day, and demonstrates how the new timeline characters could be the Star Trek fans yearn for on the big screen. True to the franchise’s roots, Roddenberry’s vision and the acceptance of IDIC, Johnson allows McCoy to understand the Klingon culture a little bit better, as well as how honor is an important part of their distinctiveness.

Conflict with the Klingons always seems to be looming around the next star system (especially in the new timeline universe), yet Bones now has a hope that with better understanding of their culture, maybe war is not inevitable. Gene Roddenberry could not have written it better himself.

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Really enjoyed this series.

You’ll review the comic book but not the latest episode of “Star Trek Continues”? WTF

Dude, calm yourself. It’s coming!

It’s been out for three weeks now, and they still didn’t review the episode before it either.

I enjoy these reviews (and any previews on other sites) as I have to (all right – choose to) wait for the trade paperbacks to become available on Amazon before I can actually read the stories. I wonder if this Klingon on the cover is the infamous Albino from DS9’s Blood Oath?

I was wondering exactly the same! (We know that Klingons have quite long life spans – see Kor, Kang and Koloth in that very same episode – so that might be entirely possible!)

Also, nice TVH-inspired variant cover!

I enjoyed this series. I thought it was really good.