Mind-Melding With The Dead In Star Trek Boldly Go #8 – Review and 5-Page Preview

Review: Star Trek Boldly Go #8
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Written by: Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott
Art by Megan Levens with colors by Sarah Stern

When we last left the crew of the U.S.S. Endeavour, Starfleet Academy Cadet Shev Akria, accused of murdering the Romulan Ambassador, escaped Federation custody with the help of Jaylah. Meanwhile, the Endeavour was in pursuit of an unregistered vessel in an asteroid field possibly carrying the real perpetrator.

We pick up the story with an understandably angry Pilok, still mourning from the assassination of her father, accusing the Federation and Vulcans of colluding to protect the accused murderer and helping him escape. As far as she’s concerned, Shev is already guilty and this is no longer a peace conference – it’s a manhunt.

This week on NCIS: Romulus

What comes next is one of the most perplexing, yet somehow genius plot points in all of Star Trek. The cadets ask themselves the question – if the only person that knows who killed the Ambassador is the Ambassador, then why don’t we just ask the Ambassador? That’s right – T’Laan, with the help of an overly eager Dr. McCoy, actually mind-melds with a dead guy. Luckily, he hasn’t been dead that long so there’s still a trace of neural activity left. It’s definitely an interesting concept, but it felt a little too “Wesley Crusher Saves the Day” to me.

I’m a Doctor, not a criminal!

I had high hopes for this two-issue reimagining of “Journey to Babel” with an excellent Prison Break-esque cliffhanger in Part 1, however Part 2 fell a little short. There’s no grand escape – Jaylah’s master plan was to rescue Shev and hide in the Jefferies tubes. In fact, this could have easily been a one-issue story instead of dragging out what turned out to be a “I would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for you pesky kids” Scooby Doo ending. At one point, Romulan guards actually refer to the cadets as “brats.”  I wonder what the Romulan word is for that.

The Walking Dead Romulan

One of the most intriguing aspects of this issue is not what’s inside but what’s on the cover. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the main title on the bottom. I’m not sure what the creative decision was for that but I applaud them for trying something different.

Cover by George Caltsoudas

Guest artist Megan Levens ends her two-issue run, making way for Tony Shasteen’s return from working on the Star Trek: Discovery adaptation. As I said last month, I’m a huge fan of her work and I hope she gets another opportunity on future issues. Until then, I will continue to lobby for a Megan Levens-drawn animated series.

We will meet again

5-Page Preview: Star Trek Boldly Go #8

Click thumbnails to enlarge

Available Wednesday

Star Trek Boldly Go #7 arrives in comic book stores on Wednesday, May 23rd and retails for $3.99. You can also pre-order it at TFAW with a discount. There are also a number of variant covers available including a photo cover, subscription variant and Funko cover. 

And if you want to catch up, the trade paperback collection of Star Trek: Boldly Go (volume 1, collection of issues #1-#6) will be released on July 25th for a retail price of $19.99. You can pre-order from Amazon for 33% off.

Find Star Trek comics, toys, statues, and collectibles at TFAW.com!

Keep up with all the latest inked Star Trek in TrekMovie’s Comics Category.

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Is it just me, or does Dr. McCoy look just like Cyril Figgis from “Archer”?

One word: Shkow!

Two words (also): Chkow!