WRITERS: KIRSTEN BEYER, MIKE JOHNSON | ART: TONY SHASTEEN, ANGEL HERNANDEZ | PUBLISHER: IDW | FORMAT: TRADE PAPERBACK | RELEASE DATE: APRIL 9TH
Following on from the end of Discovery’s second season – which saw the titular starship and her crew catapulted forward in time 900 years – Aftermath picks up events with three characters left behind in the 23rd Century: Captain Pike, Spock, and Klingon Chancellor L’Rell.
Pike wants to seize on the current good relations with the Klingons, and invites L’Rell to a peace conference. But both have other problems to contend with. L’Rell’s position – even by Klingon standards, is by no means secure, and there’s many who would like to see her removed from power, preferably by force. Pike meanwhile has to try and persuade an unsure Spock that he does indeed belong on the Enterprise.
The problem with this – as much of Discovery’s televised run to date – is that we already know the outcome. We know that Spock is on the Enterprise during the Original Series, and that lasting peace with the Klingons doesn’t occur until much later. Still, the journey is entertaining, with attempts to sabotage the conference (foreshadowing Star Trek VI), the characters feel well-rounded (as indeed they should, co-author Kirsten Beyer is one of the show’s writers), there’s an appearance from a young Kor (neatly circumventing the problem of his Original Series look being worlds apart from Discovery’s Klingons by giving him an excess of hair), and it results in a fun, diverting, if inconsequential read.
For those missing the Discovery crew, there’s also a short adventure set between the first and second seasons, where Saru – acting captain of the Discovery – has his command skills put to the test in a mission involving a missing Starfleet vessel and some pesky Orion pirates. It’s entertaining but does little to flesh out the Kelpian beyond what we’ve already seen on screen.
For those who can’t wait until Discovery’s return later in the year, or who need a further fix of those characters not returning, Aftermath is a solid, if hardly outstanding adventure.
