Villordsutch reviews Star Trek: Boldly Go #4…
Spock is gone, taken by an enemy unlike any Captain Kirk and his crew have faced before. War with the Romulan Empire is imminent. In the face of the ultimate no-win scenario, will the Federation survive?
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Star Trek: Boldly Go #4 here
At the close of last month’s Star Trek: Boldly Go #3 we witnessed not only a devastating attack on the Romulans (ground attack and within space itself), but we watched as Spock was taken for assimilation and Kirk discovered that the Borg are a true force to be reckoned with for the Federation and the Alpha Quadrant.
With the USS Endeavour now firmly deep within the Neutral Zone it isn’t long before it comes face-to-face with Romulan Warbird. The recent gallant efforts of Kirk and his crew have already spread across the Neutral Zone, and this has bought him enough time to put across his plan to rescue both the Federation crew and also the Romulans too. However, another sacrifice is required to seal the Romulan Commander’s trust.
Upon the Borg Sphere we find Spock is mid-assimilation, naked upon the slab, fitted with an eye implant also now connected to the hive mind. Deep-within Spock’s mind however there is an inner-battle raging between the Collective and the will of Vulcan/Human Federation Officer.
Outside the Borg Sphere and beyond the Endeavour, a Romulan Armada are making a final run at rescuing as many of their own as possible, and hopefully stopping the Borg before they arrive at Romulus itself.
A bittersweet ending for Mike Johnson’s fast and brutal opening chapter. After the well-played manoeuvre from Kirk in dealing with the Borg, to not consider his next action on the surface of Romulus’s was clearly a tragic mistake and one that is bound to come back to haunt him in the near future. Along with this, anyone that knows Borg Lore will tell you that ripping out an eye-implant does not make one free of the collective, so it will be interesting to see the lasting effect on Spock in the upcoming future.
Again both art and cover from Tony Shasteen and George Caltsoudas are fantastic; Tony’s art captures the pace of this tale perfectly as it too moves along at an amazing speed. You can almost hear the crunching of the Romulan ships as the Sphere smashes through the Armada. George’s covers are something just to look at and admire – you could frame these pieces of art.
Star Trek: Boldly Go #4 is an excellent closer to this opening chapter, and my fingers are crossed that the rest of this Star Trek series remains as strong as this.
Rating: 9/10
@Villordsutch
Originally published January 4, 2017. Updated November 14, 2019.
