DS9: Hearts And Minds by Mark A, Altman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's interesting how much play the gamma quadrant gets in the comics, yet in the series I don't recall them ever making such a big deal of it (most issues on DS9 seems alpha and beta quadrant related).  This mini-series is all about the Klingons and the Cardassians butting heads because the Romulans make it look like a Klingon ship has been destroyed by a Cardassian ship in the gamma quadrant.  Interesting story, with a nice little quark sub-plot.

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Star Trek: Voyager: Mirrors and Smoke by Paul Allor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I always enjoy a good mirror universe story.  Voyager (like TNG) didn't have an on-screen mirror universe, but it's interesting to see that even in the mirror universe Janeway and crew were stranded in the Delta quadrant.  Faced with the prospect of returning to the alpha quadrant to fight a losing battle with the KCA, they decided to stay in the delta quadrant and become space pirates.

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Star Trek: Discovery - Aftermath by Kirsten Beyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was a rather interesting epilogue to the most recent season of discovery.

Synopsis from Memory Alpha: Many Klingons, including Kor's father, decry L'Rell’s position and actions as chancellor as well as her self-appointed nickname of "Mother." Pike contacts L'Rell in an effort to build a lasting peace atop their temporary alliance. She agrees to preliminary talks on the planet Vaset III and appoints Kor as head of her personal security. Still on leave, Spock copes with Michael's absence and considers his path forward without her. Pike asks for his help with the peace mission, though Spock questions his own presence at such an historic event. L'Rell asks Spock for a private conversation, seeking logical input on dealing with her internal enemies. However, some of those enemies, calling themselves the Shadows of Kahless, strike quickly, seizing control of her flagship and bombing the conference. They intend to return L'Rell to QonoS for a public execution. Spock evades capture long enough to rescue L'Rell, who remotely takes back control of her ship and crashes it into the planet's surface, eliminating at least some of her enemies. She abandons the peace conference, instead returning home to root out the rest of her enemies. Spock realizes that his place is indeed aboard the Enterprise and returns to duty.


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The Maquis by R.A. Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those stories that I could see being adapted to a DS9 episode. Bashir takes some well deserved R&R to Risa (the number of days he takes off seems ridiculously low, but whatever), but he gets abducted by the Maquis because they need a doctor. Of course, this isn't the real reason, one Maquis is trying to get her relative back from the Cardassians, and the Cardassian wants "plain simple Garak". Through some hostage arbitrage, via Bashir, this happens. This story takes place just after Voyager disappears into the badlands.
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Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Worf Special #0 : Bonds of Honor by Dan Mishkin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not a bad main story: Worf has been accused of sabotage on Starbase 113. Sisko is instructed by Admiral Nechayev that Worf must be arrested immediately upon his return to the station. Instead of returning directly, Worf follows another vessel, the one that left immediately before him. He trails it to a Klingon ship and, with help, confronts the commander of the ship and turns the tables. These Klingons have no honor ;-) The second mini-story was Worf in the holodeck in a wild west simulation given to him by Alexander. Kira and the gang try to figure out what's so special about the wild west.

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Star Trek: Picard - Countdown by Kirsten Beyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this was a good companion to the Last Best Hope novel.  This comic follows Picard on another Romulan colony world that needs evacuation, only to discover that the Romulans have only given estimates for Romulan beings to be evacuated, not the additional 5 million people of the native sentient species that was on that planet.  Moral issues ensue, there is some pew-pew, some picarding, and some subterfuge, and the story is resolved.  This is where we first meet Laris and Zhaban for the first time, who seem to have a knack for winemaking...

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Star Trek Sonderband 06. The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine. N Vector by K.W. Jeter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was not a horrible story.  It's a story set after the events of the DS9 finale.  There is Romulan scientist that has discovered a "viroid" that can take over someone (or something inorganic).  First O'Brien is implicated for sabotage (even though he was in at Starfleet Academy when it happened). then the Romulan scientist and Bashir trick the viroid to inhabit Bashir, who can fight it off with Romulan medicine death (or something), and in the end the blow it up.    This could make an OK episode.  The biggest deduction of starts is the artwork, it just doesn't speak to me.

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The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a prequel novel that takes place before the first season of Star Trek: Picard.  The story shows us the other side of the preparations to save Romulans (and Remans?) from their fates which are doomed due to the Romulan Star going supernova.  I was hoping for some more congruence between the ST09 Countdown comics and this (given the same production folks) but there are things that are different. The ST09 Countdown comics focused on Spock, the Jellyfish, and Red Matter, while this focused on refugee relocation and the internal politics of the federation (as well as some internal Romulan politics that really screwed up the rank and file Romulans). It's amazing how much the Tal Shiar f*cked things up for their people (and how selfish some federation worlds can be).  It seems amazing that the Federation lasted this long given all the me-me-me worlds...


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