Star Trek: The Q Conflict #5 Is A Dangerous Escalation
by Tony Thornley
So far Star Trek: The Q Conflict has been a series of greatest hits of Star Trek mythology. The fifth issue could have resulted in a massive jump the shark moment though, with the introduction of one of the most divisive Trek enemies…
Scott & David Tipton, David Messina, Elisabetta D’Amico, Alexandra Alexakis, and Neil Uyetake put the crews into their most dangerous situation yet.
Tremaine has taken control of the competition after the Q Continuum intervenes to de-escalate from last issue. The crews have already prepared to fight back but they’re stunned to learn of Tremaine’s challenge. They need to capture one of the most dangerous beings in the universe- a Borg Queen.
The Tiptons could have taken a plot that would have seemed cliched and makes it work. They don’t focus so much on the Borg Collective itself as they do the crew finally using the mission as an opportunity to turn the tables on Q. However, there’s a fantastic sense of peril through the entire story, and they set up a potential “Chekov’s gun” with one character in the midst of the Borg Hive.
Messina sells the tension. He makes the Borg Cube feel incredibly claustrophobic, which makes the crews’ actions incredibly nerve wrecking. He uses close ups, with a great sense of body language and facial expressions that make it all feel so real. D’Amico’s colors help immensely through the issue, but especially casting the scene on the Borg Cube with shadows and the unsettling pale green glow fans have come to expect from the Borg.
After a rough start this series is building towards an exciting conclusion. I’m excited to see where it ends.
Star Trek: The Q Conflict #5 is available now from IDW Publishing.