Advance Review: Battling All Manner Of Threats In `Star Trek– The Mirror War’ #7

With the battle to save the Terran Empire raging, the real fight for Captain Jean-Luc Picard is at home.

Over the course of this limited series set in Star Trek’s mirror universe, Picard has masterfully fought a war on two fronts: he’s kept the Klingon-Cardassian alliance at bay, while dealing with even more dangerous threats on his ship and within the empire’s leadership. With a rebuilt armada under his command, he now stands on the brink of victory.

And yet, as writers Scott and David Tipton demonstrate, power corrupts. He won’t settle for being a mere captain when he can rise to emperor after his ultimate victory. That has even his closest allies worried – and plotting against him. It’s a familiar storyline in most fiction, but a welcome one in the Trek universe. After all, in the regular universe, everyone gets along. In the mirror universe, not so much.

That makes revisiting seldom-seen characters like Guinan, Miles O’Brien and Leah Brahms so exciting. You have no idea whose side they are on. Similarly, having familiar personalities act out of character – an imperious-looking Inquisitor Deanna Troi calling her fellow officers “imbeciles” is a great example – is as welcome as it is entertaining. And the shifting loyalties are intriguing while likely to keep us guessing until the end.

Unfortunately, artist Gavin Smith’s work with those characters and settings is inconsistent. Some pages are beauties with recognizable characters. Others feel rushed with familiar cast members looking unrecognizable or in poses that seem to defy physics. Similarly, the space battles – which should feel epic is scope given the number of fighting ships – seem underwhelming.

With only one issue left in this sprawling series, the story has tightened as Picard’s aspirations have expanded. If the artwork can remain more consistent, the conclusion could be a blockbuster.

Star Trek: The Mirror War #7 will be available for purchase on July 20, 2022.