Time Is A Flat(ish) Circle — Reviewing ‘Star Trek’ #29

The Sisko is of Bajor. Those prophetic words bore fruit as the universe collapsed, leaving Sisko in the Celestial Temple living out the centuries in an ancient version of Bajor, seeking to guide the people toward his specific means.

The Emissary of the Prophets became the God-like being that the Bajorans worshiped and followed instead. Meanwhile, he sought a way to escape and bring back the universe, saving his family, friends, and all of existence.

That quest comes to a somewhat conclusion as Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Tess Fowler, and Clayton Cowles bring Benjamin Sisko full circle in Star Trek #29.

This series has never held back, not once.

Everything that is Star Trek has been on the table, ready to be explored and expanded. Sisko has been at the core of the title and therefore the Prophets, Bajor, and everything Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has been as well. Which is fantastic especially for this DS9 loving writer.

Focusing on Sisko trying to lead Bajor — at least a simulation of Bajor — to where it needs to be is intriguing. It plays into DS9’s idea of intertwining the man more and more with the planet that became his home. The prophets continuously said Sisko is of Bajor, and his continuing story proves that more and more.

Fowler was a perfect choice for this two part interlude. Her artwork is just so gorgeous and otherworldly, with the painter feeling behind it. She steps away from what the series has mostly focused on visually with this story with heavier brushstrokes and really exaggerated character and spatial aspects. It makes these moments feel very purposefully dreamlike and out of reach. They are detached, yet connected, to the world we know.

She also brings a simultaneous heaviness and lightness to every panel, choosing when to really go in on the setting and when to pull back. It allows some spaces to really incorporate the negative space for framing a moment or character. Sprinkling in backgrounds that are clear or fuzzy depending on what the moment might need.

Kelly and Lanzing understand these characters so well. Here, they really cut the focus down and go for something really hefty and emotional. It thrives with the artistic choice here because it speaks to what Fowler does best.

There is on happy ending for Sisko’s journey. It essentially leads him in a circular, yet a triumphant, moment. He is able to put the Prophets in their place, somewhat, and make a choice about an emissary of his own for the journey to come. In the end, it was a growth arc distilled into two issues (across centuries) that accomplished everything it envisioned.

Sisko shows off so many emotions here. They are clear upon his face and resonate through the visuals on every level. Cowles, naturally, picks up on that and infuses it through the dialogue and other lettering. As the words flow smoothly and carefully across the pages, really letting the voices sing loud and clearly.

Star Trek #29 is now available from IDW Publishing.