In this review of Star Trek #31, it’s a surprisingly Lore-less chapter of Lore War, as Kahless II discovers a new use for his magical Bat’leth blade besides drawing blood, (but it still does that too).
Star Trek #31
Written by: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly
Art by: Davide Tinto
Main Cover: Malachi Ward
Variant Covers: Megan Levens, J.J. Lendl
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Star Trek #31 begins in an undisclosed location of the Alpha Quadrant, (where we eventually discover the identity of one of Lore’s mysterious “quadrant minds”), but events quickly shift to the hijacked Phoenix spacecraft as Benjamin Sisko, Kahless II and Beverly (Crusher) Howard are hunted down by High Admiral Worf and the L.S.S. Enterprise.
Worf demands Sisko’s surrender, and threatens worse for Beverly and Kahless, but Sisko realizes an ace in the hole and rams the stolen spacecraft into the Enterprise as cover to infiltrate the starship. Tom Paris and Harry Kim confront the trio on the lower decks (hah), and Kahless restores the pair’s memories with a strike from his enhanced Klingon Bat’leth blade (powered by the former Bajoran Prophets).
Sisko and the others confront Worf and his son Alexander Rozhenko on the Enterprise bridge. Kahless restores Alexander’s memories, but the young Klingon realizes that this won’t work on his father, so he makes a direct appeal to Worf. Father and son are interrupted by the arrival of Pah-Wraith Shax (not a nice guy) but it appears that Alexander’s words got through to Worf, as he engages Shax to allow his friends to escape.
Maquis covert operative Lily Sato encounters (former) Vulcan science officer T’Lir on the planet Bajor (and it appears that T’Lir remembers everything from the before times). Alexander Rozhenko, Ben Sisko, Tom Paris and Harry Kim escape the Enterprise in a shuttlecraft and immediately encounter a rebel faction (led by a familiar face) willing to help with the resistance.
ends with an ominous communique to Ro Laren by Pah-Wraith Shax regarding the capture of Worf and Kahless II, as he assumes command of the L.S.S. Enterprise and promises to hunt down Sisko and the others in the name of Lore.
Analysis
Star Trek #31 tightens its focus on specific plot elements, and characters to move the Lore War story forward, but despite a very Lore-less issue, the renegade android turned-mad-god casts a long shadow as his presence is still felt throughout the issue. Some familiar faces swear their undying allegiance, while others try to reconcile regaining their original memories with waking up in the middle of a cosmic nightmare.
Acclaimed writing pair Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing explore this darker universe from the point of view of some lesser known characters (with a s hocking reveal), while still keeping their eyes on the prize of the core trio of Sisko, Beverly and Kahless II. Worf and Alexander play a small but pivotal role as they regain their honor amid Lore’s twisted machinations. No Borg-Spock in Star Trek #31, but T’Lir is almost as good.
Artist Davide Tino keeps knocking it out of the park with another stellar issue of gorgeous art. Tinto’s knack for facial expressions (see Worf’s outrage) is remarkable. The action set pieces are effective as are the talking heads sequences (although it’s a pity that we missed out on seeing the prolonged Worf/Shax/Kahless II brawl even if the heroes lost).
It’s also a smart move by IDW to keep the same (excellent) artist for the entire six part story arc by allowing extra time between issues. It keeps the storytelling consistent and will make for a solid collected edition.
Final thoughts
Star Trek #31 delivers another enjoyable chapter for Star Trek fans, as the story takes a month-long break before resuming with Star Trek: Defiant #27 in May.
