In this review of Star Trek: Defiant #27, the Lore War experiences several seismic shifts, as the identities of Lore’s coveted “quadrant minds” are revealed, and various resistance groups coalesce around Benjamin Sisko’s dangerous gambit to restore reality.
Star Trek: Defiant #27
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Davide Tinto
Main Cover: Malachi Ward
Variant Covers: Stefano Simeone, JJ Lendl
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Star Trek: Defiant #27 begins in the Typhon Expanse, where Benjamin Sisko and his allies meet up with Nymira Vondect and her Free Syndicate (featuring a few familiar faces), as the group agrees to hear Sisko’s pitch for destroying (rebooting) the universe.
On board the L.S.S. Enterprise, former Admiral Worf and Emissary Kahless II are locked up in the brig (with their Bat’leths somehow). As they attempt to escape, Kahless prods amnesiac Worf about an old Klingon myth of redemption and honor. Pah-Wraith Shaxs arrives intent on executing Kahless, and releases the Emissary from his cell.
Kahless battles with the ferocity of a Klingon whose honor has been restored, but he is outmatched by Shaxs, who hits Kahless with a disruptor blast, killing him. Worf watches helplessly from his cell as Shaxs retrieves Kahless’ Bat’leth, and as his fingers grip the blade, the Bajoran-turned-Lore zealot suddenly remembers…everything.
Meanwhile, Sisko and the Free Syndicate contact Borg-Maquis leader Spock to coordinate their attack, agreeing that Lore’s quadrant minds are a more accessible target than Data would be, but Sisko draws the line at killing any of his friends currently caught up in Lore’s scheme. Ensign Lily Sato arrives from Bajor and presents former crew member T’Lir, who remembers everything from before Lore (which is currently impacting the young Vulcan’s sanity).
In the “Lore-o-sphere”, (okay, what would you call it?) Lore orders Data to pull the plug on this current iteration and reset the universe yet again. Data counters by appealing to his brother’s ego, explaining the satisfaction to be derived from destroying the many insurgent factions (and anomalies) rallying against him in this current version.
Lore agrees, mistakenly believing that he is still, (or ever was), in complete control of his errant creation. As Ben Sisko, Spock, Worf, Nymira and the others forge a coordinated attack against Lore’s knowledge hub, Data clandestinely aids the resistance (and the quadrant minds) against his renegade-android brother-turned-mad-god.
Star Trek: Defiant #27 ends as the Free Syndicate and Borg-Maquis break into four groups, one for each quadrant mind. Sisko prepares to rescue Miles O’Brien as former Admiral Worf arrives (shirtless) to join the final battle.
Analysis
Star Trek: Defiant #27 exposes cracks forming from Lore’s continual reshaping of reality, his shaky codependent bond with his brother Data, and quite possibly Lore’s sanity. These fractures prove that while Lore possesses extraordinary power, he is neither omnipotent, nor omniscient and is therefore, more vulnerable than he believes as Data “betrays” Lore without his knowledge.
Since Lore is too paranoid to allow another being access to his power (after several failed attempts with Data), his cruel compromise that horrifically transformed four fan-favorite Star Trek characters into his “quadrant minds” illustrates the depths of Lore’s disdain towards organic life (in contrast to Data’s lifelong quest to become more human).
Christopher Cantwell’s script for Star Trek: Defiant #27 is equal parts thrilling and unsettling, Cantwell makes a couple of ‘illogical’ scripting choices that unfortunately pulls focus from the otherwise compelling plot and clever dialogue (see if you agree).
First, in this remade universe, Tasha Yar and Kira Nerys are a couple (which is fine). The problem is that Tasha calls her “Kira”, (her last name) as a term of endearment rather than “Nerys”. Now this could be Tasha’s pet name for her, but it feels more like a possible editorial oversight.
Second, readers are introduced to the identities of Lore’s quadrant minds in Star Trek: Defiant #27, not once, but twice. Once by omniscient narration, and later in the issue by the Vulcan T’Lir, who informs Sisko and the others. Why waste precious story space reiterating a shocking reveal twice in the same issue?
Artist Davide Tinto continues his stellar work in Star Trek: Defiant #27, providing engaging panel layouts, composition and storytelling to even the talking heads scenes (of which there are many). Most of Star Trek: Defiant #27 involves characters standing around and talking, with a few pages of action, but both Cantwell’s script and Tinto’s artwork make the story work, ratcheting up the tension as the stakes are raised.
Tinto’s (slightly) graphic depiction of the four quadrant minds is effectively unsettling (and difficult to unsee), while the awesome Shaxs/Kahless battle in the brig practically leaps off the page.
Final Thoughts
Despite a couple of minor quibbles, Star Trek: Defiant #27 is another winning issue for IDW, showcasing the diversity and cooperation that Star Trek was founded on, while providing gorgeous art, cool character moments and plot twists in the classic Star Trek tradition.
