In this review of Star Trek: Lore War #1, the Lore War goes live, but while the universe is remade in the malevolent android’s image, certain aspects of his creation actively resist him.
Star Trek: Lore War #1
Written by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Christopher Cantwell
Art: Davide Tinto
Main Cover: Malachi Ward
Variant Covers: Chris Fenoglio, J.J. Lendl, Joe Quinones
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: April 2, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Star Trek: Lore War #1 begins with renegade-android-turned-mad-god Lore designating some familiar planets in the Star Trek universe for slave labor and weapons manufacturing, while he reserves a select few for ominous purposes.
Lore even remakes the Federation in his image, placing some familiar characters in recognizable roles, but with a decidedly sinister bent.
Despite the dire circumstances of this new reality, Benjamin Sisko actually finds a measure of happiness that eluded him in his previous life. Sisko toils in a food processing plant by day, and spends his nights at home with his loving wife and son. This cycle continues up until the night that Sisko is confronted by a hooded stranger who calls himself Kahless.
Sisko’s blissful existence dissolves in an instant, as centuries of lost memories are suddenly (and agonizingly) restored by Kahless II. But the pain and loss that Sisko suffers here pales in comparison to what he must willingly endure in order to set things right.
Meanwhile, his most glorious eminence… I mean Lore, conscripts his brother Data to devise calculations that continually manipulate his playthings (re: most of the universe), for Lore’s own amusement. These adjustments keep the universe in constant turmoil as rebel forces find themselves locked in an endless struggle against Lore’s much vaunted Federation fleet.
One nagging factor still irks the nigh-omnipotent ruler; the rebel faction called the Maquis are not part of Lore’s design, and thus prove infuriatingly disruptive to his machinations.
Star Trek: Lore War #1 ends with a message of hope from an unexpected source. How else can a rebellion hope to defeat a mechanical man than by aligning themselves with a continuum full of them?
Analysis
Star Trek: Lore War #1 kicks off this epic finale by riffing on one of science fiction’s favorite tropes: the alternate reality tale. Astute readers might find similarities between Ben Sisko’s ‘awakening’ from his manufactured bliss to the classic Alan Moore story, “For the Superman who has Everything”.
Star Trek: Lore War #1 also feels slightly reminiscent of some famous comic book stories including Marvel Comics’ “Secret Wars” and “Days of Future Past”.
We get a glimpse into the machinations of Lore’s massive ego trip. It was never Lore’s plan to permanently obliterate all of existence, he just needed to reset the board for what was to come. Also, let’s be honest here; Lore, like many villains, demands an audience. There’s no satisfaction in holding court over an empty universe, or in boasting of his intellectual superiority if his brother isn’t within earshot.
Star Trek writers Colin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Christopher Cantwell present an unsettling dystopian existence dominated by a petulant taskmaster. This alludes as much to real world events as to Star Trek’s own history; evoking themes from classic episodes such as ‘Mirror, Mirror’, ‘Charlie X’, ‘The Squire of Gothos’, ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’, ”Where No Man has gone Before’, Patterns of Force’ and ‘Day of the Dove’.
Artist Davide Tinto (Commanders in Crisis) masterfully depicts the reimagined Star Trek universe in all it’s dystopian glory. His take on the IDW “house style” effectively mixes character-accurate likenesses with his own dynamic art style. Also, for a series premiere largely tasked with world-building, Tinto’s art still delivers a cargo hold full of tension and drama (that giant Lore head idol with the open mouth and large tongue is straight out creepy).
Abandoned by his creator-father, and envious of his (inferior) brother’s acceptance, Lore feels and acts out like an unloved child, overcompensating with failed attempts to control his environment (of course his flawed emotional subroutines could also play a factor).
Also, what is the motivation behind Lore bringing back Sisko’s late wife Jennifer? Did Lore intend to force his human nemesis to relive his greatest loss over and over again? Is the love that the Sisko family exhibits a glitch in the Lore’s programming? Perhaps it is a lingering aspect of Sisko’s previous supernatural abilities, or just a testament to Ben Sisko’s strength of character to find humanity in the darkest of places?
The concept of achieving perfection is also interesting, as Lore might have the power to remake the universe, but he is incapable of making himself happy, (or maybe he just doesn’t know how).
Finally, please use the correct terms “devastated” or “obliterated”, and not “decimated” (see what Marvel started?)
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Lore War #1 gets off to an impressive start as this current run of Star Trek builds to an epic finale. Pick up a copy or Lore might banish you to work as a scrubber on a Malon freighter.
