Star Trek: Defiant vol. 5: No Old Warriors

Alexander may have survived being stabbed by Kahless II in the “Day of Blood,” but his alliance with the former Klingon emperor ensured that his honor did not.  To get it back he has embarked on the Quv rite which will be administered by his father Worf.  There are three parts to it:  The Errand of Punishment, the Errand of Valor, and the Errand of Vengeance.  If he completes, and survives, all three then his honor will be restored.  Meanwhile, B’Elanna, Ro, O’Brien, and Bashir are taking the Defiant back to Deep Space Nine.  Yet when you’ve got one of the Federation’s most powerful ships at your disposal, the temptation to use it for a little extra-judicial do-gooding is very tempting.

While I’m sure there will be some wrap-up in the pages of “Lore War,” this is the final proper volume of “Defiant” and it does leave me wanting more.  More adventures with this endearingly mismatched crew.  More of writer Christopher Cantwell’s fanboyish subversion of familiar “Trek” stories.  More of artist Angel Unzueta’s smoothly detailed art.  At the very least – one more issue of this series so that the subplot involving the crew of the Defiant didn’t feel so compressed and abbreviated within the four issues collected here.

That’s right, this $25 hardcover only collects FOUR ISSUES.  While that can be a dealbreaker in my reading habits, I wasn’t going to miss out on the final volume of this series after enjoying it up to this point.  In its favor, this does feel more satisfying than other four-issue hardcovers I’ve purchased in the past.  That’s mainly down to how well the Worf/Alexander story is handled and the setup for the next event that’s handled better here than in “Star Trek.”  That volume made what’s coming next feel like an obligation, while “No Old Warriors” makes it feel like an adventure.