Star Trek vol. 5: When the Walls Fell

In the previous volume, Lore managed to end the universe.  Now the crew of the Theseus has to deal with the repercussions, the most immediate of which is their escape into fluidic space and taking on its vicious inhabitants.  After that, everyone who remains will have to confront the fact that there’s nothing left for them in their universe and have to pin their hopes on the longest of longshots as their captain returns home.  But what is home for the Prophet of Bajor and what plan do the beings that made him have in store for their favored son?  Meanwhile, Khaless’ “Day of Blood” only served to bring him shame and dishonor, so is there a way back for this clone of Klingon greatness?

After some ropey plotting dragged down vol. 4, my hope was that this volume would see the series in better shape as it heads into its finale with “Lore War.”  That doesn’t happen here as its contents are a mish-mash of fanservice, questionable setup, and solid character work.  The first two issues are the weakest in the volume as you could’ve taken them out and not missed anything meaningful.  That includes the team-up with the Kelvin Timeline crew, which honestly feels misguided since a lot of the appeal of those movies stems directly from that cast’s interpretation of those characters.  As for Sisko’s two-issue sojourn through the years on Bajor, I’m not entirely sure what to make of them.  Better knowledge of the Prophets from “Deep Space Nine” may have been necessary here, but it’s possible this could have more relevance to the upcoming event than it first appears.

The best parts of “When the Walls Fell” happen at its middle and end.  We get an issue that shows how Sisko and his crew deal with the great uncertainty facing them, and the answer is for them to find solace in each other.  It’s a very well-done issue that shows how this cast has come together over the course of the series and reminded me of how invested I’ve become in their well being.  The Kahless spotlight also represents some quality work as end-of-the-universe shenanigans give a character who I didn’t think was going to get any redemption a believable path towards it.  I’ve read worse lead-ins to events, and ones with more artistic consistency, but I still want to see how this shakes out for everyone, even though I’m betting that the final volume of “Defiant” will be the better read.