The other day, I was searching through a box of “Star Trek”
comics at a local shop. I didn’t find
any of the old DC issues I needed, but I found this special issue. As I hadn’t read any of the recent comics
published by IDW, I thought I’d give it a try.
The issue collects four stories originally published
separately. There’s a story about how
difficult it can be for career Romulan military to advance in their stratified society, another that illuminates aspects of Klingon culture by reflecting on
one of their proverbs, and the first issue of “Mirror Images,” a prequel to the
original TV series episode “Mirror Mirror.”
The story I most enjoyed was the first, and concerned a Starfleet
captain I know little about, John Harriman of the USS Enterprise-B.
John Harriman only appears for a few minutes at the
beginning of the movie, “Star Trek: Generations.” Captain Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov accompany
Harriman on the ship’s publicity launch from spacedock. The Enterprise-B is not fully staffed. Such “necessities” as photon torpedos and a
tractor beam have yet to be installed.
Yet, when Harriman receives a distress call from two ships carrying refugees,
he decides to investigate, as his ship is the only one nearby. Lacking the basic tools that starship
captains rely on calls for ingenuity, Scotty finally suggests that reprogramming
the deflector dish might disrupt the strange phenomenon that is tearing the
refugee ships apart. Captain Harriman’s inclination is to personally make the adjustment, but Kirk convinces
Harriman to remain on the bridge while he rushes through the bowels of the new
starship. Kirk and Scotty’s actions save
the lives of some of the refugees, but as the Enterprise-B escapes, the area surrounding
the deflector dish is destroyed, and Captain James T. Kirk is presumed dead.
In “Captain’s Log: Harriman,” writer Marc Gugginheim
demonstrates how someone in Harriman’s position might blame himself for the
death of such an illustrious icon. Dr.
McCoy travels aboard the Enterprise-B six months later, and at first, he has
difficulty in getting past the fact that Kirk died aboard Harriman’s
vessel. But when Harriman confesses that
he is so traumatized by the incident that he plans to resign his commission,
McCoy’s compassion comes to the fore.
The doctor tells Harriman a story about Kirk, and tries to give the man
insight into what made Kirk such a great starship captain.
Harriman takes McCoy’s advice to heart. Toward the end of the story, an emergency
arises which tests Harriman’s mettle once more.
This time, he finds inspiration in Kirk’s example, as well as how the great
captain handled a similar incident.
Harriman’s solution served as a pleasant twist on an old story, and at
the adventure's conclusion, I found myself wishing I knew more about John Harriman,
and his further voyages aboard the Enterprise-B.
It is not wrong to fail, but it is wrong to let past
failures define you.
Dragon Dave
P.S. The Art for "Captain’s Log: Harriman" is credited to Andrew Currie, the
Colors to Moose Baumann, and the Letters to Neil Uyetake. These people all deserve recognition for
crafting Marc Guggenheim’s script into a powerful, and beautifully told, story.
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