Star Trek 1042: Shore Leave in Shanzibar!

1042. Shore Leave in Shanzibar!

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #36, DC Comics, August 1992

CREATORS: Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Peter Krause and Pablo Marcos (artists)

STARDATE: 45838.4 (between The Perfect Mate and Imaginary Friend)

PLOT: As the crew prepares to take shore leave on Shanzibar, a planet only recently cleaned up for tourism, they notice the con woman Ardra's ship in orbit. Picard heads down with a landing party to investigate and gets into a bar brawl over a remark made by Ro and lands in the local jail. There, he's kissed by a mysterious woman. It's Ardra...

CONTINUITY: Ardra has apparently escaped Ventax II (Devil's Due).

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Troi and her cheesecake, eh?
REVIEW: Bringing back Ardra is a fun idea, though we don't see nearly enough of her here. Friedman makes an effort to include Ro by giving her a prior visit to Shanzibar, though for someone who went as a child, she sure knows her watering holes. There's also some cute bits aboard the Enterprise, with Riker assuming Picard is having fun, and Worf not being happy when he's not manning the tactical station. Not much happens on the planet though. An extended bar brawl provides the issue's required action, but it's all a waiting game (with opera, no less) until Ardra makes her entrance. Hopefully she fares better than fellow rogue Okona.

Comments