Star Trek 1254: Nor Iron Bars a Cage

1254. Nor Iron Bars a Cage

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Early Voyages #4, Marvel Comics, May 1997

CREATORS: Ian Edginton and Dan Abnett (writers), Patrick Zircher and Greg Adams (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue; simultaneous with The Cage)

PLOT: During the events of The Cage, Yeoman Mia Colt remembers how she came on board in the wake of Cusak's death and had difficulty getting accepted. After leaving Talos IV, she had won her place aboard.

CONTINUITY: The Cage from Yeoman Colt's point of view. Some scenes are repeated. Colt was selected to replace Cusak by Commodore April.

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Ladies and gentlemen... Shirtless Pike!
REVIEW: An clever way get "J.M." Colt aboard (Mia suits her even if it's a funky use of her initials as listed in the script) for the rest of the series, it does two things rather well. First, we get to know Colt a lot better than we do other members of the Early Voyages cast whose introductions were all lumped together into the first issue. Colt gets her own Talosian flashback/fantasy, a dead boyfriend, an "origin story" of sorts, and scenes/relationships with a handful of crewmembers (some of them delightful). The second is that the comic makes Colt a much more interesting character than she was on the show, while still respecting what we saw in The Cage. The Talosians were clearly overstating her attraction to Pike (after only a couple days on the job, after all), and she gets to set the record straight through her narration. In fighting for her post, she's more willful and self-possessed, a stronger woman than the pilot episode had allowed her. Pike's own characterization is finally gelling, though perhaps I just recognize him more now that the series has synched with The Cage. He's dour and serious, which sets him apart from the more jocular Kirk. There was a small subplot involving Dr. Boyce talking to himself in issue #3 that is continued here. Looks like he's being harassed by... aliens? Ghosts? We'll see. The downside of that there are too many scenes repeated from The Cage, and for anyone who knows the show, they feel like padding. They do set up some "extended" material, but Colt's first day on the Enterprise is interesting enough, I don't want to see the Talosians and Vina read the script for me.

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