The new Star Trek ride needs a bit more work.
Star Trek #61
DC Comics (July, 1994)
“Door In The Cage”
WRITER: Steven H. Wilson
PENCILER: Rod Whigham
INKER: Arne Starr
COLORIST: David Grafe
LETTERER: Bob Pinaha
EDITOR: Margaret Clark
Spock is sent to Talos IV because they have a new medical procedure that might be able to give his former captain, Christopher Pike, a new body to replace the irradiated one he has now. He’s surprised to see that Chris and Vina have a son named Phillip, and believe he’s the product of illusion as is the house they live on. Since we saw them in “The Menagerie” they seem have made made a life for themselves as they learn how to give the Talosians their world and their lives back, so Chris decides to stay since he’s needed here more, even if he could go and come back with a new body. Meanwhile, Spock is attacked by illusions and it turns out to be Philip, who actually is a real boy thanks to Talosian science Chris happened to discover and the boy didn’t want his father leaving them or to leave his mother behind. With this all set Spock returns to the Enterprise and plans to recommend the quarantine order be lifted since someday they could make good allies to the Federation.
What they got right: Conceptually I do like the story. Going back to see what Pike is up to and finding that he and Vina managed to have a child is a nice epilogue for the couple.
What they got wrong: However I feel like this is the writer deciding that bringing Pike back to Talos IV given what happened during Pike’s first visit didn’t make sense given the whole “slave race” concern and opted to mildly retconning a sort of redemption for the Talosians so it made more sense. It’s clearly the writer trying to make them work, but Spock wanting to lift the ban doesn’t sound like a good idea. I think what Paramount Comics did, which we’ll see in the “Telepathy War” crossover, worked better.
Recommendation: It’s not a story you should track down but I wouldn’t talk you out of it either. It’s decent but like the “Return Of The Serpent” story arc it feels like the author “fixing” a story he didn’t like even though it wasn’t a major problem to anyone else.
