So this is what that new CBS dance show is like?
Star Trek: Telepathy War
Marvel/Paramount Comics (November, 1997)
“Reality’s End”
WRITER: Chris Cooper
PENCILER: Patrick Zircher
INKER: Steve Moncuse
COLORIST: Kevin Tinsley
LETTERER: Albert Deschesne
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Polly Watson
EDITOR: Bobbie Chase
Concluding from Star Trek Unlimited #6 (I still don’t see Voyager‘s “contribution” as contributing), the Federation ships race back to Deep Space Nine and the telepath conference on Alaya 2 but are saved from a Dominion attack fleet by Lyb’r, a Jem’Hadar who isn’t addicted to the ketracel-white and thus don’t see the Founders as gods, so he comes to help and return the real Admiral Decker. Long story short everyone figures out that it isn’t a virus messing with the minds of telepaths but a viral “meme” thought. Our heroes race to keep the telepaths from returning home (but sadly Lwazana’s newest boyfriend returns home early, later infecting and destroying his planet). The cured Talosians manage stop the Jem’Hadar from interfering with the Enterprise and Defiant from helping the telepaths as Bashir, Crusher, and Edam come up with a counter-meme to cure everyone. In the end though, Spock wonders if possibly the Talosians orchestrated all this to get that slave race they always wanted with brain-wiped Jem’Hadar from the ones who invaded Talos, who will now permanently cut ties with the rest of the universe.
What they got right: Book-to-movie adaptation reviewer Dominic Noble on YouTube has noted that the ending can make or break a series. Well this ending does everything it can right. Nothing’s perfect, but the idea of a mental meme virus actually works. There are great action moments, some good character moments (my favorite is Pava flirting with Worf and Dax getting jealous, even if this isn’t typical for Pava in the middle of a crisis like this), and almost everyone contributes large or small from each of the three shows involved (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Starfleet Academy–fine, two shows and a comic series, whatever). The Talosian Spock talks to neither confirms nor denies his suspicions of what the Talosians did and at least in this variant of continuity will be their last appearance in the timeline. The art really stands out too, as some of the best of the Paramount Comics line of Star Trek tales.
What they got wrong: Like I said, nothing’s perfect. Pava does choose an odd time to flirt with the way older Worf. A Horta beams onto the Enterprise to brag only to run off when it turns out she’s the one in trouble, which was entirely pointless. Any further issues are too minor to really bring up.
What I think overall: The Telepathy War arc ends on a real high note. This was a great finish and concludes the event as perfect as can be done. I don’t know if Marvel or whomever had the license currently can collect this event into a trade (though some of the events actually start with Starfleet Academy books not contained until the “Telepathy War” story banner) but it’s certainly a Trek crossover worth looking into for Classic timeline fans.
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