No love for Captain Pike. Guess he doesn’t get his own omnipotent being.
Star Trek Unlimited #7
Marvel/Paramount Comics (January, 1998)
“An Infinite Jest”
WRITERS: Dan Abnett & Ian Edginton
PENCILERS: Ron Randall & Tom Morgan
INKERS: Art Nichols & Scott Hanna
COLORISTS: Kevin Tinsley & Kevin Somers
LETTERER: Phil Felix
EDITOR: Tim Tuohy
Q and Trelane decide to have a contest using their respective captains as pawns Kirk is sent to the 24th Century at the launch of the Enterprise E while Picard commands the original Enterprise mid mission. The omnipotent ones then send both ships to a pocket dimension with one planet to visit. To up the stakes Klingons from both time periods are dropped in to attack the other ship. Picard uses battle strategy to beat the superior Klingon ship from his time while even with the newer Enterprise sabotaged by the players Kirk manages to trick the Klingons from his time into helping them get to the planet. Annoyed that they used each other’s more well known tactics and won’t fight each other, Q and Trelane undo their game and follow the advice of the Klingons…settle this debate themselves.
What they got right: I have a feeling this was the writers making their own commentary on the Picard Vs Kirk debate as to who is the better captain and it’s glorious. (Also, we all know it’s Sisko.) While Kirk is usually known for his action strategies and Picard for avoiding combat they remind us that both captains use both strategies when the situation is called for. That’s just how a good captain works. It’s the writers and fans that push them one way or the other. The debate is silly. You can have your favorite but neither is better and both use their wits to get their respective crews on their side and believing that this is their respective godlike beings playing games with them again.
What they got wrong: And yet Kirk at one point appears to be putting the moves on Troi early in the story. That’s one overblown stereotype they really didn’t need, especially at the time. Kirk knows when to be a lady’s man and when to be captain of the Enterprise, whichever one he’s in command of at the moment.
What I think overall: This is a great commentary on the Kirk Or Picard debate that also manages to be a really good story and crossover. Check this issue out if you can.
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