Originally published on Set The Tape
The final issue of IDW’s new Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series comes to a close with an issue that not only brings a satisfying conclusion to the mystery that has been plaguing readers for months, but also gives some deeper insight into the Star Trek universe.
Set during the height of the Dominion War, this story has put Deep Space Nine into a precarious position; whilst trying to stabilise alliances with other species to help with the fight against the invaders from the Gamma Quadrant, the station has been host to a number of attacks that have claimed the lives of innocent civilians, and important delegations.
As such, the security of the entire federation has been at risk, rather than just that of one station. The stakes have been high throughout, especially when the Federation sent in a special investigator, Retlaw, to assist with the case. Because of all this, any resolution was going to have a difficult job. Not only would it need to provide a satisfying conclusion to this mystery, but it would also need to tie into wider events across the Star Trek universe.
I’m going to have to talk about the resolution in order to put my feelings on not just this issue, but the series as a whole, into words, so if you don’t want things spoilt for you click away now. It turns out that the whole series of attacks, this big plot to possibly destabilise the Federations war efforts was all down to one woman wanting personal revenge. The culprit was Lavin, a Bajoran woman whose business was bombed in the very first issue.
It turns out that Lavin, like many of the Bajorans, suffered horrifically under the rule of the Cardassian occupation, and that her entire series of attacks was her trying to get even with those that hurt her and her family. Lavin had been so broken down and abused by the Cardassians that she was consumed by thought of hate and vengeance, which led her down this murderous path, where innocents were caught in the crossfire.
Not only does this story go back to many of the plots and themes that were a big part of what made Deep Space Nine great, but it also built up the universe a bit more, especially in regards to the occupation of Batezed by the Dominion, something that we saw briefly in this series thanks to the inclusion of Retlaw. This was a plot element that was never included in the show, though did feature in a few of the novels, so it’s nice to see it expanded upon here.
The character of Lavin and her struggles are used to highlight how bad it would be on Batezed, and how an occupation by such a brutal force could potentially change a planet of empaths and telepaths, a planet where the population are not only subjected to physical end psychological torture like any species would be, but have their very souls tainted by the presence of their occupiers. The show was always described as one of the darker series in the franchise, and this comic embraces that to make the reader think about the longer lasting impact of the Dominon War, and the scars it would have left on billions of people.
The issue is one of the better ones of the series, giving not only a satisfying answer to the mystery, but some action too as Odo and Retlawy chase Lavin through the station. Not only does this make this one issue great, but it also means that the series as a whole gets a bold conclusion that will leave readers satisfied.
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