Review of "Star Trek: The Next Generation, Number 31 Kingdom of the Damned," comic version

Review of

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Number 31 Kingdom of the Damned, comic version

Five out of five stars

 This story is science fiction as expressed in comic form at the highest level. The technology is an integral part of the story, but the plot is about solving a life-and-death problem with limited information. In other words, humans at their logical best.

 Riker is alone in a ship trapped in a space rift inhabited by ghostly entities. No electronic communication is possible, and the crew of the Enterprise does not know if he is still alive. Riker must determine what he can do with the ship and the crew of the Enterprise must cycle through all possible options.

 While a probe is rendered inoperable immediately upon entering the rift, the Enterprise sends one and Riker is able to use the shields of the ship to bounce it back out of the rift. This informs the Enterprise that he is alive and both sides must follow logical lines of reasoning to maximize the chances that Riker can be saved. Both sides apply logical reasoning that would make all Vulcans raise an eyebrow.