In Review: Star Trek: Lore War #1 – Sisko Rises Against Lore’s Reign

Synopsis: Data’s evil Android Brother Lore has defeated all the gods in the Pleroma and reshaped the universe in his own image. The crews of the Theseus and the Defiant scattered across the universe with no memory of who they once were—some even worship Lore as their God. Lore has won; his rule is absolute. But The Sisko remains, and there are forces who wish to remind him of his power.

The Story

Picking up from the story that began in Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant, we now get a glimpse of the world Lore has built—and just how bad things have really become. The issue opens with Benjamin Sisko living an ordinary life as a worker aboard DS9. He walks with his son Jake to work and kisses his wife Jennifer goodbye, showing no real memory of his past or his role as the Emissary to the Prophets. But all is not lost—because a clone of Kahless has been sent to Lore’s universe, and he wastes no time reminding Sisko who he truly is, and what his mission must be.

Elsewhere, Captain Worf of the L.S.S. Enterprise and his son Alexander—who now commands the L.S.S. Defiant—are hunting the Maquis. They pursue a lead that could help them eliminate three major Maquis leaders: Tasha Yar, Kira Nerys, and Nymira Vondect. Unfortunately for Worf and his son, these leaders are more than capable—and they manage to slip away.

Meanwhile, Lore oversees every one of his worlds, taking updates from his brother Data, who monitors everything on his behalf. It’s clear that Lore enjoys keeping the inhabitants of his universe in constant conflict, and he seems especially obsessed with Earth. One thorn in his side, however, is the Maquis—a growing resistance that’s become a serious irritation. In Lore’s universe, the Maquis is led by legendary figures like Spock, and they fly Borg Cubes. A massive fleet of them is now preparing for a major strike.

Artwork

Davide Tinto delivers some solid artwork for this new series, building a compelling vision of Lore’s universe. I especially liked the work-style uniform that Benjamin Sisko wears while on Bajor or DS9—it really sells the idea of his new life. The alternate Starfleet uniforms worn by Worf and his son also stood out, with a stronger Klingon influence than the typical human design. But what really grabbed my attention were the designs used for the Maquis.

It’ll be interesting to see how the visuals continue to evolve as the story unfolds.

Overall

The combined talents of Christopher Cantwell, Collin Kelly, and Jackson Lanzing have crafted an intriguing alternate universe where Lore plays God over his own reality. Seeing the Maquis flying around in Borg Cubes is a fun and unexpected touch—though this version of the Maquis seems to have a slightly different agenda than their prime universe counterparts.

Overall, this is a strong opening issue that does a solid job of introducing the various factions we’ll no doubt learn more about as the story unfolds. I can’t wait to see what happens next.