In Star Trek: Defiant #24, Alexander faces the final challenge of the Quv Rite of vengeance. Christopher Cantwell has brought Worf and Alexander on a journey that began with complete estrangement and into, finally, love and acceptance.
Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf’s struggles as a single parent were the B plots of many episodes. Balancing his role as a father to Alexander and his daily battle with fitting in as a Klingon Starfleet officer often proved to be a juggling act Worf could never master. By the time of The Next Generation movies, Alexander had already been sent back to Earth to live with his grandparents. This decision never felt right to me, especially after watching father and son bond over the seasons of the show. Wasn’t Worf learning to be a better father? Hadn’t he, on more than one occasion, accepted that Alexander walked his own path that didn’t include becoming a Klingon warrior? It felt like it depicted Worf in a bad light and left a mark on the character that seemed incongruent with his previous choices. This continued on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Chief O’Brien remarking in the fifth season’s episode, “Children of Time,” that Worf never even saw his son. In fact, Alexander had elected not to join Worf on the station and chose to remain on Earth until the beginning of the Dominion War, because he felt his father had rejected him. There was some reconciliation when Worf married Jadzia Dax, but it was short lived.
In the IDW Star Trek comics, we first encountered Alexander as a member of the Red Path, Kahless II’s blood cult that threatened the godlike beings of the Star Trek Universe. This troubled Worf so deeply that he split with Captain Sisko and stole the Defiant to hunt for Kahless II and Alexander on his own, thus beginning the Defiant series. Now in the aftermath of Day of Blood, Kahless II has been defeated, and Alexander, with the help of his father, is engaging in the Quv Rite to regain his honor. The current storyline has been titled No Old Warriors and has been a gripping personal story of a father and son rebuilding their relationship. The lessons Worf has passed down to Alexander, though part of the ancient ceremony, are couched in terms that allow Alexander to see how much his father loves him and sees honor in the man he is choosing to become. This arc has felt like the ending of three decades of Worf and Alexander stories, and Cantwell proves that he’s as much a fan of these characters as his readers.
In this final task of the Quv Rite, Worf has declared that Alexander must kill Kahless II, the man whom he had once followed and worshipped. The issue, surprisingly, focuses more on Kahless II as we see the current state of the former Klingon Emperor. After reading last week’s Star Trek #29, we know that Kahless is meant to play a large role in the upcoming Lore War which does take away some of the suspense. I appreciated that each character – Worf, Alexander, and Kahless II – experienced significant character growth with Cantwell allowing each of them a moment to shine. Kahless II’s struggles with identity were particularly moving, and he felt like a more complete character after this issue then he had ever felt before.
Like all good Star Trek episodes, there must always be a secondary plot, and Defiant #24 is no different. The other story being told places Chief O’Brien in the role of Robert Oppenheimer, an engineer confronting the horror unleashed by his invention. After being called out by an Academy student for being a war criminal for his creation of self-replicating mines, O’Brien asks the crew of the Defiant to help him make amends by disabling the mines currently being used to oppress independent star systems. In the tradition of great Trek episodes, Cantwell is able to convey real-world concerns through science fiction. It is a very compelling B plot that I’m enjoying immensely, especially as I’m currently re-binging the Dominion War. What seemed like a game-changing invention that turned the war in favor of the Federation has actually led to terrible consequences after the war.
All of this drama wouldn’t work without the great artwork of Angel Unzueta. All of our favorites are instantly recognizable, and the world depicted feels distinctly Star Trek. You can see the strength of Cantwell and Unzueta’s past collaborations shine through here. (They both worked on Marvel’s Iron Man.) Unzueta perfectly captures the emotions of his subjects, so important in this story. You can feel Alexander’s anguish and Kahless II’s hopelessness.
I know the two series, Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant, are moving into Lore War, but I appreciated this detour into a more character-driven adventure. To all fans of Worf looking for closure on his relationship with Alexander, pick up this series; it’s well worth it. And be sure to pick up Lore War in March, and you can read my review of it right now on Fanbase Press. Spoiler alert! It’s great and I’m excited to see Kahless II’s story continue in that event series. This is the culmination of many years of Worf stories, a must buy for all fans of 1990s Star Trek.
Creative Team: Christopher Cantwell (Writer), Angel Unzueta (Artist), Marissa Louise (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)
Publisher: IDW Publishing
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