Review by Ian Keogh
Supplying medical aid for a fever affecting colonists over two adjoining planets should be a straightforward mission for the Enterprise crew. One party is beamed down to help the larger population, while a shuttlecraft with medical specialists is dispatched to the smaller colony. Why they couldn’t also be beamed down is never addressed by Michael Jan Friedman, but forgivable as it sets in motion a multi-part highlight from the 1990s Next Generation comics.
The shuttlecraft is sucked through a black hole, and in the process Commander Riker is injured and knocked unconscious. It leaves Worf as the ranking officer, and Wesley Crusher as the only other member of the regular cast in charge of a craft deposited in unknown space with only impulse engines active. Friedman populates the shuttlecraft with new characters in the opening episode, giving them all personalities, so while it’s guaranteed the primary cast will survive, that guarantee doesn’t apply to people not from the TV show.
While the shuttlecraft crew attempt a near impossible task of finding their way back to the Enterprise, Friedman shows how concern about their fate affects the remaining crew. Unusually, the story takes place over a period long enough for the Enterprise’s search for the missing shuttlecraft to end and for a memorial service to be held. The impact is powerfully delivered.
Peter Krause draws a good Worf, and as much of the cast are his design they’re presented well, as are the locations. With the Enterprise getting on with other business, the underwater society they visit is well realised, and so are the inhabitants, but the art is of its era, functional rather than startling.
Friedman switches from one group of Enterprise crew to another, and keeps the tension high by introducing new problems, sometimes deceit, sometimes a bigger surprise. There are a few cheesy moments, not least Wesley’s first kiss, but otherwise The Star Lost is a solid adventure, the heroics well emphasised and the dangers supremely escalated.
