Original Publication Date: 19 Feb 1983
Look-In Volume 13 - Issue 8
Although much of Star Fleet takes place in the far-flung, fictional corners of space, a great deal of it takes place within our own Solar system. There’s heavy emphasis on Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto with occasional appearances or references to other planets. But there’s one planet that seems glaringly absent.
NASA sometimes refers to Saturn as our Solar system’s most photogenic planet and I have to say I agree. It’s a mystery why Star Fleet didn’t involve any storylines with the planet; perhaps it’s most distinctive features were just too hard to achieve within the limited special effects budget. Let’s hope we can ring in this week’s comic with a Saturnalian celebration…
Not only do we get to see the crew capturing an enemy fighter for the first time, we also get to see the inside of one of X Bomber’s hangar bays! I think you’ll agree that PPA’s usual snarkiness has been amplified with a bit of British sarcasm this week.
Dr. Benn continues to appear much weaker than he does on television. Telly Benn would have put the bot in his place without undue fuss. For some reason, PPA’s line was changed from “Temper, Temper!” to “Whatever” in the DVD booklet colorisation.
X Bomber goes into hyper-drive in a maneuver that owes more to the Millennium Falcon than it does to the Star Fleet source material.
Shiro has the helm, which looks a great deal more practical than the puppet scale set. He actually has a joystick to adjust his course.
Lamia proves that she brings more to the table than just concern for the menfolks well-being… she’s a capable strategist in her own right.
What– I hear you all asking– is the Commando Course?
No, it has nothing to do with Schwarzenegger movies, in this context it means the rings of Saturn. This is exactly the sort of world-building that I love to get from these comics! While building a miniature of Saturn would prove tricky, drawing it is a doddle mastered for Mike Noble!
It’s a joy to watch this team working in harmony. The TV versions of the characters, who I love dearly with all my heart, never seem to get on so well or to be so clever and ahead of the enemy.
Here, Mike has made some minor changes to the design of Orion’s cruiser no doubt due to the lack of reference material he had to work with.
Orion is back on point as the sniveling sycophant we know and love.
Changing your contact name in my phone to “My Bungling Friend.”
Makara, usually quite clever, has no particular plan today. Her orders are simple. Destroy X Bomber.
Unwilling or unable to guess their intentions, Orion is headed straight for another trap.
Well, I wouldn’t say this edition is headed for the kind of thrills I had been hoping for, but I love the idea of an X Bomber adventure through the rings of Saturn, which has long been a favourite setting of mine. Plus, the tone of the charcterisation feels better this week and the art is up to the usual high standard of quality. So! On the whole? A really enjoyable comic!
Will Orion take the bait? See next week!
