Summary
Warning: contains potential spoilers forStar Trek: Defiant#18!
Star Trekis going fullSeven Samuraiin a Western-inspired new chapter in the life of Worf. Since breathing new life into their line ofStar Trekcomics in late 2022, IDW has put Worf front and center of the massive story unfolding. Now, in a first look atStar Trek: Defiant#18, Worf must rally the forces to stop a Romulan invasion, and it echoes Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic.
IDW shared their solicitations withLeague of Comic Geeks,includingStar Trek: Defiant#18. The issue, part two of “The Stars of Home,” will be written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. IDW’s solicitation for the issue reads as follows:
With Spock rotting in a Romulan cell aboard Sela’s ship, the rest of the Defiant crew readies the farmers of Antara for an invasion by General Revo and his relentless Romulan army. This leaves Worf, B’Elanna, and Ro with two crewmates down, and despite how hopeful the planet’s population is, what are three failed Starfleet officers and lowly resistance fighters to a heavily armed and technologically advanced Romulan strike team?
This story builds off the events of previous issues, which have seen the Romulan commander Sela’s father make a bid for power in the Empire.
Sela’s father feels this will beher chance to restore her glory and standing in the Romulan Empire.
Worf Is Fulfilling a Pop Culture Heroic Archetype
Star TrekMixes Well WithSeven Samurai
The solicitation mentions that Worf and the crew of theDefiantmust rally a group of simple farmers to fight back a Romulan invasion, and Unzueta’s cover for the issue seems to reinforce this plot point. The story also bears a strong resemblance to Akira Kurosawa’s immortal classicSeven Samurai. In that film, a group of peasants convinces seven masterless samurai to help them defend their village from bandits. Considered a high mark of Japanese cinema, as well as an acknowledged worldwide classic,Seven Samuraihas been remade several times over, most notably 1960’sThe Magnificent Seven.
Star Trekitself was pitched as a “space western,” soSeven Samuraitranslating well into it should not come as a surprise.
Several episodes ofStar Trekhave featured riffs onSeven Samurai, most notably in the sixth seasonDeep Space Nineepisode “The Magnificent Ferengi,” in which Quark and Romassemble a team of Ferengi torescue their mother. A second seasonEnterpriseepisode, titled “Marauders,” also touched on similar themes. The plot ofSeven Samuraitranslates well into the Western genre.Star Trekitself was pitched as a “space western,” soSeven Samuraitranslating well into it should not come as a surprise.Seven Samurai, much likeStar Trek,also features larger than life heroes who do the right thing.
Can Worf Rally the Farmers and Stop the Romulans?
The Farmers Have Put Their Faith in Worf
NowStar Trekis coming in with its most overt,Seven Samurai-style plot yet. Angel Unzueta’s cover shows Worf standing heroically, pointing at an unknown threat in the distance. Under Worf, the farmers stand ready to fight a full-scale Romulan invasion with pitchforks. The farmers look scared, but also appear to place their absolute faith in Worf. The sight of a heroic and defiant Worf, rallying the troops for a fight in which they are outgunned and outmanned, is the stuff ofStar Treklegend, and the franchise’s riff onSeven Samurai.
Source:League of Comic Geeks
Star Trek: Defiant#18 is on sale August 28 from IDW Publishing
