Warning: contains spoilers for “The Final Masterpiece,” appearing inStar Trek#500!
Star Trekhas announced it’s next big event:The Lore War,and it kicks off in a grand fashion–by destroying the universe. Two years ago, IDW Publishing gave their line ofStar Trekcomics a shot in the arm, introducing the “God War.” Now, theStar Trekfranchise braces for another big event:The Lore War, and its seeds are sown in the story “The Final Masterpiece,” appearing inStar Trek#500.
“The Final Masterpiece,” written by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Davide Tinto, appears as the final story inStar Trek#500. Lore, using the Bajoran Orb of Destruction, has wiped the entire universe out, and he is attempting to make a better version–or at least one that conforms to his whims. Lore, alongside his brother Data, runs through various versions, none to his liking.
Finally, Lore decides to try one more time, and a new universe is born.
The story concludes by announcingThe Lore War, coming in early 2025.
Star Trek’s The Lore War, Explained
Day of BloodSet the Stage forThe Lore War
The Lore Waris the latest, and exciting, development for IDW’sStar Trekline. In late 2022, the publisher releasedStar Trek#400. This oversize anthology featured stories from across theTrekuniverse, showing its depth and diversity. In addition to showcasing various incarnations of the franchise,Star Trek#400 seeded its future, introducing the epic “God War” storyline. The Klingon Emperor Kahless, seeking to live up to his namesake, begins killing the gods of theStar Trekuniverse. Ben Sisko, who had been absent for three years while living with the Bajoran Prophets, was sent back to stop him.
This God War wouldreach its climax in theDay of Bloodevent, but during its buildup, Starfleet made a deal with the devil. Realizing they would need all the brainpower they could get, Worf liberated Lore from a Section 31 facility. Surprisingly, Lore agreed to help. However, his evil nature got the better of him, and Lore broke ranks with Worf and Sisko. Kahless’ Red Path, composed of drug-addled fanatics, was left defeated inDay of Blood, but Lore took command of the remnants, fashioning them into a fighting force unlike any other.
Lore’s Legacy of Evil in theStar TrekUniverse Is Large
Lore Cares Little for Organic Life
In retrospect, Worf’s decision to draft Lore into the God War was folly, especially given Lore’s extensive history of murder and violence. Built prior to Data by Doctor Noonian Soong, Lore was viewed with distrust by humans. This, coupled with his superior strength and intelligence, led Lore down a dark path. Lore massacred a colony before he was deactivated and disassembled. The galaxy should have breathed easier, but years later, theEnterprisefound Lore’s remains. Data rebuilds Lore, unleashing a terrible force of evil upon the galaxy.
Star Trek Introduces the Official Scientific Term for Its “Gods”
IDW’s line of Star Trek comics continues to humanize the franchise’s gods, revealing they actually have an official, scientific classification.
Lore’s list of crimes is horrifying. In his first appearance, he threatened to kill Wesley Crusher. Lore then tries to summon the Crystalline Entity to wipe out theEnterprise. The crew was successful in stopping him, but Lore’s legacy of evil would continue. In the sixth season finale ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, Lore and an army of renegade Borg who had been severed from the collective began attacking targets across the galaxy, and once again, theEnterprisehad to clean up their mess. The episode ends with Lore being disassembled, this time seemingly for good.
Lore Is Going to Destroy theStar TrekUniverse
Lore May Have Drawn Inspiration from aStar Trek: DiscoveryVillain
Lore’s actions duringDay of Bloodhave set him up for his most evil and diabolical plan yet: destroy the universe. At the peak ofDay of Blood, Lore saw something that gave him the idea. At the time, it was unknown what Lore had seen, but now it is theorized heencountered a variant of CONTROL, the Section 31 AI that nearly destroyed the galaxy inStar Trek: Discovery’ssecond season. Even though CONTROL was classified at the time, Lore still somehow learned of its existence. Lore perhaps saw a kindred spirit, and decided to fulfill its original mandate.
The Travelers were first mentioned in the episode “Where No One Has Gone Before,” fromStar Trek: The Next Generation’sfirst season.
“The Pleroma,”Star Trek’smost recent story arc, revealed a corner of the universe fans had never seen before–the “realm of the gods.” A mysterious dimension outside of reality, the Pleroma is home to not only gods such as Trelane and the Guardian of Forever, but also the Travelers and Supervisors, who count Wesley Crusher among their number. The revelation of this realm’s existence was a major development inStar Treklore. Fans had little time to process this knowledge before Lore attacked the Pleroma, and as seen in the most recent issue ofStar Trek, was successful in destroying it.
It Might Take the EntireStar TrekMultiverse to Take Lore Down
Will the KelvinEnterpriseMake an Appearance?
The Lore Waris working on a much grander scope, and solicitations from IDW have hinted it will also involve the largerStar Trekmultiverse, making it one of the franchise’s biggest events ever.
Lore’s actions during “The Pleroma’s” conclusion have set the stage forThe Lore War.Lore’s nihilism and desire to kill has been indulged on a grand scale, as he has seemingly destroyed theStar Trekuniverse, and remade it in his image.While specifics ofThe Lore Warare being kept mum at this point, it has the potential to topDay of Blood.The Lore Waris working on a much grander scope, and solicitations from IDW have hinted it will also involve the largerStar Trekmultiverse, making it one of the franchise’s biggest events ever.
“The Final Masterpiece,” appearing inStar Trek#500
