"The Q Gambit, Part 6" is the 40th issue of IDW Publishing's 2011 ongoing series of Star Trek comics, written by Mike Johnson. It serves as the sixth and final part of the The Q Gambit story arc, illustrated by Tony Shasteen.
Summary[]
- PREVIOUSLY IN STAR TREK
- The enigmatic entity known as Q transported the USS Enterprise several decades into its future, into Kelvin timeline-the middle of a brutal war between the Klingons and the Dominion that has already resulted in the fall of the Federation. Escaping from the insane Cardassian Dukat, Kirk and Spock Join forces with resistance leader Benjamin Sisko and finally discover the motivation behind Q's meddling: he needs their help to stop a threat that could bring about the end of the Q Continuum itself...
The USS Defiant streaks through the wormhole where James T. Kirk reflects on the sheer hopelessness of the situation, his lack of resources and that, despite his life-long belief, he is starting to come around to the existence of the no-win scenario. Aboard ship, Kirk is incredulous by Q asking for help. Q reveals that the higher species are at war and the Q Continuum is on the verge of defeat. Galvanized by their victory over the Prophets, the Pah-wraiths have turned on their other neighbours. Not even the Q can stop the Wraiths' onslaught because in spite of all the power they wield in the 3-D universe, they are as powerless and clueless as humans in their own realm.
At the nexus of the wormhole, other Wraiths possess the bodies of Dukat's crew to better converse with him. The lead Wraith is impressed by Dukat's willpower trapping one of their fellows and Dukat offers to free their brother...if he can ascend to become a Wraith. The Defiant then streaks in, the other part of Dukat's offer. The ship containing the last of the Prophets. Aboard the Defiant, Q is both powerless and at a loss. He had hoped the Prophet might be able to defeat the Wraiths but Sisko reveals he lacks the power to do so. Kirk proposes capturing Dukat and retreating back to their universe before the Cardassian appears on the viewscreen and beams them aboard the USS Enterprise. In the nexus, even the Wraiths are powerless but Dukat simply grabs a phaser and kills Sisko who transfers the Prophet to Spock.
After assuring Kirk he is well, Spock hits on the solution to stop the Wraiths and uses the Prophet's power to enhance his telepathy, freezing all in place before he mind-melds with Q. Q has only a second to praise Spock's cleverness before he flares with the power of the Prophet, revealing Spock's plan of combining the power of Q and the Prophet into one being. In this new form, Q has power enough to wipe out both the Wraiths and Dukat with little more than a thought. With that done, he reveals he will be taking the Enterprise home and that this permutation of the timeline will continue as it should with history back in place. Before they part ways however, Q reveals the real reason he sought out Kirk. He found himself in a no-win scenario and knew Kirk could find the path to victory. Kirk clarifies that he does not disbelieve in no-win scenarios because of himself, he disbelieves in them because of the skill of his crew, as Spock has proven. Agreeing Q resets everything to what it was.
Back at Menzies 216, Spock records a log noting everything is as it was and only he and Kirk retain memories of Q and the experience. Meeting in Kirk's quarters, the two discuss whether or not the future Q showed them will come to pass and whether or not they will see the being again before deciding to play a round of three-dimensional chess.
Back on the USS Enterprise-E, Jean-Luc Picard has settled in for tea and a book before Q appears, now enveloped by the flaming energies of the Prophet. Not even blinking, Picard simply says he doesn't want to know.
Log entries[]
- First officer's log.
- Captain Kirk and I found ourselves returned to the Enterprise in our own time period as though our encounter with Q had never happened at all.
None of the other crew members have any recollection of Q or the events that followed his first appearance to us.
Only the captain and I remember.
References[]
Characters[]
- James T. Kirk • Keiko O'Brien • Jean-Luc Picard • Q • Montgomery Scott • Benjamin Sisko • Spock • Nyota Uhura • Skrain Dukat
Starships and Vehicles[]
Locations[]
Races and cultures[]
- Cardassian • Human • Jem'Hadar • Prophets • Pah-wraith • Q (species) • Vorta • Vulcan
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
Appendices[]
Related stories[]
Images[]
Cover gallery[]
Connections[]
| previous comic: The Q Gambit, Part 5 |
The Original Series (IDW series) | next comic: Behemoth, Part 1 |
|---|
External link[]
- The Q Gambit, Part 6 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.