Today is a good day to die.
It may be the perfect day because it is the Day of Blood. This crossover event between the Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant series joins characters from multiple franchise incarnations as Emperor Kahless and his Red Path cult threaten the galaxy's safety.
The series is the work of writers Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Christopher Cantwell, and artists Mike Feehan, Ramon Rosanas, and Ángel Unzueta. Prelude to Day of Blood was released on May 6th for Free Comic Book Day. The series officially launched with Day of Blood on July 19th. At San Diego Comic-Con, the Day of Blood event was the center point of IDW’s Boldly Go panel. An exclusive foil cover of the comic was also available at the event. The event will continue in Star Trek #11 and #12, Star Trek: Defiant #6 and #7, and the one-shot Star Trek: Day of Blood: Shaxs’ Best Day.
Star Trek: Day of Blood #1, Cover Art by Malachi Ward
The Clone of Emperor Kahless was introduced in The Next Generation episode “Rightful Heir.” He was content to let people like Gowron and Martok run the Klingon Empire while he served as a figurehead. He made his power known by proclaiming that Klingons killed their gods, and he wanted to kill the rest. Kahless’s cult hit personally for Worf, Alexander being revealed to be a member of his Red Path cult. This caused a rift between Sisko and Worf, with Worf refusing to fire on a ship with his son on it. Day of Blood has Sisko and Worf reluctantly coming back together, heading their own teams. The cast is a who’s who of Trek icons. On the Theseus, Data, Crusher, Shaxs, Paris, Scotty, and a descendant of Hoshi Sato serve beneath Sisko, coming over from the main Star Trek comic. On the Defiant– the comic named after the ship– Spock, Sela, Lore, Ro, and Torres underneath Worf in what was described as “the dirty dozen” of Trek.
The Federation’s relationship with the Klingons has always been rocky. For all Michael Burnham gets unjust blame, war was inevitable, and the Battle of Binary Stars was an excuse. Even following the signing of the Khitomer Accords, the allyship of the Empire and Federation has been tentative, with the Accords even being rescinded in Deep Space Nine season four. It was said on the SDCC panel that the Klingons are what makes the Federation sharp. We’re still a couple of years away from casually seeing a Klingon Ensign living alongside Boimler and Mariner in Strange New Worlds: “Those Old Scientists” (I wasn’t on that episode, so I couldn’t point it out in the Easter Egg hunt. Am I bitter? Absolutely). While Day of Blood shows Chancellor Martok protesting the attacks, he isn’t the Emperor. That position was still given to an unstable clone with delusions of grandeur.
Day of Blood pits two religious figures against each other. Sisko is newly returned from the Prophets, while Kahless is treated with deification by the Klingon Empire. As Collin Kelly said, it is “one man of faith vs one man of faith.” The importance of faith is driven home by the use of the Bajoran Orbs of Destruction and Creation in the fighting.
But the character who is affected the deepest by the conflict is Worf. While he is proudly Klingon, he is a consummate Starfleet officer. The only thing that has ever threatened his Starfleet career has been his personal attachments, such “Reunion” when he killed Duras for murdering K'Ehleyr, earning him a reprimand from Picard. In “Change of Heart,” he disobeyed orders to save Jadzia, being told by Sisko that he would never achieve captaincy because of his actions. The priority of his emotions over his duty is evident in his need to save Alexander. Despite being one of Star Trek’s worst dads, Worf genuinely cares for Alexander. Chris Cantwell said in Day of Blood, “Worf has to pay for not being there for Alexander.”
Not everything will be gloom and doom in Day of Blood. Lower Decks comic writer Ryan North has written Shaxs’ Best Day, which will be released on September 27th. The comic has been touted as being thirty pages of Shaxs fighting Klingons. And yes, a warp core ejection is confirmed.
Star Trek: Day of Blood: Shaxs' Best Day, Cover Art by Derek Charm
Day of Blood will be an epic event in Star Trek, with the comics working towards bridging the gaps between Nemesis and Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Picard. This previously unknown period in Trek history will be revealed on the page, and we can’t wait to find out. Qapla'!
