Looking Back: Part 3 - Star Trek DS9: Too Long A Sacrifice

 

Looking Back Pt 3 - Star Trek DS9: Too Long A Sacrifice

Publisher: IDW

Issues In the Series: 4

Writers: Scott Tipton & David Tipton

Artist: Greg Scott

Colorist: Filipe Sobreiro

Letterer: Neil Uyetake

Reviewer/Interviewer: Michael Nunneley

Why I'm Doing This Series

If I have found one thing to be true when it comes to modern Star Trek it's that reading the comics is just as vital as watching the series on TV if you want all the story. The was particularly important when it came to the Kelvin Timeline films - There was a whole other movie's worth of story left out of the 2009 Star Trek film that makes it SO MUCH better - and it is proving to be the case with the new shows on CBS All Access as well. The comics tie things together and fill in the blanks which, in turn, sets up the world we see in shows like DISCO, Short Treks, Lower Decks and Picard. For that reason I am looking back on the books that I missed in the last year so I can get the whole story and hopefully you'll like taking the trip with me in this series, Looking Back. Be warned, if you have not read this book there are major spoilers ahead!

Some words from the writers on Too Long A Sacrifice during previous interviews

Co-Writer David Tipton commented: "Set during the most difficult hours of the Dominion War, Too Long a Sacrifice shows the station during trying times: a series of mysterious and seemingly unsolvable terrorist attacks just as the war has everyone strained to the breaking point. We'll get to see the darker side of life on the station as Odo leads the investigation, with increasingly desperate conditions forcing him and others to deal with new and unexpected allies and to use unusual tactics in their efforts to stop the attacks".

Co-Writer David Tipton commented that the series "was conceived as a story with two points of particular interest: One, a closer look at the 'behind the scenes' aspect of Deep Space Nine (the ongoing underground trade and business that stays in the shadows, along with the station's darker history dating back to the Cardassian occupation of Bajor), and two, a look at how the station would handle a series of seemingly unstoppable crimes. Odo is naturally the nexus for these themes: he has a long and unique history with the station and knows it better than perhaps anyone. Odo's voice is an unusual one: he often communicates with grunts or short expressions, and we've enjoyed conveying that in this story. Often in Star Trek, it's the outsider characters who are the most popular, be it Spock or Data or in the case of DS9, Constable Odo. There's something so compelling about looking at the human condition through the eyes of someone who can never truly understand it, but who finds themselves longing to. Combine that with René Auberjonois' unmistakable voice and distinctively gruff inflections, and it's no wonder that Odo is for so many the standout character of the series."

Co-Writer Scott Tipton commented: "We're so excited to return to the world of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. With its 'frontier setting' and precarious place in the galaxy, Deep Space Nine offers the opportunity to tell truly unique tales of intrigue and suspense. Combine that with one of the best character ensembles ever assembled, and you get something no other Star Trek series can offer".

The Tiptons commented on Bashir and Garak's depiction in the series: "I've always liked the friendship between Bashir and Garak on DS9, and that was something we definitely wanted to touch on when we knew we were coming back. I always liked that mixture of the genuine affection Garak seemed to have for Bashir, along with the sense that Garak always knew more than he was telling you... One of Garak's favorite rhetorical tricks is to ask a question even though he already knows the answer so he can draw out even more information. Here he does that, then he hints he knows even more, and finally he backpedals, keeping Bashir in the dark. Garak's use of words is precise and strategic even though it's often couched in obsequiously friendly tones. It's more likely than not that had this conversation continued, Garak would have walked away with some helpful new nuggets of information about the war, while Bashir would have learned nothing new (except those few scraps Garak chose to divulge)."

Trivia

• The title is from a poem by William Butler Yeats: "Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart". And boy was that an apt title when you consider Lavin's actions and motivations. Her long sacrifice definitely turned her into a stone cold killer.
• A stardate given in the first issue places the series in the sixth season, between the episodes, "One Little Ship" and "Honor Among Thieves". However, a reference to the Battle of Betazed in issue 3 would place the series later in the sixth season, after "In the Pale Moonlight". Knowing the Tiptons - who know Star Trek down to its marrow - this was not a mistake. I believe they wanted to show that passage of time during the investigation.
• This series was originally due to begin publishing in April 2020 but was delayed to July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So many things got delayed because of the pandemic in 2020. It wasn't just comics and movies, conventions got put off until this year and even now it still might not happen. We should all be thankful the wheels are turning at all in the fields of entertainment. From all of us Trekkies, thank you IDW for giving us more Star Trek in spite of all that's happened.

A bomb has gone off in a restaurant called Lavin's Eatery killing eight people and injuring dozens more. With the Dominion War raging on terrorism is the chief concern for Starfleet, but they are not the only ones with their hackles up over this murder - factions are being made and lines are being drawn; even Worf and the Ferengi are getting involved. However Constable Odo is not sure that it's terrorism. In fact he feels certain that there might be a more personal motive at play. But so many people might have a personal motivation on the Promenade - anything from vengeance  and justice to old fashioned greed. With no real leads as to who of Odo's many suspects the killer might be and Starfleet desperate to solve the matter, they send out their own investigator - Retlaw, a Betazoid from Federation Investigations with his own ideas about how the investigation should be done. This of course ruffles the feather of Odo enough to make it seem like this partnership is not going to work out. But he soon comes around. After discovering the bomb contained Rodinium darts (illegal in the Federation) that were smuggled aboard DS9, Odo's investigation leads him to Quark because nothing gets smuggled on or off DS9 without Quark lining his pockets first and he has a case of Rodinium darts in his possession. But Quark is not the murderer. So Retlaw and Odo go to all of the other smugglers who frequent DS9 and, while they do unintentionally solve a few crimes in the process, they did not find the killer. Even the Vedek is not safe from the accusations and investigations of Retlaw and Odo, much to his chagrin. But the bombing was only the beginning - our killer has a taste for death now and like a shark that smells blood in the water, soon the killer's body count rises again and again - a Bajoran bureaucrat is stabbed to death and a Ferengi trade delegation is poisoned. Going over what they had uncovered in their investigation Odo suggests that the murderer's motivations may link all the way back to the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor which, among others, leads to Garak who is just as angry as the Vedeck about the accusations but he does it in his usual Garak way. But then it hits Odo suddenly. Like he should have known all along. With the help of Retlaw, they discover that the killer was Lavin. She had planted the bomb in her own shop and killed the Bajoran bureaucrat for revenge over what happened to her during the occupation of Bajor. But then, she became addicted to the killing and killed the Ferengi trade delegation members. The lesson: Never underestimate your enemies or those you tread on now because, after years have gone by and you've forgotten all about them, their long sacrifice has made embers of the once raging flame. But under the embers, their hearts are still burning.

Greg Scott is a good artist - good panel layouts, excellent use of space within the panels and I like his eye for point of view. How he draws that explosion in Lavin's Eatery is a perfect example of how to show what happens while still leaving room for the reader to imagine the worst of what is going on. Scotts work on that scene also shows how much can be told about the experience of the blast by the powerful expressions you see on peoples faces. Like in the pic above this paragraph. Notice the powerfully emotive look on Lavin's face as the bomb blows - that is sheer horror. Now look in contrast to how much can be said of Garak's antithetical calm expression during such horror. That is how much a great artist takes part in the writing of a story - paragraphs of imagery and feeling from 4 wordless panels. But not just that, there are several panels when the likenesses are totally on point - like WOW good. But I also liked the liberties taken by both the Tiptons and Scott when it comes to Odo's shapeshifting abilities - that was a lot of fun to look at. But, to quote artist Tony Shasteen, "I couldn’t do what I do without JD Mettler" - his colorist. An artist's need for a good colorist applies to most comic book artist - save perhaps for the B & W comics and artists who color their own work. But even they can tell you how much color brings their work to life and adds to the third dimension of the work by layering colors and using variations of color to add to the inker's lighting and shadow. Filipe Sobreiro did a fantastic job coloring this series. Good color choices - I like how Sobreiro chose a dark tone to the colors he chose. It gives it that mysterious aesthetic and adds to the noir feel of the book. Neil Uyetake did a great job as he usually does - I rarely see any mistakes or misplacements from him. He has a good flow and sense of space.

As far as the writing goes, you can never go wrong with Scott Tipton & David Tipton when it comes to Star Trek comics. These 2 brothers know Star Trek like few others and have written some of my favorite Star Trek comics of all time - Star Trek: Alien Spotlight (Gorn, Orions & Q), Star Trek TNG: Intelligence Gathering, Spock: Reflections, Star Trek: Harlin Ellison's City On the Edge of Forever, Star Trek/Planet of the Apes and Star Trek: Q Conflict just to name a few. Too Long A Sacrifice didn't let me down either. It's a noir murder mystery that keeps you guessing - each time they went to accuse someone I was sure they were the one who did it. I would liken the book to something like an old Mike Hammer detective novel set on DS9 with an equally awesome investigator (Odo) - how awesome is that. The feel of the story reminded of the Dixon Hill stories from TNG and I'm a sucker for that.

I had a lot of fun reading this 4 issue series. It was like an old school detective novel (like Mike Hammer) set on Deep Space Nine during the height of the Dominion War. I particularly liked the "Investigator's Notes" as a narrative from Odo - I think that's one of the main reason the series had that old school detective story feel to it. I definitely recommend this to any DS9 fan and anyone who likes a good murder mystery.

Score: 4.75/5

Looking Back At Too Long A Sacrifice With 

Co-Writer Scott Tipton

Michael: Looking back on Too Long A Sacrifice now, how would you rank it among the myriad of other Star Trek stories you've written?

Scott: I’m a terrible judge of my own work, so it’s really hard for me to say. Once I’m finished with a book I usually won’t even look at it for at least a couple of years. But I am very fond of this one for a couple of reasons. First off, coming as it did so close after the tragic passing of Rene Aubourjonois, I really felt a responsibility to pay tribute to his work by giving his character Odo the best and most faithful spotlight we could. Secondly, this was a totally new exercise for us, doing a whodunit with a noirish tone, and that made the whole experience very exciting. And finally, since my brother and co-writer David is more of a DEEP SPACE NINE authority than I am, this was one of the books where he really took a bit more of a lead in the process, which means I get to enjoy it as a reader more than I generally do.

Michael: Good call on paying tribute to Rene Aubourjonois' character with a faithful and great noirish whodunit. I can't imagine a better tribute. He will be truly missed. That makes me love this story even more. #RIP

Michael: The title, Too Long A Sacrifice is from William Butler Yeats. an Irish poet from the 19th & 20th centuries. Do you like or have you studied the great poets?

Scott: Oh, for sure. I mean, that degree in English literature has to come into play sometime, right? To be honest though, it was more about finding a title that fits that long tradition of STAR TREK titles: a little wordy sometimes, something with a literary reference, maybe a bit Shakespearean. It just has to feel like STAR TREK to us.

Michael: I hadn't considered that before, but you're right on the money with that. Well done.

Michael: I love how Odo uses his shapeshifting powers like Plastic Man or Ms Marvel would. As a superhero comics fan does that draw you to use the character at all?

Scott: This was one of those rare instances where we decided not to let ourselves be constrained by the limits of the television series. By the way they defined Odo’s powers, it’s clear that he could do all the things we show, and they would (admittedly, somewhat rarely) show him doing so on the series. But the state of visual effects at the time was such that those kind of sequences were tremendously expensive, so they just tended not to do it very often. And yeah, as a guy who grew up on Marvel and DC, it’s hard to have a shapechanging character in a story and not think about the way Reed Richards or Ralph Dibny were used in comics storytelling. But we always tried to keep it through a STAR TREK filter. You weren’t going to see Odo changing into a Odo-colored mailbox like Plastic Man.

Michael: HaHa. Good point. That would be a bit silly. But to be fair it would not be the first time Odo posed as an inanimate object. 

I'm glad you guys did do those scene that would otherwise be too expensive if it were on TV. That's one of the great things about comics - you can draw whatever you want without the worry of adding to the budget. I always wished Odo would do things more like he does in this series and it was just as awesome as I dreamed. 

Michael: We've talked before about showing just enough to get the imagination of the reader going when it comes to violence, This was illustrated perfectly by the bomb blast in issue #1. How much of the perspective choices was your writing it that way and how much what we saw was added by Greg Scott?

Scott: Generally, in our scripts we’ll tell the illustrator what we expect to see in the panel, in terms of what we need to make the storytelling work, what things we need to see as clues that can be looked back on and noticed later so as to play fair with the mystery, that sort of thing. And we occasionally include a remark about “easy on the gore, here, please,” or “not too much detail on the wound,” or something like that. But generally, we tend to describe the scene and trust our artists to get a sense of the tone we’re describing, and without fail they get where we’re coming from, capture that mood and find ways to make it better. Greg Scott was no exception; we were blown away (no pun intended) by his rendition of the destruction of the restaurant in issue #1. Powerful and shocking without being gratuitously violent or graphic.

Michael: That sounds like a good system and very similar to the one I use at Omen Comics. I am totally with you on the greatness of that scene. That scene needs to be in a textbook somewhere on how to evoke powerful emotions without going all out with the gore. 

Michael: Great answers, Scott. You've increased my fondness for an already great story.

Scott: You are too kind, sir.

Michael: Thank you very much for taking part in this Looking Back series with me. 

Scott: My pleasure, dude.