Star Trek: Best of Klingons written by Mike W. Barr, Scott Tipton, and David Tipton, art by Tom Sutton, Richard Villagran, and David Messina
This collection has two Klingon stories of unequal strengths.
The first is from DC Comics in the early 1980s. The story is set right after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. A conflict on a border threatens to turn into war between the Federation and the Klingons. The Klingons have a secret base from which they are attacking Federation colonies and ships by the Neutral Zone. The Enterprise, with Kirk but no Spock, goes to investigate. They are caught up in events that bring both sides to the edge of war. More is going on than meets the eye as events unfold. The story is a fairly typical Star Trek story--it's fun and plays to the strengths of the characters. The art was sub-par and obviously the story does not fit with the film continuity.
The second story is Klingons: Blood Will Tell, a story of Klingon High Council official Kahnrah, who is debating about a significant vote he has to cast. Praxis (the Klingon moon) has exploded, condemning their home world to annihilation in thirty or forty years. The Council is deadlock on whether to ask the Federation for help or not. Kahnrah reflects on various historical encounters between humans and the Klingons, though most involve Captain Kirk. Kahnrah has to decide if the humans are trustworthy and, more importantly, if the Klingons can retain their identity by making such a decision. Seeing events like the Tribbles story from a Klingon perspective is very interesting and well-told by the authors. Even though the decision is a foregone conclusion for Star Trek fans, the narrative makes an interesting exploration of Klingon attitudes and general character. The art is good and the story does fit in with the film continuity, so those are pluses too.
The second story is Klingons: Blood Will Tell, a story of Klingon High Council official Kahnrah, who is debating about a significant vote he has to cast. Praxis (the Klingon moon) has exploded, condemning their home world to annihilation in thirty or forty years. The Council is deadlock on whether to ask the Federation for help or not. Kahnrah reflects on various historical encounters between humans and the Klingons, though most involve Captain Kirk. Kahnrah has to decide if the humans are trustworthy and, more importantly, if the Klingons can retain their identity by making such a decision. Seeing events like the Tribbles story from a Klingon perspective is very interesting and well-told by the authors. Even though the decision is a foregone conclusion for Star Trek fans, the narrative makes an interesting exploration of Klingon attitudes and general character. The art is good and the story does fit in with the film continuity, so those are pluses too.
Recommended, though the second story is much stronger and more interesting than the first.
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