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word of advice : contains coddler forStar Trek : Defiant#23!Star Trek , at its substance , is all about anti - capitalism , and that is why the franchise ’s newest baddie full treatment so well . While known for nerveless spaceship and exotic aliens , Star Trekat its core presents an affirmative view of humanity ’s future . In the futureStar Trekdepicts , Earth has transition away from the horrors of capitalism , but inStar Trek : Defiant#23 , it rise up its principal in a upstage sphere .
Christopher Cantwell has also had running play onDoctor DoomandIron Manat Marvel , and is currently writingChallengers of the Unknownfor DC .
Star Trek : Defiant#23 is written by Christopher Cantwell and absorb by Angel Unzueta . Alexander , son of Worf , is continuing thequvrite , to restore his honor . Consisting of three parts , the second demands Alexander lay down his life story for mass he has never met , in this caseformer Federation and Klingon colonist in the Archanis Sector , a hotly contested area of space where rampant , unchecked capitalist economy reign supreme .
preside over it all is Superintendent Menum , who has just ordered the carrying out of rebel effect .
Although Menum is only briefly seen , he cut a menacing and terrifying anatomy .
Star Trek’sNewest Villain Hits Hard For Modern Readers
Star TrekShowed a Society That Had Moved Beyond Capitalism, But It Still Exists Elsewhere
Star Trek ’s future tense is one devoid of capitalist economy and the troubles that it bring , but it still exists in other parts of the wandflower , admit Superintendent Menum ’s Archanis Sector . The Archanis Sector has been bring up on - screen a handful of prison term , but this marks the first metre it has been hear up - near in the franchise , and author Christopher Cantwell and artist Angel Unzueta made it memorable . The worlds of the Archanis Sector are softened , life - less , with all the joy stolen by psyche - squelch , low - pay jobs . It is not a stretch to see it as a metaphor for life in the 21st 100 .
The Maquis were one of Star Trek ’s most controversial storylines , and now , as the dealership head to The Lore War , the group makes a return .
The momentary glance buff get of Superintendent Menum is ominous , and does not foretell well for Worf and Alexander . Menum is macerate with machine prosthetics , as if his trunk has been waste by capitalism . In the 24th C , it is not uncommon to see people with prosthetics or other accessibility devices , but Menum ’s robot arm is almost claw - like . It all works together to give Superintendent Menum an transcendental appearance , despite him being supposedly human . A confrontation between Menum and Worf and Alexander is inevitable , and this yield build the hype .
disregardless , he was once a Federation citizen , growing up in a post - scarcity Utopia , yet somehow he regress back .
What is perhaps the most disturbing scene about Superintendent Menum is he , according to Worf , was once a Federation colonist . Worf did not say if Menum was a settler on one of the Archanis Sector worlds or if he came from somewhere else . irrespective , he was once a Federation citizen , grow up in a post - scarcity Utopia , yet somehow he retrogress backwards . Future outlet ofStar Trek : Defiantmay reveal more about Menum ’s backstory , and how he came to embrace the capitalist mind-set that the rest of his metal money jettisoned long ago .
Star TrekHas Called Out Capitalism Before
The Ferengi (Were) the Franchise’s Best Call Out
Star Trekhas not shy off from critiquing capitalism in its most 60 - twelvemonth history . Numerous references have been made on various shows about Earth make a motion beyond the need for money and material possession . The Ferengi , introduced inStar Trek : The Next Generation’sfirst season , were , up until this point , the franchise ’s most biting critique of capitalism . Ferengi society is structure aroundthe spare-time activity of lucre , and it interpenetrate every aspect of their life . By the late 24th hundred , however , even the Ferengi were go away from capitalist economy , slowly but surely .
When the Ferengi failed to take as bad guy , the producers ofStar Trek : The Next Generationcreated the Borg .
Superintendent Menum pay theStar Trekfranchise one of its estimable critiques of capitalism to day of the month , especially with the Ferengi undergoing a massive societal shift . While the Ferengi have demonstrated aggressive tendencies on only a few occasions , Menum and the rule of the Archanis Sector have no qualms about using deadly force to bottle up strikes and uprising . While this may seem outrageous , there are case law in our real world history , such as the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars of the 20th century , where the military bombed innocent people striking for a good wage .
Examining his tumble from gracility could make for not only a compelling storey , but an even strong critique of capitalism .
If Cantwell and Unzueta decide to delve into Menum ’s backstory , they can take the critique even further , explore how capitalist economy corrupts and destroys . Menum , being a former citizen of the Federation , determine a world without capitalist economy – which was a macrocosm without poverty and codify racism and sexism . These concepts , which are obligate warp and filling with capitalist economy , are foreign to people in the 24th century , but somehow Menum fall under the patch . Examining his fall from grace could make for not only a compelling story , but an even inviolable review of capitalism .
Superintendent Menum IsStar Trek’s Best New Villain
Menum is a Chilling Reminder of Humanity’s Dark Past
The bright and affirmative future picture in theStar Trekfranchise come about only when human beings cast off capitalist economy . However , appearance and flick have leave vague how the political economy of the 24th C worked . The Federation boasts they do not use money , but credit and amber - weightlift latinum as units of currency are regularly note as well . It is likelyStar Trekwill never nail down how the astronomical economy lick , but for the Federation , it is one free of capitalism , which make its newest villain one of its best yet .
Star Trek : Defiant#23 is on sale now from IDW Publishing !
Custom image by Ana Nieves
