Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming #2!
59 years later, Star Trek finally settles the starship debate that has kept fandom divided for ages. The starships depicted in the Star Trek franchise are the pinnacle of technological achievement and sophistication. Many systems are vital to starship operations, but in Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming #2, the franchise seemingly crowns one the most important.
Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming #2 is written by Tilly Bridges and Susan Bridges and drawn by Angel Hernandez. Species 8472 has taken over Voyager and brought it to Fluidic Space. B’Elanna Torres makes it to Voyager’s deflector dish to use it to get the ship home, but 8472 destroys the device, dealing the crew a serious blow.
Starships Are Key to Science Fiction, and the Enterprise Stands Above Them All
Many Vital Systems Ensure the Enterprise Stays Safe On Missions
Starships, such as the Enterprise or Voyager, are a key element of science fiction. The Enterprise may be one of the best known examples of a starship in the genre, as well as pop culture as a whole. Its sleek look, designed by Matt Jeffries, was distinct in an era of rocketships and flying saucers.
Starships come equipped with many systems and devices necessary to keep them running. One of them is life support, as well as artificial gravity. A warp core is vital too, as is a sickbay or some medical center. Yet perhaps the most important of all is the deflector dish, or “the navigational deflector.”
A Starship’s Deflector Dish Is Vital to Keeping the Enterprise and Voyager Safe
Star Trek Has Shown Many Other Uses for the Deflector Dish
The deflector dish is one of many crucial systems necessary for the safe operation of a starship. It clears away space debris that might get in a starship’s path. It operates at warp speed as well, and keeps the ship from colliding with particles that could damage it at such high velocities.
Yet as seen in several Star Trek television episodes and movies, the deflector dish can be used for other purposes as well. In the legendary Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Best of Both Worlds” Part One, the crew modified the Enterprise’s deflector dish to serve as a weapon against the Borg.
The deflector dish played a critical role in the Enterprise crew’s second mission against the Borg, as detailed in Star Trek: First Contact. Perhaps learning their lesson from last time, the Borg seize the dish when they take over the Enterprise. The Borg intended to use it as a summoning beacon, until Picard and Worf stopped them.
Species 8472 Knows the Most Vital Aspect of Any Star Trek Starship
Species 8472 Have Seemed to Solve a Big Star Trek Debate
As seen in Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming #2, Species 8472 has recognized just how important the deflector dish is to a starship. The issue makes it clear 8472 did their homework before attacking Voyager. Their examinations no doubt showed them how many villains’ plans were thwarted by the deflector dish. Species 8472 planned accordingly.
In attacking Voyager’s navigational deflector, Species 8472 has seemingly settled a debate that has raged among Star Trek fans: the most vital element of a starship. Everyone has their own idea on what ranks the highest, but Species 8472, one of the most cunning foes in Star Trek history, saw the importance in the deflector dish.
Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming #2 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!