Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #12!Star Trek has confirmed that one Starfleet hero is smarter than the Bajoran Prophets, and it is not Captain Sisko. The Prophets are one of the Star Trek franchise’s most enigmatic species; a non-linear, non-corporeal race residing in the Bajoran Wormhole. They are powerful beyond belief, but in Star Trek #12, readers learn that one member of the Theseus’ crew possesses an intellect far beyond the Prophets.
In Star Trek #12 – written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Angelu Unzueta – as Captain Sisko fights Kahless on the Klingon homeworld, he has a vision of the crews of the Theseus and Defiant, working to harness the power of the Bajoran Orb of Creation.
His narration offers deep insight into each character – including T'Lir, the Theseus’ science officer, who Sisko calls a “genius with a mind beyond even the Prophets’ comprehension.”
T'Lir Is A Breath Of Fresh Air For IDW's Star Trek
Proving Sisko’s point, T’Lir is instrumental in unleashing the Orb of Creation’s vast power to defeat Kahless in Star Trek #12, the climax Star Trek's crossover event, "Day of Blood." T’Lir is one of the most exciting additions to the Star Trek universe. Created for IDW’s flagship Star Trek title, T’LIr is the first non-binary Vulcan featured in the franchise. Readers have seen tantalizing glimpses of T’Lir, and there is clearly more to them than meets the eye. They refer to themselves as “T’Lir, a Vulcan of Starfleet” and they seemingly have superpowers. The mystery of T’Lir has played out across Star Trek’s first year, adding another layer of intrigue to the story.
There Is Much More To Be Revealed About T'Lir
While Trek fans wait to learn exactly who T’Lir is, Sisko drops a surprising revelation about them in Star Trek #12. To be smarter than one of the Bajoran Prophets is a huge deal. The Prophets exist outside of space and time, in a realm called “the Celestial Temple,” another name for the Bajoran wormhole. The Prophets created the immensely powerful Orbs, each representing a facet of existence. T’Lir helps crack the Orb of Creation, using their great intellect to learn the Prophets secrets, in order to stop Kahless. They successfully harness the Orb’s powers, showing their incredible intelligence, and playing a pivotal role in the conclusion to "Day of Blood."
T’Lir has shown themselves to be perhaps the smartest member of the Theseus’ crew, rivaling even Data. T’Lir has shown they grasp concepts and theories on the cutting edge of 24th-century science–and beyond. This no doubt owes to their mysterious, possibly cosmic nature, and leaves fans wondering if T’Lir, in their true form, would be a match for the Prophets or other god-like beings like Q. There is so much more to T’Lir to be discovered and as Star Trek enters its second year, more will certainly be revealed. T’Lir has already proven themselves the smartest person in the Star Trek franchise, even more than Sisko.
Star Trek #12 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!