T’Lir is Star Trek’s new non-binary Vulcan hero, and in Star Trek #3, they follow the example of perhaps the greatest Vulcan ever: Spock!
Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #3!T’Lir, Star Trek’s new non-binary Vulcan hero, is following the example of the greatest Vulcan in Starfleet history: Spock. In Star Trek #3, T’Lir and their shipmates aboard the USS Theseus are facing down a warp core breach. With the odds not in their favor, T’Lir follows Spock’s example, risking their lives to save the ship and their colleagues.
The issue, written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, illustrated by Ramon Rosanas and Joe Eisma, colored by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Clayton Cowles, sees Captain Benjamin Sisko and the crew of the USS Theseus continue their quest to discover the identity of the god-killer. Q pays a call on the ship, deciding to subject them to one last prank before he flees. T’Lir comes up with a plan to kick Q off the ship: flood it with extradimensional tachyons; the only device on the ship that can do this is the deflector. Meanwhile, thanks to Q’s meddling the warp core is malfunctioning. T’Lir and Jake Sisko make their way to the deflector, and as T’Lir rigs it, they say they met Spock when they were a young child. T’Lir says they saw in Spock “everything noble in this universe.” T’Lir then says their situation leaves them no choice but to “put the needs of the few above the needs of the many.” T’Lir is able to save the ship, allowing the Theseus to continue its mission.
T’Lir is one of the newest faces in the Star Trek universe, created specifically for this new comic; they work with Scotty, Theseus’ engineer, on the ship’s experimental systems. T’Lir hails from Vulcan, and is the first non-binary member of that species seen in any medium. A text piece in this issue reveals a great deal about T’Lir’s background, including a mysterious, classified disciplinary incident. Afterwards they were sent to Corrective Duty on another station before being recruited by Scotty–and as it turns out, bringing T’Lir aboard was a smart move.
T’Lir Has the Best Role Model
T’Lir’s actions in this issue are directly inspired by Spock. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the crew of the Enterprise found themselves in a similar situation. Their warp core was non-functional, and to restart it was to risk death. Spock ran down to engineering and brought the engines back online himself–at the cost of his life. History almost repeats itself aboard the Theseus, and once again a Vulcan saves the day. T’Lir’s actions could have cost them their life as well, but, inspired by Spock’s example, they pushed those worries aside. At this point in the timeline, Spock is still on Romulus, working for the reunification of the Vulcans and Romulans, but he would no doubt approve of T’Lir’s actions.
T’Lir is correct in their assessment of Spock: he does embody everything noble in the Star Trek universe. Aboard the Enterprise, Spock gave of himself many times–and it once cost him his life. T’Lir’s comment proves that Spock is not only revered among Vulcans, but the entire Federation as well. T’Lir, Star Trek’s new non-binary Vulcan is set to become a hero, alongside their idol, Mister Spock.
Star Trek #3 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
