Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek#31!
Star Trek’smost important character would most certainly hate how his fame is being weaponized. While Captains Kirk and Picard are traditionally viewed as the most prominent characters in the franchise, it is in factZefram Cochrane who holds that honor, for without him, there is noStar Trek.Yet as seen inStar Trek#31,Cochrane’s legacy is distorted and corrupted by the evil android Lore.
Star Trek#31 was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Davide TInto. The issue is part of the largerLore Warcrossover event running through IDW’sStar Trekbooks, and follows the adventures of Captain Sisko in a dark reality created by Lore. The issue’s opening pages show how this world came to be, and it involved Zefram Cochrane. Instead of making first contact with the Vulcans, Lore comes to Cochrane, offering him great technology and knowledge, but it comes at a price as the android subjugates Earth and kills Cochrane.
Zefram Cochrane,Star Trek’sMost Important Character, Explained
Zefram Cochrane Was Not Comfortable With His Legacy
The first human to fly faster than light, Zefram Cochrane’s work helped lay the foundation for the United Federation of Planets.Introduced inStar Trek’ssecond season, Cochrane was a human from the mid-21st century who, after World War III, built Earth’s first warp drive. As recounted in the filmStar Trek: First Contact, this event drew the attention of the Vulcans. The Vulcans had previously written Earth off, but Cochrane’s flight changed their minds. This first contact ultimately led humanity down a better path, allowing them to join intergalactic society.
Star Trekestablished that Cochrane was highly important to galactic history, andFirst Contactdrove this point home. When meeting Cochrane, Geordi La Forge and hisEnterprisecrewmates were awestruck, thrilled to meet a great hero they had only learned about in school. In a famous scene from that movie, Geordi tells Cochrane that the site of first contact will become a historical landmark, complete with a giant statue of Cochrane reaching to the heavens, ready to inaugurate a new era for humanity. Cochrane’s lionization was swift: he was being venerated by the mid-22nd century, as seen onEnterprise.
However,First Contactestablished that Cochrane hated his fame and reputation.
However,First Contactestablished that Cochrane hated his fame and reputation. When told about the statue of himself, Cochrane became visibly upset, eventually sulking off to get some whiskey. Commander Riker also told Cochrane about his legacy as a visionary. When confronted with this knowledge, Cochrane became even more agitated, telling Riker he built thePhoenix, the warp ship, solely for money and fame. It took a good deal of convincing on Geordi and Riker’s part to convince Cochrane to continue his experiments as well. Cochrane was clearly a genius, but one that was very troubled and hurting.
Lore Has Weaponized Zefram Cochrane’s Reputation
Did Lore See Zefram Cochrane as a Threat?
As seen inStar Trek#31, Lore has perverted Zefram Cochrane’s legacy, using it as a means of control. Lore murdered Cochrane just a few years after their first meeting, perhaps realizing that in time the scientist could become a threat. The statue of Cochrane is still at the first contact site in Bozeman, Montana, but now a larger one of Lore dwarfs it.Star Trek#31 does not show how humans in Lore’s new reality perceive Cochrane, but the fact there is still a statue of him implies he still occupies an esteemed place in humanity’s history.
Star Trek: Lower Deckshas also played around with Cochrane’s legacy. In the fourth season opener, some of theCerritoscrew visited the First Contact site in Bozeman.
Even though Zefram Cochrane was abrasive towards others, he was still a moral person at the end of the day, meaningLore’s actions would not sit well with him. Cochrane did not like being remembered as aStar Trekhero, and he no doubt would not like being the one who sold humanity out to Lore either. Humans still venerate Cochrane in Lore’s world, but it is on Lore’s terms. Cochrane’s legacy in the 24th century is untouchable, and Lore has weaponized this for his own ends.
