A Small Matter of Faith
From the first five-year mission! 

 Background information 
 At this point in the series, the Paramount Pictures licensing approval for comics was being made stricter, as a result it was not known at the time of this issue's publication that the series would be canceled for retooling.
 One detail of this story that may have proven contentious to the studio was the use of a religious plot-line, since dealing with belief (and God) was rare for Star Trek. This also crossed into story territory covered in , which was in production at the time.
 This story takes place after , when Barrows was an Enterprise yeoman, but before , when the Defiant was subsequently lost.
 This issue was the first time cover artist Jerome K. Moore inked his own work. 

 Creators 
 Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
 Writer: Martin Pasko
 Artists:
 Gray Morrow (interior art)
 Michele Wolfman (color art)
 Tim Harkins (letter art)
 Jerome K. Moore (cover art)
 Editor: Robert Greenberger

 Characters 

 James T. Kirk   captain.
 Spock  Vulcan Enterprise exec and science officer.
 Leonard McCoy  Enterprise surgeon.
Montgomery Scott  Enterprise chief engineer.
Hikaru Sulu  Enterprise helmsman.
Uhura  Enterprise communications officer.
Pavel Chekov  Enterprise navigator.
Christine Chapel  Enterprise nurse.

Joseph M'Benga  Enterprise staff doctor.
En-Lai  Starfleet chaplain.
Malesa Norabi  Terminally ill Starfleet veteran. Norabi had previously served aboard a  Federation starship. Norabi helped hijack the Enterprise at En-Lai's command, but Kirk suspected that Norabi would be granted clemency for the crime. Norabi's illness was completely healed by the lady of Calydon.

 Tonia Barrows  Defiant lieutenant. When Barrows was a yeoman, she served aboard Enterprise and had a close relationship with Dr. McCoy. She was on the edge of death, but was completely healed at Calydon. McCoy and Barrows were able to reunite and catch up on old times after the ordeal.
Haak Trobis  Terminally ill Starfleet veteran, originally from Daran V. Blue-skinned Trobis had previously served aboard a Constitution-class Federation starship. Trobis helped hijack the Enterprise at En-Lai's command, but Kirk suspected that Trobis would be granted clemency for the crime. Trobis's illness was completely healed by the lady of Calydon.
Rakaar  Terminally ill Starfleet veteran, originally from Kazar. Purple-skinned Rakaar had previously served aboard a Constitution-class Federation starship. Rakaar helped hijack the Enterprise at En-Lai's command, but Kirk suspected that Rakaar would be granted clemency for the crime. Rakaar's illness was completely healed by the lady of Calydon.

   Starfleet Admiral Fitzpatrick relayed orders that Kirk should not divert the Enterprise for any reason. The message was only received after the vessel had completed its unscheduled, forced stopover at Calydon.
 Pitkin  Medical doctor of the Starfleet Veterans' Hospital on Lavinius V.
 Lady of Calydon  Being, previously thought to be partially mythical, which appears to the ill and injured on planet Calydon.

 References 
Berthold radiation  Type of radiation emitted by the star in the Beta Aurigae system. When the USS Defiant hull breached, nineteen of the exposed crew survived, albeit with life-threatening radiation poisoning
Beta Aurigae  Star system where the Defiant was crippled by an accident while on patrol. Nineteen crewman were recovered from a breached engineering hull section after being exposed to deadly Berthold energy.
Calydon  Planet which is reputed to have a healing power, in the form of a "bright lady" who appears to the terminally ill.
Daran V  Planetary origin of Terminally ill Starfleet veteran Haak Trobis. Trobis was shown to be some type of alien, but it was not established whether Daran V was home to his species, or if his species was simply one of the races that lived on Daran V.

  Constitution-class Federation starship. The Defiant had a hull breach in the Beta Aurigae system, causing severe casualties. The ship met with USS Enterprise to transfer wounded, including Lt. Barrows, to a starbase facility.
Elba II  Mental asylum where Dr. Pitkin hoped En-Lai would be sent.

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)  Constitution-class Federation starship.
Kazar  Homeworld of Rakaar. Presumably, this was intended to reference the homeworld of the Kazarite species, but Rakaar looks like he is of a different breed.
Lavinius V  Planet location of the Starfleet Veterans' Hospital. En-Lai was assigned here under Dr. Pitkin's authority. Lavinius was home to ancient technology, such as a stasis array used to incapacitate the Enterprise crew.
Priority one  Type of distress call received by Captain Kirk.
sandovalyn  Radiation treatment drug. Presumably named after Elias Sandoval.Starbase 27  Federation starbase with radiation treatment facilities. This was the only nearby base able to accommodate the severe medical problems faced by the survivors of the Defiant'' accident.
Starfleet Veterans' Hospital  Federation Starfleet outpost on Lavinius V.
stasis  The hospital inhabitants are armed with stasis weapons. 

Small Matter of Faith, A