Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #21!

Star Trek just confirmed the jaw-dropping final fate of Doctor M’Benga’s daughter. When fans last saw M’Benga’s daughter in the first season of Strange New Worlds, she had bonded with a non-corporeal alien, and departed for parts unknown. Now, nearly a century later, in Star Trek #21, Rukiya M’Benga returns–and in the years since, she has ascended to something more than human.

Star Trek #21 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Megan Levens. Captain Sisko and the crew of the Theseus have arrived at the Pleroma, the newly-revealed “Realm of the Gods.” As the first mortals to lay eyes upon it, Sisko and his crew are overwhelmed at the assembly in front of them. One of them is Rukiya M’Benga.

Thanks to the alien she bonded with, Rukiya has evolved into a god-like being, one that is welcome in the Pleroma. While sympathetic to Sisko’s plight, she votes no on T’Lir’s plan.

Doctor M’Benga Made a Huge Impression on Star Trek Fans

Strange New Worlds Gave M’Benga A Tragic Backstory

Doctor M’Benga debuted during the classic Star Trek show, but only appeared in two episodes. Despite these scant appearances, M’Benga left a huge enough impression on audiences that he was revived nearly 50 years later for the spin-off Strange New Worlds. Still a blank slate, M’Benga was finally given a backstory. It was revealed that he had been the Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise under Captain Pike. While elevating M’Benga to such a vaunted position should have been a cause for celebration, it came with a dark twist.

As revealed in Strange New World’s first season, Doctor M’Benga was a family man. Unfortunately, his daughter Rukiya was born with a rare, terminal disease. M’Benga cheated the clock by keeping his daughter in a transporter buffer, hoping to delay her death long enough for him to find a cure. Later, in the episode “The Elysian Kingdom,” Rukiya meets and befriends a non-corporeal entity. She would bond with it, and the two departed the Enterprise, presumably to share adventures together. It was a bittersweet moment for Doctor M’Benga.

Rukiya M’Benga Is Now a Star Trek God

Doctor M’Benga Never Knew What Happened to His Daughter

But now, over 100 years later, Rukiya’s final fate is revealed, and it is the perfect next step in her character arc. Rukiya was a bright young woman, full of promise and life, and very much loved by her father. Doctor M’Benga went to great lengths to save his daughter, even jeopardizing his own career. He never lived to learn what truly became of Rukiya. While it broke M’Benga’s heart to let Rukiya go, it ultimately proved to be for the best, as she has ascended and become a god in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek #21 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!