INSANE CAPTAIN KIRK TRAPPED IN THE PAST DOESN’T RUIN THE TIMELINE

 

Name: Star Trek: The New Voyages – Story 8 “Mind Sifter”

Author: Shirley S. Maiewski, with an introduction by William Shatner  

Publication Date: 3/1976

Publisher: Bantam Books

Page Number: 58

Historian’s Note: Sometime after The Second Season of the Animated Series   

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk         Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”        Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Lieutenant Kyle         Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      Nurse Jan Hamlin                 Dr. Thomas Wright       Orderlies Frank and Fred      

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Starbase 11

Planets: Earth, Guardian’s unnamed homeworld

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The story begins in a medical hospital in the 20^th century.  It is told through the view of a nurse named Jan Hamlin.  Hamlin is a good person in a bad system, where most the orderlies are low paid workers who can’t get jobs anywhere else and often abuse patients for kicks.  To her patients Hamlin is a safe port in a terrible storm.  It becomes apparent to the reader that the main patient that has captured her attention is none other than Captain James T. Kirk, who is some how trapped in the past.  In the 23^rd century Captain Kirk is missing and no one knows what happened to him.  He was enjoying some shore leave and then he vanished without a trace.   After a week goes by Starfleet is ready to declare him MIA and appoint a new Captain of the Enterprise.  To the shock of most the crew Spock accepts the commission and takes command.  

                Time goes on in both stories.  Trapped in the past insane Captain Kirk with the help of Hamlin starts to recover although he does have set backs at times.  On the Enterprise, life goes on under Spock’s command and the crew gets use to not having Captain Kirk.  Three-fourths of the way through the story we get the background.  While on shore leave, Kirk is kidnapped by Klingons, working for Kor, who spiked his drink.  While in their custody Kor demand information from him or they will use the dreaded mind sifter.  Kirk won’t give in so the mind sifter is applied.  Kirk’s pain is so great that Spock becomes aware, telepathically, the exact moments the Captain is being tortured.  This is similar to his feeling the deaths of hundreds of Vulcans in “The Immunity Syndrome.” However since “telepathic feelings aren’t evidence” Spock remains silent.  The result of the mind sifter the Klingons make so that any mention of his surname or his rank will cause his mind to burn with painful images and feelings, causing his mind to break. 

Spock can sense Kirk's pain

                After Captain Kirk is broken the Klingons pry him for information.  Thorough him they learn of the Guardian of Forever.  They take the Captain to the Guardian planet but in his confused mental state he freaks out and tries to find Edith Keeler.  Still having the ability to use supreme fighting skills that are unequaled in the galaxy, Kirk escapes the Klingons and dives into the Guardian and travels to the Earth of the 1950s.  With good fortune he doesn’t harm the time line McCoy-style instead he ends up in a mental hospital in the care of Jan Hamlin.    

Kor gets his chance to break Kirk's mind

                Kirk is getting better each day.  Hamlin gets him to talk and explore as much of his past as he can remember. He discusses “shore leave,” “the ship”, and one thing she doesn’t understand such as “Omicron Ceti III with its deadly Berthold rays.”  She comes to the conclusion that he is a former officer in the United States Navy.  After seeing Kirk’s confidence restored when she brought in his Starfleet uniform, she convinces Dr Wright, the head of the hospital, to take out a missing persons ad in the papers.  After they take the pictures for the ad, Kirk remembers his name and that once again sends him into a universe of mental pain. 

Kirk escapes through the Guardian

                In the 23^rd century Spock discovers the old ad going through Earth records of strange things that happened in the 20^th century.  He informs McCoy and the rest of the crew and they go on a mission to find Captain Kirk.  Not bothering to make use of the Guardian they do the time-tested sing-shot around the sun routine that they once discovered by accident.  They arrive in the 20^th century and rescue the Captain.  Jan, who during the recovery, learns her patient and now love interest is from the future. Spock convinces her that she may love Kirk, he doesn’t truly know her and its irresponsible to bring someone to the past back with them as such a person would be out of place.  Using a mind meld he allows Jan to remember Kirk but not where he came from.

                They bring Kirk back to the Enterprise and head home to the 23^rd century.  As Starbase 11 Spock using a mind meld with Kirk to help him overcome the mind sifter.  Kirk is restored to his previous self and given his job back.  It is reveled that Spock had only accepted a temporary commission and command pending the finding of Captain Kirk.  All is right again.      

Additional thoughts: Of the all stories contained in “The New Voyages” this one is by far the best. Maiewski has a such a strong grasp of the characters that you feel like you are watching and episode of classic Star Trek while you read it. I love how she pulls from the original series by continuing the adventures seen in “Errand of Mercy” and “The City on the Edge of Forever.”  We have the Klingons with their contempt for Kirk under the leadership of Kor attempt to kidnap him.  Kirk under the mind shifter tries to find Keeler by entering the Guardian of Forever as the Klingons were exploring it. 

                The story also returns to a theme explored earlier in “The Tholian Web.” How the crew would handle the loss of Captain Kirk.  Here Maiewski follows a similar pattern and shows how the relationships between the senior officers almost total breaks down.  While even in this deluded state Kirk makes a friend and potential love interest.  I did think it was a bit odd that Spock did not confide in McCoy and Scotty that he was aware of what was happening to Kirk.  Telepathic feelings may hold no sway in a Federation Court but given their history together I think his fellow officers would be inclined to believe Spock.  

                 I think its hilarious that when Dr. McCoy accidentally went back in time high on drugs, he did so much damage that the very United Federation of Planets was wiped out of existence.  When a deluded Kirk goes back in time and nothing of the sort happens. Luck of the draw?  Kirk just being a better and more natural time traveler?  I guess we’ll never know.  The truth is Kirk was simply protected by indestructible plot armor. 

A far more dangerous time traveler!

Should it be canon: Here is the funny thing, despite the fact that I love this story, the answer is “no.”  My reason is it just can’t fit.  The one problem this story has is too much happens.  Kirk is missing for two years.  When reviewing the episode “The Paradise Syndrome” (a much inferior story by the way) one of the many things that were wrong with it was that for one of the years in their five-year mission Kirk was missing for over two months.  With this story for two years out of their five-year mission Kirk was missing and no one knew where he was! Combine with early story and Captain Kirk was missing for over forty percent of his original mission.   

                The funny thing is the story didn’t need to do that. Its fine for Kirk to be experience having been gone for two years in the past, however with the ship the same amount of time doesn’t have to pass.  You could have lowered the time in the 23^rd century with no real change to the function of the story.  Shrink two years down to six weeks and you can tell same story on the Enterprise’s side of things. Kirk is missing for two weeks is declared dead and Spock made the captain, the new status quo lasts for a whole month and the senior staff is at each other’s throats.  We already seen this in the aforementioned episodes.  So, unless that is resolved then this should remain a good “what if” story.

Cover Art: What I said in the review of the first story: 

“The cover is beautiful.  You have the Enterprise flying in all its glory in the bottom center of the image.  Behind it looks like a space station built on an asteroid.  Flying above in the opposite direction is an unknown starship whose design I don’t recognize.”  

Final Grade: Final Grade 5 of 5