PEACE AS A DISEASE

 

Name: Perry’s Planet

Author: Jack C. Haldeman II

Publication Date: 2/1980

Publisher: Bantam Books

Page Number: 132

Historian’s Note:  Takes place sometime between The Counter-Clock Incident and The Motion Picture

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 Martin Larousse                Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      Ensign Alan Huff              Ensign Wade Moody            Ensign Nason         Crewman Bischoff             Crewman Kukar                 Crewman Shaw                          Commodore Larry Propp              Dr. Kelly Davis                   Commander Karol                    Priest Kirl                    Captain Wayne Perry                          Ami                     Dawn                   Joan        Jon         Mika          Rus

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, USS Potemkin NCC-1657, USS Phoenix NCC-625, one unnamed Klingon K't'inga-class ship

Planets: Tombstone, Waycross, Perry

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is delivering medical supplies and personnel to the planet Waycross.  They are long overdue for tune-up for the ship and leave for the crew. The dilithium crystals need to be swapped out and the crew is on edge.  McCoy is really concerned for the ship’s mental health.  So, this is the worst time for an attack and that is exactly what happens. Coming from seemingly nowhere, a Klingon warship attacks the Enterprise.  They manage to fight back and drive them off, but before the Klingons leave the two ships make contact and communicate with each other on screen.  The Klingon commander is named Karol, and he is here to avenge his dead brother, Khall.  Khall was killed by Kirk in a physical fight on unseen adventure.  Karol has sworn the Klingon Blood Oath.  This means he will stop at anything to get Kirk.  His likely hood of doing it is high with this new technology.  More than a cloaking device, this technology renders the ship undetectable to a Federation starship’s sensors until it is too late, and the attack has begun.  Kirk may have fought him off now but soon he will look to strike again. 

Attacked by the Klingons

Things go from bad to worse when a transporter accident causes an explosion on the ship.  Some are killed and several are injured.  Among the injured is Dr. Kelly Davis, a brilliant surgeon that was headed to help at Waycross.  Investigation reveals that it was Klingon sabotage, using their new technology they were able to get onboard without anyone knowing about it.  It also reveals that the crew should have caught the sabotage in time, but that overwork and exhaustion prevented it.

They bury their dead and get to Waycross to drop off supplies and personnel.  Dr. Davis is too injured to be moved from the ship’s sickbay so she will be staying.  The Enterprise is now looking to head to the nearest Starbase 6 for some needed repairs and R & R.  However, the USS Phoenix shows up with Commodore Propp in command, to deliver a message to Captain Kirk.  They have a new assignment, a colony that was established by a long-lost generation ship, has been found and they wish to join the Federation.  Starfleet wants its best man, and that is James Kirk, to handle the negotiations.  Kirk protests citing the needs of his ship.  The Commodore says they are aware of the problems that the Enterprise is facing, but this mission is far too important, so they are sending them there anyway.

You're too important, you have to go!

  

Kirk organizes a landing party consisting of himself, Spock, McCoy, and a few security officers.  When they arrive, they are greeted by local pages of the colony’s governing council.  No one, on a planet without transporter technology, seems the slightest bit surprised that a number of people just appeared out of thin air.  They are brought to the Council where it has a feeling of local town council and not a planetary government.  Everyone is on a first name basis.  Kirk explains what the Federation is all about, the Council receives it positively, let’s them know that the people will have to vote on it, before going to Captain Wayne Perry for final approval.  Captain Perry was the leader who led the generational ship from the Earth.  Conversation with Council makes it clear that this is same person not a descendant.  They are granted an audience with Captain Perry, who seems friendly enough, and he tells them that they have had the ability to monitor their communications but not to contact them.  Perry seems quite interested in joining the Federation.  However, as the leave Spock has some new information.  He has discovered that Captain Perry is not real.

Kirk meets council

 Despite the weirdness of Captain Perry, the planet is quiet, and the people are welcoming.  Kirk and McCoy decide it’s time for some shore leave and start sending down parties.  This planet doesn’t use money so everything is free for the crew to enjoy.  Dr. Kelly Davis, now recovered from her earlier injuries, makes friends with Lt. Uhura and the two explore the planet together.  They find the people nice if not a bit naïve.  For example, they think it’s perfectly normal for Captain Perry to have been alive for over 300 years, because he is their ruler and rulers are different.  They give off the impression of children whose parents keep replacing the family dog every time they lose one and telling the children that it is the same dog.  There are no law enforcement people because there is no violence at all.  There is one big exception, Uhura and Davis notice a woman being dragged away with force by a man.  Uhura wants to get help, but Davis thinks it might be an odd mating ritual, since no one around seems to be concerned.

Uhura gets captured!

Later Sulu gets into an intense argument with another crew member and faints.  When he recovers, he doesn’t even remember what happened.  And even though he was in a local place none of the natives were aware of what had happened to him.  When they get him back to the Enterprise they try to test him and when he faints and loses memory after another confrontation they know they have a serious problem.  Kirk goes to confront Perry.  Perry explains that violence is very bad, and they have worked to remove it from their society as its evil cannot be justified.  Kirk, who thinks sometimes you need to be a little violent after all it can be a nasty universe.  Elsewhere Uhura and Davis are kidnapped by an unknown group.

Sulu can't feel any negative emotion

The Klingons arrived in the sector, but they were targeting it for different reasons, resources, when they came upon the Enterprise.  Stunned to see Karol’s archnemesis, they attacked.  The Enterprise crew raised the shields and evaded, but neither Scotty nor anyone under his command could go near the weapon controls.  Kirk tries to use his communicator but finds he can’t give an offensive order.  He and Spock confront Perry, who now reveals his plan.  He created a society where only peace can exist.  Once exposed to this virus, of their creation, no one can be violent again.  Just has he created the prefect society here soon they will spread this nice disease.  Kirk points out that you are taking an important trait that makes them fully human, more immediately you are removing their ability to defend themselves and they are right now attacked by Klingons.  Perry says he knows that there will be sacrifices.  Spock then points out that his whole plan is flawed anyway because his virus isn’t perfect some are immune who have been shunned by your society and forced to live as outcasts.  However, they exist by preying on the settlement with impunity because there is nothing anyone can do to stop them.  When Perry tries to say they will go away Spock counters that mathematically the more the virus spreads the number of immunes will grow, with maybe entire species as immunes, this would make the infected easy prey for an aggressor.  Perry gets annoyed and leaves.  

As the one space battle rages, Scotty comes up with a plan that will earn him glory and humiliate the Klingons.  Feigning helplessness, as the Klingon ship goes in for the kill, Scotty lowers the shields and beams right on to the Klingon bridge.  They are now all infected with the nice virus and can no longer act aggressively without passing out.  This allows Scott to walk around their ship with the Klingons being able to do anything.  Scotty takes the new sensor-cloaking device so Starfleet can develop countermeasures and beams right back.

Enterprise under attack!

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy find the hideout of the immunes.  McCoy is able to knock one out—because in his head giving a hypo is treating not attacking so the nice virus can’t stop him—now with some of his DNA he can get back to the ship and try to develop a cure.  Uhura and Davis, having escaped from their confinement join up with the three other officers.  McCoy, Uhura, and Davis head back up to the Enterprise, with Davis providing an additional doctor brain to help find a cure.  

The narrative suddenly shifts, and we get the point of view of Rus, we learn from him there is a third group besides the Villagers and the Immune.  These people are immune but choose to keep their emotions under control and the fact that they can use violence a secret as they continue to live among the villagers.  A life with family and predictability is preferred to that of a raider.

Kirk and Spock explore the underground facility more and they discover the chamber that contains the ancient wheezing body of the real Captain Perry.  He has been hooked to this machine for most of the last three centuries.  The Perry they have been in conflict with is a composite of the original Perry and the ship’s computer.  The fake Perry shows up and armed with a phaser he uses this to blackmail Spock.  Perry threatens to kill Kirk unless Spock allows him to assimilate Spock’s mind into the machine, giving him access to Spock’s intelligence and reasoning.  Since they can’t go on offense Spock chooses to comply. This turns out to be a mistake for the fake Perry for once he has Spock hooked up to machine, Spock’s essence reaches out to the essence of the real Perry. 

Now Perry decides to kill Kirk, but he is stopped by Rus, who has now entered the room.  Attacked both internally and externally the fake Perry crumbles.  Spock is restored and the real Perry has now died after centuries of agony being hooked to the machine.  Returning to the ship, Kirk finds McCoy who is singing the praises of Davis for having cracked the cure.

Having been cured, Kirk beams onto the Klingon ship to tell Karol what a loser he thinks he is, and that his brother was way better Klingon. Kirk leaves and the Klingon Priest informs the Commander of the High Command’s decision to remove him for his disastrous failure.

The Federation is going to send professional help to the people of Perry’s Planet now that they are cured of the nice virus.   

Additional thoughts: At first this story reminded me a little of the first Star Trek novel Mission to Horatius, with the human colony ships that set up societies outside the Federation, all of which took a bizarre twist.  This book also shows what Star Trek novels can really do.  It’s a self-contained story where the crew encounters an alien civilization—even though its human—they go on adventure and at the end of the story all the main characters are back on the ship where they started.  However, unlike a traditional episode the omniscience narrator allows the reader to get inside the heads of the crew in a way live action could not.  An example would be Scotty’s internal monologue as he defeated the Klingons using the nice virus. 

It is also interesting that this is the first work published after the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, not counting the novelization.  The author probably had no idea what the movie was to be about when writing this, but it does show that fans were still interested in stories from that original five-year mission.  Another interesting aspect about this version is how it is the first to show us some of the warrior culture that classic series only hinted about.  Especially the concept of the “blood oath” that Klingons may swear to partake in to avenge a lost relation. 

I thought it was interesting the Kirk and the Enterprise were hurt because of Kirk’s reputation. The Enterprise is limping and running on fumes, while the crew are all about to collapse with exhaustion.  Starfleet knows about this but doesn’t care, because they have an important mission, and they want their best man on the job.  In worked out in this case, it was good to have Kirk and his crew here, but really Starfleet had to rethink its priorities.  On the face of it this was a small colony of humans thinking about joining the Federation, why do they need the Enterprise?  Given these original mission parameters this hardly justifies pulling a starship that was in desperate need of a tune up.   The Enterprise will never get a break at this rate, as Starfleet can’t tell the difference between a critical and non-critical assignment.  Kirk should have told the Commodore that he was in a ship not broken, so he should do it himself.  

So, the local villagers on Perry’s Planet have their scarves to identify what area of expertise their jobs are assigned.  The leadership wears gold and the scientists wear blue.  That seems very familiar.  It is interesting, separated culturally for 300 years different groups of humans came up with the same uniform color codes.  The Villagers appear at first like they will be great for the Federation: they are peaceful devoid of all conflict, and they don’t use money.  We’re still a few years and movies away from that becoming a Federation trait. (I say breaking my rule of never mentioning future Star Trek in my reviews.  This is the only exception I promise.)

Then there is the Immune culture.  Those who were the Immunes found themselves as outcasts for their ability to use violence.  They are forced to live outside the village but in a short time found themselves with the advantage of being able to go on offence and the Villagers can’t do anything about it.  If they want to eat something they steal food from a Villager, they want a coat, they take one off a Villager, and if they want sex, they rape a Villager.  The Villagers can’t defend themselves, can’t remember attacks on them, and can’t even see attacks on others.  To the Immunes the Villagers have become just objects for use.  The only exception to this is the Immunes who are able to hide themselves within the Villagers by suppressing their emotions.

Perry wanting to plug Spock into the system reminded me a lot “Spock’s Brain.” The only difference here is Spock told Perry right up front how stupid and dangerous his plan is.  Like the last time once Spock is in the system, he is able to turn the tables on his captor.   Captain Perry also reminded me of Landru from “The Return of the Archons.”  Like before, a computer program was created by an inventor to help their people.  However, that program assumed the creator’s identity and decided to directly rule the people under its ideas of a perfect society.  In both cases there was a section of society that was immune and could resist the directive.  The only difference is Fake Perry kept the real Perry alive, and Landru had figured out how to use a controlled release to get rid of bottled-up emotions.

Remember Landru!

McCoy was able to knock out an Immune with a hypo because he said that he views it as medical treatment and not an offensive attack.  I was wondering the whole time if you could somehow trick the virus into doing what you wanted it to do. My idea was to program the computer so that when you wanted to fire weapons you would see little hearts and sunflowers as opposed to phasers and photon torpedoes.  Therefore, you wouldn’t be going on offense you would be spreading love.

The best part of this book was Scotty getting his win over the Klingons.  Scotty might not want to be a captain, but he was a great one here. Using the virus against the Klingons was brilliant.  I thought that might be possible, but I thought it would require a surrender first, Scotty did in the middle of the fight.  He makes sure the shields are down before he beams over, and when he does Scotty the Klingons new weapon with him.

Should it be canon: Yes, I think this would a good one for Star Trek canon.  It is a complete story that doesn’t play into or contradict anything else in the franchise. 

Cover Art: The cover features both Kirk and Scotty’s faces looking forward.  The images imposed on top of another image of what I am assuming is the Klingon ship’s bridge or maybe it’s an underground laboratory.  So that is either Perry or Karol looking on the viewscreen.

Final Grade: Final Grade 4 of 5