Name: The Klingon Gambit
Author: Robert E. Vardeman
Publication Date: 10/1981
Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #3)
Page Number: 158
Historian’s Note:
The story takes place after the third season of classic Star Trek and before the first season of Star Trek: 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 Candra
Avitts Lieutenant Kyle Lieutenant Patten Lieutenant Gordon Dr. Joseph M'Benga Nurse Christine Chapel Ensign Pavel Chekov Ensign Jenniver
Aristeides Chief Petty Officer Heather McConel Captain Kalan Lieutenant Kislath Dr. Threllvon-da
Thoron
Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701,
Vulcan Science Vessel T'pau, IKS Terror
Planets: Delta Canaris IV and Alnath II
My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is on a routine but exciting mission. They are around a strange planet, Delta Canaris IV, that on the outside resembles Jupiter, but interior scans show may contain life. These are the missions that people join Starfleet for. Unfortunately, they are called aways from that mission in order to deal with a crisis at the newly explored world, Alnath II. Here a scientist, an Andorian named Threllvon-da is leading an expedition into the mysteries of this planet. The world only has one very advanced pyramid structure on the surface. Leading the archeologist to believe there may be advanced underground cities beneath the surface. They were being transported and aided by the Vulcan Science Vessel, T’pau. However, Threllvon-da lost contact with the T’pau hence the distress call.
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| Science ship in trouble |
When the Enterprise gets there, they discover that the entire crew of T’pau are dead. The big mystery is how they died. There is no evidence of foul play or of a ship malfunction. There is also no trace of disease. All the bodies were peacefully in their beds. It was like they all got up and decided to go to bed to die. Although it doesn’t look like a murder, they soon get a murder suspect. Sensors pick up a Klingon vessel into orbit. The vessel is IKS Terror, a Klingon dreadnought, with enough fire power to make short work of the Enterprise. Spock notes that in order to directly oppose them they need one of Starfleet’s own dreadnoughts and the closest one wouldn’t arrive in time to defend them. They maintain their orbit so that they stay past the Klingons’ horizon to avoid detection. Their only hope would be to take them out in a sneak attack. Kirk instincts decide differently, and he elects to talk to the Klingons. Their conversation is unproductive with both sides claiming rights on the planet; however, it leads to no violence.
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| Klingons on the rise |
That is where things start to go sideways for the crew of the Enterprise. Lt. Kyle abandons his post to take up pottery, Scotty becomes obsessed with fixing warp engines that don’t need to be fixed, McCoy starts to hate all technology even his own medical equipment, and Chekov becomes trigger happy. The Enterprise isn’t alone in their struggles. Intercepted messages from the Terror to High Command indicate that the Klingon ship has had to put down a series of mutinies. This eliminates the Klingons as inventors of a new deadly weapon causing misbehavior in the crew.
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| Crew starts to get weird |
Things continue to pile up for the crew of the Enterprise. Spock’s primary assistant science officer, Lt. Avitts, starts to make known her feelings for him. That has happened before, what has not happened is Spock returns his feelings toward said crewmember. He really is feeling it for his assistant. On the bridge Chekov nearly lost it when they intercepted a message from the Klingon ship asking permission for an attack. He charges the weapons and is about to move on the Klingons without calling his Captain. Kirk rushes to the bridge, calms the situation, and relieves Chekov. For his actions Chekov is court-martialed. However, Spock points out all the strange things that have been going on and affecting the crew. It is logical to believe that Chekov is also affected, given his reputation as an outstanding officer. With Spock’s defense, Chekov’s charges are dismissed.
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| Chekov has a hard time keeping his nerves! |
Kirk meets with the Klingons on the
planet, not much progress was made but Kirk did learn from the meeting that the
Klingon captain, Kalan, was more interested in mineral mining rights and could
care less for archaeology, despite the fact that Threllvon-da has discovered
and entire underground city, Kalan couldn’t be less interested. Kalan’s first officer Kislath tries to kill
Kirk but is stopped by Chekov. (I bet
Kirk was now glad Chekov wasn’t found guilty.) Kalan will bring his rebellious first officer
back to his ship for punishment.
Kirk and most of the senior officers return to the ship. Suddenly, they are under attack from the Terror. Kislath managed to convince the crew he was in the right and has now taken the Klingon dreadnought over and decided to attack. Kirk has the Enterprise take evasive maneuvers, rather than engage with a ship where they are outgunned. Kirk contacts Kislath and challenges him to a duel. A Game of Thrones fan might recognize this strategy that Jamie Lannister tried against Rob Stark and Ramsey Bolton tried against Jon Snow: you’re facing odds which result in you most likely to lose so you challenge their leader to a personal fight where you might have the advantage. Kislath doesn’t have the wisdom of a Rob Stark or Ramsey Bolton and actually takes Kirk up on his offer.
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| What doesn't work for the Kingslayer works for the Captain of the Enterprise! |
Kislath beams down to the surface to face off against Kirk, the greatest fighter in the known galaxy with speed and grace that make others green with envy. He doesn’t even face Kirk alone the battle is a three-way with his old commanding officer Kalan. Kirk is able to play one against the other and ends up stunning both. Kalan is injured and has to go to the Enterprise for treatment.
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| Klingons don't fair well in fights against Kirk! |
Up on his ship Kirk is able to
negotiate with Kalan. The Federation and
the Klingon Empire will share the world.
Klingons will be allowed to mind the minerals while the Federation gets
to explore the archaeological finds. Kirk also agrees to give the Klingons
Kislath in exchange for the return of an artifact, a crystal taken from the
pyramid. Once the artifact is put back
into place sanity is restored everywhere.
Apparently, the technology of the crystal allowed the inhabitants to
make their wishes come true, so no waste was created to leave evidence of their
existence on the surface. As aliens, the
Enterprise crew, the Klingons, and the archaeology team, couldn’t handle
the mental energies and it made them act crazy. The threat is now over.
Additional thoughts: This story is somewhat special
for me for it’s the first Star Trek tale that came out in my lifetime, granted
I was only three months old so I couldn’t read it, but everything I reviewed on
this blog so far came out before I was born.
From now on everything that we cover came out while I was living and
breathing.
As my title says this is “The Naked Time” and “Day of the Dove” combined into one. The Enterprise enters the system to find that the Federation base/ship is filled with a dead crew. Investigations reveal that the dead crew was acting strangely before they died. Then the crew of the Enterprise start to act wild and crazy too. This makes them incapable of dealing with a big threat to the ship. They need to recover from this illness and save the ship. Sound familiar? The Enterprise must deal with a Klingon threat, while doing so things start to happen. At first, they think it is a new Klingon weapon, but it is soon discovered that the Klingons are being affected just as much. Finally, the two Captains need to see eye-to-eye in order to resolve the crisis. Yes, we have been here before.
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| This again! |
I didn’t like the idea of the Enterprise being so outgunned. It is fine when they encounter some strange new alien vessel, like Balok’s ship in “The Corbomite Maneuver.” It is not so fine among their contemporaries like the Klingons. Now I know Dreadnoughts were mentioned in “The Technical Manual,” but in the classic series, Kirk talks about Starfleet only having twelve ships like the Enterprise and mentions that the ship’s loss would jeopardize the security of an entire section of the Federation. However here they are incapable of facing this Klingon ship in a fair fight and that really strikes me as wrong. Also, a slight minor issue, I don’t know why the author phonically spelled out Scotty’s accent but not Chekov’s, that just seemed weird. The author also forgets Klingons have disruptors not phasers.
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| It makes since for the Enterprise to be outgunned here! |
I thought the end was too easily
resolved. The Klingons just gave up,
went home, and gave back the crystal. It
made sense, unlike the ending of “Day of the Dove.” However, I think the author should have stuck
to the dramatic endings like in “The Naked Time.” On a side note, I did enjoy
the Chief McConel gambling side story, I thought it was funny.
Should it be canon: Yes, I don’t see any reason the
story shouldn’t be in canon. The only
thing that would have to be addressed is the “Enterprise can’t fight
certain ships problem.”
Cover Art: The cover features the IKS Terror flying
in orbit around Alnath II. The ship is
the center of the cover while the planet is to the bottom left. Despite being a
Dreadnought, it doesn’t look any different than the K't'inga-class battle
cruiser.
Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5
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