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
