KIRK, A KIRK CLONE, AND SOME CHAOS

 

Name: The Price of the Phoenix  

Authors: Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath

Publication Date: 7/1977

Publisher: Bantam Books

Page Number: 182

Historian’s Note:  Sometime between The Counter-Clock Incident and The Motion Picture

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk and James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”        Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Dr. Joseph M'Benga            Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      The Romulan Fleet Commander       Subcommander Tal            Omne

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, a small fleet of unnamed Romulan ships consisting of Birds of Prey and D7-Rs

Planets: Omne’s planet

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The story begins with the reported death of Captain Kirk.  We learn that the Enterprise was invited here by the ruler, named Omne, of this small planet.  Omne is an odd fellow his whole planet looks like something out of the wild west and he himself is a rather large humanoid.  In addition to being tall and human-looking, he has blue blood, and has strength to rival a Vulcan.  Politically he is very anti-Federation because he thinks they are hypocrites who interfere with other planets despite having a prime directive that tells them otherwise.  To prove his point, he arranged a woman and her baby to die in house fire knowing Kirk would try to save them.  Kirk does and is killed. From this point on Spock and the rest of the crew regard Omne as an outright murderer. 

Their Captain is dead, or so they think.

When Spock returns to the planet, he runs into the Romulan Fleet Commander who they robbed and kidnapped in “The Enterprise Incident.”  The good Commander is apparently over what happed back then and is very sympathetic to Spock’s situation.  Although she is representing her government is doesn’t trust this Omne character either.  As soon as they meet Omne, Spock gets right into how much of creep he thinks he is.  Omne tries to argue with Spock a little but Spock rejects any attempt to put any spin on Kirk’s death.  To Spock Omne is Captain Kirk’s murderer end of story. 

She's back!

That is when things get weird.  Omne takes them to a new room with Captain Kirk laying right there buck naked on the table.  Spock quickly checks with the ship to see if there is any doubt to the body they brought on board and McCoy tells him there is none.  Things get stranger when this Kirk wakes up clearly recognizes Spock, Omne, and the Fleet Commander. Omne explains that this new Kirk is a clone of the one who just died and has all of his memories save for the death itself.  Kirk starts asking questions about his supposed demise.  Omne explains that the new Kirk is his property.  Kirk says he doesn’t think he is a copy but even if he was, he was still a person and he cannot be anyone’s property.  Omne clearly thinks differently but he is going to allow Spock to rescue the new Kirk if Spock agrees to help him.  Omne wants Spock to denounce the Federation and use his family’s resources to split Vulcan away from it. 

Omne is hoping that Spock will tap into that T'Pau power to break up the Federation

While Spock and Omne are arguing the Fleet Commander and the Kirk clone—now clothed—explore the maze of tunnels that the underground complex is made of and there they find another Captain Kirk.  This one is dressed in his Starfleet uniform but it is damaged.  The damage was caused by fire.  We then learn that this is the real Kirk and the dead Kirk was an unfinished clone.  Kirk handles the fact that he has been duplicated rather well.  To be fair it is not the first time.

Kirk gets used to this happening

The real Kirk is eventually brought back to Omne and the two threaten each other and fight.  The fight has no resolution, despite that Kirk is the greatest fighter in the known galaxy, he finds his attacks useless against Omne’s alien Vulcan like strength and he feels in the disadvantaged position for most of the fight.  Spock comes in to relive the Captain in the fight.  Finally, the two Kirks, Spock, and the Romulan Fleet Commander escape from Omne.  Once free the four discuss what to do with this planet when they get back.  Spock and the Romulan Commander thinks it should be destroyed as it’s not a real culture just Omne and his friends causing trouble.  Kirk is actually the most merciful of the group in calling for less destruction.

The four individuals are rescued by the Enterprise.  The Fleet Commander sends a message to Subcommader Tal that she is a guest and not a prisoner.   The clone Kirk is now calling himself “James” and they have to make plans for what to do with him.  It is decided that it is critical that the galaxy not know that there are now two James T. Kirks.  For that would allow the universe to gain knowledge of the Omne technology and it might lead to many conflicts between the powers. So Fleet Commander invites James to come live in the Romulan Star Empire with her.  They can alter him to make him look like a Romulan and she can pass him off as princeling from one of the Romulan subject planets.  Basically, James is going to live as kept man of the Fleet Commander.  The two apparently became fond of each other on the planet. 

It turns out that Omne has a superlong range transporter and shows up on the Enterprise. He has come to collect his property which he sees as James. They all fight again and at one-point Omne grabs James and holds a weapon to his head.  They are at a standstill until Scotty beams the weapon out of his hand, and Kirk kills him.  However, his body is transported away apparently from a device he had on him to trigger such an event if he were killed. So given his ability to clone and some hints may have been cloned at one point anyway, there may be an Omne still out there.

Additional thoughts: This was an entertaining but often confusing story.  Especially, once you get to the two Kirks it becomes hard to follow when the two of them interact.  What is up with writers always wanting to duplicate the characters?  It almost like its and addiction.  We have evil Kirk, Robot Kirk, a whole universe of duplicates, giant Spock, two written stories of multiple Spocks, and now a clone Kirk.  What is interesting is that the clone survives.  When we first met the clone, I thought he was the real one and the dead Kirk was fake.  It turns out I was only half right.  Even when we meet the real Kirk, I thought for sure it was going to be discovered that “James” was real and one in the Starfleet uniform was fake.  I thought he would sacrifice himself somehow by the end of the story.  However, I was wrong both counts as Kirk and his clone both make it out fine.

How did we get so friendly with the Romulans?  Last I checked we were still enemies.  Also, the Romulan Fleet Commander was really nice to her former rivals.  You would think she would be mad the way Spock had played on her feelings so he and Kirk could steal her new cloaking device.  However, throughout the story she is warm and friendly to both of them. She is not a reluctant ally but a genuine friend to her former captors. 

Forgotten all the hurt she felt!

The long-term plans for the duplicate Kirk really do not make any sense.  Why can’t they let the universe know there are two Kirks?  Just reassign one to command a different starship, problem solved.  Either that or have the two of them time share, don’t see them as two people just view it as Captain Kirk now has the power to be in two places at once.  Any solution would be better than the one they came up with.  That solution is really weird.  The duplicate is surgically altered to appear Romulan, and becomes the live-in companion for the Romulan Fleet Commander. So, you are going to let a brain with all the knowledge of Captain Kirk (just think of the Starfleet secrets and technological knowledge) and have him go live in the Romulan Star Empire.  What if the two powers come into conflict again?  The only objection that is even voiced is by Captain Kirk who doesn’t like the idea of his duplicate being a Romulan consort because he considers that normal role of female.  (I am not kidding this actually spoken about.)  I am sorry but no.  They should all have more sense than that.

The threat of Omne seemed to go away rather quickly. They were seemingly all under his power trying to escape him but then they do and get back to the Enterprise.  Then he appears using his super transporter and is seemingly killed by Captain Kirk.  His transported back and after discussing how it happened and if he has already arranged himself to be cloned, our heroes just shrug their shoulders and go about their day. 

I have talked in the past how I don’t care much for ‘Spirk’ theories.  This is mostly because I don’t like when two men seem to show any type of affection for each other there is always someone who seems to shout they must be gay!  It reminds me of middle school.  That and the fact that Shatner, Nimoy, Roddenberry, Fontana, etc. always stated there was nothing like that between them, it makes it odd for people to continue to insist that there was.  However, I don’t like it but that doesn’t mean I hate it and I understand that for some fans its and important part of their fandom.  Also, there are some moments when I see where they may be getting this.  In the episode Mudd’s Passion, for example.  This book itself is full of Spirk moments.  The way Spock goes on about Kirk’s “death” and his utter hatred for Omne really gives the vibe of something else being there.  Also, when clone Kirk wakes up, he sees Omne and thinks he might be in Hell, then turns to see Spock and decides he might be in Heaven.       

Should it be canon: To be honest I am not sure, I think we need to find out what is the deal with the other Kirk long-term? 

Cover Art: On the cover is Mr. Spock standing sideways with his head turned toward the viewer. Right in front of him and off the left corner of the viewer’s left is the Romulan Fleet Commander.  An image of Captain Kirk is to the right of the viewer.  In the image the Captain appears unconscious and he is in front of some device that I can’t make out what it is. 

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5

 

SUPER RELIGIOUS AND HYPER CRAZY SPOCK VS. THE CREW OF THE ENTERPRISE

Name: Spock, Messiah!

Authors: Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano Jr.

Publication Date: 11/1976

Publisher: Bantam Books

Page Number: 182

Historian’s Note:  After the book Spock Must Die and before the episode More Tribbles More Trouble

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk         Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”        Lieutenant  Commander Pulaski         Lieutenant  Commander Helman       Lieutenant  Commander Dobshansky                           Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Lieutenant Kyle         Lieutenant Leslie        Dr. Joseph M'Benga         Lieutenant Vitali              Lieutenant Rogers         Lieutenant Peters          Lieutenant Dawson      Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      Ensign Sara George               Ensign Shaffer       Chag Gara       Ker Kaseme            Greth

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Kyros

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is exploring a new planet with a civilization that I would say is on the cusp of an industrial revolution but I am not sure.  What makes this mission unique is they will be testing out this new equipment called: telescan cephalic implants.  These implants link the user up with a native member of the planet.  How they select the native profiles and link their implants to them is never explained.  Nevertheless, the one with the implant links with a native, who is referred to as their ‘dop.’  Once impacted they implantee has access to their dop’s mind and memories.  Now this strikes me as criminally invasive breach of privacy, but it is part of this story.  Almost right away these devices start to cause problems, particularly Ensign Sara George whose ‘dop’ is a stripper/hooker and the young officer finds herself trying to seduce people particularly Mr. Spock.  

A problem develops as it is discovered that radiation from a distant star is entering the solar system.  Kirk recalls all the landing parties back to the ship.  Spock however is still missing. Eventually a crewman finds a message written by Spock.  When Kirk reads the message and it is clear that Spock has gone off the deep end. It appears that the local ‘dop’ that Spock is connected to is some sort of religious fanatic named Chag Gara, who calls himself “the Messiah.”  Instead of Spock being able to access his mind Gara’s madness has allowed him to take over Spock’s.  Spock is now going to carry out the mission of the Messiah.  Now the planet’s atmosphere provides shielding from the radiation.  The Enterprise could leave and then collect Spock later. However, Spock when he was last on the ship stole the dilithium crystals.  Now they can barely maintain orbit and will die either by radiation poisoning or by crashing into the planet.

The Enterprise may fall to its doom!!

Kirk investigates how this could happen to Spock and ultimately finds it was Ensign George who was also really affect by her lady-of-the-night dop, concluded that Spock needed this jolt of emotion.  Normally, Ensign George is very Vulcan-like but her dop made her super sexy so she thought Spock would like a taste.  Kirk concludes that like Spock, George can’t be held responsible for her own actions.  However, he and Dr. McCoy now feel she can control it. 

The landing party of Kirk, McCoy, Chekov, and George beam down to the planet.  George tries to seduce her way to Char Gara but Spock has already arrived to remove his dop from potential Starfleet hands.  It turns out that the Enterprise can easily replicate this culture’s currency.  As such, they quickly use it to establish some corruptions for the sake of preserving the Prime Directive. (Yes, that doesn’t make that much sense but I think what they are trying to do is minimize the cultural damage.  Some corruption won’t alter the culture while a crazy Spock establishing a theocracy will.)

Sneaking around trying to save Spock

  

Having missed their earlier chance, they need to find a way to get close to the crazy Spock hybrid.  The landing party runs into a disgraced healer named Ker Kaseme, who apparently lost his job for some “me too” reasons.  The landing party befriends him and as such they use their resources to restore him to his place as community healer so they can use his contacts to try and get a hold of Spock.    This almost works as the now no-longer-disgraced healer gets them close to “the Messiah.”  However, “the Messiah” manages to do some verbal arm twisting and has Sulu fly the Enterprise out over sky allowing him to tell the people of “the miracle.”  Surrounded by adoring crowds the landing party is now endangered and must try to save themselves and pass on returning Spock to the ship.

Fortunately, Scotty beams them up in time.  They lick their wounds and McCoy orders Kirk to bed. All the landing party, but Ensign George, switch dops and are now skilled sailors called Beshwa.  In addition to being sailors the Beshwa are different from most others in Kyrosian society in terms of dress and culture and that makes it easier for them to be “strange” around other people.  They beam back down and the purchase a boat to help them sail where they need to go.  This lasts only a short while until they are captured by a group of raiders working for the Messiah.  The group was ordered to kill any outsider they find, but the landing party avoids this by McCoy convincing their leader, named Tram Bir that he can save his son, a young man named Alt.  Alt is grateful for McCoy saving his life, and realizing his father’s ways quickly performs a ceremony to make them blood brothers. Now as members of the tribe they can’t be harmed.  Nevertheless, one named Greth tried to rape Sara George and Chekov intervenes.  They now have to fight a duel that results in Chekov being killed.  McCoy is able to revive him making Greth into a fool.

Spock now dangerous 

Tram Bir is taking his tribe to meet the Messiah but George can’t come because she is a woman.  This is when Ensign George taps into her drop, puts on the Orion Slave girl music from “The Cage,” and performs an erotic strip tease to bring the house down.  Kirk convinces Tram Bir to introduce her to the Messiah.

They arrive in the area of the Messiah and it is arranged for young sexy Ensign to dance for him.  George plans to use a nullifier to break the connection between Spock and Char Gara.  This fails as the Messiah was onto them.  Now captured Kirk must deal with the crazy Spock, who is wearing a mask following the Kyrosian custom.  If Kirk were talking to a computer, he could have talked him into suicide, however crazy Spock isn’t a computer but instead he is Spock’s intelligence under control of a zealot. So, the landing party is sentenced to be burned to death.

Just before sentence is to be carried out the real Spock comes to the rescue.  It turns out that the device they were testing backfired. Instead of Spock being able to use Gara’s brain it went the other way around.  Spock was so overwhelmed by Gara’s madness that he became immobilized.  So instead of Gara’s brain controlling Spock’s body he was now the dop and Gara could now use his knowledge and intelligence. George found him when she escaped Gara and slapped the nullifier on this wrist making him go free.  Spock was then able to end the revolution and expose the Messiah as a fraud. They had back to the ship and the adventure was over.

 

Additional thoughts: Of all the Star Trek characters Spock is probably the one who has had his head messed with the most.  He gets infected by spores, has his body taken over by evil aliens, has his brain stolen, duplicated by aliens, had his existence erased, split in two, and had to go do his childhood rite of passage as an adult.  Why can’t we just let Spock be Spock?

Okay these telescan cephalic implants are really weird not to mention evasive.  I mean don’t the locals have any rights to not have their brains invaded by space aliens.  Why would Starfleet ever think this was okay? Spock and Char Gara may have done everyone a favor with this adventure.  Having a Starfleet officer almost allow a crazy local to take over the planet is clearly not in the Prime Directive’s best interest.  We can successfully say that this experiment was a total failure.

Getting his mind taken over is just one of those things that happens to Spock

One of the things I liked about this book is how they demonstrated different shifts or “watches.” It is always good to remember that the Enterprise is a starship with over four hundred crew members. There is more to the crew than just the main cast.  Yes, I understand why a show needs to focus on its cast but it’s always good to see the books take advantage of their medium.  Also, Spock’s assistant chief science officer was the highest ranking one we have seen, a lieutenant commander.  In fact, there were quite a few lieutenant commanders in this book.  I did think that was odd. I would normally expect for such officers to be heading their own departments on another starship instead of serving as deputies here.  Maybe these are new promotions and they are all awaiting new assignments.

I do have a problem in this book with the authors at times not seeming to understand the characters and their relationships with one another.  There is a scene where Scotty objects to Sulu being left in command.  Why?  He has been left in command many times in the past, and is considered to be somewhat good at it.  Maybe Scotty is concerned about all these other lieutenant commanders getting shafted?  However, it doesn’t follow his normal behavior.  There was one bit of characterization I did enjoy was, after Scotty rescued them with transporting them back to the ship, before they return Dr. McCoy forces Captain Kirk to take a nap.  The best part is Kirk actually complies.  I suppose he must have been tired.

I did like the references to the book Spock Must Die. Granted it wasn’t my favorite story but I like the idea of all Star Trek authors reading each other’s material so a consistent narrative in terms of continuity can be backed up. However, considering how messed up that previous book left the state of the Klingon Empire, maybe it should be unmentioned until unless they find away to explain how the ending came undone.

So, I am the only one who objected to our fearless crew reinstalling a disgraced healer who probably lost job for cause? I mean I realize they are in a desperate situation but really show some respect for local government.  I also did not like when they misspelled “dilithium” as “trilithium” unless the authors are trying to claim the Enterprise upgraded.

Now for my last point.  It is no secret that Star Trek as a franchise likes to sexualize its characters, especially *but not all* the female characters.  The franchise’s sexualized characters are James Kirk from the classic series, Deanna Troi from The Next Generation, Seven of Nine from Voyager, T’Pol of Enterprise, and Chris Pike in Strange New Worlds.  Sexualizing its characters is just as much a part of Star Trek as exploring strange new worlds, having epic space battles, and deep social commentary from the point of view of an alien analogy.  This doesn’t bother me; in fact, I rather like it most of the time.  However, Ensign Sara George is the kinkiest character surpassing even the famous Yeoman Barrows from “Shore Leave,” and it goes way too far.  I think the authors had to have a crush on a girl in their chemistry class in college or high school who the based the science chick on.  She is almost Vulcan-like until she gets the stripper dop.  The only woman on the landing party and her only job is to arouse people with her dances that go down to the fully nude.  Again, its too much anyone who told me they were offended by this book I wouldn’t blame them.  

Not the kinkest character is Trek anymore!

Should it be canon: I don’t know.  I guess it depends. I don’t really like the book, but I don’t like “The Paradise Syndrome” and “Turnabout Intruder.”  Those last two are clearly canon.  The book is a nice self-contained story in the spirt of the classic series.  Even the introduction of the telescan cephalic implants doesn’t hurt anything because Starfleet clearly would have labeled it a failure after this experiment. Kind of like the psycho-tricorder from “The Wolf in the Fold.” It does however connect with Spock Must Die that does have some standing continuity issues.  

Cover Art: The cover is rather interesting.  In the front you have Spock with his arms crossed standing in front of an image of planet that has both the USS Enterprise in orbit and a red haze surrounding it. I think the red haze is supposed to represent the radiation cloud that is coming for the planet in the story.

Final Grade: Final Grade 2 of 5

 

SPOCK’S LOVE POEM

 

Name: Star Trek: The New Voyages – Story 9 “Sonnet from the Vulcan: Omicron Ceti III”

Author: Shirley Meech  

Publication Date: 3/1976

Publisher: Bantam Books

Page Number: 1

Historian’s Note: Sometime during the episode “This Side of Paradise”   

Cast of Characters:  Lieutenant Commander Spock              Leila Kalomi      

Starships and/or Starbases: none

Planets: Earth, Omicron Ceti III

My Spoiler filled summary and review: This section is just a single poem that follows:

I thought the memory of you was gone----

I thought it buried underneath the years.

But now, it rises, bright as Vulcan dawn,

And I remember you, and Earth, and tears.

 

Your tears were falling like the rains of Earth;

You were the storms and roses of Earth's spring.

You could not know that, almost from my birth

The rites of Vulcan bound me to T'Pring.

 

I could not break those ties; I had no choice---

Returned to space, left you and Earth behind.

But still I heard the echo of your voice,

Found the rain and wind and roses in my mind.

 

You told me that you loved me, and you cried.

I said I had no feelings. And I lied.

Additional thoughts: There is something that I need to confess right away.  I am both poetry deaf and dance blind. If I watch a “poetry jam” or a dance competition, I cannot tell you why one poem or dance is better than the other.  I can be moved by words and impressed with feats of well-choreographed athleticism, but I cannot distinguish what makes one performance better or more moving than another.   So, I won’t be commenting on stanzas or structure but I will comment just on the Star Trek content alone.

                So on to the Star Trek content.  This poem clearly takes place during the episode “This Side of Paradise.” It deals with Spock’s reaction to seeing Leila Kalomi for the first time since they broke up back on Earth.  Now the poem does not make any mention of the main part of the story, that Leila and her colony were infected with parasitic spores that killed all their ambition and made them want to stay on the planet and never do anything. Spock and most the crew were infected as well until Captain Kirk found a cure by making anyone effected mad, thereby killing the parasite. No, this is just about the romance both old and new.

Leila, the girl who Mr. Spock feel in love

                Since this is also written years after the series the poem has some hindsight and is able to include later Star Trek lore to explore the romance.  It directly confronts the fact that Spock’s relationship with Leila means that he was cheating on T’Pring!  Now this episode was written in the first season where “Amok Time” is written in the second.  Thus, we see an earlier example of the trouble with retcons.  When Jerry Sohl and Dorothy C. Fontana sat down to write this episode T’Pring, as a character did not exist.  When Theodore Sturgeon wrote “Amok Time” he, perhaps unintentionally, cast some unexpected shade onto the earlier story.  So, in the poem deals with Spock’s unseen conflict between duty with his intended or seeking the love of his life.

T'Pring and her Man-friend

                The last lines of the poem deal with Spock telling Leila that he has no feelings, which as the poem notes is a lie.  Vulcans have feelings they just control them.  As I explained before Spock identifies and wants to be seen as a Vulcan, and he associates with humans because they make him feel validated and seen to be Vulcan.  His fellow Vulcans always make reference to his human side that causes Spock embarrassment.  Now while on Earth he falls for a human.  It happened to his own full Vulcan father, that is why he exists, so falling for a human doesn’t make him any less Vulcan.  However, for him to be in a relationship with a human to the point he set aside his own Vulcan intended, would almost be as if he stood out in the middle of the Vulcan Science Council and publicly renounced his Vulcanhood. He can’t leave T’Pring for Leila because he would forever forfeit the recognition he desires from his own people. 

Tormented since a child!

                Now I have always hated T’Pring due to her actions in “Amok Time.” When the two episodes are forced to be compared together her actions can be seen in a different light.  She may have cheated on Spock with Stonn, but Spock had hardly been faithful to her.  I will point out I still think lowly of T’Pring.  Not because of the cheating, but what she did in regards to Spock and Kirk.  Spock may have faults but he didn’t try to put T’Pring in a situation where she was either forced to kill her best friend or die. Between the two of them Spock took the high ground and proved to be the better person, however when the other person is T’Pring being the better person isn’t hard.

Made to fight to the death, the Captain loses but he gets better!

Should it be canon: I actually don’t see any part of it that isn’t already canon.

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 4 of 5

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

 

THE CREW OF THE ENTERPRISE CHASE BUTTERFLIES

 

Name: Star Trek: The New Voyages – Story 7 “The Winged Dreamers”

Author: Jennifer Guttridge, with an introduction by DeForest Kelley  

Publication Date: 3/1976

Publisher: Bantam Books

Page Number: 37

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 Langely        Lieutenant Kyle         Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      Crewman Caros Durban                 unnamed security guards      

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, unnamed shuttlecraft

Planets: unnamed planet

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is exploring a strange new world. It is a M-Class planet, right in its star’s goldilocks zone. Yet, no intelligent life has developed on the planet.  As they walk along the planet’s surface this little fact has the trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy confused. In a short while Kirk and McCoy head back to the ship via the transporter, Spock stays behind to supervise things on the surface.

Just exploring the planet!

                At this point members of the crew start to hallucinate.  Their dreams seem to be manifesting in reality.  Forty of them suddenly stop reporting in and go missing.  When Captain Kirk becomes aware of this on the Enterprise, he orders all crew members currently on the planet to get back to the ship and cancels all shore parties.  Things go from bad to worse.  A crewman dies and McCoy can’t tell what it was that killed him.  Mr. Spock finds the missing members of the crew, but they flat out refuse to return to the ship and they don’t think Spock should be allowed to go back either.

Dreams becoming real

                Kirk and McCoy try to transport back down to the surface but massive power failures have caused the ship’s transporters to go offline.  This forces the two officers to use the shuttlecraft, which doesn’t bother McCoy because he hates the transporter anyway.  When they get to the planet and they find Spock unconscious but McCoy is able to revive him.  At this point both the Captain and the Doctor start to hallucinate.  Only Spock seems to be immune, but they don’t know how long that will last for.  So, it is decided that the best they could do would be to get on the shuttlecraft, get off this planet, and get back on to the ship.  This works although Kirk almost ruins everything trying to take the helm controls away from Spock when he hallucinates that the Enterprise is on fire.

On fire! Maybe not!

                They manage to get on the ship but find the power of illusions hasn’t been stopped. At one point Kirk is given the illusion that they have already won and all the missing have been returned before Spock brings him to reality.  They determine that there is a native species that is a collective consciousness and that they were simply caught in the middle of it.  At first, they thought this may have been an aquatic species but they determine it was actually this planet’s version of butterflies.  They negotiate with the butterfly collective.  This insures peace and the return of the missing crew.  The adventure is over.

 Additional thoughts: This was an interesting little story.  If the episodes “Shore Leave” and "This Side of Paradise” had a baby this story is it what probably look like.  Like the former, the crew on shore leave are on an apparently empty planet and all of a sudden their dreams start coming to life.  Like the later, the crew gets addicted to the planet and munity in order to stay.

                Now I was a little taken back at the beginning when Kirk and Spock were confused about no intelligent life on the planet. Now I remember the old saying that if the life of the Earth put onto a 24-hour clock then all of human history would be in the final two minutes to midnight.  So how do Kirk and Spock don’t know they have shown up on this planet three minutes to midnight? 

Fun times! But this time its butterflies!

                Of course we learn that there is life here just not the kind we would expect to run into.  This could have been one of those great Star Trek moments like “The Devil in the Dark.”  Where we come to know and respect life radically different from our own and be able to see similarities as well as differences.  However, the whole thing is ruined by Spock and McCoy speculating what life form on the planet would be best to evolve in order to get or the smart butterflies.

                I thought it was very ironic that shortly Captain Kirk is given the illusion that he has already unexpectedly won and his crew returns, a paragraph later he really does unexpectedly win and has his crew return.  It was almost as if the writer got board with her own story and just wanted to end it now. It was not a clean stop however.        

Should it be canon: Yes, I don’t see any problem with this story becoming part the official voyages of the USS Enterprise.  The story has flaws but so don’t many episodes.

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 3 of 5