2264
******************************
TIME LINE NOTE:

STAR TREK (original series) SEASON TWO
*******************************

Child’s Play
Stardate: 1723.4
Comic: Star Trek #23
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: March, 1974

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise arrives at a planet where a mysterious disease kills anyone over the age of 13. By beaming down to the planet, Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Sulu, and Nurse Chapel have all been infected and will die within five days unless a cure can be found. McCoy determines that he needs the extract from a rare plant found only on a planet two days away at full speed. The Enterprise heads out on its mission. Meanwhile, on the planet, the landing party is captured by a rival gang of children and held prisoner. In trying to escape, Kirk is forced to shoot and finds out the children’s rifles fire only beams of light; they have no real weapons, only toys, and their "conflict" was just a game. The Enterprise returns with the antidote and cures the children, leaving them to grow and build a new world.

The Perfect Dream
Stardate: 3019.1
Comic: Star Trek #26
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September, 1974

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artists: Angelo Todaro & Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise detects an unknown planet that isn’t orbiting a star but moving through space in a straight line. The landing party is saved from an attack from wild cats by what appear to be Japanese samurai warriors. The warriors escort the landing party to their city, which, on the surface, appears to be a paradise. While the rest of the crew are enamored of the perfection they have found, Spock notes that of "over one hundred people, I have seen only six faces!" A few days later Spock sets out to explore the jungle around the city and discovers a hidden temple. Here he discovers the truth: that the planet is in fact a giant spaceship and all the people on it are clones. Distraught to discover the truth of their existence, one of the clones, who has befriended the landing party, activates the giant ship’s self-destruct mechanism.

The Final Truth
Stardate: 2010.7
Comic: Star Trek #31
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: July, 1975

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

While escorting a Starfleet Admiral on the way to ceremonies to admit the dilithium-rich planet Quodor into the Federation, Kirk’s shuttle crash-lands on the hostile neighboring planet of Tristas. The shuttle crew is held captive and made to work alongside other human slaves. Meanwhile, on Quodor, Spock tries to launch a rescue mission but is refused help by the planet’s leader, who turns out to be a female Vulcan. Back on Tristas, Kirk and his crew escape and discover that the planet’s hollow center is the home to a pure energy that gives any who see it an understanding of the universe, but the planet’s ruling council wishes to keep it a secret. Kirk convinces them that the Federation will work with them to find a safe way to share this new knowledge.

The Choice
Stardate:1701.2
Comic: Star Trek #33
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September, 1975

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise arrives at the site of the original Big Bang that created the universe and discovers the point where parallel universes meet. The ship comes to a halt when all equipment stops functioning, but Spock determines they can stay alive and functioning through sheer willpower. Outside the ship a pod is discovered floating in space, and the occupant turns out to be another Captain Kirk. The duplicate Kirk claims to be from the "previous universe" and that he was sent to find the one person in our universe who had free will enough to stop our universe repeating the fate of his. When the duplicate demands that the Enterprise be turned over to him, Kirk refuses, and the two engage in a running duel through the ship. A duplicate Enterprise also appears that the duplicate Kirk can control mentally. Spock and Kirk realize they can do the same and get the crew to link hands and channel their mental powers to work the Enterprise. When Kirk tricks and traps his duplicate, the other Enterprise disappears. The duplicate Kirk is placed back in his pod, after revealing that "our" Kirk was the man with free will he was searching for, and that by refusing to kill his duplicate he has changed the course of history for the better.

A Bomb In Time
Stardate: 1925.9
Comic: Star Trek #36
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: March, 1976

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

While visiting Research Satellite 5, the crew of the Enterprise becomes involved in a murder investigation when a scientist is killed. It transpires that the man was murdered by a colleague who has now disappeared back in time carrying an N-Cycle Bomb that he threatens to explode, destroying Earth. While Spock continues investigations in the lab, Scotty and Kirk head back into the past to find the bomb. Scotty arrives in 1855 frontier West and becomes involved in a stagecoach robbery, while Kirk ends up on a 1955 movie set in Hollywood. Kirk discovers the bomb maker, and convinces him to hand over the device. Everyone returns to the correct time, and the Enterprise goes on her way.

One of Our Captains is Missing
Stardate: 1929.1
Comic: Star Trek #38
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: July, 1976

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alden McWilliams

Kirk is replaced as captain of the Enterprise so he can be sent on an undercover mission. The new captain puts the crew through their paces with seemingly unnecessary drills, driving them close to the point of mutiny. Meanwhile, Kirk has been sent to the planet Mobita to bring back evidence that the Klingons are behind a revolt by previously peaceful jungle tribes. Kirk discovers the Klingon "military advisors" and ends up in single combat against the Klingon commander. When the crew of the Enterprise hears about Kirk’s mission, they insist on going to rescue him. As the Enterprise arrives at Mobita it fires a warning shot at an orbiting Klingon cruiser, which escapes, stranding its detachment of "advisors" on the surface.

NEXT POST: 2264- Part 3

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.
– 2264 – Part 1.
—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) See the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

2264

******************************
TIME LINE NOTE:

STAR TREK (original series) SEASON TWO starts here.
*******************************

The Brain Shockers
Stardate: 1126.1
Comic: Star Trek #11
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: August, 1971

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

In orbit around the planet Pollux II while investigating the disappearance of several ships in the area, the Enterprise is subjected to attacks from the surface. The attacks rock the ship, breaking a collection of sacred Vulcan artifacts that contained the bottled emotions of Vulcan’s founders. Those emotions are set loose among the Enterprise crew. On the surface, Spock discovers a bored immortal called Malok who has been luring passing starship crews to his jungle maze so that he could experience their terror through his telepathic powers. Malok tries to ensnare the Enterprise crew but is overwhelmed by the hidden Vulcan emotions. With their composure restored, the crew return to the Enterprise and leave Malok to wrestle with these newfound emotions.

The Flight of the Buccaneer
Stardate: 3243.0
Comic: Star Trek #12
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: November, 1971

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: : Alberto Giolitti

Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Kirk go undercover as interstellar pirates to uncover a stash of stolen dilithium crystals. They make contact with the notorious pirate Black Jack Nova, who agrees to team up with Kirk to find the stash. Nova’s first officer discovers that Spock and Scotty are Federation spies, but before he can tell his captain, Kirk denounces them. Nova pushes the two out of an airlock and then leaves in search of the crystals. The floating Spock and Scotty are rescued by the Enterprise, under the command of Sulu, which has been waiting nearby using a captured Romulan cloaking device. The Enterprise warps to the planet where the crystals are hidden, arriving before Kirk and Nova in Nova’s ship Windjammer. Here they find Ben Cannon, the original captain of the Windjammer, who helps them against Nova. Kirk and Nova face off in an electron-cutlass duel which ends when Kirk throws his cutlass at the escaping Nova, hitting an engine generator tube on his shuttle, which explodes. With Nova destroyed, Cannon gives the Enterprise crew a stash of dilithium crystals that he had dug up earlier.

Dark Traveler
Stardate: 1523.4
Comic: Star Trek #13
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: February, 1972

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

A mysterious, powerful being known as The Traveler hitches a ride on the Enterprise and forces the ship to carry him back to the utopian world he once called home. On arrival, they find a devastated world with cities in ruins and the people pursued by robots under the control of The Traveler’s brother, Niklon. The Enterprise crew and The Traveler are taken prisoner but soon escape after Spock deactivates their robot guard. Spock dresses himself in the robot shell and leads his "prisoners" back to Niklon’s throne room, where they lead a rebellion. The Traveler destroys his brother’s central controls, deactivating all the robots across the planet.

Museum at the End of Time
Stardate: 2553.2
Comic: Star Trek #15
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: August, 1972

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise and a Klingon Battle Cruiser become trapped in Limbo, an eternal space outside of normal time. Here they discover that dozens of other ships have been trapped over hundreds of years and have been unable to escape. Kirk and the Klingon commander put their differences aside and work together to break free. Both crews are surprised that once an escape route has been discovered, Limbo’s inhabitants have no interest in leaving. The Federation and Klingon crews decide that going into battle so shortly after cooperating with each other would be foolish and depart without engaging each other.
(Note: This story was used, uncredited, as the basis for the ST:TAS episode "The Time Trap," broadcast in November 1973.)

Day of the Inquisitors
Stardate: 4525.2
Comic: Star Trek #16
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: November, 1972

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: : Alberto Giolitti & Angelo Todaro

On their way back from a mission, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Chekov are stranded on a planet after the shuttle Galileo crash-lands. When looking for help, the shuttle crew discovers a civilization reminiscent of Dark Ages Earth, where the local population is held in thrall by a group known as The Inquisitors. Kirk and McCoy set out to find the local rebel leaders, while Spock and Chekov sneak into the Inquisitors’ castle to rescue radio equipment stolen from the crashed shuttle. Spock and Chekov are captured, and Spock is tortured until Kirk and McCoy lead the rebels in storming the castle. Once freed, Spock uses the captured radio equipment to call the Enterprise, which has been searching for them.

The Mummies of Heitius VII
Stardate: 3026.5
Comic: Star Trek #21
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: November, 1973

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

Aiding a Starfleet interstellar archaeology team, the Enterprise beams a mummy from the planet Heitius VII aboard. Unseen by the crew, the mummy awakens and makes some adjustments to the ship’s computers. Meanwhile, on the surface, the landing party of Spock, McCoy, and security team, along with the archaeologists, discovers three more mummies that attack them. When Spock calls the Enterprise for help, he is astonished to find that the ship has left. The Enterprise controls have been taken over by the mummy, who is directing the ship directly across Romulan space. The mummies are revealed as cyborgs who were programmed to take their population into space to escape a dying planet, but the population rebelled and imprisoned them, preferring to die "as men" rather than be transformed into cyborgs themselves for the rigors of spaceflight. On the planet the landing party keeps firing phasers at the cyborgs until the cyborgs drain their power cells. Onboard the ship, the control mummy is disabled when Scotty sets up a power feedback loop, just before the Enterprise crosses into Romulan space.

NEXT POST: 2264- Part 2

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) Check out the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

Vicious Circle
Stardate: 3114.1
Comic: Star Trek #33
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: December 1986

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Tom Sutton & Ricardo Villagran

As the Enterprise attempts to return home after its visit to 1960s Earth (in the ST:TOS episode Tomorrow is Yesterday), it overshoots by twenty years and comes face to face with the Excelsior. When the crew meets their older selves, it sets off tears in the space time continuum and the universe starts to unravel around them. The only way to repair the fabric of time is to harness the power of The Guardian of Forever.

The Humanitarian
Stardate: 3347.6
Comic: Star Trek: Uchu
Publisher: Tokyopop
Date: July 2008

Synopsis:

Writer: Luis Reyes / Artist: Nate Watson

The crew of the Enterprise is sent to oversee the final stages of a planet’s acceptance into the Federation after nearly seventy years of isolation. When a crude old fashioned nuclear engine explodes under one of the planet’s buildings, Spock blames himself for the loss of nearly twenty percent of the crew, and must learn to live with the consequences of his command decisions.

‘Til Death
Stardate: 3376.5
Comic: Star Trek: Shinsei Shinsei
Publisher: Tokyopop
Date: September, 2006

Synopsis:

Writer: Mike W. Barr / Artist: Jeong Mo Yang

After the Enterprise is attacked by missiles fired from a seemingly dead planet, random acts of violence breakout between the male and female members of the crew. The cause is traced to two survivors from the dead planet, the reaninmated male and female co-rulers who destroyed the planet through civil war. The alien leaders split the crew into two factions until they face each other in a final conflict, the women in the saucer section and the men in the engineering section. Kirk and McCoy manage to transport the two faction leaders down to the planet surface where they kill each other in hand to hand combat. With the aliens dead, their influence disappears and the crew is reunited.

NEXT POST: 2264- Part 1

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current
(2) Check out the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

2263

****************

TIME LINE NOTE: – STAR TREK: Season One starts here.

****************

No Compromise Part One
Stardate: 3001.3
Comic: Star Trek #58
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: March 1994

Synopsis:

Writer: Howard Weinstein / Artist: Carlos Garzon

During a visit to his friend Sulu on board the USS Excelsior, Pavel Chekov learns about the death of Julia Crandall, the only woman he ever asked to marry him. The news provokes Chekov into recalling his first mission as navigator on the USS Enterrise. During that mission, the Enterprise answered a distress call and came across a large vessel apparently bombarding a Harahni colony from space with fatal doses of radiation.

No Compromise Part Two
Stardate: 3005.1
Comic: Star Trek #59
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: May 1994

Synopsis:

Writer: Howard Weinstein / Artist: Carlos Garzon

Pavel Chekov and Julia Crandell grow closer as they work with the Harahni colony to try and discover a way to help them adapt to their new planet and protect themselves from the mysterious alien vessel above them. A group of colonists get frustrated at their leader’s apparent inability to deal with the crisis, and take Spock and Julia hostage. Meanwhile, Kirk is injured during an unsuccessful attempt to transport over to the alien ship.

No Compromise Part Three
Stardate: 3006.4
Comic: Star Trek #60
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: June 1994

Synopsis:

Writer: Howard Weinstein / Artist: Carlos Garzon

The rebels eventually realize that they need help from the Enterprise, and Scotty manages to find a way to get through the alien ship’s shields. Kirk and Chekov beam aboard and find that it is a malfunctioning automated ark ship that is trying to sterilize the planet. After shutting down the ship, Julia decides to stay and study the ship and help the colonists.

A Little Seasoning
Stardate: 3012.4
Comic: Star Trek: The Modala Imperative #1
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: July 1991

Synopsis:

Writer: Michael Jan Freidman / Artist: Pablo Marcus

Ten years after Captain Pike had recommended the planet Modola for Federation membership, the Enterprise returns, now under the command of James T. Kirk, to see if the population is ready to take that step. When Kirk and Chekov beam down, they are immediately arrested as rebels.

Tools of Tyranny
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek: The Modala Imperative #2
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: August 1991

Synopsis:

Writer: Michael Jan Freidman / Artist: Pablo Marcus

Worried by Kirk and Chekov’s disappearance, Spock and MCoy beam down to search for them. In prison, Kirk and Chekov start a campaign of passive resistance, which starts to spread to the other prisoners. Kirk also uses their time in prison to try and find out why Modola is now under a totalitarian regime, and where the police got their advanced weapons

The Price of Freedom
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek: The Modala Imperative #3
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: August 1991

Synopsis:

Writer: Michael Jan Freidman / Artist: Pablo Marcus

Kirk and Chekov engineer a mass escape from the Modolian prison. While hunting for the escaped prisoners, the local police find Spock and McCoy and arrest them too.

For Whom The Bell Tolls
Stardate: 3012.7
Comic: Star Trek: The Modala Imperative #4
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: September 1991

Synopsis:

Writer: Michael Jan Freidman / Artist: Pablo Marcus

Spock and McCoy have been earmarked for execution. The escaped prisoners work with Kirk and Chekov to help them rescue their friends from the authorities. After the rescue, the landing party beams up and the Enterprise leaves without finding out where the advanced weaponry came from or how Modola became a police state. (It took four issues for nothing to happen!)

NEXT POST: 2263- Part 6

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) Check out the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

Mr. Oracle
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek #46
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: August 1977

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alden McWilliams

The Enterprise discovers a planet where the sensor readings suggest an advanced civilization, yet the landing party are met by primitive beings and locked in a cell. Spock discovers that the cell is a test and figures out the puzzle that unlocks the cell and leads to the hidden underground civilization (yes, another one!). It appears that the civilization is managed by a supercomputer, and that the people have forgotten how to do even the most basic tasks. They are aware they need to leave their planet, whose sun is about to go nova, but they don’t have any spacecraft. They agree to go onboard the Enterprise only if the entire knowledge of their civilization stored in the computer can be transferred into Spock’s brain. Amazingly, Spock agrees to the procedure and emerges with a giant head! The super-brained Spock uses his new knowledge to trick the people’s leader into exposing his treacherous plans. With the leader disgraced, Spock uses an advanced version of the Vulcan mind-meld to share the knowledge from the computer between three other leaders. His head reverts to normal size, and the leaders use their newly imbued knowledge to start to build the spaceships they need.

The Planet of No Life
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek #50
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: January 1978

Synopsis:

Writer: George Kashdan / Artist: Alden McWilliams

Sequel to Star Trek #41 (Gold Key)
While investigating a radioactive planet, the crew of the Enterprise is shocked to find that it is inhabited by "The Evictors" (from issue #41). The Evictors themselves have split into two factions: The Builders who want to stay and build on this new planet, and The Returners who still wish to resettle on their ancient home world. The Returners blame Kirk for their current plight and are determined to kill him. The Returners try to influence a young Starfleet officer to do their dirty work, but he turns on them, killing their leader and saving Kirk. The Enterprise starts the process of cleaning up the radiation-soaked soil and planting new vegetation, leaving The Builders with the knowledge and tools to make themselves a new home.

A World Against Itself
Stardate: 7235.3
Comic: Star Trek #55
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September 1978

Synopsis:

Writer: Arnold Drake / Artist: Alden McWilliams

Spock and Scotty are sent to mediate on a world that has been suffering from a 200-year-old civil war. When both are captured and exposed to a brain-change machine, they switch personalities. Scotty becomes a champion of logical science; Spock, a man of raw and violent emotion. The two officers end up leading the opposing armies into battle. After Kirk arrives, he proposes that the war be solved by having Spock and Scotty battle each other to the death in an arena. At the height of the battle, as Spock goes to kill Scotty, the brain-change wears off and the two men revert to their usual personalities. Seeing their two battle leaders suddenly at peace with each other, the armies follow suit.

Spore of the Devil
Stardate: 1929.51
Comic: Star Trek #57
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: November 1978

Synopsis:

Writer: Arnold Drake / Artist: Alden McWilliams

The Enterprise arrives at the planet Jodarr to attend the coronation of the Emperor Ledoy, who has managed to unite the 50 warring kingdoms. However, his rule seems to be one of cruelty and oppression. The landing party discovers that Ledoy is receiving advice and guidance from a mysterious wizard known as the Great Vrunon. Spock’s investigations uncover that Vrunon is in fact a bio-energy alien stranded on the planet since childhood who is trying to use his influence to fast-track the planet’s technology so they can fix his ship. Spock befriends Vrunon and helps him uncover artifacts from his ship so that he can prepare to continue his journey. Vrunon convinces Ledoy that he now has the knowledge to lead Jodarr into the future without needing to use cruelty.

Brain Damaged Planet
Stardate: 3315.5
Comic: Star Trek #58
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: December 1978

Synopsis:

Writer: George Kashdan / Artist: Alden McWilliams

The Enterprise is sent to investigate a populated asteroid where the inhabitants appear to be suffering from Akwoods Syndrome, a viral infection that produces temporary insanity and bursts of violent behavior. When McCoy’s antidote fails to work on the inhabitants, the ship’s sensors show that it isn’t the people that are infected, but the asteroid itself, for at its center is a giant living brain. Kirk and McCoy beam into the asteroid’s core to administer a specially strengthened version of the antidote right into the virus attacking the planet’s brain.

To Err is Vulcan
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek #59
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: January 1979

Synopsis:

Writer: Arnold Drake / Artist: Alden McWilliams

The Enterprise is sent to investigate a populated asteroid where the inhabitants appear to be suffering from Akwoods Syndrome, a viral infection that produces temporary insanity and bursts of violent behavior. When McCoy’s antidote fails to work on the inhabitants, the ship’s sensors show that it isn’t the people that are infected, but the asteroid itself, for at its center is a giant living brain. Kirk and McCoy beam into the asteroid’s core to administer a specially strengthened version of the antidote right into the virus attacking the planet’s brain.

****************

TIME LINE NOTE: – STAR TREK: Season One starts here.

****************

NEXT POST: 2263- Part 5

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) See the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

Prophet of Peace
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek #39
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: August, 1976

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Unknown

Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Spock recover the cryogenically frozen body of one-time Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Dr. Bleikoff from deep space, since a cure has now been found for his terminal illness. After being woken and cured, Bleikoff requests a tour of Earth. On Earth, he begins to criticize the Earth Defense Screen and stirs up mobs calling for it to be dismantled. The Enterprise officers begin to suspect that, while in space, Bleikoff’s body was tampered with and that he is under alien influence. During a worldwide televised speech, Bleikoff attacks Kirk after the captain calls him a "computerized corpse." Kirk then uses a "magnetic eraser" to wipe out Bleikoff’s electronic brain, thereby proving the officers’ theory.

Furlough to Fury
Stardate: 1925.9
Comic: Star Trek
Publisher: Gold Key #40
Date: September, 1976

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alden McWilliams

A cosmic storm damages the Enterprise, and it puts in for repairs at a station on Earth’s Moon. While Spock stays onboard, the rest of the crew head to Earth for some relaxation. McCoy takes Kirk to meet his daughter, Barbara, who is a xenozoologist. Kirk and Barbara bond through the intervention of a telepathic, bearlike creature at the zoo. Meanwhile, Scotty is visiting his brother Robby and comes across Red Garvin, a former Enterprise crewman who was kicked off the ship by Kirk under suspicion of being a thief. Scotty uncovers a plan by Garvin to sabotage the Enterprise, and thanks to the telepathic bear his warning is transmitted to Kirk. The Enterprise officers return to the ship just in time to foil the plot.

World Beneath The Waves
Stardate: 1926.3
Comic: Star Trek
Publisher: Gold Key #43
Date: February, 1977

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown (George Kashdan?) / Artist: Alden McWilliams

Dr. McCoy’s daughter, Barbara, is assigned to the Enterprise to lead a team to investigate the undersea civilization on the planet Bwuja. When the survey party arrives at the undersea palace of the ruler King Raan, he arrests them and throws them in prison because he "distrusts all air breathers." In the prison, the crew tunnel out and encounter a group of air-breathing Bwujans who had been sent into exile as "abnormals." The crew and the air-breathers begin the long climb to the surface, defeating the obligatory monster on the way. On the surface, they are welcomed by a whole community of air-breathers. Raan arrives on the scene and threatens to kill the young ruler of the air-breathers, until he finds out that the ruler is in fact his own son, who had been smuggled away from him years before. The two communities agree to live together from that point on.

The Evictors
Stardate: 1927.2
Comic: Star Trek
Publisher: Gold Key #41
Date: November, 1976

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alden McWilliams

The Enterprise crew is on the planet Nraka as Federation representatives at the planet’s celebration of 10,000 years of recorded history, when a giant spacecraft appears in orbit above the planet. At first the Nrakans believe that their gods have returned, but they are stunned when these "gods" reveal themselves to be the original occupants of the planet, now demanding their home back. The Nrakans ask Kirk for help, but he invokes Federation neutrality and refuses to be drawn into the conflict, until one of the newly arrived giant ships fires on the Enterprise. The Enterprise then works alongside the Nrakans to develop weapons that can penetrate the hulls of the giant ships, and chases them back into deep space, apparently to wander forever.

World Against Time
Stardate: 1929.6
Comic: Star Trek #42
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: January, 1977

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alden McWilliams

When they beam down to the newly discovered "Planet 137," the crew of the Enterprise discovers a giant city where the only inhabitants appear to be giant-sized children. The "children" tell the story of how a recent earthquake uncovered a radioactive rock, and since that day they have been undergoing an age reversal process, de-aging at the rate of one year a day. Spock and Scotty volunteer to seal the fissure where the radioactive rock is located, but the closer they get to it, the more rapidly they de-age. They manage to cover the radioactive source with more rocks and stop the process. McCoy injects them with a serum that brings them back to the right age, but the few remaining "children" refuse the injection, preferring to start aging naturally once again

Prince Traitor
Stardate: not given
Comic: Star Trek
Publisher: Gold Key #44
Date: May, 1977

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alden McWilliams

On the planet Fayo, shots are fired at Kirk during an official reception for the planet’s ruler, the Emperor Bavoda. The would-be assassin is identified as a member of the "Friends of Red Raven," a rebel group. Later that evening the Emperor all but orders his son, Prince Yano, to join Starfleet Academy. The next day the Prince is beamed to the Enterprise but soon escapes and heads to the jungle, where he appears to be kidnapped by the rebels. Kirk follows in an effort to rescue him, but it is revealed that Yano is "Red Raven" himself. The Prince leads his rebels into battle against his father and defeats him.

NEXT POST: 2263- Part 4

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1, Part 2.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) See the first entry in this series the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

2263

Dwarf Planet
Stardate: 19:24.8
Comic: Star Trek #25
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: July 1974

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise comes across a planet where strange rays from the local star are causing each generation of the population to grow progressively smaller. Fearful that they may one day shrink to microscopic size and disappear, the rulers of the planet agree to the Enterprise’s help. The ship heads for the nearby star to collect samples of the "shrinking rays." While outside the ship erecting a collector dish, Scotty rips his space suit and is exposed to the full strength of the rays. He soon shrinks down to microscopic size and faces the perils of vicious germs and falling dust flakes. Using Scotty as a test subject, Spock develops an "anti-shrink" ray. The Enterprise builds several of the machines and delivers them to the planet so that they can restore their population to the correct size.

Ice Journey
Stardate: 20:27.3
Comic: Star Trek #27
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: November 1974

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise has been sent to Floe, the coldest planet in the Federation, to conduct a population survey. On the surface, they are greeted by blue-skinned "turtle people" who appear to have developed a natural adaptation to deal with the cold. However, they do not want their true numbers reported and capture Kirk and Uhura (depicted in this issue as a white woman) and force them to submit a false report. Meanwhile, Spock and a Federation scientist have been sacrificed to the planet’s fire pits. Their environment suits protect them from the heat, and they discover a race of subjugated red-skinned people. With Spock’s help the red-skins escape the fire pits and attack the blue-skinned people. The Enterprise crew escapes, having instigated a civil war!

The Mimicking Menace
Stardate: 34:21.7
Comic: Star Trek #28
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: January 1975

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise sends a shuttle down to investigate an apparently dormant volcano on an asteroid. After they land, the landing party is stunned to see another identical shuttle alongside. As they investigate, more duplicates appear as the crew encounters strange dancing lights. Kirk orders the Enterprise to fire a stream of negative ions into the volcano crater. The crater turns out to be home to an energy creature that is a parasite who drains energy sources to feed. The duplicates are a by-product of the energy absorption process.

The Death of a Star
Stardate: 33:33.3
Comic: Star Trek #30
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: May 1975

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise, sent to monitor the final hours of the star Isis, detects traces of life on a nearby planet. On beaming down, the crew encounters a woman who claims to be the Sun-Goddess Isis. On further investigation they discover an ancient underground city and an archive library, where they learn that Isis was once a living star who seeded the planet with her "eyes"—which grew into living beings—but that the Isisian civilization has been extinct for 25 million years. As the crew return to the surface, Isis goes nova, but in a last act transports the landing party back to the Enterprise and pushes the ship through a "space pocket" to save it from destruction

The Animal People
Stardate: 19:26.11
Comic: Star Trek #32
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: August 1975

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

Responding to a distress call, the Enterprise finds a civilization apparently threatened by a race of violent "animal people." Spock discovers that the so-called "animals" are intelligent humans who appear to have lost the ability to vocalize, with the exception of their leader, a beautiful woman. It is later revealed that the “animal people” are in fact the indigenous population of the planet, who had been conquered and enslaved thousands of years before, and that each child has to undergo an operation to prevent them from speaking. When their leader is captured, the "animal people" revolt. The ensuing civil war is ended only when the leader of the "animal people" and the crown prince of the ruling family marry, and then commit a ritual joint suicide. The symbolic gesture stops the war, and the barbaric operations are banned, sowing the seeds for the two races to live together in harmony going forward.

The Psycho Crystals
Stardate: 19:27.4
Comic: Star Trek #34
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: October 1975

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

On the planet Alpha 23-C the Enterprise landing party encounter strange crystals that seem to reflect different facets of their emotional makeup. The crystals turn out to be the young of a race of crystalline people who live in a city below ground (what a surprise). The landing party is accused of kidnapping the young and are sentenced to death. The crew get a reprieve when they stop an attack on the city from a crystalline monster via Spock concentrating his logic through one of the baby crystals and focusing it on the rampaging beast.

NEXT POST: 2263- Part 3

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
– 2263 – Part 1.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) Check out the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

[CORRECTION: The last two stories listed in the previous entry "The Brain Shockers" (Gold Key: Star Trek #11) and "Flight of the Buccaneers" (Gold Key: Star Trek #12) actually take place in 2264, not 2262. The correct entries for the last two stories set in 2262 should have been:
– "Enterprises Mutiny" (Gold Key: Star Trek #14)
– "Uhura’s Story" (DC Comics: Star Trek #30) ]

2263

The Cosmic Cavemen
Stardate: 19:24.3
Comic: Star Trek #17
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: February 1973

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti (& Giovanni Ticci?)

A landing party from the Enterprise beams down to the newly discovered plant Neesan, where they find that the local inhabitants are only at a stone-age level of development. Despite trying to follow the Prime Directive and stay unobserved, the landing party is attacked. They surrender to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and are brought before the tribe’s ruler. The landing party is accused of trespassing on sacred ground and is brought before the sacred statue of the tribe’s god to face punishment. The landing party is astonished to discover that the statue is of Spock!

The Hijacked Planet
Stardate: 32:48.6
Comic: Star Trek #18
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: May 1973

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti (& Giovanni Ticci?)

The Enterprise is transporting a sphere containing bio-magnetic recordings of the inhabitants of a dying planet when it comes across a small wrecked spacecraft with a single occupant. Spock rescues the craft’s crew member, a beautiful girl who soon bewitches Spock. A few days later the Enterprise is attacked by an unknown vessel, and the sphere and the girl disappear. The thief, who is the girl’s partner, contacts the Enterprise demanding a ransom. The Federation goes through the motions of discussing his terms to give Kirk time to track him down and recover the sphere. Once the thieves have been located, Spock tricks them by using a similar sphere that contains the bio-recordings of Kirk, Scotty, and several security guards.

The Haunted Asteroid
Stardate: 24:92.5
Comic: Star Trek #19
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: July 1973

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise is sent to investigate reports of a supposedly haunted asteroid that had been transformed 600 years ago into a mausoleum for a poisoned princess. On arrival they find that although the top portion of the asteroid is a veritable paradise, it is also home to strange apparitions and the bones of many dead travelers. Eventually they discover that the asteroid is not a mausoleum, but a palace for the still-living and near-immortal princess.

A World Gone Mad
Stardate: 32:47.2
Comic: Star Trek #20
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September 1973

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise and crew are acting as escort returning Crown Prince Raviki to resume his throne, but are concerned that the regent, General Vlas, will not give it up so easily. When they arrive on the Prince’s planet, they narrowly escape what appear to be several assassination attempts. Spock realizes that the whole planet is suffering from a madness resulting from the passage of a strange comet just a few days before. He believes that the comet’s tail contained a gas that invoked violent thoughts. Vlas hopes to use the unrest to seize control of the throne. Scotty and McCoy use the Enterprise to track down the comet, collect samples of its tail gases and develop an antidote. Scotty then overflies the planet with a shuttlecraft, dispersing the antidote into the atmosphere and quelling the unrest.

Siege in Superspace
Stardate: 36:24.3
Comic: Star Trek #22
Publisher: Gold Key
Date:January 1974

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise is sucked through a black hole and emerges in orbit around a planet in another universe. While repairs are made, Kirk and McCoy beam down to the planet’s surface, which they discover is guarded by a species of plant creatures. They rescue a girl from the plant creatures and follow her down to an underground city, but they are followed by the creatures, who attack. Kirk eventually realizes that a piece of jewelry that that the girl wears is attracting the creatures, so he destroys it with his phaser. Meanwhile, Spock has discovered a nearby star that is due to collapse and will provide them with another black hole that will return the Enterprise to the correct universe.

The Trial of Captain Kirk
Stardate: 36:24.3
Comic: Star Trek #24
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: May 1974

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise is sent to investigate reports of illegal mining in an asteroid belt and discovers a pirate ship at work, which it then destroys. Back on Earth, Kirk is accused of collaborating with the pirates and is scheduled for court martial. Kirk goes undercover to find out who is framing him, while the Enterprise returns to the asteroid belt in search of evidence. In the asteroid belt, they discover another pirate ship and chase it. When the pirate ship fires a torpedo down to the surface of a poisonous planet, Spock and McCoy go to retrieve it by placing their brain patterns in "cerebots." Back on Earth, Kirk uncovers a plot between the smugglers and the Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council. Kirk’s findings are corroborated by the evidence that Spock and McCoy retrieved, and he is exonerated.

NEXT POST: 2263- Part 2

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) Check out the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

The Voodoo Planet
Stardate: 24:17.9
Comic: Star Trek #7
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: March 1970 (Reprinted in #45, July 1977)

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

On the other side of the galaxy, the crew of the Enterprise comes across a perfect replica of Earth. When they beam down to investigate, they are surprised to discover that the streets are empty of people and vehicles and that the buildings are made of papier-mâché. As Kirk and Spock investigate the fake Eiffel Tower, a beam lashes out, striking the tower, which collapses. Back on the Enterprise the two officers discovers that at the exact time the fake Eiffel Tower fell, so did the real one back on Earth. McCoy and Spock surmise that it is some sort of "deep space voodoo." A crewman gets a track on the source of the destructive beam, and the Enterprise follows it to a nearby planet. Beaming down, Spock, Kirk and McCoy discover that the scheme is the work of Count Dressler, a mad former ruler of a tiny kingdom on Earth who was forced to flee and is now taking revenge on his home planet. Dressler, using voodoo dolls, turns his arcane skills on Kirk and Spock and captures them. They are rescued by McCoy and beam back to the Enterprise. Spock remembers a cult similar to Voodoo on Vulcan and, after some research, discovers the rituals of the Vulcan Pain Casters. Spock and Kirk put themselves through the Pain Caster ritual to make themselves immune to Dressler’s voodoo. Once back on the planet surface, they turn the tables on Dressler and capture him. Kirk then decides to maroon Dressler on a deserted planet where he can do no more harm.

The Youth Trap
Stardate: 31:09.4
Comic: Star Trek #8
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September 1970

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown (Dick Wood?) / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

While exploring Galaxy Zekbran, the Enterprise sights an uncharted planet and goes into orbit to investigate. While in orbit the number two engine is attacked, burning out all the "filament parts." Spock reports that to rebuild the filaments they will need a source of Zutotanium. An engineering team is sent down to look for the ore, and is attacked by a mysterious beam that reduces them to small boys. Spock, Kirk and McCoy beam down to investigate, whereupon they are also fired on by two aliens. The strange beam hits McCoy, who is transformed into a teenager. Suddenly the two aliens start fighting each other and one is pushed off a cliff. The Enterprise crew gets to the injured alien, who tells them that he has invented a de-aging machine and that they had hoped to use it to freeze their ages until a rescue ship could arrive. They had been testing it on the Enterprise crew, but the other alien had decided to use it to gain power. After capturing the landing party, the evil alien decides to use the Enterprise as his ride home and forces Spock to beam him onboard. He then uses the de-aging ray on the whole crew by transmitting it via the ship’s closed-circuit TV screens. Meanwhile, back on the surface, Kirk and the friendly alien use trickery to escape and beam back up to the Enterprise. Once onboard they overpower the evil alien and use the aging machine to reverse the process. With everything restored, the Enterprise crew mines the Zutotanium, repairs the engines and returns to their mission.

The Legacy of Lazarus
Stardate: 10:26.3
Comic: Star Trek #9
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: February 1971

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise is sent to planet Gamma Alpha V to verify readings from a probe sent 10 years earlier. Although the probe classified the Class M planet as uninhabited, the Enterprise sensor readings show an occupied city. When the landing party beams down, they are amazed to find the city populated by famous people from Earth history. Spock becomes separated from the landing party and is captured. He finds out that the man at the center of the mystery is Earth historian Alex Lazarus, who fled Earth with his psi-androids years before. On the planet, he transferred his knowledge of historical figures to the androids. But now he wants to learn the history of Vulcan by tapping into Spock’s brain. When Sulu discovers the entrance to Lazarus’ headquarters, he orders the androids to attack the landing party. The besieged landing party beams up, while Spock, who has freed himself from Lazarus, is still below ground. Scotty doubles the power of the transporter and manages to beam Spock up just as Lazarus’ cavern explodes

Sceptre of the Sun
Stardate: 12:48.6
Comic: Star Trek #10
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: May 1971

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

En route to Starbase 10 the Enterprise suddenly comes to a stop and appears to be in the grasp of a giant genie. McCoy, Spock, Scotty, and Kirk are mysteriously transported to an ornate palace. There they are coerced by a sorcerer named Chang into recovering the so-called "Sceptre of the Sun" that he needs in his war against another sorcerer named Xanadu. The crew heads out on its quest and meets a group of barbarians, who claim that they are in fact humans who left Earth in suspended animation during the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. Chang was originally one of them, but turned against the others. The crew and the barbarians find the Sceptre guarded by a giant robot that Spock disables. With the Scepter in their control, the Enterprise crew storm Chang’s castle. Spock shows all Chang’s tricks to be illusions, and the "genie grip" turns out to be a tractor beam. Unable to disable the beam, the officers radio the Enterprise and have it destroy Chang’s castle with its phasers

The Brain Shockers
Stardate: 11:26.1
Comic:[[b]/b] Star Trek #11
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: August 1971

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

In orbit around the planet Pollux II while investigating the disappearance of several ships in the area, the Enterprise is subjected to attacks from the surface. The attacks rock the ship, breaking a collection of sacred Vulcan artifacts that contained the bottled emotions of Vulcan’s founders. Those emotions are set loose among the Enterprise crew. On the surface, Spock discovers a bored immortal called Malok who has been luring passing starship crews to his jungle maze so that he could experience their terror through his telepathic powers. Malok tries to ensnare the Enterprise crew but is overwhelmed by the hidden Vulcan emotions. With their composure restored, the crew return to the Enterprise and leave Malok to wrestle with these newfound emotions.

The Flight of the Buccaneer
Stardate: 32:46.3
Comic: Star Trek #12
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: November 1971

Synopsis:

Writer: Len Wein / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Kirk go undercover as interstellar pirates to uncover a stash of stolen dilithium crystals. They make contact with the notorious pirate Black Jack Nova, who agrees to team up with Kirk to find the stash. Nova’s first officer discovers that Spock and Scotty are Federation spies, but before he can tell his captain, Kirk denounces them. Nova pushes the two out of an airlock and then leaves in search of the crystals. The floating Spock and Scotty are rescued by the Enterprise, under the command of Sulu, which has been waiting nearby using a captured Romulan cloaking device. The Enterprise warps to the planet where the crystals are hidden, arriving before Kirk and Nova in Nova’s ship Windjammer. Here they find Ben Cannon, the original captain of the Windjammer, who helps them against Nova. Kirk and Nova face off in an electron-cutlass duel which ends when Kirk throws his cutlass at the escaping Nova, hitting an engine generator tube on his shuttle, which explodes. With Nova destroyed, Cannon gives the Enterprise crew a stash of dilithium crystals that he had dug up earlier.

NEXT POST: 2263

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
– 2253-2259
– 2262 – Part 1, Part 2

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) Go to the first post in this series for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.

The Planet of No Return
Stardate: 18:09.2
Comic: Star Trek #1
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: October 1967* (Reprinted in #29—March 1975)
*Most guides list this as being published in July 1967, but the publisher’s code suggests an October 1967 publication date.

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Nevio Zeccara

On its first comic book mission, the starship Enterprise encounters in "Galaxy Alpha" a fertile planet that for some strange reason the crew nicknames "Kelly-Green" or K-G. (On the cover of the reprint it is renamed K-2.) Once on the planet, a crew member is transformed into a mutated plant. The rest of the landing party discovers a race of "plant-monsters" that stores and uses animals for food. Janice Rand, in her only Gold Key appearance, is captured and held in one of the food pens. Kirk orders Spock to use the Enterprise’s "laser beam destruct ray" to destroy the plants. Spock is apparently an amazing shot, as he manages to destroy the plants without touching Rand. Once the landing party is back onboard, Spock tells the Captain that all life on the planet must be destroyed so that travel in the area will be safe!

The Devil’s Isle of Space
Stardate: 19:03.2
Comic: Star Trek #2
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: March 1968

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Nevio Zeccara

On the edge of an asteroid belt, the Enterprise is immobilized by a mysterious electronic field surrounding a planetoid. When a landing party beams down to investigate, they find two gigantic dispensing machines: one for food, and one for clothing. Eventually Kirk and company discover that the planetoid is in fact a prison for "The Condemned." The leader of the criminals traps Kirk and tries to get him to transport the prisoners onto the Enterprise. When this fails, they imprison Kirk on the doomed planetoid, which is due to go supernova within 24 hours. Spock, meanwhile, arranges for Scotty to lead a rescue party. Once the Enterprise crew is saved, the ship pulls away… just before the planetoid explodes.

Invasion of the City Builders
Stardate: 20:14.6
Comic: Star Trek #3
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: December 1968

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artists: Alberto Giolitti (& Giovanni Ticci?)

The Enterprise arrives at the "Planet Questionmark" to follow up on mysterious "radio films," recorded a hundred years earlier, depicting a large mechanical city. Using its rockets (!) the Enterprise drops into the atmosphere and flies over the planet, finding it almost totally covered by buildings yet with little sign of any inhabitants. Eventually the crew makes contact with the few remaining inhabitants of the planet, who are being driven into extinction by the machines that they themselves created. The thinking machines continue to build cities even though there is no one to live in them, and consequently destroy the ground needed to grow crops. Kirk and Spock discover the machines’ weakness and help the people of the planet destroy them and start to reclaim the land.

The Peril of Planet Quick Change
Stardate: 21:06.7
Comic: Star Trek #4
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: June 1969 (Reprinted in #35—November 1975)

Synopsis:

Writer:Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise discovers that the planet Metamorpha in Galaxy Telpha Z not only appears to have the ability to change its chemical makeup every few minutes, but also that it is a source of Tiantianium, "the most precious metal in the galaxy"—so powerful that an ounce can power a starship for a year. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a landing party beam down, leaving Scotty in charge. On the planet, the landing party is attacked by strange lights that swirl around Spock. Later Spock demonstrates super-strength when he rescues McCoy and Kirk from danger. It transpires that Spock’s mind has been inhabited by six aliens from the planet who inform him how to extract the ore they need, and return the changing planet to its natural state. Once this has been achieved, five of the aliens leave Spock, but the sixth, who wishes to escape the planet, refuses to abandon Spock’s mind. Back onboard the Enterprise, Spock throws himself into the transporter while it is somehow simultaneously set on both materialization and dematerialization, thereby separating himself from the reluctant alien.

The Ghost Planet
Stardate: 26:06.4
Comic: Star Trek #5
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September 1969 (Reprinted in #37—May 1976)

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

Deep in Galaxy Zelta the Enterprise discovers a planet hidden inside a series of interstellar rings. A landing party beams down and finds a ruined, deserted city, which Spock surmises is the result of a war. The landing party is brought before the twin rulers of the planet, Justin-I and Justin-2, who tell of when The Terror of the rings descended on their world and the population left the planet’s surface to take up residence in two orbiting stations—stations that are now overpopulated. The Justins ask Kirk for help. Spock speculates that the Enterprise’s laser beams may be powerful enough to destroy the rings and remove The Terror. After the Justins sign off, Spock isn’t convinced about their story, and his doubts are confirmed when the discovery of a hidden library shows that the two Justins were in fact leaders of opposing factions in an ongoing civil war until the rings arrived. Confronted with the truth, the Justins declare they have no more weapons and mean only good for their people. The Enterprise uses “electronic rifles” and “magnetic generators” to pull the rings into deep space. Of course, the two Justins have been lying and have a stockpile of hidden weapons. Confronting them once more, Kirk points to the sky where the deadly rings appear to have returned. It is in fact film of the rings played back into the atmosphere by McCoy on the Enterprise, but it is enough to convince the Justins to destroy their weapons and agree to continue to work together.

When Planets Collide
Stardate: 23:009
Comic: Star Trek #6
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: December 1969

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The crew of the Enterprise is ordered to investigate an unusual reading coming from the Alpho galaxy. The reading turns out to be two apparently uninhabited planets on a collision course. A landing party is sent to plant hydrogen charges on the first planet, where (of course) they find a humanoid civilization living underground. The crew heads for the second planet. While in orbit they surmise that the mountains of the second planet, which are of a strange metallic ore, have a strong natural magnetic attraction to the rocks of the first planet, and that this is what is pulling the two together. The crew beam down to the second planet and discover yet another subterranean civilization that derives its power source from the magnetic mountains. Spock proposes a fast return to Vulcan space to fetch a 10,000-ton particle of the former star named Doona, renowned for its natural "repelling force." The Enterprise attaches an “electronic tow rope” to the star fragment and tows it back across space, through a dangerous asteroid field, to place it between the doomed planets.

NEXT POST: 2262 Part 3

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
= 2253-2259
= 2262 – Part 1

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) See the start of this post thread for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.