Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock save a planet from extinction, but are doomed by its war-mad leaders! – "The Ghost Planet" was the fifth issue of the TOS Gold Key Comics series. Published in September 1969, it was notable for being the first American story released after the original televised run of the series. It was the fifth story written by Dick Wood and the third drawn by Alberto Giolitti. The story reran in issue 37 in May 1976 with a new painted cover.
Description
- High above the strange unpopulated world the crew of the star ship Enterprise battle to save a doomed planet ... but they cannot know of the fate that awaits them once they succeed!
Summary
- Captain's log, stardate 26:06.4. Enterprise moving deep into galaxy Zelta… We have sighted a strange ringed area… it may conceal a planet… investigation under way…
Spock discovers that the rainbow-colored rings are composed of copper and are circulating around a planet. Investigating, the Enterprise discovers high levels of radiation and a deserted city. Kirk, Spock, Denton and another crewman beam down to the surface, where an automated voice welcomes them and a robot-controlled vehicle arrives to pick them up. It takes them through the ruined city to the central communications building, where Justin I and Justin II, the rulers of the planet, communicate with them over a viewscreen. They explain that the planet's natives were forced to leave after the radioactive rings formed around their planet. Two artificial satellites were constructed to house them, but they are now overpopulated, and with no way to construct more satellites or destroy the rings, the Justins ask Kirk for help. Spock says that destroying the rings is possible, but he will need time to make the calculations. The Justins thank the landing party and sign off.
However, Spock wonders to Kirk why two satellites were built, and the other two crewmen find a room guarded by robots which react with hostility when they try to enter it. After disabling the robots, Kirk and Spock enter and discover evidence that the Justins had been fighting a war against each other in which more than 500,000 were killed, and only stopped when the rings forced them to call a truce. Realizing that the war will resume after the rings are destroyed, Kirk confronts the Justins on the Enterprise. They insist that there are no weapons left, and suggest that the Enterprise leave visual detectors on the planet to observe them and ensure that no weapons are ever produced again, to which Kirk agrees.
The Enterprise succeeds in destroying the rings, and a landing party transports down to test the surface for radiation. While there, they discover a stockpile of nuclear weapons belonging to the Justins, proving that they had been lied to again. The two rulers come down to the planet and attack the landing party while jamming the transporter, preventing them from beaming away. Spock contacts McCoy and has him play films made of the rings in the planet's atmosphere, making it look like the rings have returned. Convinced that the Enterprise can bring back the rings at any time, the Justins stop fighting and agree to let their weapons be destroyed.
References
Characters
- Denton • Justin I • Justin II • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Spock • robot guard
Starships and vehicles
Locations
Races and cultures
States and organizations
Science and classification
- airlock • battery • bomb • camera • canteen • communications • Geiger counter • laboratory • laser • nuclear weapon • phaser • phaser rifle • power generator • robot • spectroscope • stabilizer • tractor beam • transistor • transporter • tricorder • viewscreen • weapon
Ranks and titles
Other references
- army • atmosphere • bluff • captain's log, USS Enterprise, 2266 • century • city • civilization • copper • day • death • electronic field • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • Esperanta • extinction • galaxy • government • hour • language • light speed • log entry • logic • mile • month • mountain • nova • orbit • peace • planet • radiation • rainbow rings • seat belt • second • space • truce • uranium • war • water • year
Appendices
Background
- This story has been released nine times in English and has been translated 16 times into other languages: French (3x), Italian (3x), Portuguese (3x), Dutch (2x), German (2x), Turkish (2x), and Spanish.
- Carrying a cover date of September 1969, and on sale from late summer, "The Ghost Planet" stands as the first licensed piece of original Star Trek fiction to be released globally following the broadcast of the final episode of the original series. In the United Kingdom, however, the third installment of TOS comic: "The Children of Stai", the UK comic strips, fifth story arc, was released on June 7, 1969, one week after TOS episode: "Turnabout Intruder" aired.
Images
Connections
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #4: The Peril of Planet Quick Change |
TOS comics (Gold Key) | Next comic: #6: When Planets Collide |
| Previous comic: #36: A Bomb in Time |
TOS comics (Gold Key) | Next comic: #38: One of Our Captains Is Missing! |
| Previous story: The Peril of Planet Quick Change |
Stories by: Dick Wood |
Next story: When Planets Collide |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Destination Annihilation |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Open Secrets Chapters 29-30 |
| Previous story: Destination Annihilation |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next story: The Edge of the Sword |
Production history
- September 1969
- First published by Gold Key Comics
- September 1970
- Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual 1970 (World Distributors Limited)
- May 1976
- Reprinted with a new cover image by Gold Key Comics as issue #37
- August 1976
- Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press)
- 12 March 1977 - 4 June 1977
- Serialized in Mighty TV Comic #1317 - 1329
- June 2004
- Printed in the omnibus The Key Collection, Volume 1 (Checker Book Publishing Group)
- 2004
- The cover, two images and a quote were reprinted on Gold Key Chase Card #5 in the card set Quotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives)
- September 2008
- Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
- August 2014
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Gold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW)
- 2 March 2017
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #5 (Eaglemoss)
Translations
- December 1972
- Portuguese: As "O Planeta Fantasma" in b/w in Jornada Nas Estrelas #13 (1st series) (Ebal)
- September 1972
- Italian: As "Il Pianeta Fantasma" in Star Trek Albi Spada #5 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- 1 October 1972
- French: As "La Planète Fantôme" in Les Héros de L'Aventure #18 (Remparts)
- 1972 or 1973
- French: In the omnibus Star Trek Album #2 (Remparts)
- 3 February 1973
- Spanish: As "El Planeta Fantasma" in TV Mundial #241 Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro)
- 1974
- Dutch: As "De Spookplaneet" in b/w in Star Trek #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
- 1974
- German: Serialized over two issues as “Der Geisterplanet” in Zack 1974 #51-52 (Koralle)
- 1974
- Italian: As "Il Pianeta Fantasma" in Raccolta Superspada #3 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- March 1976
- Portuguese: As "Os Gêmeos Guerreiros" in Jornada Nas Estrelas #3 (2nd Series) (Abril)
- 10 April 1978
- Portuguese: In b/w in O Caminho das Estrelas #5 (Aguiar)
- December 1978
- French: As "Les Jumeaux Suprêmes" in Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #107 (Sagédition)
- 1978
- Dutch: As "De Spookplaneet" in Strip-album #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
- 1978
- German: Abridged as "Der Geister-Planet" in Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Album #1(Condor)
- 1981
- Turkish: B/W digest-size in Uzay Yolu #2 (Alfa)
- 2000
- Turkish: In Star Trek #2 (Alfa)
- 2005
- Italian: As "Il Pianeta Fantasma" in the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 2 (Free Books)
External links
- The Ghost Planet article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.