I am Captain Kirk/ I am Mr. Spock

[ryan123450]

Each month I add the newly released novels and comics to the tally of every story ever released that I keep on my website.

https://startreklitverse.yolasite.com/story-count.php

I'm wondering about these two new Little Golden Books, I am Captain Kirk, and I am Mr. Spock. I haven't seen them in real life to flip thru them yet, and I can't tell from their Amazon listings if they should be considered "stories". Do they tell a particular story? One that could be said to take place at a particular point in time for instance? Or are they just a few lines of description about each character?

Does anyone have these? Thanks for your help as always. Feel free to use this as a discussion thread for these books as well, if anyone has anything to comment about them.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Nah, they're just sort of general introductions to the characters. They're cute, but they're not really complete stories.

 

[ryan123450]

Ok easy enough. Thanks!

 

[DrCorby]

As JQ037 says, they are just brief character sketches, who they are, what they do, and who they do it with. Enjoyable bits of fluff, appropriate for the Golden Books format. There is another book coming, which looks like it will tell the story of "The Trouble With Tribbles".

They do reference some specific Star Trek episodes, though, mostly in the art. The ones I remember most was seeing Vaal from "The Apple", and Kirk's pile of tribbles from "The Trouble With Tribbles". I'll look through them again, and post some of the other episodes featured. But the timeframe is definitely just after the series.

 

[DrCorby]

I'm home now, and checked the books.

In the Kirk book, there's a 2-page spread showing various aliens. These include the Talosian Keeper, T'Pring and Stonn, a Gorn, a Mugatu, either Bele or Loki from "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", and an Orion woman, an Andorian, & a Tellerite, all probably from "Whom Gods Destroy". (Sounds like the start of a joke: "An Orion, an Andorian, and a Tellerite walk into a bar...") Plus the Starbase 9 skyline in the background. So references to episodes from all 3 seasons. I didn't see any other episode-specific references. (There was a picture of McCoy in Sickbay examining Kirk, who's wearing a torn uniform. But that could refer to any number of episodes...)

In the Spock book, there's the Balok puppet, the plants from "This Side of Paradise", the Vaal head from "The Apple", Sarek and Amanda, Thelev the Andorian from "Elaan of Troyius" (probably), the Horta, swashbuckling Sulu from "The Naked Time", tribbles falling on Kirk, and Marta the Orion girl and a Tellerite from "Whom Gods Destroy". Again, episodes from all 3 seasons.

As you can tell, the art is good enough to determine characters and scenes. The text seldom directly refers to events, so the artist must either be familiar w/ Star Trek and/or had good references. Like I said, these are fun books, and $5 each isn't a bad price. I'll be getting the "Trouble With Tribbles" book when it comes out.

*EDIT* Woo hoo! This post pushed me up to the rank of Captain!!

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'm wondering about these two new Little Golden Books, I am Captain Kirk, and I am Mr. Spock. I haven't seen them in real life to flip thru them yet.

My favourite pages:


Aliens of Star Trek by Ian McLean, on Flickr


Spock and the Andorian by Ian McLean, on Flickr

Thelev the Andorian from "Elaan of Troyius" (probably)...

No, Thelev and Shras were both from "Journey to Babel". The image is of Thelev (the disguised Orion) but wearing Shras's distinctive tabard.

The Troyian, Petrie, was more turquoise, with pink and white hair.

 

[DrCorby]

Thelev the Andorian from "Elaan of Troyius" (probably)

No, Thelev and Shras were both from "Journey to Babel". The image is of Thelev (the disguised Orion) but wearing Shras's distinctive tabard.

Aargh! Yes, of course you're correct. I don't know why I mixed those two episodes up. I always loved the name "Thelev"; I even named my first D&D character that!

Now, why would two of the pages that feature Andorians be your favorites in the books, Therin? Hmmmmm...

 

[Therin of Andor]

Spock and the Andorian by Ian McLean, on Flickr

By the way, this tabard also appeared in the "Wild, Wild West", Season 2 episode, "The Night of the Golden Cobra". This guy (below left) is supposed to be an East Indian. Almost exactly one year later, Ambassador Shras the Andorian (below right) wore it in "Journey to Babel".


Updated pic: Tabards and Andorians by Ian McLean, on Flickr


John Wayne as Genhis Khan in "The Conqueror" (1956) by Ian McLean, on Flickr

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The text seldom directly refers to events, so the artist must either be familiar w/ Star Trek and/or had good references.

I'm sure that the script the artist was working from had descriptions of the specific scenes they were supposed to depict, most likely with direct references as to which episodes to look at.

 

[marlboro]

By the way, this tabard also appeared in the "Wild, Wild West", Season 2 episode, "The Night of the Golden Cobra". This guy (below left) is supposed to be an East Indian. Almost exactly one year later, Ambassador Shras the Andorian (below right) wore it in "Journey to Babel".


Tabards and Andorians by Ian McLean, on Flickr

Maybe Freiberger smuggled it out along with the script for TNOT Burning Diamond?


The WWW was an awesome show. Best stunt work on tv. Endlessly rewatchable.

 

[JD]

The fights were pretty good for that era, but don't stand up to modern shows like Arrow, Daredevil, or Gotham.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Maybe Freiberger smuggled it out...

No need. The Paramount costume division served all Paramount productions. Paramount used bolts of rare, old fabrics for their alien ambassador costumes (ST:TMP) which dated back to purchases ordered by Cecil B DeMille.

 

[DrCorby]

The Paramount costume division served all Paramount productions. Paramount used bolts of rare, old fabrics for their alien ambassador costumes (ST:TMP) which dated back to purchases ordered by Cecil B DeMille.

That Betelgeuse ambassador's costume was gorgeous!! That the one I remember from the making of... stories.

 

[Therin of Andor]

That Betelgeuse ambassador's costume was gorgeous!! That the one I remember from the making of... stories.

Indeed. I even customised my Mego figure's robe to match!


Betelgeusian custom, ST:TMP by Ian McLean, on Flickr

 

[JJMiller]

The Spock book is written by Elizabeth Schaefer, better known as the editor of the Star Wars line at Del Rey! I’d long known she was a big Trek fan.

 

[Therin of Andor]

either Bele or Loki from "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"

Looks more like Lokai's face and hair but Bele's colouring.

 

[DrCorby]

Looks more like Lokai's face and hair but Bele's colouring.

I couldn't remember which side was black and which was white for the two; thanks for checking. And now that you mention it, the depiction in the book didn't look much like Frank Gorshin, who I remembered also from the Batman TV series as The Riddler.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I couldn't remember which side was black and which was white for the two; thanks for checking. And now that you mention it, the depiction in the book didn't look much like Frank Gorshin, who I remembered also from the Batman TV series as The Riddler.

When Commissioner Bele made an appearance in an early TNG comic, his was miscoloured. Maybe the Mirror Universe Bele?

 

[Jim Johnson]

My son loves them. They're quick, fun reads. Be warned that the Kirk book is full of art errors--the artist got the rank braids and department arrowheads all wrong. The Spock book is correct, however. Weirdly enough. I have to assume they both went through the same approval process.