SPOILERS..My thoughts on Spock Must Die!

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by STIntergalactic, Apr 22, 2008.

  1. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    The Doomsday Machine ending was also based on an earlier draft of the script, though those probably weren't the only ones.
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^^Oh, you mean the ending where Commodore Brand Decker doesn't sacrifice his life?
     
  3. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    Right. As I recall, Kirk just thought of using the Constitution as ordinance purely out of thin air. A much less tragic ending, but it does take away the emotional resonance.
     
  4. TigerOfDarkness

    TigerOfDarkness Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I hadn't realised that. It did seem rather an un-Trek like ending when I read it though.
     
  5. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    You'd probably love the first issue of the Gold Key comic series, where Kirk and the gang find a planet full of sentient (and violent) plant creatures, and resolve the situation by torching the whole planet.
     
  6. trampledamage

    trampledamage Clone Admiral

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    :eek:

    Are you serious? Is that really a published Trek story? Interesting interpretation of the Prime Directive... :wtf:
     
  7. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Wow. :eek:

    Is this another case of the early writers of Trek media tie-ins not having full information about the series? Specifically, "Our Heroes do not commit genocide on a planetary scale"? Damn.

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
  8. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    While the Gold Key comics had the words Star Trek on the cover, and the people inside them bore at least a passing resemblance to Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley, et al, they only had a casual relationship with the Star Trek that we're all familiar with.... :guffaw:
     
  9. STIntergalactic

    STIntergalactic Captain Captain

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    Getting back on SMD!...if any current Trek writers are reading this, you should try to work in a reference to "canonize" it in a way. Make some mention of Spock getting duplicated, and more importantly, explain how the Klingons escaped their exile.

    That would kick ass.
     
  10. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    That first issue bore such a resemblance to the actual show that it featured Yeoman Rand, complete with her beehive hairdo, which the colorist apparantly thought was some strange hat, and so colored red throughout the course of the issue. :lol:
     
  11. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

    No.


    To be fair, it would've been less strange as a hat than it was as a hairdo... :vulcan:
     
  12. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    Sure, it could be a bit more believable to say that was a flat sort of a fez, but wouldn't have helped the aesthetic much. (I think the aesthetic was pretty much a lost cause in the first place.)
     
  13. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^^I think the colorist of Gold Key ST #1 was interpreting the shape atop Rand's head as a woolen cap, not unlike that worn by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees. Those are often red.
     
  14. ClayinCA

    ClayinCA Commodore Commodore

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    I always thought it was weird how in the many of the Gold Key comics, Kirk's shirt was colored orange, while Sulu and Chekov's were colored green - even though the TV versions were the same color.
     
  15. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    I have a colouring book where the tracing of Christine Chapel's uniform collar and Enterprise insignia are rendered as if it were a low-slung scarf with a knotted end, the tails lining up with where the two "legs" of the Delta shield shape would be.
     
  16. A_C_C

    A_C_C Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    A later Bantam short stories anthology written by Blish' wife (I don't remember the title just now), included a Harry Mudd story were the Enterprise ends going back in time six months, to terminate Harry's last scheme before it started. If we accept these two books as parts of the same "timeline" then Kirk could have also tipped the Organians about the Klingon plan before they executed it.
     
  17. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    I love this book and it remains my favourite Star Trek novel. Primarily because it feels like a genuine TOS story. It also nails the fact that if you write well you can have a complete and full story that isn't padded out to a freaking 500 pages.

    I agree that Scotty's accent was wrong. He'd have been better off just writing Scotty's dialogue straight with only the occasional spelling variation to suggest an accent.

    If Blish had known Star Trek would have developed such a huge following (this was 1970) then he may not have exiled the Klingons.

    That said several years ago friends and I wrote a collection of TOS flavoured stories that explain how the Klingons are reprieved. After all, hey, they have to be free to be around for TMP. (-: We kind of accepted SMD as the 80th TOS episode never aired.

    I wrote a particular story called The Exiled which dealt with Kor, Kang and Koloth on a Klingon homeworld descended into barbarism and civil war. Kor reflects on the attack upon the Federation, the taking of starposts, the destruction of the starship Constitution and a humiliating Klingon defeat at Starbase 16. Kor is reflecting on his peoples' plight when he is visited by Ayelborne the Organian who suggests that the Klingons do have a slim chance at a parole.

    One of the neat things about SMD is that not only is it a good Star Trek story, but it's a decent science fiction story as well. Not surprising because Blish was a solid and respected SF author. And I think it could have made for a wonderful Star Trek film.

    I even did some photomanips to create scenes suggested in the book.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2008
  18. STIntergalactic

    STIntergalactic Captain Captain

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    Was it said in the book that one Spock wore gold? I don't recall.
    I do remember them saying that duplicate Spock's uniform was probably reversed when he appeared. I find it hard to believe that nobody would have picked up on that right away.
     
  19. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Isn't there a Starfleet General Order which contains instructions to destroy an entire planet's surface unless the order is countermanded within a specific period of time?

    And of course there's the Omega Directive to consider as well.
     
  20. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    That was addressed in the book. They were just so distracted by the existence of two Spocks that they didn't think to notice such minor details as insignia position. People tend to see what they expect to see.