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Star Trek 2

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First published in 1968, these short stories are Blish's adaptations of the screenplays of various episodes from season 1 of the original series. The episodes aren't sorted into books according to either chronological order or identity of screenwriter.

Note: If you're interested in adaptations based on the animated STAR TREK series, see Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Log books.

"Arena" (episode 19, season 1, screenplay Gene L. Coon) A distress call from Cestus III leads the ENTERPRISE to discover that a tragic first contact has been made: the colony has been destroyed by a Gorn ship (aliens who look like giant lizards). A stereotypical second alien race, the superpowerful Metrons, intervene to force the Gorn captain and Kirk to decide the issue by single combat, with the fate of their ships in the balance.

"A Taste of Armageddon" (episode 24, season 1, screenplay Robert Hammer and Gene L. Coon). ENTERPRISE has been sent to Vendikar and Eminiar VII with Ambassador Fox to establish diplomatic relations, and Fox won't take no for an answer, despite learning that the two planets have been at war for the last 500 years. Rather than making peace or wiping each other out, they've hit on a compromise: war as a computer wargame, where 'casualties' are sentenced to death. But ENTERPRISE isn't inclined to cooperate with this, Prime Directive or no.

"Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (episode 21, season 1, screenplay Dorothy C. Fontana). The second episode featuring time-travel, but the first to really do something with the idea. ENTERPRISE, escaping from the region of a black hole, accidentally discovers the 'slingshot' effect that throws them back in time - to 20th century Earth, in fact. They're forced to take USAF pilot John Christopher aboard when he's sent to investigate traces left by ENTERPRISE in low orbit - but they can neither return him nor keep him without risking changes to history, and they're still trying to discover whether they can get home themselves.

"Errand of Mercy" (episode 25, season 1, screenplay Gene L. Coon). Introducing the Klingons at the Battle of Organia - a planet that doesn't look like anything much, but happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as war breaks out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Organian Peace Treaty was established in this episode on terms that allowed the Klingons to exist as effective villains without turning STAR TREK into a war show.

"Court Martial" (episode 15, season 1, screenplay Don M. Mankiewicz and Steven W. Carabatsos). First glimpse of the Federation's legal system (Spock's court-martial on unrelated charges followed in the next episode, "The Menagerie"). After reporting the accidental death of Ben Finney, an old friend, a discrepancy between ENTERPRISE's logs and Kirk's report puts him on trial. Introduces Samuel T. Cogley, acting as Kirk's defense attorney, with some decent investigative work.

"Operation - Annihilate!" (episode 27, season 1, screenplay Steven W. Carabatsos) The planet Deneva is in the path of a 'plague' that apparently drives its victims to suicidal insanity - actually jellyfish-like flying parasites that invade their victims' nervous systems, causing intense pain and forcing them to cooperate in their own destruction. Even as ENTERPRISE arrives in-system, they're too late - a Denevan pilot commits suicide before their eyes, plunging into Deneva's sun, crying out that now he's free. And Kirk's only living relatives - his brother Sam, sister-in-law Aurelan, and nephew Peter - have been infected.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" (episode 26, season 1, screenplay Harlan Ellison, although the short story is based on the adapted screenplay actually filmed rather than the original. Ellison came close to disavowing the changed version, and in truth, his original story was even better - which is saying something, as this story is one of the best episodes.) A series of odd ripples in space-time lead ENTERPRISE to a long-dead planet - and through a freak accident, McCoy suffers a drug-induced frenzy in which he beams down. The center of the distortion is an AI, the Guardian of Forever - and as it demonstrates its properties as a gateway to the past, McCoy plunges through, somehow changing Earth's history; Kirk and Spock must give chase and undo the damage, which turns out to be more tragic than they could have imagined. McCoy being McCoy, he'd committed a *good* action upon recovering his senses, but in the wrong place at the wrong time...

"Space Seed" (episode 24, season 1, screenplay Carey Wilber and Gene L. Coon) One of the ENTERPRISE's occasional encounters with historical figures who left Earth for parts unknown (e.g. "Metamorphosis", "Requiem for Methuselah") - in this case, a mysterious ship of Earth origin, whose crew is locked in cold sleep. And like "Who Mourns for Adonais?", a female crewmember's infatuation with one of the strangers threatens to undermine ENTERPRISE's security. (Gene L. Coon contributed to several of the above-mentioned stories.) A major dangling loose end is left at the end of the story as a seed for future development (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, as it turned out), hence the title.

What makes this second volume of novelizations of original Star Trek episodes by James Blish stand out is that it has his version of "The City on the Edge of Forever." It is actually really and truly Blish's version because he takes what he thinks is the best of Ellison's orignal script and the teleplay of what actually aired way back when. Blish admits this was a tricky thing to try and manage and fretted that he might owe apologies all the way around. What Blish is able to salvage is mainly Ellison's original conclusion, although we know Harlan would have liked it if the character of Trooper had made it into Blish's version. But certainly it is a valiant effort.

Other episodes collected in this volume are: "Arena," where Captain Kirk reinvents gunpowder to take down a Gorn in a match arranged by the Metrons; "A Taste of Armageddon," which offers an interesting take on computer wargames long before we could play "Star Trek" on our personal computers. "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is another time travel episode has the "Enterprise" slung back to the 1960s where they end up with a US Air Force pilot whose disappearance would affect the future. "Errand of Mercy" has war breaking out between the Klingons and the Federation and the "Enterprise" in the vacinity of Organia. "Court Martial" has Captain Kirk on charges for murdering old friend, Ben Finney. "Operation: Annihilate" is the one with the flying killer amoebas on Deneva, the planet where Kirk's brother's family lives (a.k.a. the episode where we learn Vulcans have inner eyelids). "Space Seed" is the episode that set the stage for "Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan" by introducing the character of Khan Noonien Singh and his merry band of followers who started the Eugenics War on earth way back when.

If I remember, correctly, the rationale behind what episodes were included in each volume had to do with their relative popularity, which explains why you have several first-rate episodes in this particular volume and as go through the series you find a noticeable drop in quality. Blish was an excellent writer, who died well before his time, and his adaptation of the Star Trek episodes prove that it was the stories rather than the specific effects that made it a special series.

James Blish began adapting the stories of the original Star Trek television show in 1967. The second paperback book was titled "Star Trek 2." This version is a handsome hardback book that contains the eight stories of the original book adapted from the first season of the television show.

Note that all episode numbers are the order in which the episodes originally appeared on television.

The first story is "Arena," which was the eighteenth episode of the first season. After falling into a trap, the personnel of the Enterprise escape and give chase to a hostile enemy. The Enterprise and the enemy ship wander into Metron space. The Metrons place Captain Kirk and a lizard-like Gorn onto a planet to duke it out. Captain Kirk is outweighed in a fight for both his and his ship's survival!

The second story is "A Taste of Armageddon," which was the twenty third episode of the first season. Members of the Enterprise land on Eminiar VII, only to learn that the planet has been at war for 500 years with Vendikar, another planet in the same solar system. The situation heats up when the Enterprise becomes a casualty of the war. How will Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock halt a war that has lasted for half a millennium?

The third story is "Tomorrow is Yesterday," which was the nineteenth episode of the first season. The Enterprise accidentally catapults into the past. Shortly after entry into the Earth's atmosphere, the Enterprise beams up a pilot from his disintegrating jet. How will the Enterprise undo the damage it is causing to Earth's history and return back to its own time?

The fourth story is "Errand of Mercy," which was the twenty-sixth televised episode of the first season. The Enterprise comes to the aid of the Organians when the Klingons take over the planet. As Klingon and Federation fleets prepare to do battle, everyone learns that the Organians are not quite as helpless as they seem. The peace treaty gained from this incident allowed the Klingons to appear in future episodes without each being a battle of a running war.

The fifth story is "Court Martial," the twentieth televised episode of the first season. Captain Kirk is court martialed for criminal negligence in the death of Records Officer Benjamin Finney. However, all is not as it seems, as Spock soon shows in a clever solution to this tricky story.

The sixth story is "Operation-Annihilate!" which was the twenty-ninth televised episode in the first season. Strange things are happening in the Orion sector of the galaxy. A string of planets has succumbed to insanity and their human populations have then died. The next planet that appears likely to fall is Deneva. The Enterprise learns that Deneva is already succumbing to the strange condition. The personnel of the Enterprise must identify the problem and solve it quickly, because the disease has infected Mr. Spock!

The seventh story in this volume is "The City on the Edge of Forever," the twenty-eighth televised episode of the first season. The Enterprise circles an unnamed planet. Beaming down to the planet, Enterprise personnel discover the Guardian of Forever, which is a portal to the human past. Dr. McCoy accidentally injected himself with a drug that caused him to hallucinate and become paranoid. Dr. McCoy beamed down to the planet and jumped through the time portal. Dr. McCoy does something in the past that erases human history as the Enterprise knows it. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock must travel into the past to undo the damage and restore history as they know it!

The final story in this book is "Space Seed." The Enterprise discovers a ship of cryogenic passengers. The ship appears to date back to the end of the 20th century. Enterprise personnel accidentally awake the sleepers, one of whom is a man named Khan. Khan and his followers soon commandeer the Enterprise, and only with great skill will Enterprise personnel be able to take their ship back. This story became the basis for movie "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

James Blish did a marvelous job of adapting the television episodes. Sometimes Blish made modifications to the story to make it work better for a written short story, but Blish kept the intent of the story as faithful to the television series as possible.

Fans of the original Star Trek television series have several options to obtain the written stories of the original television series, but this particular option is one of the most beautiful. Enjoy!

Note: I derived all the information regarding episode numbers from the web site imdb.com.