Star Trek 770: The Evictors

770. The Evictors

PUBLICATION: Star Trek #41, Gold Key Comics, November 1976

CREATORS: Unknown (writer), Alden McWilliams (artist)

STARDATE: 19:27.12 - Follows either of the last issues.

PLOT: The Enterprise visits Nraka on the occasion of its 10,000th year of written history. This is a peaceful world that venerates its society's alien-looking founder as a god. Then aliens fitting his description appear on a massive ship returning to reclaim their homeworld abandonned to its degenerates and criminals before a stellar incident. Somehow, those people survived and rebuilt their civilization, evolving with a little help from radiation. While an outmatched fleet goes to meet the ship, there are riots in the streets and Kirk must decide whether to get involved and on which side. The aliens are eventually routed, but an archaeological discovery plunges him in doubt - the aliens were telling the truth.

CONTINUITY: None.

DIVERGENCES: Spock eats meat (dog meat, to be precise), and is addressed as Dr. Spock by Kirk.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Star Trek's first two-page spread.
REVIEW: Though the premise is a good one, and McWilliams has a very good handle on his first space battle, the issue is in dire need of an editor. Holy Zotar, what a mess! Typos in the lettering. The natives described as blue-skinned are blue only in that one panel. Kirk orders the Enterprise not to fire unless the aliens fire first, which they did just a page earlier. And the way Kirk and Spock change points of view is incoherent at best. Too bad. Maybe the sequel in #50 will be better.