802. The Enterprise Murder Case!PUBLICATION: Star Trek #6, Marvel Comics, September 1980
CREATORS: Mike W. Barr (writer), Dave Cockrum and Klaus Janson (artists)
STARDATE: 7420.1 (follows the last issue)
PLOT: When the Enterprise beams up an ambassador with a knife in his back, his planet's entry into the Federation is jeopardized. Turns out he's a prince Kirk accidentally shot early in his career who vowed never to let his world join the Federation, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out it's all a hoax, especially when it's determined the ambassador is really only a surgically altered corpse. Spock comes to some conclusions, bluffs the rebel prince hiding under a new guise, and the planet joins up after all. Yay.
CONTINUITY: Admiral Fitzpatrick (The Trouble with Tribbles) seems to have taken the role of the required admiral permanently. There is a flashback to Kirk's days on the USS Republic.
DIVERGENCES: The Republic's registry number here is NCC-1373 instead of NCC-1371 (Court-Martial). It is a Baton Rouge-class ship (as per Rick Sternbach's design in the Spaceflight Chronology), which is fine, though it is contradicted in some books (like the Star Fleet Technical Manual), where it is a Constitution-class.
PANEL OF THE DAY - Hey kids! Drinking is cool!
REVIEW: Mysteries are hard to craft. I respect that. And Barr's not a mystery writer without some experience (Maze Agency). But with its fast and furious revelations, even going back to the days of Lt. James "Fuck Up" Kirk (adding this snafu to Obsession's), and extreme talkativeness, I just can't be bothered to care. It's just not very difficult to figure out. At least the artists have some fun with alien vehicles and ships, as well as putting a lizard in Sulu's seat. Let's populate that ship with aliens!
Comments