Nova-Thirteen

Nova-Thirteen was a 12-page Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip. It was the 22nd weekly story arc in the UK comic strips series, published in four installments in TV21 Weekly in. This was the fourth of six stories drawn by Vicente Alcázar and Carlos Pino. In this story, James T. Kirk was asked to retrieve a probe lost on the surface of Nova XIII.

Publisher's description

 * Omnibus teaser
 * While investigating the disappearance of a robotic spacecraft exploring Nova-Thirteen on behalf of the Trans-Atlantic Zoological Federation, a landing party is attacked by giant cyclopean creatures controlled by small, flute-playing aliens.

Summary
A probe landed on Nova XIII and released a robot to examine the local lifeforms. However, it fell into an animal trap and ceased transmitting. As the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) had been relaying its signals onward to Earth, they were assigned to investigate. James T. Kirk and Montgomery Scott traveled to the surface aboard the Galileo, finding the probe craft wrecked.

Suddenly, Kirk and Scott were attacked by a giant. Before it grabbed them, though, music from a flute-like instrument made it back away. Scott pulled out his universal translator, but the diminutive flute-playing Nova XIII native knocked it to the ground and damaged it. Several more natives and giants approached with bows and arrows aimed at the landing party. Kirk pretended to stumble on the rough terrain and was able to retrieve the translator.

Kirk and Scott were taken to a small township buried within jungle undergrowth and locked in a prison cell. Soon, they were brought before some sort of tribunal, where Kirk suspected they were sentenced to death. Quickly, they fled into the jungle. As flute notes blared, several giants roused, but Kirk and Scott evaded them in the underbrush — a strong smell of nearby plants masked their own scent. They smeared odorous succulent juice over themselves before heading toward the shuttle. They managed to get aboard and launch it, narrowly evading the outstretched arm of one of the giants.

The president of the Trans-Atlantic Zoological Federation was excited to read their report, but disappointed that they didn't take photos.

Characters

 * James T. Kirk • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Humans • unnamed Starfleet personnel (admiral)

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) ( heavy cruiser) • Galileo (class F shuttlecraft) • investigation craft

Locations

 * Earth • Nova XIII

Races and cultures

 * Human • Nova XIII native • Vulcan

States and organizations

 * Starfleet (command division • operations division • sciences division) • Trans-Atlantic Zoological Federation

Science and technology

 * arrow • botany • bow • camera • communications • communicator • computer • engine • gun • landing gear • robot • spear • universal translator • viewscreen • zoology

Ranks and titles

 * captain • skipper • admiral • chief engineer • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • president • rank • Starfleet ranks

Other references

 * ant • assignment patch • bridge • flute • • insect • jungle • moon • mountain • prison • space • star • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • vegetation • wildlife

Background

 * The story was not printed with a title, but it was given one ("Nova-Thirteen") for its reprinting in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 2.
 * The unnamed admiral appeared in the previous story, "Key Witness".
 * The universal translator was badly damaged after being dropped.

Related stories

 * – Other confrontations with giant humanoids in the UK comic strips series.
 * – Large rock-creatures were controlled by whistle sounds.
 * – James T. Kirk, Spock and Montgomery Scott were trapped in glass jars in a laboratory run by an enormous humanoid.

Production history

 * None of the UK weekly installments were printed with titles.
 * Each segment began on the cover and continued onto two interior pages of TV21 Weekly magazine.


 * : Pages 1-3 published in TV21 Weekly #91.
 * : Pages 4-6 published in TV21 Weekly #92.
 * : Pages 7-9 published in TV21 Weekly #93.
 * : Pages 10-12 published in TV21 Weekly #94.
 * December 2016 : Reprinted in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 2 (IDW Publishing)
 * 1 February 2018 : Reprinted in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #29 (Eaglemoss)
 * December 2016 : Reprinted in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 2 (IDW Publishing)
 * 1 February 2018 : Reprinted in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #29 (Eaglemoss)