Creeping Death

Creeping Death was a 12-page Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip. It was the 27th weekly story arc in the UK comic strips series, published in six installments in Valiant and TV21 in and. In this story, an enveloping fungus threatened to destroy the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

Publisher's description

 * Teaser, 25 December, 1971
 * Two shuttlecraft had left the starship Enterprise to begin exploration of a planet classified Kappa Delta in a previously unexplored system. As they entered thick cloud cover, the men inside little knew that the sinister defences of the planet had already claimed them! Strange, fungus-like growth, spreading fast from the point of impact of tiny, light-accelerated particles…

Summary
Excited about a newly-discovered planet, Kirk joined two shuttlecraft crews to explore the surface. Before they could land, however, growths of wild fungus suddenly appeared and spread rapidly across the ships' hulls. The excess weight destabilized the ships, destroying one against a mountain, while the other crashed into a lake. The fungus dissipated in water, allowing Kirk, Spock and five crewmen to escape in a life raft, only to be captured and deposited in front of a Graktan firing squad.

At the last moment, Graktan's leader Lektor saved them – he thought they were invading Themerians. He apologized deeply for the mistake and loss of the other shuttle's crew and extended them full hospitality. But the group soon discovered that the planet's defensive fungus had also been set on the Enterprise, disabling their communications, engines, and shields. The starship was being pulled helplessly into the gravity well of the star.

To rescue the Enterprise, Kirk, Spock, and Lektor blasted off with a crew in a Graktan battle cruiser. They were forced to disable two attacking Themerian raiders, then approached the crippled starship. They exploded probes against the ship's communications array to clear it of fungus. Now able to contact the ship, Spock told Montgomery Scott to flood the fungus with water. Scott diverted the full output of the ship's water-generating plants onto the hull through airlocks, dissipating the fungus. Scott was then able to restart the ship's engines and pull away from the star.

Kirk considered the bright side of the near-disaster: they had forged a friendship with the Graktans.

Characters

 * Pavel Chekov • James T. Kirk • Lektor • Leonard McCoy • Mork • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2260s) • unnamed Graktans

Starships and vehicles

 * aircraft • USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) ( heavy cruiser) • Graktan battle cruiser • Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/3 (class F shuttlecraft) • Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/5 (class F shuttlecraft) • Themerian raider

Locations

 * Kappa system ( • /Kappa Delta)

Kappa system (Kappa Alpha • Kappa Gamma • Kappa Beta • Kappa Epsilon • Kappa Zeta) • Sol system (Earth) • Themere

Races and cultures

 * Graktan • Human • Themerian • Vulcan

States and organizations

 * Federation

Science and technology

 * airlock • artificial gravity • autophonic danger alarm • communications • computer • deep-range scanner • engine • grappler • gun • gyroscope • hydro-product plant • life raft • mathematics • missile • PADD • particle accelerator • pea-shooter • radio • rifle • stabilizer • translator communicator • weapon

Ranks and titles

 * captain • crewman • commander • engineer • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • pilot • professor • scientist • skipper • Starfleet ranks • technician

Other references

 * assignment patch • atmosphere • brain • bridge • capital city • cargo hold • execution • firing squad • freedom • fungus • gravitational field • gravity • history • hornet • hornet's nest • hull • landing party • molecule • mountain • parking orbit • peace • planet • radiation • rocket • shuttlecraft bay • space • spore • star • star system • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • sun • water • year

Chronology

 * This story took place after Pavel Chekov was first assigned to the ship in February 2267.
 * The loss of Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/5 suggests a placement prior to "The Void of Storms" (story arc #34), in which this vessel also appeared. The shuttle's name was not provided in either story.

Production history

 * This story was serialized in two-page sections over six consecutive weeks in Valiant and TV21 magazine. Each issue was 36 pages, with the Star Trek segment printed in color on pages 18-19.


 * : Pages 1-2 published in Valiant and TV21 #12.
 * : Pages 3-4 published in Valiant and TV21 #13.
 * : Pages 5-6 published in Valiant and TV21 #14.
 * : Pages 7-8 published in Valiant and TV21 #15.
 * : Pages 9-10 published in Valiant and TV21 #16.
 * : Pages 11-12 published in Valiant and TV21 #17.
 * 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)

Background

 * Class F shuttlecraft were established to have flotation chambers and a life raft aboard.
 * Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/3 made its second of six appearances in the UK comic strips series. It also appeared in story arcs #17, #28, #34, #36, and #37. Although it crashed into a lake, it was salvageable. While the vessel's name was not visible, it was possible that it could be a replacement for the shuttle Icarus, an Enterprise shuttle of that registry which was destroyed in 2254.
 * Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/5 made its first of two appearances. It also appeared in "The Void of Storms" (arc #34).
 * Although a caption said Kirk's shuttle had 12 aboard, only seven people were shown escaping after the crash, with no apparent casualties.

Related stories

 * – En route to Tellun, Michael Burnham's prison shuttle was enveloped by a swarm of Species GS54, an electrical power-siphoning lifeform.
 * – A society's ultimate defensive weapon ended up destroying its own civilization.