The Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip published in 1969. It was the 12th story arc in the UK comic strips series, released in eight parts within issues of TV21 & Joe 90. This was the first of two stories illustrated by Jim Baikie. In this story, a Federation Councilor took the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) on a diplomatic mission.

Publisher's description

 * Teaser summary, 28 March 1970
 * Under orders from the haughty, arrogant Courtenay Marshall, Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Chekov had escorted him to the planet Tondus, where he was to act as ambassador for the space Federation. While Marshall talked with the Tondusian premier, Kirk and his officers were shown round the capital city…

Summary
Federation Councilor Courtenay Marshall beamed aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) hoping to sign a defensive alliance with Tondus against the Romulan Empire. On the way, Kirk prepared Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu and Spock to join him as Marshall's ambassadorial honor guard. As the starship approached the planet, however, it was met with radio silence and an attack by a Tondusian strike craft. Stating that these actions must have been a mistake, Marshall insisted on beaming down with his honor guard unarmed as a show of peace. They materialized in the capital city and met the Tondusian prime minister, who promised to investigate the strike craft's action.

While the officials talked, Kirk's team were given a tour, then led to a prison cell occupied by an elderly man in tattered clothes: the real Courtenay Marshall. His transporter beam had been intercepted, with an imposter taking his place — Romulus had already occupied Tondus, imprisoning families of its leadership to keep them in line. The prime minister and fake Marshall were Romulans. Their grand plan was to replace Kirk's team with doubles through the use of identity transference equipment. The fake officers would return to the Enterprise and lead a fleet of Tondusian strike craft on a purported peace mission to Earth.

Meanwhile, Montgomery Scott received an alert from Earth about the fake Marshall. Nyota Uhura tried hailing Kirk. Although the captain was strapped down and couldn't speak into his communicator, enough background conversation was overheard to expose the Romulan plot. Scott launched the Galileo and three other shuttlecraft toward the surface. Tondusian ships intercepted them and a fierce battle ensued. With effort, Kirk was able to open his communicator and tell Scott where the Tondusian families were being held. Although one shuttle was shot down, the other three made it past ground defenses. Scott's rescue party freed the imprisoned families, then aided Kirk's team. The prime minister and fake Marshall were captured, ending the Romulan plot.

Characters

 * Pavel Chekov • James T. Kirk • Courtenay Marshall • Courtenay Marshall's imposter • Spock • Montgomery Scott • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Romulans • unnamed Starfleet personnel • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2260s)

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) ( heavy cruiser) • Galileo (class F shuttlecraft) • three unnamed class F shuttlecraft • Tondusian strike craft

Locations

 * Tondus

Earth (Federation Headquarters) • Jupiter

Races and cultures

 * Human • Tondusian • Vulcan

States and organizations

 * Federation • Federation Council • Romulan Empire • Starfleet Intelligence

Science and technology

 * cannon • communicator • escalator • forcefield • missile • phaser rifle • radio • scanner • spacecraft • transporter

Ranks and titles

 * ambassador • captain • chamberlain • chief of staff • commander • consul • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • engineer • ensign • executioner • Federation Councilor • guard • lieutenant • officer • president • premier • skipper • Starfleet ranks • your excellency

Other references

 * armory • army • brainwashing • bridge • call sign • Dark Ages • destruct system • devil • diplomacy • fleet • forms of identification • god • honor guard • hostage • hour • identity transference • lion • meteor shower • meteorite • police • prison • quarters • Starfleet General Orders and Regulations • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • starship • stratosphere • three-dimensional chess • transporter room

Chronology

 * The presence of Pavel Chekov as a bridge officer places the story after his promotion to bridge duty in May 2267.

Production history

 * This story was published in two-page sections over eight consecutive weeks in TV21 & Joe 90 magazine.


 * March 1970
 * 7 March, pages 1-2 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #24
 * 14 March, pages 3-4 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #25
 * 21 March, pages 5-6 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #26
 * 28 March, pages 7-8 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #27
 * April 1970
 * 4 April, pages 9-10 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #28
 * 11 April, pages 11-12 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #29
 * 18 April, pages 13-14 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #30
 * 25 April, pages 15-16 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #31
 * April 2016 : Reprinted in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 1 (IDW Publishing)
 * 11 May 2017 : Reprinted in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #10 (Eaglemoss)

Background

 * The story was not printed with a title, but it was given one ("The Marshall Plan") for its reprinting in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 1. The title was a nod to the name of an American plan to help Western Europe recover after World War II.
 * This was the only story in the UK comic strip series which was printed entirely in black-and-white. It was also the first comic strip arc not printed with panels crossing the magazine's center spread. The final week of "The Klingon Ultimatum" had also been printed b/w. Color returned for the next story arc, "Mutiny on the Dorado".
 * The April 11, 1970 edition featured the cover debut of shuttlecraft and the Galileo. Over at Gold Key Comics, Galileo's hatch appeared on the cover in January 1975's "The Mimicking Menace", but the complete vessel wasn't seen on a cover until September 1978's "A World Against Itself".
 * Tondusian strike craft appeared on covers for issues dated March 14 and April 18, 1970.
 * Perhaps because the creative team lacked appropriate onscreen reference material, the Romulan soldiers were drawn with clothing similar to those of Earth's ancient Roman Empire. While these Romulans did not have exposed ears to tell whether they were pointed, they did exhibit Human eyebrows, implying that they could have been surgically altered or were from a conquered Romulan race that looked human-like.
 * Nyota Uhura took command of the Enterprise when Montgomery Scott led the strike force aboard Galileo. When Scott was unsure how to act, it was Uhura who advised attacking Tondus.
 * It was not explained why a Tondusian strike craft initially attacked the Enterprise. The Romulan plot hinged on using an undamaged Enterprise to escort the Tondusian fleet.
 * Plixeans were more successful when they attempted a similar strategy in "To Rule the Universe".
 * The fake Marshall appeared human, though he did not resemble the real Marshall. Because the substitution was made at the last minute, apparently by intercepting Marshall's transporter beam en route to the Enterprise, it meant that there was not enough time to use the Tondusian identity transference equipment to create an identical double for Marshall. However, he could be an identical double for some other captured human.
 * In the middle of the story, the Tondusian prime minister was addressed as president.
 * Uhura's name was misspelled Uhuru.

Related stories

 * – In the 2260s, Plixeans used identity transference equipment to assume the identities of Kirk and Spock, then successfully planted a bomb in the Federation Council Chambers on Earth.
 * – In 2266, the Galactic Union held the children of planetary leaders off-world to prevent a revolt.
 * – In 2273, a transporter beam was unknowingly intercepted, substituting the person being transported.
 * – A Vulcan Federation ambassador was revealed to be a Romulan spy.