Target: Zargot

Target: Zargot was a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip published in 1969. It was the first of 11 annual stories from the UK comic strips series and appeared in Joe 90: Top Secret Annual. In this story, the Enterprise came to the aid of a plague-stricken planet.

Summary

 * Captain's log, stardate 20:0605. Enterprise carrying out exploration in Alpha Helios system. So far, no indication of life…

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) came across a Zargotian cruiser moments before it blew up. A rescue team scrambled to reach an ejection capsule, boarding it moments before its sole occupant died from a plague that could potentially affect Humans. James T. Kirk ordered the Enterprise to find the nearest planet.


 * Captain's log, stardate 20:0902. Orbiting alien planet, exploration team ready to teleport to surface…

The planet's inhabitants were suffering from the epidemic. Leonard McCoy met with their Doctor Ixta, who believed a cure could be made from herbs growing on neighboring planet Coltac. Enterprise raced there, with Kirk taking a team in Space Bug X-4 to the surface. While harvesting the herbs, they repelled two large dinosaurs with phaser fire.


 * Captain's log, stardate 20:1507. We have returned to Zargot with the herbs. McCoy working with aliens…

McCoy and Ixta succeeded in making an antidote, and five days later the inhabitants were cured. Zargotians celebrated with fireworks.

Characters

 * David Bailey • Brad • Ixta • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Spock • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Zargotians

Starships and vehicles

 * ejection capsule • USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) ( heavy cruiser) • groundcar • Space Bug X-4 (space wagon) • space bugs • Zargotian cruiser

Locations

 * Alpha Helios (Coltac • Zargot)

Races and cultures

 * Human • Vulcan • Zargotian

Science and technology

 * antidote • creeping sickness • cutter • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • grappler • medicine • phaser • radio • rocket • scanner • serum • spacescope • stabilizer • stardate • Starfleet ranks • starship • transporter

Ranks and titles

 * captain • doctor • medic

Other references

 * atmosphere • bridge • city • Coltac herb • day • dinosaur • disease • epidemic • fireworks • five-year mission • herb • hospital • lifeform • lizard • magnetism • mile • minute • orbit • planet • port • pterodactyl • rainforest • space • star • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • system • teleportation chamber • tree • vegetation • year

Chronology

 * The presence of Bailey on the Enterprise places this story early in the year 2266, before the events of "The Corbomite Maneuver".

Production history

 * 1969 : Printed in Joe 90: Top Secret Annual (21st Century Publications)
 * 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

 * Due to the artist being unfamiliar with the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), a space wagon was seen launching from the rear of the interconnecting dorsal just below the primary hull. As with early issues of Gold Key Comics, the transporter room was presented as a teleportation chamber and the starship's warp nacelles and secondary hull had rocket exhausts.
 * Space Wagon X-4 was the same type of small craft as the shuttlecrawler featured in.
 * Nyota Uhura was seen on the bridge but did not have any dialogue.

Related stories

 * – A shuttlecrawler explored Boqu II, a world stricken with a plague.
 * – Enterprise fetched the herb genitum lars on Ominnus to cure a plague on Argylus.
 * – Enterprise rescued the plague-ridden planet Miri's homeworld.