Gateway to the Future

Gateway to the Future was a Star Trek: The Original Series short story published in. It was the fifth of 11 annual stories in the UK comic strips series, and was printed along with the comic strips "Captives in Space" and "Planet of Rejects in TV21 Annual 1971.

Publisher's description

 * Omnibus teaser
 * On a planet orbiting a dying star in Galaxy M-674, Kirk's crew meets the Guardian of the Future, a tattered old man who shows him a future glimpse of mankind oppressed by alien invaders.

Summary
The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) picked up life readings on a frozen planet in an unexplored system. Kirk beamed down with Spock and crewmen Hurst and Shafer in environmental suits rigged for extreme cold. Near a mountain range, they discovered an elderly humanoid with a staff but no spacesuit, who stood near two tall, glowing pillars. He introduced himself telepathically as the Guardian of the Future, and offered to show them the future via time travel. Kirk asked if he could see Earth after the end of their five-year mission. Leaving Hurst and Shafer behind, Kirk and Spock removed their life-support gear and passed between the pillars.

They emerged near what appeared to be Los Angeles, and could see Hollywood, the Hollywood Bowl and groundcar roadways, with rockets traveling overhead. On the other side of a freeway, however, they saw a military base defended by a huge cannon. They were approached by a group of armed pacifist Arrowists. When Kirk introduced himself, they said they didn't believe him, and that the Enterprise was destroyed by asteroids the previous week. Kirk asked why the pacifists were armed. They explained that they had started a rebellion — a last resort after being restricted to living in certain areas and having to beg for food — but most of their group had died.

Spurred by a realization, Spock suddenly stunned the Arrowists with his phaser. As they approached the installation, Kirk and Spock saw that it was run by Nobians. They fought their way to the cannon and fired it, wiping out part of the hillside. Spock explained that they were not in Los Angeles, nor even on Earth, but rather some future homeworld for humanity. Kirk smiled, glad to see that his species would make it to the distant future, then both suddenly reappeared between the pillars of the time portal. The Guardian wanted to warn humanity of a potential disastrous fate, which Kirk was certain they'd now be able to avoid.

Characters

 * Guardian of the Future • Hurst • James T. Kirk • Shafer • Spock

Amanda Grayson • Christopher Columbus • Father Time • Sarek

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) ( heavy cruiser) • groundcars • rocket

Locations

 * Earth (Los Angeles • Hollywood • Hollywood Bowl) • Galaxy M-674

Earth (Alaska • Athens, Greece • Canada • Mexico) • Mars • Sol

Races and cultures

 * Human • Nobian • Vulcanite

States and organizations

 * Arrowist

United States of America

Science and technology

 * arrow • bow • blaster • communicator • computer tape • environmental suit • microphone • phaser • radar • radio • sensor • time machine • transporter • tricorder • weapon

Ranks and titles

 * captain • crewman • dictator • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • soldier • Starfleet ranks

Other references

 * asteroid • bridge • century • colony • dictatorship • English language • empire • five-year mission • galaxy • gas • Pillar Gateway • ice • landing party • lifeform • magic • military • mountain • oil • peace • planet • rebellion • solar system • space • staff • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • sun • telepathy • temple • time travel • universe • viewscreen • war

Production history

 * 1971 : First printed in TV21 Annual 1971 (City Magazines)
 * December 2016 : Reprinted in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 2 (IDW Publishing)

Background

 * This was the only story in the UK comic strips series presented in prose with accompanying illustrations rather than as a comic strip.
 * Crewman Hurst was featured in "The Crucial Element". He also traveled with Kirk to meet Roggaf in "The Eagles Have Landed".
 * In appearance and function, Guardian of the Future was reminiscent of the humanoid/crystalline Guardians of Forever as they appeared in Harlan Ellison's The City on the Edge of Forever, Issue 1. As an ancient guard, he resembled Portal 63 of the Tkon in, who also carried a staff.
 * Spock's parents were both referenced, but not by name.

Related stories

 * – Kirk, Spock and Leonard McCoy time traveled through the Guardian of Forever.
 * – James T. Kirk encountered a Kirk from the previous version of the universe.