Dilithium Dilemma

Dilithium Dilemma is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip. It is the second story in the US Comic Strips series, published by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. The story was set after, depicting events from Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the refurbished USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). In this story, written and drawn by Thomas Warkentin, a Klingon battlecruiser complicates the crew’s desperate mission to replace the ship’s fused dilithium crystals.

Summary

 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7495.3.’’’
 * The recent drain upon our dilithium reserves critically limits our range and capability. The Enterprise is marginally operational.

Lt. Ilia reported that the ship was 4.2 years away from the nearest starbase at sub-warp speed, but nine days away from Forma VI, site of a colony and an old dilithium mine.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7504.3.’’’
 * On the threshold of total burnout our dilithium reserves, we are enroute to Forma VI, in the hope of replenishing our supply from a played out mine there.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7504.4.’’’
 * Our dilithium supply nearly exhausted, we are en route to Forma VI to replenish our supply. Rather than reveal our limited capability to Klingons already in orbit, we are using the last of our reserves to approach at warp speed.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7504.41.’’’
 * The Klingons have left orbit at our warp speed approach. We have made contact with the Forma VI colony, and received permission to land a party.

The Klingon ship left at impulse speed. Janice Rand reported power reserves too low to trust the transporter, so Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu and Arcturian mining engineer Ensign Taskul landed a shuttle near the colony. The colonists said the Klingons had searched the mine and failed to find any dilithium there. Sulu had requested to be on the landing party in order to see the planet’s famous flora, so the female colonist took McCoy and Sulu on a guided tour of the area. Meanwhile, two Klingons remaining on the planet, Krax and Koth, first officer of the Kandar, watched from nearby woods.

At the mine, Taskul told Kirk, Spock and another colonist that “every known detection technique” has not located dilithium. Then they heard crying, ran to discover a bound human baby, and found themselves surrounded by five Klingons. After taking their phasers and communicators, Koth, demanded dilithium in exchange for their lives, and threatened to use an agonizer on him.

At the end of their tour, the female colonist brought Sulu and McCoy to a Klingon battle cruiser that had crashed before their colonist guide had been born. McCoy reported to Kirk that they’d found dilithium aboard a wrecked Klingon ship a few kilometers downriver, unaware he was being overheard. Spock realized their value as hostages had ended, and quickly wrenched wires from an electrical junction box to plunge the mine into darkness, allowing them to evade their captors and flee outside.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7504.7.’’’
 * Chief Engineer Scott recording. In order to beam up a quantity of dilithium found by Doctor McCoy and Helmsman Sulu, we are tapping residual charge from ship’s phasers for a single-surge boost directly into the transporter.

Meanwhile, the baby was reunited with its parents, who told them that the Klingon group had already been there, smashed their radio, and taken a boat. Unable to communicate with Sulu and McCoy, Kirk, Spock and Taskul pursued in another boat.

In orbit, the battlecruiser returned. Kodrash introduced himself as captain of the Klingon battle cruiser Kandar, and said he had confirmation that his landing party had captured three of Scotty’s shipmates. They would be returned in exchange for dilithium. Scotty replied he’d blow up their ship if Kodrash didn’t return them in one hour. Kodrash said that was “preferable to returning to the Empire later than ordered.”

Sensing trouble, Sulu pushed the female colonist and McCoy away from a sudden Klingon ambush. Then they heard phaser fire, then silence, then Chekov calling them. Chekov had beamed down with five security officers and captured the Klingons. Arriving afterwards, Kirk congratulated them all. Once back on the ship, Chekov suggested that Kirk not beam down in future without a security escort.

On the bridge, Kirk told Kodrash he was returning the Klingon landing party in a travel pod, along with enough dilithium to get them back to the Empire. But once it was launched, suspecting a trick, the Klingons shot down the pod, killing their own people and destroying the dilithium, then left orbit on impulse power.

Characters

 * James T. Kirk • Spock • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Nyota Uhura • Hikaru Sulu • Pavel Chekov • Ilia • Janice Rand • Taskul • unnamed male colonist • unnamed female colonist • Human Baby • Baby’s Mother • Baby’s Father

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) • Imperial Klingon Battlecruiser Kandar

Locations

 * Forma VI Romulan-Klingon Neutral Zone

Races and cultures

 * Human • Klingon • Arcturian

Science and technology

 * dilithium • sub-warp speed • mining colony • dilithium mine • shuttle • agonizer • junction box • colony boat • travel pod Jovian frost-moss • tractor beam • weather satellite • radio • fifth cranial nerve • navi-computer • residual charge • phasers

Related stories

 * - Described the starship refit, crew changes, and technology updates that occurred prior to the events of this story, as well as introducing the new look of Klingons and their ships.
 * Called Home - Described the events which caused the ship’s dilithium dilemma.

Information

 * This is the second of 20 story arcs set after the events of, and is set during Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).


 * An inadvertent continuity error occurred when Warkentin, having produced this story prior to the release of, depicted Ilia discussing with Kirk the ship’s location relative to the nearest starbase in two panels of the strip published on Sunday, January 13, 1980 (reprinted in The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1 on page 29). Why did she appear? According to , Warkentin worked from stills of the bridge crew provided by Paramount, and his widow, Rosie Warkentin Ford, stated that he didn't know Ilia had died in the movie until he saw it opening night. Ilia had appeared without a speaking role in two panels of the previous story, Called Home. This was her final appearance in the strip.


 * When the landing party was surrounded in the mine, five Klingons could be seen in the distance. But when depicted on a four-man boat heading to the wreck, only four Klingons were shown, leaving one Klingon unaccounted for.


 * This story arc was not printed with a title. The title was provided from Warkentin's original script by his widow, Rosie Warkentin Ford, for the story's reprinting in The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1..