"As Flies to Wanton Boys" was a 22-page Star Trek: The Original Series comic book story. It appeared in the fifth issue of Marvel Comics' anthology series Star Trek Unlimited along with the TNG story "Secret Lives". In this story, the shuttlecraft Armstrong crashed on the surface of an unexplored planet, stranding its crew.
Publisher's description[]
- Letter column teaser
- Captain Kirk and company are trapped in a millennia-old experiment on a deadly alien world.
Summary[]
Log entries[]
- Ship's log, First Officer Spock recording
- A routine survey of the Vehtora system has detected an ancient but apparently advanced structure on the surface of the fourth planet...
A world previously presumed uninhabited.
We have informed Starfleet of the situation, and are beginning a thorough search, but we are now thwarted by a mysterious energy field that has surrounded the planet…
Attempts to beam a landing party down were inhibited by some form of atmospheric disruption, and now a shuttle, led by Captain Kirk, has disappeared as it entered the atmosphere.
- First officer's log, supplemental
- The five hour search window is rapidly disappearing and still we are unable to penetrate the planet's energy field...
- First officer's log, supplemental
- The phasers have caused a marginal disruption to the EM field, but not enough to allow us to locate or beam out the lost landing party.
- Captain's log, stardate 5993.2
- The Anabarra colonists have been evacuated to Starbase 10 safely.
Our interlude on Vehtora Four has left Crewman Jameson dead and Mr. Chekov in sickbay, his condition serious but stable.
Dr. Bordell is to lead a Starfleet research mission to study the Xhosa and to determine if they really represent the threat the Dhauti monitor feared.
References[]
Characters[]
- Bordell • Pavel Chekov • Jameson • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Merson • Monitor • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
Starships and vehicles[]
- Armstrong • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)
- Referenced only
- Galileo (I)
Locations[]
- Vehtora system (Monitor's sanctum • Vehtora IV)
- Referenced only
- Anabarra colony • Starbase 10 • Taurus II
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and classification[]
- arrow • communicator • grenade • hatch • hologram • hypospray • nacelle • observation port • phaser bank • repeller screen • sensor • shield • transporter • tricorder • viewscreen
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • anthropologist • captain • commander • doctor • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • pilot • rank • Starfleet ranks
Other references[]
- assignment patch • atmosphere • beam • bird • bridge • captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2270 • civilization • comet • deity • electromagnetism • evolution • fire • first officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) • flower • galaxy • hour • log entry • meteor • minute • mountain • planetary defense system • plasma • races and cultures • radiation • ship's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) • sickbay • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • Stone Age • technology • transporter room • tree
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
- Dhauti used genetic engineering to create the Xhosa species.
- Dhauti builds the Monitor.
- Xhosa drives the Dhauti to extinction.
- 2270
- USS Enterprise shuttlecraft Armstrong crash-lands on Vehtora IV.
Appendices[]
Background[]
- The title "As Flies to Wanton Boys" referred to a quote made by Kirk at the end of the story, "As flies to wanton boys, we are to the gods. They kill us for their sport". This phrase was written by William Shakespeare in King Lear, Act 4 Scene 1. (King Lear, Act 4 Scene 1 at The Complete Works of William Shakespeare website)
Related stories[]
- TOS episode & Star Trek 10 novelization: The Galileo Seven – Montgomery Scott recalled his experiences aboard the Galileo (I) on Taurus II in 2267.
Images[]
Connections[]
| Star Trek Unlimited comics |
| #1 ("Directives" & "Dying of the Light") • #2 ("Action of the Tiger" & "The Unkindest Cut") • #3 ("Message in a Bottle" & "Sins of the Fathers") • #4 ("None But the Brave" & "Inheritance") • #5 ("Secret Lives" & "As Flies to Wanton Boys ") • "Heart of Darkness" • "An Infinite Jest" • #8 ("The Boy", "The Warrior" & "The Veteran") • "Trekkers" • "A Piece of Reaction" |
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #4: None But the Brave |
TOS comics (Unlimited) |
Next comic: #7: An Infinite Jest |
| Previous comic: Secret Lives TNG |
Star Trek: Unlimited | Next comic: Heart of Darkness Telepathy War |
| Previous story: Secret Lives TNG |
Stories by: Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton |
Next story: Heart of Darkness Telepathy War |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: None But the Brave |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: An Infinite Jest |
External link[]
- As Flies to Wanton Boys article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.