Beyond the Farthest Star

"Beyond the Farthest Star" was the debut episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series. It was produced in TAS' first season and debuted on 8 September 1973. The episode was written by Samuel A. Peeples^MA and directed by Hal Sutherland^MA. It was novelized in Star Trek: Log One by Alan Dean Foster in June 1974.

In this story, James T. Kirk's crew come across an ancient derelict starship, but something is still living inside it.

Description[]

VHS teaser: In orbit around a dead star, the USS Enterprise discovers an immense, ethereal starship inhabited by a parasitic life form that threatens the entire Enterprise crew.

Log entries[]

Captain's log, stardate 5221.3: On outward course beyond the fringe of the galaxy towards Questar M-17, a source of mysterious radio emissions. Mission: Star charting.

Recording by insectoid pod ship's commander: … Rather than carry this malevolent life form to other worlds, we have decided to destroy our own ship. The Thing had been trapped here by the tremendous gravity-well of the dead sun. So it must remain. So, sadly, must we. We have studied the problem quite thoroughly in the time remaining. There is no other solution. The others are dead. Only I am left, to give warning. If you are understanding this message, comprehend that you are protected in this room only for the moment. The Thing … grows ever stronger … it wants …" (Novelization)

Captain's log: We have beamed aboard the alien ship found orbiting a strange dead star. The Enterprise is recording all data for the log and a full report later.

Captain's log, stardate 5221.8, final entry: Resuming outward course beyond the farthest star of our galaxy. Mission: star charting.

References[]

Characters[]

Stars and systems[]

Questar M-17
Referenced only: Sol

Planets and planetoids[]

Referenced only: Time Planet • Earth

Shipboard locations[]

USS Enterprise: bridge • engineering • cargo hold

Pod ship: control center

Stellar classification and nomenclature[]

G class star • neutron star • star • stellar classification

Races and cultures[]

ancient insectoid • Edosian or Triexian • Human • magnetic organism • Vulcan

States and organizations[]

Starfleet • Starfleet Command • United Federation of Planets

Lifeforms[]

bee • humanoid • insect • insectoid • spider • primate • symbiotic lifeform

Anatomy and life processes[]

brain • cell • mitosis • symbiotic lifeform • white corpuscle

Science and classification[]

airlock • artificial gravity • automatic bridge defense system • core hatch • cutting beam • engineering core • force field • JWG supercomputer • life support • life support belt • life support system • memory bank • navigation console • phaser • radiation shield • radio • self-destruct device • star chart • starship • static shield • transporter • tricorder • warp drive

Measurement[]

absolute zero • Earth normal • flank speed • galactic coordinate • negative mass • spectra analysis • star chart • stardate • time • warp factor • year

Energy and materials[]

gravity • hypergravity • metal

Ranks and titles[]

captain • chief engineer • chief medical officer • commander • commanding officer • communications officer • doctor • engineer • ensign • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • first officer • helmsman • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • navigator • nurse • officer • rank • science officer • Starfleet ranks

Other references[]

300 million years ago • alien • anatomy • assignment patch • captain's log • electric cello • energy • galactic plane • government • gravitational slingshot • honeycomb • landing party • lifeform • log entry • magnetism • manual override • mirror • orbit • physiology • probability • races and cultures • robot • self-destruct • ship's log • slingshot effect • standard orbit • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • suicide • superstition • technology • transporter lock • weapon • xenopsychology

Chronology[]

300 million years ago: The insectoid pod ship chooses suicide over living as slaves of the magnetic entity.
2269: USS Enterprise becomes trapped in orbit of the negative star mass.

Appendices[]

Background[]

In the novelization, author Alan Dean Foster amended the ship's mission from star charting to a brief diversion from their travel to the planet Gateway. This resolved the non sequitur of having the ship chart stars in a place where there were no stars, according to the episode's title.
Foster also suggested some proximity between the far distant Questar M-17 and the far distant planet Mantilles which would also be visited later in Log One.
Video release packaging cited the episode's initial air date as 22 December, 1973. That was the episode's debut in Los Angeles, California. Actor George Takei was running for local office at that time. To avoid giving equal time on television to his competitors, this episode was delayed. "Yesteryear" served as the local premiere episode because Sulu was not in that episode. (Beyond the Farthest Star notation at Curt Danhauser's Guide to the Animated Star Trek website)

Video releases[]

Images[]

Connections[]

Timeline[]

published order
Previous episode: Yesteryear	TAS episode produced	Next episode: The Survivor
Previous episode: first episode	TAS episode aired	Next episode: Yesteryear
Previous story: first story	Log One	Next story: Yesteryear
chronological order
Previous Adventure: Prime Directive	Memory Beta Chronology	Next Adventure: DTI: Forgotten History Chapter 3, Section 3
Previous Adventure: Prime Directive	Pocket	Next Adventure: Yesteryear

Translations[]

1993: German : Jenseits des fernsten Sterns, translated by Lore Straßl. (Goldmann)

1994: Romanian : Dincolo de cea mai îndepărtată stea, translated by Florin Șlapac. (Editura Teora)

External links[]

"Beyond the Farthest Star" article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
Beyond the Farthest Star review at TrekToday.
Beyond the Farthest Star discussion at the Mission Log podcast.
Beyond the Farthest Star discussion at the Saturday Morning Trek podcast.

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki