- For other uses, see A Matter of Perspective.
"A Matter of Perspective" was a Star Trek: The Original Series comic, the third issue of the Burden of Knowledge miniseries, published in August 2010
Description[]
Solicitation[]
- When the Enterprise arrives too late to save another starship in distress, all evidence of guilt points to a shocking source: a fellow Federation member! Can Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock prevent all-out war with the Tellarites? From the creative team behind Spock: Reflections!
Summary[]
After her recent string of first contact missions, the USS Enterprise docks at Starbase 17 for resupply and maintenance. Though most of the crew welcomes the brief respite, Montgomery Scott is somewhat hesitant to hand the Enterprise over to the Andorians who operate the base despite Kirk and Spock's trust in their fellow Federation founders. Led by Chief Technician Shatah, the Andorians beam over and assure Scott that they are up to the task, certainly better than some other species. As Scott leads the Andorians to engineering, Kirk and Spock comment that, despite everything that's happened in the last century, the Andorians still hate the Tellarites. Despite this, the Andorian zeal for engineering remains unmatched and the tune up is soon finished, Scott's worries long since put to rest, the Scotsman even seeing Shatah off on friendly terms.
With that done, the Enterprise heads off to do a check up on the Janus VI mining colony before a priority one message from Starfleet Command directs them to investigate the last known whereabouts of the Lavota Wind, a cruise ship that has mysteriously gone silent. When the Enterprise arrives however, they find the ship has been destroyed with the scanners suggesting… that Tellarite weapons were responsible! As debates fly, a Tellarite ship approaches. Though Kirk attempts diplomacy, Commander Brog's Tellarite temper flares up quickly and he orders an attack on the Enterprise. Despite Kirk's initial refusal to open fire, the ship proves a match for his own and he soon finds he has no choice. As he orders tactical to compute the optimum firing pattern, and Scott to reroute extra power to the shields, McCoy enters demanding an explanation. When Scott quickly recaps the situation, McCoy notes he sounds like an Andorian with the doctor's attempts to stand Kirk down being met with little success.
Once the weapons are charged, Spock notes that the tactical computer has aimed the phasers at the most critical points of the Tellarite vessel, which would lead to instant hull breach and kill the crew in moments. After making one check, Spock confirms that such an advisement is not Starfleet protocol and realizes McCoy was right in comparing the crew's actions to Andorians. Because when the aliens rewired the computer, they gave it an Andorian perspective on the universe. As Scott frantically works to undo the modifications, Spock finds the Lavota Wind fell victim to a warp core breach. Agreeing with McCoy that this modification must be kept secret from the Tellarites, Kirk forces open a channel and contemptuously tells Brog that the Enterprise has not returned fire simply because they find the Tellarites unworthy of their time. The real challenge is finding out what happened to the Lavota Wind, something no doubt beyond Tellarite intelligence. Insulted, Brog agrees to Kirk's challenge and ceases fire.
As the Enterprise streaks off to Janus VI, Kirk notes Brog's report matched their own findings while also being very thorough. As they sail, McCoy confides in Kirk his disillusionment that, despite how the Federation markets itself off as a utopia, the racial differences between the member races still risks civil war. Kirk has no concrete answer but he does agree that perhaps life in the Federation is too romanticized by its members. But then again, isn't the promise of such a utopia what drives them on?
At that moment, Uhura receives a Starfleet distress call from an Orion cruiser. It is Lieutenant Jason Thompson requesting rescue. The same Jason Thompson… who sits at navigation at this very moment!
References[]
Characters[]
- James T. Kirk • Spock • Montgomery Scott • Nyota Uhura • Hikaru Sulu • Brog • Shatah • Jason Thompson
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Kumari-class vessels • Pralim-class vessel
Locations[]
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS episode: "The Devil in the Dark": The Enterprise is due to stop off at Janus VI.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: A Failure to Communicate |
TOS comics Burden of Knowledge |
Next comic: The Burden of Knowledge |
External link[]
- A Matter of Perspective (comic) article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.