"Destination … Annihilation!" was a comic book story published by Gold Key Comics in 1978. It was the 12th of 22 stories drawn by Alden McWilliams and the 4th of 10 stories written by George Kashdan.
Description[]
- The serenity of deep space prevailed aboard the USS Enterprise until they took on the unexpected passenger! From then on, it was only a matter of time until his unique brain would drive the Enterprise crew into an inexorable, maddening disaster.
Summary[]
- Captain's log, stardate 26:04.4.
- As per orders of Fleet Command, we are enroute to peacekeeping duties at the twin worlds of Arima and Mazda, in solar system of R-517.
The Ariman and Mazdan civilizations warred for millennia over resources even after space travel let the Mazdans migrate to a neighboring world. In order to join the Federation, they accepted a Federation Council mandate that placed a permanent Starfleet peacekeeping force in their system. Soon, however, it was foretold that deities from each civilization would appear, leading them to victory over the other.
En route, while passing the planetoid Quaraxus, Hikaru Sulu observes metallic objects being flung into space, and Spock detects an artificial magnetic field at work. Kirk recalls that his friend Osric Whipple lives on the planet, and quickly Kirk and Spock beam into Whipple's residence, deactivate several power generators and revive the unconscious professor. He has been testing a planetary meteor deflector, but it short-circuited. Officers arrive to arrest Whipple for threatening public safety. Kirk says they're mistreating Whipple, a highly regarded inventor. With Vulcan nerve pinches, Spock incapacitates the officers, and Whipple is beamed back to the Enterprise until cooler heads can prevail.
- Captain's log, stardate 26:81.8.
- While observing Ariman's military maneuvers, I issued a strict warning to the High Priest, who, under the common law of Arima, is also the planet's chief political leader...
Kirk warns the priest that any attack against Mazda would require a response by the Starfleet task force. Meanwhile, Whipple has been studying the transporter and reconfigures a tricorder to act as a miniature transporter console. He activates it prematurely, however, and materializes on the throne of a Mazdan temple, where he is misinterpreted as their deity. Worried, he adjusts the tricorder and rematerializes on the throne of the Ariman temple in front of the Ariman high priest during the landing party's tour. Both cultures believe their deity has fulfilled prophesy and prepare to launch fleets of warships. The landing party hastily returns to the Enterprise.
Nyota Uhura's hails to the flagships of both fleets are ignored. Feeling guilty about inciting war and worried about the consequences to his friend Kirk, Whipple has an inspiration, and minutes later launches aboard the Galileo shuttlecraft. He reroutes the deflector shield energy of the starship into a magnetic wall between both fleets. He thinks it will act as a repelling field, but he miscalculates and the barrier instead immobilizes the fleets against the wall.
Kirk orders the transporter to beam Whipple out of the shuttle, but energies from his jury rigging interfere, leaving him in a non-corporeal state. Leaders of both fleets see the glowing figure, believe it to be their deity, and are shocked when Whipple's voice is heard transmitted over radio wanting this madness to stop. Scott and other technicians adjust the transporter, shut down the magnetic wall and beam Whipple back. The actions are interpreted as their deity wanting them to live in peace, so they agree to meet to sign a peace treaty.
As the Enterprise leaves system R-517, Kirk speaks with the Quaraxus authorities about Whipple's having stopped the war, and they agree to drop charges. As thanks, Whipple agrees never to experiment without authorization, then starts thinking about how to improve the transporter controls on his tricorder.
References[]
Characters[]
- Ariman high priest • Pavel Chekov • James T. Kirk • Mazdan high priest • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • Osric Whipple
- Referenced only
- Grolgar • Vengwal
Starships and vehicles[]
- Ariman spaceships • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • Galileo (II) (class F shuttlecraft) • ground car • Mazdan spaceships
Locations[]
- R-517 star system (Arima • Mazda) • Quaraxus
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and technology[]
- astrogator • brain • communicator • computer • electromagnetism • deflector • flagship • frequency • gravitational field • orbit • phaton • radio • radio wave • space • transformer • transporter • tricorder • warp drive
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • high priest • knight • lieutenant • professor • security officer
Other references[]
- caveman • crime • heaven • criminal code • deity • fleet • logic • meteorite • military • moon • peace treaty • planetoid • planet • religion • sector • shield • regulations • sword • temple • tribe • Vulcan nerve pinch • war
Chronology[]
- At some point prior to 2233, Osric Whipple invented the deflector shield generator mechanism.
- It was prior to 2233 because the USS Kelvin had deflector shields when the Narada attacked in 2233. (TOS movie & novelization: Star Trek)
- At some point, Kirk and Whipple became acquainted. Whipple called Kirk an old friend and knew he was a captain. Kirk knew Whipple had invented the phaton, saying the deflector mechanism had saved his life many times, and he was sympathetic to the professor.
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS comic: "The Ghost Planet" – Ongoing planetary war on Numero Uno was led by Justin I and Justin II, paused only by the formation of radioactive rings around the planet.
- TOS episode: "Operation -- Annihilate!" – Similar-sounding title for the story of Deneva under attack by Denevan neural parasites.
- TOS comic: "Operation: Annihilate" – Similar-sounding title for the Denevan events as they occurred in the Kelvin timeline.
Background[]
- The cover artist mislabeled the warring spacecraft. The saucer-shaped "Mazda R-517" was actually the Ariman spaceship, whereas the rocket-shaped "Arima R-517" was the Mazdan spaceship.
- Spock said when people awoke from a Vulcan nerve pinch, they felt refreshed and rested.
- "Osric" was a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. (Text of the play Hamlet at the Shakespeare MIT website.)
- Whipple said he’d rewired a tricorder into a personal transporter, but it seemed as likely that his quick tinkering could have turned it into a portable transporter console linked to the Enterprise's transporter.
- The title was printed Destination ... Annihilation! in part one and Destination .... Annihilation! in part two.
- The use of stardate 2604.4 was inconsistent with Pavel Chekov’s appearance as navigator.
- Scott’s uniform tunic was colored blue when Kirk and Spock beamed down to Quaraxus, but red when he beamed them back.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
published order | ||
---|---|---|
Previous comic: #50: Planet of No Life |
TOS comics (Gold Key) | Next comic: #52: And a Child Shall Lead Them |
Previous story: A Warp in Space |
Stories by: George Kashdan |
Next story: And a Child Shall Lead Them |
chronological order | ||
Previous adventure: Museum at the End of Time |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: The Ghost Planet |
Previous comic: Museum at the End of Time |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next comic: The Ghost Planet |
Production history[]
- March 1978
- First published by Gold Key Comics.
- September 2008
- Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD. (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
- 3 January 2019
- Reprinted in Graphic Novel Collection #53. (Eaglemoss Collections)
Translations[]
- 1978
- Dutch: In the omnibus Ruimteschip Enterprise Classics Strip-Paperback #2. (De Vrijbuiter)
- 1978
- German: As "Kampf der Welten" in the omnibus Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Taschenbuch #2. (Condor)
- 1980
- German: As "Kampf der Welten" in some editions of Condor Superheiden #1: Star Trek Jahrbuch. (Condor-Verlag)
External links[]
- Destination... Annihilation! article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.