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"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 priestPavel ChekovJames T. KirkMazdan high priestLeonard McCoyMontgomery ScottSpockHikaru SuluNyota UhuraOsric Whipple
Referenced only
GrolgarVengwal

Starships and vehicles[]

Ariman spaceshipsUSS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • Galileo (II) (class F shuttlecraft) • ground carMazdan spaceships

Locations[]

R-517 star system (ArimaMazda) • Quaraxus

Races and cultures[]

ArimanHumanMazdanVulcan

States and organizations[]

FederationFederation Supreme AssemblyStar Fleet Command

Science and technology[]

astrogatorbraincommunicatorcomputerelectromagnetismdeflectorflagshipfrequencygravitational fieldorbitphatonradioradio wavespacetransformertransportertricorderwarp drive

Ranks and titles[]

captainhigh priestknightlieutenantprofessorsecurity officer

Other references[]

cavemancrimeheavencriminal codedeityfleetlogicmeteoritemilitarymoonpeace treatyplanetoidplanetreligionsectorshieldregulationsswordtempletribeVulcan nerve pinchwar

Chronology[]

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[]

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[]

Gold Key Comics stories and publications
Issues "The Planet of No Return" • "The Devil's Isle of Space" • "Invasion of the City Builders" • "The Peril of Planet Quick Change" • "The Ghost Planet" • "When Planets Collide" • "The Voodoo Planet" • "The Youth Trap" • "The Legacy of Lazarus" • "Sceptre of the Sun" • "The Brain Shockers" • "The Flight of the Buccaneer" • "Dark Traveler" • "The Enterprise Mutiny" • "Museum at the End of Time" • "Day of the Inquisitors" • "The Cosmic Cavemen" • "The Hijacked Planet" • "The Haunted Asteroid" • "A World Gone Mad" • "The Mummies of Heitius VII" • "Siege in Superspace" • "Child's Play" • "The Trial of Captain Kirk" • "Dwarf Planet" • "The Perfect Dream" • "Ice Journey" • "The Mimicking Menace" • "Death of a Star" • "The Final Truth" • "The Animal People" • "The Choice" • "The PsychoCrystals" • "A Bomb in Time" • "One of Our Captains Is Missing!" • "Prophet of Peace" • "Furlough to Fury" • "The Evictors" • "World Against Time" • "The World Beneath the Waves" • "Prince Traitor" • "Mr. Oracle" • "This Tree Bears Bitter Fruit" • "Murder on the Enterprise" • "A Warp in Space" • "Planet of No Life" • "Destination... Annihilation!" • "And a Child Shall Lead Them" • "What Fools These Mortals Be.." • "Sport of Knaves" • "A World Against Itself" • "No Time Like the Past" • "Spore of the Devil" • "The Brain-Damaged Planet" • "To Err Is Vulcan" • "The Empire Man!" • "Operation Con Game"
Additional stories "James T. Kirk: Psycho-File" • "A Page From Scotty's Diary" • "Spock: Psycho-File" • "From Sputnik to Warp Drive"
Games "Voyage of Discovery" • "The Tunnel of Death" • "... Wild Goose Chase!" • "A Hint of Life" • "Space Chase" • "Escape from the Clinging Dags"
Collections Star Trek Annuals (1969197019721973197419751976197719781979198019831986) • The Enterprise Logs (Volumes 1234) • The Key Collection (Volumes 12345) • Gold Key Archives (Volumes 12345) • Gold Key 100-Page Spectacular
Related media "The Exile" • "The Red Hour" • "Colouring Book" • "Eye of the Beholder" • "The Menace of the Mechanitrons" • "Trial by Fire!"

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[]

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