Double Bluff

Double Bluff is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip. It is the fourth story in the US Comic Strips series, published by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. The story was set after TOS movie: The Motion Picture, depicting events from Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the refurbished USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

In this story, Kirk grants diplomatic asylum to two civilian Klingon refugees.

Summary[edit | edit source]

Captain's Log: Stardate 7541.1.: We are in orbit about the planet Telos, making a careful survey to determine its suitability as a relocation site for a colony threatened by collision with a massive asteroid.
Captain's Log: Stardate 7541.1.: We are in orbit about the planet Telos, on a routine survey mission…

Two days before their survey mission is to end, Nyota Uhura reports an old, fusion-powered, Vegan Tripper-class commercial flyer approaching on a collision course. Unable to contact the pilots, Pavel Chekov locks a tractor beam onto the spacecraft, which starts to break up. Janice Rand beams up the crew: Morg and his sister Chetar, civilian Klingons requesting sanctuary. Chetar says they've spoken out against their government and been sentenced to death for it, but doubts if Kirk will accept them, as she's heard about Federation death camps and mind control. Kirk grants them immunity, gives them quarters, and said he'll take them to the nearest starbase where they can make a formal request for asylum.

Cautious, Kirk has the Vegan flyer examined by a bomb squad in EV suits, then brought into the hangar bay for repairs. Montgomery Scott says it is scrap that requires disinfecting, but works to get it spaceworthy. McCoy gives the two Klingons a standard medical check, reporting them "fit as Georgia mules. And twice as ornery!"

The presence of the two Klingons generates some negativity among the crew, what Spock called "friction." Morg picks a fight with Chekov, which leads to an exchange of blows. Chekov dazes Morg and wins the fight, but ends up with a black eye. Security takes Morg to Christine Chapel in sickbay.

A K't'inga-class Klingon battlecruiser approaches at warp nine. Hearing the red alert, Morg flees sickbay and rushes to the bridge, warning Kirk he has to run away or be killed. On the viewer, Captain Tunzos of the IKS Rakor says he is looking for two escaped criminals, and Kirk replies they are under his protection. Tunzos thoughtfully replies that he's been ordered "to return with them at any cost."

After discussing the lack of information about K't'inga class ships with Spock, Kirk suggests Tunzos pursue diplomatic methods to extradite the fugitives. Tunzos fires a torpedo in reply. Chekov fires a similar warning shot. Tunzos brings his ship beam on to the Enterprise and threatens to open fire in one hour unless the fugitives are released, destroying both ships.

Meanwhile, frustrated by their experiences on the ship, Morg and Chetar reconsider life in the Federation and tell Kirk they've chosen to flee in their ship. Morg suggests the Enterprise block the battlecruiser's line of sight to provide an escape route. Before leaving, Morg says, "I've never said this to anyone before, but thank you for believing in us," and Chetar kisses Kirk on the cheek. Kirk adds a distraction to the tactics, telling Tunzos that his two fugitives are not aboard two high-speed travel pods launching in opposite directions from the Enterprise. Tunzos destroys the pods, and tells Kirk they'll meet again someday.

Inspecting Chekov's black eye, Kirk asked, "How did we do?" Chekov replied, "Starfleet honor is... intact, sir."

References[edit | edit source]

Characters[edit | edit source]

Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Chetar • Guindon • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Morg • Janice Rand • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Taskul • Thobo • Tunzos
Referenced only: Hikaru Sulu

Starships and vehicles[edit | edit source]

USS Enterprise • IKS Rakor (K't'inga-class) • travel pod • Vegan Tripper-class commercial flyer

Locations[edit | edit source]

Telos
Referenced only: Georgia

Timeline[edit | edit source]

Published Order
Previous comic: #3: "The Real McCoy"	Star Trek: The Original Series (US Comic Strips)	Next comic: #5: “Aberration on Abaris”
Previous story: "The Real McCoy"	Stories by: Thomas Warkentin	Next story: "Aberration on Abaris"
Chronological Order
Previous adventure: "The Real McCoy"	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: "Aberration on Abaris"

Appendices[edit | edit source]

Information[edit | edit source]

This is the fourth of 13 stories set after the events of TOS movie: The Motion Picture with the crew wearing the Starfleet uniform (early 2270s). It was the fourth of five stories set in 2273 near the beginning of Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

This story arc was not printed with a title. The title was provided from Warkentin's original script by his widow, Rosie Warkentin Ford, for the story's reprinting in The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1. (ST reference: New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics).

Arcturian Taskul appeared by name in two dropped panels of the comic strip from May 25, 1980. Morg called Taskul "blob face." The Arcturian wanted to retaliate, but Pavel Chekov restrained him. Taskul was featured in "Dilithium Dilemma" and also appeared in "Husian Gambit". These panels were not reprinted in the omnibus The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1. (Dropped panels article at the Star Trek Comics Checklist.)

As IKS Rakor approached the Enterprise, a Klingon officer reported, "That's one of their new Constitution Class II heavy cruisers. We don’t know its strength." Earlier in 2273, immediately after the V'Ger incident, Commander Krell attacked the Enterprise with three cruisers to assess its strength. Kirk exaggerated his ship's firepower by leveraging a design flaw with the ship's phasers, and questioned whether the Organian Peace Treaty was still active. (TOS - Untold Voyages comic: "Renewal")

As with the earlier battle in "Renewal", weapons fire was exchanged in this story between the IKS Rakor and the Enterprise without any response from Organia. Later in 2273, fighting between the Enterprise and the IKS Ghargh was punished by Weyland, an omnipotent being, possibly a member of the Q Continuum, but not an Organian. (TOS novel: Home Is the Hunter)

IKS Rakor's sensors, or the crew manning them, performed poorly in this story. Blocking its line of sight was enough to allow a sublight spacecraft to escape. The two Klingons were not detected aboard the Enterprise. The two travel pods were either not scanned before they were destroyed, or scans were unable to tell that they were empty.

Extinction-level events appeared "routine" in this area of space. In addition to the asteroid collision mentioned at the beginning of this story, for which the ship's survey mission to relocate inhabitants was called "routine," a planetary collision was observed from 400,000 kilometers away in the next story, "Aberration on Abaris". Chronologically, a few stories ago, "Tomorrow or Yesterday" also featured an extinction-level event.

After Morg called him a klyshka, Chekov called Morg a pig in Russian (свинья).

A Saurian and a Zaranite were seen in engineering. Part of the face of a hammerhead-like humanoid was visible behind the logo of the comic strip on May 25, 1980. Thobo's species was not named.

Background[edit | edit source]

Mark Rice was credited with art assists to Warkentin. (Checklist at Hasslein Books website) Rice’s credit appeared alongside Warkentin's on Sunday comics for May 18, May 25, June 1, 8, 15, and 22 (hidden that day within Klingon equipment). The writing credit was printed as "By Thomas Warkentin from a story by Tom Durkin" on Sunday, May 18, 1980.