Where ONE man has gone before – "Gary" was the 64th issue of DC Comics's second monthly TOS series, published in October 1994. Written by Kevin Ryan, drawn by Rod Whigham and Arne Starr, it recounted the story of James T. Kirk and Gary Mitchell's visit to Dimorus, with a framing story set just after the events of TOS episode, novelization & comic adaptation: Where No Man Has Gone Before.
Description
- Letter column teaser
- The hardest thing any commander has to do is to tell the parents of a shipmate that their child has been lost in action. For Jim Kirk, it is an even harder task as he tells the parents of his best friend, the one who saved his life, how he died. Kirk finds it better to tell them instead how Gary Mitchell lived.
Summary
While the Enterprise travels to Earth for Gary Mitchell's funeral, Captain Kirk tries to compose a letter to Gary's parents. Unable to write the truth about Gary's death, Kirk instead writes a story about an adventure that Kirk and Mitchell had aboard the Farragut.
Log entries
- Captain's log, USS Farragut, Captain Stephen Garrovick recording.
- We have just received an urgent distress signal from the planet Dimorus, where a Federation anthropological survey team has been conducting a study on the native life. Because of the urgency of the message, I fear the worst.
- Captain's log, USS Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk recording.
- Of all my duties as the captain of this vessel, there is none more difficult than the one I am about to undertake. Every time I perform this duty, I am reminded that it is my fault. It is because of my mistake or inability to anticipate something I should have seen, that one of my crew has paid the ultimate price.
- I remember all too clearly the message we received when my father was lost. It was perhaps easier to hear that news from my father's closest friend, Captain Robert April, but I know now the cost of that message to Captain April. Because now, I must inform the parents of my closest friend that their son will never be coming home.
- Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, I will always remember the man who saved my life twice and saved us from shedding more blood because of our own ignorance. I miss Gary. I miss his friendship. But i honor his memory and his quest to remain open to the wonder of the galaxy.
- It was that openness to new things, experiences and people that made Gary Mitchell a great officer and my closest friend. In the end, I think that openness may have contributed to his death, but through that death Gary gave his life in the service of Starfleet's highest ideal … to understand others.
References
Characters
- Ayers • Stephen Garrovick • Kelly • Hellund • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Dana Mitchell • Gary Mitchell • Thomas Mitchell • unnamed Starfleet personnel (bridge officers, transporter chief, blond ensign)
- Referenced only
- Robert April • George Samuel Kirk, Sr. • Benedict de Spinoza • Spock • Tyree
Starships and vehicles
Locations
- Dimorus • the galaxy
- Referenced only
- Neural
Races and cultures
States and organizations
Science and classification
- communicator • computer • cudgel • dart • generator • hypospray • laser pistol • medscanner • neurotoxin • poison • stimulant • transporter • tricorder
Ranks and titles
- captain • doctor • ensign • lieutenant • medical technician • officer • quartermaster • science officer • scientist • teacher • transporter chief
Other references
- assignment patch • blood • book • brain • briefing room • coffee • coma • corridor • Dimoran butterfly • distress call • engineering • funeral • galaxy • honor • hour • kilometer • landing party • log entry • logic • minute • orbit • peace • pheromone • planet • Prime Directive • quarters • race • recreation room • rodent • second • sentience • star • stun • surgery • timeline • transporter room • tree • war
Timeline
Chronology
- James T. Kirk completes survey on Neural. ("recently")
- Survey team begins onsite, clandestine observations of Dimorans. (three weeks prior to story)
- USS Farragut responds to a distress call on Dimorus.
- George Samuel Kirk, Sr. disappears, with Captain Robert April breaking the news to James T. Kirk.
- Gary Mitchell dies.
Appendices
Background
- The backstory tells a different version of Kirk and Gary’s adventure on Dimorus to that told in TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel: Enterprise, in which the incident took place ten years later in 2265 during their tenure aboard the Enterprise.
- Dimorans were shown as sapient, tall, furry humanoids who manufactured darts. Other sources, such as in ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation, described them as averaging 0.7 meters in height with organic, porcupine-like darts.
- Kirk noted that the Dimorans were “the first rodent-descended intelligent life ever discovered”. Actually, Humans and rodents shared a common ancestor 80 million years ago on Earth. (Rat Genome article at the New Scientist magazine.)
- George Samuel Kirk, Sr.'s disappearance cited in the 2265 framing story would have been a recent event, given later established canon that he survived to see his son take command of the Enterprise in 2264.
- Spock appeared only on Bill Sienkiewicz's cover.
Related stories
The incident on Dimorus was also described in:
- TOS episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
- TOS - New Visions comic: "Strange New Worlds"
- TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel: Enterprise
- TOS novel: Captain's Peril
Images
.jpg "Garrovick (Captain).jpg (29 KB)")
Connections
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #63: The Alone, Part Two |
TOS comics (DC Comics, Series Two) |
Next comic: #65: Bait...and Switch |
| Previous story: The Alone, Part Two |
Stories by: Kevin Ryan |
Next story: Prisoners |
| Previous adventure: Crucible The Star to Every Wandering Chapter 5, Section 1 |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: A Choice of Catastrophes Chapter 11 - Thirteen Years Ago |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2255. The Memory Beta Chronology places events from this story in 1 other timeframe(s): | ||
| Previous adventure: My Brother's Keeper Republic Chapters 1-4 & 21 |
2265 framing story |
Next adventure: My Brother's Keeper Constitution Chapters 1-4 & 17 |
External link
- Gary article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
