Giant in the Universe is a Star Trek: The Original Series Pop-Up book, the first of two pop-up books published by Random House in 1977. The book contains a very short story intended for young audiences. In this story, a giant scientist menaced the crew of the USS Enterprise.
Summary
The USS Enterprise was dispatched to explore a gigantic, unidentified planet. As they assembled in the transporter room, James T. Kirk warned Spock and Montgomery Scott that it could be dangerous. After they beamed down, they were immediately seized by an immensely tall scientist, who threatened to feed them to his rats or enlarge them into giants. Kirk appealed to the giant that they were on a peaceful mission, but was ignored. The landing party were isolated in glass jars on a massive laboratory table beside a large cage containing three man-sized rats.
Kirk spoke to his officers via their communicators, recommending that they melt the jars with their phasers. They escaped and scattered across the table, evading the outstretched hands of the maddened scientist. Spock called for an emergency beam-up and all three returned to the Enterprise. Kirk asked Spock to add the planet to star charts and alert Starfleet Headquarters about the dangerous giant.
References
Characters
- Giant scientist • Leonard McCoy • James T. Kirk • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
Starships and vehicles
Locations
- giant planet
Races and cultures
States and organizations
Science and classification
- communicator • glass • laboratory • microscope • phaser • star chart • transporter
Ranks and titles
- captain • crewman • lieutenant
Other references
- assignment patch • beam • crew • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • mosquito • mouse • planet • races and cultures • rank • rat • space • Starfleet ranks • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • starship • transporter room
Appendices
Background
- The book contained four spreads, each with a pop-up scene and text. It measured 8.25" x 10.625".
- Kay Wood authored the book. (Giant in the Universe page at Barnes and Noble.)
- Montgomery Scott's rank was shortened to lieutenant, a simplification for young readers,
- Leonard McCoy, Hikaru Sulu and Nyota Uhura were seen in the last pop-up scene in the transporter room, but had no dialogue.
Related stories
- TOS comic: "To Swiftly Go..." – James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard McCoy and Montgomery Scott were trapped in a glass jar on a planet of giant humanoids.
- TOS comics: "Where Giants Tread", "Nova-Thirteen" – Other encounters by the Enterprise crew with enormous humanoids.
- TOS comics: "Beware the Beast", "I, Emperor", "Vibrations in Time" – Other encounters by the Enterprise crew with gigantic animals.
Images
Connections
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: first book |
TOS novels (Random House young adult novels) |
Next story: Trillions of Trilligs |
| Previous story: first book |
Pop-Ups | Next story: Trillions of Trilligs |
| Previous story: first book |
Stories by: Kay Wood |
Next story: Trillions of Trilligs |
External links
- Giant in the Universe article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.