"Goodbye to Spock" is a TOS comic strip written by Gerry Conway in 1983. It is the 17th story in the US Comic Strips series, published in newspapers over a period of nine weeks by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. This story took place a few years prior to TOS movie: The Wrath of Khan. In this story, Captain Spock contracts amnesia after crash-landing on a lost Earth colony world.
Description[]
- Stranded in the Fortenue System, Spock suffers amnesia and falls in love with a woman from a feudal society.
Summary[]
- Copernicus’ log, stardate 9597.2.
- Captain Spock reporting. Lt. Cmdr. Singh and I are aboard the Enterprise shuttlecraft Copernicus investigating a distress buoy. This buoy is in orbit around a planet in the Fortenue system, and apparently marks the spot where a colony ship crash-landed 200 years ago.
Singh finds the distress beacon 100 kilometers within the rings of the planet, but can't locate debris from the colony ship. Suddenly the shuttle is struck by an asteroid.
- Copernicus’ log, stardate 9597.3.
- Spock reporting… All power gone… time of crash-landing on planetary surface, 2.03 sec—
Spock drags Singh out of the shuttle just before it explodes, but Singh is dead and Spock falls unconscious. Spock is rescued by three people riding peculiar wingless birds, one of whom is Lady Dyana, daughter of the clan chief. Spock wakes in their castle with amnesia, his Vulcan side submerged and all memories blank — he doesn't recognize his own name, written on his spacesuit. He calls Dyana a beautiful sight.
Out for a walk, Dyana and Spock evade her handmaidens and find a private spot for a kiss. But they are spied on by Sir Kivin, who reports back to her father, High Captain Argus, that the two are out roaming alone together, a violation of their customs. Feeling as though their visitor Spock has betrayed the clan's confidence, and hampered by other customs that prevent him from accusing his own daughter, Argus conspires to have Spock killed.
A second shuttle lands on the planet, this time in the courtyard of Argus's castle — a rescue ship with James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy aboard.
- Captain’s log, stardate 9602.2.
- Dining planetside with the feudal descendants of marooned colonists…
They are welcomed to dinner, but drugged by the nectar of the Lotus flower, which renders Kirk susceptible to Argus’ commands. Kirk is dressed as a Black Knight in body armor and sent to confront Spock and Dyana. As the knight, he slaps Dyana to the ground in front of Spock. Argus witnesses Spock respond passively to the assault, and demands Spock challenge the knight for Dyana's honor, or Spock will never see Dyana again. So compelled, he agrees.
- Captain's log, stardate 9602.03.
- Commander Scott reporting, in temporary command of the Enterprise. We’ve traced Spock’s shuttle to its crash site on the planet below, and, since electromagnetic charges in the rings have temporarily shorted out the transporters, Admiral Kirk left for the site with Dr. McCoy in a shuttle. Their first report is due in ten minutes. I canna but hope they find Captain Spock alive…
Combat begins
In a public arena, Spock finds himself in knight armor ready for jousting atop the peculiar wingless birds. Suddenly Argus declares this is a trial by combat to the death. Dyana demands that it be stopped, but Argus orders her to be silent. The joust begins, with both Kirk and Spock knocked to the ground. Dyana overhears Kivin affirming to Argus that Kirk will win because the nectar numbs his ability to feel pain. Dyana warns Spock, who narrowly avoids being struck by a mace.
But as Spock looks up at Argus and sees his epaulets, a memory sparks. He recognizes them as captain’s epaulets from Starfleet uniforms, and his memory returns. Spock disarms Kirk with a sword, then helps him up. Dyana climbs down from the stands, telling her father she would rather die at Spock’s side if he is going to be killed for loving her. Argus demands both be killed, but before the order can be carried out, Scotty materializes in the arena with four security guards. Scott aims his phaser and warns Argus back.
Spock explains emotionlessly to Dyana how he came to be on the planet. Asking where her “warm, caring man” has gone, she kisses him. Spock remains stoic, explaining his Vulcan nature.
- Captain’s log, stardate 9602.
- The descendants of the lost colony ship have refused our offer of aid; they are content with their own feudal society, and we respect their wishes, so we’re leaving the Fortenue system…marking it ‘closed’ on Federation maps. And at least one of us is leaving part of himself behind, though he’d be the last person to admit it.
Dyana looks up to the stars, and back aboard the Enterprise, Spock is quiet.
References[]
Characters[]
- Argus • Dyana • James T. Kirk • Kivin • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Singh • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Black Knight • Niccolo Machiavelli
Starships and vehicles[]
- Copernicus (two-man shuttlecraft) • USS Enterprise (Enterprise-subclass refit Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • unnamed Federation shuttlecraft (two-man shuttlecraft)
- Referenced only
- chariot • Fortenue colony ship
Locations[]
- Fortenue (Barham Wood • Keep) • Fortenue system
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Omega Level II • Starfleet
Science and classification[]
- Atalskes phaser IV • body armor • coordinates • distress buoy • distress signal (Maxima-A) • impulse power • lance • mace • map • radiation suit • sensor • shield • sword • transporter
Occupations and titles[]
- admiral • captain • colonist • commander • doctor • hand maiden • High Captain • knight • lady • lieutenant commander • sir
Other references[]
- amnesia • asteroid • bird • brain • bridge • captain's log, USS Enterprise, 2279 • castle • century • clan • death • devil • dream • Federation Starfleet ranks (2270s-2350s) • feudalism • flower • forest • Fortenue steed • god • heaven • honor • jousting • kilometer • kiss • law • light • log entry • logic • Lotus flower • love • map • marriage • mead • medieval • memory • minute • nectar • orbit • power • ring system • second • security • Starfleet uniform (2278-2350s) • tree • trial by combat • Troth • year
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- The introduction in the omnibus The Newspaper Comics, Volume 2 noted story similarities to TOS episode: "All Our Yesterdays" and TOS episode: "This Side of Paradise", other instances where Spock’s Vulcan identity was suppressed to such an extent that he expressed emotions and fell in love.
- TOS novels: Mindshadow, Ishmael – Other stories in which Spock suffered from amnesia.
- TOS episode: "Amok Time" — Another instance where Kirk and Spock were manipulated into a fight to the death.
- TOS episode: "Spore of the Devil" – The Enterprise crew visited a feudal planet, where Kirk participated in a duel against a dragon-like creature.
Background[]
- This is the second of five stories written by Gerry Conway. He wrote the final arcs of this strip series, creating an era when Admiral Kirk revisited the Enterprise a few years prior to the events of TOS movie: The Wrath of Khan.
- This story follows shortly after the previous one, based on the stardates. The rationale for the story being set in 2279 was based on evidence in the previous story, "Send in the Clones".
- The two-man shuttlecraft design was unique to Gerry Conway's stories. The wrecked Copernicus was the only one identified by name, but Kirk and McCoy flew together in another one in this story, two were flown in "Terminally Yours", and one was flown in "Getting Real". This particular design may have been an experimental type, per the testbed status of the Enterprise during this period, as described in TOS - Mere Anarchy eBook: The Darkness Drops Again.
- Lt. Cmdr. Singh could possibly be Hayden Singh, though his first name was not given in this story.
- The avianoid Fortenue steeds were reminiscent of Fayo ostriches seen in TOS comic: "Prince Traitor".
- Serc Soc is credited with art assists to Ernie Colon, but that was apparently a pseudonym. Alfredo Alcala continued the artwork after Colon quit, illustrating the second half of the story. (http://www.hassleinbooks.com/pdfs/TrekComics.pdf)
- The story’s title was printed on May 7, 1983, the day before the story debuted.
Errata[]
- Kirk and Spock wore early 2270s uniforms in the 5/11/83 and 5/12/83 strips, but afterward wore maroon uniforms aboard the ship. On the planet, they wore non-canon uniforms.
- Kirk observed "Starfleet epaulets" on the shoulders of the High Captain, and the key to Spock recovering his lost memory was recognizing them as components of a Starfleet uniform. Yet the colonists were lost in the late 21st century, long before the formation of Starfleet or the incorporation of epaulets into a uniform design.
- Oddly, Scott beamed to the planet while wearing his radiation suit from engineering.
Images[]
Connections[]
| US Comic Strips stories | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stories | "Called Home" • "Dilithium Dilemma" • "The Real McCoy" • "Double Bluff" • "Aberration on Abaris" • "Husian Gambit" • "Heads of State" • "It's a Living" • "The Savage Within" • "Quarantine" • "Restructuring Is Futile" • "The Wristwatch Plantation" • "The Nogura Regatta" • "A Merchant's Loyalty" • "Taking Shape" • "Send in the Clones" • "Goodbye to Spock" • "Terminally Yours" • "The Retirement of Admiral Kirk" • "Getting Real" | |
| Collections | The Newspaper Comics (1 • 2) • Graphic Novel Collection (15 • 24 • 34) | |
Timeline[]
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #16: Send in the Clones |
TOS comics US Comic Strips |
Next comic: 18: Terminally Yours |
| Previous story: Send in the Clones |
Stories by: Gerry Conway |
Next story: Terminally Yours |
| Chronological Order | ||
| Previous adventure: Send in the Clones |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Terminally Yours |
| Previous comic: Send in the Clones |
Continuing voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) | Next comic: Terminally Yours |
Production history[]
- 9 May 1983 – 2 July 1983
- Published in daily newspapers. (Los Angeles Times Syndicate)
- 1 October 2013
- Collected in The Newspaper Comics, Volume 2. (IDW Publishing)
- 12 April 2018
- Collected in Graphic Novel Collection, Volume 34. (Eaglemoss Collections)
External links[]
Goodbye to Spock article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.