"Marginal Existence" was the sixth short story collected in the TOS anthology The New Voyages 2 in 1978. It was written by Connie Faddis, who also contributed "Snake Pit!" for the collection.
Description[]
- "Marginal Existence" raises some rather chilling questions about fixed purposes which can get out of hand, pleasures which can turn into pain, and savagery which can rise out of the marginal remains of a once-flourishing civilization.
Summary[]
An Enterprise landing party discovers a centuries-old city of sleeping humanoids.
References[]
Characters[]
- Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Horst Gorshim • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Nyota Uhura • Elva Vigeland • unnamed characters (natives)
- Referenced only
- Devil • God
Starships and vehicles[]
- Discovery (shuttlecraft) • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • unnamed Federation shuttlecraft (rescue shuttle)
- Referenced only
- SS Botany Bay • unnamed Klingon starship
Locations[]
- unnamed planet
- Referenced only
- Gehenna • Starbase 6
Races and cultures[]
- Human • Klingon • Vulcan • unnamed races and cultures
- Referenced only
- Andorian
Science and classification[]
- A'YOR'IK • anthropology • antidote • central computer • communicator • computer • coordinates • hypospray • IBM 360 • interlock • life support • medical tricorder • phaser • recognition beam • robot • sedative • sensor • sleeper unit • stimulant • suspended animation • tricorder • wire
Ranks and titles[]
- astrophysicist • captain • chief engineer • doctor • ensign • geologist • lieutenant • officer
Other references[]
- animal • Antares cymbal • barbed wire • belt • briefing room • canyon • century • chemical • city • club • coma • communications • concrete • engineering • glass • hallucination • headache • hour • humanoid • insect • jungle • kilometer • landing party • language • logic • metal • mind meld • minute • orbit • peace • plague • Prime Directive • sign language • soil • splint • stun • sun • supernova • telepathy • tomb • year
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
- c. 1650
- Inhabitants of an unnamed planet abandon reality, locking themselves in sleeper units with pleasure-inducing drugs that eventually become painful.
- A survey team from the Discovery shuttlecraft explores the planet.
- A nearby star becomes a supernova.
- USS Enterprise personnel release the citizens from their stasis prison.
Publication history[]
- January 1978
- First published by Bantam Books. (ISBN 0-553-11392-5)
- February 2000
- 13th printing by Bantam Spectra. (ISBN 0-553-27933-5)
Appendices[]
Background[]
- This story was originally printed in the fanzine T-Negative #5 in 1975.
- While Spock noted that observing a supernova was rare, in the 2260s he would witness the novas of Beta Niobe, Isis and Minara, and assist in the creation of novas in superspace and the antimatter universe.
- Kirk's statement, "Light like death; shadows like death," was reminiscent of quotes from Sylvia Plath and Marc Augé.
Related stories[]
- TOS - Plot-Your-Own Adventure Stories novella: Distress Call! – The organic machine Fi'lakas captured and kept humanoids in stasis, including a Thrix, for centuries.
- TOS comic: "Rescue at Raylo" – Doctor Rycho used stasis chambers to drain life energy from captured Humans as a power source.
- TOS episode & Star Trek 2 novelization: Space Seed – James T. Kirk remembered the sleeper units found aboard the SS Botany Bay in 2267.
- TOS episode & Star Trek 1 novelization: Miri – A landing party in 2266 was attacked by feral youth.
Connections[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: Cave-In |
Star Trek: The New Voyages 2
|
Next story: The Procrustean Petard |
| Previous story: Snake Pit! |
Stories by: Connie Faddis |
Next story: last story |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Enchanted Pool |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: A Piece of the Action |
| Previous Adventure: The Enchanted Pool |
Next Adventure: A Piece of the Action | |
Translations[]
- 1983
- Japanese : 限界存在, translated by Hiroshi Saito. (Hayakawa Bunko)
External link[]
- Marginal Existence article at Fanlore.