"Menace of the Moloth" was a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip published in 1969 and 1970. It was the 10th story arc in the UK comic strips series, released in six parts within issues of TV21 & Joe 90. This was the tenth of 11 stories illustrated by Harry Lindfield. In this story, James T. Kirk and Spock are forced to fight the Moloth, a giant beast.
Description[]
- Teaser, 27 December 1969
- Caught up in an interplanetary war between Eldor and Norus in the Sigma Draconis sector of space, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from the starship Enterprise had been captured by Norusians. Accused of spying, they were subjected to the savagery of trial by ordeal!
Summary[]
Kirk and Spock board a drifting spacecraft in environmental suits from a shuttlecraft. They find it abandoned, as if its crew had been beamed away. Suddenly they are transported to the planet Norus and captured. The planetary council believes they are spies from enemy planet Eldor and sentences them to a trial by combat against an enormous creature called the Moloth. It turns out to be a robot, and Spock is able to cripple its visual sensors. When it randomly targets the president of the council, guards shoot it down. Kirk and Spock are put in a prison cell to await execution.
When Kirk and Spock don't respond to hails, Montgomery Scott and two crewmen board the spacecraft, retrieving documents about the Norusian-Eldorian war. Just then, another vessel approaches the Enterprise. Commander Karth of the Eldorian warship Lebron warns that the Enterprise will soon be within attack range of Norus, but the Lebron's deflectors can withstand their weapons and block the Norusian transporters. He also knows Kirk and Spock are being held on Norus, so Scott and nine crewmen join the Lebron's crew to make a joint commando raid.
The Lebron withstands anti-aircraft fire, disables surface cannons with missiles, and lands. Norusian tanks surround the warship. The forward section of the Lebron extends telescoping legs to the ground and detaches, becoming a walker. Its legs crush the enemy tanks. Norusians panic and flee as the vehicle approaches the city limits. Scott's rescue party sets off for the prison area while Karth's crew sets destruct charges to blow up Norusian Central Control. Although Kirk and Spock have managed to escape from their cell, they are still in the prison area. They run into Scott's team, then evacuate the facility together just before it explodes.
References[]
Characters[]
- Karth • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Moloth • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Eldorians • unnamed Norusians • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2260s)
Starships and vehicles[]
- Eldorian spy ship • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Lebron • two class F shuttlecraft • tanks
Locations[]
- Sigma Draconis sector (Eldor • Norus)
- Referenced only
- Earth • Jupiter
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and technology[]
- airlock • artificial gravity • bombardier gun • communications • communicator • deflector • destruct charges • environmental suit • flame cannon • force field • gun • missile • Moloth • phaser • rifle • robot • scanner • spacecraft • spacesuit • translator computer • transporter • viewscreen
Ranks and titles[]
- armaments officer • captain • chief engineer • commander • councillor • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • first officer • guard • judge • lieutenant • president • senior officer • skipper • Starfleet ranks
Other references[]
- action stations • arachnid • army • atmosphere • battle stations • beam • bridge • city • code of law • command centre • commandos • court • devils • execution • government • hull • humanoid • log entry • military • mug • parking orbit • peace • pressure • prison cell • radiation • rat • robot • sector • slavery • space • standby watch • star • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • starship • stratosphere • suicide • trial by combat • viewscreen • war • warship
Chronology[]
- The Enterprise also explored the Sigma Draconis sector in the previous story, "Nor Any Drop to Drink", suggesting that this story could have occurred around the same time as the previous one, in 2265.
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS episode & Star Trek 2 novelization: A Taste of Armageddon, TOS comics: "The Third Party", "Rock and a Hard Place", "Destination Annihilation" – Other stories in which the Enterprise is caught between forces in an interplanetary war.
- TOS episodes: "Arena", "The Gamesters of Triskelion", "The Savage Curtain" – Other stories involving trial by combat. See also: Romulan Declaration of Challenge.
Background[]
- The story was not printed with a title, but it was given one ("Menace of the Moloth") for its reprinting in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 1.
- Artist Alan Willow signed cover paintings for the installments published on 20 December 1969 and 17 January 1970.
- Scott identifies the USS Enterprise as a United Space Ship, as opposed to the "Universe Star Ship" cited in the first UK comic strips story, "Life Form Nonexistent".
- Although the Norusians used transporters, the Eldorians and Starfleet crews travel only by using spacesuits and spacecraft in this story.
- Hikaru Sulu has one line of dialogue in the fourth segment. Although he mans the helm, he is still referred to as the armaments officer.
- Leonard McCoy appears on the bridge in one panel in the third segment, but he has no dialogue.
- Kirk twice replies to Norusians with the phrase "You treacherous rat!" The first time is when he is clobbered by Norusian guards while denying he is a spy. He repeats it when the council president breaks his word regarding the terms of the trial by combat.
- In 2268, the Enterprise revisits this sector in TOS episode: "Spock's Brain".
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: Nor Any Drop to Drink |
TOS comics (UK comic strips) | Next story: The Klingon Ultimatum |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Nor Any Drop to Drink |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Planet of Rejects |
| Previous comic: Nor Any Drop to Drink |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year One | Next comic: Planet of Rejects |
Production history[]
- This story was serialized over six issues of TV21 & Joe 90 magazine in two-page sections.
- 13 December, pages 1-2 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #12
- 20 December, pages 3-4 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #13
- 27 December, pages 5-6 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #14
- 3 January, pages 7-8 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #15
- 10 January, pages 9-10 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #16
- 17 January, pages 11-12 published in TV21 & Joe 90 #17
- April 2016
- Reprinted in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 1 (IDW Publishing)
- 11 May 2017
- Reprinted in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection, Volume 10. (Eaglemoss)
External links[]
- Menace of the Moloth article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.