Prisoners is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic book story published by DC Comics in 1995. It was the fifth of nine comic book stories written by Kevin Ryan and his second to feature Gary Mitchell. This story was penciled by Rachel Ketchum and inked by Mark Heike.
In this story, the USS Enterprise arrives at Tendar, a world just beginning to explore space. James T. Kirk, Spock and Gary Mitchell beam down to greet the prime minister, but are arrested and imprisoned for life. Scotty tries to negotiate their release, but it becomes clear that the Tendarans want to make an example of their prisoners to the Federation.
Publisher's description[]
- Letter column teaser
- At the start of his five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise, James Kirk finds that too much trust lands you in prison. Agreeing to open negotiations for admission to the Federation, Kirk and his landing party, Gary Mitchell and Mister Spock, are instantly arrested and incarcerated. The planet is Tendar, where the law is supreme, where everyone is guilty of something.
Summary[]
The humanoid Tendarans recently invented the transtator, and with it developed subspace communications and long-range sensors. By listening in, they had learned about the Federation, its Prime Directive and its humanitarian system of interstellar law. After being invited by prime minister Jon, Kirk, Spock and Mitchell beamed down from the Enterprise to find themselves arrested. Jon redirected Montgomery Scott's hails to Cote, who was in charge of the capital city's prison. The Tendaran legal system prioritized punishment over the rights of individuals, keeping seven percent of the planet's population locked up to deter criminal activity. Kirk, Spock and Mitchell were safe but would never leave the facility.
Kirk refused to cooperate with his orientation briefing, so Spock was beaten as punishment. Kirk told their guards that Spock required medical treatment. When the guards entered the cell to examine Spock, the Starfleet officers subdued them and escaped. Spock activated the prison's fire control system and opened all the cell doors as a distraction. The trio made it to Cote's office, signaled the ship from Cote's computer, and beamed up with Cote. Kirk contacted Jon, charged him with kidnapping, and beamed him up as well. Both Tendarans were arrested, informed of their rights, and put in the brig. Kirk hoped that they might benefit from having firsthand experience with Federation law, starting with a hearing in a few days. Kirk also recommended that the planet be declared off limits until their word could be trusted.
References[]
Characters[]
- Cote • Dack • Jon • James T. Kirk • Gary Mitchell • Morris • Spock • Montgomery Scott • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Starfleet personnel
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Tendar (Tendar IV • capital city correctional facility)
- Referenced only
- Earth
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Department of Planetary Corrections • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets
Science and technology[]
- communicator • computer • elevator • laser • nuclear fusion • pistol • rifle • satellite • scanner • science • sensor • sprinkler • starship • subspace • subspace communication • transtator • watch • weapon
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • criminal • Federation Starfleet ranks (2240s-2260s) • guard • leader • lieutenant • officer • prime minister • prisoner • representative • scientist • witness
Other references[]
- 21st century • architecture • arrest • assault • bridge • brig • business • capital city • crime • culture • decade • diplomacy • escape plan • Federation law • galaxy • government • hearing • humanoid • justice system • kidnapping • landing party • legal system • logic • mass transit • medicine • nuclear fusion • orbit • planet • prison • solitary confinement • Starfleet uniform (2240s-2265) • transporter room • trial • uniform • water
Appendices[]
Background[]
- No specific crime was perpetrated by the landing party, and their incarceration was not justified as far as Nyota Uhura could tell from reviewing Tendaran laws. Cote and prime minister Jon were justly arrested by Kirk on kidnapping and assault charges.
Related stories[]
- TOS episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" – Episode set in 2365 featuring Gary Mitchell.
- TOS comic: "Gary" – After Mitchell's death, Kirk recalled their time together aboard the USS Farragut.
- TOS comic: "The Trial" – In 2268, Kirk was incarcerated on Kos, held for trial, and mired within a labyrinthine bureaucracy.
- TNG episode: "Justice" – In 2364, Wesley Crusher faced the death penalty on Rubicun III for falling on some flowers, due to a rigid legal system.
- TNG novel: Gulliver's Fugitives – In 2366, Jean-Luc Picard was incarcerated and mind-wiped on Rampart for displaying imagination and creativity.
Images[]
Connections[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #75 A Bright Particular Star Star-Crossed |
TOS comics | Next comic: #77 Deadlock Prequel to The Chosen |
| Previous story: Gary |
Stories by: Kevin Ryan |
Next story: Deadlock |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Sundered Chapter 20 |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: Things Fall Apart Mere Anarchy |
| Previous Adventure: Enterprise My Brother's Keeper Chapters 5, 6-20 |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (2264 to 2270) |
Next Adventure: Things Fall Apart Mere Anarchy |
External link[]
- Prisoners article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.