- For other uses, see Mirrors and Smoke.
"Smoke and Mirrors" was an eight-page Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip published in 1972. It was the seventh of 11 annual stories in the UK comic strips series, and appeared in Valiant and TV21 Summer Special 1972 in black and white.
Description[]
- Omnibus teaser
- When a Klingon commander named Tharrk attempts to enslave the planet Fornia, Kirk and Spock work to sabotage the Klingons' destructive new weapon and free the planet's population.
Summary[]
Kirk and Spock meet with the president of the peaceful planet Fornia during a diplomatic visit. Suddenly a Klingon battle cruiser bombards their cities from orbit. Klingon Commander Tharrk appears, declaring himself military governor of Fornia, now part of the Klingon Empire. Should there be any resistance, orbital attacks will resume. The forward section of Tharrk's battle cruiser contains a new Klingon weapon: an energetic light beam.
After a fight, Kirk and Spock escape. Kirk orders the USS Enterprise to leave orbit and assume they are dead if he doesn't contact them within 12 hours. To get a better look at Tharrk's ship, they visit an observatory run by Professor Markan. Spock studies the battle cruiser and develops a plan. That night, while Markan spreads rumors, Kirk and Spock steal two crates of bombs from a munitions storage area. Tharrk concludes that the Federation men will use the bombs against his ship.
That morning, Kirk and Spock launch a weather satellite covered with solar panels, but draw attention. Tharrk brings Markan and two Klingon guards to the observatory. He orders everyone to watch as the satellite approaches his cruiser. But when the cruiser fires its weapon at the satellite, the beam reflects off its mirrored solar panels and hits the cruiser, heavily damaging it. Kirk and Spock disable the Klingons and hand them over to Markan. Kirk promises that the Federation will defend Fornia against future attacks.
References[]
Characters[]
- James T. Kirk • Markan • Spock • Tharrk • unnamed Fornia natives
Starships and vehicles[]
- Tharrk's battle cruiser
- Referenced only
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)
Locations[]
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and technology[]
- armor • bomb • communicator • dam • explosive • observatory • probe • rocket • solar panel • weather satellite
Ranks and titles[]
- ambassador • captain • commander • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • first officer • governor • guard • intelligence officer • president • professor • spy • Starfleet ranks
Other references[]
- atmosphere • beam • city • diplomacy • dog • galaxy • government • hostage • hour • light • military • mirror • orbit • peace • planet • second • slavery • snake • space • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • starship • sun • Vulcan nerve pinch
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS comic: "Planet Ecnal's Dilemma" – In 2266, Spock designed an energy converter to reflect weapons fire back at a Lerow rocket.
- TOS episode & Star Trek 2 novelization: Errand of Mercy – In 2267, Commander Kor landed a Klingon occupation force on Organia.
Background[]
- Valiant and TV21 Summer Special 1972 was a 96-page comic book omnibus released in Australia, Great Britain, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa and West Africa. Its only Star Trek story, "Smoke and Mirrors", was printed on pages 18-23.
- This story was not printed with a title, but it was given one ("Smoke and Mirrors") for its reprinting in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 3.
- It and "The Marshall Plan" were the only stories printed entirely in b/w in the UK comic strips series. The last six stories of the US Comic Strips series were also printed entirely in b/w, beginning with "Taking Shape" and ending with "Getting Real".
- The initial release date was July 1972. (Valiant and TV21 Summer Special 1972 article at the Star Trek Reading Order website)
- The story had many parallels to TOS episode & Star Trek 2 novelization: Errand of Mercy. In both stories, a Klingon occupation force overran a peaceful planet with strategic value. Kirk ordered the Enterprise to leave orbit. The military governor considered Kirk and Spock spies and threatened to kill hostages. Kirk and Spock also sneaked into a munitions storage area at night.
- The story stated that Fornia was in another galaxy, though it seems unlikely that two advanced civilizations would send ships to the same planet in another galaxy at the same time and not notice each other along the way. It's possible the author misused the word galaxy.
- The apparent freedom with which the Klingon Empire and Federation could attack each other suggests a placement prior to the establishment of the Organian Peace Treaty, as seen in "Errand of Mercy".
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: The Zodian Sacrifice |
TOS comics (UK comic strips Annuals) | Next comic: Planet of the Dead |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: The Klingon Ultimatum |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Shadow Lord |
| Previous comic: The Klingon Ultimatum |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next comic: Shadow Lord |
Production history[]
- July 1972
- First printed in Valiant and TV21 Summer Special 1972 (IPC Magazines)
- September 2017
- Reprinted in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 3. (IDW Publishing)
- 16 July 2020
- Reprinted in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection, Volume 121. (Eaglemoss Collections)
External links[]
- Smoke and Mirrors article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.