- Prisoners on the planet of the condemned sentence Captain Kirk to share their fate! — "The Devil's Isle of Space" was the second issue of the TOS Gold Key Comics series. It was written by Dick Wood and drawn by Nevio Zaccara. Published in March 1968, it was also notable as being the fifth licensed Star Trek story, behind only "The Planet of No Return" and stories in A Book to Color.
Description[]
- Mr. Spock was powerless to help as Captain Kirk and his exploration team battled for their lives on a mysterious asteroid. And Mr. Spock would soon uncover the asteroid's terrifying secret, a secret which would challenge him with an impossible choice: either risk the star ship Enterprise and all her personnel, or abandon his captain to certain death!
Summary[]
The Devil's Isle of Space, Part I[]
- Captain's log, stardate 19:03.4
- On the outer fringe of the galaxy Nabu, came upon a strange belt of uncharted asteroids - strange for obvious reasons.
The asteroids are glowing, like nothing the crew has ever seen before. Captain Kirk orders the navigator to set a course to the nearest one, but upon reaching it, the Enterprise becomes caught in a electronic field shielding the planet. Kirk leads a landing party to the planet to discover the source.
On the planet, the party discovers machines that dispense food, water and clothing. They are then attacked by a group of humanoid aliens led by Targu, but Kirk convinces them of their friendly intentions. Targu explains that he and his men were marooned on the asteroid a year ago when their freighter crashed, but claims to know nothing about the electronic field.
The party finds the crashed ship, but learn from Spock that it was not a cargo ship. Another alien, Lara, arrives to tell him the truth: the aliens are convicted criminals exiled via rockets to glowing asteroids where they await execution. Targu sees Lara talking with Kirk and attacks the landing party, capturing them in a net.
On board the Enterprise, Spock and Scotty manage to free the ship from the force field, but find that they cannot beam up the landing party without bringing the convicts with them. Furthermore, Spock discovers that the asteroid will explode within 24 hours.
Part II: The Secret of… Execution Asteroid[]
- Captain's log, stardate 19:04.5. We are in a desperate plight! Mr. Spock has just informed us that the criminal asteroid we are upon is due to explode within 24 hours… and there is no chance of escape without endangering the Enterprise and her mission…
Targu tells Kirk how he came to the asteroid and made himself leader of the other criminals who were also stranded there. He contacts the Enterprise with Kirk's communicator and demands that Spock beam up him and his men. Spock refuses, and Kirk orders Spock to take command of the Enterprise and to take the ship far away from the asteroid. Spock obeys the first order but not the second, reasoning that since Kirk was not in command when he gave it, he is not bound to it. Spock sends a rescue party to the asteroid in a ship disguised as a rocket bringing more convicts. The landing party is freed and beamed up to the Enterprise, which departs shortly before the asteroid explodes.
References[]
Characters[]
- Foster • Kent • James T. Kirk • Lara • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Targu
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Nabu system
- Referenced only
- Nabu native homeworld
Races and cultures[]
- Human • Nabu native • Vulcan
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
- asteroid • death penalty • earthquake • electronic field • net • rocket • seismograph • starship
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- Colouring Book – The designs of Targu, Lara, and one of Targu's followers were reused as new characters in this coloring book story.
Background[]
- This story has been printed 13 times in English and also released on DVD. It has also been translated 15 times into other languages: French (4x), Italian (3x), Portuguese (3x), German (2x), Dutch, Finnish, and Spanish.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #1: The Planet of No Return |
TOS comics (Gold Key) | Next comic: #3: Invasion of the City Builders |
| Previous story: The Planet of No Return |
Stories by: Dick Wood |
Next story: Invasion of the City Builders |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Prince Traitor (flashbacks) |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: The Cosmic Cavemen |
| Previous story: Prince Traitor (flashbacks) |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next story: The Cosmic Cavemen |
Production history[]
- March 1968
- First published by Gold Key Comics
- 1969
- Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual 1969 (World Distributors Limited)
- 1972
- Printed in b/w in Great Britain in Star Trek Comic Album (1972) (World Distributors Limited)
- 1974
- Printed b/w in Australia in Star Trek #24009 (Rosnock Publications)
- 1974
- Printed b/w in Hong Kong and the Philippines in Star Trek #24009 (South Pacific Publications)
- 1976
- Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press)
- August 1976
- Printed in b/w in Great Britain in Star Trek Winter Special (1976) (Polystyle)
- 1979
- Printed b/w in Australia in Star Trek #29028 (Rosnock Publications)
- 1979
- Printed b/w in Hong Kong and the Philippines in Star Trek #29028 (South Pacific Publications)
- June 2004
- Printed in the omnibus The Key Collection, Volume 1 (Checker Book Publishing Group)
- 2004
- The cover, two images and a quote were reprinted on Gold Key Chase Card #2 in the card set Quotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives)
- September 2008
- Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
- August 2014
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Gold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW)
- 19 January 2017
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #2 (Eaglemoss)
Translations[]
- January 1972
- Portuguese: As "A Ilha Infernal" in b/w in Jornada Nas Estrelas #2 (1st series) (Ebal)
- 13 May 1972
- Spanish: As "La Isla del Diablo en el Espacio" in TV Mundial #222 Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro)
- June 1972
- Italian: As "L'Isola de Diavolo" in Star Trek Albi Spada #2 (1st series) (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- 9 July 1972
- French: As "L'île du Diable" in Les Héros de L'aventure #6 (Remparts)
- 1972
- French: In the omnibus Star Trek Album #1 (Remparts)
- 1972
- French: In the omnibus Magnus Album #3 (Remparts)
- 1972 - 1973
- German: Serialized over four issues as "Planet der Geächteten" in Zack 1972 #51 - Zack 1973 #1 (Koralle)
- 1974
- Dutch: As "Duivelseiland van de Ruimte" in b/w in Star Trek #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
- 1974
- Finnish: As "Avaruuden Pirunsaari" in Avaruusmatka Star Trek #1 (Apulehti)
- 1974
- Italian: As "L'Isola de Diavolo" in Raccolta Superspada #1 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- August 1975
- Portuguese: As "A Ilha do Demônio Espacial" in Diversões Juvenis Presents Jornada Nas Estrelas #1 (Abril)
- 1976
- German: As "Herrscher der Verdammten" in the 228-page omnibus Zack Parade #20
- 22 March 1978
- Portuguese: In b/w in O Caminho das Estrelas #2 (Aguiar)
- September 1978
- French: As "L'Astéroïde du Diable" in Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #104 (Sagédition)
- 2005
- Italian: As "L'Isola Spaziale del Diavolo" in the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 1 (Free Books)
External links[]
- The Devil's Isle of Space article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- The Devil's Isle Of Space article at When Comic books Ruled the Earth.