"The Eagles Have Landed" was an 8-page Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip published in 1969. It was the seventh story arc in the UK comic strips series, released in four parts within issues of Joe 90: Top Secret. This was the seventh of 11 stories illustrated by Harry Lindfield. In this story, Kirk's compassion leads him to rescue a group of prisoners.
Description
- Teaser, 23 August 1969
- When a disobedient crew member blasts at a gigantic "eagle" out in space, Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise discovers that the bird is really a strange space ship. He goes to its rescue in a space bug…
Summary
While exploring a new region of space, Spock spots what looks like a huge living eagle, which suddenly dive-bombs the USS Enterprise. Ship's phasers disable the unusual vessel. Kirk, David Bailey and at least four others pilot Space Rescue Bug 5 through a gap in the damaged hull to offer assistance, but their ship is seized by grapplers operated by Agonites. The Enterprise fires at the space eagle to keep the Agonites busy while Kirk's team detach the grapplers. Bailey spots a crowd of humanoid refugees. As the space bug carries a full load of them back to the Enterprise, grateful Takku from Womata explains how they'd been taken by evil Agonites — who soon return with reinforcements. Spock launchs three armed space bugs to help fight off the Agonites and rescue everyone else. The refugees are brought to a nearby class M planet and provided with provisions and weapons.
- Captain's log, stardate 24.12.17
- Orbiting planetary body. Establishing a home for Agonite prisoners...
As the Enterprise orbits the planet, a dozen space eagles arrives in formation. Hopelessly outnumbered, Kirk signals for a truce to confer and meet with Roggaf of Agoni. Kirk soon learns that Agoni was a galactic police base, and these prisoners were actually convicted criminals. To make up for his interference, Kirk offers to recapture the criminals. Although Takku resists and is killed, the rest are rounded up peacefully.
References
Characters
- David Bailey • Hurst • James T. Kirk • Roggaf • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Takku • Willis
Starships and vehicles
- Agonite space eagles • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Pursuit 1 • Pursuit 4 • Pursuit 7 • Space Rescue Bug 5 (space bugs)
- Referenced only
- Pursuit 3
Locations
Races and cultures
- Agonite • Human • Vulcan • unnamed races and cultures (prisoners)
States and organizations
- Agoni police force
Science and classification
- computer • drill • environmental suit • grappler • gun • laser-ray • magnetism • phaser • rifle • weapon
Ranks and titles
- captain • crewman • criminal • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • guard • gunner • helmsman • navigator • policeman • prisoner • radioman • scout • skipper • slave • Starfleet ranks
Other references
- bird • bridge • call sign • diplomacy • devil • eagle • galaxy • nova • orbit • peace • planet • police • prison • shuttle bay • slavery • space • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • starship • truce • war
Appendices
Related media
- TOS episode: "The Corbomite Maneuver" – David Bailey coordinated training drills with phaser gun crews.
- TOS episode: "Balance of Terror" – Featured a phaser gun crew and facility.
Background
- The story was not printed with a title, but it was given one ("The Eagles Have Landed") for its reprinting in the omnibus The Classic UK Comics, Volume 1. A month before this story was published, humans first landed on the moon. The title was a nod to a statement broadcast by Apollo 11 when their lunar module Eagle first touched down at Tranquility Base on Luna in July 1969.
- Authorship of this story was attributed to Angus Allan. (ST reference: New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics)
- Due to the writer being unfamiliar with Star Trek, phaser gun crews act out of the ordinary. They open "gun ports", equipment not found on starships but common to Earth's seagoing military vessels. A crewman disobeys orders and fires the ship's phasers. Crews later fire at least four shots from point-blank range at a stationary, disabled vessel and miss the section they were told to aim for.
- Despite the previous story arc debuting the Galileo shuttlecraft, in this story the starship's auxiliary vehicles are still referred to as space wagons and space bugs. These ships are now depicted resembling class F shuttlecraft.
- This was the last of seven appearances by David Bailey in the weekly comic strips, though he would also appear in "Target: Zargot", a story published in Joe 90: Top Secret Annual.
- It is not stated whether the Agoni police force is a mercenary force or works for an interstellar state.
- Kirk similarly asks Kruge for a truce to confer in TOS movie: The Search for Spock.
Images
Connections
Timeline
- The presence of Bailey on the Enterprise places this story early in the year 2266, before the events of "The Corbomite Maneuver".
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: Skin Deep |
TOS comics (UK comic strips) | Next story: Spectre of the Zond |
| Previous story: Skin Deep |
Stories by: Angus Allan |
Next story: latest story |
| Chronological Order | ||
| Previous adventure: Life Form Nonexistent |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Beware the Beast |
| Previous comic: Life Form Nonexistent |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next comic: Beware the Beast |
Production history
- This story was published in two-page sections over four consecutive weeks in Joe 90: Top Secret magazine.
- 16 August, pages 1-2 published in Joe 90: Top Secret #31.
- 23 August, pages 3-4 published in Joe 90: Top Secret #32.
- 30 August, pages 5-6 published in Joe 90: Top Secret #33.
- 6 September, pages 7-8 published in Joe 90: Top Secret #34.
- 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
- The Eagles Have Landed article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
