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 led him to rescue a group of prisoners.
Contents
Description[edit | edit source]
- Teaser summary, 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[edit | edit source]
While exploring a new region of space, Spock spotted what looked like a huge living eagle, which suddenly dive-bombed the USS Enterprise. Ship's phasers disabled the unusual vessel. Kirk, David Bailey and at least four others piloted Space Rescue Bug 5 through a gap in the damaged hull to offer assistance, but their ship was seized by grapplers operated by Agonites. Enterprise fired at the space eagle to keep the Agonites busy while Kirk's team detached the grapplers. Bailey spotted a crowd of humanoid refugees. As the space bug carried a full load of them back to the Enterprise, grateful Takku from Womata explained how they'd been taken by evil Agonites — who soon returned with reinforcements. Spock launched three armed space bugs to help fight off the Agonites and rescue everyone else. The refugees were 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 orbited the planet, a dozen space eagles arrived in formation. Hopelessly outnumbered, Kirk signaled for a truce to confer and met with Roggaf of Agoni. Kirk soon learned that Agoni was a galactic police base, and these prisoners were actually convicted criminals. To make up for his interference, Kirk offered to recapture the criminals. Although Takku resisted and was killed, the rest were rounded up peacefully.
References[edit | edit source]
Characters[edit | edit source]
- David Bailey • Hurst • James T. Kirk • Roggaf • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Takku • Willis
Starships and vehicles[edit | edit source]
- Agonite ships • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Pursuit 1 • Pursuit 4 • Pursuit 7 • Space Rescue Bug 5 (space bugs)
- Referenced only
- Pursuit 3
Locations[edit | edit source]
Races and cultures[edit | edit source]
- Agonite • Human • Vulcan • unnamed races and cultures (prisoners)
States and organizations[edit | edit source]
Science and classification[edit | edit source]
- computer • drill • environmental suit • grappler • gun • laser-ray • magnetism • phaser • rifle • weapon
Ranks and titles[edit | edit source]
- captain • crewman • criminal • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • guard • gunner • helmsman • navigator • policeman • prisoner • radioman • scout • skipper • slave • Starfleet ranks
Other references[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
Related media[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
- 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.
- Due to the writer being unfamiliar with Star Trek, phaser gun crews acted out of the ordinary. They opened "gun ports", equipment not found on starships but common to Earth's seagoing military vessels. A crewman disobeyed orders and fired the ship's phasers. Crews later fired at least four shots from point-blank range at a stationary, disabled vessel and missed 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 were still referred to as space wagons and space bugs. These ships were 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 was not stated whether the Agoni police force was a mercenary force or worked for an interstellar state.
- Kirk similarly asked Kruge for a truce to confer in TOS movie: The Search for Spock.
Images[edit | edit source]
Connections[edit | edit source]
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 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 comic: "Skin Deep" |
TOS comics UK comic strips |
Next comic: "Spectre of the Zond" |
Production history[edit | edit source]
- 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 #10 (Eaglemoss)
External links[edit | edit source]
- The Eagles Have Landed article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
