The Galactic Whirlpool is a Star Trek novel, a TOS adventure from Bantam Books in October 1980. This was the 12th of 13 full-length novels in the Bantam TOS series, and the second of three released after the license to commission new stories had been passed to Pocket Books for the numbered series that began with TOS novelization: The Motion Picture in 1979. This was the only full-length original Star Trek novel by author David Gerrold, who had previously written on three episode scripts and would go on to pen the novelization Encounter at Farpoint and script two comic stories in the Star Trek: The Manga series.
Description[]
- Beyond the realm of the Federation, beyond the edge of the galaxy, a lost colony of humans in space drifts inexorably toward the galactic whirlpool. Kirk blazes new star trails to these strange people, isolated for centuries. Unless he can convince them that the Enterprise crew members are not "demons," they will be sucked into a churning one-way funnel of doom!
Summary[]
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References[]
Characters[]
- Arex Na Eth • Katholin Arwen • Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Frost • Marilyn Garcia • Jesus Garcia Gomez • Hobie • Susan Kelly • James T. Kirk • Lasker (commander) • MacMurray • Leonard McCoy • M'ress • Munker • Mante N'Komo • Micah Omara • Kevin Riley • Montgomery Scott • Specks • Spock • Ussef Stokely • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Alphonse • Augustus • Baal • Beelzebub • Julius Caesar • Caligula • Arthur C. Clarke • Claudius • Devil • Albert Einstein • Finagle • Fred • God • Graves • green-Linda • Charles GridleyWP • Koloth • La Forge • George La Forge • Lucifer • Murphy • Nero • Isaac Newton • Noah • Christopher Pike • Robert the WiseWP • Satan • Shiras • Solomon Short • Shadow • Signpost • Spock's great-great-grandmother • Tiberius • T'Pshaw • Harry S. Truman
Starships and vehicles[]
- catapulter • USS Detroit • dragon-class • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • landrover • Marco Polo • torchship • Wanderer • warp tug
Locations[]
Starbases and spacestations[]
- Deep Space Station K-7 • Gagarin Station • L5 colony • Lost Cometary Colony • San Francisco Ship Yards
Stellar[]
- Capella • Ellison's Star • Fred • Galactic whirlpool • Hero's Star • Polo's Bolos • Shadow • Signpost • Sirius-B • Wolf 359
Planets, planetoids, and moons[]
- Arthur • Donatu V • Earth • Guinevere • Jupiter • L5 Trojan • Lancelot • Luna • Malavar • Malcor's Pride • Mars • Mordred • Mussourgsky • Neptune • Noah • Orion • Pluto • Satlin • Titan • Uranus • Venus • Wrigley's Pleasure Planet
Planetary[]
- Africa • Baba Yaga • California • Centauri colony • Gernsback Crater • Hawaii • Hollywood • Jovian Colonies • Lake Marathon • Lunar Station • New York • Old City • Roanoke Colony • Rome • Spiderport • Van Nuys • Virginia
Races and cultures[]
- Referenced only
- Andorian • Capellan • Cro-magnon man • Klingon • Neanderthal
States and organizations[]
- Boy Scouts of America • Council • Japan • L5 Nations • MacMurray Empire • Martian Settlements • Science Council • Solar Alliance • Soviet Union • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Ten Lost Tribes of Israel • Third World Alliance • Tri-Planetary Titan Development Corporation • United Federation of Planets • United States of America • Wolf Pack #11340
Other references[]
- baba yaga • balloon • bandersnatch • basketball • Battle of Donatu V • bench • black hole • Capellan choir • Cherenkov radiation • chess • demon • Dissemination of Human Knowledge Policy • DNA • drifter • Dungeon • The Elder and the Child • fiesta • First Contact Mode • ghost • gremlin • hobo-jungle • The Hut of Baba Yaga • Justaman curve • Kirk evasion • Kirk's Law • The Last of the Claudians • MacMurray Encounter • The Moscow Solution • Murphy's Law • New Federation Charter • Oath of Service • Royal High Minister Plenipotentiary in Total Command of the Universe • Royal Merchant Marine Emperor of the Galaxy • shadow-wraith • Space War • Star-Colonel • Starfleet Charter • Starfleet Code • Starfleet Code of Ethics • Starside Syndrome • three-dimensional chess • Tiberian reverse • Trojan position • witch • The Worry of the Headstrong Captain
Lifeforms[]
- algae • ant • baboon • bear • bee • boa constrictor • chicken • chimpanzee • clover • dalm tree • dog • dragon • dragonbird • duck • elephant • fennel • firefly • Great Bird of the Galaxy • horse • monkey • python • rat • sehlat • spider • stingfish
Clothing[]
- battle-suit • flash helmet • jacket • kilt • robe • sandle • shorts • singlet • slipper • spacesuit • spectacles • tunic • vest
Elements, compounds, and substances[]
- adrenal-4 • antimatter • brass • coal • deo-five • glass • gold • hydrogen • krystallin-G • methane • mylar • natural gas • neoplast • nitrogen • oil • oxygen • plastic • plasti-flex • redwood
Food and Drink[]
- alcohol • basil • butter • cake • chicken soup • dalm • drug-spice • egg • E-ration • fruit • gingerbread • sage • salad • salami • strawberry • tea • tomato • tuber
Technology and weapons[]
- air-bums • bolo • cannon • communicator • crossbow • dart gun • disruptor • flashbeam • growler • holo-tape • hypospray • impulse drive • infrared goggles • knife • laser • machete • O-field • O-pack • paralyzer • phaser • phaser-cannon • prowler • ramjet • spear • squirt • staplegun • stungun • stun rifle • subspace radio • television • Transporter Coordinating Platform • tricorder
Chronology[]
- 720 BCE
- The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel are scattered across Asia by the Assyrians. (Referenced as example of missing peoples)
- 68
- The Julio-Claudian dynasty ends. (Referenced in Chapter 1 to explain Kirk's disdain over his middle name)
- 1587
- Roanoke Colony goes missing. (Referenced as example of missing peoples)
- 1700s
- The King of Hawaii was bargained with in a fashion that inspired James T. Kirk during the MacMurray Encounter. (Referenced in recap of MacMurray Encounter)
- 1997
- Admiral George La Forge commissions the USS Detroit for Starfleet. (Referenced in Chapter 1 by Kirk)
- 2082
- The Wanderer was built in Earth's Trojan position. (Referenced for historical framing)
Wanderer.
- 2103
- Mars is settled by Earth colonists. Earth is divided between the L5 nations and the Third World nations. (Referenced as historical benchmark)
- After the colonization of Mars
- The Wanderer leaves Earth orbit and begins traveling back and fourth through the Sol system providing transport out to the Jovian Colonies. (Referenced as historical benchmark)
- 2117
- The Marco Polo discovers Polo's Bolos. (Referenced to explain impending doom)
- 2100s
- The Lost Cometary Colony is never heard from again. (Referenced as example of lost peoples)
- 2161
- The New Federation Charter is signed by Spock's great-great-grandmother. (Referenced in The Elder and the Child)
- 2250
- Admiral La Forge recommends a young James T. Kirk to Starfleet Academy. (Referenced in Chapter 1 by Kirk)
Kirk.
- Prior to Stardate 4496.1
- The United Federation of Planets surrenders unconditionally on the planet Noah. James T. Kirk is pronounced Royal High Minister Plenipotentiary in Total Command of the Universe by Royal Merchant Marine Emperor of the Galaxy MacMurray in the MacMurray Encounter. (Referenced as example of Kirk's policies)
- After the MacMurray Encounter
- Starfleet institutes the Dissemination of Human Knowledge Policy. (Referenced as example of Kirk's influence)
- 2267
- The USS Enterprise travels to Mordred, Guinevere, Arthur, and the science station at Lancelot. (Referenced in Chapter 1 to frame story)
- Stardate 4496.1
- The USS Enterprise locates a missing Human ship, the Wanderer. (Chapter 1)
- Before Stardate 4523.3
- The USS Enterprise saves the Wanderer from Polo's Bolos and departs for Deep Space Station K-7. (Final Chapter)
Appendices[]
Background[]
- Riley's command is a quotation of Admiral George DeweyWP's famous command from 1898, "You may fire when you are ready, GridleyWP. Riley misquotes the name as 'Grisly', a mistake that was also used as a gag in Looney TunesWP cartoons referencing the same quote.
- This novel references that Spock's great-great-grandmother had signed the New Federation Charter. Other sources[citation needed] mention his great-grandfather as a signatory of the Articles of the Federation. (ENT novel: Last Full Measure)
- The earliest cover art for this book used the description of the round Wanderer to great effect, showing a large scale construct, with a small Enterprise visible behind the object. The uncertain distance of the Enterprise in the image means that deriving a measurable scale is not entirely possible.
- While the novel has only a very slight mention of the Klingon ship the crew was investigating, the 1980s reissue painted cover took advantage of the mention by showing a fully rendered Klingon D7-class battlecruiser, with detailing consistent with a K't'inga-class vessel seen in the most recent films at the time, The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan. At the time, it was the only Klingon ship thus far depicted in Star Trek.
- The 1990s re-issue features a highly detailed cover by Kazuhiko Sano depicting Kirk and Uhura, as well as persons using glider wings as described in the text.
- Overseas, the book was re-issued as part of the Star Trek Adventures series by Titan Books, with a cover painting depicting Kirk only.
Images[]
Cover image.
Reprint cover image.
Reprint cover image.
Star Trek Adventures cover image.
Wanderer.
Klingon battlecruiser.
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Perry's Planet |
TOS unnumbered novels | Next novel: Death's Angel |
| Previous novel: first book |
Star Trek Adventures | Next novel: The Price of the Phoenix |
| Previous story: Bem |
Stories by: David Gerrold |
Next story: Encounter at Farpoint novelization |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: The Shocks of Adversity |
Pocket Books Timeline | Next adventure: Precipice Chapters 37-52 |
| Previous adventure: Explorers of the Storm |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Precipice Chapters 37-52 |
| Previous story: The Shocks of Adversity |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Three | Next story: The Trouble with Tribbles |
Publication history[]
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Translations[]
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External link[]
- The Galactic Whirlpool article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.