The Procrustean Petard

Summary[]

The genders of the crew of the Enterprise are reversed while they are being menaced by a nearby Klingon battlecruiser under the command of Kirk's old adversary Kang.

References[]

Other references[]

angel • bishop • brandy • cake • chess • cloaking device • communicator • credit chit • dim-light glasses • disruptor • DNA • dove • eagle • fly • hawk • petard • phaser • Procrustean Bed • queen • RNA • robot • rook • Saurian brandy • silver • Siren • snarth • tiger • tunic • YY chromosome effect

Appendices[]

Background[]

This short story reveals that the sexes are far from equal in Starfleet, and discussion of the topic is discouraged. Females rarely achieve the rank of Captain and, upon reaching this rank, are posted to a 'safe' desk job.
Prior to this story, Mara left Kang and became a "peace-monger".
The device on this planet reversed the sexes of crews, but selected the strongest of them to undergo the "YY chromosome effect". XYY syndrome^WP appears to be the condition referenced in this story, but has none of the hyper-aggressive side-effects Spock and Kang experienced.
When they meet in a bar, Kang and Kirk (female) decide to accept their condition and "go back to his place". They later lament that Spock's arrival interrupts this action.
The all male Klingon crew becomes quiet and shy once turned female.
The conversion to female has a noticeable effect on James T. Kirk's ability to pilot a shuttle and his emotional fortitude.

Connections[]

Star Trek: The Original Series collected short stories, novellas and short novels
The New Voyages	The New Voyages ("Ni Var" • "Intersection Point" • "The Enchanted Pool" • "Visit to a Weird Planet Revisited" • "The Face on the Barroom Floor" • "The Hunting" • "The Winged Dreamers" • "Mind-Sifter" • "Sonnet from the Vulcan: Omicron Ceti Three") • The New Voyages 2 ("Surprise!" • "Snake Pit!" • "The Patient Parasites" • "In the Maze" • "Cave-In" • "Marginal Existence" • "The Procrustean Petard" • "The Sleeping God" • "Elegy for Charlie" • "Soliloquy")
Star Trek II & III Short Stories	Star Trek II Short Stories ("The Blaze of Glory" • "Under Twin Moons" • "Wild Card" • "The Secret Empire" • "Intelligence Test" • "To Wherever") • Star Trek III Short Stories ("The Azphari Enigma" • "The Jungles of Memory" • "A Vulcan, A Klingon, and an Angel" • "World's End" • "As Old as Forever")
Strange New Worlds	I ("A Private Anecdote" • "The Lights in the Sky" • "The Last Tribble" • "Reflections") • II ("Triptych" • "The Quick and the Dead" • "The First Law of Metaphysics" • "The Hero of My Own Life" • "Doctors Three") • III ("If I Lose Thee..." • "The Aliens Are Coming!" • "Family Matters") • IV ("A Little More Action" • "Prodigal Father" • "Missed" • "Tears for Eternity" • "Countdown" • "First Star I See Tonight" • "Scotty's Song" • "The Name of the Cat") • V ("Disappearance on 21st Street" • "The Trouble with Borg Tribbles" • "Legal Action" • "Yeoman Figgs" • "The Shoulders of Giants") • VI ("Bum Radish: Five Spins on a Turquoise Reindeer" • "One Last Adventure" • "Whales Weep Not" • "A Piece of the Pie" • "Marking Time" • "Ancient History") • VII ("A Test of Character" • "Indomitable" • "Project Blue Book" • "The Trouble With Tribals" • "All Fall Down" • "A Sucker Born" • "Obligations Discharged") • 8 ("Shanghaied" • "Assignment: One" • "Demon" • "Don't Call Me Tiny") • 9 ("Gone Native" • "A Bad Day for Koloth" • "Book of Fulfillment" • "The Smallest Choices") • 10 ("The Smell of Dead Roses" • "The Doomsday Gambit" • "Empty") • 2016 ("Dilithium Is a Girl's Best Friend")
Constellations	"First, Do No Harm" • "The Landing Party" • "Official Record" • "Fracture" • "Chaotic Response" • "As Others See Us" • "See No Evil" • "The Leader" • "Ambition" • "Devices and Desires" • "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" • "Make-Believe"
Star Trek: Explorer	"All That Most Maddens and Torments" • "The Way to Exile" • "Cumulative Damage" • "Explorers of the Storm" • "The Guardian" • "The Trouble with Jones" • "Sundering" • "A Dish Served Cold" • "Forewarned and Three-Armed" • "Working Miracles" • "Cat and Mouse"
Misc. short stories	"Though Hell Should Bar the Way" • "Conflicting Natures" • "The Avenger" • "Night Whispers" • "Just Another Little Training Cruise" • "Safe Harbors" • "Ill Winds" • "The Greater Good"
Misc. novellas & short novels	"The Business, As Usual, During Altercations" • "The Badlands, Part I" • "One Giant Leap" • "The First Artifact" • "The Sorrows of Empire" • "A Less Perfect Union" • "The Chimes at Midnight"

Timeline[]

published order
Previous story: Marginal Existence	Star Trek: The New Voyages 2	Next story: The Sleeping God
Previous story: The Price of the Phoenix	Stories by: Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath	Next story: The Fate of the Phoenix
chronological order
Previous adventure: Intersection Point	Pocket Books Timeline	Next adventure: The Business, As Usual, During Altercations
Previous adventure: Intersection Point	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: Mission's End, Issue 2 Prologue

Translations[]

1983: Japanese : プロクルステスの罠, translated by Hiroshi Saito. (Hayakawa Bunko)

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The Procrustean Petard

Contents

Summary[]

References[]

Characters[]

Starships and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Races and cultures[]

States and organizations[]