Changes: The PsychoCrystals

Revision as of 13:16, 5 June 2019

The PsychoCrystals—they glitter with death! — The PsychoCrystals was a Star Trek: The Original Series comic book story published by Gold Key Comics in 1975. It was the 34th issue of their TOS series of comics, the 8th of 22 stories written by Arnold Drake and the 31st drawn by Alberto Giolitti. In this story, a landing party from the USS Enterprise discovered a world of telepathic crystalline lifeforms.

Publisher's description

Teaser page: An innocent scientific expedition becomes a subterranean nightmare when Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise find themselves racing against the clock of their own executions.

Summary

Captain's log: star date 19:27.4. On routine mineral and biological survey of space sector 179, sub-sector 23-C...

Spock observed that planet Alpha 23-C was rich in industrial minerals, so Kirk, Leonard McCoy and Montgomery Scott beamed down to conduct an overnight topographical survey. The trio split up to climb a plateau. Scott spotted a beautiful outcropping of gemstones that he thought would make a good necklace for a woman he liked, but before he could chop off a sample with a pick axe, it shot him with a laser beam. Peering into one gem, he was strangely psychoanalyzed — facets reflected various sides of his personality, including fantasies as a heroic Highlander and secret agent as well as images of himself terrified by witches as a child. He yelled before passing out. Kirk revived him, then found McCoy in hysterics.

When they camped that evening, Kirk awoke in paranoia and began strangling Scott. McCoy stirred and quickly stunned Kirk. Realizing they weren't prepared for this type of psychological assault, Kirk decided to return to the Enterprise, but their communicator signals were jammed. Suddenly a bipedal crystalline lifeform approached. Scott reached for his phaser but the being, named Izor, fired a laser beam from its head and disarmed him. It called the landing party kidnappers and attempted murderers, revealing that the crystal gems were its species' infants. Kirk surreptitiously dropped his communicator as Izor led them into deep caverns.

Captain's log: star date 19:27.5. Mr. Spock's "sophisticated crystals" have turned out to be living things! And we are being marched to their underground civilization!

They emerged into an underground crystal city paradise populated with the crystal lifeforms. Despite Kirk's protest of innocence, their president condemned the humans to die. Later they were brought back to the president's office. Kirk observed from a periscope that Spock had beamed down and begun to inspect the gemstones. However, the infants reflected only geometric images, unable to spark emotions from the Vulcan. Nonetheless, Spock was captured and reunited with the landing party.

The president could not read their minds to confirm that they were innocent, as only their children had strong telepathy. Suddenly a large crystalline dinosaur, a rampaging slourda, disturbed the city's peace, retreating tentatively when spears were thrown at it. The dragon was immune to natives' thoughts which generated laser beams, as people were from repeated exposure to bacteria, but Kirk believed that he, Spock, Scott and McCoy could act like foreign germs. Spock proposed to channel new thoughts through one of the crystal infants, but it meant carrying a baby gem into danger. When they next encountered the slourda, Spock was able to project scientific concepts though the gem such as the formula of sulfuric acid, E=MC², Newton's Third Law of Motion, and theories behind rocket engines, which shattered the dragon into pieces.

Having demonstrated their good intentions, the landing party was allowed to leave. Kirk and Spock provided the natives with scientific texts to produce enough new thoughts to keep them free of slourda forever.

References

Characters

Izor • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • unnamed Alpha 23-C natives
Referenced only: Albert Einstein • Isaac Newton

Starships and vehicles

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)

Locations

Sector 179 (Alpha 23-C)
Referenced only: Earth (Scottish Highlands) • Flaming Lakes of Orion • Jupiter (Jupiter Colony V) • Mars (Deimos • Phobos)

Races and cultures

Alpha 23-C native • Human • Vulcan

States and organizations

Starfleet (command division • operations division • sciences division)

Science and technology

backpack • communicator • geometry • laser • narco-pellet • periscope • pick axe • radio • rocket propulsion • science • spear • sword • technology • transporter • weapon

Ranks and titles

commander • commanding officer • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • guard • Highlander • harpist • poet • president • secret agent • skipper • Starfleet ranks

Other references

20th century • assignment patch • bacteria • beam • bird • book • cake • captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2266 • carbon • cavern • century • city • coma • condor • crystal • culture • death penalty • devil • dog • dragon • eagle • emotion • execution • fire • foods and beverages • goat • harp • headache • horse • insanity • language • library • lifeform • light • logic • metal • mineral • month • moon • music • nitrogen • oxygen • paradise • paranoia • poetry • prison • psychoanalysis • rat • rock • second • sector • slourda • sports and games • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • sulfuric acid • sunspot • telepathy • Newton's Third Law of Motion • transporter room • witch

Appendices

Background

"The PsychoCrystals" was collected in Dynabrite, Issue 11358 along with "A Bomb In Time" and in Star Trek Annual 1977 along with "Sceptre of the Sun".
Despite eschewing technology, the Alpha 23-C natives had periscopes and printed books.
At least three crystalline species were seen: The bipedal natives, dogs, and the dragon.
When Scott saw the crystal dragon, he remarked, “St. George never saw the likes of a dragon like that.” He was referring to the legend of “Saint George and the Dragon,” a saint who slayed a dragon and saved a princess. (Saint George and the Dragon article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
Spock projected the thought, “For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction.” That was Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion. (Newton's laws of motion article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
Scott referenced a woman on Jupiter Colony V. Possibly she was Blanda Lane, whom he fancied at the time. (TOS comic: "A Page From Scotty's Diary")
Scott twice exclaimed "Great moons of Mars!"
This story has been released seven times in English and translated into Dutch, German, and italian.

Images

Timeline

Chronology

Published Order
Previous comic: #33: The Choice	TOS comics (Gold Key)	Next comic: #35: The Peril of Planet Quick Change Reprint
Previous story: The Animal People	Stories by: Arnold Drake	Next story: A Bomb in Time
Chronological Order
Previous adventure: The Evictors	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: World Against Time

Production history

October 1975: First published by Gold Key Comics
1976: Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual 1977 (World Distributors Limited)
August 1976: Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 4 (Golden Press)
1978: Printed in Dynabrite, Issue 11358 (Western Publishing)
June 2004: Printed in the omnibus The Key Collection, Volume 5 (Checker Book Publishing Group)
September 2008: Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
21 June 2018: Reprinted in Graphic Novel Collection #39 (Eaglemoss)

Translations

1976: German: As "Paradies der Kristalle" in Zack 1976 #17 (Koralle)
1977: Dutch: As "De Psychokristallen" in the omnibus Ruimteschip Enterprise Classics Strip-Paperback #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
1978: German: As "Die Psychokristalle" in the omnibus Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Taschenbuch #1 (Condor)
2007: Italian: As "I Psicocristalli" in the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 9 (Free Books)

External links

The PsychoCrystals article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
The PsychoCrystals discussion at Drawing Trek Podcast.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Psychocrystals}}{{comic
-| type = [[Comic]]
+| type = [[comic]]
 | title = The Psychocrystals
 | cover image = gold Key 34.jpg
-| cover artist= [[George Wilson]]
+| cover artist = [[George Wilson]]
-| series = {{sT|The Original Series}}
+| series = {{sT|The Original Series}} ([[star Trek (Gold Key)|Gold Key TOS]])
 | number = 34
-| stardate = 19:27.4
 | date = [[2266]]
-| editor =
+| stardate = 19:27.4
 | artist = [[Alberto Giolitti]]
+| writer = [[Arnold Drake]]
-| penciller =
+| omnibus = [[Dynabrite Issue 11358]], [[Star Trek Annual 1977]], [[The Enterprise Logs, Volume 4]], [[The Key Collection, Volume 5]]
-| inker =
-| colorist =
-| letterer =
-| writer =
-| omnibus = [[Dynabrite Issue 11358]], [[The Enterprise Logs, Volume 4]], [[The Key Collection, Volume 5]]
 | published = {{srcdate|1975|October}}
-| format =
 | pages = 25
 | publisher = [[Gold Key Comics]]
-| ISBN =
-| altcover =
 }}
-'''The PsychoCrystals''' was a [[comic book]] story published by [[Gold Key Comics]] in 1975. In this story, a landing party from the {{uSS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} discovered a world of [[telepathic]] [[crystalline]] [[lifeform|lifeforms]].
+''The PsychoCrystals—they glitter with [[death]]!'' — '''The PsychoCrystals''' was a ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' [[comic book]] story published by [[Gold Key Comics]] in {{srcdate|1975}}. It was the 34th issue of their ''[[TOS]]'' series of comics, the 8th of 22 stories written by [[Arnold Drake]] and the 31st drawn by [[Alberto Giolitti]]. In this story, a landing party from the {{uSS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} discovered a world of [[telepathic]] [[crystal|crystalline]] [[lifeform|lifeforms]].
 ==Publisher's description==
+;Teaser page
-;Cover blurb
+:''An innocent [[science|scientific]] expedition becomes a subterranean nightmare when [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] and the crew of the ''Enterprise'' find themselves racing against the [[clock]] of their own executions.''
-:''The PsychoCrystals—they glitter with [[death]]!''
 ==Summary==
+:''[[captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2266|Captain's log]]: [[stardate|star date]] 19:27.4. On routine [[mineral]] and biological survey of [[space]] [[sector 179]], sub-sector 23-C...''
-{{incomplete|comic|section=summary}}
+[[Spock]] observed that [[planet]] [[Alpha 23-C]] was rich in industrial [[mineral]]s, so Kirk, [[Leonard McCoy]] and [[Montgomery Scott]] [[beam]]ed down to conduct an overnight topographical survey. The trio split up to climb a plateau. Scott spotted a beautiful outcropping of gemstones that he thought would make a good necklace for a woman he liked, but before he could chop off a sample with a pick axe, it shot him with a [[laser]] beam. Peering into one gem, he was strangely psychoanalyzed — facets reflected various sides of his personality, including fantasies as a heroic Highlander and secret agent as well as images of himself terrified by [[witch]]es as a child. He yelled before passing out. Kirk revived him, then found McCoy in hysterics.
+When they camped that evening, Kirk awoke in paranoia and began strangling Scott. McCoy stirred and quickly [[stun]]ned Kirk. Realizing they weren't prepared for this type of psychological assault, Kirk decided to return to the ''Enterprise'', but their [[communicator]] signals were jammed. Suddenly a bipedal [[crystal|crystalline]] [[lifeform]] approached. Scott reached for his [[phaser]] but the being, named [[Izor]], fired a [[laser]] beam from its head and disarmed him. It called the [[landing party]] kidnappers and attempted murderers, revealing that the crystal gems were its species' infants. Kirk surreptitiously dropped his [[communicator]] as Izor led them into deep [[cavern]]s.
+:''Captain's log: star date 19:27.5. Mr. Spock's "sophisticated crystals" have turned out to be living things! And we are being marched to their underground civilization!''
+They emerged into an underground crystal [[city]] paradise populated with the crystal lifeforms. Despite Kirk's protest of innocence, their [[president]] condemned the [[human]]s to die. Later they were brought back to the president's office. Kirk observed from a periscope that Spock had beamed down and begun to inspect the gemstones. However, the infants reflected only geometric images, unable to spark [[emotion]]s from the [[Vulcan]]. Nonetheless, Spock was captured and reunited with the landing party.
+The president could not read their minds to confirm that they were innocent, as only their children had strong [[telepathy]]. Suddenly a large crystalline [[dinosaur]], a rampaging [[slourda]], disturbed the city's peace, retreating tentatively when [[spear]]s were thrown at it. The [[dragon]] was immune to natives' thoughts which generated laser beams, as people were from repeated exposure to [[bacteria]], but Kirk believed that he, Spock, Scott and McCoy could act like foreign germs. Spock proposed to channel new thoughts through one of the crystal infants, but it meant carrying a baby gem into danger. When they next encountered the slourda, Spock was able to project [[science|scientific]] concepts though the gem such as the formula of [[sulfuric acid]], E=MC<sup>2</sup>, [[Newton's Third Law of Motion]], and theories behind rocket [[engine]]s, which shattered the dragon into pieces.
+Having demonstrated their good intentions, the landing party was allowed to leave. Kirk and Spock provided the natives with scientific texts to produce enough new thoughts to keep them free of slourda forever.
 ==References==
 ===Characters===
-:[[Alpha 23-C president]] • [[Izor]] • [[James T. Kirk]] • [[Leonard McCoy]] • [[Montgomery Scott]] • [[Spock]]
+:[[Izor]] • [[James T. Kirk]] • [[Leonard McCoy]] • [[Montgomery Scott]] • [[Spock]] • [[unnamed Alpha 23-C natives]]
 {{ref}} [[Albert Einstein]] • [[Isaac Newton]]
 ===Starships and vehicles===
-:{{uSS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} ({{class|Constitution}})
+:{{uSS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} ({{class|Constitution}} [[heavy cruiser]])
 ===Locations===
-: [[Alpha 23-C]] • [[Sector 179]]
+:[[Sector 179]] ([[Alpha 23-C]])
-{{ref}} [[Flaming Lakes of Orion]] • [[Jupiter Colony 5]]
+{{ref}} [[Earth]] ([[Scotland|Scottish]] [[Highlands]]) • [[Flaming Lakes of Orion]] • [[Jupiter]] ([[Jupiter Colony V]]) • [[Mars]] ([[Deimos]] • [[Phobos]])
 ===Races and cultures===
@@ Line 48: / Line 52: @@
 ===States and organizations===
+:[[Starfleet]] ([[command division]] • [[operations division]] • [[sciences division]])
-:[[Starfleet]]
 ===Science and technology===
-:[[bacteria]] • [[carbon]] • [[communicator]] • [[laser]] • [[light]] • [[mineral]] • [[narco-pellet]] • [[nitrogen]] • [[oxygen]] • [[periscope]] • [[propulsion]] • [[spear]] • [[spectral analysis]] • [[sulfuric acid]] • [[topographical survey]] • [[transporter]]
+:[[backpack]] • [[communicator]] • [[geometry]] • [[laser]] • [[narco-pellet]] • [[periscope]] • [[pick axe]] • [[radio]] • [[rocket propulsion]] • [[science]] • [[spear]] • [[sword]] • [[technology]] • [[transporter]] • [[weapon]]
 ===Ranks and titles===
+:[[commander]] • [[commanding officer]] • [[Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s)]] • [[guard]] • [[Scotsman|Highlander]] • [[musician|harpist]] • {{dis|poet|profession}} • [[president]] • [[secret agent]] • [[skipper]] • [[Starfleet ranks]]
-:[[captain]] • [[guard]] • [[president]]
 ===Other references===
-:[[20th century]] • [[book]] • [[captain's log]] • [[city]] • [[communicator]] • [[condor]] • [[crystal]] • [[death penalty]] • [[dragon]] • [[eagle]] • [[fire]] • [[geometry]] • [[harp]] • [[highlander]] • [[horse]] • [[library]] • [[music]] • [[paradise]] • {{dis|poet|profession}} • [[science]] • [[secret agent]] • [[slourda]] • [[witch]]
+:[[20th century]] • [[assignment patch ]] • [[bacteria]] • [[beam]] • [[bird]] • [[book]] • [[cake]] • [[captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2266]] • [[carbon]] • [[cavern]] • [[century]] • [[city]] • [[coma]] • [[condor]] • [[crystal]] • [[culture]] • [[death penalty]] • [[devil]] • [[dog]] • [[dragon]] • [[eagle]] • [[emotion]] • [[execution]] • [[fire]] • [[foods and beverages]] • [[goat]] • [[harp]] • [[headache]] • [[horse]] • [[insanity]] • [[language]] • [[library]] • [[lifeform]] • [[light]] • [[logic]] • [[metal]] • [[mineral]] • [[month]] • [[moon]] • [[music]] • [[nitrogen]] • [[oxygen]] • [[paradise]] • [[paranoia]] • [[poetry]] • [[prison]] • [[psychoanalysis]] • [[rat]] • [[rock]] • [[second]] • [[sector]] • [[slourda]] • [[sports and games]] • [[Starfleet uniform]] • [[Starfleet uniform (2265-2270)]] • [[sulfuric acid]] • [[sunspot]] • [[telepathy]] • [[Newton's Third Law of Motion]] • [[transporter room]] • [[witch]]
-==Timeline==
-===Chronology===
-===Connections===
-{{start box}}
-{{next comic box
-| title = [[Star Trek: The Original Series]]{{bsmall|([[gold Key Comics|Gold Key]])}}
-| before = #33: {{dis|The Choice|TOS comic}}
-| after = #35: [[The Peril of Planet Quick Change]]
-}}
-{{end box}}
 ==Appendices==
 ===Background===
-*"The PsychoCrystals" was collected in [[Dynabrite, Issue 11358]], along with "[[A Bomb In Time]]".
+*"The PsychoCrystals" was collected in [[Dynabrite, Issue 11358]] along with "[[A Bomb In Time]]" and in [[Star Trek Annual 1977|''Star Trek Annual 1977'']] along with "[[Sceptre of the Sun]]".
-*Although eschewing technology, the Alpha 23-C natives had periscopes to observe surface activity.
+*Despite eschewing [[technology]], the [[Alpha 23-C native]]s had [[periscope]]s and printed books.
-*At least three crystalline species were seen on the planet: The bipedal natives, dogs, and the dragon.
+*At least three [[crystal|crystalline]] [[species]] were seen: The bipedal natives, [[dog]]s, and the [[dragon]].
+*When Scott saw the crystal dragon, he remarked, “St. George never saw the likes of a dragon like that.” He was referring to the [[legend]] of “Saint George and the Dragon,” a [[saint]] who slayed a dragon and saved a [[princess]]. ({{wikipedia|Saint George and the Dragon}})
-*It was unclear how these lifeforms printed books without the use of technology, unless they were handwritten books
+*Spock projected the thought, “For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction.” That was Sir [[Isaac Newton]]’s [[Newton's Third Law of Motion|Third Law of Motion]]. ({{wikipedia|Newton's laws of motion}})
-*When Scott saw the crystal dragon, he remarked, “St. George never saw the likes of a dragon like that.” He was referring to the legend of “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon Saint George and the Dragon],” a saint who slayed a dragon and saved a princess.
+* Scott referenced a woman on [[Jupiter Colony V]]. Possibly she was [[Blanda Lane]], whom he fancied at the time. ({{c|TOS|A Page From Scotty's Diary}})
+* Scott twice exclaimed "Great [[moon]]s of [[Mars]]!"
+* This story has been released seven times in [[English]] and translated into Dutch, [[German language|German]], and [[Italian language|italian]].
-*Spock projected the thought, “For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction,” Sir [[Isaac Newton]]’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion Third Law of Motion].
 ===Related stories===
-*{{e|TNG|Datalore|Silicon Avatar}} – In [[2364]] and [[2368]], the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} encountered the [[Crystalline Entity]].
 *{{e|ENT|In a Mirror, Darkly}} – In the [[mirror universe]] in the year [[2155]], the ISS ''Enterprise'' encountered a crystalline [[Tholian]].
+* {{c|TOS|... Like a Woman Scorned!}} – In [[2273]], Scott's fear of [[witch]]es was exploited by [[Andrea Manning]].
+*{{e|TNG|Datalore|Silicon Avatar}} – In [[2364]] and [[2368]], the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} encountered the [[Crystalline Entity]].
 ===Images===
 <gallery>
-GK34-Slourda.jpg|Slourda dragon
+GK34-Slourda.jpg|[[Slourda]] [[dragon]].
-GK34-Alpha-23-C-president.jpg| Alpha 23-C president
+GK34-Alpha-23-C-president.jpg|[[President]] of [[Alpha 23-C]].
-GK34-Izor.jpg|Izor
+GK34-Izor.jpg|[[Izor]].
 </gallery>
+==Timeline==
+===Chronology===
+{{timeline-published}}
+{{published order
+| type = comic
+| seriesformat = [[TOS]] [[comic]]s ([[Gold Key Comics|Gold Key]])
+| before = #33: {{dis|The Choice|TOS comic}}
+| after = #35: [[The Peril of Planet Quick Change]]<br>{{small|Reprint}}
+}}
+{{author order
+| author = [[Arnold Drake]]
+| before = [[The Animal People]]
+| after= [[A Bomb in Time]]
+}}
+{{timeline-chronology}}
+{{mB order
+| prevMB = [[The Evictors]]
+| nextMB = [[World Against Time]]
+}}
+{{end box}}
+===Production history===
+;[[October]] [[1975]] : First published by [[Gold Key Comics]]
+;[[1976]] : Printed in hardcover in ''[[Star Trek Annual 1977]]'' ([[World Distributors Limited]])
+;[[August]] [[1976]] : Printed in the [[omnibus]] ''[[The Enterprise Logs, Volume 4]]'' ([[Golden Press]])
+;[[1978]] : Printed in [[Dynabrite, Issue 11358]] ([[Western Publishing]])
+;[[June]] [[2004]] : Printed in the omnibus ''[[The Key Collection, Volume 5]]'' ([[Checker Book Publishing Group]])
+;[[September]] [[2008]] : Included on ''[[The Complete Comic Book Collection]]'' DVD ([[Graphic Imaging Technologies]])
+;[[21 June]] [[2018]] : Reprinted in ''[[Graphic Novel Collection]]'' #39 ([[Eaglemoss]])
+===Translations===
+;[[1976]] : German: As "Paradies der Kristalle" in ''Zack 1976'' #17 (Koralle)
+;[[1977]] : Dutch: As "De Psychokristallen" in the omnibus ''Ruimteschip Enterprise Classics Strip-Paperback'' #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
+;[[1978]] : German: As "Die Psychokristalle" in the omnibus ''Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Taschenbuch'' #1 (Condor)
+;[[2007]] : Italian: As "I Psicocristalli" in the omnibus ''The Gold Key Collection, Volume 9'' (Free Books)
 ===External links===
 * {{memoryalpha}}
+* [http://www.thetricordertransmissions.com/episode.php?ep=125 The PsychoCrystals] discussion at [http://www.thetricordertransmissions.com/drawingtrek.php Drawing Trek Podcast].
 [[category:tOS comics]]

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki