"The Trial" is the second of five TOS manga stories in the 2007 anthology "Kakan ni Shinkou" (To Boldly Go), published by TokyoPop, written by Mike Wellman and drawn by Nam Kim. In this story, James T. Kirk was put on trial by an isolationist planetary government, while Spock and Leonard McCoy endured an incomprehensible bureaucracy.
Description[]
- Kakan ni Shinkou back cover
- Kirk is put on trial for crimes he has yet to discover...
Summary[]
- Captain's Log, Stardate 4610.3.
- Science Officer Spock reporting. We are scanning nearby planets for signs of Captain Kirk, who mysteriously disappeared from the bridge just moments ago. It is undetermined yet whether he was beamed off or if he was abducted by lifeforms who boarded the ship without our knowledge...
While the nearest planet was Kos, diplomatic ties between it and the Federation had broken "some time ago." Being reclusive but having no other leads, Kos is hailed. They refuse to respond to anyone from the war-mongering Federation. When Spock insists on a visit to investigate Kirk's disappearance, they are told to register with the Commission of Outlander Affairs and given coordinates.
Kirk awakens to face a jailer bringing him food. Appealing to her that holding him was against Federation law, he is told he'd be arraigned tomorrow. In the next prison cell, a fellow prisoner — a Klingon — tells him Federation law doesn't apply here.
Beaming down to the coordinates, Spock and McCoy face a large door. They are told they couldn't simply register, and a diplomat was sent. The diplomat locates Kirk in his database and says Kirk will be standing trial tomorrow, but the charges are confidential. Requesting to see Kirk, the diplomat said they'd have to speak to the Secretary of Outlander Criminal Affairs. Spock notes, "their bureaucracy appears near impenetrable," and suggests McCoy's "aggressions" might be helpful.
A beleaguered-looking attorney introduces himself as Kirk's lawyer. Kirk asks what the charges were, but the attorney replied "Is there anything you aren't guilty of?"
Meeting Secretary Delf S'urm, Spock and McCoy faced more bureaucracy. Negotiating, they manage a visit with Kirk. Kirk believes that, once he figures out what he is charged with, it should be possible to prove he is innocent. Allowed to eat together in a vast dining room with other prisoners on trial, they sit with the Klingon, Commander Kafk, who had been grabbed off his ship in the same manner as Kirk. Resigned that his crew left him for dead after being missing so long, he resolved never to let the Kosians break his spirit. This is the sixth year of his trial.
At Kirk's trial, Judge Omandoro said Kirk is accused of "intergalactic treachery of the highest order." The prosecutor says they couldn't allow him to continue his five-year mission because of the threat he poses to the galaxy. Kirk would be incarcerated for an indefinite period and the Enterprise escorted back to Earth. Taking over from his defense attorney, Kirk gives a rousing speech about their mission and of his humanity, confessing to personal weaknesses and failings. Taking a chance, he pleads guilty. The court sentences him to life in prison, but suspends the sentence, assigning him to the custody of his crew on permanent probation.
On his way out with Kirk and Spock, Kirk suggests to Kafk that he plead guilty to "get off this rock," but the Klingon refuses to "bend the truth to serve his own purposes."
References[]
Characters[]
- Bergolas • Pavel Chekov • Kafk • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Omandoro • Delf S'urm • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Sun Tzu
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • groundcars • truck
- Referenced only
- D7-class Klingon battle cruiser
Locations[]
- Kos (Intergalactic Court of the Planet Kos)
- Referenced only
- Andalorean Spice Mines • Gamma Colony of Kos • hell • Sector 001
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Commission of Outlander Affairs • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Klingon Empire
Science and classification[]
- coordinates • Feinberger • spectacles • transporter
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • commander • criminal • diplomat • doctor • first officer • judge • lawyer • lieutenant • prisoner • prosecutor • science officer • secretary • Secretary of Outlander Criminal Affairs
Other References[]
- arraignment • assignment patch • bridge • bureaucracy • captain's log • captain's log, USS Enterprise, 2268 • civilization • crew • day • deposition • diplomacy • Federation law • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • five-year mission • galaxy • government • hegh'bat • history • homeworld • hour • inquisition • Koon-ut-kal-if-fee • log • log entry • logic • moon • orbit • planet • Planet of Kos versus Captain James T. Kirk • Prime Directive • prison • probation • rabbit • races and cultures • sector • sector • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • transporter room • trial • tribunal • universe • year
Appendices[]
Related media[]
Kirk on trial in:
- TOS episode & Star Trek 2 novelization: Court Martial
- TOS comic: "The Trial of Captain Kirk"
- TOS comic: "The Trial of James T. Kirk"
Kangaroo courts in:
- TOS episode & Star Trek 11 novelization: The Squire of Gothos
- TNG episode & novelization: Encounter at Farpoint
- TNG episode & novelization: All Good Things...
Incarceration without charges in:
Background[]
- Andorians, a Breen and a Gorn can be seen among the alien prisoners in the dining facility on Kos.
- James T. Kirk began quoting the proverb, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend", which Leonard McCoy incorrectly attributed to Sun Tzu. (The enemy of my enemy is my friend article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia., The Art of War full text at The Internet Classics Archive.)
- Kirk also used the idiom "pull a rabbit out of my hat", which had its origins in the eponymous magic trick, though Spock claimed to be unfamiliar with the phrase. (Hat-trick (magic trick) article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
- Hikaru Sulu was given command when Spock beamed down to locate Kirk on Kos.
Images[]
Connections[]
| Manga stories | ||
|---|---|---|
| TOS manga | Shinsei Shinsei | "Side Effects" • "Anything But Alone" • "'Til Death" • "Oban" • "Orphans" |
| Kakan ni Shinkou | "Cura Te Ipsum" • "The Trial" • "Communications Breakdown" • "Scaean Gate" • "Forging Alliances" | |
| Uchu | "Art of War" • "Bandi" • "The Humanitarian" • "Inalienable Rights" | |
| TNG manga | Boukenshin | "Changeling" • "Sensation" • "The Picardian Knot" • "Loyalty" |
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: Cura Te Ipsum |
TOS comics (Star Trek: The Manga) |
Next comic: Communications Breakdown |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Scaean Gate |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Made Out of Mudd New Visions |
Production history[]
- September 2007
- First printed in the anthology Kakan ni Shinkou. (TokyoPop)
- 5 December 2019
- Reprinted in Graphic Novel Collection #89. (Eaglemoss Collections)
External link[]
- The Trial article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.