To Starve a Fleaver was the fifth of 11 TOS stories produced by Peter Pan Records. It was initially released in 1975 as an audio production along with three other stories. It was subsequently released by itself. This was the fifth of seven stories set during Captain James T. Kirk's first five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise and the second of five without an associated comic book.
Description[]
- Ad for Peter Pan Record
- Federation freaks will hail these full-length adventures as the hottest thing since Vulcan ear-muffs! "A Mirror for Futility," "The Time Stealer," "Logistics of Stampede" and "To Starve a Fleaver," all on a high-quality 33 1/3 RPM disc! Warning: do not play at Romulan sock-hops!
Summary[]
Log entries[]
- Captain's log... stardate 5468.2:
- A request has been received at Starfleet Headquarters from a recently contacted civilization – the system of Marpaplu – for accreditation as an associate member of the United Federation of Planets. The Enterprise has been ordered to Marpaplu to consider final processing of the Marpapluan application.
Shortly after Councilor Nice Housenik beams aboard, personnel throughout the ship start having uncontrolled bursts of laughter along with sensations of tiggling and itching. In sickbay, Doctor Leonard McCoy find hundreds of small lifeforms on the councilor, similar to fleas but tougher. Housenik identifies them as meegees, parasites that subsist on happy emotions. When a person is not happy, they move about to try to make the person happy.
McCoy tries removing them with hundreds of compounds, but so far only chemicals like hydrochloric acid will kill them. Housenik knows of a couple of poisons that kill them, but also kill their hosts. Montgomery Scott feels helpless with most of the crew incapacitated, and his depression kills his meegees. Realizing that's the antidote, Kirk orders the crew to think miserable thoughts, and the crew is healed.
- Captain's log, supplemental:
- The treaty of friendship has been concluded with the system of Marpaplu, and said people have been accepted for official associate membership in the United Federation of Planets, while agreeing to remain under temporary quarantine until safety precautions for preventing the spread of the parasitic meegees can be developed.
References[]
Characters[]
- Nice Housenik • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Marpaplu system (Marpaplu) • Starfleet Headquarters
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and classification[]
- antidote • communications • epidemic • helm • microscope • poison • plague • sickbay • scanner • transporter • warp engine
Occupations and titles[]
- captain • councilor • doctor • lieutenant
Other references[]
- associate membership • beam • bridge • captain's log, USS Enterprise, 2269 • civilization • cruiser • depression • diplomacy • emotion • engineering • first contact • flea • government • helm • hydrochloric acid • log entry • meegee • parasite • quarantine • radiation • sickbay • skin • Starfleet ranks • transporter room
Appendices[]
Background[]
- Montgomery Scott said he had a ten-year-old cousin as tall as the Marpapluan ambassador.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: The Time Stealer |
Peter Pan Records | Next story: The Logistics of Stampede |
| Previous story: The Crier in Emptiness |
Stories by: Alan Dean Foster |
Next story: The Logistics of Stampede |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: The Logistics of Stampede |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: A Mirror for Futility |
| Previous story: The Logistics of Stampede |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Five | Next story: A Mirror for Futility |
Production history[]
- "To Starve a Fleaver" was released five times. It was initially released in 1975 on Peter Pan TOS record #2 of 23, a 33-rpm LP, along with "The Time Stealer", The Logistics of Stampede and "A Mirror for Futility". This album was re-released in 1979 as record #10 with TOS movie: The Motion Picture cover imagery.
- It was released as a solo audio product on record #7 in 1975, a 7" 331/3 RPM labeled as a "Little LP" with a cover price of 79 cents. The single was re-released as record #18 in 1979.
- It was also released with four other stories on record #23.
External links[]
- To Starve a Fleaver article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- To Starve a Fleaver article at Curt Danhauser's Star Trek Story Records website.