Star Trek 7, James Blish. (Paperback )

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Star Trek 7
Author: James Blish

First published in 1972, these short stories are Blish's adaptations of the screenplays of various episodes from the original series. The episodes aren't sorted into books according to either chronological order or identity of screenwriter. — "Who Mourns for Adonais?" (episode 33, season 2, screenplay Gilbert A. Ralston and Gene L. Coon) (Title q... more »uote is from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Adonais, an elegy on the death of the poet Keats.) On Pollux IV, the away team encounters Apollo - an alien who is the last of those known on Earth as Greek gods, who wants to reestablish the old system rather than killing himself in lonely despair as others of his kind did when humans grew away from them. Blish added a coda for this story that's *very* interesting and is consistent with the story, although he never followed it up, to my knowledge.

"The Changeling" (episode 37, season 2, screenplay John Meredyth Lucas, who directed a few episodes) Not to be confused with "Charlie X". ENTERPRISE, sent to investigate the destruction of life in the Malurian system, encounters a powerful AI that appears to be the 21st-century Earth space probe Nomad, created by one Jackson Roykirk for the purpose of seeking out - not destroying - life. Mistakenly believing Kirk to be its creator, it allows the ENTERPRISE crew to interact with it (not always safely). They learn that at some point, the damaged probe encountered an alien probe, Tan Ru, with a different mission, to collect and sterilize samples; the two AIs, joining forces and repairing each other as best they could, now have a corrupted mission: to seek out and 'sterilize' life. Unfortunately, the ENTERPRISE crew lacks the firepower to combat Nomad's destructive capability, so brains rather than brawn are needed.

"The Paradise Syndrome" (episode 58, season 3, screenplay Margaret Armen) Despite the title, the planet featured *isn't* afflicted with lotus-eating stagnation. This episode introduced the notion of 'the Preservers', a mysterious race who 'seeded' various planets with similar life-forms - a theory that makes a lot of observed Star Trek cultures more palatable. The planet herein is in a dangerous region, but somehow has been spared from the asteroid strikes that should have wiped out its inhabitants, a Native American-type culture who apparently have minimal technology. While checking out a Preserver artifact on the planet's surface, Kirk accidentally triggers a mechanism that causes him to suffer amnesia - and since ENTERPRISE must protect the planet from an incoming asteroid, the crew cannot delay to search for him. Unusual experience for Kirk, as his amnesia gives him a chance to try to make a less driven life for himself among the people of the planet. [For a story with some similar aspects, see "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky".]

"Metamorphosis" (episode 31, season 2, screenplay Gene L. Coon) A meet-famous-person-who-vanished-mysteriously episode, in this case Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of the warp drive; 150 years ago, he set out into unexplored space to die, only to be rescued and rejuvenated by a one-of-a-kind cloud creature he calls 'the Companion', who communicates with him telepathically. To keep him from dying of loneliness, the Companion intercepted the GALILEO, carrying Nancy Hedford to the ENTERPRISE for urgent medical treatment, with McCoy, Spock, and Kirk also aboard. Seeking to persuade the Companion to release them, the ENTERPRISE team deploys the universal translator, and learns things even Cochrane didn't know about its relationship with him.

"The Deadly Years" (episode 40, season 2, screenplay David P. Harmon) Not one of the better episodes - a form of radiation poisoning encountered near the Neutral Zone accelerates the aging process. See STAR TREK LOG 2 for the animated series' treatment of a similar problem.

"Elaan of Troyius" (episode 57, season 3, screenplay John Meredyth Lucas) Elaan is actually the beautiful Doyen of Elas; ENTERPRISE is transporting her and the Troyian ambassador to the ambassador's planet, where Elaan is to seal a peace treaty by marrying the ruler of Troyius. The ambassador's job is to act as civilizing Henry Higgins to the arrogant Doyen's Eliza Doolittle; after she stabs him, Kirk must take over the job.

ISBN: 183086
Publication Date: 1976
Pages: 155
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Publisher: Bantam Books
Book Type: Paperback
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