Star Trek 1
Author: James Blish
Published January 1967 by Bantam Books
Originally just titled “Star Trek”, this was the first officially licensed Star Trek tie-in book ever to be released. It was re-printed 5 times within a 9-month span, its success driving further Star Trek novelisations and later re-prints altered the title to “Star Trek 1”, being the first in what they determined would be a series. A series that lasted up to 12 books.
These novels are made up of collections of quick short stories based on the Star Trek episodes. Author James Blish only had access to early drafts of the scripts and there are some subtle differences to what was portrayed on screen, but for the most part it is a very quick retelling of what we watched. With some Star Trek episodes, they give us 50 minutes of story that could have easily been told in 20 minutes. Re-watching these episodes after reading the novisations, Blish seems to pick up on this and strips the story down to its foundations, giving us the main plot drivers. Back in the Original Series there was hardly ever a ‘B’ or ‘C’ plot, just the key drama that threatens the crew. This would often inflate episodes and slow down the pace. With the first book, we get seven short stories squeezed into 136 pages (an average of 19 pages per story). Not much elaboration or fleshing out back stories. Its simply the crux of the story and let your awareness of what the show and actors look like to fill in how things are portrayed. No need for complex descriptions here.
Seven episodes were chosen for re-telling:
Charlies’ Law
The first story of the book, but the 2nd episode televised. Charlie is brought onboard the Enterprise after being rescued from a desolate planet, the sole survivor of a crash expedition. But young Charlie is different, he seems to have incredible powers that makes him dangerous when he doesn’t get what he wants. Subtle changes to the final script here with the Thasians dialogue as they refer to time as ‘frames’. Perhaps too cerebral for a television audience in 1966?
Dagger of the Mind
The Enterprise visits a penal colony to transport down supplies but unknowingly takes on an escaped prisoner. Not all is as it seems however, as the prisoner was an assistant doctor assisting the lead Doctor Adams with rehabilitation technology. This technology is being abused against the prisoners there, bending them to Doctor Adams will. Kirks discovery threatens his sanity and his life. There were subtle changes to the dialogue and entire sections of the script omitted or not included, including the first introduction to Spock’s mind meld.
The Unreal McCoy
Originally titled “The Man Trap”, this was the first episode of Star Trek aired on TV but it was the 6th episode filmed. The Enterprise is called on to provide a routine health check-up and supplies drop off for some archeologists studying the ruins of an ancient civilisation. When a crewman is killed in suspicious circumstances, Kirk is determined to find a resolution.
The title wasn’t the only change here. This is a classic example of the script dragging out the plot to fill time. The short story version is a quick, to the point telling of a classic horror themed monster movie-esque story.
Balance of Terror
Here, there be Romulans.
This classic episode hints at a long, destructive conflict over a region of space with Starfleet up against the Romulan Empire. This created the famed ‘Neutral Zone’ where unauthorized entry can renew a war. But Romulans haven’t been heard from in 50 years, until now. And they’ve brought new cloaking technology with them.
The same story beats are all here, the episode does manage to bring more tension and drama to it however. The short story certainly lacks any edge and emotional strains.
The Naked Time
The Enterprise visits a planet for scientific analysis that is on the verge of destruction and to collect the local scientists that were studying the planet on the surface. The planet-side exploration team are all dead in a manner that defies all logic and reason that even non-Vulcans are shocked at.
The book deals with the virus that turns the crew of the Enterprise into a bunch of drunks head on. Kirk is in a race against time to get control of his ship back before it plunges into an imploding planet.
The episode delves into more personable aspects of the main crew that the book doesn’t touch on including an unfrequented love between Nurse chapel and Spock. The episode also had the ship accidently discover time travel which the book doesn’t reference.
Miri
The Enterprise answers an SOS distress signal from an early colony planet that has been sending a weak signal for quite some time. On investigation, the Enterprise crew find a long-abandoned city with only children inhabiting its more hidden areas, like scurrying grubby rats. One child, Miri, is more curious about the new party and has an infatuation with Kirk. They group discover the whole area is contaminated with a disease that kills people once they hit puberty and prolongs life over centuries within children. With the landing party all exposed to the deadly disease it is a race against time for a cure, if only the annoying kids would let them work.
The episode threw more obstacles in their path, and the difficulties the children brought were more to the fore, but otherwise the rest is all here, including the angst and fear Kirk and the team has while facing down a death that looks inevitable.
Conscious of the King
The Immortal Bard proves this bestowed title by making it to the 23rd Century. Yes, travelling actors are still boring the hell out of kids by putting on Shakespearian plays in the far-flung future. This is the first of what will be a long history of references to Shakespeare in Star Trek. Here, the plays of Macbeath and Hamlet mirror the drama of the episode, as the few remaining witnesses to a murderous dictator from 20 years prior are being killed off and Captain James Kirk is on the list. Is this mysterious actor really Kodos the Executioner who was believed dead? (And no, not the “Kodos” from The Simpsons)
The coincidences start adding up and Kirk becomes a believer, and sets out on a mission for the truth. A very short telling of the episode and straight to the point. But James Blish does manage to provide enough context to enlighten the imagination.
It’s not bad writing, nor is it particularly inspiring. There are subtle differences in the stories, but nothing too deviated from the final scripts used in the episodes. It reads like the author had a job to do, to write up stories based off scripts with no additional context, and that is what he did. Either through mandate or because he didn’t want to create character development that would be later contradicted, James Blish doesn’t stray at all from the key story beats and therefore lacking any expression of creativity and character conflict and a distinct absence of passion for the source material. But it is Book One of a burgeoning cultural phenomenon, there is room for growth.
Evin Bryant 04/10/2023