THINK FAST MR SPOCK! A Freak Impulsion Is Creating GALACTIC DISASTER! – "When Planets Collide" was the sixth issue of the TOS Gold Key Comics series. Published in December 1969, it was the sixth story written by Dick Wood and the fourth drawn by Alberto Giolitti.
Description[]
- There was sudden death in space — two planets on a collision course! And only the crew of the star ship Enterprise could prevent such a cataclysmic meeting ... if they themselves could survive!
Summary[]
- Captain's log, stardate 23:009 - Top brass studied a curious pick-up on the screen of the Enterprise's TV space scanner…"
In the Alpho Galaxy, the Enterprise detects two planets on a collision course with each other. Since such a collision would push many of the Alpho planets out of orbit, they decide to blow up one of them with hydrogen charges. Kirk, Spock and Scott beam down to the planet, which they believe to be lifeless, only to find an inhabited city there. They are captured and brought inside by the natives. Kirk explains the situation to them, and the natives of Morti reveal that they have constructed an artificial sun (which they use for only five hours each day) and have underground farms while living on the surface.
Returning to the Enterprise, the crew heads for the other planet, which has mountains made of an unknown, highly active metal. They discover that the metal has a powerful magnetic attraction with the crust of Morti, drawing it through space on a collision course. After failing to find a substance which can break the attraction, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scott beam down to the planet and plant atomic charges which will destroy the mountains. However, just as they are about leave, Spock notices something moving and goes to investigate, and soon they are captured and brought inside the mountains by the natives. Spock explains the situation to them, and the natives of Inicrust show them that they use the metal in the mountains to power their civilization.
Both planets now seem doomed, but Spock gets an idea and the crew returns to the Enterprise. Spock plans to use a particle of the exploded star Doona, which radiates a repelling force on materials found on both planets, to prevent the collision. Using magnetic tow lines to move the particle, the Enterprise, despite being damaged in a meteor storm along the way, saves both planets with minutes to spare.
References[]
Characters[]
- James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • unnamed Inicrusts • unnamed Morti natives
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Alpho Galaxy • Doona • Inicrust • Morti
Races and cultures[]
- Human • Inicrust native • Morti native • Vulcan
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
- diamond • farm • galaxy minute • meteor • mountain • Space Esperanto • supernova • ton
Appendices[]
Background[]
- This story has been released nine times in English and has been translated 14 times into other languages: German (3x), Portuguese (3x), French (2x), Italian (2x), Dutch, Finnish, Spanish and Turkish.
- While other Gold Key Star Trek issues were written in two parts, each with its own splash page, this story was told in only one part.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #5: The Ghost Planet |
TOS comics (Gold Key) | Next comic: #7: The Voodoo Planet |
| Previous story: The Ghost Planet |
Stories by: Dick Wood |
Next story: The Voodoo Planet |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: The Peril of Planet Quick Change |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: The Empire Man |
| Previous story: The Peril of Planet Quick Change |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next story: The Empire Man |
Production history[]
- December 1969
- First published by Gold Key Comics
- September 1970
- Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual 1970 (World Distributors Limited)
- 1973
- Printed in Star Trek Picture Book (1973) (PBS Limited)
- August 1976
- Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press)
- 11 June 1977 - 24 September 1977
- Serialized in Mighty TV Comic #1330 - 1345
- June 2004
- Printed in the omnibus The Key Collection, Volume 1 (Checker Book Publishing Group)
- 2004
- The cover, two images and a quote were reprinted on Gold Key Chase Card #6 in the card set Quotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives)
- September 2008
- Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
- August 2014
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Gold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW)
- 16 March 2017
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #6 (Eaglemoss)
Translations[]
- April 1972
- Portuguese: As "Quando os Planetas Colidem" in b/w in Jornada Nas Estrelas #5 (1st series) (Ebal)
- October 1972
- Italian: As "Pericolo nella Galassia" in Star Trek Albi Spada #6 (1st series) (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- 29 October 1972
- French: As "Collision de Planètes" in Les Héros de L'Aventure #22 (Remparts)
- 1972 or 1973
- French: In the omnibus Star Trek Album #2 (Remparts)
- 31 March 1973
- Spanish: As "Planetas en Peligro" in TV Mundial #245 Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro)
- 1974
- Finnish: As "Planeetat Törmäävät" in Avaruusmatka Star Trek #7 (Apulehti)
- 1974
- German: As "Planeten auf Todeskurs" in Zack Comic Box #13: Enterprise (Koralle)
- December 1975
- Portuguese: As "O Planeta dos Condenados" in Diversões Juvenis Presents Jornada Nas Estrelas #29 (Special) (Abril)
- 17 April 1978
- Portuguese: In b/w in O Caminho das Estrela #6 (Aguiar)
- 1979
- Dutch: In the omnibus Ruimteschip Enterprise Classics Strip-Paperback #3 (De Vrijbuiter)
- 1979
- German: As "Planet auf Kollisionskurs" in the omnibus Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Taschenbuch #3 (Condor)
- 1980
- German: As "Planet auf Kollisionskurs" in some editions of Condor Superheiden #1: Star Trek Jahrbuch (Condor-Verlag)
- 1981
- Turkish: In b/w digest-size in Uzay Yolu #2 (Alfa)
- 2005
- Italian: As "Quando i Pianeti si Scontrano" in the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 2 (Free Books)
External link[]
- When Planets Collide article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.