Gold Key Comics released issue 16 of their Star Trek comic for November 1972. Once again, the story was written by Len Wein, and featured art by Alberto Giolitti and cover art by George Wilson.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Chekov and PR Officer (?) Claire are headed back to the Enterprise via shuttlecraft. And it is with great joy that I tell you that the shuttle looks like a Starfleet shuttle. Sure the uniforms aren’t always the right colour, and there are still some strange things on the bridge and sections of the Enterprise, but it is looking closer to the show, character and ships we know.

They are returning from a first contact mission when the ship gets slammed by a meteor shower. The ship has been damaged, and needs somewhere to set down. They crash land, and the shuttle is completely inoperative.

Still, they have hope, They head out to find materials to repair the shuttle’s comms and discover a road, which Chekov points out means there is a civilization about.

They discover a castle and village which seems to suggest a Middle Ages period of time. Kirk and Spock ably handle a couple of city guards, and the group slips inside the walls. Within the city they see a group of hooded men escorting a prisoner (?).

The landing party doesn’t even wait to observe, they leap to conclusions, and attack the hooded figures who flee. Happily, the prisoner, Corben, reveals that yes, those in hoods are bad (anyone taking notes on that?). They call themselves Inquisitors and they rule the planet. Unjustly and with a religious fervor.

Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, Scotty and Uhura (both dressed in the wrong colour of uniform) worry about the absence of the shuttle craft. They plan to wait at the rendezvous point, but Starfleet has just issued orders for the Enterprise to head to the Sigma Quadrant to render planetary aid following disaster.

Scotty is willing to risk a court-martial by ignoring these orders (at least for a little while) as they conduct a search for their missing crew.

Now properly costumed in local wear, Kirk and company attempt to leave the city to meet up with some rebels. On the way the come across some Inquisitors who have taken material from the crashed shuttle, including their communication gear.

While Kirk and McCoy go with Corben to meet up with the rebels, Claire, Spock and Chekov tail the Inquisitors, acquire some hoods and robes, and sneak into the castle.

Checking in with the Enterprise, the story finds the starship continuing the search even as Scotty orders it ro progress faster. Uhura relays the bad news that Starfleet is looking for clarification on why the Enterprise is being delayed.

Spock is able to recover the shuttlecraft’s stolen tech, but despite their best efforts, he, Chekov and Claire are captured. The Inquisitors plan to torture them, starting with Spock until they confess to being the evil creatures the Inquisitors believe they are.

In the mountains, Kirk has convinced the rebels that the time to fight is now! And the assault (featuring some intergalactic judo from McCoy!) is perfectly timed. Scotty and the Enterprise were about to give them up for dead, but Spock was able to contact them at just the right moment.

Huzzah!

The Inquisitors are stopped, the landing party is recovered (what about the shuttlecraft and tech) and the Enterprise continues on its Human Adventure. Kirk and Spock hope that the civilization they leave behind is stepping out of the Dark Ages.

And the Enterprise boldly races to its next encounter, The Cosmic Cavemen!