Arnold Drake’s second story for Gold Key’s Star Trek comic came in issue 18, The Hijacked Planet which was on comic spinners for May of 1973. Alberto Giolitti and Giovanni Ticci continue to supply the art, while George Wilson delivers another cover painting.

The comic mentions that we are in the 23rd century, and that the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is documenting solar eruptions in the 83 Beta System. Consequently, the Enterprise is dispatched to render aid to the planet under threat by these solar flares, Styra.

En route, Scotty is spending some time playing a game of zap ball (?!) with a female crewmate, That is until Spock shows up. And the characters still seem to be at odds. Spock is upset that Sulu took Scotty’s helm shift (Scotty has a helm shift?), and practically accuses the engineer of shirking is assigned duties.

Scotty and Spock join the rest of senior officers, including Captain Kirk, to learn the details of their mission which is called Project Atlas. It seems they are going to be digitizing and shrinking the planet (and it’s individual inhabitants, flaura and fauna to a bio-micro film so that they can be relocated to another system.

Ok…

With their course set, the Enterprise comes across a small emergency craft and Spock takes a space walk (in a horrible looking space suit) to investigate. Aboard, he finds a young woman, named Allura, and he arranges to have her delivered to sick bay, while her ship is, I suppose, stowed in the shuttle bay.

Kirk says she seems familiar to him, but it’s not really followed up on. Even stranger is the fact, that Spock seems to be falling for Allura in a big way, right from the start. Spock. A vulcan, who keeps his emotions in check.

Ok…

She was a showgirl (her name was Lola, nm) and she claims to have left her scheming partner Anzar. Before more can be revealed, including a physical clinch between Spock and Allura, Sulu arrives to get the science officer.

Arriving at Styra, they are able to digitize and store the entire planet on a bio tape that is stored in a small replica of the planet. This is stowed in an actual safe/vault, even as Spock continues his flirtation with Allura. This romance (?) even seems to interfere with his duties!

While all of this is playing out, a ship approaches the Enterprise and blinds her sensors. When the systems come back, the safe has been opened, and the planet is gone!

Spock claims the he knew Allura was up to no good the whole time, and had a plan of his own, but didn’t expect to be outwitted by her. The Enterprise soon receives a transmission from Allura and Anzar (her brother!) who demands one hundred million credits for the planet’s return.

Kirk takes a snide shot at Spock for allowing his plan to fail.

After being in touch with the UFP, Kirk is given free rein with the reveal that the council will not succumb to blackmail. Kirk is to do all he can.

So, despite still being cheesed off at his First Officer, Kirk and Spock arrange to meet with Anzar. Would it come as a surprise that it’s a trap? But the pair are able to run and gun their way through Anzar’s base before Spock ends up being captured, while Kirk escapes.

Spock works to convince Allura to set up a meeting with Anzar. He’s got a plan to help the rogue get even more money. But to do it, he’ll need to steal the digitizer from the Enterprise.

But that’s just all part of a Trojan Horse plan, as Kirk, Scotty and McCoy were digitized and brought over in the equipment. They are able to vanquish the baddie and his men. And it’s revealed once again, that this was all a plan to. All of it, from the start.

Drake is a weird storyteller. I’m not sure how I feel about him, and it’s illustrated best with the use of a small plot point involving a little dog, and Kirk’s last line, which is disturbing.

The art is falling more and more in line with the look of the series, and its actors, and some of the story moments in all the comics are fun, and some are just out there. This one… I didn’t care for.

Let’s see what happens when the Enterprise visits The Haunted Asteroid.