Issue 4 of DC Comics ongoing Star Trek series hit spinners in time for May 1984. Mike W. Barr concludes the story he started in issue one, while Tom Sutton, penciller, and Ricardo Villagran, inks, provided the art, and the cover.

I also had this one as a kid.

Stardate: 8151.7

The issue’s splash page features captains Kirk and Kor in Kirk’s quarters being menaced by an Excaliban who warns them not to interfere in the experiment. Let’s just pause for a quick aside to discuss Kor and the Klingons as featured so far. Their armor and look is inline with the films, they don’t discuss the change in appearance from The Original Series. My big problem with them is to make them look a little alien-like, besides the head ridges, is to tint their skins yellow. Not a fan of that.

While Kirk attempts to summon security, Kor throws himself at the Excaliban. The Excaliban is untroubled by the attacks, Kor and security are ineffectual. Kirk calls theExcaliban Yarnek. It’s the same being he and Spock encountered years ago (The Savage Curtain). Kirk realizes that Yarnek and his peers are continuing their experiments.

The Excalibans are keeping Ayelborne and his fellow Organians repressed. They then sent representatives to take control of Starfleet (Admiral Turner) and the Klingons (Emperor Kahless IV). And they started an interstellar conflict.

Kirk is furious at being controlled, but Yarnek makes an interesting point; the Excalibans are only controlling Turner and Kahless. Everyone else is simply fighting because that violent spark lives within them.

The Excalibans will force the battle with the Starfleet as the forces of good, and the Klingons those of evil. Kor takes exception to the characterization. Kirk vows to stop the Excalibans, but they have triggered an antimatter/matter implosion which will happen in four hours, and destroy the Enterprise.

Attempts to contact Starfleet Command are blocked. So Kirk calls a meeting of the department heads, and forges an uneasy alliance with Kor, who knows that, for now, the Excalibans are the real enemy. This allows from some almost friendly banter between the captains.

Unfortunately, before they can start a meeting, the Klingons being held by security start a fight, and Kor and Kirk have to put an end to it, uniting the crews. Konom believes he may have instigated the event, he wanted to see some of his people, but they rejected him, just like some of the Enterprise crew – looking at you Bearclaw.

When Kor learns that Konom aided Kirk to destroy the wormhole station, he declares him a saboteur and a traitor, and orders his death. But Kirk keeps him on task.

Konom and Nancy Bryce share a brief moment as the crews unite.

The meeting gets underway, Scotty is paired with Engineer Kannor. They are expected to develop a way for a modified shuttle to punch through the field around Organia (while also repairing the Enterprise’s engines). Scotty, is reticent, but also offers his Klingon counterpart a wee dram.

To get through the field, the shuttle will be used by the wormhole stabilizer the Klingons developed for their now destroyed station. Saavik is paired with Kaas to install and make it work. The shuttle looks like the shuttle and warp sled used by Spock in The Motion Picture (I do like the attention to detail, and established spacecraft).

Kirk is going aboard the shuttle with Saavik, Kor and Kaas. Scotty has orders to sauce separate if he hasn’t heard from Kirk in two hours. That means the engineering section will tumble into and perhaps explode and destroy the field encasing Organia.

The stabilizer works to get the shuttle through the field, and they land outside a familiar Organian city (Errand of Mercy).

Kirk and the landing party discover Ayelborne, Claymare and Trefayne being held in an energy field controlled by the Excalibans.

Kirk has a plan. He invites the Excalibans to join in on their experiment. And who would they play against? The Organians.

Yarnek and the others are intrigued and release the Organians. And the two groups confront eeach other as Kirk and the landing party make their escape. With the field gone, Scotty is able to transport he party aboard, leaving the shuttle behind.

There’s a glimpse of the Excalibans and Organians locked in a struggle before they vanish. Back on the bridge Kirk and Kor plan to contact their respective governments to settle for peace (for now0>

Without the Organians around to enforce the treaty, anything could happen now. The responsibility for their actions is their own. And the Enterprise soars onward, boldly going to issue #5.

I really liked this story, and it removes the problem of the Organians and their treaty from affecting the franchise (it hasn’t come up a lot since The Original Series).

The first full tale has been told, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next. The Human Adventure continues next time in a one shot story, Mortal Gods.