An Alternate Trek
- Thread starter Lindseyman
- Start date
"Real" World
Some TV highlights of 1967
•3 January – Trumpton is the second programme on BBC 1 to be shot in colour.
•7 January - Debut of Star Trek an immensely popular ITC production. It became the first British Television programme ever sold to the USSR. Also the debut of The Forsyte Saga - a blockbuster BBC drama in 26 50-minutes episodes, and the second British television program to be sold to the USSR.
•8 April - The United Kingdom wins the 12th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. The winning song is "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw.
•25 June - The Our World program airs to over 30 countries featuring performers from the represented countries the segment for the United Kingdom, features The Beatles performing "All You Need Is Love", with guests Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Richards, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Pattie Harrison, Jane Asher, Graham Nash, Hunter Davies and others.
•1 July - BBC2 becomes Europe's first colour TV broadcaster, though still experimental at this stage. The colour service is launched with live coverage from the Wimbledon Championships.
•3 July - News at Ten premieres on ITV.
•8 July – Callan has its UK premiere
•29 September - The Prisoner has its UK premiere on ITV (It like Star Trek is shown by all the regions at the same time). The world premiere of the series occurred on 5 September when the series debuted on CTV in Canada.
•13 October - Omnibus, an arts documentary series, begins.
•2 December - Colour television is officially launched on BBC2.
•22 December - Dante's Inferno, Ken Russell's television film about Dante Gabriel Rossetti is shown in the Omnibus series.
•26 December - The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour airs on BBC1 in the UK.
•26 December - Do Not Adjust Your Set premieres on ITV.
•3 January – Trumpton is the second programme on BBC 1 to be shot in colour.
•7 January - Debut of Star Trek an immensely popular ITC production. It became the first British Television programme ever sold to the USSR. Also the debut of The Forsyte Saga - a blockbuster BBC drama in 26 50-minutes episodes, and the second British television program to be sold to the USSR.
•8 April - The United Kingdom wins the 12th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. The winning song is "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw.
•25 June - The Our World program airs to over 30 countries featuring performers from the represented countries the segment for the United Kingdom, features The Beatles performing "All You Need Is Love", with guests Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Richards, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Pattie Harrison, Jane Asher, Graham Nash, Hunter Davies and others.
•1 July - BBC2 becomes Europe's first colour TV broadcaster, though still experimental at this stage. The colour service is launched with live coverage from the Wimbledon Championships.
•3 July - News at Ten premieres on ITV.
•8 July – Callan has its UK premiere
•29 September - The Prisoner has its UK premiere on ITV (It like Star Trek is shown by all the regions at the same time). The world premiere of the series occurred on 5 September when the series debuted on CTV in Canada.
•13 October - Omnibus, an arts documentary series, begins.
•2 December - Colour television is officially launched on BBC2.
•22 December - Dante's Inferno, Ken Russell's television film about Dante Gabriel Rossetti is shown in the Omnibus series.
•26 December - The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour airs on BBC1 in the UK.
•26 December - Do Not Adjust Your Set premieres on ITV.
"Real" World
Some Changes to TV SF
As a result of Star trek being an ITC production there have been some changes in TV SF.
In the UK Captain Scarlet, UFO, The Champions and Man in a Suitcase (OK that's not SF but it is ITC and was to star Richard Bradford) have gone, Joe 90 is looking VERY unlikely but Space 1999 might survive in a few years time.
On the BBC Doctor Who in the 67/68 series is unchanged and you wouldn't notice many changes in the stories of future series except there are no more stories set in the middle distant future (21st to 23rd centuries). The casting however is a very different story!
In the states the only obvious immediate changes are that Time Tunnel is given a third season and The Invaders is a much bigger success ITTL and has a run of 4 seasons.
As a result of Star trek being an ITC production there have been some changes in TV SF.
In the UK Captain Scarlet, UFO, The Champions and Man in a Suitcase (OK that's not SF but it is ITC and was to star Richard Bradford) have gone, Joe 90 is looking VERY unlikely but Space 1999 might survive in a few years time.
On the BBC Doctor Who in the 67/68 series is unchanged and you wouldn't notice many changes in the stories of future series except there are no more stories set in the middle distant future (21st to 23rd centuries). The casting however is a very different story!
In the states the only obvious immediate changes are that Time Tunnel is given a third season and The Invaders is a much bigger success ITTL and has a run of 4 seasons.
"Real" World
The TV Times for the week starting Saturday 6th January had Star Trek all over its front cover and several articles inside. The major one was an interview by David Frost with Gene Roddenberry. The version printed was fairly innocuous however rumours began to circulate that ITC had sought an injunction to prevent Frost from publishing anything else from that interview. This was denied by all parties at the time but after Roddenberry died, Frost did admit that Roddenberry had lamented that although he was proud of what had been produced and was very grateful to Lew Grade and ITC for having produced Star Trek when the American networks wouldn't, it wasn't what he had originally envisaged anymore. Frost also said that Roddenberry knew that this happened to all creators of programmes but that he had felt it especially because the programme had proved so difficult to sell to the US.
series 3
Tomorrow's Endeavour Broadcast January 6th 1968
The programme starts with the scene from the end of the last episode which appears to show the Endeavour disappearing in a flash of white light whilst suffering massive phaser and torpedo strikes. The credits then roll. The scene then shifts to the bridge of the Endeavour which has suffered great damage with bodies strewn everywhere.
There are then people beamed on board. They appear to be Vulcanian and Andorian with one human (guest star Patrick Allen). Their uniform appears to be a black jumpsuit with coloured arms (the colours being similar to the tunic colours of the Endeavour’s crew).
The human approaches Decker who is sat in his chair with blood running down his face and tells him that they are the crew of a Commonwealth Starship and that they have responded to the Endeavour’s distress signal. Decker looks bemused especially when the Vulcanian Doctor (guest star Anthony Nicholls) tells the human that Decker has internal bleeding and should be immediately beamed to the medical centre on the Endeavour! When Decker tries to query this statement the human tells him not to worry. Decker is then beamed off the bridge with the doctor.
An Andorian Engineer (guest star Paul Daneman) scans the navigation console and then turns to the human and tells him that that the damage isn’t as bad as it looked but that they will need to restore life support quickly. The human tells him to do so, the Andorian grins and says only if Scotty and O’Gorman are out of action! Of course the human replies “You served on this ship didn’t you”. The engineer nods and tells damage control team one to meet him in engineering.
Decker is in a medical centre and is looking more bemused. This medical centre is far in advance of any that he has seen before even on Earth. Medical staff are helping his crew on and off medical beds. The Vulcanian Doctor tells Decker that he should rest when the captain of this ship comes into the Medical Centre. It is Spock but he looks 20 years older with some wrinkles and grey hair.
In a briefing room Spock and his Exec, Moran (Patrick Allen) brief Decker, Reynolds, Scott and M’Beke (the senior staff left on the Endeavour) on what has happened. The Endeavour has been pushed 23 years into the future by the concentrated energy released by the Tahlurian phaser and torpedo bombardment of the Endeavour. The Endeavour was reported destroyed and since then the Commonwealth has been fighting a losing war against the Tahlurians with the remnants of the Klingon Empire. Earth was conquered 3 years ago and basically the Commonwealth has been reduced to Vulcanis, Andor and a few of their colony worlds.
However the Endeavour’s appearance has given Spock an idea. The new Endeavour DE 001 has finally discovered a weakness in the Tahlurian ships which even the ships of EE003’s era can exploit. If they are hit by a phaser immediately followed by a torpedo on their engine nacelles then the ships explode because of a negative energy feedback cycle. Spock’s plan involves using the EE003’s warp and jump engines to create a time warp back to their era. He was beginning to plan doing it in his vessel but Spock is much happier to have Decker’s Endeavour carry out the attempt to reduce chronal contamination.
Scotty, O’Gorman and the Andorian engineer, who is now revealed to be Tohrryk get the engines repaired and prepare to make the attempt. As they are doing so a Tahlurian battleship appears and demands their surrender. Spock’s Endeavour heads towards the ship to delay it whilst Decker and his crew make a run for the star to make the attempt to time jump. They make the attempt and end up back just as the bright flare causing them to make the original jump dies down. More by luck they are able to strike both the Tahlurian ships before they realise what has happened and they are both destroyed.
Decker contacts the fleet and as he expects is ordered back to earth to be debriefed by the DTI.
PS Yes this is TTL's version of Yesterday's Enterprise but written from the point of view of the ship going forward rather than the ship in the future. Decker and his crew know that they have changed the future as they have no longer been destroyed but they don't know how the war with the Tahlurians is going to work out.
The programme starts with the scene from the end of the last episode which appears to show the Endeavour disappearing in a flash of white light whilst suffering massive phaser and torpedo strikes. The credits then roll. The scene then shifts to the bridge of the Endeavour which has suffered great damage with bodies strewn everywhere.
There are then people beamed on board. They appear to be Vulcanian and Andorian with one human (guest star Patrick Allen). Their uniform appears to be a black jumpsuit with coloured arms (the colours being similar to the tunic colours of the Endeavour’s crew).
The human approaches Decker who is sat in his chair with blood running down his face and tells him that they are the crew of a Commonwealth Starship and that they have responded to the Endeavour’s distress signal. Decker looks bemused especially when the Vulcanian Doctor (guest star Anthony Nicholls) tells the human that Decker has internal bleeding and should be immediately beamed to the medical centre on the Endeavour! When Decker tries to query this statement the human tells him not to worry. Decker is then beamed off the bridge with the doctor.
An Andorian Engineer (guest star Paul Daneman) scans the navigation console and then turns to the human and tells him that that the damage isn’t as bad as it looked but that they will need to restore life support quickly. The human tells him to do so, the Andorian grins and says only if Scotty and O’Gorman are out of action! Of course the human replies “You served on this ship didn’t you”. The engineer nods and tells damage control team one to meet him in engineering.
Decker is in a medical centre and is looking more bemused. This medical centre is far in advance of any that he has seen before even on Earth. Medical staff are helping his crew on and off medical beds. The Vulcanian Doctor tells Decker that he should rest when the captain of this ship comes into the Medical Centre. It is Spock but he looks 20 years older with some wrinkles and grey hair.
In a briefing room Spock and his Exec, Moran (Patrick Allen) brief Decker, Reynolds, Scott and M’Beke (the senior staff left on the Endeavour) on what has happened. The Endeavour has been pushed 23 years into the future by the concentrated energy released by the Tahlurian phaser and torpedo bombardment of the Endeavour. The Endeavour was reported destroyed and since then the Commonwealth has been fighting a losing war against the Tahlurians with the remnants of the Klingon Empire. Earth was conquered 3 years ago and basically the Commonwealth has been reduced to Vulcanis, Andor and a few of their colony worlds.
However the Endeavour’s appearance has given Spock an idea. The new Endeavour DE 001 has finally discovered a weakness in the Tahlurian ships which even the ships of EE003’s era can exploit. If they are hit by a phaser immediately followed by a torpedo on their engine nacelles then the ships explode because of a negative energy feedback cycle. Spock’s plan involves using the EE003’s warp and jump engines to create a time warp back to their era. He was beginning to plan doing it in his vessel but Spock is much happier to have Decker’s Endeavour carry out the attempt to reduce chronal contamination.
Scotty, O’Gorman and the Andorian engineer, who is now revealed to be Tohrryk get the engines repaired and prepare to make the attempt. As they are doing so a Tahlurian battleship appears and demands their surrender. Spock’s Endeavour heads towards the ship to delay it whilst Decker and his crew make a run for the star to make the attempt to time jump. They make the attempt and end up back just as the bright flare causing them to make the original jump dies down. More by luck they are able to strike both the Tahlurian ships before they realise what has happened and they are both destroyed.
Decker contacts the fleet and as he expects is ordered back to earth to be debriefed by the DTI.
PS Yes this is TTL's version of Yesterday's Enterprise but written from the point of view of the ship going forward rather than the ship in the future. Decker and his crew know that they have changed the future as they have no longer been destroyed but they don't know how the war with the Tahlurians is going to work out.
series 3
The Message Broadcast January 13th 1968
On mission date 2756 the Endeavour is at CSS Archimedes a joint Fleet/Navy repair facility where it has been repaired after the damage caused by the Tahlurian ships and its trip to the future. The crew that had journeyed into the future have been extensively interrogated by the DTI including Admirals Pike and Campbell-Foreman (guest stars Christopher Plummer and Peter Cushing) and have been released back for duty (very reluctantly on the DTI’s behalf!).
Spock on returning, along with the other crew members who had been transferred to the Klingon ship M’ouk, is perturbed to find a computer file that could only have been written by him but of which he has absolutely no recollection. On opening it he is stunned to discover a message from his future self which gives the coordinates of the Tahlurian homeworld. The future Commonwealth had only just discovered those coordinates but was in no condition to send any ships. Future Spock hoped that Spock’s Commonwealth could do something with this information.
The DTI is very disturbed on this discovery especially as the Endeavour’s return should have removed that future history and so the recording should not exist. However exist it does and the Navy wants to send a punitive expedition before the Tahlurians become the menace that they did in that future.
A lot of offscreen politicking takes place during which Reynolds is reconciled with his brother (guest star Shane Rimmer).
In the end it is decided to send a taskforce comprising of the Dreadnought CSS Potemkin commanded by Admiral Haus (guest star Oskar Homolka) and the Endeavour and the Klingon ship the M'ouk. The Endeavour will try to initiate contact and negotiations with the Tahlurians. The Potemkin is to ensure that messages get back to the Commonwealth and is to have no contact with the Tahlurians except through the Endeavour.
After extensive preparations the Endeavour, M'ouk and the Potemkin make the jump to the Tahlurian homeworld. They are stunned at first they think that they have just jumped to another jump point within the Sol system. Decker and Quos (guest star Earl Cameron) wonder just how many copies of Earth's Solar System exist in the galaxy! However the comm traffic is VERY different from usual although to their amazement it is in an understandable version of English!
Then they make the discovery that the Tahlurians call their homeworld Tellus and themselves Tellurian. Then the Endeavour, M'ouk and Potemkin are confronted by two Tellurian Ships
To be continued
On mission date 2756 the Endeavour is at CSS Archimedes a joint Fleet/Navy repair facility where it has been repaired after the damage caused by the Tahlurian ships and its trip to the future. The crew that had journeyed into the future have been extensively interrogated by the DTI including Admirals Pike and Campbell-Foreman (guest stars Christopher Plummer and Peter Cushing) and have been released back for duty (very reluctantly on the DTI’s behalf!).
Spock on returning, along with the other crew members who had been transferred to the Klingon ship M’ouk, is perturbed to find a computer file that could only have been written by him but of which he has absolutely no recollection. On opening it he is stunned to discover a message from his future self which gives the coordinates of the Tahlurian homeworld. The future Commonwealth had only just discovered those coordinates but was in no condition to send any ships. Future Spock hoped that Spock’s Commonwealth could do something with this information.
The DTI is very disturbed on this discovery especially as the Endeavour’s return should have removed that future history and so the recording should not exist. However exist it does and the Navy wants to send a punitive expedition before the Tahlurians become the menace that they did in that future.
A lot of offscreen politicking takes place during which Reynolds is reconciled with his brother (guest star Shane Rimmer).
In the end it is decided to send a taskforce comprising of the Dreadnought CSS Potemkin commanded by Admiral Haus (guest star Oskar Homolka) and the Endeavour and the Klingon ship the M'ouk. The Endeavour will try to initiate contact and negotiations with the Tahlurians. The Potemkin is to ensure that messages get back to the Commonwealth and is to have no contact with the Tahlurians except through the Endeavour.
After extensive preparations the Endeavour, M'ouk and the Potemkin make the jump to the Tahlurian homeworld. They are stunned at first they think that they have just jumped to another jump point within the Sol system. Decker and Quos (guest star Earl Cameron) wonder just how many copies of Earth's Solar System exist in the galaxy! However the comm traffic is VERY different from usual although to their amazement it is in an understandable version of English!
Then they make the discovery that the Tahlurians call their homeworld Tellus and themselves Tellurian. Then the Endeavour, M'ouk and Potemkin are confronted by two Tellurian Ships
To be continued
series 3
Through the Looking Glass Broadcast January 20th 1968
On mission date 2814 the Endeavour, Potemkin and the Klingon ship the M’ouk have entered the Tahlurian system to find that the inhabitants speak a form of English and that the system is identical to Earth’s. Suddenly they are confronted by two of the massive Tahlurian ships. Just as suddenly the M’ouk disappears. “Ah, the legendary stealth device” Reynolds mutters to Decker. “Don’t complain” replies Decker “We may need them to rescue us!”
The nearer Tahlurian ship hails them “This is the Tellurian ship Vengeance, power down your weapons and prepare to be boarded.” Decker replies that they are on a mission of peace, but the Tellurians reply that they have heard that one before! Seconds later a squad of armed guards is beamed onto the bridge of the Endeavour. There is stunned silence on both sides as they realise that they are nearly all human!
The officer commanding the Tellurians removes his helmet. He looks around the bridge and asks “Who is in command?” Decker stands up and answers that he is and gives his name, rank and serial number. The Tellurian officer grins and replies in kind “Major Jon Pyke 3244” (guest star George Baker). Pyke then communicates with his ship saying that the crew are Tellurian as the scans had seemed to indicate and that these Tellurians are in charge NOT the visitors.
The main view screen flickers and then a picture of the bridge of the Vengeance appears. It looks fairly similar to the bridge of the Endeavour but on a bigger scales. The Commanding Officer (guest star Andrew Keir) glares at them. “Well this is a can of worms, but we’d better let the politicos deal with this. Why can’t we contact your bigger ship?” “Our orders” replies Decker. “They are to have no contact with you except through us”. “Hmm, sort of thing we’d do. They stay here under the guard of the Vindicator, you follow us to headquarters.”
As the Endeavour follows the Vengeance Pyke speaks to Decker and Reynold in the Briefing Room. Spock is left in charge. Pyke is surprised at this asking why they trust that visitor. Decker replies that Spock has saved them several times and is a trusted member of the crew. Pyke looks amazed but accepts the statement. When they have sat down he then asks how are they Tellurian? Reynold says that they have the same question but in reverse!
They spend time trying to avoid giving direct answers to the others’ questions . Although they do form a tentative respect for each other. However Decker and Reynolds gain a sense that Tellus has been badly hit in the past by “Visitors” and has developed a shoot first ask questions later policy. They had not been destroyed because long range scans had shown that the vast majority of the crews were Tellurian.
The Endeavour arrives at the Vengeance’s headquarters which is a massive space station. Suddenly Spock and all the other alien crew members vanish. They’re safe in holding cells replies Pyke at Decker’s angry questioning. Imperial policy no Visitors allowed at headquarters.
To be continued
On mission date 2814 the Endeavour, Potemkin and the Klingon ship the M’ouk have entered the Tahlurian system to find that the inhabitants speak a form of English and that the system is identical to Earth’s. Suddenly they are confronted by two of the massive Tahlurian ships. Just as suddenly the M’ouk disappears. “Ah, the legendary stealth device” Reynolds mutters to Decker. “Don’t complain” replies Decker “We may need them to rescue us!”
The nearer Tahlurian ship hails them “This is the Tellurian ship Vengeance, power down your weapons and prepare to be boarded.” Decker replies that they are on a mission of peace, but the Tellurians reply that they have heard that one before! Seconds later a squad of armed guards is beamed onto the bridge of the Endeavour. There is stunned silence on both sides as they realise that they are nearly all human!
The officer commanding the Tellurians removes his helmet. He looks around the bridge and asks “Who is in command?” Decker stands up and answers that he is and gives his name, rank and serial number. The Tellurian officer grins and replies in kind “Major Jon Pyke 3244” (guest star George Baker). Pyke then communicates with his ship saying that the crew are Tellurian as the scans had seemed to indicate and that these Tellurians are in charge NOT the visitors.
The main view screen flickers and then a picture of the bridge of the Vengeance appears. It looks fairly similar to the bridge of the Endeavour but on a bigger scales. The Commanding Officer (guest star Andrew Keir) glares at them. “Well this is a can of worms, but we’d better let the politicos deal with this. Why can’t we contact your bigger ship?” “Our orders” replies Decker. “They are to have no contact with you except through us”. “Hmm, sort of thing we’d do. They stay here under the guard of the Vindicator, you follow us to headquarters.”
As the Endeavour follows the Vengeance Pyke speaks to Decker and Reynold in the Briefing Room. Spock is left in charge. Pyke is surprised at this asking why they trust that visitor. Decker replies that Spock has saved them several times and is a trusted member of the crew. Pyke looks amazed but accepts the statement. When they have sat down he then asks how are they Tellurian? Reynold says that they have the same question but in reverse!
They spend time trying to avoid giving direct answers to the others’ questions . Although they do form a tentative respect for each other. However Decker and Reynolds gain a sense that Tellus has been badly hit in the past by “Visitors” and has developed a shoot first ask questions later policy. They had not been destroyed because long range scans had shown that the vast majority of the crews were Tellurian.
The Endeavour arrives at the Vengeance’s headquarters which is a massive space station. Suddenly Spock and all the other alien crew members vanish. They’re safe in holding cells replies Pyke at Decker’s angry questioning. Imperial policy no Visitors allowed at headquarters.
To be continued
Source for Gerry Anderson
Lindseyman, I don't know if Gerry Anderson is still involved at this point in your timeline, but if you are, the following YouTube documentary is a great source for him, his life and personality
Thunderbirds Are Go, "Sci-Fi on Strings." A Gerry Anderson Special
Lindseyman, I don't know if Gerry Anderson is still involved at this point in your timeline, but if you are, the following YouTube documentary is a great source for him, his life and personality
Thunderbirds Are Go, "Sci-Fi on Strings." A Gerry Anderson Special
He is, but he and Gene Roddenberry are beginning to be really fed up with Lew Grade and his insistence on changing the show to be more acceptable to the American networks (for different reasons admittedly). There is a big bust up on the horizon. Thanks for the link it has given me some ideas(have just glanced at it so far!).
series 3
What they found there Broadcast January 27th 1968
Mission date 2822, Decker is haranguing an aide to the Admiral assigned to looking after the Endeavour at the Tellurian Navy Headquarters. He is demanding that Spock and the other non-human members of his crew are returned at once. Decker and Reynolds have been making this demand hourly since they docked at headquarters several hours before. They keep getting the same reply “Visitors are not allowed to step foot on ships docked at headquarters”.
The poor aide gets a respite when Decker is signalled by Holmes who is acting Chief Science Officer in Spock’s absence and Decker hurries back to the Endeavour. Reynolds directs him into the briefing room where he is met by a very worried looking Holmes. Holmes has managed to break the Tellurian Navy’s encryption and has been monitoring messages which have been passing between Headquarters and Tellurian Naval Command on Tellus. He has also managed to access historical records from the Headquarters’ computer system.
He announces that they are in trouble. The Tellurians plan to seize the Endeavour and the Potemkin, seize the jump coordinates of Earth and the other Commonwealth planets from their computer systems and mount an invasion. Their history indeed shows that Tellus had been invaded by Visitors many times but that the Tellurians had defeated all but one invasion before it had succeeded in occupying more than a fraction of the planet. The one invasion that it had not been so successful in defeating had been by the Rhihannaun roughly 100 years before. It had taken them 50 years to defeat them and then another 50 years to recover enough to start hunting the Rhihannaun down.
Their views on Visitors make Hitler, Stalin and Khan look like founts of moderation, continues Holmes, they intend to conquer us, subjugate the Vulcanians, Andorians etc. (whom they will only not exterminate because we trust them) and then attack the Rhihannaun from all sides and destroy them completely. However I have found Spock and the others and we can beam them back without problems. Their shields cannot stop our transporters any more than ours can theirs.
The Endeavour crew prepare to make an escape bid. They wait until a Tellurian ship leaves headquarters and slip out with it. They then beam Spock and the others back from their holding cells and make a run for the jump point. The Tellurians react as quickly as Decker had feared and he is soon under attack from the Vengeance. Its Commander (guest star Andrew Keir) demands their surrender. Decker replies that they will self-destruct before surrender. To his surprise the Vengeance’s bridge crew stand up and salute! Their Commander states that it is a shame that they must be enemies but that they salute a brave foe. Reynolds mutters that they are more like the Klingons than the Klingons!
The Vengeance starts firing on the Endeavour and is joined by another ship. Suddenly the other ship is destroyed and the Vengeance is crippled by phaser blasts and torpedoes that seem to come from nowhere. It’s the M’ouk cries Holmes. The M’ouk suddenly appears as it turns off its stealth device. Quos signals Decker and tells him that the Potemkin managed to defeat the Vindicator but suffered damage and has left the Telllurian system. The Endeavour and the M’ouk make the jump point but not before they get a signal from the Vengeance “We will find you, defeat you and annex you to the Empire”. “In your dreams” replies Decker and they make the jump from the Tellurian system. They take a roundabout journey back to Earth after thoroughly checking their ship for tracking devices.
Decker worries that they will now search through the records that the Rhihannaun occupation force left and find the jump coordinates of Earth and Kh’Onnos. Quos replies that the Klingons will be ready and waiting for them. “As will we” replies Decker “but we now seem to have a war on our hands!”
Mission date 2822, Decker is haranguing an aide to the Admiral assigned to looking after the Endeavour at the Tellurian Navy Headquarters. He is demanding that Spock and the other non-human members of his crew are returned at once. Decker and Reynolds have been making this demand hourly since they docked at headquarters several hours before. They keep getting the same reply “Visitors are not allowed to step foot on ships docked at headquarters”.
The poor aide gets a respite when Decker is signalled by Holmes who is acting Chief Science Officer in Spock’s absence and Decker hurries back to the Endeavour. Reynolds directs him into the briefing room where he is met by a very worried looking Holmes. Holmes has managed to break the Tellurian Navy’s encryption and has been monitoring messages which have been passing between Headquarters and Tellurian Naval Command on Tellus. He has also managed to access historical records from the Headquarters’ computer system.
He announces that they are in trouble. The Tellurians plan to seize the Endeavour and the Potemkin, seize the jump coordinates of Earth and the other Commonwealth planets from their computer systems and mount an invasion. Their history indeed shows that Tellus had been invaded by Visitors many times but that the Tellurians had defeated all but one invasion before it had succeeded in occupying more than a fraction of the planet. The one invasion that it had not been so successful in defeating had been by the Rhihannaun roughly 100 years before. It had taken them 50 years to defeat them and then another 50 years to recover enough to start hunting the Rhihannaun down.
Their views on Visitors make Hitler, Stalin and Khan look like founts of moderation, continues Holmes, they intend to conquer us, subjugate the Vulcanians, Andorians etc. (whom they will only not exterminate because we trust them) and then attack the Rhihannaun from all sides and destroy them completely. However I have found Spock and the others and we can beam them back without problems. Their shields cannot stop our transporters any more than ours can theirs.
The Endeavour crew prepare to make an escape bid. They wait until a Tellurian ship leaves headquarters and slip out with it. They then beam Spock and the others back from their holding cells and make a run for the jump point. The Tellurians react as quickly as Decker had feared and he is soon under attack from the Vengeance. Its Commander (guest star Andrew Keir) demands their surrender. Decker replies that they will self-destruct before surrender. To his surprise the Vengeance’s bridge crew stand up and salute! Their Commander states that it is a shame that they must be enemies but that they salute a brave foe. Reynolds mutters that they are more like the Klingons than the Klingons!
The Vengeance starts firing on the Endeavour and is joined by another ship. Suddenly the other ship is destroyed and the Vengeance is crippled by phaser blasts and torpedoes that seem to come from nowhere. It’s the M’ouk cries Holmes. The M’ouk suddenly appears as it turns off its stealth device. Quos signals Decker and tells him that the Potemkin managed to defeat the Vindicator but suffered damage and has left the Telllurian system. The Endeavour and the M’ouk make the jump point but not before they get a signal from the Vengeance “We will find you, defeat you and annex you to the Empire”. “In your dreams” replies Decker and they make the jump from the Tellurian system. They take a roundabout journey back to Earth after thoroughly checking their ship for tracking devices.
Decker worries that they will now search through the records that the Rhihannaun occupation force left and find the jump coordinates of Earth and Kh’Onnos. Quos replies that the Klingons will be ready and waiting for them. “As will we” replies Decker “but we now seem to have a war on our hands!”
series 3
Of Mhysse and men Broadcast February 3rd 1968
Mission date 3601, it is nearly a year since the Endeavour returned from Tellus. It spent most of that time in Earth orbit whilst the crew was extensively debriefed and has only just been returned to active duty. The Commonwealth has been on high alert expecting a Tellurian invasion but so far there has not been a sign of any Tellurian vessel although long range scouts occasionally report finding wrecked Rhihannaun vessels and the Klingons have reported that there has been no activity on the Rhihannaun side of their border for several months and that they are thinking of sending an expedition into Rhihannaun space to find out what is happening.
The Endeavour which is undertaking a shakedown cruise is called to CSS QEII, a Deep Space Station, by a distress call. It is near Stuart's Planet, a world whose ownership had been one of the very few disputes between the Commonwealth and the Klingon Empire. On arrival, Decker becomes annoyed when he finds out the reason for the distress call, which was made by William De Vere Carlton-Browne (guest star Terry-Thomas ), the under-secretary of agriculture for the sector: Carlton-Browne wants someone to guard the shipments of grain bound for Stuart's Planet, since the harvest has failed on two successive years and the station had picked up intermittant sensor signals which do not correspond to any known Commonwealth or Klingon ship. Slightly mollified on hearing this, Decker assigns two crewmen to guard the grain, but afterwards he finds out the Commonwealth share Carlton-Brownes' concerns.
Meanwhile, an independent trader, Tom Bergerac (special guest star Sid James), arrives on the station with some mhysse, small furry continually purring animals. He gives one to Lt. McKenzie (Carmen Monroe), who brings it on board the Endeavour, where it and its quickly produced offspring are treated as adorable pets. The animals purr a relaxing trill that the crew find soothing.
Doctor Fynely (Richard Gaunt) is concerned that the increasing numbers of mhysse threaten to consume all the onboard supplies. It is discovered that they are entering ship systems, interfering with their functions and consuming any edible contents present. Decker realizes that if the mhysse are getting into the ship's stores, then they are a threat to the grain aboard the station. He examines the holds but learns that it is already too late. The mhysse have indeed eaten the grain, and Decker is literally buried in grain-gorged mhysse when he opens a grain hold with an overhead hatch. Holmes (Ian Richardson) and Fynely discover that about half the mhysse in the hold are dead and many of the rest are dying, alerting them that the grain has been poisoned.
Carlton-Browne stubbornly holds Decker responsible for this apparent fiasco. However, the mhysse incidentally give away the identity of an alien agent surgically altered to resemble a human: Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (guest star Leslie Phillips), Carlton-Browne’s aide. Although purring contentedly near humans, they shrill as if in pain near Featherstonrhaugh-Smythe. The antipathy is mutual he can’t stand being near the mhycce. He confesses to infecting the grain with a virus that becomes an inert material in an organism's bloodstream which eventually prevents the organism from taking in enough nourishment to survive.
It turns out that he is actually a Kardassan, a race that inhabit a couple of star systems near Stuart’s planet who had had the idea of letting the Commonwealth and /or Klingons successfully make the planet habitable and then kill off or drive away the settlers so that they could take it over.
After Featherstonehaugh-Smythe’s exposure and arrest, Tom Bergerac is ordered to remove the mhysse from the station (a task that Holmes estimates will take 17.9 years) or he will be imprisoned for 20 years for transporting a dangerous life form off its native planet. He resignedly starts collecting up the mhysse on the station. Meanwhile Scotty had managed to get a sensor lock on the intermittent signal picked up by the QEII. it was a Kardassan ship so Scotty beams over all the mhysse from the Endeavour to that ship.
Edit Both Robert Heinlein and Ellis Parker Butler (the author of "Pigs is Pigs") were credited with the original idea.
Mission date 3601, it is nearly a year since the Endeavour returned from Tellus. It spent most of that time in Earth orbit whilst the crew was extensively debriefed and has only just been returned to active duty. The Commonwealth has been on high alert expecting a Tellurian invasion but so far there has not been a sign of any Tellurian vessel although long range scouts occasionally report finding wrecked Rhihannaun vessels and the Klingons have reported that there has been no activity on the Rhihannaun side of their border for several months and that they are thinking of sending an expedition into Rhihannaun space to find out what is happening.
The Endeavour which is undertaking a shakedown cruise is called to CSS QEII, a Deep Space Station, by a distress call. It is near Stuart's Planet, a world whose ownership had been one of the very few disputes between the Commonwealth and the Klingon Empire. On arrival, Decker becomes annoyed when he finds out the reason for the distress call, which was made by William De Vere Carlton-Browne (guest star Terry-Thomas ), the under-secretary of agriculture for the sector: Carlton-Browne wants someone to guard the shipments of grain bound for Stuart's Planet, since the harvest has failed on two successive years and the station had picked up intermittant sensor signals which do not correspond to any known Commonwealth or Klingon ship. Slightly mollified on hearing this, Decker assigns two crewmen to guard the grain, but afterwards he finds out the Commonwealth share Carlton-Brownes' concerns.
Meanwhile, an independent trader, Tom Bergerac (special guest star Sid James), arrives on the station with some mhysse, small furry continually purring animals. He gives one to Lt. McKenzie (Carmen Monroe), who brings it on board the Endeavour, where it and its quickly produced offspring are treated as adorable pets. The animals purr a relaxing trill that the crew find soothing.
Doctor Fynely (Richard Gaunt) is concerned that the increasing numbers of mhysse threaten to consume all the onboard supplies. It is discovered that they are entering ship systems, interfering with their functions and consuming any edible contents present. Decker realizes that if the mhysse are getting into the ship's stores, then they are a threat to the grain aboard the station. He examines the holds but learns that it is already too late. The mhysse have indeed eaten the grain, and Decker is literally buried in grain-gorged mhysse when he opens a grain hold with an overhead hatch. Holmes (Ian Richardson) and Fynely discover that about half the mhysse in the hold are dead and many of the rest are dying, alerting them that the grain has been poisoned.
Carlton-Browne stubbornly holds Decker responsible for this apparent fiasco. However, the mhysse incidentally give away the identity of an alien agent surgically altered to resemble a human: Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (guest star Leslie Phillips), Carlton-Browne’s aide. Although purring contentedly near humans, they shrill as if in pain near Featherstonrhaugh-Smythe. The antipathy is mutual he can’t stand being near the mhycce. He confesses to infecting the grain with a virus that becomes an inert material in an organism's bloodstream which eventually prevents the organism from taking in enough nourishment to survive.
It turns out that he is actually a Kardassan, a race that inhabit a couple of star systems near Stuart’s planet who had had the idea of letting the Commonwealth and /or Klingons successfully make the planet habitable and then kill off or drive away the settlers so that they could take it over.
After Featherstonehaugh-Smythe’s exposure and arrest, Tom Bergerac is ordered to remove the mhysse from the station (a task that Holmes estimates will take 17.9 years) or he will be imprisoned for 20 years for transporting a dangerous life form off its native planet. He resignedly starts collecting up the mhysse on the station. Meanwhile Scotty had managed to get a sensor lock on the intermittent signal picked up by the QEII. it was a Kardassan ship so Scotty beams over all the mhysse from the Endeavour to that ship.
Edit Both Robert Heinlein and Ellis Parker Butler (the author of "Pigs is Pigs") were credited with the original idea.
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series 3
Decline and Fall Broadcast February 10th 1968
Mission Date 3656 the Endeavour is on routine patrol on the outskirts of Commonwealth space on the alert for Tellurian incursions when it encounters a jettisoned jump engine core from the CSS Enterprise. The Enterprise was under the command of Captain J.T.Kirk (guest star William Shatner), whom Reynolds knew during his naval academy days. Spock traces a path of debris back to a planet in a previously unexplored system.
The Endeavour picks up a television broadcast, with black and white video footage of what appears to be a Roman gladiatorial fight in an arena. The "barbarian" gladiator they see killed is named Fred Freiburger, identified by ship's records as one of the Enterprise’s flight crew. The broadcast also mentions the first citizen Kirquios.
Reynolds, Holmes and Fynely beam down to the planet to investigate. They are captured and brought before Octavius (guest star Douglas Wilmer), who asks them if they are "children of the stars like the Sun". Optimus explains he was a Senator until he heard the "words of the Sun" and was made a slave. Although another slave, Flavius (David Prowse), suggests killing the landing party, Octavius decides the landing party poses no threat.
That night Octavius tells the children of the group of runaways, and so incidentally the landing party, the forbidden tales of the coming. “Over two thousand years ago our ancestors did not live here but in a place far, far away which was part of a mighty empire and in that empire the words of the sun were beginning to spread. One night there were lots of bright lights in the sky and when the ancestors woke up the stars were strange and a stranger sun rose the next morning. In the days and years that followed the ancestors rebuilt their empire on this new world Terra Nova and gradually forgot about the words of the sun and Terra Prima but not completely, although the tales are now banned and repeating them is punishable by death.”
Reynolds tells the slaves that he wants to meet Kirquios, the First Citizen of the Empire, suspecting he is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise. Flavius offers to help and leads Reynolds to the capital city. The landing team puts on slaves' uniforms and tries to sneak into the city.
They are captured and placed into slave pens. After a failed escape attempt, they are brought before Kirquios and the Proconsul Constantius Vespasianus (guest star Anthony Bate), who invites the landing team to sit and talk in private. Kirquios acknowledges that he is Captain Kirk. When he beamed down he met Constantius Vespasianus, who demanded the planet's culture not be divulged to the Commonwealth, for fear of cultural "contamination." Kirk decided to stay, putting his crewmen into the gladiatorial pits, where they would certainly be killed. Kirk informs Reynolds that the Endeavour crew must also abandon their ship and integrate into Terra Nova's culture.
Reynolds refuses Kirk's demands and instead informs Decker that although the landing party is in trouble no rescue attempt is needed.
Holmes and Fynely are taken back to the slave pens while Reynolds is taken to face a televised execution.
Meanwhile, Scott works on a way to disrupt power and communications on the planet while obeying the General Order on not interfering with a planet's society. Blacking out the city just before Reynold's execution, Reynolds frees Holmes and Fynely but is soon captured again. Kirk signals the Endeavour to have Reynolds and party beamed to the Endeavour. Before he can complete the message, Constantius fatally stabs him for his treachery. Scott understands enough of the message and the landing party dematerializes just as they face a hail of machine gun fire.
Back on the ship, Holmes expresses to Decker and Reynolds his joy at seeing Christianity for such must be the words of the SON (not sun) survive. However they all, including Spock, are very worried by the “Tales of the Ancestors” as no records remain of the bright lights in the sky which must have occurred in about 300AD as Terra Nova’s year is not much different from Earth’s.
Mission Date 3656 the Endeavour is on routine patrol on the outskirts of Commonwealth space on the alert for Tellurian incursions when it encounters a jettisoned jump engine core from the CSS Enterprise. The Enterprise was under the command of Captain J.T.Kirk (guest star William Shatner), whom Reynolds knew during his naval academy days. Spock traces a path of debris back to a planet in a previously unexplored system.
The Endeavour picks up a television broadcast, with black and white video footage of what appears to be a Roman gladiatorial fight in an arena. The "barbarian" gladiator they see killed is named Fred Freiburger, identified by ship's records as one of the Enterprise’s flight crew. The broadcast also mentions the first citizen Kirquios.
Reynolds, Holmes and Fynely beam down to the planet to investigate. They are captured and brought before Octavius (guest star Douglas Wilmer), who asks them if they are "children of the stars like the Sun". Optimus explains he was a Senator until he heard the "words of the Sun" and was made a slave. Although another slave, Flavius (David Prowse), suggests killing the landing party, Octavius decides the landing party poses no threat.
That night Octavius tells the children of the group of runaways, and so incidentally the landing party, the forbidden tales of the coming. “Over two thousand years ago our ancestors did not live here but in a place far, far away which was part of a mighty empire and in that empire the words of the sun were beginning to spread. One night there were lots of bright lights in the sky and when the ancestors woke up the stars were strange and a stranger sun rose the next morning. In the days and years that followed the ancestors rebuilt their empire on this new world Terra Nova and gradually forgot about the words of the sun and Terra Prima but not completely, although the tales are now banned and repeating them is punishable by death.”
Reynolds tells the slaves that he wants to meet Kirquios, the First Citizen of the Empire, suspecting he is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise. Flavius offers to help and leads Reynolds to the capital city. The landing team puts on slaves' uniforms and tries to sneak into the city.
They are captured and placed into slave pens. After a failed escape attempt, they are brought before Kirquios and the Proconsul Constantius Vespasianus (guest star Anthony Bate), who invites the landing team to sit and talk in private. Kirquios acknowledges that he is Captain Kirk. When he beamed down he met Constantius Vespasianus, who demanded the planet's culture not be divulged to the Commonwealth, for fear of cultural "contamination." Kirk decided to stay, putting his crewmen into the gladiatorial pits, where they would certainly be killed. Kirk informs Reynolds that the Endeavour crew must also abandon their ship and integrate into Terra Nova's culture.
Reynolds refuses Kirk's demands and instead informs Decker that although the landing party is in trouble no rescue attempt is needed.
Holmes and Fynely are taken back to the slave pens while Reynolds is taken to face a televised execution.
Meanwhile, Scott works on a way to disrupt power and communications on the planet while obeying the General Order on not interfering with a planet's society. Blacking out the city just before Reynold's execution, Reynolds frees Holmes and Fynely but is soon captured again. Kirk signals the Endeavour to have Reynolds and party beamed to the Endeavour. Before he can complete the message, Constantius fatally stabs him for his treachery. Scott understands enough of the message and the landing party dematerializes just as they face a hail of machine gun fire.
Back on the ship, Holmes expresses to Decker and Reynolds his joy at seeing Christianity for such must be the words of the SON (not sun) survive. However they all, including Spock, are very worried by the “Tales of the Ancestors” as no records remain of the bright lights in the sky which must have occurred in about 300AD as Terra Nova’s year is not much different from Earth’s.
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"Real" World
When the James Blish novelisation of this episode was published there was an extra coda. Holmes has a flash of inspiration and pulls up the appropriate period of TELLURIAN history from the files downloaded from the Tellurian Navy headquarters and there it is.
During the early 300s of Tellus' version of the Roman Empire there were lots of bright lights in the sky above Rome and over half its population disappeared! It was this that triggered the civil war which resulted in Constantinius becoming Emperor.
During the early 300s of Tellus' version of the Roman Empire there were lots of bright lights in the sky above Rome and over half its population disappeared! It was this that triggered the civil war which resulted in Constantinius becoming Emperor.
series 3
The Quest Broadcast February 17th 1968
The Endeavour has sent a landing team to a planet to search for tritanium deposits, needed for the fleet building required to counter the potential Tellurian attack. One group picks up an unusual signal but loses it, at which point they are attacked. Reynolds and Spock rush over to the scene. They see a pink cloud hovering over the crewmen which withdraws on their approach. They find the three crewmen down; all unconscious and very weak. All of the men have had most of their red blood cells drained of haemoglobin.
The landing team returns to the Endeavour. On the bridge, Decker has Spock look for anything out of the ordinary which might lead to the discovery of the cloud which is considered the aggressor. M’Beke reports that all 3 injured crew are very weak but will recover in time but they all say that the pink cloud saved them from the entity that attacked them. At the same time an unusual ship appears at the jump point and heads towards the planet. It appears to have a single crewman who ignores all hails until his ship has made orbit.
Once the ship has reached orbit its crewman replies to the Endeavour’s hails. To everyone’s surprise the crewman is an old man (special guest star Laurence Naismith) and is wearing what appears to be an old British uniform. He announces that his name is Pelham Knorr and that he has been hunting a beast that wiped out his crew for years. He accepts Decker’s invitation to come aboard the Endeavour to discuss matters. Once aboard Pelham entrances the crew with his tall tales of his adventures whilst hunting the beast and is very appreciative of the chance to talk to others. He seems very surprised to meet members of his species in this area of space as he left his planet’s sphere of influence years before at the start of his quest. On further questioning it turns out that Pelham hails from yet another unknown human world in a far distant area of the galaxy.
Pelham had been second officer on board his ship which was exploring a planet similar to the one they were now in orbit when it had been attacked by a cloud like entity which had killed the rest of the crew and indeed had attacked him but had left him before he died. After it had left a pink cloud had enveloped him and he had recovered. The pink cloud had always been around when he had got ill or injured and had always healed him. Indeed Pelham surmised that it had slowed the ageing process as well, as by his admittedly faulty reckoning, he had now lived for over 200 years.
The landing party’s reports confirm Pelham’s story. They do not need to hunt the pink cloud but rather a smaller more compact purple cloud. This cloud gives the impression of being angry whilst the pink cloud gives an impression of tranquillity and peace. Then suddenly the ships alarms sound.
The purple cloud leaves the planet, passes through the ship's hull and into the ventilation system. Decker orders Scotty to close all vents and flood the system with gas. The creature exits the vents and attacks two crewmen but is disturbed by the pink cloud before it can cause much harm. It then enters the room assigned to Pelham and attacks him, Spock enters the room and manages to pull Pelham free. The creature seems to dislike Spock’s biochemistry as he is unaffected.
Pelham is taken to the Medical Centre but is dying, Fynely and M’Beke try everything but his body is giving up. Then the Pink Cloud appears and envelops Pelham. A look of peace crosses his face and he turns to Decker and tells him not to worry he has had a good innings and the purple cloud is in for a shock!
Indeed reports are coming in from various crew that they have seen the purple cloud and that it is fleeing them and is condensing. It tries to pass through bulkheads but fails and is found pooled in a corner of engineering. Scotty fires at it with a phaser and the creature is eliminated.
Pelham seems to know when this happens and explains that the pink cloud had subtly changed his biochemistry over the years to have this effect on the purple cloud. It used me as bait, he continues, but in return looked after me and I had a fair old life but I do miss home. Just then a look of wonder crosses his face and the pink cloud spins around him ever faster.
After a minute or so Pelham’s life signs cease to register but a little red cloud forms above his head. This cloud seems to be standing to attention and darts to all the Endeavour crew present giving them a feeling of gratitude. The pink cloud seems to shepherd the red cloud out of the Medical Centre. A message appears on a monitor “Thank You from both of us” and with that both clouds disappear.
The Endeavour has sent a landing team to a planet to search for tritanium deposits, needed for the fleet building required to counter the potential Tellurian attack. One group picks up an unusual signal but loses it, at which point they are attacked. Reynolds and Spock rush over to the scene. They see a pink cloud hovering over the crewmen which withdraws on their approach. They find the three crewmen down; all unconscious and very weak. All of the men have had most of their red blood cells drained of haemoglobin.
The landing team returns to the Endeavour. On the bridge, Decker has Spock look for anything out of the ordinary which might lead to the discovery of the cloud which is considered the aggressor. M’Beke reports that all 3 injured crew are very weak but will recover in time but they all say that the pink cloud saved them from the entity that attacked them. At the same time an unusual ship appears at the jump point and heads towards the planet. It appears to have a single crewman who ignores all hails until his ship has made orbit.
Once the ship has reached orbit its crewman replies to the Endeavour’s hails. To everyone’s surprise the crewman is an old man (special guest star Laurence Naismith) and is wearing what appears to be an old British uniform. He announces that his name is Pelham Knorr and that he has been hunting a beast that wiped out his crew for years. He accepts Decker’s invitation to come aboard the Endeavour to discuss matters. Once aboard Pelham entrances the crew with his tall tales of his adventures whilst hunting the beast and is very appreciative of the chance to talk to others. He seems very surprised to meet members of his species in this area of space as he left his planet’s sphere of influence years before at the start of his quest. On further questioning it turns out that Pelham hails from yet another unknown human world in a far distant area of the galaxy.
Pelham had been second officer on board his ship which was exploring a planet similar to the one they were now in orbit when it had been attacked by a cloud like entity which had killed the rest of the crew and indeed had attacked him but had left him before he died. After it had left a pink cloud had enveloped him and he had recovered. The pink cloud had always been around when he had got ill or injured and had always healed him. Indeed Pelham surmised that it had slowed the ageing process as well, as by his admittedly faulty reckoning, he had now lived for over 200 years.
The landing party’s reports confirm Pelham’s story. They do not need to hunt the pink cloud but rather a smaller more compact purple cloud. This cloud gives the impression of being angry whilst the pink cloud gives an impression of tranquillity and peace. Then suddenly the ships alarms sound.
The purple cloud leaves the planet, passes through the ship's hull and into the ventilation system. Decker orders Scotty to close all vents and flood the system with gas. The creature exits the vents and attacks two crewmen but is disturbed by the pink cloud before it can cause much harm. It then enters the room assigned to Pelham and attacks him, Spock enters the room and manages to pull Pelham free. The creature seems to dislike Spock’s biochemistry as he is unaffected.
Pelham is taken to the Medical Centre but is dying, Fynely and M’Beke try everything but his body is giving up. Then the Pink Cloud appears and envelops Pelham. A look of peace crosses his face and he turns to Decker and tells him not to worry he has had a good innings and the purple cloud is in for a shock!
Indeed reports are coming in from various crew that they have seen the purple cloud and that it is fleeing them and is condensing. It tries to pass through bulkheads but fails and is found pooled in a corner of engineering. Scotty fires at it with a phaser and the creature is eliminated.
Pelham seems to know when this happens and explains that the pink cloud had subtly changed his biochemistry over the years to have this effect on the purple cloud. It used me as bait, he continues, but in return looked after me and I had a fair old life but I do miss home. Just then a look of wonder crosses his face and the pink cloud spins around him ever faster.
After a minute or so Pelham’s life signs cease to register but a little red cloud forms above his head. This cloud seems to be standing to attention and darts to all the Endeavour crew present giving them a feeling of gratitude. The pink cloud seems to shepherd the red cloud out of the Medical Centre. A message appears on a monitor “Thank You from both of us” and with that both clouds disappear.
series 3
The Zoo Broadcast February 24th 1968
On Mission date 3901.2, the Endeavour has been released from patrol duties as the fear of a Tellurian invasion has diminished. Indeed the complete lack of any sort of Tellurian response is beginning to worry Commonwealth and Klingon authorities as is the complete lack of any sort of Rhihannaun activity. Whilst the powers that be are deciding what to do, some fleet vessels are being allowed to go back to exploration and scientific duties. The Endeavour has been tasked with investigating the disappearance of the CSS Amundson, which last reported, just before the Tellurian Incidents, from the Vectran System.
On arrival in the Vectran system, they discover the Amundson orbiting Vectra VII but there are no signs of the crew. Reynolds, Stein, M’Beke, Blamire and two security guards beam down to discover a series of unusual environments. First an arctic wasteland, which turns into a lush tropical environment and then desert. They meet the Vectrans, humanoids with intelligent capacities far beyond their own. Stein surmises that they are not only telepathic but communicate at a rate of speed far too fast for them to comprehend. The team is captured by the Vectrans to be made part of a zoo collection.
Once in the human exhibit, they find the surviving crewmembers of the Amundson, one of whom is deathly ill. M’Beke determines he could cure her easily if he only had access to his medical equipment currently held in a display case just outside the exhibit window. Discussing the problem with the Amundson crew, Reynolds comes up with a plan where they all focus their mental images on their need for help, hoping the Vectrans will comply. Their first effort only gains them a supply of food, but a second attempt successfully gets M'Beke’s medical supplies and he is able to treat their dying comrade.
Having seen the success of their effort to get help, Reynolds suggests trying to similarly focus on a communicator as an object they direly need. A young Vectran (guest star Sally Thomsett) responds, and Reynolds signals the Endeavour for a beam-up but the youngster snatches away the communicator at the last second and is itself beamed aboard the ship.
The adult Vectrans, not realizing exactly what has happened except that their child has disappeared begin focusing all their telepathic energy on Reynolds trying to find an explanation. Meanwhile aboard the Endeavour, the youth reaches the bridge. She probes the Bridge crew’s minds and processes the ship's entire library system, and promptly proceeds to take the Endeavour galloping out of orbit.
On the surface, the other officers, organised by Stein, try to project a mental barrier to protect Reynolds from the overwhelming telepathic assault of the adult Vectrans. Then the child beams back down. The youngster communicates what she has learned, and the adults decide that although still extremely primitive, the Endeavour and Amundson crews are too intelligent to be kept as zoo exhibits and are set free.
On Mission date 3901.2, the Endeavour has been released from patrol duties as the fear of a Tellurian invasion has diminished. Indeed the complete lack of any sort of Tellurian response is beginning to worry Commonwealth and Klingon authorities as is the complete lack of any sort of Rhihannaun activity. Whilst the powers that be are deciding what to do, some fleet vessels are being allowed to go back to exploration and scientific duties. The Endeavour has been tasked with investigating the disappearance of the CSS Amundson, which last reported, just before the Tellurian Incidents, from the Vectran System.
On arrival in the Vectran system, they discover the Amundson orbiting Vectra VII but there are no signs of the crew. Reynolds, Stein, M’Beke, Blamire and two security guards beam down to discover a series of unusual environments. First an arctic wasteland, which turns into a lush tropical environment and then desert. They meet the Vectrans, humanoids with intelligent capacities far beyond their own. Stein surmises that they are not only telepathic but communicate at a rate of speed far too fast for them to comprehend. The team is captured by the Vectrans to be made part of a zoo collection.
Once in the human exhibit, they find the surviving crewmembers of the Amundson, one of whom is deathly ill. M’Beke determines he could cure her easily if he only had access to his medical equipment currently held in a display case just outside the exhibit window. Discussing the problem with the Amundson crew, Reynolds comes up with a plan where they all focus their mental images on their need for help, hoping the Vectrans will comply. Their first effort only gains them a supply of food, but a second attempt successfully gets M'Beke’s medical supplies and he is able to treat their dying comrade.
Having seen the success of their effort to get help, Reynolds suggests trying to similarly focus on a communicator as an object they direly need. A young Vectran (guest star Sally Thomsett) responds, and Reynolds signals the Endeavour for a beam-up but the youngster snatches away the communicator at the last second and is itself beamed aboard the ship.
The adult Vectrans, not realizing exactly what has happened except that their child has disappeared begin focusing all their telepathic energy on Reynolds trying to find an explanation. Meanwhile aboard the Endeavour, the youth reaches the bridge. She probes the Bridge crew’s minds and processes the ship's entire library system, and promptly proceeds to take the Endeavour galloping out of orbit.
On the surface, the other officers, organised by Stein, try to project a mental barrier to protect Reynolds from the overwhelming telepathic assault of the adult Vectrans. Then the child beams back down. The youngster communicates what she has learned, and the adults decide that although still extremely primitive, the Endeavour and Amundson crews are too intelligent to be kept as zoo exhibits and are set free.
series 3
Between a Rock... Broadcast March 2nd 1968
Mission Date 3931.2 the Endeavour is sent on another SAR mission. This time it has to try and locate and help if necessary the CSS Rutherford a small science vessel which was carrying out a detailed survey of Maya IV which had shown some unusual readings when the Maya system had been surveyed by CSS Endurance 3 years before.
The Endeavour arrives at Maya IV. The planet is an ecological oddity. Despite long-term geologic evidence of liquid water existing on the surface, it is one vast desert. There is no sign of recent (or future) rainfall, despite the dense cloud formations. Scanning the surface Spock finds the Rutherford on the planet’s surface. This is unusual as although the Rutherford (and the rest of her class) are designed to be able to make landings they very rarely do so unless in extreme danger. He also picks up the crew’s life signs but they are very weak. The instruments also detect a further minimal but unidentifiable form of life.
Reynolds, Summers, Stein and M’Beke beam down to the bridge of the Rutherford. They find the crew still alive but extremely dehydrated and on the point of death. However the Chief Science Officer is missing. M’Beke beams the Rutherford crew back to the Medical Centre on the Endeavour and Blamire and two more security personnel beam down.
Stein analyses the logs on the Rutherford but is baffled by some of the recordings and so transfers them to Spock on the Endeavour. Reynolds examines the Captain’s log and finds the final entry made by the Captain (guest star Nicholas Courtney). The crew has found itself becoming extremely dehydrated and week. All the water has gone from the ship as well. It seems to be related to rock samples that the CSO had brought up from the surface. The Captain had landed the ship with his last remaining strength and had launched a distress beacon.
Summers wondered why he hadn’t just left orbit and used the autopilot. Reynolds was more understanding saying that stress and dehydration can make you do things that you would not normally have done. It didn’t explain why there had been no record of the distress beacon’s signal as it had obviously been launched. They hadn’t picked it up nor had the fleet and the fleet should have done almost as soon as it was launched!
Meanwhile in the science labs, Stein is examining some samples left on the microscope. The computer analysis of the rock is inconclusive. However examining a liquid smear on one of the samples Stein finds that the fluid contains structures similar to blood corpuscles—the rock is a living organism. He knocks two of the samples next to each other with his elbow. The two samples glow furiously and, with energy arcing between them, fuse into a single, larger body.
Reynolds and Blamire explore outside the Rutherford. They find the body of the CSO a few yards from the ship completely desiccated. Just then, stein calls, telling them the rock is now glowing green. Reynolds orders him to vacate immediately. Moving for the hatch, Stein is obstructed by multiple beams of green energy, which herd him into a corner. Stein watches as another ray plays over his supplies, as if searching for a specific item. He makes a break for the exit, but is caught by the green light. Stein slips to the floor, conscious but paralysed by an all-pervading numbness.
As Stein remains helplessly pinned, another beam resumes probing the cargo area. Alighting on a water bottle, it intensifies. Pulled through the bottle's sides, a jet of water streams across the module to be absorbed by the rock. After draining the container, the rock's pulsing glow strengthens. Stein relays these facts via an open communicator. Outside, Reynolds and company realise the rock-forms need water to survive. Some meteorological event in the past stopped the rain cycle; over time, the rocks drained this planet dry. Many of the surrounding 'normal' rocks are probably deceased members of the species.
They realise that they must have used the Rutherford’s crew as a last desperate source of water.
Reynolds has an idea. He signals Spock and asks him to launch a probe full of rain making crystals into the clouds above them. This is done and within half an hour there is a steady heavy down pour. As they look around they see more and more faint glows. Stein, released from his paralysis, brings the samples left on the ship outside and places them in the rain.
The team beam back to the Endeavour. A crew is beamed down to the Rutherford and brings it back into orbit where Scotty and O’Gorman have a field day making repairs! Another ship the CSS Curie arrives with a relief crew and orders to ensure that the rain continues and the Endeavour departs.
Mission Date 3931.2 the Endeavour is sent on another SAR mission. This time it has to try and locate and help if necessary the CSS Rutherford a small science vessel which was carrying out a detailed survey of Maya IV which had shown some unusual readings when the Maya system had been surveyed by CSS Endurance 3 years before.
The Endeavour arrives at Maya IV. The planet is an ecological oddity. Despite long-term geologic evidence of liquid water existing on the surface, it is one vast desert. There is no sign of recent (or future) rainfall, despite the dense cloud formations. Scanning the surface Spock finds the Rutherford on the planet’s surface. This is unusual as although the Rutherford (and the rest of her class) are designed to be able to make landings they very rarely do so unless in extreme danger. He also picks up the crew’s life signs but they are very weak. The instruments also detect a further minimal but unidentifiable form of life.
Reynolds, Summers, Stein and M’Beke beam down to the bridge of the Rutherford. They find the crew still alive but extremely dehydrated and on the point of death. However the Chief Science Officer is missing. M’Beke beams the Rutherford crew back to the Medical Centre on the Endeavour and Blamire and two more security personnel beam down.
Stein analyses the logs on the Rutherford but is baffled by some of the recordings and so transfers them to Spock on the Endeavour. Reynolds examines the Captain’s log and finds the final entry made by the Captain (guest star Nicholas Courtney). The crew has found itself becoming extremely dehydrated and week. All the water has gone from the ship as well. It seems to be related to rock samples that the CSO had brought up from the surface. The Captain had landed the ship with his last remaining strength and had launched a distress beacon.
Summers wondered why he hadn’t just left orbit and used the autopilot. Reynolds was more understanding saying that stress and dehydration can make you do things that you would not normally have done. It didn’t explain why there had been no record of the distress beacon’s signal as it had obviously been launched. They hadn’t picked it up nor had the fleet and the fleet should have done almost as soon as it was launched!
Meanwhile in the science labs, Stein is examining some samples left on the microscope. The computer analysis of the rock is inconclusive. However examining a liquid smear on one of the samples Stein finds that the fluid contains structures similar to blood corpuscles—the rock is a living organism. He knocks two of the samples next to each other with his elbow. The two samples glow furiously and, with energy arcing between them, fuse into a single, larger body.
Reynolds and Blamire explore outside the Rutherford. They find the body of the CSO a few yards from the ship completely desiccated. Just then, stein calls, telling them the rock is now glowing green. Reynolds orders him to vacate immediately. Moving for the hatch, Stein is obstructed by multiple beams of green energy, which herd him into a corner. Stein watches as another ray plays over his supplies, as if searching for a specific item. He makes a break for the exit, but is caught by the green light. Stein slips to the floor, conscious but paralysed by an all-pervading numbness.
As Stein remains helplessly pinned, another beam resumes probing the cargo area. Alighting on a water bottle, it intensifies. Pulled through the bottle's sides, a jet of water streams across the module to be absorbed by the rock. After draining the container, the rock's pulsing glow strengthens. Stein relays these facts via an open communicator. Outside, Reynolds and company realise the rock-forms need water to survive. Some meteorological event in the past stopped the rain cycle; over time, the rocks drained this planet dry. Many of the surrounding 'normal' rocks are probably deceased members of the species.
They realise that they must have used the Rutherford’s crew as a last desperate source of water.
Reynolds has an idea. He signals Spock and asks him to launch a probe full of rain making crystals into the clouds above them. This is done and within half an hour there is a steady heavy down pour. As they look around they see more and more faint glows. Stein, released from his paralysis, brings the samples left on the ship outside and places them in the rain.
The team beam back to the Endeavour. A crew is beamed down to the Rutherford and brings it back into orbit where Scotty and O’Gorman have a field day making repairs! Another ship the CSS Curie arrives with a relief crew and orders to ensure that the rain continues and the Endeavour departs.
series 3
The Conference Broadcast March 9th 1986
On mission date 4042.3, the Endeavour has been recalled to Earth so that the senior crew can be involved in a conference about both the Tellurians and the Rhihannaun. It has rendezvoused with a Vulcanian transport and has beamed on board a Vulcanian delegation headed by the legendary Savek (guest star Anthony Quayle) who was the Vulcanian who initiated first contact with Earth, after the flight of the Phoenix.
Savek is, to the crew’s intense surprise, Mr. Spock's grandfather. Decker is also taken aback by how coldly Savek views his grandson, apparently because Spock chose to devote his life to the Fleet instead of the Navy or Diplomatic service, against Savek's wishes.
The conference is to take place in a secure building at Woomera which is easy to keep secure. However Savek insists on hearing first-hand about the expedition to Tellus from the crew of the Endeavour but not Spock. Savek explains that it is the humans’ impressions that he wishes to discuss not Spock’s as Spocks report is as thorough as he would expect and he believes it without any further explanation.
On arrival at Earth Savek and his delegation beam down to the conference at Woomera as do Decker, Spock and Holmes. Meanwhile, Stein has detected a fast-moving vessel at the extreme edge of sensor range. Soon similar reports are coming in from all Fleet and navy Vessels in the Solar System and from planetary based sensors as well. There seem to be a plethora of small fast moving ships darting in and around the Solar System. Several Navy ships are ordered to intercept and identify.
Meanwhile, at the conference, they are hearing from the Quos (Earl Cameron) that the Klingons have sent scouts into the space controlled by the Rhihannaun but have discovered only wrecked Rhihannaun and Tellurian ships. They reached the Rhihannaun home world but found it completely devoid of life with no evidence that there had ever been any! It was as if the planet had been completely scoured. They discovered a track of scoured worlds that led from an edge of Rhihannaun space that butted onto an area never explored by any member of The Commonwealth nor the Klingons and which headed straight towards Tellus. Eventually the expedition had found some surviving Rhihannaun colonies but they had fired on the Klingons and had refused to communicate.
The Klingons had been unable to make sense of any information that they had found on any of the wrecked ships and had forwarded that information to the Commonwealth. Savek now spoke, the Vulcanians had managed to interpret some of the data that they had received from the Klingons. There were multiple refernces to an absolutely massive energy field which just brushed past the Rhihannaun as if they did not exist and treated any Tellurian ships it met the same way. It appeared that this Energy field paused at planets and afterwards there was just no evidence of there ever having been life on them. (Backing the Klingon evidence). What Savek then says shocks all the delegates at the conference “This has happened before!”
It would appear that millennia ago when the Vulcanians first ventured into space that they had found scoured worlds in a straight line. They had seeded the worlds with Vulcanian life but before they could colonise those worlds that civilisation had destroyed itself in a holocaust. When they had finally climbed back to civilisation and had passed the equivalent crisis they had found the worlds that they had seeded occupied by other races such as the Kllngons and Andorians.
Just then the alarms go off in the conference centre. The Commonwealth defences have been overwhelmed as hundreds of the small scout ships appear in orbit above all outposts. A signal is then received that overwhelms all others. “The situation has become critical it is time that we introduced ourselves”. On all view screens appears a hooded face. A gloved hand reaches up and pushes back the hood. The face revealed is that of Spock!
On mission date 4042.3, the Endeavour has been recalled to Earth so that the senior crew can be involved in a conference about both the Tellurians and the Rhihannaun. It has rendezvoused with a Vulcanian transport and has beamed on board a Vulcanian delegation headed by the legendary Savek (guest star Anthony Quayle) who was the Vulcanian who initiated first contact with Earth, after the flight of the Phoenix.
Savek is, to the crew’s intense surprise, Mr. Spock's grandfather. Decker is also taken aback by how coldly Savek views his grandson, apparently because Spock chose to devote his life to the Fleet instead of the Navy or Diplomatic service, against Savek's wishes.
The conference is to take place in a secure building at Woomera which is easy to keep secure. However Savek insists on hearing first-hand about the expedition to Tellus from the crew of the Endeavour but not Spock. Savek explains that it is the humans’ impressions that he wishes to discuss not Spock’s as Spocks report is as thorough as he would expect and he believes it without any further explanation.
On arrival at Earth Savek and his delegation beam down to the conference at Woomera as do Decker, Spock and Holmes. Meanwhile, Stein has detected a fast-moving vessel at the extreme edge of sensor range. Soon similar reports are coming in from all Fleet and navy Vessels in the Solar System and from planetary based sensors as well. There seem to be a plethora of small fast moving ships darting in and around the Solar System. Several Navy ships are ordered to intercept and identify.
Meanwhile, at the conference, they are hearing from the Quos (Earl Cameron) that the Klingons have sent scouts into the space controlled by the Rhihannaun but have discovered only wrecked Rhihannaun and Tellurian ships. They reached the Rhihannaun home world but found it completely devoid of life with no evidence that there had ever been any! It was as if the planet had been completely scoured. They discovered a track of scoured worlds that led from an edge of Rhihannaun space that butted onto an area never explored by any member of The Commonwealth nor the Klingons and which headed straight towards Tellus. Eventually the expedition had found some surviving Rhihannaun colonies but they had fired on the Klingons and had refused to communicate.
The Klingons had been unable to make sense of any information that they had found on any of the wrecked ships and had forwarded that information to the Commonwealth. Savek now spoke, the Vulcanians had managed to interpret some of the data that they had received from the Klingons. There were multiple refernces to an absolutely massive energy field which just brushed past the Rhihannaun as if they did not exist and treated any Tellurian ships it met the same way. It appeared that this Energy field paused at planets and afterwards there was just no evidence of there ever having been life on them. (Backing the Klingon evidence). What Savek then says shocks all the delegates at the conference “This has happened before!”
It would appear that millennia ago when the Vulcanians first ventured into space that they had found scoured worlds in a straight line. They had seeded the worlds with Vulcanian life but before they could colonise those worlds that civilisation had destroyed itself in a holocaust. When they had finally climbed back to civilisation and had passed the equivalent crisis they had found the worlds that they had seeded occupied by other races such as the Kllngons and Andorians.
Just then the alarms go off in the conference centre. The Commonwealth defences have been overwhelmed as hundreds of the small scout ships appear in orbit above all outposts. A signal is then received that overwhelms all others. “The situation has become critical it is time that we introduced ourselves”. On all view screens appears a hooded face. A gloved hand reaches up and pushes back the hood. The face revealed is that of Spock!
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