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An alien form invades the Enterprise through Spock's mind! – "The Peril of Planet Quick Change" was the fourth issue of the TOS Gold Key Comics series. Published in June 1969, it was the fourth story written by Dick Wood and the second drawn by Alberto Giolitti. The story reran in issue 35 in November 1975 with a new painted cover.

Description[]

It was a world in deep space that even the galaxy-wise crew of the Enterprise had never dreamed of — a planet that convulsed, sprouted foliage, mountains and water like a living thing! And only Mr. Spock could hope to save this alien globe that had the space pioneers trapped upon it!

Summary[]

Captain's log, stardate 21:06.7 - The Enterprise was cruising through Galaxy Telpha Z… expedition operations were normal… until Mr. Spock's red alert button flashed in main control…

Spock has discovered a planet that rapidly changes its chemistry. He also detects traces of tiantianium on the planet. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Johnson beam down to the surface, where an upheaval unearths the ruins of an ancient civilization. Strange lights emerge from the ruins and attack the landing party. Phasers are ineffective against them, but they retreat anyway, and after swirling around Spock, they vanish.

Spock tells Kirk that he has calculated a way to extract the tiantianium ore, but it requires returning the planet's chemistry to its original state. He requests special materials from the Enterprise and begins constructing an unknown device, but is strangely unwilling to discuss the details of his plan. He is actually being mentally influenced by the lights, which are the native Metamorphans; they were transformed into energy beings centuries ago and want to use the device to return to their original forms.

The device succeeds, and the Metamorphans become physical again. In gratitude, the Metamorphan spokesman, Zarman, allows the Enterprise crew to extract two hundred pounds of tiantianium ore. However, one Metamorphan, Textra, has stayed in Spock's mind, seeking escape, knowledge, and adventure. Spock refuses to allow this to happen, but Textra prevents him from informing the others of his presence. Spock is placed in sickbay, but he leaves and uses the transporter to destabilize his body, leaving Textra with nothing to possess. Afterwards, he tells Kirk and McCoy what happened.

References[]

Characters[]

Ross JohnsonJames T. KirkLeonard McCoySpockHikaru SuluTextraZarman
Referenced only
Montgomery Scott

Starships and vehicles[]

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class}

Locations[]

HidennaMetamorpha (Galaxy Telpha Z)

Races and cultures[]

HumanVulcanMetamorphan

States and organizations[]

Starfleet

Other references[]

adrenalineatomic rocketcoreequipment transportmeteoritephaserropesickbaytiantianiumtransportervolcanowater

Appendices[]

Background[]

  • This story has been released nine times in English and has been translated 17 times into other languages: French (3x), Portuguese (3x), Dutch (2x), Finnish (2x), German (2x), Italian (2x), Turkish (2x), and Spanish.

Images[]

Connections[]

Gold Key Comics stories and publications
Issues "The Planet of No Return" • "The Devil's Isle of Space" • "Invasion of the City Builders" • "The Peril of Planet Quick Change" • "The Ghost Planet" • "When Planets Collide" • "The Voodoo Planet" • "The Youth Trap" • "The Legacy of Lazarus" • "Sceptre of the Sun" • "The Brain Shockers" • "The Flight of the Buccaneer" • "Dark Traveler" • "The Enterprise Mutiny" • "Museum at the End of Time" • "Day of the Inquisitors" • "The Cosmic Cavemen" • "The Hijacked Planet" • "The Haunted Asteroid" • "A World Gone Mad" • "The Mummies of Heitius VII" • "Siege in Superspace" • "Child's Play" • "The Trial of Captain Kirk" • "Dwarf Planet" • "The Perfect Dream" • "Ice Journey" • "The Mimicking Menace" • "Death of a Star" • "The Final Truth" • "The Animal People" • "The Choice" • "The PsychoCrystals" • "A Bomb in Time" • "One of Our Captains Is Missing!" • "Prophet of Peace" • "Furlough to Fury" • "The Evictors" • "World Against Time" • "The World Beneath the Waves" • "Prince Traitor" • "Mr. Oracle" • "This Tree Bears Bitter Fruit" • "Murder on the Enterprise" • "A Warp in Space" • "Planet of No Life" • "Destination... Annihilation!" • "And a Child Shall Lead Them" • "What Fools These Mortals Be.." • "Sport of Knaves" • "A World Against Itself" • "No Time Like the Past" • "Spore of the Devil" • "The Brain-Damaged Planet" • "To Err Is Vulcan" • "The Empire Man!" • "Operation Con Game"
Additional stories "James T. Kirk: Psycho-File" • "A Page From Scotty's Diary" • "Spock: Psycho-File" • "From Sputnik to Warp Drive"
Games "Voyage of Discovery" • "The Tunnel of Death" • "... Wild Goose Chase!" • "A Hint of Life" • "Space Chase" • "Escape from the Clinging Dags"
Collections Star Trek Annuals (1969197019721973197419751976197719781979198019831986) • The Enterprise Logs (Volumes 1234) • The Key Collection (Volumes 12345) • Gold Key Archives (Volumes 12345) • Gold Key 100-Page Spectacular
Related media "The Exile" • "The Red Hour" • "Colouring Book" • "Eye of the Beholder" • "The Menace of the Mechanitrons" • "Trial by Fire!"

Timeline[]

Published Order
Previous comic:
#3: Invasion of the City Builders
TOS comics (Gold Key) Next comic:
#5: The Ghost Planet
Previous comic:
#34: The PsychoCrystals
TOS comics (Gold Key) Next comic:
#36: A Bomb in Time
Previous story:
Invasion of the City Builders
Stories by:
Dick Wood
Next story:
The Ghost Planet
Chronological Order
Previous adventure:
A Hint of Life
Memory Beta Chronology Next adventure:
When Planets Collide
Previous story:
A Hint of Life
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two Next story:
When Planets Collide
Production history[]
June 1969
First published by Gold Key Comics
September 1970
Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual 1970 (World Distributors Limited)
November 1975
Reprinted with a new cover image by Gold Key Comics as issue #35
August 1976
Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press)
11 December 1976 - 5 March 1977
Serialized in Mighty TV Comic #1304 - 1316
June 2004
Printed in the omnibus The Key Collection, Volume 1 (Checker Book Publishing Group)
2004
The cover, two images and a quote were reprinted on Gold Key Chase Card #4 in the card set Quotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives)
September 2008
Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
August 2014
Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Gold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW)
16 February 2017
Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #4 (Eaglemoss)
Translations[]
March 1972
Portuguese: As "O Planeta das Metamorfoses" in b/w in Jornada Nas Estrelas #4 (1st series) (Ebal)
August 1972
Italian: As "Il Pianeta Camaleonte" in Star Trek Albi Spada #4 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
3 September 1972
French: As "Danger sur la Planète Metamorpha" in Les Héros de L'Aventure #14 (Remparts)
1972
French: In the omnibus Star Trek Album #1 (Remparts)
6 January 1973
Spanish: As "Peligro en el Planeta Metamorfosis" in TV Mundial #239 Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro)
1973
German: As "Planet der Verwandlung" in Zak Comic Box #8: Neue Adbenteuer De Enterprise (Koralle)
1974
Dutch: As "De Planeet der Veranderingen" in Star Trek #A1 (De Vrijbuiter)
1974
Finnish: As "Kasviolennot" in Avaruusmatka Star Trek #9 (Apulehti)
1974
Finnish: As "Paha Vieras" in Avaruusmatka Star Trek #10 (Apulehti)
December 1975
Portuguese: As "O Planeta Das Mutações" in Diversões Juvenis Presents Jornada Nas Estrelas #29 (Special) (Abril)
January 1978
French: In the omnibus Présence de L'Avenir #1: Le Chemin des Etoiles (Sagédition)
5 April 1978
Portuguese: In b/w in O Caminho das Estrelas #4 (Aguiar)
1978
Dutch: As "De Planeet der Veranderingen" in Ruimteschip Enterprise Strip-album #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
1978
German: Abridged as "Planet der Verwandlung" in Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Album #1 (Condor)
1981
Turkish: In b/w digest-size in Uzay Yolu #2 (Alfa)
1999
Turkish: In Star Trek #1 (Alfa)
2005
Italian: In the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 1 (Free Books)

External links[]

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