The Fires of Pharos
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| COMIC | |
|---|---|
| The Fires of Pharos | |
| |
| Attribution | |
| Series: | Early Voyages, No. 2 |
| Writer(s): | Dan Abnett & Ian Edgington |
| Penciler(s): | Patrick Zircher |
| Inker(s): | Greg Adams |
| Colorist(s): | Marie Javins |
| Letterer(s): | Janice Chiang |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Published: | March 1997 |
| Pages: | 40, 22 of which are story |
| Omnibus: | The Complete Comic Book Collection (2008); Star Trek Omnibus, Volume 2 (2009) |
| Chronology | |
| Date: | 2254 |
| Stardate: | 2378.1 |
- Battle with the Klingons!
The Fires of Pharos is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic published by Marvel-Paramount Comics in 1997, it is the second issue in the Star Trek: Early Voyages series, set during Christopher Pike's captaincy of the USS Enterprise. The story sees the Enterprise arrive in the Marrat system (after its mission was delayed in the previous issue); there the Enterprise battles with pirates and Klingons to secure the dangerous Marrat Nebula.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
In the Marrat Nebula… Lieutenant Tyler moves the USS Enterprise through evasive maneuver sigma-delta-one before turning the starship about to finish driving off the remainder of hostile fleet that had been attacking Starbase 13. With the starbase’s docking array damaged and communications out, a team lead by Captain Pike beams over the access the situation.
The team is greeted by Commodore Hal Wyeth, as Yeoman Cusack helps the medical personal set up a triage centre to help the starbase’s wounded the Commodore fills Pike and Spock in on the local situation; The station, originally built to help police the dangerous region, has itself come under siege in a response by local pirateers to another Starfleet plan to bring order to the region in Project Pharos, the building of a huge "lighthouse" on a nearby planet. What's more, while they were drilling the foundations for the lighthouse, the engineering teams found vast amounts of extremely pure dilithium, and the Commodore fears this valuable find has been leaked when, two hours earlier, contact was lost with the engineering teams on the planet.
Elsewhere in the Nebula… Klingon Commander Kaaj punishes one of his officers for doubting his command abilities and then takes his ship in pursuit of the Enterprise as she moves off from Starbase 13.
On the Enterprise, Captain Pike informs a badly disrupted Commodore Wyeth of the Enterprise’s progress towards the Pharos siteworld and receives a word of warning from the experienced veteran of the region "expect the unexpected". In response the Captain has Mr Tyler commence broadband sensor sweeps to locate the said unexpected. Meanwhile, Spock finishes his analysis of the earlier brigand attack. The fleet consisted of an unusual combination of Orion, Arcturan, Khodini and renegade Human vessels. With evidence of a deadly criminal alliance Pike moves the ship up to Yellow Alert as the Enterprise reaches her destination.
Number One leads a landing party to investigate the lighthouse and quickly find evidence of recent disruptor fire before coming under fire from Klingons themselves.
Above, the Enterprise is also engaged by the Klingons. Unusually efficient Klingons who take advantage of the Starfleet vessel's weaknesses. Kaaj decimates main engineering before making himself known to Pike demanding a surrender.
Meanwhile, below, Yeoman Cusack attempts to lighten the mood by relaying a tale of his and Pike's earlier encounters with the Tholians. Above, Pike and Kaaj engage in a battle of words, Pike refusing to surrender whilst Kaaj threatens the Enterprise's destruction and warns of his perceived Federation ploy to keep the rich dilithium deposits on the unclaimed world below to itself could lead to war. At a stalemate Pike looks for an alternative solution…
On the Pharos siteworld, Number One successfully leads the landing party behind the attacking Klingons and defeats their opponents. Then, upon finding survivors from the engineering teams, beams back to the Enterprise.
Pike having devised his new strategy arms phasers. Kaaj warns of escalating the situation, to which Pike retorts that is exactly what he wishes to avoid, and fires... on the planet!
The planet ignites into a blazing beacon, which Spock estimates given the vast fuel reserves of the body will burn for decades to come. Detecting a new group of Federation vessels moving into the area, the Klingons depart, but not before Kaaj warns; Pike owes him a blood debt for his humiliation, "BortaS bir jablu’DI reH QaQqu’nay" (Revenge is a dish best served cold)...
[edit] References
[edit] Characters
- Phillip Boyce • Gabrielle Carlotti • Cayman • Dermot Cusack • Kaaj, son of Torg • Kir • Kolj • Moves-With-Burning-Grace • Sita Mohindas • Nano • Number One • Christopher Pike • Raeger • Spock • José Tyler • Virka • Hal Wyeth • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel • unnamed Starbase 13 personnel • unnamed IKS Varchas personnel
[edit] Starships and vehicles
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • IKS Varchas (D7-class battle cruiser) • unnamed brigand starships
[edit] Locations
[edit] Races and cultures
- Referenced only
- Tholian
[edit] States and organisations
[edit] Science and technology
- dilithium • disruptor • EPS conduit • ion storm • phaser • photon torpedo • tricorder • warp engine
[edit] Ranks and titles
- captain • chief engineer • commander • commodore • doctor • fleet admiral • nurse • yeoman
[edit] Other references
- blood debt • evasive maneuvers • Fort Apache • gold rush • landing party • lighthouse • main engineering • transporter room • war
[edit] Appendices
[edit] Background
- This issue features a slightly revised version of the Star Trek: Early Voyages title; the original title from the previous, and first, issue of the series, "Flesh of My Flesh", arranged the titles on a slight curve. This issues straight line version of the title continued to be used until the fourth issue of the series. The fifth issue reinstated the curved design, which remained in use until the conclusion of the series.
- Amongst the 18 pages of advertisements in this comic is one page advertises subscriptions to Marvel's comic, highlighting Star Trek comics with an image of the USS Voyager. Another page advertises toys produced by Playmates to tie in with the film Star Trek: First Contact.
- The uniforms of the Starbase 13 personnel are shown with a distinctive assignment patch which appears only in this issue.
 Command division patch. |
 Operations division patch. |
 Sciences division patch. |
[edit] Related stories
- "Flesh of My Flesh" (EV comic) - This issue depicts the Enterprise's mission in the Marrat system which she had previously been diverted from to deal with the Ngultor threat in Flesh of My Flesh.
- Kaaj's blood debt - Kaaj tries to have his blood debt with Pike repaid with attempts at Pike's life in EV comics: "The Flat, Gold Forever", "Thanatos" and "Nemesis".
[edit] Timeline
This comic takes place very shortly after the preceding issue, "Flesh of My Flesh", which saw the Enterprise diverted from the mission show in this issue. It occurs some time before "Our Dearest Blood", which itself takes place shortly before "The Cage", placing this comic in 2254.
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: Flesh of My Flesh | EV comics | Next comic: Our Dearest Blood |
| Chronological Order | ||
| Previous adventure: Flesh of My Flesh | Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Our Dearest Blood |
[edit] Images
 The Enterprise and Varchas in battle |
 Kaaj introduces himself |
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 One of the brigand starships |
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 Another of the brigand starships |
 Enterprise engineering personnel during the battle |
 Starbase 13 personnel |
 A member of Starbase 13's crew |
 Varchas bridge crew |
 Klingons battle inside Pharos |
 Project Pharos engineers |
[edit] External link
- The Fires of Pharos article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
