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 Marrat brigand pirates and Klingons to secure the dangerous Marrat Nebula.

Contents 1 Summary 2 References 2.1 Characters 2.2 Starships and vehicles 2.3 Locations 2.4 Races and cultures 2.5 States and organisations 2.6 Science and technology 2.7 Ranks and titles 2.8 Other references 3 Timeline 3.1 Chronology 3.2 Production history 4 Appendices 4.1 Background 4.2 Related stories 4.3 Images 4.4 External link

SummaryEdit

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 center 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)...

ReferencesEdit

CharactersEdit

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

Starships and vehiclesEdit

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • IKS Varchas (D7-class battle cruiser) • unnamed brigand starships

LocationsEdit

Marrat Nebula • Marrat system • Starbase 13 • Pharos siteworld • Project Pharos

Races and culturesEdit

Arcturan • Human • Khodini • Klingon • Lirin • Orion • Vulcan

Referenced only 

Tholian

States and organisationsEdit

Federation Starfleet • Klingon Empire • Marrat brigand • United Federation of Planets

Science and technologyEdit

dilithium • disruptor • EPS conduit • ion storm • phaser • photon torpedo • tricorder • warp engine

Ranks and titlesEdit

captain • chief engineer • commander • commodore • doctor • fleet admiral • nurse • yeoman

Other referencesEdit

blood debt • evasive maneuvers • Fort Apache • gold rush • landing party • lighthouse • main engineering • transporter room • war

TimelineEdit

ChronologyEdit

This comic takes place very shortly after the preceding issue, "Flesh of My Flesh", which saw the Enterprise diverted from the mission shown in this issue. It occurs some time before "Our Dearest Blood", which itself takes place shortly before "The Cage", placing this comic in 2254.

Chronological Order
Previous adventure: Flesh of My Flesh	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: Our Dearest Blood

Stardate 2378.1 (c. 2254)

The USS Enterprise arrives in the Marrat system to support Starbase 13 against brigand attacks. The Enterprise discovers the attacks are being orchestrated by the Klingon Kaaj, attempting to sabotage Starfleet's Project Pharos. (Events of the story. No calendar date given, but the stardate is close to those of other Early Voyages stories which take place around the episode "The Cage", in 2254.)

Production historyEdit

Published Order
Previous comic: Flesh of My Flesh	EV comics	Next comic: Our Dearest Blood

• 1997, March, first published by Marvel Comics
• 2008, September, re-released on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD, by Graphic Imaging Technologies.
• 2009, May, reprinted in Star Trek Omnibus, Volume 2, by IDW Publishing.

AppendicesEdit

BackgroundEdit

• 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 that 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.

Related storiesEdit

• "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".

Stories featuring Christopher Pike
Comics	Early Voyages	"Flesh of My Flesh" • "The Fires of Pharos" • "Our Dearest Blood" • "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" • Cloak and Dagger (1 • 2) • "The Flat, Gold Forever" • "Immortal Wounds" • "One of a Kind" • The Fallen (1 • 2) • "Futures, Part One" • "Future Tense" • "Futures" • "Now and Then" • "Thanatos" • "Nemesis"
	other	"All Those Years Ago..." • "To Walk the Night" • "Door in the Cage" • "Return to the Forbidden Planet" • "A Prelude to War" • "Alien Spotlight: Vulcans" • "Alien Spotlight: Orions" • Mirror Images (1 • 2 • 4 • 5) • "Shadows of the Past" • "The Ends of Eternity" • "Spock: Reflections, Issue 2" • Star Trek Movie Adaptation (2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6) • "Captain's Log: Pike"
Novels		Enterprise: The First Adventure • Vulcan's Glory • Legacy • The Rift • Where Sea Meets Sky • Burning Dreams • "A Less Perfect Union" • The Children of Kings
Short stories		"Conflicting Natures" • "A Private Anecdote" • "Sins of the Mother" • "The Greater Good"
Episodes		"The Cage" • "The Menagerie"	Movie	Star Trek

ImagesEdit

External linkEdit

• The Fires of Pharos article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.