''Spock Must Die!'' is an American science fiction novel written by
James Blish
James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his '' Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel '' A Case of Conscie ...
, published February 1970 by
Bantam Books. It was the first original novel based on the
''Star Trek'' television series intended for adult readers. It was preceded by a tie-in
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
line published by
Gold Key and the novel ''
Mission to Horatius'' by Mack Reynolds, all intended for younger readers.
Blish aimed to kill off a popular character as a way to surprise readers, and during the novel's production chose Spock, with the aid of his wife,
J.A. Lawrence.
Reviews of the novel have been mixed. Some reviewers have directed criticism at the structure or tone of the novel, while others have expressed no enthusiasm for the work, overall.
''Spock Must Die!'' was reprinted numerous times with different cover art, including a cover by Kazuhiko Sano.
The novel was collected in an omnibus for the
Science Fiction Book Club
Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000.
Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizo ...
in 1978.
Prior to the release of ''Spock Must Die!'', Blish had written three collections of short stories adapting episodes of the television series. The second collection, ''Star Trek 2'' (February 1968),
included an adaptation of the episode "
Errand of Mercy
"Errand of Mercy" is the twenty-sixth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and directed by John Newland, it was first broadcast on March 23, 1967. It was the first ...
", which the novel directly references in the second chapter.
Plot
Doctor
Leonard McCoy
Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original ''Star Trek'' series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the an ...
and Engineer
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a fictional character in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original ''Star Trek'' series, Scotty also appears in the animated ''Star Trek'' series, 10 ''Star Trek ...
discuss McCoy's fear of the
transporter. McCoy posits that an original person is killed upon dematerialization, and a duplicate is created at the destination. Scotty explains that the technology does not destroy the original object but causes every single particle to undergo a "
Dirac
Distributed Research using Advanced Computing (DiRAC) is an integrated supercomputing facility used for research in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology in the United Kingdom. DiRAC makes use of multi-core processors and provides a variety o ...
jump" to its new location, and that converting a human-sized mass to energy would blow up the ship. McCoy is not convinced, and he wonders what happens to the
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
in a transporter beam. The conversation is interrupted by the news that the
Organians appear to have been destroyed by the
Klingon Empire
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids ch ...
. The Organians had been enforcing a peace treaty between the Empire and the
Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
, and the planet's disappearance is a threat to the peace.
As the ''
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterpris ...
'' is a long way from Organia, Scotty develops a modification of the transporter that uses
tachyon
A tachyon () or tachyonic particle is a hypothetical particle that always travels faster than light. Physicists believe that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. If such partic ...
s to create a copy of a crewman that could be transported to Organia long before the ship can reach the planet. Spock is chosen, but a permanent duplicate is created unexpectedly upon transport, as something at or on Organia has functioned as a perfect, impenetrable, mirror for the tachyon transporter beam. The crew is unable to distinguish between the two Spocks. Kirk arbitrarily designates one as "Spock One" and the other as "Spock Two". Spock Two soon argues that the duplicate will be operating on a pro-Klingon agenda, since, being physically reversed, he is also ethically reversed as well, and he states that the duplicate must therefore be killed, "even if it is I".
After faking a
mental breakdown and barricading himself in
sick bay
A sick bay is a compartment in a ship, or a section of another organisation, such as a school or college, used for medical purposes.
The sick bay contains the ship's medicine chest, which may be divided into separate cabinets, such as a refrigera ...
, Spock One escapes in a stolen shuttlecraft which he has adapted to warp drive. This offers strong evidence that he is the duplicate and traitor. The crew find corroboration of this when they discover that Spock One used the ''Enterprise's'' science facilities to manufacture
chirality-reversed amino acids. He had undergone a total left-to-right inversion down to the atomic level during his creation. To survive, he had to infuse the inverse forms of amino acids into his diet. McCoy explains that such a meagre diet would have induced deficiency diseases in a human, but that a Vulcan is able to endure it indefinitely.
The ''Enterprise'' receives communiques indicating that the war is going badly for the Federation. Upon arriving at Organia, the crew are affected by a powerful mental disturbance centered on the planet. Kirk, Scotty and Spock transport to the surface, but Kirk identifies the Spock with him as the duplicate Spock (Spock One). Realizing the danger to Kirk and Scotty, via their psychic link, Spock Two transports to the planet and kills his duplicate. The landing party discover that the Organians are not dead, but imprisoned. A weapon deployed by the Klingons has restrained their mental abilities, preventing them from expressing their thoughts. As thought-creatures, the restraint will ultimately destroy them if it is not disabled. Scotty is able to disable the weapon and the thought screen surrounding the planet, freeing the Organians. In retaliation, the Klingon race is confined to their homeworld, and the Klingon commander, Koloth, is trapped in a bubble of asymptotically slowing time, unaware of his fate.
The ''Enterprise'' continues on its five-year mission of exploration.
Production
For the first original ''Star Trek'' novel for adults, Blish wanted to surprise readers by killing a popular character. Unexpectedly, Spock had been the most popular character in the television series—more popular than Captain Kirk. Blish discussed his premise with his wife, J.A. Lawrence, only to discover she preferred Spock to Kirk, as well. Following their discussion, Blish chose to kill Spock.
The plot, featuring both the Klingons and the Organians, is a follow-up to the first season episode "
Errand of Mercy
"Errand of Mercy" is the twenty-sixth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and directed by John Newland, it was first broadcast on March 23, 1967. It was the first ...
", which had previously been adapted into a short story by Blish, published in ''Star Trek 2'' (February 1968).
''Spock Must Die!'' contains a number of references to other works: Mervyn Peake's ''
Gormenghast'' series is hinted at by an alien species found on Organia called "gormenghastlies" by Kirk;
Uhura says she is able to transmit a message in Eurish, a reference to James Joyce's ''
Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a bod ...
;''
Scotty uses the word "mathom" to describe the objects that have materialized on the ship as part of his transporter experiments, which is a reference to ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
''.
Another alien species mentioned is the "reepicheep", based on the name of a Talking Mouse in ''
Prince Caspian
''Prince Caspian'' (originally published as ''Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia'') is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1951. It was the second published of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of N ...
'' and ''
Voyage of the Dawn Treader''.
The novel's conclusion does not
reset the universe, as was common in episodes of the television series. Instead, the Organians have confined the Klingon race to their homeworld for a thousand years, unable to take advantage of space flight, and the antagonist Commander
Koloth is trapped in an asymptotically slowing distortion of local time, unaware of his punishment.
It is likely Blish would have continued to explore the results of these changes in a follow-up novel.
''Spock Must Die!'' was released after the cancellation of the television series. Blish included a rally cry in his "Author's Notes" to encourage fans to advocate for the series renewal.
Sales of the novel following its release were promising, but Blish's death in 1975 ended all plans for follow-up. ''
Spock, Messiah!
''Spock, Messiah!'' (September 1976) is the second original novel based on television series '' Star Trek'' intended for adult readers, written by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. It was preceded by '' Spock Must Die!'' (1970), and ...
'' by
Theodore Cogswell
Theodore Rose Cogswell (March 10, 1918 – February 3, 1987) was an American science fiction author. Profile
During the Spanish Civil War, Cogswell served as an ambulance driver for the Republicans as part of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
His ear ...
and
Charles Spano was released in September 1976, it is not a sequel to ''Spock Must Die!'', though they have similar names.
''Spock Must Die!'' was collected in the omnibus ''The Star Trek Reader IV'' (April 1978), for the Science Fiction Book Club. Also included were the short story collections ''Star Trek 10'' (February 1974), and ''Star Trek 11'' (April 1975).
Bantam Books reprinted and reissued the novel twenty times from February 1970 to June 1996. The final printing featured an original cover designed by Japanese artist Kazuhiko Sano.
Reception
In ''A Clash of Symbols'' (October 1979), Brian M. Stableford described the novel as a "combination of
space opera and whimsy, quite typical of the ''Star Trek'' mythos". Stableford believed the sequences in the novel would have been too expensive for the television series. However, the novel's structure was similar to an actual episode containing "sub-climaxes that one can easily imagine would bracket commercial breaks".
Strother B. Purdy referred to novel's text as a "rather well-written" example of the duplication of characters in science fiction, in his study ''The Hole in the Fabric'' (March 1977). Purdy was also impressed by novel's play on elements in the vein of Martin Gardner's ''
The Ambidextrous Universe'' and Lewis Carroll's ''
Through the Looking-Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...
''.
Astrobiologist
Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that inves ...
Daniel Glavin was quoted in the 15 May 2010 issue of the ''New Scientist'', saying it was an "intriguing idea" and that ''Spock Must Die!'' is "certainly a novel turn in this twistiest of tales: the story of how life came to be left-handed".
Ellen Kozak reviewed ''Spock Must Die!'' as "one of the better original novels written from the series" in the December 1979 issue of ''Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review''. ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (May 2005), by
Don D'Ammassa
Donald Eugene D'Ammassa (born April 24, 1946) is an American fantasy, science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts ...
, synopsizes the novel as "interesting historically, but … a mediocre piece of fiction".
George Mann criticised Blish's ''Star Trek'' fiction, including ''Spock Must Die!'', as "obviously written primarily for money", and that Blish does not display the "literary and intellectual skill evident in his earlier work".
Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer reviewed the novel for
Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
, in 2012, saying the women aboard ''Enterprise'' sexually desiring Spock (Spock One) was "unsettling". And that the novel offers "sex with Spock, the magical half-breed", as the "cure for racism that 23rd century women cannot find anywhere else". However, Cheeseman-Meyer noted ''Spock Must Die!'' was "worth reading as a celebration of the world ''Star Trek'' envisioned, however strange that could sometimes be".
See also
* "
Errand of Mercy
"Errand of Mercy" is the twenty-sixth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and directed by John Newland, it was first broadcast on March 23, 1967. It was the first ...
" – an episode of ''The Original Series'' which features the Organians and the basis of ''Spock Must Die!''
* "
The Enemy Within" – an episode of ''The Original Series'' which features a duplicate Captain Kirk.
* "
Second Chances" – an episode of ''
The Next Generation'' where a duplicate of Commander
William T. Riker is found.
* "
Mirror, Mirror" – an episode of ''The Original Series'' where Captain Kirk goes to a parallel universe where other characters have evil counterparts.
*
Chirality (physics)
A chiral phenomenon is one that is not identical to its mirror image (see the article on mathematical chirality). The spin of a particle may be used to define a handedness, or helicity, for that particle, which, in the case of a massless particle ...
*
Tachyon
A tachyon () or tachyonic particle is a hypothetical particle that always travels faster than light. Physicists believe that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. If such partic ...
References
External links
* .
''Spock Must Die!''at
Goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
.
{{Star Trek publications
1970 British novels
1970 science fiction novels
Novels based on Star Trek: The Original Series
Novels by James Blish
Bantam Books books