Star Trek #5 - Marvel Comics

STAR TREK No. 5, August 1980

Considering that Mike W. Barr would go on to write “for every one of the first four incarnations of Star Trek: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, in either comic book or other media”, his penmanship for “The Haunting Of The Enterprise!” must surely have proved something of a disappointment to fans of the science fiction series in August 1980. Indeed, having been ‘set up rather nicely’ by Marv Wolfman in this ongoing title’s previous issue, the Ohio-born author’s decision to blame the Constitution-class starship’s “encounter [with] what appears to be a haunted house in space” upon the Klingons comes as a major disappointment, and arguably appears even more ‘forced’ when it turns out the warrior race have created such an illusion plundering the memories of an imprisoned human “horror film archivist”.

Of course, that isn’t to say that Issue Five of “Star Trek” doesn’t have its moments of action-packed adventure, as at least one of Admiral Kirk’s personnel is dynamically-drawn by Dave Cockrum falling prey to the aggressive aliens during an early, sense-shattering phaser-exchange. But in between a subsequent carousel of short-lived ‘fight or flight’ hauntings aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, the vast majority of this comic’s narrative rather perplexingly focuses upon the Klingon Captain patiently explaining to a captive Spock precisely what their Empire’s cunning plan concerning the Federation vessel actually is, and exactly how their incredibly-powerful thought enhancer operates utilising the "plentiful free hydrogen atoms pervading space”.

This exposition is obviously much-needed so as to allow this book’s bibliophiles to understand just how the likes of Doctor McCoy are suddenly confronted by “representations of Earth legends Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster.” However, it’s highly unlikely that even the most arrogant of extra-terrestrials would describe their covert operation to a captive enemy officer in such fine detail, and then shockingly leave them practically alone with their technologically advanced machinery so the Vulcan scientist could mind-meld with its occupant; “After all, what harm could it do? Your superior is in the next room. If I make a suspicious move, you have but to call out…”

Regrettably, even the presence of prisoner Raytag M'Gora is simply used as a contrivance in order to better explain how the Klingons are able to broadcast their deadly fantasies so far into Federation space. Rather than being a tragic soul still tormented by his previous captors to the point where he continually spouts “mumbo-jumbo”, the Normedian instead is unconvincingly turned into a willing pawn of the Empire, who endures a skull implant so as to project “the Earthman’s creations throughout your vessel!”

Writer: Mike W. Barr, Artists: Dave Cockrum & Klaus Janson, and Colorist: Carl Gafford