History Literature / SpockMustDie

As one of the earliest S''tar Trek'' novels, ''Spock Must Die!'' benefits from only having to maintain continuity with the original TV series. The book is generally considered non-canon, as the Klingons are ultimately interdicted from space flight for a thousand years.

* EarlyAdaptationWeirdness: Despite having written many adaptations of the Original Series episodes, Blish has Kirk inexplicably calls McCoy "Doc" instead of "Bones". Blish admitted in the introduction in later editions of the novel that this was a mental lapse on his part.

* EvilTwin: Created by transporter accident

*** Then again, considering what happened the first time they tried it, nothing strange in their being unwilling to try the tachyon transporter again.

Published in 1970, ''Spock Must Die!'' by Creator/JamesBlish is the very first original Star Trek novel published by Bantam books, and only the second original Star Trek novel of all. [[note]]The first original novel of all was ''Mission to Horatius'', published by Whitman Publishing in 1969.[[/note]]

* DestructiveTeleportation: [=McCoy=] theorizes that this is how the transporters work.

* LeftHandedMirror: The duplicate of Spock is left-handed. He has to fake right-handedness to maintain his cover.
* MrExposition: [=McCoy=] - ''pages'' worth.

During a routine mapping mission, the Enterprise learns that the Klingon Empire has launched a major offensive against the Federation. Cut off from the Federation, Kirk decides to head for Organia to discover why the Organians have not enforced the Peace Treaty which they imposed in [[Recap/StarTrekS1E26ErrandOfMercy Errand Of Mercy]].

As one of the earliest Star Trek novels, ''Spock Must Die!'' benefits from only having to maintain continuity with the original TV series. The book is generally considered non-canon, as the Klingons are ultimately interdicted from space flight for a thousand years.

** If Organia is months deep inside Klingon territory, then why was it strategic in [[Recap/StarTrekS1E26ErrandOfMercy Errand Of Mercy]] and what was the Enterprise doing there?

* ScienceMarchesOn: Blish has [=McCoy=] state that handedness-retraining is the ''one and only cause'' of habitual stammering. There ''is'' some statistical evidence of a link, and the popularity of the theory of a connection waxes and wains, but Blish's assertion comes across as [[AuthorTract hyperbole at best]]. The idea that handedness-retraining is still an issue in [=McCoy's=] time also seems bizarre. By the time the book was published, that had been on the wane or abolished as well.
* SpaceIsAnOcean: Invoked. The Enterprise answers her helm better as she increases speed, like a 'nineteenth century clipper ship'.

* YearInsideHourOutside: An extreme version of this at first ''appears'' to be the fate of the Klingons, with eons passing as they pursue the Enterprise. It is unclear how this marries with their eventual fate of being interdicted from space travel for 1000 years.

With the journey set to take several months, Mr Scott devises a novel long-range transporter and attempts to send a short-lived tachyon duplicate of Spock to Organia, with the intention of getting an immediate report. However, the new transporter creates a permanent duplicate of Spock.

As one of the earliest Star Trek novels, ''Spock Must Die!'' benefits from only having to maintain continuity with the original TV series. The book is generally be considered non-canon, as the Klingons are ultimately interdicted from space flight for a thousand years.

* AirVentEscape: used by the duplicate
* BeamSpam: in a satisfying aversion of normal Star Trek practice, Kirk gives Sulu free reign to fire at will. Shortly after, three Klingon corvettes are reduced to clouds of incandescent gas.
* CoversAlwaysLie: one edition cover shows [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091124204610/memoryalpha/en/images/thumb/b/bb/Spock_must_die_%28reprint%29.jpg/296px-Spock_must_die_%28reprint%29.jpg two identical Spocks]] on the transporter pads. In the book, one of them is actually a mirror image and has his badge on the wrong side. Somehow, Kirk and co. [[IdiotBall don't notice]], giving the duplicate time to change his shirt.

* EnergyBeings: the Organians.
* EvilTwin: created by transporter accident

* MirrorMoralityMachine: a side effect of the duplication process. Not only does it reverse left and right, but somehow reverses loyalty to the Federation with loyalty to the Klingons.
* PlotHole: A few -

** The fate of Organia itself is the source of Spock's duplication. In 5-6 ''months'', nobody thinks to use the tachyon transporter to go anywhere ''other'' than Organia, or to send a probe to coodinates near Organia.
* ScienceMarchesOn: Blish has [=McCoy=] state that handedness-retraining is the ''one and only cause'' of habitual stammering. There ''is'' some statistical evidence of a link, and the popularity of the theory of a connection waxes and wains, but Blish's assertion comes across as [[AuthorTract hyperbole at best]]. The idea that handedness-retraining is still an issue in [=McCoy's=] time also seems bizarre.

* TeleporterAccident: it's on cover of the book.
* YearInsideHourOutside: An extreme version of this at first ''appears'' to be the fate of the Klingons, with aeons passing as they pursue the Enterprise. It is unclear how this marries with their eventual fate of being interdicted from space travel for 1000 years.

With the journey set to take several months, Mr Scott devises a novel long range transporter and attempts to send a short-lived tachyon duplicate of Spock to Organia, with the intention of getting an immediate report. However, the new transporter creates a permanent duplicate of Spock.

!! ''Spock Must Die!" provides examples of:

* PlotHole: plently

Published in 1970, ''Spock Must Die'' by Creator/JamesBlish is the very first original Star Trek novel published by Bantam books, and only the second original Star Trek novel of all. [[note]]The first original novel of all was ''Mission to Horatius'', published by Whitman Publishing in 1969.[[/note]]

As one of the earliest Star Trek novels, ''Spock Must Die'' benefits from only having to maintain continuity with the original TV series. The book is generally be considered non-canon, as the Klingons are ultimately interdicted from space flight for a thousand years.

!! ''Spock Must Die" provides examples of:

** The fate of Organia itself is the source of Spock's duplication. In 5-6 ''months'', nobody thinks to use the tachyon transporter to go. anywhere ''other'' than Organia, or to send a probe to coodinates near Organia.

** The fate of Organia itself is the source of Spock's duplication. In 5-6 ''months'', nobody thinks to use the tachyon transporter to go anywhere ''other'' than Organia, or to send a probe to coodinates near Organia.

* MirrorChemistry: A mirror-reversed copy of Spock is created in a transporter accident. He's unable to eat anything, and so he finds himself slowly starving while he works with a chemistry set in order to create mirrored food he can eat and survive.
* MirrorMoralityMachine: a side effect of the duplication process. Not only does it reverse left and right, but somehow reverses loyalty to the Federation with loyalty to the Klingons.

* FridgeLogic: plently

* Fridge logic: plently

Published in 1970, ''Spock Must Die" by Creator/JamesBlish is the very first original Star Trek novel published by Bantam books, and only the second original Star Trek novel of all. [[note]]The first original novel of all was ''Mission to Horatius'', published by Whitman Publishing in 1969.[[/note]]