Mission to Horatius
The first original Star Trek novel, published while the series aired.
Mission to Horatius is a novel based on the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series. Published in 1968 by Whitman, it was the first original novel based on the series. The book details the adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as they investigate a distress signal and encounter several different human colonies.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Mack Reynolds
- Illustrator
- Sparky Moore
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Publisher
- Whitman
- Released
- 1968
- Format
- Print (Hardcover)
Facts from the source article.
Plot synopsis
The Enterprise is en route to Starbase 12 for shore leave, supplies, and engine servicing when a distress call pulls them off course to a distant solar system. McCoy warns Kirk that the crew, worn down by a long patrol, risks developing cafard, a form of space madness. Arriving at the NGC 400 system, they discover three planets, each settled by human colonists who rejected Earth’s social or political systems. One world has fallen to a Stone Age existence, another operates at mid-20th century technology, and the third possesses spaceflight and advanced weapons. Kirk must identify who sent the signal and why. The mission brings them into contact with a warrior society, a drug-controlled populace, and a culture where an elite class relies on clones for all daily labor.
Production
The first Star Trek fiction appeared in 1967 with comic books, followed that year by Bantam Books' short story collections adapting episodes, written by James Blish. In 1968, Whitman published the first original Star Trek novel, Mission to Horatius, in hardcover. It was the only novel released while the show was still on the air. Mack Reynolds wrote it, with illustrations by Sparky Moore. John Meredyth Lucas raised concerns with Desilu Business Affairs and Gene Roddenberry, calling the book dull and poorly written, and pointing out inaccuracies like calling Vulcans "Vulcanians" and having Spock recite poetry. He also objected to Sulu being described as a "bland faced, small oriental" and Uhura as a "negress" who sings a spiritual. On November 14, 1967, Roddenberry agreed with Lucas, telling Desilu he would rather lose the deal than damage the Star Trek property. Even after corrections, Roddenberry wrote a five-page critique of the novel's flaws. Whitman never published another Star Trek novel, though it did release coloring books. In February 1999, Pocket Books reprinted Mission to Horatius as a facsimile edition to mark its 20th anniversary as a Star Trek licensee. Editor John J. Ordover explained the reprint was done for fun, and that Paramount held the rights because Whitman had gone out of business. He noted the book was selling for $50 at conventions, so a reissue made sense. Pocket Books bought a used copy from science fiction author Dayton Ward to complete the reproduction.
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