Assignment: Earth #1 – Brighter Than a thousand Suns – 3 months after ‘Assignment: Earth’ which is set in April 1968; so July 1968

JULY – 2272

A Flag Full Of Stars

C. APRIL – 2273?

Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor #3 – Medics – Dr. McCoy, Duncan and Theela are dispatched by Doctor Cobb of Federation Headquarters to check up on Alpha Tau IV. The last inspection was ten years ago and the scans showed a level of technology comparable to Earth’s Bronze Age. Now scans are showing advanced industrialization. While approaching the planet the Joanna is fired upon and destroyed and McCoy and Theela are captured. Duncan goes missing. McCoy and Theela are rescued by Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln who have been pulled out of time from December 21, 1970. (Note: McCoy says that they last met ‘centuries ago’ and the Aegis checked up on the clones ‘a few hundred years later’.) While escaping they run into Duncan as well as a nursery full of toddlers and Gary Seven is shot (For the first time, from his perspective). They also meet General Kloor who fell from favor after being expelled from Romulus at the end of ‘Schism’. Kloor discovered the planet and its clones and offered them advanced weaponry as well as introducing female clones to the mix which in turn brought about children and an endless supply of entertainment for the Klingon’s war games. Kloor escapes in his ship and McCoy and the others are beamed aboard the Yorktown, now repaired from the damage suffered in ‘Schism’ and being commanded by Number One who has been promoted to Admiral. (Note: This would have been the perfect time for John Byrne to update the bridge of the Yorktown in order to reflect the ‘TMP’ era in which this story is set. Seeing as the crew are wearing ‘TMP’ uniforms. However he chose not to do that; instead we get a hybrid cross between ‘TOS’ and ‘TMP’.) After a brief firefight with the Klingon ship which eventually self-destructs, Duncan and Theela offer to remain on the planet along with some volunteers from the Yorktown to try and bring civilization to the planet. Admiral (Number One) makes mention of the fact that she last visited the planet 20 years ago when she served on the Enterprise. (Note: It’s closer to 25, but she could be rounding.) After the meeting McCoy goes to visit Gary Seven in sickbay and runs into Christine Chapel who is now a full M.D. and head of sickbay.

Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor #4 pgs. 1–11 – Hosts – Picks up 12-24 hours later from the conclusion of ‘Medics’. Duncan, Theela and a handful of volunteers beam down to Alpha Tau IV. McCoy remarks that he can’t believe it’s been a year since he met Duncan and Theela. Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln return to their own time, which is Christmas Eve 1970. Gary Seven promised Roberta she could visit her boyfriend, Curtis, in Vietnam. (Note: While not mentioned in the dialogue, the unnamed transporter technician might be Lt. Arex from ‘The Animated Series’ or someone from his race.) After everyone has left, McCoy goes to sickbay to meet up with Dr. Chapel. There they meet Lt. M’Benga, Dr. M’Benga’s neice who is infected with an alien organism that was brought aboard when a landing party visited Sigma Thernia 38B two days earlier. The disease/organism has boosted her intelligence as well as others in the landing party. A temporary cure is eventually found and the Yorktown returns to the planet so that the infected crewmembers can rid themselves of the organisms.
Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor #4 pgs. 12–21 – Scalpel – McCoy goes to visit his old school friend Alex Hathaway and his daughter Sophie on the planet Palvarlion IV. A planet where no crime has been committed in over 200 years. McCoy last saw Sophie when she was nine years old. Alex started dealing in antiques as a hobby ‘a few years ago’ and is now one of the richest men on the planet. Alex is suffering from Theising-Barre Syndrome a rare and fatal disease which has left him confined to a hoverchair. Alex shows McCoy a chamber carved out under the house that is at least 10,000 years old. The machines inside repair and renew themselves every 100 years or so. Using the machine Alex is able to show McCoy images from when Alex and his team of archeologists arrived 9 years ago. They were sent there to determine how human contact had interfered with the natural development of the planet as first contact had come before the Prime Directive. After two years of excavating they discovered the chamber. While Alex was examining the machine religious fundamentalists attacked the dig, killing everyone, including his daughter. Over the next two years they were hunted down and executed. At the same time Alex discovered that the machine could reach back in time and manipulate the thoughts of those he observed. He made it so that the father and mother of the man who murdered his daughter never met and when he returned home that night Sophie was there waiting for him. Over the years Alex was able to reach back in time and change the course of the planet away from war and religious strife to one of peace and enlightenment. Alex tells McCoy that the creators of the machine didn’t use the machine properly and ended destroying their civilization. Alex has brought McCoy to finish was he started. That night Alex dies and McCoy goes to the machine and the implication is that he undoes the work Alex started.