Scott Tipton
Author of Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation², Volume 1
About the Author
Series
Works by Scott Tipton
Star Trek: TNG: Mirror Broken #4 4 copies
Star Trek: TNG: Mirror Broken #3 4 copies
Star Trek: TNG: Mirror Broken #2 4 copies
Star Trek: The Q Conflict #6 (of 6) 2 copies
Star Trek: the Q Conflict #5 2 copies
Star Trek: The Q Conflict #4 2 copies
Angel Smile Time 01A 2 copies
ANGEL HOLE IN THE WORLD #2 2 copies
Angel Hole in the World #1 2 copies
Klingons: Blood Will Tell #1 2 copies
Klingons: Blood Will Tell #2 1 copy
Illyria: Haunted #1 (of 4) 1 copy
Angel Hole in the World #4 1 copy
Angel Spotlight: Wesley 1 copy
Illyria: Haunted #4 (of 4) 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 20th century
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- California, USA
- Occupations
- comic book writer
comic historian - Relationships
- Tipton, David (brother)
- Short biography
- [from Amazon website]
Scott Tipton is a New York Times Best-Selling author and comic-book historian with a wide variety of both graphic novel and prose works to his credit. Scott's most recent prose work, The Star Trek Vault: 40 Years From the Archives for Abrams Publishing, charts the remarkable history of the world's most popular science-fiction series. Scott is also the author of Comic Books 101, a humorous stroll through the history and high points of the American art form known as comic books, published by Impact Books.
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 153
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 2,262
- Popularity
- #11,343
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 100
- ISBNs
- 88
- Languages
- 4
1) it was on sale on the Kindle for $1.99. I can't beat that price for a graphic novel.
2) My dad kickstarted the audio drama they're doing for the original teleplay (funded and over) and it tickled my interest to see this on sale.
I very likely saw the TV episode from the original Trek when I was younger. Dad swears I used to watch (and enjoy) it with him. I've been...less interested in the original Trek, far more fascinated by DS9, but I wanted to compare the two so I took out our DVD sets and watched the episode shortly after reading this.
So. Very. Different.
I don't just mean in overall tone--Ellison very clearly had a darker idea about Starfleet (which hey I agree and that's why DS9 is my go to love) then Roddenberry (who was notoriously possessive of his nie on perfect world utopia brainchild)--but in general.
The episode, if you haven't seen it, revolves around Bones McCoy getting himself infected, going batshit crazy and escaping into the mid-20th century past thanks to a somewhat smirky-sarcastic alien portal named the Guardian of Forever* that all but challenges Kirk and Spock to find the right answer OR ELSE.
Not one to let sleeping dogs lie, Kirk and Spock head back in time (not without Spock constantly getting sidetracked by science shit tho), but wind up slightly ahead of when Bones would arrive so they endeavor to live out in pre-WWII America...mostly by stealing, lying and romancing a lady. Yes Kirk gets his Kirk on and argues with Spock, who doesn't understand why Kirk would want to jeopardize their future when their ENTIRE MISSION is to save their future.
That's the episode. With some hijinks, mild racism (mostly Kirk about Spock being a "Chinaman"), and a whole lot of moralizing. Typical TOS Trek.
Ellison's original teleplay (which as I understand wasn't touched up at all really) was like FUCK UTOPIA STARFLEET WE GONNA MAKE THIS REAL WORLD. Drug dealing, insubordination of EVERYONE towards Kirk (including an epic argument between him and Spock), horrible (but accurate) racism, depression era horribleness, fascism (dude look Kirk's Lady was one step away from the bad kind of Socialist) and worst of all plausible morality.
In the show McCoy attempts to, but Kirk stops him having finally seen the logic of Spock's argument. It a painful scene to watch, as Bones (still rather crazy) accuses Kirk of allowing her to die and not caring. Spock, who was with Kirk that entire week he was seducing the Lady, tells Bones Kirk does understand and the three express a lot in just their tone and body language.
In the original teleplay and now the graphic novel, Spock asks Kirk why the crew man sacrificed himself after exhibiting nothing but selfish, greedy and destructive tendencies. He's puzzled by what prompted the man to try. Kirk says that's what it means to be human basically. We're selfish, greedy and destructive...but sometimes there's something we can't help but see as WRONG and want to correct it. For that crew man watching an innocent woman die when he could possibly prevent it meant he had to try. Despite being directly responsible for another's death.
In both cases I think there's an important emotional impact the other misses. In the televised version we see the direct result of Spock and Kirk's conversation--Kirk understands Spock's reasons and puts the needs of the many first. He does what a Starfleet Captain does--makes a heartbreaking choice knowing it will end in someone's death. In Ellison's version the conversation between Spock and Kirk is powerful--Kirk's condemnation of humanity is said in the same breath as his commendation. Spock's concise summation of "there is good in evil and evil in good" is on point.
While my natural inclination is to enjoy Ellison's original teleplay more, especially with the gorgeous artwork exhibited here, I do have a soft spot for the televised version and recommend both to be read/viewed together.
*Seriously I love the Guardian of Forever (who is a big pest in the formerly canonical tie-in novels--especially [b:Spock vs. Q Collection|18926899|Spock vs. Q Collection (Star Trek)|Cecilia Fannon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389119931s/18926899.jpg|26933682], [b:Imzadi|217890|Imzadi (Star Trek the Next Generation)|Peter David|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387669112s/217890.jpg|1192048] and the [b:Millennium Omnibus|131629|Millennium Omnibus (Star Trek Deep Space Nine)|Judith Reeves-Stevens|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1172002925s/131629.jpg|126773] books for DS9, but that's not here or there). His answer to everything is basically "You didn't ask".… (more)