Star Trek: Log Six

Star Trek: Logs #6

by Alan Dean Foster

Three exciting episodes from television's most popular science fiction series!

—Complete in this volume—

Albatross: The mission to deliver supplies to Draymia seemed so routine...until the natives arrested Dr. McCoy for murder!

The Practical Joker: Suddenly everything aboard the Enterprise ran amok. Someone or something was up to no good...and it was no longer funny!

How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth: Gods from outer space? It didn't seem likely. Then Kirk and his crew ran up against something calling itself Kukulkan and it didn't seem friendly!

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections

195 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1976

About the author

Bestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.

Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.

Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.

Reviews

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sneaky good read. Alan D Foster was charged with presenting the aminated Star Trek series of the mid 1970s into novellas in paperback form for the Trekkies out there. I was always told that the animated series was great because there was no limit on special effects with a cartoon. Of course as a fifteen year old, I was much too cool to watch a cartoon so I never saw the series. Ran across this book recently at a St Louis used bookstore and it is a really great read!! As a sixty two year old, and even though I'm still cool, I'm going to watch the animated Star Trek now - 47 years later!!

[Rafeeq O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Dean Foster's 1976 Star Trek Log Six contains 3 stories adapted by Foster from the screenplays of the early 1970s animated cartoon television series that had been spun off from the original acted series of half a dozen years earlier.

Never having seen the animated series, I can make no comparison between the original episodes and Foster's adaptations, in the way I occasionally have with James Blish's adaptations of the original series. I can comment, though, that the cartoon series evinces some differences from the acted series. Here, for example, we have a handy piece of technology called a "life-support belt," which creates a very thin but tough force field, meaning that characters can stomp around in vacuum or poisonous atmospheres as if in a spacesuit. And of course another product of the animated nature of the show is that we have a few alien crew members--three-legged and three-armed, cat-like, or winged, for example--who would have been too expensive to produce every week via elaborate costuming, along with other odd aliens occasionally encountered. These differences are commonsensical, at least in science fiction, and they do not draw attention to themselves unduly.

In "Albatross," whose original script was by Dario Finelli, the Enterprise is on a seemingly "long, dull mission to Draymia" (1977 Del Rey paperback, page 5), a world potentially looking for "expanding trade and cooperation" with the Federation (page 12). But "[f]ollowing successful delivery of medical equipment and supplies" (page 10), Dr. McCoy, who 19 years earlier had been posted to Draymia's first, and now dead, interplanetary colony, is arrested for "the wanton slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians" (page). This is no plot-spoiler, by the way, since it is already revealed on the teaser blurb on the back of the Del Rey paperback. It seems awfully damned unlikely that the younger Bones, even through inexperience, helped spread that disastrous plague of a generation earlier rather than labored against it, so Kirk and Spock must find the truth where the scrupulously legal and yet here rather closed-minded Draymians will not...even at the risk of the deadly plague itself.

The story is good, though I should comment that I am a tad puzzled by the title. I presume it is a reference to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," which gives us the notion, known even to those who have never read the nineteenth-century poem, of being cursed by having an albatross--a very large and heavy sea bird, which upon decay after death presumably would not smell so great, either--hung from one's neck. In the poem, of course, it is a fitting punishment for the man who needlessly shot the friendly bird with his crossbow. But here... Well, McCoy of course actually has no sin or crime for which he needs to atone. And unless I missed it somehow, I really don't think the text, whether through authorial narration or through dialogue, gave us any nudging reference. This issue doesn't detract from the plot itself, but...well, it is a bit odd.

"The Practical Joker," whose original script was by Chuck Menville, begins by following up on a crack Spock made at the end of the previous episode, about McCoy during his incarceration for genocide and then the race to find a cure to save the ship's dying crew having been "somewhat derelict" in "the daily dispensing of vitamin supplements" (page 62), about which, after indignation and then a moment's thought, Bones displays "a smile of uncommonly fiendish glee" (page 63)...and suddenly now Spock has dandruff (page 67). Violation of the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm notwithstanding, shortly thereafter, a standard run-in with sneaky Romulans leads to a flight through a standard cloud of "most" (page 75) composition and properties. The Enterprise survives, of course, but then the ship is beset with practical jokes that escalate from corny and gently amusing to potentially deadly...

"How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," whose original script was by Russell Bates and David Wise, is one of those Erich-von-Daniken-esque tales--like, say, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" from the original series and adapted in James Blish's Star Trek 7--in which the myths of Old Earth have their origins in visitations from deep space. As often turns out to be the case, however, no matter how overwhelming a seeming god's power and no matter how perilous his anger, Kirk and Spock can find a chink in the godlike armor, with the Captain asserting, not without compassion, that "we're all grown up now," and that "[i]f we fail or succeed, it has to be--must be--done by our own hands. By our own doing" (page 193). Oh, yes-- And here the quotation of the title is explained, too (page 195).

In any event, Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Log Six may begin with stories originally from a cartoon show, yet the adaptations are well done and aimed at an adult audience, and for any fan of the starship Enterprise and its historic five-year mission, the book will be a swift and enjoyable 4.5- to 5-star read.

[Claire (Sunbee) · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first introduction to the genre was the movie Star Trek (2009) so my knowledge of the characters' behaviors for the franchise wasn't the classic Enterprise Crew. The Kirk I knew was snarky and humorous and a wild card, influenced by his care for his friends and his crew but knows when and where to lash out when needed. The Spock was monotonous and somehow more human in emotion rather than expression.

I felt like that I had to prove that I really loved the franchise by getting to know its roots. Nobody was gatekeeping me in any way but I simply felt like I needed to prove my credibility.

I really tried to get into the tv shows but it's just too slow-paced for me. I think watching them requires a certain nostalgia and dedication because, by today's standards, the stories and effects were a little distracting or predictable. I feel like I'll be crucified by the original Star Trek fans for saying this but there were plenty of times were I wanted to watch the show in 2x speed on Netflix.

It's unfair to the producers of the work and the actors that I'll treat their creation like that so I looked for alternatives. Thankfully, we have the short stories from the tv shows which I really like. I'm glad I could see the lore and go with the Enterprise crew on their adventures without the need to watch each episode.

The work isn't exemplary by any chance but if you're a Star Trek fan, these short stories help to paint the universe with clear images of their adventures and discoveries. You see small self-contained stories in an easy to digest format. That's it for me!

If I were to rank the stories, it would be How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth > Practical Joker > Albatross. The third story was pretty cool because they re-imagined gods but as a space-faring race. Practical Joker had stakes that were actually a threat to all of their lives and I feel like that idea had more potential if they chose to expound what they had. Albatross seemed a little too deus ex machine for my taste but it wasn't bad, just not up my alley.

Should you read this? I feel like it's good to try but don't expect this to be your next bible on the series; think of it as short stories with varying levels of lore and consistency in quality. If you love Star Trek or the original tv series, this is a good way to revisit them without actually watching the show.

Final Rating ⭐⭐⭐3 stars for all the vibes!

[Tracy Poff]

My full review is posted on Barba Non DB.

All the stories are competently done, but they don't offer anything substantial to keep the reader's attention--no new insights or interestingly different takes on the episodes. It makes me long for the previous book: "The Ambergris Element" opened with a look at M'ress as she decided to enter Starfleet and moved up through the ranks, and it was wonderful. We need more of that! I'm hoping that we'll get a lot more such asides in the remaining books in the series, since much more material must be created to expand the episodes into novel-length stories. This is another book that is probably of interest only to completionists.

[Rex Libris · Rating 3 out of 5]

#6 in the line of novelizations of the Saturday morning animated series. In this volume McCoy is accused of genocide, but discovers what really killed all those people and saves the rest with a quickly synthesized drug. In the second story radiation makes the main computer go haywire. Among the more amusing pranks by the computer is printing "Kirk is a Jerk" on his uniform shirts. In the last story the Enterprise encounter an alien who was once the Aztec god Kukulkan.

[Darryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent adaptation of 3 animated episodes of TOS. The stories are brief, but Foster has expanded on the original episodes by providing the plot with additional depth and a prologue type opening. All of the characters stay within their personas, so it is a comfortable light read.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the animated series but each of the three novellas stands up well on their own

[Fredric Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much cookie-cutter short story series roughly based on the Star Trek original series. Nothing special, really, and rather silly these days.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Log Six from a thrift store or somewhere. I have just read it looking for hidden treasure, but have come away not impressed.

The book contains three novellas, about 60 pages long each, all novelizations of a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon. Long forgotten are the plots of the cartoons this book is based upon. So these are "new" stories to me.

The first novella Albatross was the best, three stars. Dr. McCoy is accused of having committed genocide earlier in his career and is arrested. The Enterprise crew investigates. The accusation of McCoy was dramatic, but the alien contagion run rampant story is rather unoriginal even when this was written.

The second novella, The Practical Joker, is too silly for words. None of the cast acts in a manner that is in character. Worse, the plot is a cliche. I mean, what can be less original than an evil A.I. causing trouble. To make matters worse, Foster's writing craft is uninspired. I don't think he revised his first draft. Ugggghh! One star.

The third novella How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth is better than the second story for at least attempting to be serious, but the plot points are just as derivative. The alien power that can grab a spaceship in mid-voyage and hold it immobile. The alien zookeeper wanting to put our human protagonist specimens in cages. Even the lost gods trope is here in this bland cliche. The writing was also overly narrative, lots of description, very little action. Two stars.

I saw Alan Dean Foster speak at a Dragon Con a few years ago. He was asked about his novelizations, whether if he had weak scripts to work from he would depart from them in order to write a better book. Foster replied that he recognized the weakness of some of the scripts, but that he couldn't change plot points. To do so would exceed his commission. If a script had a gaping hole in it, and the worst of these, he said, was when he took on the Black Hole novelization in which a meteor smashes into a ship, runs through it, comes out the other end, and everyone inside is basically still okay, you have to write it that way. That being said, Foster said he would try to spruce up the writing itself, lend sounder motivations for the characters, write them is such a way as to be more creditable, etc. I can see that Foster did some of that here in Log Six, especially in the first novella. Nevertheless, I think he had room to do better with the other two stories.

[Baal Of · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story is pretty decent, with the premise of an alien race arresting McCoy for genocide. Of course the Enterprise crew get to the bottom of the real story as expected. It's an ok story, done adequately, but nothing really special. The second story, however, enters into the realm of goofiness. The original series always allowed for some lighter episodes, but this one wasn't very good, perhaps because the author just couldn't pull it off, but also because the practical jokes weren't very funny, and it became annoying very quickly. This story also had an obnoxious instance of sexual harassment against Uhura, which didn't fit at all with the behavior of the crew of the original series, and it brought the tone of the whole story down. Poorly done. The third story was yet another superior race of ancient aliens, that had been to earth in the ancient past, thus creating a basis for existing myths. This has already been done in the original series, and now it starts to look like there was a cottage industry of alien gods visiting earth. We really didn't need another story like this. It was done before, and much more deftly. This has been my least favorite of the Log books so far.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely one of the better volumes of this series, with stories based on the Animated Star Trek series. I think the three episodes adapted in this one are easily comparable to the Original Series. "Albatross" is the best of the three, reading like a regular episode. The other two, "The Practical Joker" and "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" have some flaws, but could've easily been third season shows.

I think the only problem with the Star Trek Logs is that for some reason, the characterization seems about as wooden as the animation was in the shows, which is strange considering Alan Dean Foster is doing the writing. I have been enjoying the extra emphasis, when allowed, on Arex and M'Ress. The third tale introduces Walking Bear, a backup navigator and Native American descendant. I'm sure he was a story-specific throwaway character, but he at least had a bit of personality.

[Curtiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another three episodes from the Animated Star Trek Saturday morning cartoon series have been adapted by Alan Dean Foster in novella form. Nearly the only format available of the Animated Star Trek series.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Adapted from the animated series created by Gene Roddenbury."

AKA Star Trek Slog Six. The episodes are getting more far-fetched, more cartoonish. What did I expect from the novelization of an animated series?

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 12.26.85

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review under Star Trek Log 1: These are the stories from the Saturday morning cartoon of Star Trek.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

standard star trek novel

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

McCoy on trial, the ship's computer playing jokes on the crew, finding God???