Medics

"Medics" was the third issue of John Byrne's TOS miniseries Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor. This story was a sequel to two of Byrne's previous stories, TOS - Star Trek: Assignment: Earth comic: "My Name Is Legion" and TOS - Crew comic: "Shadows of the Past", continuing the adventures of a society of Human clones sent to Alpha Tau IV by the Beta 5 computer in the 20th century and discovered by the USS Enterprise in 2248.

Publisher's description

From solicitations

A planet at war — but all is not as it seems. Especially not when Dr. McCoy finds himself face to face with someone who seems to be from the wrong century! This issue picks up threads from both the Assignment: Earth and Crew minis. Features two covers by Byrne, including a single-panel “gag” cover.

Summary

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References

Characters

Christine Chapel • Cobb • Dwayne Cory • Jon Duncan • Eugene Eckhart • Eight • G15 • G17 • G23 • Kloor • Roberta Lincoln • Leonard McCoy • Number One • Gary Seven • Theela • Twelve • unnamed USS Yorktown personnel (bridge crew, briefing room officers, transporter chiefs, nurse)

Referenced only

Beta 5 computer • devil • James T. Kirk • Christopher Pike • Spock • unnamed Klingons (Klingon Emperor)

Starships and vehicles

aircraft • Joanna • tanks • USS Yorktown (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • unnamed D7 class starships (Kloor's Klingon battlecruiser)

Referenced only

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)

Locations

Alpha Tau IV

Referenced only

Argus VI • Beta Trianguli • Earth • Omicron Testus IVd • hell • Talos IV

Races and cultures

Andorian • Human • Illyrian • Klingon (HemQuch • QuchHa') • Pierson's Puppeteer (cover only)

States and organizations

Aegis • Federation Headquarters • Klingon Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Command • United Federation of Planets

Science and classification

arrow • auto destruct • biobed • bow • brllictucc powder • bullet • chemical weapon • cloning • coordinates • disruptor • distress signal • genetic engineering • helmet • impulse engine • medscanner • missile • photon torpedo • pistol • ray gun • rifle • scanner • servo • shields • technology • time travel • transponder • transporter • tricorder • warp drive • warp nacelle • weapon

Ranks and titles

admiral • clone • commander • crewman • doctor • Emperor of the Klingon Empire • engineer • first officer • general

Other references

20th century • acid • assignment patch • atmosphere • backpack • bridge • briefing room • Bronze Age • century • century • chemical • corridor • crew • emotion • love • engineering • English language • Federation Starfleet ranks (2270s) • fox • gambling • grass • havlaq • helm • hound • hour • kilometer • lifeform • log • magnetic field • marriage • medical • meter • minute • mountain • orbit • outpost • planet • raktajino • rock • security • sickbay • space • spaceship • Starfleet uniform (early 2270s) • time • transporter room • tree • trial • war • war game • year

Timeline

Chronology

1969

• Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln uncover a plot to make clone soldiers on Earth. (Year cited by Seven)
• Beta 5 computer beams 250 clones to Alpha Tau IV.

21 December 1970

• Seven and Lincoln disappear from Earth to investigate Alpha Tau IV. (Date cited in "Hosts")

circa 2248

• USS Enterprise discovers clone settlements on Alpha Tau IV. (20 years prior to story)

circa 2260

• Alpha Tau IV is checked on by an Earth ship. (10 years prior to story)

2260s

• Klingons provide clones with weapons and genetically engineer females.

2271

• Seven and Lincoln arrive on Alpha Tau IV via time travel.
• Joanna is destroyed.
• Seven is wounded by a bullet for the first time.
• Kloor dies.

Production history

• 9 June 2010 : First published by IDW Publishing.
• 27 October 2010 : Collected in the Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor miniseries omnibus.
• 4 June 2013 : Reprinted in hardcover in The John Byrne Collection omnibus.
• 29 December 2015 : Reprinted in paperback in The John Byrne Collection omnibus.
• 3 January 2019 : Reprinted in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #53. (Eaglemoss)

Appendices

Background

• This issue was release in three covers, all by John Byrne. The two primary covers were available equally. The third cover, an uncolored version of the B cover, was available as a retail incentive. The B cover depicts a Pierson's Puppeteer from Larry Niven's Known Space series, with Niven being thanked "for the loan".

• The Aegis, Alpha Tau IV, and Omicron Testus IV's fourth moon were not cited by name. Christine Chapel introduced herself to McCoy on the last panel, but her identity was withheld until the next issue.
• Kloor chose to remove evidence of Klingon activity on Alpha Tau IV, evidence that would have proved Klingons had violated the Organian Peace Treaty. Ayelborne had recently reaffirmed the Treaty's terms in 2270 while halting a battle involving Klingons, Romulans, and the USS Yorktown, in TOS - Romulans: Schism comic: "Issue 3".

Errata

• In "My Name Is Legion", the Beta 5 computer claimed it sent the clones to an Earth-like world in the Vega system.

Related stories

• Prior stories in the clone saga:
  • TOS - Star Trek: Assignment: Earth comic: "My Name Is Legion"
  • TOS - Crew comic: "Shadows of the Past"
• Prior appearances of Kloor:
  • TOS - Romulans: Pawns of War comic: "The Hollow Crown, Issue 2"
  • TOS - Romulans: Schism comic: "Issue 3"
• TOS episode & Star Trek 1 novelization: The Man Trap – Leonard McCoy told Gary Seven he had a friend who got bellyaches from mysteries, a confession Kirk made in this episode.
• TOS - Year Five comic: "Issue 17" – McCoy wondered if Alpha Tau IV might be the planet Seven was raised on, a place shown in this comic.

Images

Connections

Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor stories and publications
#1: "Weeds" • #2: "Error" • #3: "Medics" • #4: "Hosts" & "Scalpel"

Media featuring Gary Seven
Episode	Assignment: Earth
Miniseries	The Peacekeeper • Convergence • The Eugenics Wars • Assignment: Earth
Novels	Assignment: Eternity • The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1 • The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2 • From History's Shadow • Elusive Salvation
Short stories	"The Aliens Are Coming!" • "Seven and Seven" • "Assignment: One" • "Rocket Man" • "Time Line"
Comics	"The Peacekeeper, Part One" • "The Peacekeeper, Part Two" • "Split Infinities" • "Future Imperiled" • "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" • "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" • "My Name Is Legion" • "We Have Met the Enemy..." • "Too Many Presidents" • "Ah-Ha!" • "Medics" • "Hosts" • "1971/4860.2" • "An Unexpected Yesterday" • "Year Five, Issue 11" • "Year Five, Issue 12" • "Year Five, Issue 15" • "Year Five, Issue 16" • "Year Five, Issue 17" • "Year Five, Issue 21" • "Year Five, Issue 22" • "Year Five, Issue 23" • "Year Five, Issue 24"

published order
Previous comic: Error	TOS comics (Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor)	Next comic: Hosts
chronological order
Previous adventure: Error	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: Hosts
Previous story: My Name Is Legion	The adventures of Gary Seven	Next story: Hosts
The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2271. The Memory Beta Chronology places events from this story in 1 other timeframe(s):
Previous adventure: Elusive Salvation Chapter 11	21 December 1970	Next adventure: Elusive Salvation Chapters 12-14

External link

• Medics article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.