Super Star Trek

Super Star Trek is the name of an old-school ASCII computer game. You can google it. This post has nothing to do with that game, except that both this post and that game involve intellectual property from the Star Trek universe.

* * * * *

"Super-heroes, Mr. Spock? Isn't that... unlikely?"

Spock nodded in agreement with his captain's assessment. "Nevertheless, Captain, it appears to be the case. Three humanoid beings are floating in space 50 meters in front of the Enterprise, without the benefit of pressure suits or oxygen. Instead, they are clothed in primary colors and sport capes and masks."

McCoy was grinning from ear to ear. "Put it on the view screen, Jim. Hey, maybe Superman is out there. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?"

"It would, indeed, Doctor McCoy," the captain replied. "Mr. Chekhov, pull up visual on the main view screen."

"Aye, Keptin."

Hovering in front of the dark, star-speckled vastness of space were, in fact, three humanoid-looking forms. One was a brown-haired man in a half-mask clad in a a green and black single piece uniform. One was a green-skinned bald man in a blue cape. The third was a large, dark-haired man in a blue suit, red cape and boots, and a big red S on his chest.

"I'll be..." said McCoy, "It is Superman, and Green Lantern, too! But I don't recognize that green-skinned one. If his ears were pointed, I'd think maybe some kind of Vulcan super-hero."

"Vulcans do not have super-heroes, Doctor. We believe in admiring actual people rather than stories and legends."

"They look pretty real to me, Mr. Spock," Kirk said. "And the green-skinned one is the Martian Manhunter."

Spock arched an eyebrow at the captain.

Kirk grinned, "There wasn't a whole lot to do during the long winters growing up in Iowa. I read... a lot."

Kirk pressed a button on his chair, activating the comm. "Transporter room, lock on to the 3 life forms in front of the ship and beam them aboard."

* * * * *

"I don't believe it," thought Hal Jordan through the telepathic link the Martian Manhunter had established between the three of them.

"Believe it," J'onn thought back. "I detect hundreds of minds on board."

"And I can see them with my X-ray vision," Superman thought. "They're all dressed just like in the original series. And, Hal, Kirk looks just like William Shatner."

Hal smiled. "We need to get inside that ship. Maybe we can--" his thought was cut off as the three of them were caught in the Enterprise's transporter beam.

* * * * *

"--wave and get their attention."

"It appears," said Superman, out loud, "that we already have." He looked down from the transporter pad into the inquiring gazes of Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Scotty: all of whom were characters in a cancelled television show, not real flesh and blood people. But here they were, looking exactly like the actors who portrayed them looked 50 years ago. And in an actual working starship Enterprise.

* * * * *

Despite the delight he had expressed earlier, McCoy was skeptical that these beings were actual 20th century comic book characters come to life. More likely another god-like alien picking up images from the crew's minds and choosing to assume a form that fit the heroic ideal. He scanned the three men on the transporter pad with his tricorder. Sure enough, two were alien, different from each other, and like no alien race on file. The third one, the "Green Lantern" was... "Human, Jim. The man in the mask is from Earth. Chemical analysis of his body's cells would be consistent with someone living in the late 20th, early 21st century in the industrial West."

At that moment, a green light shot out from the Green Lantern's ring and passed over the assembled Enterprise crew. "Well, ring," Hal asked, "What are they?"

"Three humans, birthplace: earth. One unidentifiable alien."

Despite himself, McCoy grinned again, "You see, Spock, even the Green Lantern's ring can't identify you."

"Doctor, please," Kirk said, before Spock could reply. "We have guests. Gentlemen, I am Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise."

"We know," Superman said. "And the Vulcan is Mr. Spock, that's Doctor Leonard McCoy, and Montgomery Scott. But, of course, you aren't really them, since they are characters on an old television show, and even if they were real, they wouldn't be born for another two hundred years."

"And I don't remember any episodes where they interacted with the Green Lantern Corps," Hal said. "So, who are you?"

"Fascinating," said Spock. "They appear to believe we are fictitious characters, even as we believe the same of them."

"Fictitious? Us?" Hal said.

"Yes," J'onn said. "They believe we are comic book characters, and that this is the 23rd century. And they know about us, although some of them are confused, but Kirk knows our names, abilities, and secret identities. He read them in comic books when he was growing up in Iowa."

"A parallel earth?" Superman asked.

"That would be a logical explanation," answered Spock. "But hardly the only one. More likely that you are aliens masquerading as these comic book heroes or else artificial biological constructs of an alien technology that truly believes themselves to be what they have been created to appear to be."

"Spock, I scanned them. We've had a whale of a lot of experience with god-like aliens and artificial life forms. I tell you, man, that Green Lantern is from 20th century earth."

Kirk held up a hand. "Everyone, it's clear we need to sit down and discuss how we all came to be here, and to figure out where here is, to everyone's satisfication. Why don't we all adjourn to the meeting room and sit and discuss this over coffee?"

"A good idea, Captain," Superman said.

Spock led the way, and McCoy and Kirk brought up the rear. After everyone else had left the transporter room, Scotty shook his head, "I'll be needin' a drink." And then he headed out in search of just that.