Real world article
(written from a production point of view)
An inconceivable fortune – a bewildering population… an impossible situation.
How Much for Just the Planet? is a Pocket TOS novel – #36 in the numbered series, and the second of the retroactively designated Worlds Apart novels – written by John M. Ford. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in October 1987.
Summary[]
- From the book jacket
- Dilithium. In crystalline form, is the most valuable mineral element in the galaxy. It powers the Federation's starships… and the Klingon Empire's battle cruisers. Now on a small, out-of-the-way planet named Direidi, the greatest fortune in dilithium crystals ever has been found.
- Under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty, the planet will go to the side best able to develop the planet and its resources. Each side will contest the prize with the prime of its fleet. For the Federation – Captain James T. Kirk and the Starship Enterprise. For the Klingons – Captain Kaden vestai-Oparai and the IKS Fire Blossom.
- Only the Direidians are writing their own script for this contest – a script that propels the crew of the USS Enterprise into their strangest adventure yet!
Chapters:
- In Space, No One Can Fry an Egg
– Educational Short Subject - The Dilithium Crystal as Big as the Ritz
– Historical Interlude - Organian Jumpball
- Overtures
- All's Fair in Love and Dilithium
- The Dawn Patrol
- Afternoon Matinee
- All Through the Night
- Come Up and See Me Sometime
- Dilithium Split
Background information[]
- The Science Fiction Book Club released a special edition of the novel in hardback in March 1988.
Cover gallery[]
Worlds Apart reissue cover
Characters[]
Main[]
- James T. Kirk
- Spock
- Leonard McCoy
- Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
- Hikaru Sulu
- Uhura
- Pavel Chekov
- Christine Chapel
Other[]
- Ilen the Magian (tuckerization of Neil Gaiman)
- singer of "Monochrome"
- Tatyana Trofimov
- Captain, USS Jefferson Randolph Smith
- T'Vau
- Vulcan science officer of same.
- Tellihu
References[]
- Direidi
- grilled cheese
- USS Jefferson Randolph Smith (NCC-29407)
- Sulek-class Federation starship
Chronology[]
External links[]
- How Much for Just the Planet? at Wikipedia
- How Much for Just the Planet? at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
| Previous novel: | Series | Next novel: |
| #35: Rihannsu: The Romulan Way | Pocket TOS Numbered novels |
#37: Bloodthirst |
| The Romulan Way (#4) | Titan Books release order | Bloodthirst (#6) |
| The Final Reflection | Worlds Apart | Final novel in series |