General Trelaneis dead! It’s time to mourn, Trekkies. Yes, nearly 60 years after the god-like character first appeared in theStar Trek: The Original SeriesSeason 1 episode titled “The Squire of Gothos,” the retired general and childish deity, who made Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise crew his unwilling playmates, has been unceremoniously killed off in a brand-new comic book. The egregious act took place within the pages ofStar TrekNo. 23and was carried out by writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. Check out an image right from the source as Trelane cries out for his mother and father in horror, before succumbing to Lore’s deadly designs.
The comic book panel definitely conjures up memories of Trelane arguing with his glowing-green incorporeal parents at the conclusion of “The Squire of Gothos,” in which the naughty child is punished for mistreating his playthings: Kirk and the captain’s crew. Now, it’s hard to believe that a powerful being like Trelane would go out in such a callously written way. After all, condsider how easily the beloved villain absconded with Kirk and Mr. Sulu (George Takei), easily plucking them off the ship’s bridge, as the U.S.S. Enterprise orbited the planet Gothos in 1967’sTOSepisode.
Star Trek: The Original Series
However, Kirk did find Trelane had a weakness when he used one of his host’s dueling pistols to damage the retired general’s instrumentation, which was shrouded by an unsuspecting mirror. For those considering to read the issue responsible for Trelane’s demise, the synopsis forStar TrekNo. 23 reads as follows (perPenguin Random House):
“After defying the laws of physics to reach the Pleroma, Captain Sisko and the Theseus crew find themselves unwelcome.The gods want them home and warn thateveryone will die if they don’t leave,but they’re too late and their worst fears just might come true.The new godkiller is on their doorsteps…and it’s none other than Lore!”
Comic Book Writers Have Killed the OG Q!
When it comes tothe most powerfulStar Trekvillains,there arguably aren’t any who are more formidable than Q (John de Lancie), who first appeared in the two-hour debut ofStar Trek: The Next Generationtitled “Encounter at Farpoint.” And, given that General Trelane is also a member of the Q Continuum — the online hornets nest surrounding the discussion has just been kicked again — it seems almost ludicrous that the character originally portrayed by William Campbell would die so easily.
In an interview with de Lancie, the thespian who made Q so memorable and gave the character such gravitas, spoke of his feelings about the being’s origins and connection to Trelane. The actor said courtesy of a classic sit-down posted toYouTube:
“The character of Trelanehas a lot of characteristics that are very much like Q.That’s when it occurred to me that Gene [Roddenberry] had probably called upon that character either consciously or unconsciously.It’s kind of carrying that baton through time.My contribution is to continue that idea that started very possibly with Trelane —I’m not sure, but very possibly with Trelane. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
12 Surprising Facts About Star Trek: The Original Series
Here’s some lesser-known behind-the-scenes trivia about the show that spawned the iconic space-opera franchise.
It’s hard to fathom how lackluster installments like “Assignment: Earth,” which is incorrectly designated “Operation Earth” in MovieWeb’s list ofthe bestStar Trek: TOSepisodes,and the enlightening but nevertheless boring “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” rank higher than the whimsical and much more entertaining “The Squire of Gothos." And it doesn’t even show up in the Top 20!
Regardless, though, a belovedStar Trekcharacter has been laid to rest, and it’ll be interesting to see how Trekkies react online. RIP General Trelane… “retired.” And be sure to check outStar TrekNo. 23’s comic book covers and variants (below). The issue is now available and retails for $4.99 (perPRH).
“The Squire of Gothos” is available to stream onParamount+at the time of this writing.
