Sixteenth UK Story Arc

''Far out in deep space, the inhabitants of the planet Tekkor had come to the peak of their civilisation. Splendid cities dotted the six great continents...''

Summary
Investigating the disappearance of a Federation survey ship, the Enterprise visits Tekkor - a world covered in water for nine hundred years.

Memorable quotes
"My stars - what a ghastly mess!"
 * - Chekov, reacting to the submerged ruins of Tekkor

"If the engines work in space, they'll work here. I'm giving her minimum power!"
 * - Kirk, navigating the Galileo underwater

"Suppose... suppose some really big monster got them, sir?"
 * - Chekov, looking to Kirk for reassurance

"I'll have two fully-armed shuttlecrafts standing by with surface heat generators installed and submarine missiles loaded!"
 * - Spock, preparing to rescue the Galileo

"Shouldn't we leave one man with the shuttle, sir?"

"What's the point? We're dealing with the unknown!"
 * - Kirk charges ahead

"Parka motip menikka thwek?"

"Confound it! Did anyone bring a translator-communicator?"
 * - The Tekkorians fail to greet Kirk's party

"You've news of my Captain, then...!"

"Bad news. It is a long story..."
 * - Spock makes formal first contact with the Tekkorians

"But we must! Can't we break in? [...] My stars!  We've just got to sit here while the Captain and his men unleash all hell down there!"
 * - Spock, frustrated

Characters

 * Kirk wears red and Chekov wears blue.
 * Kirk swears by Jupiter.

Setting and technology

 * Chekov is aboard, placing the story between 2267 and 2269.
 * Tekkor's flooding, nine hundred years before the story, is never explained. Since the Federation visits in the 2260s, the deluge must have occurred in the 14th century.
 * Kirk asks for volunteers for a shuttle party, "one officer and three men". This implies that enlisted beings were part of Kirk's crew.
 * The registry of the survey ship is "SF-788 Survey II".
 * Kirk's problems understanding a local without a translator echo the same problem in the Eighth UK Story Arc.
 * Kirk rides aboard the shuttlecraft Galileo. Spock's rescue shuttle has the registry NCC-1701/8, but its name is not shown.
 * Kirk says that "the way's open for Tekkor's alliance with the Space Federation". This implies that Tekkor meets the requirements for entry and that Kirk has established diplomatic relations with their leadership.
 * This is the second UK story to feature a water planet, after the Ninth UK Story Arc.

Publishing history
None of the UK weekly stories had titles.
 * Part 1: TV21 & Joe 90 #52,
 * Part 2: TV21 & Joe 90 #53,
 * Part 3: TV21 & Joe 90 #54,
 * Part 4: TV21 & Joe 90 #55,
 * Part 5: TV21 & Joe 90 #56,
 * Part 6: TV21 & Joe 90 #57,

Regular cast

 * Captain James T. Kirk
 * Pavel Chekov
 * Nyota Uhura
 * Spock
 * Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott

Other characters

 * Sandor - Tekkorian
 * Smith - enlisted crewman