192: I'm a Doctor, Not a Captain!

Doctor's Orders. For a ship's surgeon, Dr. McCoy tends to spend an awful lot of time on the bridge of the Enterprise, usually grousing to Captain Kirk about his command decisions. The tables are turned on the good doctor when Kirk decides to leave him in command while visiting an alien world. However, when Captain Kirk disappears, McCoy must remain in command until he is found. Will the doctor find himself in over his head? In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther discuss the classic Diane Duane novel Doctor's Orders. We talk about McCoy's command style, the three species of the planet Flyspeck, when the story is set, Diane Duane's fascination with starship maneuvers, the fact that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings. In the news segment, we talk about Christopher L. Bennett's annotations for his novel The Face of the Unknown and review two comics: Boldly Go #8 and Waypoint #5. News The Face of the Unknown Annotations (00:02:54) Boldly Go #8 (00:06:35) Waypoint #5 (00:14:50) Feature: Doctor's Orders Oldie but a Goodie (00:24:46) Doctor on the Bridge (00:28:58) Three Species (00:38:38) When Does This Story Take Place? (00:59:52) Intricate Maneuvers (01:05:14) Where We Belong (01:10:31) Ratings (01:16:26) Final Thoughts (01:19:30) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Bruce Gibson (Associate Producer)