Mission to Horatius
First edition cover
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| Author | Mack Reynolds |
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| Illustrator | Sparky Moore |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Star Trek: The Original Series |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Whitman |
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Publication date
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1968 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 210 pp |
| OCLC | 40742101 |
Mission to Horatius is a novel based on the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It was published in 1968 by Whitman, and was the first original novel based on the series; the first novel for adult audiences, Spock Must Die!, would not be published until February 1970. Mission to Horatius details the adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise investigating where a distress signal had originated, resulting in them engaging with several different human colonies.
The novel was written by Mack Reynolds, and was Whitman's only original fiction based on the series. The producers of Star Trek had issues with the book, as they were concerned that it was dull and poorly written, in addition to containing offensive descriptions of both Sulu and Uhura. Gene Roddenberry intervened, stating that he would rather call off the publishing deal than see the property harmed. It was corrected, but Roddenberry was still dissatisfied with the novel. By 1999, Whitman had gone out of business, and so to celebrate holding the Star Trek license for 20 years, it was re-published by Pocket Books.
The U.S.S. Enterprise is headed to Starbase 12 for shore leave, supplies and repairs. Food is running low and the engines need servicing. A distress signal diverts the ship to a solar system on the outer edge of explored space. Upon hearing of the emergency mission, Dr. McCoy expresses his concern about the mental health of the crew to Kirk. In Dr. McCoy's opinion, the Enterprise has been on patrol for such a long period of time that the crew is in danger of developing a form of space madness known as cafard.
Upon reaching the NGC 400 solar system, the Enterprise crew comes across three planets populated by different human settlers who had been unhappy with the social or political order of Earth. One planet has reverted to a Stone Age state, another has a mid-20th Century technology while the third maintains a level of technology capable of space travel and advanced weaponry.
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