Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site osiris.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!rob
From: rob@osiris.UUCP (Robert St. Amant)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Slaver stasis boxes (Long, but read it anyway)
Message-ID: <263@osiris.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 27-Apr-85 10:22:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: osiris.263
Posted: Sat Apr 27 10:22:06 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Apr-85 05:42:28 EDT
References: <462@alberta.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Lines: 35

> A question : In one of the animated ST episodes, I dimly remember
> Kirk & co coming across a "Slaver stasis box" on a frozen planet 
> which contains various interesting and destructive devices
> which Kirk trys to keep from the Klingons.  Does anyone know
> of any connection between this and Larry Niven's Slaver stasis
> boxes in his Known Space series?
>  
> Andrew Folkins     ihnp4!alberta!andrew   At home in the Great White North.

That episode was a direct steal from "The Soft Weapon," in Niven's
_Neutron Star_ collection.  It wasn't the Klingons who wanted the
Stasis Box, it was the kzinti (in the Star Trek universe, yet!)  The
kzinti were drawn small, angular, and cat-like, and wore human style
clothing.  No other characters from the story were included--puppeteers,
Jinxians, or crashlanders (natives of We Made It.)

For those interested, 2.5 billion years ago, a race with a kind of 
telepathic hypnosis ruled the galaxy.  Their main tech slaves, the
tnuctipun, eventually revolted.  Devastating war, etc.  When they all
kicked off, they left stasis boxes, time capsules, around, full of
interesting artifacts.  The 'soft weapon' was a tnuctip spy's weapon,
a complete matter to energy conversion weapon.  Impressive, eh?  Anyway,
the good guys find it, the bad guys steal it, and you'll have to read
the story to find out what happens.

I think screenplays that draw on real science fiction in this way are
sort of interesting.  The only other example I can think of is "Arena",
originally a story by Frederick Brown.

One last thought:  In this cartoon, they showed Kirk and co. on the
planet, which had no atmosphere.  Instead of putting them in space suits,
each crew man was surrounded by a shimmering shield, generated by a little
box on the belt.  Kind of a whole body halo.  I thought that was a pretty
clean way of doing things.  Better than the bee keeper suits the TV Trek
crew had to wear in one episode.