Written in 1996, “Star Trek: Worlds of Doubt” was only my third fan fic and my first attempt at a longer, multi-part story.

Inspired by an encounter with actor Gary Lockwood at a science fiction convention, I wanted to explore the earlier years of Kirk’s command, when Gary Mitchell (portrayed by Lockwood) was ship’s navigator and the chief medical officer was Mark Piper (Paul Fix) as seen in the classic episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

In this adventure, the Enterprise is summoned to the twin worlds of Voitaan and Dreknor to render aid after a disaster. However, Kirk and crew soon learn that there is more here than originally reported including missing scientists and a potential planetary disaster…