Episode Title: The Paradise Syndrome
Air Date: 10/4/1968
Written by Margaret
Armen
Directed by Jud
Taylor
Cast: William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones” James Doohan as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty” George Takei as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura Eddie Paskey as Lieutenant Leslie Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel Jeannie Malone as unnamed Yeoman John Lindesmith as unnamed Crewman Sabrina Scharf as Miramanee Rudy Solari as Salish Richard Hale as Goro Naomi Newman as unnamed Woman Peter Virgo Jr.as Warrior Lamont Laird as Boy who almost drowned Vincent St. Cyr as Father of Boy who almost drowned
Ships: USS
Enterprise NCC-1701
Planets: Amerind
My Spoiler filled summary and review: The planet Amerind is being threatened by a giant asteroid that is headed its way. Since the planet’s population is at tribal level in terms of development Starfleet has assigned the Enterprise with the task of preventing disaster. Even though they are on a tight deadline Kirk wants to head down to see if the planet is worth saving. So the Captain beams down with Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy to inspect the world. Kirk is amazed that all the local planet life is an exact duplicate of Earth. Which I find odd since they have come across duplicate Earths a number of times.
 |
| Checking out a planet |
As they continue to explore they come across an ancient obelisk created from extremely advanced technology. It is covered with alien symbols. This inspires Kirk to take a closer look at the local inhabitants. When they discover them the three Starfleet officers find a group that resembles a tribe of what McCoy calls a tribe of American Indians. (Notes on this will be in the additional comments section.) Spock notes with a singular glance that they are a mixture of Navajo, Mohican, and Delaware tribes. Which I have to say is very impressive having only looked at them once at a distance. Instead of wondering how it was that a group of Aboriginal people who appear as if they are from the past got placed on a different planet or questioning if they found another duplicate Earth, Kirk just wonders how nice it would be not to have command decisions and just live.
 |
| So who put this here? |
They head back to the obelisk to explore it a little more. Kirk wonders around it and when he opens his communicator to get in touch with the ship a trap door opens underneath him and he falls in. Spock and McCoy desperately look for Kirk but they don’t have any time. They have to return to the Enterprise in order to stop the asteroid, as Spock must explain to the upset McCoy.
Kirk wakes up and his internal monologue tells us he has no idea who he is. He manages to work his way out of the obelisk and when he does he is found by two women from the village. Since the two saw him emerge from the obelisk they assume he must one of those who built it. That would make him in their minds a god. They convince Kirk to come back to the village and meet with their chief, Goro. While this is happening the Enterprise is racing to meet the asteroid at warp 9 when their maximum safe speed is about warp 8. Clearly they spent more time looking for Kirk than they should have. Scotty is really concerned about the dilithium crystals getting burnt out.
 |
| Kirk found by locals |
Upon meeting Goro, who I was disappointed to see had only two arms, Kirk tries his best to answer the questions from him and medicine chief Salish. Unfortunately for Kirk and his hosts he still doesn’t remember anything about who he is or where he is from. Then a medical emergency occurs when a child is brought in who had been drowning in the river. Salish examines the boy and determines that he was too far gone. Suddenly Kirk remembers how to do CPR and performs it on the boy reviving him. Since Salish already declared him dead it looks as if a resurrection had been performed. Kirk is a god as far as they are concerned and a divine being makes a better medicine chief than a mere mortal. With that Goro grants Kirk Salish’s job. With the arrival of the outsider Salish is now unemployed.
 |
| The man in front is about to lose his job! |
The Enterprise arrives at the asteroid. Spock orders for the ship’s main deflector dish to fire full power at the asteroid to disrupt its path. While the ship is trying to push the asteroid out of the way the dilithium crystals, having already been strained by the trip at warp 9, shatter ending the attempt to stop the asteroid and crippling the ship. Now with only impulse power the ship is placed by Spock in the path of the asteroid for one last attempt.
 |
| Miramanee |
One of the women who had brought Kirk to the village is named Miramanee. We learn that she and Salish are engaged to be married. However when Salish comes to discuss some wedding plans when she gives him a shock. Since it is custom for the daughter of the tribal chief and the medicine chief are to be married the moment he lost his job is the moment their engagement ended. Broken hearted it is as if the new comer has stolen his entire life.
 |
| The Enterprise vs the asteroid. |
Miramanee then informs Kirk, who is now being called “Kirok” because it was the closest he could remember his name, about tribal custom and that they are to be married. Kirk thinks this is great and immediately starts to plan a life with his new intended. From Miramanee he learns the history of the tribe how they were rescued by gods like him and brought to this place. The aliens/gods gave them the obelisk which is used whenever the skies go unnaturally dark. It is the medicine chief that operates the obelisk and that traditionally the knowledge of how is passed from father to son. Unfortunately Salish’s father died before he was able to pass the knowledge down to him.
 |
| Salish is not that good at his job, I blame his dad. |
Spock tries to deflect the asteroid one last time with phaser fire. With impulse power they can stay ahead of the asteroid on the way back to the planet. It is a journey that will take two months. While the Enterprise is crawling in front of an asteroid, Kirk is having the time of his life with his brand new wife. He is extremely happy and content. The two of them are making plans for a life and family. Kirk spends some time with his new father-in-law setting him up in his new role. After he is attacked by Salish. Salish is lucky Kirk doesn’t remember that he is the greatest fighter in the known universe who fights with such speed and grace that most fighters turn green with envy before being beat. Salish manages to cut Kirk with a knife. The cut is minor but Salish is excited and runs away proclaiming he has discovered that “Kirok” is a false god.
On the Enterprise Spock is practically exhausting himself trying to figure out what the symbols on the obelisk mean. His is so obsessed that he is skipping means and avoiding sleep. It gets so bad that McCoy has to order him to bed rest which he fakes until McCoy leaves and then gets up like a child playing video games at night after his or her parent has gone to bed. It pays off and Spock has decoded the obelisk. He announces to McCoy that those symbols are musical notes.
 |
| Spock cracking the code! |
Now that Spock understands symbols he knows who put the obelisk there to begin with. He explains to McCoy that there were an ancient spacefaring people known as the Preservers. The Preservers spent a great deal of time taking endangered species and/or cultures and would relocate them to planets on which they were able to thrive. McCoy thinks about the implications of what Spock is telling him and proclaims that he always wondered why the galaxy seemed to be so populated with humanoids. Spock confirms that and that the obelisk is there to protect the people.
 |
| First he loses his job then his girl, bad day. |
While this is all going on Kirk is working with Miramanee on plans for a dam. Then his father-in-law Goro shows up to tell Kirk that the sky has darkened and he must go to the obelisk to save them. Kirk says they must go to caves but Goro and the others insist that Kirk must save them with the obelisk. So Kirk goes to the obelisk to see if he can work it but he fails. Salish points out to the people Kirk’s failure and in panic the people turn on Kirk throwing stones at him. Miramanee rushes to her husband’s defense but the villagers and up stoning them both. After the two fall and the villagers leave, Spock and McCoy beam down. They are able to talk briefly with Miramanee who explains what happened to them. With a mind meld Spock restores Kirk’s mind and Nurse Chapel beams down to aid McCoy.
 |
| Fine line between love and hate! |
With Kirk’s health and mind restored he can retrace his steps and remember that it was the noise of him using his communicator that opened the door. Spock and Kirk mange to get inside and Spock deciphers how to use the obelisk and does so to divert the asteroid saving the day.
 |
| Nothing like a mind meld to make a mind straight |
Miramanee unfortunately was fatally
injured by the stoning so much that 23rd century medicine is not
able to save her. Kirk stays by her side
as she dies while talking about their plans for the future. For the second time in three years Kirk loses
someone one who could be considered the love of this life.
Additional thoughts: This episode has one thing that I thought was really cool. That is the introduction of the concept of the Preservers. This is way better than the whole stupid “Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planet Development” to explain the duplicate Earths and other types of humanoids running around. The story possibilities that it opens are endless. Since the Preservers are gone we have no hard rules about what circumstances cause them to try to preserve a particular species.
 |
| Kirk relying on Spock to be the code cracker! |
Although Star Trek is a progressive show particularly for its time, it can still have it short comings. For one you have Native American characters that are played by people of European decent as opposed to using Native American actors. I am okay with them thinking Kirk, a white man, was a god because it makes sense story-wise. This group of people having been taking from Earth to this other world, from their perspective those aliens would be gods and would have taught that to their children. Since Kirk did emerge from what had been created by those very beings it was a logical deduction to conclude that Kirk must be one of those beings. McCoy refers to the group as “American Indians” which was the polite term when the show aired; it wasn’t when I was growing, and nowadays it is somewhat complicated with some groups preferring it and others not. It should be noted that the Preservers selecting these people for preservation in a strong indictment against European colonialism.
 |
| Take that asteroid! |
Captain Kirk is out of character
for the entire episode and not just because he lost his memory and became
“Kirok.” Even at the start of the episode there is some foreshadowing as Kirk
looks out to the villagers and starts to go on about what a wonderful simple
life they lead with no command decisions.
Throughout the episode it is even applied that this is the only time
Kirk had truly been happy. I call
bullshit. Kirk’s foremost desire is to
be in command of a starship. In the
previous episode he overcame the tears of the Dolhman at will because of his
love the Enterprise. In The Naked Time Kirk overcame the virus at
will be recommitting himself to his ship.
I saw an interview between William Shatner and Joan Collins once when
they discussed The City on the Edge of Forever and whether they thought it
could have been possible for Kirk and Keeler to be together. Shatner points out although he did love Edith
he thinks Kirk would have gotten bored. Speaking
of Shatner his acting in this episode must be what all the parodies of him are
based on. It is hardly his best work but
to be fair he wasn’t working with a good story to begin with.
Another thing that I have a real
problem with in order for the plot to work all of the characters have to act
stupid. Let’s start with Kirk. So we have an asteroid that is coming to
destroy all life on this planet and they have limited time to do it. So while this window is closing instead of
taking his ship a little early to make sure they are right on time and take
account for any unexpected delays, Kirk decides to explore the planet some just
so he can see what he is saving. When
Spock says they have thirty minutes to reach their time window Kirk sees this
as thirty minutes they can goof off exploring.
He has made a mistake like this before in The Galileo Seven but you
think he would learn from it.
It gets worse when Kirk is lost and Spock has to take command we see him rushing the Enterprise there at warp 9. The ship’s fastest safe speed is warp 8 going 9 runs the risk of wreaking the engines. This means they didn’t really have time to be goofing off on the planet to begin with. Then after they wreck their warp engines and are only on impulse Spock bets everything on decoding the obelisk. This turns out to be right but Spock obsesses over it not eating or sleeping. McCoy orders him to get rest, which he ignores. This is supposed to show how tough and determined Spock is but it just makes him look ridiculous. Try doing anything when you’re exhausted. You are not more focused. It would be a good idea for him to take a nap and when he wakes up look at it through fresh eyes. Unlike earlier we are no longer in time crunch. Spock literally has two months to figure this out. Then we have Dr. McCoy the spacefaring doctor who needs to have Spock explain to him why asteroids hitting planets are bad the way parent would explain something to a child.
In addition to the crew acting dumb
where was the rest of Starfleet? I know
the show really like to do this “only ship in sector” in almost every episode
but when the Enterprise is going to
be crawling in front of an asteroid for two months isn’t that a good time to
send another ship to assist? They’re
going to have to anyway if only to tow the Enterprise
to a starbase to undergo repair.
I did think the part of the
medicine chiefs passing down the position and knowledge from father to son and
poor Salish losing out because his father prematurely died was somewhat amusing. In a bit of cross franchises with Star Wars it does remind me a little bit
of the Sith’s famous “Rule of Two” what happens if the Sith Master dies prior
to instructing his apprentice on their most important teachings? Well that is what happened to dear old
Salish. His old man kicked the bucket
before telling him how to work the obelisk and save their civilization from
destruction.
Since the Captain doesn’t have
access to his Captain’s Log or even memory to what that was we are instead
given an internal monologue. I am going
to be clear I don’t like it. I think it
is stupid and I can’t remember if they ever use it again but I hope they don’t. I also have hard time wrapping my head around
the idea that Kirk spent 1/6 of his third year in command of the Enterprise living with an Indian tribe on
a planet with no idea who the heck he was.
Since they can’t have Captain Kirk abandon his wife and child and remain the hero Miramanee is given a cheap plot death. Plot death is like but the opposite of plot armor. Her death doesn’t have to make sense it just has to happen. Think Padme. Personally I think it would have been cool to allow her to live and leave with Kirk. I think she could have made a great character as learns about the larger universe around her.
 |
| Waste of a good character! |
This brings me to my last point and
that is the Prime Directive and how it shouldn’t apply here. These are not
human looking aliens they are humans who were removed from Earth and placed on
a faraway planet. Earlier in the season
it was established that if other powers interfere with the development of
another culture than Starfleet can correct the contamination. So even if the Prime Directive could be
applied to humans the very fact that they were abducted and transported should
allow for any knowledge available to be passed to these villagers. If they want
to stay so be it but they should be allowed to explore the stars with the rest
of humanity.
FINAL GRADE 3 of 5
