KIRK AND CREW MEET KUKULKAN

 

Episode Title:  How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth

Air Date: 10/5/1974

Written by Russell Bates and David Wise

Directed by Bill Reed

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”, Lieutenant Arex, Ensign Dawson Walking Bear, and Kukulkan                           Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura         

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Kukulkan’s ship

Planets: none

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is sent to investigate a mysterious space probe that appears to have come from outside the galaxy.  Considering the doomsday devices, nasty aliens, and single-cell life forms that have caused trouble when they entered the galaxy, you can understand the need to investigate.  

As they approach the probe another starship arrives.  This strange vessel gets even stranger as it approaches.  It suddenly transforms itself into a large feathered serpent with wings.  Ensign Walking Bear recognizes the image as Kukulkan.  Kirk askes the Ensign how he knows this and the officer, who is Comanche, explains that he has always been interested in all Native American theology throughout North and South America.  He recognizes Kukulkan as an ancient Mayan god.  Kukulkan communicates with the Enterprise stating that he is pleased that there is one amongst them that still remembers him.  However, he is very disappointed in the rest humanity.  He announces that they will be given another chance to prove themselves.

The Enterprise vs Kukulkan

An energy “bubble” surrounds the Enterprise holding the ship in place. As the bridge crew tries to figure out how to handle this, they suddenly lose important crew members. Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Walking Bear vanish without a trace.  Spock, being the ever resourceful first officer, assumes command of the ship.  Using his typical Vulcan logic, he concludes that their crewmates were taken by Kukulkan and there is nothing they can do about it, so he will focus all their energies into freeing the ship.

Strange city they find themselves in

The four officers find themselves inside the other ship.  They have no weapons but McCoy does have his med kit which is at least something.  Kirk asks Walking Bear what the legends say what happened to Kukulkan.  Walking Bear says he left with a promise to return one day.  Kirk then assumes that the probe was his.  This really was Kukulkan who visited Earth thousands of years ago and appeared to the locals to be a god. It’s not the first time something like that happened after all. 

Then all four are transported to what looks like a recreation of an ancient Mayan city.  Kukulkan lets them know that they are being tested and that there are clues in this city. Walking Bear explains that Kukulkan was the one who gave the Mayan people their calendar and that they were to build the city to its cycles. Kirk thinks that Kukulkan appeared to others but most didn’t build it right. That is why he never came back.  Kirk thinks the clue is at the temple so he climbs it and figures out the code. He has the others redirect the serpent shaped lights toward the temple.  When they finish Kukulkan appears and proclaims they have strayed from the path he set for them. Kirk attempts to argue but then they are transported again.

Ensign explains the alien god

Now in they are in a new room that is full various animals in tiny glass cages.  One of the creatures, McCoy notices, is a Capellan power cat that has the power to send out 2,000 volts of electricity with a single touch.   All four Starfleet officers object to the inhuman treatment of the animals.  At this point Kukulkan starts trying to justify himself. Which I think is odd because all this time Kukulkan’s main point has been “I am God and you my children have let me down,” and now he switches to “I am really not that bad.”  In his defense Kukulkan tells his prisoners sees themselves not in a cage but in their own natural environment. So, I suppose the four of them weren’t really in an ancient city after all.  They were just in a cage of glass and when they stepped out, they were ‘transported’ to this place.  (At least that is what I think happened.)

Solving the puzzle 

Kirk points out that if children are never allowed to grow up and become independent, they will never be anything but children.  Kirk declares that modern humans can never accept a master again.  This information is upsetting to the would-be god.  It is at this time that Spock, leading the rest of the Enterprise crew, find a way for the ship to break out of the energy bubble.  As the Enterprise broke free McCoy toyed with the cage of the Capellan power cat setting him loose.  This ends up breaking Kukulkan’s power.  He was relying on the cat’s energy to power his ship. Beaten Kukulkan retreats. 

Animals in cages

As the episode ends Kirk gives the old god credit for helping humanity at one time and thinks it’s sad, they couldn’t find a way to co-exist.  McCoy refers to the Shakespeare line "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child."  

No, I am a responsible pet owner!

Additional thoughts: If I remember correctly the Mayan calendar ran out in 2012.  I remember everyone thought the world was going to end the way it was supposed to on Y2K.  The world didn’t end either time and many people were disappointed. 

This episode reminded me of the classic Star Trek episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” where the crew of the Enterprise runs into the Greek god Apollo.  It turns out that the ancient gods of Olympus were just a bunch of aliens passing through, who made a big impression on the primitive humans.  Well turns out the gods the Mayans worshipped had the same deal.  They were aliens who stopped by, did humanity a favor or two in return for being worshipped.  In both cases these alien/gods had a hard time understanding that humans have moved on from them, even though they are now meeting with them flying through space on a faster-than-light starship.  They demand to be worshipped as they were before and when they don’t get it, they freak out.

"Remember me? You're telling my story again!"

  It is a little too bad that in both cases they are not able to work out a new modern relationship with their former deities.  It would be interesting to develop a bond with a species we once thought were gods.  I imagine we would learn a lot.  The closest we ever came to this in the series is when Kirk saved Satan from some alien puritans.

That power cat!

Why was Ensign Walking Bear wearing a red uniform?  He is filling in for Sulu at the helm so why isn't he in command gold?  Maybe his transfer just happened and he has not yet received his gold uniform?  That's the only thing that makes sense to me. 

Super-charged

All those animals being kept in cages where they thought they were in their natural environments reminded me to “The Cage.”  Considering Kirk directly learned of those events in the second part of “The Menagerie” I think it is a small shame that he didn’t make a mention of it.  Although to be fair, I don’t think the Kukulkan would have cared.  

FINAL GRADE 5 of 5