THE ENTERPRISE FIGHTS ANOTHER KILLER CLOUD

 

Episode Title:  One of Our Planets Is Missing

Air Date: 9/22/1973

Written by Marc Daniels

Directed by Hal Sutherland

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, and Governor Robert Wesley        George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura         Majel Barrett as Planet eating space cloud                  

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Mantilles and Alondra

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is sent to one of the Federation’s farthest star systems to investigate a strange space cloud that has entered the galaxy.  Kirk has a history of fighting giant space clouds.  One thing is for certain he doesn’t like giant space clouds so that is why he was chosen for this special mission. It looks like their worst fears are confirmed when the space cloud starts to take a part the planet Alondra, thankfully it is uninhabited.  Only the planet Mantilles has a population in this system.

Looking at the planetary system

However, Mantilles is where the giant space cloud turns to go.  Seeing the way the cloud is currently destroying Alondra, doom is going to be forced upon the over 150 million inhabitants of Mantilles.  Kirk and McCoy quickly brainstorm about telling the planet.  They are afraid of starting a planet-wide panic, but at the same time if they fail to stop this thing the planet’s government can use the time they do have to save some of people.  Kirk decides to warn them, a decision made easier by the fact that the governor of the colony is retired Starfleet Commodore Bob Wesley.  A good friend of Kirk who he trusts.

Captured

The Enterprise enters the deadly cloud.  The shields give them some protection against the cloud’s natural defense system, a system that reminds Dr. McCoy of villi in the human small intestine.  The ship’s phasers are just absorbed by the cloud, but they are able to fight off the attack with some anti-matter charges. Being in the cloud also gives them some important new information.  The cloud isn’t just some freak of nature but a living space organism.  The reason the ship is being attacked is they are is they are in the creature’s digestive tract. They will be destroyed unless they can find their way out through the creature’s anus. (I am not kidding this is exactly what they are doing.)  While trying to find the anus so they can dislodge with the other space poop, they come across something more interesting.  They find some electrical signals that could indicate the creature’s brain.  Since they need to stop the creature from reaching Mantilles, they opt to go in that direction.

However, if they are going to go anywhere, they are going to need power and the consistent ponding on the ship’s shield and the need for antimatter bursts is draining the Enterprise fast. There is however a solution since the villi-like things are made of antimatter Scotty does a trick with the transporters to mine some of the villi-like thing and cut it up for use in their own anti-matter engines giving the ship the boost of power it needs to complete the mission. 

under attack

It is at this point that they are able to discover some good news and bad news.  It is possible for them to destroy the cloud creature before it consumes the colony.  The bad news is that since the space cloud is alive it may be sentient and they would be killing it, and the power to destroy the cloud would require the Enterprise to self-destruct, killing all of them.  Although the Starfleet officers and crew are taught that they may have to sacrifice their lives in a greater cause it is never fun to hear “now is the time.”

Getting too close for comfort

As they enter the brain Kirk remembers Spock’s telepathic powers and tries to see if he can communicate with the creature.  Spock reminds the Captain that he needs to touch something to make a mental connection.  Kirk then tells Spock about the power of plot armor and how he has used the power of plot armor in the past to make touchless telepathic contact and in some cases mind control in stories where it was required.  Scotty has already used the power of plot armor to beam something through the shields so Spock should be able to use it to contact the creature.  Realizing the Captain is correct, Spock asks Uhura if she would be able to use the universal translator to provide the plot armor with ammunition that allows the fans to come up with explanations to why this should be able to work.  Spock then communicates with the cloud and informs the cloud that ship and planet are filled with living beings that don’t want to be eaten.  With the that the big cloud agrees to regurgitate the Enterprise and leave the galaxy.   

We have power now!

Additional thoughts: This great episode although it does feel like a hybrid.  If the episodes “The Immunity Syndrome” and “The Devil in the Dark” had a child together it would be this episode.  Like the former a giant planet destroying threat is on the loose and the Enterprise is the only thing that can stop it so long as it’s not consumed by it first.  Like the later they learn that the “monster” isn’t a monster at all but just another living thing trying to survive and they come with a peaceful solution. 

I do have a slight issue with the solution however.  This planet eating cloud must have entered our galaxy because it was looking for food.  If it was able to sustain itself where it was then it would have stayed there.  I am assuming that like us it needs to consume to survive.  Spock communicates with the creature to let it know that what it planned to eat was alive and has feelings but he offered no solution to the space cloud except “go home.”  He didn’t say only eat planets that do not have sentient life on them or anything that the creature might have found useful.  I would have like to see them work something out with the creature like they were able to do with the Horta.  After all, after the cloud starts to starve isn’t it likely that if might come back when it realizes it can’t be a vegetarian?  I think there could have been a more “Star Trek” way to end it. 

Again, who would really want to live in United Federation of Planets in the 23^rd century?  There are so many threats!  You have the Klingons and Romulans always looking to start a war with you.  You have the loose-celled alien consuming the population of various planets, planet killer devices, old human space junk coming back more dangerous than before, giant single-celled organisms dropping down on you and of course killer space clouds both this one and the last one.  It’s such a dangerous galaxy to live in.  It would be like the US lost entire states a couple of times in a decade. 

Once again Spock’s ever present super powers were once again on display.  He is one with powers and abilities far beyond your average Vulcans.  I wonder if Kirk and crew get disappointed when they encounter other Vulcans.  For none have the amazing range of abilities that our Mr. Spock possess. 

Better than most Vulcans

It was nice to see old Bob Wesley.  Why the sudden change of careers?  Did he suffer a mid-life crisis?  Was he passed over for promotion to rear admiral and thought now was time for a change?  Did nearly losing his ship and squadron to a giant supercomputer shake up his confidence so he opted for a nice quite life in civil administration?  If the last one was true, wasn’t he in for a surprise?  It is too bad both he and Commodore Stone were my favorite flag officers from classic Star Trek! 

FINAL GRADE 4 of 5

IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN

 

Episode Title:  Spock’s Brain

Air Date: 9/20/1968

Written by Gene L. Coon

Directed by Marc Daniels

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                 Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli   Frank da Vinci as Lieutenant Brent     Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel      Jeannie Malone as unnamed Yeoman          Marj Dusay as Kara         James Daris as unnamed creature         Sheila Leighton as Luma         Pete Kellett as Morg Guard         

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets:  Sigma Draconis VI

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise encounters a strange but highly advanced alien vessel.  Scotty is practically salivating over the ION-propulsion that the vessel is using.  All of a sudden, a strange woman transports on to the Enterprise’s bridge.  Captain Kirk attempts to communicate but then the woman presses a button on device attached to a bracelet on her arm.  This causes everyone aboard the ship to suddenly pass out.

As the crew wakes up Kirk notices that Mr. Spock is not on the bridge.  He then gets a desperate call from Dr. McCoy demanding that he come down to sickbay right away.  Kirk heads down there and when he arrives, he finds Spock lying on a bio-bed attached to life-support systems.  That is when McCoy gives him the bad news: Spock’s brain is missing it had been surgically removed!  McCoy has managed to get his body on life support but if it is not returned within 24 hours then Mr. Spock’s body will die.

Targeting a brain!

Lt. Sulu was able to pick up a trail from the mysterious ship and the Enterprise follows to it until it goes dead in the Sigma Draconis system.  This system has three planets none of them seem capable enough to have made a starship as advanced as they just encountered.  Kirk goes over the options with Sulu, Chekov and Uhura.  After discussing it Kirk feels the energy signatures from the ice planet makes it the option worth exploring despite that planet having the least technological development. 

Mr. Spock is missing a brain!

Kirk beams down to the planet with a landing party consisting of Scotty, Chekov, and a few security personnel.  They run into some primitive and large local men and have a brief battle that ends with the Enterprise crew stunning one with phasers and the rest running away.  No red shirts were killed. While questioning their prisoner he gets confused when Kirk mentions a woman who came aboard his ship.  This person acts like he has no idea what woman even is.  He doesn’t understand who Kirk and his crew are either but he knows they are not the “others.”  The “others” who are the givers of pain and delight. 

A man who has no idea what a woman is.

Chekov uncovers a cavern with food and Kirk concludes it is a trap.  He decides to spring the trap and sends for Dr. McCoy who comes down with Spock’s body now under remote control.  With that Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Spock’s body spring the trap and are sent to an underground facility. When they land and the door opens and another woman dressed like the one from before sees them.  Captain Kirk gets into a quick draw with her that he wins.  She is stunned and when she comes to Kirk begins to interrogate her.  She is very confused and doesn’t understand much of what Kirk is saying.  She notices that these strangers are neither Morg nor Eymorg.  However, she doesn’t explain what that means.  After engaging with her the landing party suddenly find that they can use their communicators to contact Spock’s conciseness.  It appears Spock’s brain is being used to run this whole apparatus. 

Spock on remote!

They come across the woman who had come aboard the Enterprise earlier.  Kirk is now in another quick draw situation but this time he loses as the woman hits the button and they all drop cold. While unconscious Kirk decides to enter one of his famous captain’s logs.  After he finishes with his log he returns to consciousness.  He and the other members of the landing party, including brainless Spock, now have belts on that will allow the women, whose leader we learn is named Kara (not Superman’s cousin), to inflict pain without knocking them out. 

Quick on the draw!

The audience learns that the Morg and the men who live on the surface and the Eymorg live in the advanced society below.  Occasionally the Eymorg capture some Morg and use them to move the heavy furniture, serve as guards, and mating I assume.  Every time Kirk tries to question her about Spock and his brain, she acts like she has no idea what he is talking about.  She doesn’t even remember being on his ship.  As Kirk tries to object, she gives him some pain.  

Please give me Spock's brain!

The Eymorgs leave the landing party with a few Morg guards.  However, Captain Kirk using his supreme fighting skills and Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott using their okay fighting skills, beat up the Morg guards.  As they get out Kara sees them and uses the pain belts.  Using the remote-controlled Spock, who is immune because he doesn’t have a brain, Kirk takes away the device from Kara and frees his team. 

Since it had become clear Kara had no idea what was going on Kirk uses his communicator to discuss it with Spock’s conciseness.  They then learn that Kara got the skill to remove Spock’s brain from a device called “the teacher” that houses all their civilization’s knowledge before it collapsed.  When one uses “the teacher” they gain its knowledge temporarily.  They have Kara use it again but as soon as her smarts are back, she pulls a phaser on Kirk and Scotty.  This threat doesn’t last long as Scotty fakes fainting and Kirk uses the distraction to disarm her.  Nevertheless, they need her help to restore Spock but she refuses as his brain is needed to run the device that controls their civilization. 

Spock's brain in a machine!

McCoy then decides that he will try “the teacher.”  Since he already has medical knowledge, he has something to base it on.  He also hopes to retain some the wisdom.  McCoy uses it and with his new genius begins restoring Spock’s brain back in Spock’s skull.  There is drama however as McCoy loses the information he gained.  Kirk explains in his captain’s log that as an alien to the device he can’t use it a second time.  The good news is Spock has retained some of the knowledge that he gained in the Eymorg’s computer system and is able to talk McCoy through the rest of his operation. 

McCoy in the thinker!

Spock is restored and Kirk lets Kara know that the Federation will help start their society over. Spock then goes on to explain how this gender-separated society formed leading McCoy to regret re-connecting his vocal cords.    

Spock with brain restored!

  

Additional thoughts: The funny thing is even though this episode has Spock’s name in the title and Spock’s situation is the subject the whole episode, the episode really isn’t about him.  This adventure focuses on Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy.  That is an interesting formula to have an event be all about Spock but really be a Kirk/McCoy adventure with help from the supporting cast, I wonder if they will ever try that again.

So why Spock?  That is never explained in the entire episode.  The planet’s society needs a living brain to run all their operations and they are able to preserve these brains for a thousand years or so.  But why did they target Spock?  Yes, I realize Spock is smart and all but how did they hear of him and know to seek him out?  When she is on the bridge of the Enterprise, Kara clearly knows who she is going for. This could have used an explanation. 

So, what is up with our universal translator that it can’t decipher “Morg” for “man” and “Eymorg” for “woman?”  That seems easy for me and I only speak English.  I am going to make a guess here that in the mind of the natives of this planet “Morg” isn’t just a term of gender but a reflection of their tribalistic identity therefore the translator became confused.

So, when McCoy started to forget why didn’t Kirk or Scotty throw “the teacher” on and try to take over?  That would have made more sense than Spock assisting in his own operation.  Also, since when does Spock have more medical knowledge than McCoy? I am assuming that Spock gained some extra knowledge of brain extracting procedures from his brain being the machine.  It struck me as unnecessary added drama considering how quickly it was resolved. 

This has to be the strangest captain’s log to date.  Giving us an update while knocked out.  I thought during the duel of Trelane or almost getting murdered in the mirror universe was odd timing.  At least Kirk was awake for those.

I know Leonard Nimoy did not care for this episode and I can’t blame him for there is nothing interesting for him as an actor to do.  I however found this episode surprisingly enjoyable.  I really liked how we were able to hear more from the supporting cast.  I liked his bridge staff helping Kirk brainstorm. 

Lastly one my early exposures to Star Trek came seeing this episode parodied on the Wonder Years.  It was quite funny. 

FINAL GRADE 4 of 5

THE TV SHOW THAT NEVER WAS

 Episode Title:  Assignment: Earth  

Air Date: 3/29/1968

Written by Gene Roddenberry and Art Wallace

Directed by Marc Daniels

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 and Rocket Base Technician    Frank Da Vinci as Lieutenant Brent       Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Robert Lansing as Gary Seven          Teri Garr as Roberta Lincoln       Don Keefer as Cromwell        Morgan Jones as Colonel Nesvig               Bruce Mars as First Policeman         Ted Gehring as Second Policeman              Paul Baxley as Security Chief           Barbara Babcock as Beta 5 Computer  and Isis (voice)              Bob Johnson as                 Ground Control (voice)            Edwin Rochelle as  Man With Newspaper April Tatro as Cat Girl

Ships and Space Stations: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets:  Earth

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is in orbit around Earth in year 1968. (Present time when this episode aired.)  They have come back not by accident nor are they on a mission to fix the timeline from damage caused by some reckless time traveler.  No, they are here strictly to do historical research.  Historians of the 23^rd century are curious to how exactly Earth survived the chaotic year of 1968.  (I have to say that is amazing prediction.  Considering this aired at the end of March, Dr. King would be assassinated in less than a week with Bobby Kennedy following a few months later. 1968 was one hell of year in terms of politics, international relations, and social change.) So at these historians behest the Enterprise took a slingshot around the sun to come back to this famous year to see if an up close investigation will allow them to discover how the Earth survived.  Next week they should go back to the library of Alexandria to find out what caused the fire and see if they can preserve some of the ancient text.  

All of a sudden the ship begins to jerk.  It appears they have intercepted a long-range transporter beam that should not even be theoretically possible.  Kirk and Spock head down to the transporter room and witness a man materialize on the pad.  He is dressed in 20^th century clothing and has a cat named Isis.  The man introduces himself as Gary Seven and explains that he is a human from this time who is trained by advanced aliens to aid Earth in its coming crisis.  Kirk for some reason has hard time believing this, and even though he is in the past to get these types of answers, he decides to lock Seven in the brig.  Seven puts a fight and displays immunity to the Vulcan neve pinch but ultimately succumbs to Kirk’s forces.

Kirk not quite sure what to make of Mr. Seven

Kirk is having second thoughts about having Seven locked up.  He tells Spock who is taking care of the cat, that he is unsure about what to do and wants to be certain before making any decisions.  It all turns out to be an academic thought experiment because Seven takes it out of Kirk’s hands by escaping from the brig using a poor man’s psionic screwdriver.  He retrieves his cat and beams down to the surface.

  Now on Earth, Gary Seven proceeds to their headquarters to meet the agents that he is supposed to supervise.  When Seven arrives he doesn’t see his operatives anywhere.  He accesses the Beta 5 computer and identifies himself as Supervisor 194 and asks for the locations of the two agents listed as 201 and 347.  The Beta 5 demands more information to give him security clearance this leads Seven to explain his mission and what he his organization is all about.  He does this to the stratification of the Beta 5 and now the audience is aware of his complete backstory.  A woman named Roberta Lincoln enters and at first Seven thinks she is one of their operatives but it turns out she is not an agent just a secretary the agents hired. In questioning her Seven discovers that she knows absolutely nothing about who her employers actually are.  

Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln

With the Beta 5 now finally obeying him Seven discovers that his two operatives are both dead from a car accident.  He however will assume their mission and stop the launch of a nuclear satellite warhead.  With someone fake IDs created by the Beta 5 he manages to win over Ms. Lincoln.  She is also very impressed with the typewriter that responds to oral commands. 

Kirk decides to go to the surface looking for Seven.  Kirk chooses to bring Spock with him, which really seems like a poor choice considering they are in the Earth of the past.  You would think Kirk would choose one of the 400 some odd humans on the Enterprise who could probably blend in a little better?  Well Spock does have some experience in Earth’s past from last season.  Spock also explains to Kirk and the audiences about how satellites armed with nuclear warheads were such a danger in this time period.  The transporter records allow them to beam down fairly close to where Gary Seven had gone down to the surface.  They find Seven’s headquarters and barge in.  Lincoln tries to stop them but it doesn’t matter as Seven has made an escape using his own transporter.  Lincoln called in the police forcing Kirk to do some tricks with his own transporter in order to lose them. 

Kirk and Spock looking for answers!

Seven arrives at NASA and almost gets caught by some guards before pulling the wool over their eyes with his gadgets and gets to work on the rocket.  Kirk and Spock also head there but are not as lucky when it comes to not being captured.  Despite being under arrest Kirk manages to get word to Scotty to try to lock on Gary Seven.  While this is going on Lincoln is exploring the office and discovers its secrets and accidently makes their transporter bring Seven back before he was finished.  Seven is angry at Lincoln at first but realizes she prevented the Enterprise from taking him back.

Seven discovers through the Beta 5 that while his work was unfinished he may be able to take control of the rocket due to the adjustments that he did make.  This however scares poor Ms. Lincoln who thinks he is now some foreign agent who is out to harm the United States.   She hits him over the head and takes his weapon.   While this is going on Kirk is able to get Scotty to beam them directly from NASA to Seven’s apartment as the NASA personnel are responding to the rocket seemly gone rogue. 

Attempting to stop a bomb

When they get there they find there is now a serious chance this nuclear weapon will go off over Florida.  Spock doesn’t understand the Beta 5 enough to something about it in time.  Seven begs Kirk to let him help and Kirk reluctantly agrees.  Seven takes the controls and stops the nuke.  History tapes on the Enterprise show that this instance leads to a ban on nuclear weaponry in space. This makes Kirk think that everything that has happened was supposed to.  He wishes Seven and Lincoln luck as the same records show that the two of them will have many interesting adventures together.  For a moment Lincoln looks over at Isis and sees a woman in her place.  When she calls attention to her and the others turn their heads Isis is once again a cat.

Additional thoughts: This was not a Star Trek episode.  It sounds strange to say considering it is Star Trek’s season 2 final, but it isn’t a Star Trek episode.   This is a supposed to be a pilot episode to a new series called “Assignment: Earth.”  In it humans whose ancestors had left Earth with some friendly aliens some 6,000 years ago have returned with a special assignment to help Earth survive its nuclear age.  Gary Seven the main character is one such person.  The character strikes me as a type of Dr. Who-lite and he even has his own psionic screwdriver.  The pilot was rejected and so they decided to re-work it as a Star Trek episode. 

Caught at NASA

The fact that it is a pilot remade into a Star Trek episode is precisely its problem.  The Star Trek characters seemed roughly hammered in.  The crew of the Enterprise does not do anything useful and are entirely pointless to the plot.   If they had not been there Gary Seven would have gone straight to Earth, discovered his agents dead, meet Roberta Lincoln, gone to NASA before being pulled back by Lincoln, almost stopped by Lincoln until he talks her down and allows him to save the day.  Even Kirk’s point at the end about how they were supposed to be here is a poor argument.

Many adventures together just not live action!

Speaking of Kirk he is very poorly written in this episode as he comes off as almost incompetent.  If Assignment Earth was its own TV show and the Star Trek crew was guest staring I don’t think they would have won over any Assignment Earth fans.  First Kirk forgets why he is in the past. He is not on some mission to save the time line by someone who might disrupt it.  He is there to get some answers for 23^rd century historians on how Earth survived the year 1968.  When he meets Gary Seven his only real concern should be confirming he is from this time period.  Once that is confirmed then Kirk should realize whatever Seven is doing he is supposed to be doing it. In fact he now his answer to the historians question: friendly aliens who clearly don’t have a Federation-like prime directive.  The worst part is the end when Kirk tells Seven and Lincoln that he was able to confirm on his ship’s computers that everything was supposed to happen as is and all the adventures that the Seven and Lincoln will have together.  Well if he could do that then what was the whole point locking up Seven?  Kirk should have been able to find out who he was and what he was all about rather quickly.  Next time they should check their records sooner. 

Okay all working together now!

It is interesting that season 2 started with a lady that could turn into a cat in Catspaw and ends with a lady that can turn into a cat here.  Considering the problems the first one gave them we are lucky that I it was only Ms. Lincoln that saw the transformation.

So is she a cat that turns into a lady or a lady that turns into a cat!

So Starfleet has had a reasonable option for time travel for about a year now.  Instead of keeping this a super-secret they are already using it to send ships back to the past for no other point than to just check up on some things for local historians’ curiosity.  Am I the only one who finds that strange?

 FINAL GRADE 2 of 5

ALIENS WHO TRY TO BE HUMAN FALL DOWN

 

Episode Title:  By Any Other Name

Air Date: 2/23/1968

Written by Jerome Bixby and Dorothy C. Fontana

Directed by Marc Daniels

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”        Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura                 Carl Byrd as Lieutenant Shea                     Eddie Paskey as Lieutenant  Leslie                 Frank Da Vinci as Lieutenant Brent       Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley           Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli                Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel      Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov                Julie Cobb as Yeoman Third Class Leslie Thompson          Warren Stevens as Rojan                       Barbara Bouchet as Kelinda                  Stewart Moss as Hanar            Robert Fortier as Tomar             Lezlie Dalton as Drea               

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets:  unnamed and uncharted planet

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise answers a distress call on an unnamed and uncharted planet.  When they get there the landing party, consisting of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Lt. Shea, and Yeoman Thompson, have a hard time finding any survivors or a ship at all.  Then out of nowhere arrive a man and a woman who we learn are named Rojan and Kelinda.  Rojan is the leader of his group, and he thanks Captain Kirk for responding to their distress single so promptly.  With the same breath he then demands that the Captain surrender his ship to him immediately.  His directness makes Kirk think for a moment that the man is joking.  Then Rojan presses a button on a device he has which causes the entire landing party to freeze in place.

Rojan and Kelinda

Having disarmed the landing party, Rojan unfreezes them and explains that he and his crew are Kelvans.  They come from an empire that rules the Andromeda Galaxy.  It turns out that rising radiation in that galaxy will render it unable to support life.  However even though they can’t stop it, the rising radiation is happening slowly enough to make some plans.  So they sent a multi-generational scout ship on a mission to our galaxy to evaluate for conquest.  Kirk tries to offer the Federation’s help but Rojan dismisses this out of hand as, like the Greyjoys, they do not sow.  Kelvans are conquerors and if they need a new home they will conqueror for it.  However their ship was destroyed when they entered the Milky Way and passed through the barrier.  That is something Kirk understands since he had been there before.  With that the Rojan sends the rest of his people up to the ship via their own transporters that are clearly superior to the Federation as they are instantaneous.  The Kelvans quickly conquer the Enterprise with their freezing technology.

Wearing red on away mission

Despite being a generational ship they are able to get from one galaxy to another within centuries as opposed to millennia that it would take a Starfleet vessel to do so.  The Kelvans plan to modify the Enterprise with their technology to make the return trip on their planed schedule. This takes a bit of time so they hold the landing party hostage on the planet to insure the crew’s corporation.  As they are preparing for takeoff, two of the Kelvans note the strange sensations that they have in these human forms in a statement full of unabashed foreshadowing.

Vulcans are normally touch-telepaths but Kirk remembers on an earlier mission where they decided to blatantly violate the Prime Directive, Spock was able to use his abilities at a distance.  Spock attempts it again here and despite some blow back this works and the landing party gets out of their cave-like cell.  Only to be caught and frozen in place again.  The Kelvans are not happy about this and decided that punishment is in order.  They separate Thompson and Shae from the rest of the landing party because they are wearing red or it has something to do with them not having necessary skills, I forget.  Then using another button on his device he transforms the two dressed in red to from flesh and blood humans into a distilled cuboctahedron shaped form the size of a softball. 

Rojan explains to Captain Kirk that these cuboctahedron objects are his crew members and they are still alive in this state.  Then he crushes one of them and explains that this person is now dead.  Then he restores the remaining one to human form and it is Lt. Shae.  Yeoman Thompson is dead.

With the loss of one Yeoman instead of creating compliance among the Starfleet crew it just increases the urgency to do something.  They decided to get McCoy and Spock back to the ship by having Spock fake an illness.  This works but it’s pointless because the Kelvans have finished their work and Rojan brings the rest of the landing party up anyway.

A strange way to kill a person!

Spock and Scotty try to get at the source of the Kelvans technological power but when the find it in engineering they discover that the metal surrounding it makes it impossible for them to do anything. The last resort Spock and Scotty can come up with is a way to rig the Enterprise to explode the moment its hits the galactic barrier killing the entire crew and their captors.  Kirk rejects the suicide option. There is a dramatic-not-dramatic moment as head to the barrier of will he or won’t he.  However since this is an ongoing television show we were all aware that the crew the Enterprise was going to survive.   We later found out Rojan knew about and had the means to stop the suicide mission so it’s moot point.

 Now that they are out of the Milky Way the Kelvans don’t need most of the crew so Rojan and company turned all but Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty into distilled cuboctahedron balls.  So it looks like our crew is defeated fated to live out their lives as slaves to the Kelvans or as neat looking paperweights.  Or are they?  At that moment one of the Kelvans, a man named Tomar, challenges the four officers to explain why they eat actually food where pill supplements would work fine.  McCoy challenges him to try actual food and Tomar takes him up on his offer.  He orders from the processor and the four men are amazed that he practically gorges his food.  Spock notes that when his mind connect with Kelinda he learned that their natural forms were nothing like humanoid species and they have no experience with human like emotions and senses.  This will be their opening.

You don't want to challenge this Scotsman to drink!

Just keep taking this.

Each officer takes a Kelvan and has a mission to get their control device.  Scotty invites Tomar for a drink, in fact for several drinks.  They go back to Scotty’s quarters for some binge drinking.  McCoy gets the Kelvan Hanar to accept injections of stimulants because he maybe malnourished but all it the drugs will do is make him irritable.  Kirk decides to seduce Kelinda, which seems to be rejected at first but it turns out she likes the way he “apologizes.” This allows Mr. Spock to provoke the emotion of jealousy in Rojan by bringing up the subject of Kelinda and Kirk during a game of chess.   Rojan pretends to be unaffected but later he forbids Kelinda from seeing Kirk and that is something that Kelinda refuses to do.  

Kirk putting the moves on Kelinda

The plan works and doesn’t. They never get the devices from the Kelvans.  Scotty almost did, but after clearing out his liquor cabinet including this weird green stuff and 200-year old scotch, it causes both men to pass out.  However it is working in other ways.  Hanar can’t focus, Kelinda is chasing after Kirk for some more of that “apologizing,” and Rojan is chasing after Kelinda afraid he will lose her to Kirk.  After getting in a fight with Kirk (which is a mistake considering Kirk is greatest fighter in the known universe) and getting pinned in the process Kirk makes Rojan understand something: that in taking human form they have become human and by the time they get back to their own galaxy their descendants will be a crew of humans.  Kirk reoffers the Federation’s assistance. Rojan accepts their help.  He and his crew will colonize that world they were on and an unmanned vessel will be sent to Kelva with the Federation’s offer of assistance.  Kelinda now wants to “apologize” with Rojan now.  A happy ending for all involved except for Yeoman Thompson. 

Spock winning in chess and in life!

  

Additional thoughts: Since the Kelvans ended the episode agreeing to be friends shouldn’t the Enterprise have kept the great upgrades that the Kelvans added to their ship?  Alter all, as explorers, wouldn’t they want their ship to be able to go as fast as possible?   In my head canon I came to the conclusion that long term use of Kelvan technology was ultimately unstable and would cause warp cores to explode if kept.  They didn’t mention this is the episode because it would have killed the drama to realize the Kelvans never really could win.  This is just as well because despite the speed how good could their ships have really been?  They couldn’t go through the galactic barrier without suffering from damage beyond all possibility of repair.  The Enterprise has now made multiple trips.

Apologizing 

So I guess there were no ESPERs on the ship this time?  Last time Gary Mitchel and Elizabeth Dehner got all silver eyed and developed god-like powers.  That would have been some major shock to the Kelvans who always believe the superior should conqueror.  “Well who is inferior now?  You think you’re going to turn me into weird shaped object I am going to turn you into pea!  Then I’ll send you back to the Andromeda Galaxy to show your people what happened.”  If only we weren’t limited to an hour in each episode.

Surprise Kelvans! Just what happens when some humans go through the barrier!

Shouldn’t they do something for the crew that was transformed into cuboctahedrons instead of leaving them in their chairs and on the floor?  Leaving them there seems to invite a possible accident with someone carelessly stepping or sitting on them.  I would have placed them all in the unused beds. What did that feel like to be turned into one of those things?  I wish they had explored that a bit.  Perhaps had another scene with Shea begging not turned into one again or violently charging them instead of standing still?

It is one of those episodes with a diplomatic feel good ending.  Unless you are the family of Yeoman Thompson, then you are rather sad.  It will also become really awkward when Rojan is told apologize and he tries just like Kelinda showed him.

FINAL  GRADE  4 of 5