A STAR TREK EPISODE WITHOUT CAPTAIN KIRK OR THE USS ENTERPRISE

 

Episode Title:  The Slaver Weapon

Air Date: 12/8/1973

Written by Larry Niven

Directed by Hal Sutherland

Cast: Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock        James Doohan  as Chuft Captain, Kzinti Telepath, Kzinti Flyer                      George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura     Majel Barrett as Slaver Weapon Computer

Ships: Copernicus NCC-1701/12, Traitor’s Claw

Planets: unnamed ice planet

My Spoiler filled summary and review: An away team consisting of Spock, Uhura, and Sulu are traveling in the shuttle craft Copernicus, which is a long-distance shuttle.  They are transporting a valuable item called a Slaver Box.   The box we are told is a relic from the Slaver Civilization, a power that once ruled and enslaved the galaxy billions of years ago.  The rebellion that overthrew it caused the end of intelligent life in the galaxy at that time until it evolved again.  The only thing left over are these boxes that are like time capsules only better. For what goes in a Slaver Box time stops.  If you put a ham sandwich into a box a million years later someone could open the box and eat it.  Since finding these boxes have often led to great discoveries, like improved anti-gravity, there is great importance placed in locating them.  However, unless you find one by accident, the only way to detect one is to have a box with you.  Today they think they might have found a new box thanks to the box that they have.

Cool new shuttle craft refit!

The team stops at an unnamed ice planet to where they believe this box to be located. However, it turns out to be a trap.  The three Starfleet officers are captured by the Kzinti and are imprisoned in their “web” that is basically a force field that surrounds a web design on the ground.  The Kzinti are cat-like race of aliens who first encountered humans at the end of the 21^st century and fought four wars with them.  The Kzinti lost all four wars and are now forbidden even to have weapons.  Now the must resort to treachery.  They are complete carnivores and view Vulcans with distain because they are vegetarians.  Humans as omnivores are only less disgusting.  Spock points out that they might underestimate Uhura because their own female population are just dumb animals. (I have more to say on that in the additional thoughts section.) Some of their species are telepathic and they usually have one on each of their crews.  However, the telepath can be thrown off if you focus your thoughts on eating vegetables. 

The Kzinti’s slaver box was empty so it was just really awesome storage unit that could also be used to lure someone else with a box in.  Opening Starfleet’s box, they find a picture of slaver (they were ugly), some fresh meat (good for them to eat), and a device that maybe a weapon.  The device changes shape per setting and it first does nothing really useful.  One setting deactivates all the technology allowing the Starfleet trio to escape.  Spock knocks over the Chuft Captain and takes the weapon.  This is a huge afront to the Chuft Captain’s honor to be hit by an herbivore.  The Chuft Captain remembers that human females are intelligent so they capture Uhura to use her as a hostage to set up a rematch with Spock and get back the weapon.

Nasty cats!

Spock and Sulu try to figure out the weapon, to which Sulu thinks it might have been used as device for intelligence officers given its many functions.  They find a setting that gives off a massive explosion.  It can give off enough power to put the Kzinti as the top power in this side of the galaxy.  They realize they can’t allow the Kzinit to have the weapon now, but it is too late as the vibrations from the explosion reach them knocking them down and unconscious.  Spock and Sulu join Uhura as prisoners again as the Chuft Captain tries to figure out the weapon.

Time to make an escape!

The Kzinit are having the hardest time finding the setting that the Starfleet officers had it on.  At one point the weapon has a reasoning computer phase. Spock begins to speculate that this might be the weapon’s own security mechanism.  When the Kzinit demand the setting their enemies just had it on, the shape it changes.  However, the new shape not the one Sulu and Spock saw earlier.  Instead, it’s a self-destruct mechanism that takes out the itself and the Kzinit.  As the three leave, they reminisce about a Kzinti legend about old weapons being haunted by their previous owners.

Slavers were ugly!

Additional thoughts: Well, here we have it, the first ever episode of Star Trek that had neither Captain Kirk nor the starship Enterprise anywhere to be found.  This wasn’t bad but I can’t say that I like it.  The only other time we didn’t have the Captain was in “The Cage” and the TV executives were so unhappy they almost dropped the series. It wasn’t until Kirk was added in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” that the show could begin.  But even in the first pilot we still got to have our starship Enterprise.  I think I speak for all of us when we say “no” to episode long shuttle craft adventures.  Shuttle craft are a tool not a story setting.  We should always have the Enterprise.

umm...lunch!

In the episode “The Paradise Syndrome” fans were introduced to the Preservers.  An ancient people who once ruled the Milky Way galaxy before the current groups of spacefaring powers (the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans) discovered faster-than-light travel.  They are long extinct and we don’t even know their real name.  The Federation calls them “the Preservers” because they come across their handiwork from time to time.  Species or cultures that were endangered were relocated to another M-class planet where they could thrive.  In this episode we learn there was an ancient race before them who the Federation calls “the Slavers.”  Guess why?  Apparently because they enslaved so many other intelligent beings in the galaxy.  It was so bad that a revolt happened that ended all intelligent life in the galaxy, until it evolved again.

Okay, this could be bad!

So, I guess the moral of the story is slavery is bad or slave revolts are bad.  It is one of those two.  It if is the later isn’t it just kind of weird?  I mean I suppose if I were living in the antebellum American South, I would be always in favor of a slave rebellion.  However, if such a rebellion would cause the extinction of the human species, I suppose that could turn me against it.  Let’s wait for a time to rebel where and when the whole human species won’t die. For such horrible slavers they did have some interesting technology.  However, given the size of boxes I think I would only use them for food storage.

So, the Kzinti women.  As there have been many patriarchal societies in real life, it is not strange to encounter them as we explore the universe.  However there seems to more here than simply a patriarchy.  For it is Spock that makes the claim that Kzinti women are unintelligent animals.  So, for a second let’s say Spock is 100% correct and under no possible misinterpretation.  How would such a species function?  You have one gender with human level intelligence and the other with the intelligence of a dog?  How are courting rituals done?  What do family structures look like?  It is the only thing I want to know about but the episode never addresses it.

Overall, this story was okay but it was just kind of weak.  It was good to see Sulu and Uhura given an opportunity to shine.

FINAL GRADE 3 of 5

THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER FOR STAR TREK THE ANIMATED SERIES

 

Episode Title:  Yesteryear

Air Date: 9/15/1973

Written by Dorothy C. Fontana

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”, The Guardian of Forever, Aleek-Om, Lieutenant Bates, Lieutenant Erikson, Commander Thelin, unnamed Vulcan Healer       George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Majel Barrett as Amanda Grayson and Lieutenant Grey       Mark Lenard as         Ambassador Sarek                 Billy Simpson as Young Spock                Keith Sutherland as Young Sepek

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Guardian’s unnamed homeworld, Vulcan

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The crew of the Enterprise has returned to the planet that hosts The Guardian of Forever.  When we last saw this famous time travel device, Kirk having been traumatized after saving the Federation from being wiped out of existence, wanted nothing to do with the Guardian and its journeys.  However, the Guardian seems to have gotten its wish and the artifact is now being used by the Federation as a source of research. 

The Guardian of Forever

This still seems like a pretty dangerous idea to me but Starfleet and the Federation strongly believe in going boldly, so long as you go carefully, with the whole time travel business.  Also, if The Guardian of Forever is going to become more user-friendly who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that?  Kirk, Spock, and Lt. Erikson emerge from the past having just witnessed the origins of the Orion Syndicate.  However as soon as they arrive something is wrong as McCoy doesn’t recognize Mr. Spock.  Kirk thinks McCoy is playing a joke on him, you would think he would know better, and orders the landing party to be beamed up.  When they materialize on the Enterprise none of the crew recognize Mr. Spock.   McCoy then introduces Kirk a Andorian named Commander Thelin, who McCoy explains has been his first officer for what is now the fifth year of their mission. 

Research

In the conference room the senior officers brainstorm about what happened, even Thelin is getting in on it despite the fact that if they restore things to the way they were he won’t be here anymore.  It turns out that Spock in the new time line died as a young child, his parents soon then divorced and Amanda was killed in a shuttle accident on her way back to Earth.  Ever since Sarek has been devoted to his work representing over seventeen Federation worlds at one time or another.

Spock's replacement

Given the age he was said to have died and the time period being investigated on Vulcan by the other researchers while Spock was with Kirk and Erickson in the past, Spock concludes that his death occurred during his kahs-wan maturity test.  In the original time line Spock was almost killed but a distant cousin of his, who had been recently visiting, saved his life.  The cousin, who was named Selek, was never seen by him again.  This prompts Kirk to ask if that “Selek” looked like him now.  With that Spock realizes what he must do: he must go back in time and be his own rescuer.  Kirk volunteers to go with him but Spock says he must do so alone.  With everyone’s support, even Thelin which is a surprise, Spock is given some supplies and change of clothes that prepare him as he heads back to the past through the Guardian.

"Selek" and Sarek

Spock returns a home and notes in his log that he forgot how beautiful Vulcan was.  There he is able to convince Sarek that he is a long-lost cousin.  It is rather interesting that Vulcan doesn’t have these records readily and electronically available to confirm this but Spock is protected by the power of plot.  Spock has discussions with both of his parents and watches his younger self fall victim to vicious bullies and be called an “Earther.” Young Spock is also embarrassed as he has yet to learn the Vulcan nerve pinch.

Later Sarek is talking with Young Spock about the kahs-wan, which involves desert survival.  He explains that it is not unusual for Vulcans to fail the first time and succeed at second or even third attempts.  However, since Spock is only half-Vulcan he must not fail for if he does others will say it was because of his weak human half.  Young Spock therefore decides that he must have some training and elects to try out the desert on his own. 

Spock being bullied

He packs and says good-bye to his pet sehlat, I-Chaya, and then heads out to the desert.  Unknown to Young Spock both I-Chaya and his future self are close behind.  Young Spock notices I-Chaya and tells him to stay behind as he is too old and too fat to be of any use.  However, I-Chaya still follows and when Young Spock is attacked by a le-matya, it is the loyal pet who saves him battling the beast.  Spock shows up and nerve pinches the le-matya to end the fight but the damage has been done. I-Chaya is dying of poisoning from the le-matya.  

shelat vs le-matya

They need a veterinarian, so Young Spock decides to take it upon himself to run and get one.  Young Spock returns with help but it is too late, Young Spock has to make a decision does he prolong I-Chaya’s life and also prolong the suffering or does he give him a more peaceful death.  Young Spock decides on the later.

I-Chaya lay dying

Young Spock reconciles with his parents and they are both proud of him.  Spock, as Selek, tells Sarek to do right by his son, which is all he can say without endangering the time line further as we know Sarek won't.  Spock returns home and all has been returned to normal. However, he is disappointed that he lost a pet that he didn’t lose at that point in the pre-tampered timeline.

Additional thoughts: Absolutely amazing episode but that is what you can always expect from DC Fontana. This episode also has a very important message for young children who have a pet.  You are most likely going to outlive your pet. One of the saddest episodes of my life is when my father and I had to put my boyhood dog Rex down when I was in early college.  It is an odd memory because even though it is sad, I am content with it.  I am glad I was there to hold him in his last moments.

My boyhood dog, Rex!

It seems Kirk has gotten over his anger at The Guardian of Forever.  When he last left, he wanted nothing to do with it.  Time heals all wounds, even the loss of Edith Keeler?  Or maybe it is just Kirk being the ultimate professional that he realizes some of his missions are going to be painful.  Speaking of the Guardian, did anyone else notice how user friendly it is now?  They can just tell the Guardian the time and it sends them right there. Before they had to scan with a tricorder and patiently wait for the right moment during the time run through to jump.  It is much better this way.  Maybe the Guardian realized more people would pay attention to it if it had a more useful interface.

I did notice a minor plot hole. It was established in the “The City on the Edge of Forever” that those in the immediate vicinity of the Guardian are immune from the time change.  Remember the entire landing party was still fine after McCoy went through the Guardian.  So, when Spock returned the first time everyone with the landing party should have still known him.  It is not until they got back to the ship that people should have started to notice who this strange Vulcan was.  Also Thelin sees Spock into the Guardian, so he should remain unaltered by the correction. 

This episode continues the tradition of rather bizarre log entries.  Why Spock is stopping to make these log entries?  His existence has been wiped out of history and he is going back in time to make sure he doesn’t die as child and he is doing log entries. Who is going to read these if he fails?  He isn’t in Starfleet anymore.

So, let’s talk about the Commander Thelin.  Where is he in the regular time line?  His existence wasn’t on the line just his job.  So, I imagine he is still in Starfleet but where is he?  First officer of the USS Lexington, perhaps?  I think he is doing well, the only one who suffered with Spock being re-added to the timeline is the last person to get accepted the Academy the year Spock was supposed to join.  That person had to find a new career.

Am I the only one bothered by the fact that Mr. Spock was so replaceable?  Shouldn’t there be more butterflies from Spock dying as a kid?  The only three we had was Amanda dying, Serek being over worked, and Thelin getting Spock’s job.  Spock saved Kirk’s career in “Court Martial.”  He saved whole ship multiple times a good example is “The Immunity Syndrome.” How did these adventures go down without Spock there?  Thelin stepped in every time?  I think it might have been better if nobody notice change on the surface, and when they beamed up not only did everyone not know who Spock was, but they were shocked to see McCoy.  As McCoy had died chasing the giant one-celled organism in a shuttle.    Maybe Thelin saved Kirk from Finney but Captain Pike is probably having a miserable time in physical therapy. 

Jimmy Doohan was a great voice actor and he pulls a lot of weight on his show filling in for many characters and aliens not just Scotty.  However, his Guardian of Forever is not his best work.  It sounds weak, off, and nothing like the Guardian from “The City on the Edge of Forever.”

Spock comforts his dying pet!

Speaking of the Guardian’s original appearance, in that episode a homeless man accidently vaporized himself with a phaser.  In this episode Spock’s boyhood pet died before he had in the timeline Spock remembered.  Now talked about my boyhood dog Rex dying when I was in college, how would my life have altered if I had lost my dog in high school?  I don’t know but I think it would.  This is how I often explain continuity errors.

FINAL GRADE 5 of 5

THE MOST INSANE TIME TRAVEL PREMISE EVER

 

Episode Title:  All Our Yesterdays

Air Date: 3/14/1969

Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste

Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky

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”        Mariette Hartley as Zarabeth          Ian Wolfe as Mr. Atoz               Kermit Murdock as The Prosecutor        Ed Bakey as The First Fop              Albert Cavens as Second Fop                  Anna Karen as unnamed Woman   Stan Barrett as The Jailor       Johnny Haymer as The Constable

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Sarpeidon

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise arrives at the planet Sarpeidon, whose sun is about to go nova in three hours.  To their surprise the entire planet’s population seems to have disappeared.  Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to investigate and arrive in some type of record storage facility.  There the three men run into the librarian; an older gentleman named Mr. Atoz who seems surprised to see them.  He insists they don’t have much time but is very glad that they are here.  They can look at the tapes and choose a time period, he says, but when Kirk points out that he wants to know what happened recently, Mr. Atoz is a little slow to respond saying there was not much demand.

Meeting Mr. Atoz

  

The three begin to explore this library and quickly run into Mr. Atoz again.  After having a similar conversation with him they turn away only to have that 180 degree turn result in a third encounter with the same man.  The third encounter seems to have turned Mr. Atoz into a grouch.  We do learn from this Mr. Atoz that the nicer two are duplicates who are there to assist him with his task.  He appears to have had something to do with the disappearance of population and he keeps pointing the three in directions of the disks.  For the moment they choose to amuse him glancing at some of the disks.  McCoy looks at one with images from an artic region while the Captain begins to look at one from a pre-industrial period.

Spock and McCoy going through the portal

Kirk suddenly hears a woman scream.  He runs through a door, ignoring the panic screaming of Atoz’s saying he is not ready, vanishing into thin air.  To Mr. Atoz’s horror, Spock and McCoy run after him and vanish as well.  Kirk ends up in a pre-industrial setting while Spock and McCoy find themselves stuck in some sort of ice age.  The equipment and weapons are inoperable. For a brief moment they can hear each other’s voices but Kirk gets distracted by the screaming woman.

The greatest fighter in the galaxy vs. a caviler dandy!

The woman is being attacked by a couple of cavalier-looking men.  Kirk rushes to her defense, and as the greatest fighter in the known universe, Kirk makes quick work of them.  Kirk, after he is sure the woman is okay, walks back to find the entrance to the library.  He talks Spock and McCoy some more and this makes the woman believe that he is some sort of witch.  The fact that he saved her life doesn’t enter into her decision at all.  The cavalier-looking men return with more of their number.  They too hear the voices and come to the same conclusion.  Kirk is arrested and charged with witchcraft.

Spock and McCoy desperately seek shelter.  They are not having any luck finding it.  McCoy is about to be finished when they are found by woman who takes them to her shelter.  And what a shelter it is complete with heat from natural hot springs to keep them nice and toasty!  This allows the woman, who we learn is Zarabeth, to walk around in a sexy outfit.  Zarabeth tells Spock she was marooned in this time period by Zor Kahn, a tyrannical ruler of her planet as punishment when members of her family failed to assassinate him.  As Spock nurses McCoy to health, he finds himself strangely drawn to their rescuer and is starting to have other strange thoughts pop up in his mind.

In prison Kirk denies he is a witch but he quickly figures something out about his jailer.  Like him he is from the future, Kirk calls him out on it and the man tries to play stupid.  However, they quickly begin talking about time travel.  Kirk expresses his desire to get back to his own time.  His jailer explains that he can’t go back as once you are prepared your molecules must live in the time you are sent.  Kirk explains that he wasn’t prepared.  To which the man explains that not only can he leave but he must.

For Kirk no good dead goes unpunished!

Back in the ice age, Spock is going through some changes.  Zarabeth has prepared some cooked meat for them but Spock is a vegetarian.  Now there is a survival factor here that does make some sense but it goes beyond that.  Spock likes eating the meat and he also seems to enjoy getting nice and close to Zarabeth.  He starts to lose all sense of where he is when he tells Zarabeth the Vulcan is a planet millions of light-years from Sarpeidon.  Which if true would put Vulcan several galaxies away from its actual location.  This is probably the biggest confirmation that Spock is losing it.   When McCoy points this out to Mr. Spock, Spock almost attacks him.  McCoy can still appeal to his reason.  He reminds Spock what Vulcan was going through in this time period.  Spock realizes that he is reverting to the ways of his ancestors as a consequence of returning to the past.  However, when talking to Zarabeth she informs him that they can’t go back to the present because of the process unaware that McCoy and Spock did not complete it.

Spock and McCoy before Zarabeth rescue!

Not trusting the judge from the future to be honest and fair, Kirk arranges his own escape. He forces his adversary to bring him to the library door so he can return to the present. When he returns to the library Kirk confronts Atoz but the time librarian is determined to prepare Kirk and send him back.  Kirk is having the hardest time convincing the old man that he is not even from this planet.  At one point Atoz knocks Kirk out and tries to push him back in a cart before Kirk wakes up.  This scene is kind of funny.  

I was amused!

McCoy calls Zarabeth out for wanting to keep them here.  She confesses that there might be away and takes them there out of guilt.  When they arrive Kirk and Atoz have located the correct disc and Kirk can communicate with them.  They can only return if both do so at the same time.  This means that in order to ensure that McCoy survives Spock can’t choose to stay with Zarabeth.  They say their goodbyes and the two Starfleet officers return to the present.  Atoz flees to the past and the landing party beams back to the Enterprise.  McCoy tires to comfort Spock but Spock doesn’t want to hear it.  Zarabeth he points out has now been dead and buried for thousands of years.  If he wanted to be even more depressing about it, he could point out that the ground she is buried in is about to be destroyed in a fiery supernova.  The Enterprise warps out as Sarpeidon is destroyed.   

Additional thoughts: Not counting that quick trip in “The Naked Time,” the first-time travel episode was “Tomorrow is Yesterday.”  In it the Enterprise accidently picks up Captain Christopher of the U.S. Air Force, at the time it is believed they may have to take him with them to prevent any disruption to the time line.  However, Spock later figures out that the Captain’s descendent Col. Christopher will lead the first trip to Saturn, mandating Captain Christopher’s immediate return.  In “The City on the Edge of Forever” a drugged Dr. McCoy gets trapped in the past.  When he recovers, he saves a random woman, Edith Keeler, from a car accident.  This helpful act caused the Nazis to win World War II and wipes the Federation straight out of existence.  Kirk and Spock were able to fix everything because they had been standing so close to the Guardian of Forever the moment McCoy went in.

Spock about to meet his own "Edith Keeler"

Yet in this episode we encounter Mr. Atoz who has sent his entire planet’s population back to the past.  Your mind will quickly go numb at all the possible butterfly effects flying around.  How the Atavachron time travel device survives all these time alterations I have no clue.  It was amazing not to mention lucky for them to dodge all these potential temporal paradoxes to continue to sending their massive population to the past.  Now the Atavachron did require its subjects to go through a preparation where their cells and brainwaves were to match their intended time period.   This is interesting because we have seen our characters go back in time and have never required such a thing.  It could be that this method is what is used to ensure that the participants conform to their time period and prevents them from interfering with historic events.  The prosecutor that Kirk encounters seems quite scared to talk about his time in the future.  There aren’t listening devices time period so who is yelling to that he believes in witches?  Perhaps if he doesn’t adapt fully, he might drop down dead?  It’s worth thinking about.

Falling in love

So, we have a star about to go nova and a fully populated and developed planet in orbit about to be destroyed.  Starfleet is monitoring this and notices that the planet’s population has seemingly disappeared so they send the Enterprise to investigate.   So, what would have happened if Kirk had found them all hiding in underground structures praying to whatever deity they believed in to come save them?  Would Kirk have been like “Oh, Okay we just wanted to know where you were.  Good-bye enjoy the last three hours of your life.” The Enterprise doesn’t have the resources to evacuate an entire planet.  Maybe Starfleet has a fleet waiting for the Enterprise to report?  But they are cutting it a little close, aren’t they?  There is only three hours here how are we going to evacuate an entire planet. Starfleet shown to either immoral or just stupid.

Kirk and his jailer from the present!

Golly doesn’t Sarpeidon looks just like Earth?  Their people are indistinguishable from humans, and their 17th century England are filled with knights and accused ‘witches!’ If this were an earlier season of Star Trek, they might have called it another Earth instead of giving an actual name.  It is almost they wrote the episode based on what they could find in the prop and costume departments at the studio. 

Spock and Zarabeth looking at their third wheel!

There is so much potential for unseen stories from this planet.  From the tyrant Zor Kahn, who was so evil that even Mr. Spock, who was not from this planet has heard of him; to all modern inhabitants living in their past. 

Going home without her!

The worst part of the episode for myself is the fate of poor Zarabeth.  It bothers me even more than the deaths of Edith Keeler and Miramanee.  Mainly because their deaths were sudden where Zarabeth was condemned to a life of loneliness.  However, an even bigger reason I am so bothered is they don’t attempt to fight for her.  You can say there was no time but there is plenty of time in time travel.   Even if they cannot bring her through the Atavachron they can still try to save her.  McCoy could have taken a sample of her hair and Spock could have grabbed the time disc in the library right before they beamed up.  McCoy could devise a way to undo to her cells what the Atavachron’s process did to them.  Spock can use the disk to locate the exact time period she is in.  They can then use the Enterprise to warp around a star in a nearby system and get to her time period.  (Don’t tell me that is too dangerous they did it “Assignment: Earth” just to answer some local historians’ questions about the late 1960s.) Once there they can fly back to Sarpeidon pick up Zarabeth and McCoy can treat her.  With that done they warp back to and around the nearby star returning to present time.  Since there is only one episode left, we don’t have to worry about how this new addition will impact the series. 

FINAL GRADE 4 of 5

THE ENTERPRISE FINDS SOME SPACE HIPPIES!

 

Episode Title:  The Way to Eden

Air Date: 2/21/1969

Written by Arthur Heinemann and Dorothy C. Fontana 

Directed by David Alexander

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          Elizabeth Rogers as Lieutenant Palmer          Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley        Frank Da Vinci as Lieutenant Brent         Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli           Jeannie Malone as unnamed lieutenant              Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel          Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov      James Drake as unnamed Nurse      Skip Homeier as Dr. Ton Sevrin                Charles Napier as Adam                 Mary Linda Rapelye as Irina       Victor Brandt as  Tongo Rad           Deborah Downey as unnamed Hippie Woman#1                 Phyllis Douglas as unnamed Hippie Woman #2 

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Gallio II NCC-1701’7, Aurora NC-17740

Planets: “Eden”

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The episode begins with the Enterprise chasing down a stolen starship.  It is not the first time we have seen them do this for they had to do the same task in “Mudd’s Women.”  Like with Mudd’s ship the stolen vessel was still destroyed, but the adventure was still a step up.  The Enterprise crew were able to perform better this time as they saved the people on the stolen ship without incurring any damage to their own vessel.  Instead of finding a space pimp and his ladies, they find a group of space hippies.  Kirk’s log entry lets us know that one of these space hippies is Tongo Rad, the son a prominent Catullan diplomat, whose people are involved in a delicate negotiation with the Federation.  Therefore, Kirk must proceed more gently than he would otherwise like.

The space hippies are led by a Tiburonian, named Dr. Sevrin, who teaches a philosophy that rejects the artificial world of technology and seeks a return to the primitive and natural that he calls “the One.”  Sevrin believes there is a world called Eden that is untouched by the modern and his followers can live life in a natural paradise.   They don’t like Kirk who they call a “Herbert” for insisting that he is going to return them to the authorities.  They do take to Spock who is sympathetic to their plight and even offers to help find a potential “Eden” planet for them to live on once things are settled with Federation authorities. 

Sevrin and Adam

Ensign Chekov is both surprised and horrified to discover that his ex-girlfriend, who he dated while they were both at Starfleet Academy, is part of their group.  Kirk can’t believe that any space hippie was once an Academy cadet.  This leads Spock to point out that most of the space hippies are remarkably intelligent with their leader, Dr. Sevrin, being a top scientist in his field.  Kirk allows Chekov to go check on his old flame and they do a little bit of bonding as her people are being medically checked in sick bay. 

Trouble starts when McCoy discovers that Sevrin suffers fromsynthococcus novae.  This condition is generated by the technology in modern Federation society.  It’s treatable and most Starfleet personnel are vaccinated against it.  However, as a carrier Sevrin cannot leave artificial environment society in exchange for the natural as his condition would spread untreated and begin to kill people.  Sevrin strongly rejects this and Kirk orders him confined to the brig.  This leads his followers to try to recruit Enterprise crewmembers to revolt.  Spock tries to reason with Sevrin only to come away convinced that Sevrin is insane. 

Having a "jam"

The space hippies mingle with the Enterprise crew, learn things about the ship, and sing songs. At one point the one named Adam invites Spock to participate in a jam session.  All of this is a ruse however to get knowledge of the Enterprise and control of the ship.  They re-route everything to the emergency control room and take the ship to the area of space they think Eden is.  It just so happens to be in Romulan space so they could be in a lot of trouble as they fly past the Neutral Zone.  When they arrive at the planet, they make the ship produce a sonic noise that knocks out the crew.

With the crew unconscious the space hippies take a shuttle to the surface.  However, the planet turns out to be toxic to humanoid life.  Adam had died because he ate a piece of fruit.  Sevrin not willing to accept defeat does the same.  The crew of the Enterprise brings the hippies back.  Spock tells Chekov’s ex that they should not give up their search for Eden.

Chekov and his lost girlfriend

Additional thoughts: Given the popularity and growing power of the counter-culture that existed in the 1960s it was probably inevitable that Star Trek would do an episode to comment on it.  I think this probably would have been a better episode to do time travel trip to 20^th century Earth (maybe to stop some rogue time traveler hiding out) and encounter some real hippies instead of inventing their own.  The real hippies protested and fought against unjust war, racial segregation, institutional sexism, greedy unrestrained capitalism, the environment, and rigorous patriarchal standards on family structure.  What do the space hippies fight against in the ideal future?  The answer: the Federation is just too awesome.  We have technology that can do almost anything! Rebel! 

Adam and Tongo Rad

It is not to say the hippies cannot be criticized they certainly can be.  Amongst hippie culture there was a rapid spread of drug use and STDS.  There is also some bone head political decisions such as publicly endorsing Chairman Mao and Ho Chi Minh.  However, the episode doesn’t really work with legitimate criticisms.  The focus seems to be why are young people so crazy sometimes? Even the space hippies’ worldview of the return to the primitive never sees legitimate critique either.  As much as they may hate artificial environment it is better for us than pure nature.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at what bananas are really supposed to look like.  Not only that but corn, apples, and anything else. There is a reason why hunter/gather had to remain small it is not the best way to feed yourself.  That is why we developed agriculture; it is far more secure. For some reason no one, even Spock, mentions this. 

A human-made banana vs. nature made.  Have fun in Eden!

This happens to be one of the few Star Trek stories that Kirk has a really passive part.  The Captain is just along for the ride in this one where the focus of the story is on Spock and Chekov.  Considering we know how hard Chekov can fall for a girl he is the most logical choice to be made to suffer over his ex’s defection.  Chekov, with his Monkey’s haircut, can also represent the non-hippie youth, who continues to believe in the values of the prior generation and who is repulsed by the hippies.

Spock jamming with a hippie girl

The False promise of Eden leads to death.

The crew of the Enterprise should be glad the Romulans decided to take today off.   The last time two times they went into the Neutral Zone the Romulans were on top of them in a moments notice.  The Romulans in “The Deadly Years” showed no interest in listening to the stupid Commodore in command.  Considering what happened in “The Enterprise Incident” there is no way the Romulans would believe the Enterprise entered into their space because they were overwhelmed with space hippies.  In fact, being that it is the Enterprise the Romulans wouldn’t believe anything they had to say with good reason.  
 

 FINAL GRADE 3 of 5