The Ambergris Element

TAS Season 1 Episode 13
Air Date: December 1st, 2019

Plot

The Enterprise is sent to a aqua planet Argo to investigate the rising water levels that seem to be a parallel to another inhabited planet that is years behind. The goal is to find out what would happen to a planet in this scenario. They take a shuttle designed for water transport and are attacked by a sea creature. Kirk and Spock and the shuttle go missing and are found five days later, but with gills and webbed feet and fingers and no memories of what happened.

They return to the water to figure out what happened as they can no longer breath air. They find a civilization under water that refer to the human's as air breathers. They discover that the Aquans were once air breathers but as their planet transformed to oceans they adapted their genetics to breath under water and over the years their children were only able to breath under water.

They investigate ancient ruins and McCoy finds the research that lets him turn Kirk and Spock back to air breathers. They help the Aquans deal with the earthquakes they were experiencing and even showed them how to become air breathers should they choose to return to the land.

Quotes

"I can't command a ship from inside an aquarium." - Kirk

"It is quite possible, captain, that they find us grotesque and ugly and many people fear beings different from themselves." - Spock

The Time Trap

TAS Season 2 Episode 12
Air Date: November 24th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise is exploring a sector of space called the Delta Triangle, another Bermuda Triangle type area where star ships regularly disappear. As they are crossing the area, three Klingon battle cruisers attack but one of them disappears. Spock and Kirk surmise that there is some kind of portal there, so they rush it to escape the other two Klingons.

They end up in a pocket of space where time runs slowly. They find a collection of ships from many civilizations that have been stranded including one federation ship. They discover that they have been living in this time pocket for hundreds of years, maybe longer and that they age at a fraction of the rate. They have a council that tells the Klingons and Enterprise crew that they are welcome here but they must not be violent, the punishment is to be put the crew of the offending ship into stasis for a hundred years.

The Klingons try to escape but the border of the time pocket was too powerful, keeping them in. The Enterprise and the Klingons decide to work together to try to escape before their dilithium crystals deteriorate. The effort succeeds but the Klingons try to destroy the enterprise with a planted bomb which Scotty finds before it goes off.

Quotes

"Got any miracles in your computer, Spock?" - Kirk

"Elysia is, in many respects, a perfect society. But with all its virtues, it is not home. And home, with all its faults, is where we prefer to be." - Kirk

The Terratin Incident

TAS Season 1 Episode 11
Air Date: November 17th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise enters detects a strange transmission that is mostly background radiation with a pattern detected in it, twice. The pattern made out the word Terratin. They trace it to a system with a planet that is in the final days of it's existance about to be overwhelmed by volcanoes and explosions. When they approach the planet they are hit with some kind of radiation that causes the crew to shrink.

They discover that all organic life will shrink, but not their mass, just their size. The space between the atoms is getting closer but the atoms are staying the same size. Spock estimates that they will shrink to about 1/16th of an inch, which is too small to be able to operate the controls of the enterprise.

Once Kirk is around 6 inches tall, he decides to beam down to the planet to see if he can stop whatever is causing it. With the Enterprise programmed to auto beam him back in 10 minutes he beams down. It turns out the transporter was able to restore him to his regular size, but when he transports back to the Enterprise, everyone is already shrunk, but some of the bridge crew are missing.

Turns out there is a city on the planet of humans that were shrunk from the same radiation and they lured the Enterprise there to rescue them. They waited until they were small enough otherwise they were worried that they would not rescue them. Kirk beams the crew back and transports the city to the Enterprise, taking them away from the planet before it is encased in lava.

Quotes

"The whole ship has apparently expanded." - Kirk

"An equally good possibility is that ship's personnel have contracted. And maybe continuing to shrink." - Spock

"People of the Enterprise, we have no way to pay the debt we owe. But this at least comes from a meeting of all our numbers. We name you honorary Terratins now, and for all time to come." - Mendant

"We came rather close to making it more than honorary." - Spock

"Yes, I'd say just about a sixteenth of an inch close." - Kirk

Mudd's Passion

TAS Season 1 Episode 10
Air Date: November 10th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise enters the Arcadia system looking for Harry Mudd. Harry Mudd is selling the miners of the planet a liquid that makes any women attracted to whomever he touches after applying the liquid. Kirk tells Mudd that he is being arrested for a series of crimes. Mudd says this planet doesn't recognize Federation law. Spock shows the people that Mudd created an illusion of a beautiful women which makes the people angry. Kirk rescues Mudd, but then arrests him on the Enterprise.

Mudd gives Nurse Chapel a crystal that can cause a man, specifically Spock, to fall in love with her. He uses this as an opportunity to get out of the brig with Nurse Chapels Federation ID card. Nurse Chapel tries the crystal on Spock but it has no immediate effect. Nurse Chapel finds Mudd in the shuttle bay and she shoots at him with a phaser. Mudd drops his crystals which get sucked into the ventilation system. Mudd captures Nurse Chapel and steals a shuttle craft to head back to the planet.

Kirk and Spock transport down to find Mudd and Chapel. Meanwhile the Enterprise crew starts all falling in love. On the surface, Mudd and Chapel are attacked by a giant three eyed rock creature and an rock crocidile. Kirk and Spock arrive and shoot it with their phasers but it has little effect. They call for an emergency beam out, but the crew is too busy with their romances. Kirk uses the last two crystals to infect the two rock creatures, causing them to start a mating ritual.

Once the crystals start wearing off, the away team get transported back with Harry Mudd.

Quotes

"Never underestimate the spirit of Harcourt Fenton Mudd. I borrowed a vehicle." - Mudd
"Stole a spaceship." - Spock
"And left to find haven on Ilyra Six. A charming planet, an innocent and friendly populace." - Mudd
"To whom you sold the Starfleet Space Academy. Harry." - Kirk
"A fraud. But sold for enough credits to get to Sirius Nine." - Spock
"Where I discovered a boon to humanoid life, a miracle love potion." - Mudd
"Which you sold to a thousand inhabitants, who immediately became ill from using it." - Kirk

Once Upon a Planet

TAS Season 1 Episode 9
Air Date: November 3rd, 1973

Plot

The crew of the Enterprise returns to the shore leave planet where the world figures out your desires and creates machines that mimic them. The first time they were on the planet, they bumped into Alice and the white rabbit. It happens again this time, only this time McCoy is attacked by playing cards and the queen of hearts. Everyone gets back to the ship except Uhura, whos communicator is taken by a small flying machine.

Uhura meets a computer underground and says he rescued her from her master, the machine in space. When the others beam down the computer tells Uhura that he only needs one "hostage" and he will "turn them off" referencing the away team. The computer tells Uhura that up until this point, his job was to read thoughts and figure out what the people on the surface wants. Now that the keeper is gone, he doesn't want that job anymore.

The away team finds a grave, for the keeper of the planet. They find a sign pointing to the underground entrance, but after they pass the sign, it disappears. It turns out to be a trap and they are engaged by pterodactyl. They are chased into a cave where they are attacked by a giant cat.

The away team figure out that the planet naturally wants to repair anyone who gets hurt so McCoy injects Spock with a compound that will knock him unconsious for 5 minutes. When a machine gets Spock, Kirk follows it underground leaving McCoy and Sulu behind to deal with a two headed dragon.

Kirk confronts the computer where it reveals that it wants to escape this planet and the Enterprise is it's way out. It has already take over the Enterprise and started building a computer for it to live in. The computer didn't know that the humans are the master since machines are superior. The away team convinces the machine that it can serve people freely, to achieve personal satisfaction. It agrees with the logic and becomes the new keeper of the shore leave planet.

Quotes

"I will make them cease to function. I will turn them off." - Computer
"That's murder." - Uhura
"That is a word meaning to cease to function?" - Computer
"Yes, but" - Uhura
"Good. It is as I wish. I will turn them off." - Computer

The Magicks of Megas-tu

TAS Season 1 Episode 8

Air Date: October 27th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise explores the galaxy core to investigate the theory that matter is still being made after the big bang. Arriving at the core and it is a giant space storm that draws the Enterprise in. They try to fight the storm but the ship is unable to take the stress. Spock then takes the ship deeper into the storm hoping to find an eddy.

Once in the eddy, the laws of physics start changing. The engines start fading out, life support fails. Then the devil himself shows up and reactivates all the systems saving the crew. He goes by the name Lucien. Lucien transport Kirk, Spock and McCoy to his domain, Megus-tu. A planet where magic is real.

Lucien explains that they became lonely in their eternity, so they went out from their dimension and explored eventually finding earth where they became advisers to the people there and brought some of the magic with them. But eventually they had to leave but Lucien didn't want to go. He was known as a troublemaker but he loved the people and is very happy that humans have arrived.

Lucien then panicks and tells Kirk they must not be discovered and sends him back to the Enterprise. Spock realizes that magic is a part of the universe they are in, so he must be able to tap into it. He figures out how to move a chess piece with his mind. The crew start practicing using the magic which lets the others find the Enterprise.

The others, they call the humans evil and say they are the ones that will suffer this time. They explain that the people of Earth tried to use their magic and powers to make them stronger and eventually they would be burned as witches. So it is fitting that the humans of the Enterprise are tried as witches in Salem Massachusetts. Spock is assigned as defense lawyer and show that humans are good now.

They vote and decide the Enterprise arrived by accident and probably would never be able to get back so they would be free to go. But Lucien would be punished. Kirk defends Lucius even when he finds out he is also known as Lucifer.

Kirk and Lucifer then get into a magic war and while he can't win, he does use words to show that the people of Megas-tu would be as evil as the humans they remember. They then find out that this was all a test to see if humans had changed and Kirk passed.

Quotes

"Call me Lucien! Call me friend! Never could I abandon those who come to rollick with me." - Lucien

"It looks like ancient Earth, Spock. Sixteenth or seventeenth century, I'd guess." - Kirk
"Approximately 1691, Captain" - Spock

"Look at General Order number One. No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society. Compare that with the Earth you once knew." - Kirk

"You think Lucien really was the demon some men call Lucifer?" - McCoy
"Does it really matter?" - Kirk
"It just might, Captain. If he was, this would be the second time Lucifer was cast out, and thanks to you, the first time he was saved." - Spock

The Infinite Vulcan

TAS Season 1 Episode 7
Air Date: October 20th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise is surveying a planet on the fringe of the galaxy. While on the planet, Sulu gets poisoned by a local plant that is capable of unrooting itself and move to a better location. McCoy is unable to determine the proper antidote and then the locals appear and save Sulu. They are a race of plants.

Agmar, the leader explains that a human had been on their planet before, and the previous generation was infected and killed. Then the away team is attacked by flying plants that take away Spock. Agmar said they need him but the rest can go. Kirk threatens Agmar and then a giant human named Stavos Keniclius V shows up and tells Kirk to leave, or else. Kirk complies.

McCoy finds out that Stavos was a scientist during the eugenics war who disappeared hundreds of years ago. Kirk concludes that it is a clone of Stavos, probably the fifth one since he would have died of old age.

They transport down to the planet and capture Agmar demanding Spock back. Agmar tells them that they are dying and Spock's physical and mental strengths are what they need. Agmar takes them to Spock, but it is a trap. Once they find Spock he is dying, but Stavos reveals that there is a s Spock II, who is as tall as Stavos.

Kirk tries to convince Spock that there is no logic letting the first die. The Enterprise then reveals that Stavos wanted to build a super race to enforce peace. Kirk tells Stavos that there is peace in the Federation. Stavos doesn't believe it. Spock II realizes that Spock shouldn't die and uses a mind meld to give Spock his memory back.

Spock II stays behind to work with Stavos V to help the local civilization survive their ordeal.

Quotes

"Now, just a minute. I can't let you, whatever you are, inject him with some alien dew drop!" - McCoy

"Your medication worked quickly." - McCoy

"A minor achievement." - Agmar

"Minor? Our science doesn't have anything that works that fast. Yours must be incredible. The toxin level is decreasing fast." - McCoy

"Well, how about that. Great granddaddy's weed spray still works." - McCoy

"If you have Spock's mind, you'll know the Vulcan symbol called the Idic." - Kirk

"Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. Symbolizing the elements that create truth and beauty." - Spock

The Survivor

TAS Season 1 Episode 6
Air Date: October 13th, 1974

Plot

The Enterprise finds a one man vessel near the Romulan neutral zone that was damaged by a meteor shower. They rescue the captain Carter Winston which the crew all knows of well though everyone didn't know he was still alive. Oddly enough, his fiancee is aboard the Enterprise as a security officer.

When Winston sees his fiancee, he tells her that he had crashed on Vendor and had severe plastic surgery and that things happened and he can't merry her anymore. He goes to see Kirk about his ship to see if it can be repaired. When Kirk said it can't, Winston turned into an alien and then knocks out Kirk, then turns into Kirk.

Winston orders the Enterprise to cut through Romulan space to get to Ratar III and that the population is in immanent danger. Later Kirk wakes up and heads to bridge and notices that the course changed and Spock told him that he gave the order. He shows a recording to prove it. Kirk tells Spock he never gave that order and he should go to sick bay.

Before Kirk can get there, Winston pulls the same move on McCoy and tells Kirk that he is busy and to come back later. Spock notices that McCoy's responses were atypical. They go back and find McCoy asleep. Kirk realizes that there are three beds in the sick bay when there are only supposed to be two. He convinces Winston to revert to his true form, but Winston overpowers them and escapes into the ship.

While the search for the intruder is happening, two Romulans show up and demand that the Enterprise be given to the Romulan empire. Kirk realizes that Winston was a Romulan spy used to lure the Enterprise into Romulan space.

Winston sabotages the Enterprises deflector shields then bumps into his fiancee and she pulls a phaser on him. Winston says that the real Winston died with him, and he did get to know him before he passed. The alien starts talking about Winston's love and that he too loves her. He shows her his real form, that of a Vandorian. She lowers his phaser but Kirk shows up and attacks Wintson but he can't fire in time as the Romulan fires on the Enterprise and Winston gets away.

The Enterprise returns fire targeting propulsion systems disabling one of the two ships and the second escapes. Kirk thanks Scotty for fixing the shields but Scotty says he hasn't. They realize that Winston turned himself into a deflector shield and saved them. Winston then shows up on the bridge and says that Anne changed him.

Commentary

They use the Romulans are using Klingon Battlecruisers in this episode too, though there are Romulan markings on it.

Quotes

"Anne, this is what I am. Can you love this? You see why I told you it would be best to forget me?" - Winston

"You caught him." - McCoy

"Acute observation, Doctor." - Spock

"I'm glad to see him under guard, Jim. If he'd turned into a second Spock, it would've been too much to take." - McCoy

"Perhaps. But then two Doctor McCoys just might bring the level of medical efficiency on this ship up to acceptable levels." - Spock

More Tribbles, More Troubles

TAS Season 1 Episode 5
Air Date: October 6th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise is escorting a grain shipment to Sherman's planet when they run into a Klingon Battlecruiser attacking a small federation ship. They were too late to stop the ship from being destroyed but were able to transport the captain during the fight. The Klingons then use a new weapon on the Enterprise, a stasis field that disables phasers, torpedoes and engines. Kirk uses the grain ships to split the Klingon's efforts which causes the stasis field to come down. Now with weapons, the Enterprise can fight back and the Klingons run away.

The pilot of the small ship is none other then Cyrano Jones, the merchant who sold Tribbles in the episode The Trouble with Tribbles. This time he brought Tribbles on board that are not born pregnant so they don't pose a threat, but they do gain weight easier. He even found a predator that helped him clean up the last Tribble outbreak. Jones was being chased by the Klingons because he was selling Tribbles on a Klingon world.

The Enterprise has to take on the grain from one of the ships as it was damaged in the fight with the Klingons. The Klingons after regaining their power attack again only this time it attacks the other grain ship first, then the Enterprise. After a set of volleys between the two ships, the Klingons turn and run again without using the new weapon. The battle causes the grain shipment to spill and the Tribbles start eating the grain and growing.

The Klingons then come in and attack again, this time with the weapon. With the Enterprise disabled, the Captain Kolath of the Klingon ship demands that Jones is turned over. Kirk reluctantly refuses and uses "Emergency Plan B". Transport the Tribbles over to the Klingon ship.

Kolath starts singing a different tune and asks Kirk to at least give him the tribble predator, a prototype genetically engineered creature the Klingons made and Jones stole. Kirk sends it over and the Klingons release the Enterprise.

Quotes

"We can always throw rocks." - Uhura

"It is an energy-sapping field of great strength, Captain. It immobilizes a starship and its weapons capability. But apparently, it also immobilizes the attacking ship's abilities at the same time." - Spock
"Aye, and if that's true, then it's a weapon that leaves them as helpless as it does us." - Scotty
"I believe I just said that, Mister Scott." - Spock

"We can always throw Tribbles at them." - Spock

"That we have immobilized your ship worse than you have immobilized ours." - Kirk
"I doubt that. Our instruments report nothing except some undue transporter activity and (a tribble rolls behind him) Kirk? Tribbles?" - Koloth

"Aye, Captain. But you've got to admit, if we've got to have tribbles, it's best if all our tribbles are little ones." - Scotty

The Lorelei Signal

TAS Season 1 Episode 4
Air Date: September 29th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise enter into what seems to be the Bermuda triangle in space. Over the past 150 years many ships have vanished while in this space and from info shared between the Klingons, Romulans and Federation it seems that ships disappear every 27 years. The Enterprise enters the area at the expected time when ships disappear to see what happens.

Uhura receives a signal that sounds like music and is traced to the Taurean system at the edge of the sector. Kirk, Spock and Scotty all indicate they are drawn to it but Uhura says she is not. Almost like it is the call of a siren.

When they arrive at the Taurean system and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down and meet a colony of beautiful women, or at least they look like women. Spock indicates they are not human. Theela, the "head female" says that they have a device that told them about the Enterprise and its crew. Theela said the men live in another compound. They eat some food and then pass out. When they wake up, they have aged 20 years.

On the Enterprise, Uhura and Nurse Chapel investigate and realize that the men are going to be drawn to the planet and that they will lose all their energy the longer they are close to the planet. Uhura takes command of the ship and puts together an all women security team.

Once the away team have been drained of most of their energy, they are left to die. McCoy is able to use a stimulant to give them the strength to escape. They notice that the headband they are wearing glow when they are close to the woman and that they must be absorbing their life energy as some kind of fountain of youth.

Spock goes alone back into the compound to get their communicators. He is barely able to get a message to the Enterprise to send an all female rescue party. Ugura, Chapel and fouir female security officers beam down and stun all the woman. They find Spock as an old man but not the rest of the away team who are still hiding.

Uhura forces Theela to tell her where the away team is. Theela tells her that her people came to this planet when their planet died. They later found out that the planet itself drains humanoid energy. But the women developed an excretion that let them survive it and even control men. It also gives them eternal life.

Once Uhura finds the away team they all beam back to the ship but they are all near death. Spock theorizes that they could use the transporter pattern history to return them back to their original age during transport.

The women of the planet are told they will be taken away so they can live normal lives.

Commentary

They did a similar trick in an episode of TNG where Dr. Polaski uses the transporter to reverse an aging caused by a disease that she was trying to cure.

Quotes

"We are in orbit around planet two in the Taurean system. Probes and sensors indicate there was once a vast civilisation here. Lovely. Lovely." - Scotty

"I want an all-woman security team on every transporter immediately. No one is to transport down to the planet unless it is on my order." - Uhura

"Aye, aye, Lieutenant." - Davidson

"What are you doing?" - Chapel

"Taking command of this ship." - Uhura

One of Our Planets Is Missing

TAS Season 1 Episode 3
Air Date: September 22nd, 1974

Plot

The Enterprise observes a cloud in space that seems to engulf planets and destroys them. They see it change course and head towards a populated planet Mantilles. The Enterprise starts heading to Mantilles to warn them, but the cloud intercepts the Enterprise and pulls it in. Phasers have no effect, but an antimatter seems to keep parts of it at bay. Spock concludes that the cloud is alive.

They look at a map of the cloud's composition and find that it has pathways that could be part of it's digestive tract. They plot a course to the central core of the cloud. McCoy concludes that the core is equivalent with the small intestine and Spock notes that it is made of anti-matter, effectively meaning that it digests planets by combining anti-matter with the matter it consumes creating energy then making more anti-matter.

Scotty realizes that they could use the antimatter in the Enterprises reactor so they can use it to keep the Enterprises shields up. Spock concludes that the cloud has a brain. Kirk orders the Enterprise to head to the brain so they can destroy the creature using photon torpedoes. It is a moral dilemma, killing a creature or saving Mantilles.

The only way they can destroy the cloud though would be to use the ships self destruct mechanism. Spock tries to use the Enterprise as an antennae to communicate telepathically with the cloud. He succeeds to explain to the cloud that there are living creatures on planet it is approaching and that the cloud should not eat the planet and return to where it comes from.

Quotes

"You have time to save some people, Bob." - Kirk

"That won't be long enough either, but it'll have to do." - Wesley

"How are you going to choose?" - Kirk

"There is no choice, Jim. We'll save the children." - Wesley

"If this thing does have a stomach, we just might be able to give it enough indigestion to make it turn away from Mantilles." - Kirk

"Captain, I have completed the analysis of the target area. Unfortunately, the brain is so vast, our entire offensive armament will not assure its destruction. However, the brain could be completely destroyed if we convert the entire ship to energy, aimed at the brain's cortex, and expend the energy in one mortal strike." - Spock

"That sounds like you're telling us to blow up the ship." - McCoy

"I believe that is what I just said, Doctor." - Spock

Week Eight

I fell real short this week. With I was supposed to be done with The Original Series on Wednesday and be 6-8 episodes into The Animated Series. I ended up playing Anthem too much and didn't finish the Original Series until Saturday morning. I was able to watch a few of The Animated Series though. The next week will be interesting as I should be able to finish The Animated Series by Thursday but then I have 4 movies to watch, each around 2 hours long.

For the last half of season 3, one of my favorite episodes was "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". I remember this episode fairly well from when I saw it as a child. It opened my eyes to the issue of racism, and how so much hate and biases can be caused by something as trivial as skin color. I also enjoyed "Requiem for Methuselah" and "The Savage Curtain".

Both the first episodes of The Animated Series have been fun to watch too. I was expecting a lot of repeated animations and dialog, but so far it is like a compressed episode of The Original Series. Voice acting is pretty good and while it is 70s animation, it does allow for more interesting aliens and effects.

This week only one red shirt and one blue shirt died. I have noticed that officer deaths are actually not a common thing in The Original Series. Only a small handful of episodes created this meme.

TOS S3E15: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
TOS S3E16: The Mark of Gideon
TOS S3E17: That Which Survives
TOS S3E18: The Lights of Zetar
TOS S3E19: Requiem for Methuselah
TOS S3E20: The Way to Eden
TOS S3E21: The Cloud Minders
TOS S3E22: The Savage Curtain
TOS S3E23: All Our Yesterdays
TOS S3E24: Turnabout Intruder
TAS S1E1: Beyond the Farthest Star
TAS S1E2: Yesteryear

Yesteryear

TAS: Season 1 Episode 2
Air Date: September 15th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise returns to the Guardian of Forever and use the time portal to learn about history. But when Kirk and Spock return from Orion's early history, no-one aboard the Enterprise knows who Spock is. We learn that Spock had died as a young boy, killed during a test known as Kahs-wan. During the test, he was attacked by an animal and saved by a cousin. Thinking back on the situation the cousin looked like Spock. The conclusion was that since Spock was in Orion's history when others were visiting Vulcan history, it must have removed the second Spock from saving himself.

Spock uses the Guardian to go back to Vulcan 30 years ago where he meets his father and pretends to be Sarek's cousin. He witnesses himself being bullied for being half human. Spock finds out that he is a month early for the Kahs-wan but that it wasn't at the Kahs-wan that he was attacked but that night he had tried to do the Kahs-wan by himself to make sure he can do it. Older Spock follows young Spock and his pet Sahlet IChaya and saves him from a beast.

Young Spock realizes that I Chaya was poisoned during the fight and young Spock asks older Spock to stay beside I Chaya while he gets a healer. The healer arrives but it was too late. Older Spock teaches Young Spock that a Vulcan doesn't cry and that he should honour his pet for his bravery and everything he did before. Young Spock decides to put down I Chaya rather then letting him suffer.

Commentary

In this episode they show Spock's pet, I Chaya which Spock referenced in the Episode of Journey to Babel where he said "On Vulcan the teddy bears are alive, and they have 6-inch fangs" 

Quotes

"By understanding every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted." - Older Spock

"I've got my medical scanners all set up for a Vulcan. I have to recalibrate every time I run a physical on you, Spock." - McCoy

"Doctor McCoy, you do not know your good fortune. IF the times were different, you would have to recalibrate for an Andorian." - Spock

"If that was supposed to be a joke, Spock, I have to remind you Vulcans don't tell jokes." - McCoy

"Times change, Doctor. Times change." - Spock

Beyond the Farthest Star

TAS Season 1 Episode 1
Air Date: September 8th, 1973

Plot

The Enterprise is star charting the outer rim of the galaxy when they are suddenly pulled off course. They try to compensate but are unable to break free of whatever is pulling them in. They then notice a dead star that has a large gravitational pull and when they realize they can't break free, they use all power available to go get into a stable orbit. They then notice another ship that is in the same boat. Only this ship has been there for over 300 million years. There is no power or life, the ship's temperature is near absolute zero. The only reading they get is an odd magnetic signature.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty transport over to the other ship. They find that the ship resembles a bee hive or an ant colony. Each pod within the ship has a large hole in it, and it looks like it blew up on the outside. Once they get into the ship, they find the main control room, which instantly powers up and creates an oxygen nitrogen atmosphere. They lose communications with the ship. They start exploring finding the ships log. Spock figures out how to translate it and it is a warning that they had to destroy their own ship to prevent a life form from escaping this star. Meanwhile something was trying to break into the control room. Once it succeeds, the Enterprise is able to communicate again, and transports the away team back. It also transports a magnetic life form.

This life form takes over the ship and tries to force the crew to get it out of orbit. Spock and Scotty are able to rig a manual override and dives towards the start threatening to destroy the Enterprise. The magnetic entity leaves the Enterprise to avoid destruction and the Enterprise uses a slingshot maneuver to break free leaving the magnetic entity behind.

Commentary

This is my first time ever watching the animated series, and I was actually surprised. There wasn't too much repetitive scenes that were famous in cartoons of that era and the story felt like a typical Star Trek episode. Since it is animated they were able to do things they couldn't do in the original series such as having a four armed navigator. I wonder if we will see Chekov in this series. All the voice acting was well done with all the actors from the original series reprising their roles.

Quotes

"Don't leave me alone. Please, please. So lonely." - Magnetic Entity

The Original Series: Season Three

Almost two months in and I finally finished the Original Series. While I did enjoy the overall experience, many episodes I had never seen or only remember piece of, I did feel that it was getting old. Most of the stories were rehashes of other stories. This season alone had 3 episodes almost back to back where the Enterprise or some planet was dealing with a viral or bacterial outbreak and needed some resource from the planet of the week. Overall I felt season 3 was the same as season 2. No real character development and more monster of the week type stories.

The one thing I did enjoy about this season over previous seasons is seeing Spock get the spotlight a bit more. There was one episode where Kirk was in another dimension and the crew had to figure out how to get him back. And a few episodes had Kirk stranded on a planet which left Spock in command. He even was the love interest of a few of the female characters when you were expecting it to be Kirk as usual.

Red Shirts

The animated series still has to way in, but the meme was usually targeted at the Original Series. Season 3 had the lowest number of officer deaths yet, with only 5 red shirts and 1 blue shirts. Overall though, the count was red: 28, blue: 8 and gold 6. I am curious on how things will go with the other series.

Turnabout Intruder

TOS Season 3 Episode 24
Air Date: June 3rd, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise responds to a distress call from an planet to an extinct civilization where there is an archaeological expedition. There was an accident involving radiation and many were killed and wounded including a woman that Kirk dated at Starfleet Academy a Dr. Janice Lester. Kirk asks to be alone with Janice who is in a kind of vegetative state. But as he leaves she gets up and activates a device that lets her swap bodies with Kirk. She goes to kill Kirk in her body but is interrupted before she can. In order to prevent Kirk from talking she keeps him unconscious and brings him to the Enterprise with Dr. Coleman her associate.

Once on board, Janice confronts Dr. Coleman who seems to know that she swapped bodies with Kirk and after all the people who got hurt and killed he tells her that he won't commit murder for her. She orders that Dr. Coleman be in charge of Janice's treatment.

McCoy suspects that something happened to Kirk on the planet and orders an examination. While he is examined, Spock sees Janice and talks to her. She tells Spock that she is the captain, and using a mind meld he realizes she is correct. When Spock tries to get Janice to safety Kirk has Spock placed under arrest for mutiny.

In the court martial hearing the evidence against Spock is damning but Spock uses words that whips Janice into a frenzy which brings doubts to the senior staff. Before the vote, Scotty tells McCoy that if he votes for Spock, Kirk wouldn't accept the result and they would have to mutiny. Kirk was recording that conversation and sentence Scotty and McCoy to death. This causes the rest of the crew to stop obeying Kirk creating a full fledged mutiny.

Meanwhile, Spock is using telepathic abilities to temporarily transfer Kirk back into his body but it only lasts for a minute. Janice goes to Dr. Coleman and asks him to murder her old body with Kirk in it or they will be discovered for committing murder. But while Dr. Coleman tries to inject a poison into Janice's old body, she resists and in the struggle their presence is swapped back. She goes into a frenzy wanting Kirk to be killed. Kirk lets Dr. Coleman take her to see if she can be helped.

Commentary

The final episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It aired over a month after the 23rd episode. The episode ended as many did, as if there was going to be more adventures, just none that we get to see ourselves.

Quotes

"Youth doesn't excuse everything" - Janice (in Kirk's body)

"Your heart will last forever Captain." - McCoy

"No, sir, I shall not withdraw a single charge that I have made. You are NOT Captain Kirk. You have ruthlessly appropriated his body, but the life entity within you is not that of Captain Kirk. You do NOT belong in charge of the Enterprise, and I shall do everything in my power against you." - Spock

"We'll have to take over the ship." - Scotty

"We're talking about mutiny, Scotty." - McCoy

"Aye. Are you ready for the vote?" - Scotty

All Our Yesterdays

TOS Season 3 Episode 23
Air Date: March 14th, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise is tasked to investigate a planet called Sarpeidon whose star is about to go nova that is inhabited by millions of non-space faring people. However when they arrive, the planet is devoid of humanoid life. They transport down to the last remaining life form on the planet, a librarian named Atoz. He was surprised to see Kirk, Spock and McCoy but insists that they get prepared as there isn't much time left before the star goes nova. Kirk asks where are the people and Atoz shows them these metallic cylinders that display different points in the planets history. While Kirk was looking at one that shows a time that matches the style of Earth's 18th century he hears a woman call out for help. When he runs to help her, the doorway to the next room turns out to be a doorway to where that disk was displaying. McCoy and Spock run to help but end up in a frozen tundra which is what McCoy was looking at.

Kirk is able to communicate with Spock and McCoy for a brief point at the portal entrance before Kirk is taken captive and accused of witchcraft. Meanwhile McCoy and Spock are freezing and look for shelter.

Kirk ends up escaping from the jail with the help of someone else who came from the future. Turns out the way the people of Sarpeidon escape their stars fate was to go back in time and life their lives out in their history without using their knowledge of the future to effect the timeline. When he escapes he finds the portal and heads back to the present.

Meanwhile Spock and McCoy bump into a woman named Zarabeth who was outcast to the ice age of her planet since she was a criminal in her time. She gives them shelter and while McCoy recovers from hypothermia, Spock and Zarabeth become closer, even going into the realm of romance. When McCoy wakes up he notices Spock is acting peculiar and realizes that being in a time 5000 years earlier is effecting his ability to contain his emotions. He convinces Spock that they have to get back and they make it to the present with minutes to spare before the star goes nova. Even with his emotions in check, you can see some sadness in Spock's eyes as he is being beamed up.

Quotes

"Now, you listen to me, you pointed-eared Vulcan." - McCoy

"I don't like that. I don't think I ever did, and now I'm sure!" - Spock

"Where are you from?" - Prosecutor

"An island." - Kirk

"What is this island?" - Prosecutor

"It's called Earth." - Kirk

"Are you trying to kill me, Spock? Is that what you really want? Think; what are you feeling? Rage, jealousy? Have you ever had those feelings before?" - McCoy

"This is impossible. Impossible. I am a Vulcan." - Spock

"The Vulcan you knew won't exist for another five thousand years. Think, man. What's happening on your planet right now, this very moment?" - McCoy

"My ancestors are barbarians. Warlike barbarians." - Spock

"Who nearly killed themselves off with their own passions. Spock, you're reverting into your own ancestors five thousand years before you were born!" - McCoy

"I'm behaving disgracefully. I have eaten animal flesh and I've enjoyed it. What is wrong with me?" - Spock

The Savage Curtain

TOS Season 3 Episode 22
Air Date: March 7th, 1969

Plot

Conducting a geological survey of a system, the Enterprise encounters a planet completely covered in volcanoes with no chance of life. Yet their sensors do pick up indications that there is life below. Then with a shimmer on the view screen, they see the image of Abraham Lincoln appear sitting in a chair floating in space. He tells Kirk that he is Lincoln and requests to be transported aboard. One of Kirk's heroes is Lincoln so he tells his crew to wear dress uniforms and transports him up.

Spock notices that just before starting the transport, it appeared as if Lincoln was a rock creature but once aboard he was human according to McCoy. After talking to Lincoln he convinces Kirk and Spock to transport down to the surface where a patch of Earth like land appears. Kirk decides to go, and when they arrive they are greeted by Surak, a Vulcan who was known for bringing peace to the Vulcan people and his teachings led to Vulcans repressing their emotions.

Then a rock creatures called Yarnek appears and tells them that they want to learn from the Federation a foreign concept of good and evil and more specifically, which is stronger. Four subjectively evil people appear, Genghis Khan of Mongol, Colonel Green who was a warlord in the mid 21st century earth, Zora and Kahless a historical warrior of the Klingon empire. Yarnek says if they can win in a fight they are free to go. Kirk refuses so Yarnek ups the stakes and threatens the Enterprise.

Both sides make a camp and start building weapons out of the branches and shrubs at their disposal. But Surak believes he can come to a peaceful solution and goes to the other four. They instead take him hostage. Spock hears Surak call out in pain asking for help, something that Spock knows a Vulcan would not do. So Lincoln suggests he flank the group and rescue Surak while Kirk and Spock create a diversion. This tactic does not work and when Lincoln finds Surak dead, he himself is stabbed in the back.

Kirk and Spock then fight the four and when Colonel Green is killed, the others all flee. Yarnek then declares Kirk but that he learned nothing about the difference of good and evil as they fought the same way, using tricks and deceptions. Kirk said it wasn't the fighting that was different, but what was being fought for. The evil group was fighting for power and glory, effectively for themselves. While Kirk, Spock, Lincoln and Surak were fighting for peace and to save people, sometimes sacrificing oneself to do it. Yarnek understands this and lets the Enterprise go.

Commentary

In this episode two characters that are important to the Star Trek universe were introduced. Surak, the Vulcan who is known as the "Father of Vulcan civilization". I am going to see if he is mentioned again in future series, I suspect Tuvok mentioned him and I was just ignorant on who he was. The other character is Kahless who is mentioned many times in TNG, DS9 and Voyager and there is even an episode where Worf finds someone who claims to be Kahless himself.

Quotes

"Do you still measure time in minutes?" - Lincoln
"We can convert to it, sir." - Kirk

"There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war except its ending." - Lincoln

The Cloud Minders

TOS Season 3 Episode 21
Air Date: February 28th, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise travels to the planet Ardana in order to get a substance called zenite that is needed to stop a plague on all plant life on the planet Marek II. When they arrive on the planet to get the zenite they are attacked by the miners that work the zenite mines. The people from the city arrive to save them from the ones they Troglytes who are have form a resistance against the city called the Distruptors. The city is a technological marvel, using anti-gravity to float the city in the clouds.

Once in the city, they learn more about the two societies, the Troglytes who perform manual labour and the people in the city who are the intellectual ones that use the Troglytes. McCoy discovers that the fumes in the mines cause the Troglytes to temporarily lose mental capacity which made it impossible for them to compete intellectually with the city people.

Kirk brings a mask to the Troglytes against the city people's wishes since they don't want the Troglytes to become smarter. But Kirk is deceived and taken hostage by the Troglytes and forced to work the mines. Kirk traps the Troglyte leader in a mine by fighting for his phaser and sealing the entrance. Kirk orders Spock to transport the city leader into the mine so the effects of the gas would give him perspective.

After an hour of breathing it in, Kirk and city leader get into a fight and is only saved by the Troglyte leader who calls the Enterprise for help. After the incident the Troglytes get masks which will let them improve their society.

Commentary

The episode shows a planet where the wealth disparity between the working class and the ruling class is represented by a city that floats above the clouds, in the warmth and light while the workers live in the mines on the planet where it is cold and dark.

Quotes

"The surface of the planet is almost unendurable. To restrict a segment of the population to such hardship is unthinkable in an evolved culture." - Spock

"He knows nothing except how to destroy our power and our society. I forbid you ever to speak of Captain Kirk, or even to think of him." - Plasus

"Father, are we so sure of our methods that we never question what we do?" - Droxine

The Way to Eden

TOS Season 3 Episode 20
Air Date: February 21st, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise is chasing a cruiser that was stolen by an ambassador's son and his friends. The Enterprise takes it into a tractor beam but they fight and get their ship destroyed. The Enterprise is able to beam them aboard before the destruction. The group look like they could be in a circus. The leader, a doctor named Servin demands that Kirk take the ship to Eden. Kirk is unable to reason with them, but Spock, and outsider from both Vulcan and Earth due to his mixed heritage is able to reason.

At first the group starts acting out, acting free spirited and protesting anything that goes against their views of the universe. Kirk talks to Servin who McCoy find out is a carrier to a deadly disease and gets him to tell his people to stop causing chaos. They comply but really they are planning to take over the ship. They succeed in breaking Servin out of quarantine and taking over auxiliary control. 

They take the Enterprise into Romulan space to get to the planet they call Eden. After they transport down, Kirk gets control back and follows them only to find that the plant life on the planet is extremely acidic. They find one of the group dead after eating a fruit and the rest hiding in the shuttle craft with severe chemical burns on their feet. Kirk saves the rest, save for Dr. Servin who doesn't want to leave and runs to a tree and eats the fruit.

Commentary

There is a lot of singing and dancing in this episode. They portray the group that they rescued as the hippies from the late 60s and early 70s. Very free spirited, not trusting "the man" or in this case "Herbert".

Quotes

"I don't know why a young mind has to be an undisciplined one. They're troublemakers!" - Scotty

"I used to get into a little trouble when I was that age, Scotty, didn't you?" - Kirk

"Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy - I got a clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy." - Adam

Requiem for Methuselah

TOS Season 3 Episode 19
Air Date: February 14th, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise hurries to the planet Holberg 917-G looking for a resource called ryetalyn, an ingredient for a medecine to cure people from the Rigellian fever that the crew has contracted. Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down and start looking and are greeted by a robot. The planet is supposed to be uninhabited but somehow there is a man named Flint who is living on the planet. He is from Earth and has moved to this planet as a form of retirement. At first he is hostile towards the away team but when he realizes that the Enterprise won't leave until they get their medicine he tells his robot to go get it.

In the meantime he invites the away team over to his house. In his house there are original Leonardo DaVinci paintings, music from Johannes Brahms, and whisky that is over a hundred years old. Flint introduces them to his adopted daughter Rayna who immediately has a romantic connection to Kirk. As Kirk and Rayna get closer you can see a jealousy come from Flint which is odd since it is his daughter.

Through some investigation they discover that Rayna is an android that Flint created, and she is just his latest attempt. Flint had used Kirk to try to cause her to learn to love, in hopes that when Kirk leaves she would grow to love him. Spock questions Flint about his paintings and musics noting that they are recent productions but also original which is a paradox. Flint admits that he is thousands of years old and one day on earth he was killed in battle, only he didn't actually die. Over history he was Methuselah, DaVinci, Alexander, and many others some known some unknown.

At first Flint was going to hold the Enterprise in suspended animation to prevent the Federation from knowing that he exists, and even converts the Enterprise into a toy model. Flint and Kirk end up fighting and Reyna shows up and breaks up the fight. Kirk tells her that she needs to choose who she wants to be with. This causes her experience a stronger emotion then she has ever felt and causes her systems to shutdown and she dies. 

Flint feels the loss as does Kirk and he lets the Enterprise go. The episode ends with Kirk sleeping at his desk in grief with Spock using a Vulcan mind meld to help him forget.

Quotes

"Flint is my teacher. You are the only other men I've ever seen." - Rayna

"The misfortune of men everywhere, and our privilege." - McCoy

"Do you think the two of us can handle a drunk Vulcan? Once alcohol hits that green blood." - McCoy

"I am close to experiencing an unaccustomed emotion." - Spock

"I'll drink to that." - McCoy

"The joys of love made her human, and the agonies of love destroyed her." - Spock

The Lights of Zetar

TOS Season 3 Episode 18
Air Date: January 31st, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise is transporting some equipment to Memory Alpha, a planetoid that houses all the knowledge from all the cultures in the Federation along with Lieutenant Mira Romaine, who is in charge of the equipment. She and Scotty also have been flirting with each other. On the way to Memory Alpha, they encounter a space storm that is travelling at warp speed, something no natural phenomenon can do. When the storm overtakes the Enterprise, everyone on boards brain is attack causing people to lose vision, hearing, speech and other functions, but each person a slightly different reaction. Romaine was the only one to faint and when she comes to she starts speaking in tongues.

The storm beats the Enterprise to Memory Alpha and all but one are dead. The one that is alive is speaking in tongues just as Romaine did, starts glowing and then dies. It also turns out that Romaine predicted the death of the crew of Memory Alpha. Scotty tries to get her to keep it to herself as it can affect her career talking about seeing the future. But when the storm starts chasing the Enterprise, they have to question Romaine more.

They find out that shooting phasers at the storm was hurting Romaine and eventually they are able to talk to the storm presence inhabiting Romaine's body. They find out that they were the last 100 people of a civilization that died thousands of years ago and they were able to transfer their consciousness into energy. They possessed Romaine so they may live again.

McCoy concludes that an increase in air pressure could kill or force the storm energy out since they have been living in space so long the pressure might have an effect. Turns out it works, and they save Romaine.

Commentary

Memory Alpha is the name of the wiki site for all Star Trek information. It is appropriately named as the Memory Alpha was effectively a wiki for the Star Trek universe. It is interesting how much Gene Roddenberry predicted where we were going technologically.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Portal:Main

Quotes

"Scotty, where've you been? Where are you?" - Kirk

"In the Sickbay." - Scotty

"Are you sick?" - Kirk

"Oh, no. I was just checkin' on the lass. She's going to be fine, though. There's nothing wrong with her." - Scotty

"Well, I'm relieved to hear your prognosis, Mr. Scott. Is the doctor there with you or will I find HIM in Engineering?" - Kirk

"Well, this is an Enterprise first. Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and Engineer Scott find themselves in complete agreement. Can I stand the strain?" - Kirk

That Which Survives

TOS Season 3 Episode 17
Air Date: January 24th, 1969

Plot

In a survey of the sector the Enterprise encounters a planet that is a paradox. It is the size of the moon and is only a few thousand years old, yet it has vegetation and an atmosphere. Neither should be possible for millions of years. Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, Lieutenant Sulu and the geologist D'Amato transport to the planet to check it out. As they are beaming down, a woman appears in the transporter room and warns them not to go to the planet. It is too late, the transport was complete and the woman touches the transporter officer which kills him. As soon as the transport is complete the Enterprise is hurled just under 1000 light years stranding the away team.

On the planet, they try to find food and water with little luck. The plant life that is there is poisonous and they can't find any source of water. They assume it is either underground water or absorbed right out of the air. They split up to explore. Once split up the woman appears before D'Amato and claims she was made for him. She touches him and he dies.

Kirk uses his phaser to try to dig a hole to bury D'Amato but his phaser can't cut through the rock. It turns out it isn't igneous rock but rather a crafted alloy. When they go to sleep, Sulu has first watch and the woman appears to him. Sulu calls for help and is briefly touched which causes sever damage to his shoulder but not life threatening. They then learn that the woman's touch only hurts Sulu and they are able to body block her from getting to him. They deduce that the planet is actually a ship or station and track down the entrance.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise they are flying back to the planet at maximum warm, slightly faster then warm 8. The woman appears in engineering and asks Scotty's assistant for information about the engines. She then touches him and he dies. Later the Enterprise starts accelerating out of control which would eventually lead to the ship's destruction. The only solution is for Scotty to perform a complicated repair directly in the still running engine. The ship reaches warp 14.1 before Scotty can repair it, saving the day with mere seconds to spare.

In the planet ship, they find what appears to be the computer and the woman appears and claims she was made to touch Kirk. McCoy and Sulu body block but then two more exact copies of the woman appear each claiming to be made to touch McCoy and Sulu respectively. They try to body block for each other but the situation appears dire. But just in time, Spock beams down and destroys the computer with his phaser (Kirk's was destroyed, it overloaded on him).

A message plays on the viewscreen, the real woman from thousands of years ago explaining that they all died due to a disease and the computer was to protect the ship until backup arrives. Everything it did was to prevent aliens from taking the ship.

Commentary

This is the second episode in a row that Spock had to take over command of the Enterprise because Kirk was missing. In both episodes but even more in this one, Spock seemed to constantly reprimand the crew for their subjective opinions or uncertainties.

Quotes

"Once in Siberia there was a meteor so great that it flattened whole forests and was felt as far..." - Sulu

"Mr. Sulu, if I'd wanted a Russian history lesson I'd have brought along Mr. Chekov." - Kirk

"What happened?" - Uhura

"The occipital area of my head seems to have impacted with the arm of the chair." - Spock

Can you give me warp 8?

"Aye, sir. And maybe a wee bit more. I'll sit on the warp engines myself and nurse them." - Scotty

"That position, Mr. Scott, would not only be unavailing, but also... undignified." - Spock

"You have 8 minutes, 41 seconds." - Spock

"I know what time it is. I don't need a bloomin' cuckoo clock." - Scotty

The Mark of Gideon

TOS Season 3 Episode 16
Air Date: January 17th, 1969

Plot

Kirk is given the responsibility of being the sole representative to the planet Gideon for the Federation. They have never allowed a delegation to land or sensors to scan the planet. When Kirk beams down it appears like a transporter issue occurs and Kirk is back on the Enterprise, only there is nobody aboard. Kirk thinks time has passed and has no memory as he has suffered some bruising on his arm.

The Gideon leadership contacts the Enterprise and asks where Kirk is. Spock informs him that they just transported down. Hodin, the leader refuses letting Spock transport down to the planet to conduct a search. Spock uses diplomacy to convince the Hodin to at least test the transporter in an effort to get Spock down. But Hodin allowed the transporter to be tested on one of them.

Meanwhile Kirk explores the Enterprise and encounters a women named Odana. She thinks Kirk brought her aboard. Kirk tells her that he is missing 9 minutes of time and when he mentions Hodin, Odana claims it isn't where she is from. When Kirk looks out the view screen, he notices they are not in orbit of Hodin. We learn from Odana that where she is from is so crowded that her people strives to be alone. In a moment of intimacy with Odana the view screen changes from stars to a dozen people looking in. As they were walking around the Enterprise they start hearing a noise. Kirk opens a viewport to look and sees faces looking in, then it turns to stars.

It is then revealed that the Hodin was watching Kirk in a copy of the Enterprise. You can see outside that the population is shoulder to shoulder with no room for anyone to go anywhere. Odana gets sick and passes out and Hodin shows up and takes her saying that her illness is a blessing. The people of Gideon never get sick until they are very old and die which has caused their population to spike to the point that there is no room for anyone on the planet. Shoulder to shoulder on all continents.

Odana, who is Hodin's daughter develops meningitis, which Kirk developed once in his life making him a carrier. Hodin explains that they cannot kill, and they value life too much to stop reproducing, but if they were to die of a natural cause, such as disease it could help them regain paradise on Gideon. Spock reaches the Kirk and they beam to the Enterprise with Odana. McCoy is able to treat her and save her life.

They don't resolve the overcrowding issue on Gideon.

Quotes

"We must acknowledge once and for all that the purpose of diplomacy is to prolong a crisis." - Spock

"Institute a sensor scan 360 degrees, one degree at a time." - Spock
"You mean you're going to scan space for him?" - McCoy
"But, sir, that could take years." - Sulu
"Then the sooner you begin, the better." - Spock

"All my life, I've dreamed of being alone." - Odana
"Most people are afraid of being alone." - Kirk
"Where I come from, people dream of it." - Odana

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

TOS Season 3 Episode 15
Air Date: January 10th, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise is on its way to the planet Ariannus to decontaminate the atmosphere of a bacteria that is threatening to kill all life, including the one billion people living on it. On the way to Ariannus they find a stolen shuttle craft that is leaking atmosphere. They tractor it into the hanger and catch the thief, an alien who is bright white on the right side of his face and pitch black on the other.

Shortly after capturing the alien who calls himself Lokai Chekov detects a ship heading towards them. The ship is invisible but can be seen on sensors. As it is about to run into the Enterprise it disintegrates and it's passenger transports to the bridge. The passenger is another alien like Lokai named Bele. Bele demands that they hand over Lokai, a terrorist and mass murderer on his planet Cheron. Cheron is a planet in the "South" of the galaxy outside of the Federation.

We quickly learn that there is a hatred between Bele and Lokai that dates back thousands of years. Some of the things they say makes you believe that they can live thousands of years which means that old grudges don't die easily. We learn through Lokai that his people were enslaved by Bele's people many years ago and even today there are many prejudices that prevent Lokai and his people from a successful happy life. Originally we are under the impression that Lokai and Bele are the same race, but in reality they are the same species but racially they are different. Lokai has black on the right side of his face, while Bele is white on the right side of his face.

It turns out the Cheron people have some kind of power that lets them control technology and even propel things through space at speeds exceeding warp 10. Bele takes control of the Enterprise and sets a course to Cheron. Kirk threatens to destroy the ship if he doesn't get back control which works for a time but ultimately the Enterprise arrives at Cheron to find it devoid of life, destroyed in war. Lokai leads Bele on a chase through the ship ultimately ending with them both transporting down to their world. Kirk decides to leave them there and heads back to Federation space.

Commentary

This episode is one that I remember well as a child. It may even be the one that has influenced me through out the years in my perspective of racism and prejudices. The episode takes the idea of racism and shows how silly it is to treat someone in a particular way just because of some physical trait that they cannot control such as the color of their skin. On Earth the visual differences are significant enough that some people don't see it that way, but with Cheron the difference disappears just be looking in the mirror. Yet even then prejudices form and people act on hate.

The episode was also shot in a different way then most Star Trek episodes. When Kirk calls for red alert, the camera would zoom in and out rapidly. The chase scene between Bele and Lokai would fade to burning cities and back to show the imagery of their sttuggle ultimately leading to their destruction.

Quotes

"Mr. Spock. I've run tests. Blood is blood, even when it's green like yours." - McCoy

"It is obvious to the most simpleminded that Lokai is of an inferior breed." - Bele

"The obvious visual evidence, Commissioner, is that he is of the same breed as yourself." - Spock

"Are you blind, Commander Spock? Well, look at me. Look at me!" - Bele

"You are black on one side and white on the other." - Kirk

"I am black on the right side!" - Bele

"I fail to see the significant difference." - Kirk

"Lokai is white on the right side. All of his people are white on the right side." - Bele

"You monotone humans are all alike. First you condemn and then attack!" - Lokai

"To expect sense from two mentalities of such extreme view points is not logical." - Spock

"Their planet's dead. Does it matter now which one's right?" - Sulu

"Not to Lokai and Bele. All that matters to them is their hate." - Spock

Week Seven

First week to achieve the goal of 14 episodes watched. I am a little past the third season halfway mark. I was hoping to get a little ahead this week but the game Anthem came out that ate a bunch of time.

This week had an episode that was both ridiculous and great at the same time. "Plato's Stepchildren" had some scenes where Kirk and Spock were played as puppets which was silly at best but the content of the episode dealt with prejudices and bullying. I do put a warning that there is a scene where Kirk is forced to kiss Uhura that was hard to watch. Other good episodes are Tholian's Web, The Enterprise Incident and Specter of the Gun.

Four red shirts died this week with no deaths from gold or blue. Unless the next week has an explosion in a science lab or a command training session, it looks like red shirts will win by a blowout in the Original Series.

TOS S3E1: Spock's Brain
TOS S3E2: The Enterprise Incident
TOS S3E3: The Paradise Syndrome
TOS S3E4: And the Children Shall Lead
TOS S3E5: Is There in Truth No Beauty?
TOS S3E6: Spectre of the Gun
TOS S3E7: Day of the Dove
TOS S3E8: For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
TOS S3E9: The Tholian Web
TOS S3E10: Plato's Stepchildren
TOS S3E11: Wink of an Eye
TOS S3E12: The Empath
TOS S3E13: Elaan of Troyius
TOS S3E14: Whom Gods Destroy

Whom Gods Destroy

TOS Season 3 Episode 14
Air Date: January 3rd, 1969

Plot

The Enterprise is bringing a new medicine that they believe will completely cure insanity to a Federation facility for the criminally insane. Kirk and Spock transport down with the medicine and gives it to Governor Cory, but it turns out the insane Captain Garth had disguised himself as Cory and takes Kirk and Spock prisoner. He then disguises himself as Kirk and plans to take over the Enterprise. But Kirk created a failsafe before beaming down, a code phrase "Queen to queens level 3" which Garth did not know the answer to.

Garth treats Kirk and Spock to dinner to try to convert them to his side but attempt after attempt Kirk and Spock hold their ground. He tortures Cory to try to get the response to the code phrase but still Kirk won't answer. So he tries a new tactic, torturing Kirk which still doesn't work.

While Kirk is recovering, the Orion women Marta gives him water and starts seducing him. Kirk uses this to his advantage to try to convince her to help him, but what Kirk doesn't realize is that she is there because she kills her lovers and tries to kill Kirk. Kirk fends her off and Spock arrives with a phaser (Marta arranged for him to escape).

Kirk and Spock are able to escape and when Scotty asks for the code, Kirk realizes that it could be a trick and orders Spock to give the code, Spock turns out to be Garth. He then uses his special explosives to kill the Marta as an example of how powerful his explosives are. Meanwhile Spock escapes and when he finds Kirk and Garth, Garth is now looking like Kirk again. Spock then has to ask questions to find out which one is Kirk and which is the fake but both have good answers to the questions. Kirk then gets a fight with Kirk and in a moment of stalemate, one Kirk orders Spock to shoot the other and the other Kirk orders Spock to shoot both. This makes the choice obvious for Spock and he shoots Garth.

McCoy beams down with more medicine and cures Garth and the others of their insanity.

Quotes

"How can we be powerful enough to wipe out a planet and still be so helpless?" - McCoy

"On you knees before me! All the others before me have failed: Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Lee Kuan, Krotus. All of them are dust!" - Garth

"Mr. Spock, letting yourself be hit on the head, and I presume you let yourself be hit on the head, is not exactly a method King Solomon would have approved." - Kirk

Elaan of Troyius

TOS Season 3 Episode 13
Air Date: December 20th, 1968

Plot

The Enterprise is sent to Elas on a top secret mission including keeping radio silence. They already picked up Ambassador Petri of Troyus, the most outer habitable planet in the system and then beam aboard Dohlman Elaan who is to be married to the Troyian ruler as part of an agreed peace between the two planets.

Tension arises between the Elassians and the Troyians with Kirk playing mediator. Eventually it leads to Ambassador Petri being stabbed in the back. Kirk takes over teaching Elaan how to behave in a Troyian society since Elassians tend to be more agressive and totalitarian. It doesn't go well as Elaan is used to being treated as royalty.

Elassian womens tears are used as an aphrodisiac and Elaan uses them to take control of Kirk, but Kirk is able to overcome it's effects with great difficulty. He doesn't beam down to the wedding as it would be too hard.

There was a side plot where the Elassians were working with the Klingons to destroy the Enterprise including Elaan. A Klingon battle cruiser shows up and starts attacking the Enterprise. The Elassian had sabotaged the dilithiam crystals which took out warp power and phasers. Spock discovers that the Troyian gift to Elaan, a necklace, contained crude dilithium crystals which they used to disable the Klingon ship.

Quotes

"Stop trying to kill each other, then worry about being friendly." - Kirk

"We have granted your crew the permission not to kneel in our presence. What else do you want?" - Elaan

"So, Ambassador Petri is going to recover? That is too bad." - Elaan

"You are warned, Captain, never to touch me again." - Elaan
"If I touch you again, Your Glory, it'll be to administer an ancient Earth custom called a spanking, a form of punishment administered to spoiled brats." - Kirk

"Captain, that ancient Earth custom called spanking, what is it?" - Elaan
"It's, er, It's, er. We'll talk about it later." - Kirk

"Spock, I've isolated the biochemical substance of the Elasian tears. It's a kind of an infection, and I think I've found an antidote." - McCoy
"You are too late, Doctor. The Captain has found his own antidote." - Spock
"Are you out of your Vulcan mind? Do you know how long I've worked on..." - McCoy
"The antidote to a woman of Elas, Doctor, is a starship. The Enterprise infected the Captain long before the Dohlman did." - Spock

The Empath

TOS Season 3 Episode 12
Air Date: December 6th, 1968

Plot

The Enterprise is tasked to check up on a research outpost. The Outpost is on a planet who's sun is close to going supernova. The two researchers have not reported in over 3 months. When Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down they find nobody in the research facility and everything is coated in a layer of dust. While they are investigating Scotty messages down saying that the sun just let out a solar flare. Kirk told Scotty to take the Enterprise to a safe distance and they would be ok because of the planets atmosphere.

They run the last log entry and see that the two researchers just disappeared into thin air. Shortly after, the same thing happens to them. They wake up under ground, no walls of doors anywhere, just dark as far as they can see. Spock detects a life form which they discover as a women asleep on a bed. When she awakens they have a hard time communicating with her, which McCoy attributes to her being mute and has no vocal cords. He concludes that it is something specific to her species and she is probably an empath.

Two aliens then appear and start talking as if the away team is a science experiment. They even let them escape at one point to see how it plays out. Kirk does get a minor injury at one point, a scratch on the forehead. This is used to learn that this women that they call Gem, named by McCoy, is an empath and her powers include the ability to take on other people's injuries. She takes Kirk's scratch, healing Kirk but leaving on on her forehead. It heals itself very quickly though.

We learn that the other two researchers had died due to the aliens experiments and at one point they give Kirk a choice. Either they experiment on McCoy which has an 87% chance of death, or they experiment on Spock where he would survive but suffer a 93% chance of permanent insanity. Spock claims he is the logical choice even if the odds are worse, but McCoy uses a tranquilizer on him since he figured Spock would be needed to get out.

They torture McCoy to the point where he is on the brink of death. Gem is given the opportunity to save McCoy but is afraid of taking on all of his wounds as it would surely kill her too. It is now that we learn the reason for this experimentation is these aliens are trying to determine if Gem's people are worth saving from the supernova. If she sacrificed herself to save McCoy then she would be worthy. Kirk pleads to the aliens saying that she tried and showed courage and empathy and that they should finish healing McCoy. The aliens have a moment of compassion and agree saving McCoy and eventually Gem's people.

Commentary

The episode introduces us to empaths in Star Trek lore. In TNG, Dianna Troi is half Betazoid who is an empath. While most Betazoids are full telepaths and if they wanted could even push thoughts onto people which was against the rules, empaths were consider only able to sense emotions instead of thoughts.

Quotes

"Men weren't intended to live this far underground. It's just not natural." - McCoy

"And space travel is?" - Kirk

"Some men spend the majority of their lives in mines beneath the surface." - Spock

"I'm a doctor, not a coal miner." - McCoy

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to call her Gem." - McCoy

"Gem, Doctor?" - Spock

"Well, that's better than Hey You." - McCoy

"If my death is to have any meaning, at least tell me what I'm dying for." - Kirk

"If you live, you will have your answer." - Thann

"The best defense is a strong offense, and I intend to start offending right now." - Kirk

"Well, personally, I find it fascinating that with all their scientific knowledge and advances, that it was good old-fashioned human emotion that they valued the most." - McCoy

"Perhaps the Vulcans should hear about this." - Scotty

"Mr. Spock, can you be prevailed upon to bring them the news?" - Kirk

"Possibly, Captain. I shall certainly give the thought all the consideration it is due." - Spock

Wink of an Eye

TOS Season 3 Episode 11
Air Date: November 29th, 1968

Plot

The Enterprise is responding to a distress call from a planet that has evidence of intelligent life, cities, villages, vehicles. When Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down, the planet is devoid of the life including plant life, except Kirk gets buzzed by a flying insect. Uhura confirms that there is a current distress call from the exact spot that they beamed down to. While investigating, one of the security officers vanishes into thin air.

The away team beams back to the Enterprise and start analyzing the distress call when different systems across the Enterprise stop working. Kirk then gets buzzed by that insect again. He orders everyone be armed and then force fields lock down the ship, only letting Kirk and Spock get through. They discover a gadget that is partially built in Engineering but when they interact with it they get shoved by something they can't see of interact with.

While waiting for the intruders to make the next move, Kirk gets buzzed again but this time he starts to notice everyone on the bridge is moving at half speed and slowing down. He then meets Deela who hitched a ride up from the surface. She tells him that she wants him to rule her planet with her as King.

Kirk goes down to where the contraption was being built where he meets the security officer that disappeared. For him though a long time has passed and he has sided with the others. When Kirk pushes past him he gets stunned and the security guard defends Kirk and gets killed.

Kirk learns that anyone who ends up in this accelerated time will eventually die since they are cells are not used to hyper acceleration. Deela tells him that they were once like Humans, but a natural disaster caused them to hyper-accelerate which had a side effect of making the men sterile. The only way they are able to survive as a species is to mate with off worlders. They inevitably burn up but are useful for a time. The device they are installing to cryo-freeze the crew of the Enterprise so they can thaw them later and use them to reproduce as well.

Kirk leaves a message for Spock hoping it will traverse hyper-time. He then runs to the transporter and sabotages it to prevent anyone from beaming off the ship. This means that the cryo-freeze device cannot be used yet. Spock continues to analyze the distress signal and starts to hone into a the idea that the content it time compressed. Once he discovers this they are able to watch Kirk's message.

McCoy was able to synthesis an antidote to what is causing hyper-time and Spock enters hyper-time and meets up with the captain. They successfully destroy the cryo-freeze system. Kirk lets Deela and her people return to the planet with the knowledge that they are the last of their people. Spock uses the antidote to get Kirk and himself back to normal time.

Commentary

When they started getting hit by force fields or when the phasers disappeared I realized that the episode was about people who move at a much faster rate that appear invisible. The issue with the episode is that years could go by in mere minutes at the speed dilation they are showing but they do skip ahead in Enterprise time with but the time that passes in hypertime is not that much more. The episode uses hypertime as a tool to tell a story and ignores the science part.

Quotes

"I was looking at him. I was looking right at him, and he. And he just wasn't there!" - McCoy

"Captain Kirk! Where the blazes did you come from?" - Scotty
"Out of the nowhere, into the here." - Kirk

"My compliments to your repair work and yourself." - Kirk
"Thank you, Captain. I found it an accelerating experience." - Spock