Day of the Dove

TOS Season 3 Episode 7
Air Date: November 1st, 1968

Plot

The Enterprise shows up at a planet responding to a distress call to find the entire colony dead, 100 people. Then the Klingons show up, their ship disabled, badly damaged and blame Kirk for attacking their ship. Meanwhile a glowing energy is watching from a distance.

The Klingon leader, Kang demands the Enterprise as his replacement. Kirk initially refuses but Kang starts torturing Chekov and Kirk gives in, ordering everyone to be transported to the Enterprise, including the energy. Kirk was able to warn Spock using a communicator and trap the Klingons.

While the Klingons are plotting escape, the energy takes over the ship sending it to warp 9 towards the edge of the galaxy. It causes 392 to become trapped on the lower decks. Considering the total crew is around 430, it leaves a skeleton crew available to fix things.

Kirk suspects Kang of sabotage. He punches Kang to pay him back for the hit he received on the planet and suddenly swords appear in the room with the Klingons and all the phasers turn into swords as well.

When Sulu is reported to take command of engineering to help, and Chekov wants to go to, and even raises a sword to Kirk saying he has to avenge his brother's murder. Sulu says that Chekov is an only child. Scotty says that the metal bulkheads are fused like he never seen before. When he goes to the armory, all of the phasers have turned into swords.

Spock scans the ship and detects an energy based life form that is causing all the problems. The computer determines the energy has purpose but doesn't know what. Kirk realizes that the solution can only occur if they declare a truce with the Kang. McCoy gets very angry at this idea, almost enraged.

Scotty then comes to the bridge and starts also acting enraged. He even started calling Spock names. And Spock isn't even immune as he starts saying things about Scotty and it almost gets violent. Kirk breaks them out of it and realizes that they're prejudices between races is being amplified using the crew of both ships as pawns.

When they finally see the alien they notice that when people get angry and violent the energy starts to vibrate and change color. In a sense it feeds on negative violent emotion. The only solution is for fighting must stop. Kirk uses Kang's wife who has seen the energy and what it can do to convince Kang to help.

Commentary

The episode starts with a distrust between the Klingon and the Humans, a hatred that is based entirely on prejudiced. Chekov hates the Klingons because his brother was killed by Klingons. Kang's wife Mara had heard of Human death camps where Klingons are brought to. The eye for an eye mentality that they both have, leads to fighting without reason.

As the episode progresses the crew learn to overcome their "racial bigotry" and learn to work together to stop the energy. Spock says an interesting quote that can apply even today. "Those who hate and fight must stop themselves, Doctor. Otherwise, it is not stopped."

Quotes

"Kang, what has happened?" - Mara

"More Federation treachery. We are prisoners." - Kang

"What will they do to us? I've heard of their atrocities, their death camps. They will torture us for our scientific and military information." - Mara

"Sir, let me go too. I've got a personal score to settle with the Klingons." - Chekov

"This is no time for a vendetta. Maintain your post." - Kirk

"How many more men must die before you two begin to act like military men instead of fools?" - McCoy

"Keep your Vulcan hands off me. Just keep away! Your feelings might be hurt, you green-blooded half-breed!" - Scotty

"May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with humans? I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant." - Spock

"Then transfer out, freak!" - Kirk

"Get off my ship. You're a dead duck here. You're powerless. We know about you, and we don't want to play. Maybe there are others like you around. Maybe you've caused a lot of suffering, a lot of history, but that's all over. We'll be on guard now, ready for you. So ship out! Come on! Haul it!" - Kirk

"Yeah, out already." - McCoy

"Out! We need no urging to hate humans. But for the present, only a fool fights in a burning house. Out!" - Kang