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