The Pirates of Orion

TAS Season 2 Episode 1
Air Date: September 7th, 1974

Plot

The Enterprise contracts choriocytosis on their way to Deneb V and McCoy cures it. But Spock does fall ill with the disease which is deadly to Vulcans due to their copper based blood. The only cure is a drug that is available but it will take four days to get it. They contact a Federation freighter that is able to pick up the medicine and meet the Enterprise half way. But when the Enterprise arrives, the freighter was attacked and all of it's cargo was taken, including the medicine.

They track pirate ship to an asteroid belt, but the asteroids are highly unstable and self destruct when they contact any matter, including themselves. They find the pirate ship, an Orion model and make a deal with the captain that they can keep the dilithium crystals if they agree to provide the medication. Kirk even promised to keep the Orions who are neutral out of his logs.

The Orions agree, but believe that Kirk is lying so they plan to cause both ships to blow up during the exchange on one of the asteroid. Kirk realizes that it is a trap and has Scotty beam the explosive crystals in the Orion captains backpack to the Enterprise rendering his explosives benign. They take the Orion ship into custody and cure Spock of the disease.

Quotes

"Blasted Vulcan. Why couldn't you have red blood like any normal human?" - McCoy

"What's the use of being a doctor, anyway? We're only as good as our drugs and technology make us. Underneath all the tricks, I might as well be practising in the Middle Ages." - McCoy

"If you really believed that, Bones, you wouldn't still be a doctor after twenty five years." - Kirk

"Spock, that green blood of yours may have saved you before, but this time it almost did you in. You can't deny it." - McCoy

"I still prefer my physiological structure to yours." - Spock

"Yes, gentlemen, things are back to normal." - Kirk