With this episode we start tackling episodes I don't know from heart, so this should be interesting. Majel Barett went from being Number One on the original pilot to Nurse Chapel in the actual series. We met her in "Naked Time" but here she gets a whole episode. Written by the great Robert Bloch, this is the oddly titled...
Plot:The Enterprise finds archaeologist Dr. Roger Korby, who has been missing for five years, living underground on a deserted ice planet with a group of sophisticated androids.
Guest Stars:Michael Strong as Dr.Korby, Ted Cassidy as Ruk
Nitpick:I'd really like to know how spinning Kirk on a platform manages to make a perfect android double.
Summary:
Teaser-The Enterprise is orbiting a planet searching for Roger Korby, who among other things is the fiancee of Nurse Chapel. They don't expect to find him,and are shocked when his voice is suddenly heard on the comm.
Act 1-Dr.Korbt allows Kirk and Christine, and only them, to beam down. The two beam down to an artic landscape. And no one waiting for them. To be safe Kirk beams down two security men just to be safe. As they walk down a long passageway they finally run into someone, Korby's assistance. Then suddenly one of the security gaurds mysteriously falls to his death. While Kirk chcks on he other gaurd Christine realizes the assistant is acting oddly. The second gaurd is then killed. Kirk is then introduced to a lovelu female named Andrea, and finally Korby appears. Kirk tries to contact the security, but when he can't the assistant pulls a phaser. Kirk fired back revealing the assisttancr to be a sophisticated android.
Act 2-Ruk fakes a call from Kirk to the ship. Korby tries to explain why is acting the way he is. Ruk is an adroid to, but not made by Korby he was found on the planet. Ruk taught Korby what he needed to know to create androids. Kirk tris and fails to escape, while Andrea tends to Christine. They discover Andrea is also an android. Korby decides the best way to deomstate what he has learned is to make an android duplicate of Kirk.
Act 3-Kirk is put through the process ti have an android double made. When it comes time to do his memory engrams, Kirk tries to plant a subconscious message to Spock. Later, Chapel and Kirk talk about what has just happened. Chapel admits that Korby is acting odd, and Kirk asks what she would say if he asked her to betray him. Then he reveals he is the android, as the real Kirk walks in with Korby. Kirk then quizzes his android double, and remarks that there are some differences. Korby then explains he can go all the way with his process, and actually transport a person's consciousness into an android. Kirk then tries to strangle Korby as a way to escape, when Ruck chases Kirk into the ice caves and almost kills him.
Act 4-Ruk ends up not killing Kirk and instead returns him to Korby. Korbt sends the android Kirk back to the ship for some flight plans, and there the android runs into Spock. He unwittingly says the message Kirk planted, and Spock decides to get a security squad ready to beam down. On the planet, Kirk is recovering when Andrea comes in and Kirk tests whether or not she truly has emotions. A long kiss confuses her, and when Ruk comes Kirk questions him on who really built him. Kirk makes Ruk realize Korby as been using him and attacks Korby, who uses a phaser to destroy him. Kirk then accidentally reveals the truth, Korby is an android also. The real Korby was dying and transferred his consciousness into a machine duplicate. Korby insiss its still him, but Christine says everything he has done proves it isn't. As Spock arrives Andrea is send to deal with it, and destroys the android Kirk instead. Kirk points out the flaw in Korby's perfect world. As he struggles to answer Korby realizes that he is acting more like a computer. Kirk pleads to his humanity, and Andrea confesses her love for Korby. The two kiss, and Korby destroys both of them. When Spock arrives he asks where Korby is, and Kirk replies that he was never there.
Final Thoughts:Good story just wish there had been a little more Spock and McCoy in it. Very often on this a script will have to be reworked so it feels like a Trek episode. I get the feeling they were reluctant to do that with this one because as the episode goes that feeling fades. When we return to the Enterprise for a minute it's like "Oh yeah!"
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