Well my friends we made it to the final episode of season one. Which isn't really special, just another episode. Is it a good episode?
Plot:The Deneva colony is attacked by flying parasites that cause mass insanity while the crew of Enterprise search for a way to stop them.
Guest Stars:
Nitpick:There is a great deleted scene where we see Kirk saying goodbye to his nephew at the end of the episode. It's a shame it was deleted because not only is a great scene, nice to see Kirk's family side, but without it the kid just kind of vanishes from the episode. The fact that neither Spock or McCoy considered that it was light that affected the aliens is ludicrous.
Summary:
Teaser-The Enterprise is approaching Deneva due to a distress call. Kirk seems especially concerned as Spock explains the pattern of insanity that has gone from a straight line to the planet Deneva. Kirk tells Uhura to hail a private transmitter, when a small craft appears on sensors. The Denevan vessel is heading straight for the sun. The Enterprise tries to call them off, but they are not responding. Just before the ship burns up, a voice says that he finally did it, they're gone! McCoy asks if that colony is where Kirk's brother and family live.
Act 1-Uhura makes contact with the transmitter, and the voice yells for yelp. Kirk clearly recognizes her Kirk confirms that McCoy was right, his brother and family do live there. The ship arrives at the planet and beam into the capital city. Spock notes that all the people are quiet, staying indoors. As they walk thru the city a mob appears, simultaneously trying to attack them and warning them away. They are stunned, and McCoy notes that even unconscious the people are being stimulated. At Kirk's brothers lab they find Kirk's brother dead but sister in law and nephew are alive. Spock comments that they were trying to keep something from getting in. On the ship, Kirk talked to his sister in law who seems to be in more pain the more she tries to explain what happened. That "they" came, another ship brought them. It wasn't there fault, creatures use pain to make people do what they want them to do. And they're spreading, forcing people to build ships for them. Finally she dies, and Kirk returns to the planet where the others were just about to check out a strange noise. Under an awning they find a dozen or more small creatures hanging and flying around. They look like little amoebas. As the crew turn to walk away, one flies up and impales Spock in the back!
Act 2-On the ship, McCoy is examining Spock and is amazed at the way the pain is fighting them. On the Bridge Kirk explains that the creature leaves tendrils in its victims body that take over the victims nervous system and causes immense pain. The pain causes Spock to get up and try to take over the Bridge. He is restrained before he can do any damage. Later McCoy shows how the pain indicator registers the level of pain Spock is in, no wonder the people go insane. Suddenly, Spock says that he has figured out that pain can be controlled, though human side is getting in the way. Spock manages to break his restraints and make his way to the transporter room. However, when he gets there Scotty refuses to beam him down and instead calls Kirk. Spock explains someone has to got to the planet to get a specimen, and since he is already infected he is the logical choice. Kirk agrees to let him go. On the planet, Spock is confronted by a Denevan with a club.
Act 3-Spock easily defeats the person (yeah that was one of the laziest commercial cliffhangers ever) and manages to bring a creature back to the ship. Spock has analyzed the creature and found it is a one cell creature. The creatures are one cell in a larger organicism living independently from that organism. Kirk notes how the Denevan freed himself, there has to be something about the sun that affects the creatures. McCoy says that nothing they've tried has killed the creature. Kirk says there has to be an answer. He can't let this spread beyond the colony, even if it means destroying a million people on the surface.
Act 4-There doesn't seem to be any choice besides destroying the planet. Kirk says there has to be a third choice. Spock and McCoy say that they tried heat, radiation, gravity and nothing has killed the creature. Kirk comments that there is one thing neither has said, the light of the sun. McCoy like an idiot says there is nothing about light that is dangerous, and Kirk says not to them no. The creatures hid in the shadows, maybe that wasn't just hiding. With a rig of satellites they can bathe the whole planet with intense light. They rig up a test in the lab, throwing light measured at 1,000,000 candles per square inch. It works, the creature is destroyed. The next test would be to see if it works on an infected person, meaning putting Spock in the lab. Spock does not wear protective glasses, and the test ends up curing him. And rendering him blind. Chapel reveals that they didn't need the bright light, it's just ultraviolet light they are affected by which is invisible. Meaning Spock need not have been blinded. The satellites work on the planet as the people report the creatures are dying. Kirk tells McCoy, who is taking Spock being blinded hard in spite of Kirk saying it was not his fault. Moments later, Spock returns to the Bridge just fine. Saying an inner eyelid Vulcans forget they have made his blindness temporary.
Final Thoughts:I like the vomit aliens, yeah ok it's a cheap effect but it's nice for the show to acknowledge that alien life forms that doesn't resemble humans exist. The episode starts really good, with a good horror premise and great acting by Shatner. Then Spock gets infected which raises the stakes. Then things get silly, sadly. It takes way to long to guess it was the brightness of the sun that affected the creatures (duh). Even worst, Spock is blinded because McCoy couldn't wait two minutes for test results. Then it doesn't matter anyway because Spock has an inner eye lid. Whatever. To be fair a similar stunt with Worf on TNG was even lamer. This episode had potential but blew the landing.
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