This is another really good season 3 episode. Our last time with the Klingons but it's possibly one of the best, you truly feel the way they are portrayed in this episode will lead into what Klingons will become later on. The budget cuts from the season both work and don't work here, but we'll get into that.
Plot:An extremely powerful non-corporeal being brings the Enterprise and a Klingon ship in direct conflict with one another.
Guest Stars:Michael Ansara as Kang, Susan Howard as Mara
Nitpick:Walter Koenig is sinisterly wonderful here, in that scene where he threatens to rape Mara. Koenig can do happy fun loving and nasty evil bastard both so well. It's no surprise he became popular as a villain in another sci fi franchise. He's so nasty in that scene you're almost cheering when Kirk finally belts him! One of my favorite Star Trek lines comes from the end when Kang says "Only a fool fights in a burning house".
Summary:
Teaser-A landing party beams down a planet where a distress call had come from. They find no people or any trace that there had ever been any people. Spock reports that a Klingon warship has appeared, and Kirk assumes the Klingons must have been the one's who attacked. The ship is disabled even though Enterprise never fired. Suddenly a team of Klingons beam to the planet and the captain attacks Kirk. Kang says that his ship is disabled, and will claim the Enterprise for the Klingon Empire against whom Kirk has committed an act of war. In the distance, a strange ball of light or energy or whatever it is swirls around.
Act 1-Kang points out its been three years of peace, and does not believe it when Kirk insists they took no action. Chekov suddenly goes nuts, screaming that the Klingons killed his brother years earlier. Kang demands that Kirk beam them all, Klingons included, to the Enterprise. However, Kirk is able to alert Spock with his communicator. When they are all beamed up, only the landing party rematerializes. The Klingons suspended in transit. Kirk calls for security guards while Chekov insists they keep the Klingons that way. The Klingons are materialized and quickly arrested. The Enterprise then beams over the rest of the occupants of the Klingon vessel, including Kang's wife Mara. The spinning thing also appears on the ship. McCoy and Chekov demonstrate prejudice against the Klingons and on the ship destroys the Klingon vessel. In the lounge Kang knows they cannot act because they are outnumbered. But the time will come. Uhura gets aggravated when she can't get through on any channel, blaming the Klingons. Suddenly the ship is rocked off course, and is flying through space at warp 9. Scotty has no idea how it happened, and the new course is right out of the galaxy. Uhura reports that bulk heads have closed trapping 400 crewmen in the lower decks. Kirk storms off the Bridge to blame Kang for this, but kang asks how he could have accomplished this feat. As they start to fight, objects turn into swords which the Klingons grab. When Kirk orders phasers, all of them turn into swords also!
Act 2-A fight breaks out and the Klingons force Kirk to retreat. One officer is wounded, and when Kirk returns to the Bridge Spock points out there is no way the Klingons could have accomplished what happened. Pointing out that if they could have they would not have provided weapons for everyone. Chekov starts seething and runs off the Bridge. Sulu asks what his issue is, and when Kirk explains Sulu points out that Chekov has no brother. He's an only child. Now he wants revenge for a non existent loss. In Sick-Bay McCoy treats the injured. The enemy numbers are now equal, as Kang works on taking Engineering Scotty says there is no way to free the men below. And that the entire armory is all swords or medieval weapons. Spock comments there are more life energies on board than can be accounted for. The swirly thing is in Engineering when the Klingons strike and seize the area. Spock has detected the swirly thing, an alien life force. It is composed of pure energy and seems to be intelligent. It seems clear thus life force is manipulating matter and mind. McCoy then walk into the Bridge screaming they need to start thinking like warriors instead of fools and win this fight. Kang then contacts the Bridge to say he has turned off the life support to the Bridge and will allow them to suffocate.
Act 3-As the swirly thing continues Kirk tells Sulu to work on regaining life support. Scotty storms onto the Bridge screaming they should have let the Klingons die. When Spock tries to calm him, Scotty snaps at Spock to keep his Vulcan hands off him. Spock is angry and tells Scotty how much he hates serving with humans. Kirk stops them before they come to blows. Spock recover and Kirk realizes that the alien must be influencing them all. It is staging a war for them complete with weapons and racial hatred. They need to find the alien immediately. Suddenly the power is restored, though Sulu says he didn't do it. Kang is annoyed, wondering what is supporting there battle but starving their victory? Kang tells Mara to get to their main life support couplings and when she does she runs into an enraged Chekov. However, rather than fight her he begins to seduce her. Before he can get very far Kirk belts Chekov before Spock stops him. Reminding him that Chekov isn't in control of his actions. Kirk tries to explain to Mara they are trying to find the alien. Kirk brings Chekov to Sick-Bay where McCoy is calmer and apologizes for his earlier behavior. He explains that the officers who were injured are healing at an incredible fight. The alien life form is making sure they can keep fighting. Kirk, Spock and Mara finally see the alien, and try to communicate it. When the officer who injured returns to duty, he starts screaming to kill the Klingons. Spock knocks him out, and notes how the life form acted when the man screaming in blood lust. It feeds on anger and rage. On the hate of others. In order to get rid of it all hostilities must end, or else they will doomed to be at war forever. Kirk contacts Kang but he can't get through to him.
Act 4-The Enterprise is risking losing power and must get rid of the alien as soon as they can. Kirk needs to reach Kang, and when he calls him again Kang still isn't listening. Kirk decides to beam into the Engineering section so he can speak to him in person. Mara finally believes what they have been saying and promises to help. Moments later, Kirk and Mara materialize in Engineering. Mara tries to plead with Kang, but he insists on fighting. After some ore struggling, Kirk finally convinces Kang that he alien is real and that is it influencing them all. Kirk convinces the Klingons to stand down and stop fighting. Spock suggests good spirits would weaken the alien more. Kirk then tells the alien to leave, it has no more power here. Kang saying they have no urging to hate humans, and there is no need to fight a useless battle. The alien finally leaves as the crew enjoys a good laugh with the Klingons.
Final Thoughts:I just wish the effect of the alien had been better. It's so lame. Though at least for once we have a good reason for all of the empty corridors. Aside from that this is a great episode. It's nice to see the characters acting out of character a little, even fighting amongst themselves. It does drag a bit at the end of act three, it feels like they needed to pad the episode a bit.
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