Today we have another episode that I know I've seen but can barely remember. However, this time I think that may be for the best! Settle in this is gonna be a hard one as we go over one of the worst episode of the series.
Plot:The Enterprise discovers the derelict starship Exeter drifting in space, its entire crew killed by an unknown plague and her captain missing.
Guest Stars:Morgan Woodward as "Captain Tracey"
Nitpick:This episode was considered as a possible pilot??? Wow. I love the awkward moment at the very end, it's hard to describe but a couple line were cut and so when Leonard Nimoy tries to speak Shatner cuts him off. It's a weird scene.
Summary:
Teaser-The Enterprise discovers the U.S.S. Intrepid in orbit at the planet Omega IV. When Kirk and a landing party beam over they find the ship deserted and only crystalline remains all over the place.
Act 1-They search the rest of the ship and find the same thing on all decks. The shuttle craft are all still there, and McCoy explains the remains are what happens if you take the water away from the human body. On the Bridge they find a log from Captain Tracy saying the ship was struck with a virus. And now the landing party has it also. If they don't beam to the planet they will die. Guess using the self destruct hadn't been invented yet? On the planet surface they encounter natives attacking other natives. To their surprise, Captain Tracey appears to calm the crowd down. Tracey and Kirk greet each other, and Tracey explains the prisoners are called the Yangs, a seemingly primitive, savage and fierce tribal culture at war with the Kohms, an iron-age people. The crew of the Exeter beamed down when they discovered the planet provided a natural immunity. Tracey stayed alive staying on the planet. Just as Kirk and the others will have to now. Kirk believes Tracey has violated with the prime directive and is influencing the planet. By the way I am not even through act 2 and this episode reminds of three others now. McCoy reports that the symptoms is similar to the biological wars of the 1990's (between that and the eugenics wars, wow 1968 had no faith we'd make it that far did they?). Spock appears with Lt.Galloway injured in a Yang ambush. Spock confirms that the Yangs are vicious and are massing for an attack. However, they seem to have a phaser power pack which is proof Tracey is supplying the weapons to the Khoms. Kirk reluctantly calls the Enterprise, but Tracey comes in with a phaser and kills Galloway.
Act 2-Tracey calls the Enterprise and tells them that the landing party is unconscious. Kirk tries to say something but is knocked out. Later, when Kirk wakes up he is alone with Tracey. He explains that the planet has some kind immunity so that the natives live almost forever. He wants to use the Enterprise to find the cause of this, and then learn how to harness it for profit. He needs Kirk's help to keep the Yangs at bay. Kirk jumps Tracey and fights him. But Kirk is not having a good day and knocked down and jailed. In the jail he meets the prisoners he saw earlier. There is a big fight (yeah I know we just did that, we're breaking out all the fight music in this one) while McCoy gets an idea but fails to implement it (that was sure needed). The fight goes on until Kirk finally wins. Kirk communicates with two prisoners and realize the Yangs worship freedom. However Kirk gets knocked out (again) and the prisoner escapes.
Act 3-When Kirk wakes up, seven hours and eight minutes later, he and Spock work to get out of their cells. They catch up with McCoy who says there was a biological war ages ago which created a virus which the planet itself can cure. If the Exeter landing party had stayed they never would have died. So the three are safe to leave now. However the planet is not a fountain of youth as Tracey plans it's just that years of evolution has caused the inhabitants immune system to adapt into longer lifespans. Spock informs that they can signal the ship, but is stunned before he can. Tracey seems to falling apart, saying that the Kohm force was routed by the Yangs, despite the thousands of Yangs that Tracey and his allies killed with their phasers. Kirk tells him that they're immunized now so the virus can't hurt them (this is sounding familiar.... ). Tracey takes this well, forcing Kirk outside. He tells Kirk to call the ship and have them send more phasers. However, Sulu refuses to comply. Tracey gives Sulu credit, and then he and Kirk fight. Again. Until they are taken prisoner by the Yangs. Spock and McCoy join them and Kirk realizes how similar this is to Earth in the 20th century, Yangs are Yankees and Khoms are Communists. They are fighting the war that American avoided. And the "Communists" won. The Yangs have been trying to retake their land ever since. This is confirmed when a tattered American flag is brought it. (yeah, seriously).
Act 4-The chief uses the holy words, a mangled version of the Pledge of Allegiance. Kirk speaks the words too, and explains where they are from. However Tracey tries to make it seem as if Kirk was cast out of heaven using Spock's appearance as a prime example. Kirk is ordered to prove himself by reading from a holy text, but Kirk can't translate it. Know you wont believe this, but Kirk and Tracey start fighting. As they do Spock is able to use his telepathy to get a communicator. Spock is able to get a signal to the ship and soon a landing party led by Sulu appears. Kirk wins the fight anyway and places Tracey under arrest. The chief believes Kirk is god's servant. Kirk explains the holy words were written for everyone, not just chiefs. He reads the greats of the holy words, the Preamble for the Constitution, and explains if these words do not apply to everyone they are meaningless. The Chief does not understand, but will obey the holy words. Spock asks if they also violated the Constitution, and Kirk insists he just helped them understand the meaning of what they were fighting for. We get a salute to the tattered flag, and mercifully the episode ends.
Final Thoughts:So let's talk about Gene Roddenberry's ridiculous theory of "parallel Earth development" which is the reason so many of these world's closely resemble Earth even though it's ridiculous (and thank god vanished in TNG). This happens in several episode but for the most part the episodes work for different reasons. Either the similarities are ignored ("Miri", "Return of the Archons"). Or they are explained or given reason ("Pattern of Force", "A Piece of the Action"). Or the similarities aren't explained or ignored but it doesn't hurt the story ("Bread and Circuses", "The Paradise Syndrome"). This is the episode where it just plain does not work, and gets stupid. I mean a faux Preamble to the Constitution? A Faux American flag? Pledge of Allegiance, WTF?? The real shame is that Gene Roddenberry himself wrote this, I wonder just how good a writer he was (none of the episodes he wrote are particularly amazing), maybe creating and producing was his real gift? As others have said Roddenberry created Trek but there were many other names who made it work from Gene Coon to D.C.Fontana to Rick Berman and many others later on. So is there anything redeemable here? I kinda like the start, with the mystery on the Exeter. It's moody and sets a decent mystery, until the landing party goes down to the planet. It's a frustrating mess to watch after that. And I am not even getting into the offensive racial stereotypes here, I think I made my point.
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