I think this may be the best episode in season 3. At the very least it's certainly one of my favorites and I've seen it a million times.
Plot:While aboard the Starfleet ship USS Defiant, Captain Kirk disappears when the dead ship gets pulled into interspace. The Enterprise is under attack by a mysterious local race, the Tholians.
Guest Stars:Barbara Babcock as Loskene (Ms Babcock did a bunch of voice work on this show as well as appearing a few times. She was awesome!!!)
Nitpick:I wish the episode had explored what Kirk went through a little more. He says that he had a whole universe to himself, but what does that mean? Was he just floating in space? How in the world did he make contact with the Enterprise crew the way he did? He looks like he is pained and he clearly can see them as he mouths "Hurry Spock". And why do Spock and McCoy deny hearing his last orders at the end?
Summary:
Teaser-The Enterprise is searching for The Defiant which disappeared in space. After some searching, they discover the vessel adrift and sensors do not read it's there at all. In environmental suits, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Chekov board the ship. They arrive on the Bridge and find the captain dead on the floor. Apparently strangled by another now dead crewman.
Act 1-McCoy confirms that the captain's neck is broken. Spock says there is no sign of life on the vessel. Kirk tells the Chekov and McCoy to search the ship while Spock gets data from the Defiant computers. As Chekov looks over Engineering, he feels dizzy and lightheaded. McCoy reports that it looks as if the crew all killed each other and the ships doctor had no idea what was going on. McCoy's hand then passes through a man and then a table. He reports that the ship is dissolving, and Kirk tells he and Chekov to get back to the bridge. Kirk orders Scotty to beam them up but something about the space they are in is interfering with the transporter. Only three can beam back at a time. Kirk tells the three to beam back while he waits. Scotty barely gets the three back, and when he tries to beam Kirk aboard he has trouble. On a monitor Chekov observes that the Defiant wink out. Spock tries to assist but Scotty says there is nothing he can do. When the Defiant vanished it took Kirk with it.
Act 2-Spock explains space is fractured in this area and Kirk is in another universe. He is busy trying to determine when the next interphase will occur when the Defiant will reappear and allow them to rescue Kirk. However they must not disrupt the area in any way. Chekov is clearly in pain and asks what is so special about this region of space. As Spock explains Chekov suddenly attacks. It takes a nerve pinch to finally stop him, and McCoy asks if anyone noticed any symptoms. Sulu says he had bouts of pain. It seems that what happened on the Defiant could be happening on the Enterprise. Spock says that Kirk was caught in their transporter when the Defiant phased out so may have survived. But they must catch him at the right time as his environmental suit only has three hours of air. Suddenly a vessel appears, and Loskeem of the Tholian Assembly says the Enterprise has violated their space. Spock explains they are rescuing a ship in distress, and need two more hours. Loskeem says he will grant that time in the interest of interstellar harmony, but not a second more. In the lab McCoy is working on a possible treatment when his orderly attacks. The interphase time arrives but when they try to beam Kirk aboard, nothing happens. It's possible the Tholians disturbed the space. McCoy reports that the disease is not passed by the men, it's the area of space they are in. The molecular structure of the brain is distorting and it's affecting everyone and will only get worst. Spock says he will need to recalculate, when the Tholians suddenly attack. The Enterprise is forced to fire phasers which disables them. But the damage means the ship is not under control anymore. Suddenly another Tholian ship appears, and the two begin to construct and elaborate energy web design which will trap the Enterprise forever when completed.
Act 3-Now Kirk is declared dead, Spock holds a memorial to officially make the announcement. Afterward McCoy reminds Spock there is a duty to be performed, in the captain's quarters. Spock says he cannot but McCoy insists he follow Kirk's final orders before he take command. In Kirk's quarters, McCoy takes the opportunity to question Spock on the real why he fought the Tholians when Kirk was probably lost. Putting the ship in further danger. Spock says he does not need to explain his rationale to anyone. They play the tape of Kirk telling Spock to temper his logic with intuition and if he can't find that in himself to seek out McCoy. Kirk reminds McCoy that Spock is the captain now and his orders must be followed. The tape finishes and McCoy apologizes. Meanwhile, Uhura is off duty and relaxing when she suddenly feels a sudden pain. She looks up and sees the ghostly image of Kirk in her mirror. Uhura is excited to see Kirk alive, and rushes to tell Spock. She finds McCoy instead who believe she is making it up, and then she passes out. In Engineering an engineer attacks, and Scotty informs Spock (calling him captain, cute). In Sick-Bay Chekov is screaming his head off while Uhura tries to convince McCoy she isn't crazy. In Engineering Scotty sees Kirk floating about and McCoy asks Spock if there could be anything to it. Spock assumes it's stress, and McCoy yells at Spock that there are more incidents among the crew being reported. McCoy apologizes for yelling, and when Scotty appears on the Bridge the three of them see Kirk. He is floating nearby and Spock gets close enough to touch him.
Act 4-McCoy lets Uhura out of Sick-Bay, they all saw the captain he's alive. In Spock's quarters Scotty says Spock was right. The phasers cut a whole in the space and heaven only knows where it sent the Defiant (who knows, maybe even the mirror universe 100 or so years earlier). But the captain remained only the overlap time changed. Spock has calculated the next time Kirk will appear and Spock says they will be ready. McCoy appears with the antidote, a derivative which deadens certain nerve inputs to the brain. Chekov has already recovered. Spock returns to the Bridge and prepares to escape the web and save Kirk. The interphase occurs and Kirk appears on the viewscreen. Spock tells McCoy to stand by in sick-bay, Kirk's oxygen supply is about to run out. The ship utilizes full power which throws the ship clear of the web, and Kirk along with them. The transporter then locks on, and successfully beams Kirk back on board just in time. Later, Kirk is back on the Bridge and relieved to be back in his universe. Kirk asks Spock and McCoy how they got along, and they say there were no problems.
Final Thoughts:I love this episode, even if Kirk isn't in most of it. The Tholians are a great design and it's nice to see a real alien species here. Of course no Kirk means the others have to fill the void, which awesome especially Uhura getting to be the first to figure out Kirk is alive. In fact all our regulars are here even Chapel. The only annoying part is McCoy's constant barking at Spock, as I said before it's like he loves arguing with him even if there is no reason. Though Spock referring to McCoy as "Bones" is quite a nice moment. The effects were so great in the original episode you'd hardly notice the remastered changes, high praise!
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