Original air date: February 2, 1968
Captain’s Log, Stardate: 4211.4
SYNOPSIS
Peaceful, primitive peoples get caught up in the struggle between superpowers, with Kirk unhappily trying to restore the balance of power disrupted by the Klingons.
CANON CONTEXT
Don Ingalls’ first draft of the script had specific references to the Vietnam War, such as Mongolian-type clothes and a character described as a “Ho Chi Minh” type. Other early ideas included Kirk’s friendship with Tyree developing completely during Kirk’s second visit to the planet and a personal conflict between Kirk and Krell the Klingon. Eugene Myers and Torie Atkinson of Tor.com argue that the episode is sexist in its presentation of Nona, and that the episode, in trying too hard to be an allegory for the war in Vietnam, fails to find a peaceful, Star Trek, solution to the problem.
RECAP
This is a strange episode, one of those that was clearly written at the time for the time. Notes of the Vietnam war and a clear message on whether it was a good or bad thing. Hint: Seems like just about everyone felt it was not a good thing.
In the case of this episode, Kirk is visiting friends on a planet that he hadn’t been to since his early days at the academy. Not soon after transporting onto the planet, Kirk, Spock and Bones find an enemy group with firearms shooting at the friendlier and non-violent group. Kirk interferes to save the lives of his friends but it ends up getting Spock shot!
Back at sickbay, Spock’s internal organs are fighting to save his life and heal themselves. Who’s the dude on the left? He’s the doctor in charge because Bones has to go back down to the planet with Kirk to investigate how guns are on a planet that should be progressing at a really slow pace.
We’ll get back to Spock and his progress later.
On the planet, strange gorilla looking creature. Why do I feel like this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a creature (Mugato) that looked like this in the show?
It attacks Kirk before he’s able to get to the Hill People camp. It’s up to Bones to get him to safety and help before he dies as this creature apparently is poisonous. Back at camp we find out that Tyree, Kirk’s friend is the leader now and his wife, Nona, is the only one who can cure Kirk and save his life. Now, what happens next is… really strange and inappropriate to put on tv. I mean, what in the heck is going on here? You tell me?
Okay, so after that happens, where they apparently swapped souls or something, I leave it up to your own interpretation, he now belongs to her. This means she uses some sort of flower or something that has hallucinogens in it that makes her husband go all horny for her.
And it works even better on Kirk who probably would’ve got all up in that even without her little flower but whatever helps him sleep at night for pawing all over his friend’s wife.
Are we going off the rails a bit? Damn right, we are! There’s a femme fatale here! But back on track, Nona (the femme) wants Kirk to provide her husband and tribe with their phasers in order to defend themselves against their enemy who has guns. Oh, and I should probably mention the guns came from Klingon who apparently have visited the planet a while ago and provided the guns in order to cause chaos. Cause that’s what they do!
When Kirk finds out the Klingons are involved he feels the only solution to the problem is to give his friend guns to even the playing field. Bones thinks this is a stupid idea but they do it anyway.
Good idea? Bad idea? Only time will tell. But Nona is dead. And his friend, Tyree, who resisted guns, now finds himself wanting to kill the enemy who took the love of his life. The end.
Oh wait, Spock! Of course he survives. But if you ask how, Nurse Chapel is instructed to do whatever Spock asks of her in his current hypnosis. His request? To slap him hard over and over again with all her might! Yep, and she does it. It’s a scene you gotta see to believe. When Scotty walks in on this he’s mortified! “What are you doing, woman?”
DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?
Dr. M’Benga: Don’t let these low panel readings bother you. I’ve seen this before in Vulcans. It’s their way of concentrating all their strength, blood and antibodies onto the injured organs – a form of self-induced hypnosis.
Nurse Chapel: You mean he’s conscious?
Dr. M’Benga: Well, in a sense. He knows we’re here and what we’re saying, but he can’t afford to take his mind from the tissue he’s fighting to heal. I suppose he even knows you were holding his hand.
Nurse Chapel: [embarrassed] A good nurse always treats her patients that way. It proves she’s interested.
