Original air date: February 23, 1968
SYNOPSIS
Galactic alien scouts capture the Enterprise for a return voyage and a prelude to invasion. Kirk’s one advantage – they’re not used to their adopted human form.
CANON CONTEXT
The title is taken from a line spoken by Juliet in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet: “that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet”, a line quoted by Captain Kirk during the episode.
RECAP
This is gonna be a short one cause I could find very little about it worth really delving into. As is the usual storyline, they encounter lifeforms that are very “god like” in their nature yet they look human. These humans, one man and one woman, have been waiting for a ship just like that of the Enterprise (just their luck) to come and take them to a planet where they may take over. Yada. Yada. Yada.
If I sound a bit bored in my retelling of this it has to be because I’ve seen it dozens of times already in the previous season. I can see now how my idea of starting from the beginning and working my way through them one-by-one may have been a mistake? But I am a woman of my word so I will power through the rest of season two and season three which is mercilessly less episodes!
Okay, back to this episode. The way Kirk and Spock and Bones devise a plan to get themselves out of this mess is to make these godlike creatures realize that when they inhabited human forms they made themselves more human in reality. Therefore, they have those “weak” tendencies and so their idea of overthrowing the entire human race no longer is a viable plan. As you can tell by the look of the woman she is the perfect femme fatale for Kirk to latch his lips onto.
Captain Kirk manages to make the man very jealous of the affections that the woman is showing to Kirk. They get into a “man fight” and the end result is that the federation will help these two find a planet that is less refined that they can “rule” or at least make them better humans. In turn, the man and woman can live happily ever after together and stop this ridiculous idea of trying to overthrow the entire human race.
Seems like a logical plan. At least, Spock thinks so.
And so, our fearless band of merry men…er, I mean, the Enterprise can now continue on their mission to seek out the same and get out of their dilemmas in much the same fashion.
Apologies. I thought that if I spent a considerable amount of time doing other things I would come back with fresh eyes and appreciation. We shall see if the next episode brings about a better disposition for me.
DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?
Kelinda: These are lovely. Captain Kirk, what is it you call them?
Captain James T. Kirk: Flowers. I don’t know the variety.
Kelinda: Our memory tapes tell us of such things on Kelvan – crystals that form with such rapidity, they seem to grow. They look like this fragile thing, somewhat. We call them sahsheer.
Captain James T. Kirk: [mumbles] A rose by any other name.
Kelinda: Captain?
Captain James T. Kirk: A quote from a great human poet, Shakespeare. “That which we call a rose by any other name… would smell as sweet.”
