| On the surface of Delta Vega, Captain Kirk fights Gary Mitchell. | |
| Series: | TOS |
| Episode: | 1x01 (#2) |
| Original Airdate: | 22 September 1966 |
| Production Number: | 6149-02 |
| Broadcast Number: | 3 |
| Year: | 2265 |
| Stardate: | 1312.4 |
| Written by: | Samuel A. Peeples |
| Directed by: | James Goldstone |
Captain Kirk worries when his friend, Gary Mitchell, is transformed by the galaxy's edge into a powerful being, endangering the Enterprise.
Summary
- Captain's log, Stardate 1312.4. The impossible has happened. From directly ahead, we're picking up a recorded distress signal, the call letters of a vessel which has been missing for over two centuries. Did another Earth ship probe out of the galaxy as we intend to do? What happened to it out there? Is this some warning they've left behind?
In the briefing lounge, Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan First Officer Spock are playing three-dimensional chess. Spock warns the Captain that he's about to checkmate him on his next move, but the Captain is preoccupied with awaiting the bridge's update on the unknown distress signal. The Captain notes that Spock plays a very "irritating game of chess", to which Spock responds with "Irritating? Ah yes, one of your Earth emotions." Captain Kirk makes a move that surprises Spock, and smiles, to which Spock simply turns to look at him. "Certain you don't know what irritation is?" Kirk says wryly. Spock claims that one of his ancestors made a mistake by marrying a Human, but just before he can finish a call comes over the comm. Lieutenant Lee Kelso informs the Captain that the object is now within tractor beam range, and that it's only about a meter in diameter, to small to be a vessel. Captain Kirk tells him to lock on to it, and the two of them head out.
SS Valiant recorder-marker.
In the transporter room, Lieutenant Montgomery Scott is fine-tuning the transporter, preparing to beam the object aboard. Captain Kirk gives the order, and Scott transports the device into the transporter room. The Captain immediately recognizes it as an old-style ship recorder, one that would be ejected in the event of an emergency. Spock agrees, but thinks something destroyed the ship based on the level of damage to it. Lieutenant Scott tries to feed the tapes into the computer, when the marker begins transmitting a signal. Captain Kirk orders red alert, and the crew go to their stations.
Act One
Throughout the ship, the crew is reporting to their emergency stations. Kirk and Spock enter a turbolift, and Lieutenant Gary Mitchell jumps in as the doors are closing. Kirk and Mitchell joke about Kelso, and Spock's chess skills, showing that they have a deep friendship even in times of red alert.
On the bridge, Mitchell takes his station, as Spock scans for the message. As the approach the edge of the galaxy, Kirk orders all stop. Captain Kirk announces ship wide that what they picked up was a marker launched from the SS Valiant, over 200 years ago. Department heads report to the bridge as ordered, and Captain Kirk is given introductions. Smith, who he mistakes as Jones, is his new yeoman. Science officer Sulu reports ready, Engineering officer Scott reports ready as always, and Chief Medical officer Doctor Mark Piper introduces the new psychiatrist aboard, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, who came aboard to study the long-term effects of space travel on the crew back at the Aldebaran colony. Spock points out he's been able to get a signal from the recorder, as Mitchell tries to flirt with Dr. Dehner, who rebuffs him only to overhear him call her a "walking freezer unit".
Spock interpolates the Valiant's message, that they'd encountered a magnetic storm and pulled out of the galaxy. Also that the crew accessed computer records on "ESP" in humans. The Captain asks Dr. Dehner her opinion, and she mistakes it for him asking if she has ESP. She reports that there are some humans who can see the future, but it is never very powerful. Spock goes on to explain that several crewman had died aboard the Valiant, which has suffered severe damage. The Valiant crew continued researching ESP, until it seems the Captain ordered self-destruct. Captain Kirk decides to go ahead anyway and engages warp factor 1.
Enterprise approaches the barrier.
The crew react with mixed emotions as the Enterprise heads out of the Galaxy. The ship encounters a strange field, and Spock orders a full array of scans. Yeoman Smith and Mitchell hold hands to comfort each other as the ship enters the field. Flashes of light fill the bridge, and the whole ship. A console explodes on the bridge as fires start around the ship. Both Dr. Denher and Lieutenant Mitchell are directly affected by the strange field, falling to the ground after seemingly being shocked.
Main power is out, and nine crewman are dead. Captain Kirk tends to Lieutenant Mitchell only to find that his eyes are glowing an eerie silver.
Act Two
Alden (L) and Kelso (R) repair the helm console as Kirk (center) looks on.
- Captain's log, stardate 1312.9. Ship's condition-- heading back on impulse power only. Main engines burned out. The ship's space-warp ability--gone. Earth bases, which were only days away are now years in the distance. Our overriding question now is-- what destroyed the Valiant? They lived through the barrier, just as we have. What happened to them after that?
Act Three
- Captain's log, stardate 1313.1. We're now approaching Delta Vega. Course set for a standard orbit. This planet, completely uninhabited, is slightly smaller then Earth, desolate, but rich in crystal and minerals. Kelso's task-- transport down with a repair party, try to regenerate the main engines, save the ship. Our task-- transport down a man I've known for 15 years, and if we're successful, maroon him there.
Delta Vega's lithium cracking station.
As Mitchell's extraordinary powers continue to evolve, he feels less and less connected to the human race. Spock fears he might become dangerous to not only the ship, but to the entire galaxy. He also thinks the same fate destroyed the Valiant, and Mitchell confirms this. He has become a god, and has no other interest in humans other than ruling over them. Spock suggests killing him before it is too late, but instead Kirk decides to exile his friend to an uninhabited planet.
Act Four
- Captain's log, stardate 1313.3. Note commendations on Lieutenant Kelso and the engineering staff. In orbit above us, the engines of the Enterprise are almost fully regenerated. Balance of the landing party is being transported back up. Mitchell, whatever he's become, keeps changing, growing stronger by the minute.
Kirk fires a phaser rifle at Mitchell.
On the planet surface, Mitchell kills his guard and kidnaps Dr. Dehner. Kirk goes after him, but Mitchell attempts to kill his friend using his powers. Dehner, for the first time realizing Mitchell is inhuman and dangerous, helps Kirk against him. Mitchell fatally injures Dehner without remorse. Even though he regains his god like power after a fight with Dehner, Kirk manages to bury Mitchell under a rockslide grave meant for Kirk himself, killing him.
- Captain's log, stardate 1313.8. Add to official losses, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner. Be it noted she gave her life in performance of her duty. Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell. Same notation.
Back on the ship, Spock for the first time admits to Kirk he has emotions similar to humans.
Memorable Quotes
"You should have killed me while you could, James... command and compassion are a fool's mixture."
- - Mitchell
"Will you try for one minute to feel? At least act like you've got a heart?"
- - Kirk to Spock on marooning or killing Mitchell
"Soon I'll squash you like insects!"
- - Mitchell
"Dr. Dehner feels he is not dangerous -- what makes you right and a trained psychiatrist wrong?"
"Because she feels -- I don't. All I know is logic. In my opinion, we'll be lucky to complete repairs and get away in time."
"Did you hear him joke about compassion? (shouting into the air) Above all else, a god needs compassion! Mitchell!"
"What do you know about gods?"
"Then let's talk about humans... about our frailties. Powerful as Mitchell gets, he'll still have all that inside him... You were a psychiatrist, once; you know the ugly, savage things we all keep buried inside of us, that none of dare expose -- but he'll dare! Who's to stop him? He doesn't need to care... Be a psychiatrist for one minute longer; what do you see happening to him? What's your prognosis, doctor?"
"Do you like what you see? Absolute power corrupting absolutely?"
- - Kirk (in Mitchell's power) to Dehner
Background Information
This publicity photo was the last appearance of the phaser rifle, and of Kirk's two-stripe rank insignia. It is the first appearance of the black uniform collar used after this pilot episode.
- TNG adopted a gender-neutral and species-neutral version of this episode's title, in the installment "Where No One Has Gone Before".
- There is a different, pre-broadcast cut of this episode in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution. This unique cut includes a few brief scenes trimmed from the aired cut of the episode, different opening titles, and a unique closing theme. The alternate closing theme can be heard on the GNP Crescendo CD "Star Trek: Original Series (Vol.1) The Cage / Where No Man Has Gone Before". The pre-broadcast cut is commercially available only in bootleg form.
- This was the second Star Trek pilot, but not the first episode to actually air. It was the first appearance for Trek mainstays Kirk, Sulu, Scott, and Leslie. The only held over character from the unaired pilot "The Cage" was Spock, whose eyebrow style would be toned down in later episodes. Other regulars McCoy and Uhura would not appear until the next episode.
- William Shatner was actually the third to be considered for the role of James T. Kirk. Jack Lord and Lloyd Bridges were each offered the role first.
- The communications officer behind Kirk at the end of this episode appears to have his head down on his console, sleeping!
- The gravestone Mitchell creates for Kirk says "James R. Kirk." It describes him as having been born on stardate 1277.1, but this could have been Mitchell's morbid sense of humor.
- Their crew files show that Mitchell and Dehner were born in cities called "Delman" and "Eldman." No doubt the property master never thought t.v. resolution would make these readable!
- The backdrop painting from The Cage is used again in this, the second pilot.
- Could the "little blonde lab technician" Mitchell mentioned be Carol Marcus?
- Another sterling matte painting is created for this episode. A still exists showing the entire landing party in the doorway within the matte, but only the shot of Kirk and Dehner ended up being used.
- A clever bit of film trickery allows the elevator ride of Mitchell, Kirk and Spock to look like an actual ride from one deck to another without having to rely on editing. A gray wall is placed outside the door when Mitchell jumps in, which hides the bridge set. After the doors close, the wall is removed by the stage crew, and voila! seconds later, we are magically on the bridge.
- Bantam Books published a series of novelizations called "foto-novels," which took photographic stills from actual episodes and arranged word balloons and text over them, to create a comic book formatted story. The second installment was an adaptation of this episode.
- The voices of damage control personnel responding to the emergency situation would be reused many times in subsequent episodes (how many times do we hear that voice saying, "Gravity is down to point-eight!") These voices were provided by Gene Roddenberry, Robert Justman and Majel Barrett. Roddenberry can be heard saying, "Communicator, we need more lines to the impulse deck!" in subsequent episodes.
- During the shooting of this episode, which was not done at Paramount, a nest of wasps, agitated by the lights, stung many members of the cast and crew. Shooting had to be delayed several days to allow swelling from a sting on Shatner's eyelid to go down.
- The ship fly-bys were all done with the massive model used in The Cage. This model had no sparkling effects on the front of the nacelles, a larger sensor dish, grilles on the backs of the nacelles and not as many lighting effects. This footage was re-used in later episodes, often mixed in with shots of the improved model that is on display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum giftshop. In the standard side-to-side fly-by, a light near the shuttlebay winks out. This light malfunction can also be seen in the standard shot of the ship sailing into the distance, meaning that both perspectives were shot simultaneously with two different cameras.
- Leonard Nimoy (Spock) is the only actor to appear in both this episode and the first pilot, "The Cage". Unlike "The Cage", his pointed ears are a bit smaller, and his eyebrows are severely slanted (yet not as bushy as in "The Cage") and appear to have been painted on. Most importantly, his hairstyle is reworked to show the bangs typical of his race -- and that of eventual nemeses, the Romulans.
- This is the only episode where Spock wears a gold shirt instead of blue.
- Gene Roddenberry wanted a character named "Rice" in each TV show he created (see Lt. William Rice in "The Lieutenant") so the Captain's name was going to be "James Rice Kirk". This explains the "James R. Kirk" tombstone Mitchell creates for Kirk. As the series developed after the second pilot it was somehow forgotten and he became James T. Kirk.
- This is the only episode of the series in which James Doohan (Scotty) appears but DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) does not.
Apocrypha
A possible explanation for the "James R. Kirk" reference is given in Peter David's novel Q-Squared which suggests that the events of this episode take place in a parallel universe where Kirk's middle initial is indeed R (and not T as we now know it to be).
Links and References
VHS edition available through Amazon under ISBN 6300213064. Two episode DVD (with The Corbomite Maneuver) available there under ISBN 63005513406
Main Cast
- William Shatner as Kirk
- Leonard Nimoy as Spock
- James Doohan as Scott
- George Takei as Sulu
Guest Stars
- Gary Lockwood as Gary Mitchell
- Sally Kellerman as Elizabeth Dehner
- Paul Carr as Lee Kelso
- Paul Fix as Mark Piper
- Andrea Dromm as Smith (Yeoman)
- Lloyd Haynes as Alden
- Eddie Paskey as Leslie
Production crew
- Hal Needham as Gary Lockwood's stunt double
- Dick Crockett as William Shatner's stunt double
References
2065; Aldebaron colony; Canopus; Canopus Planet; Delta Vega; Dimorus; ESP; esper; extrasensory perception; fission chamber; galaxy; galactic barrier; Kaferian apple; lithium; lithium cracking station; magnetic storm; neutron radiation; Nightingale Woman; ore ship; phaser; phaser rifle; psionic energy; Benedict de Spinoza; stardate; Starfleet Academy; Tarbolde, Phineas; telekinesis; three-dimensional chess; yeoman.
Other references
aperception quotient; Dehner, Gerard; Delman; Delman Street; Deneb IV; The Ethics; Duke-Heidelburg quotient; Eldman; Eldman Street; Mitchell, Gary, Sr.; Newstate; Tri-Planetary Academy.
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