Wolf in the Fold (episode)

Series:	TOS
Season:	2
Original Airdate:	1967-12-22
Production Number:	36
Broadcast Number:	43
Year:	2267
Stardate:	3614.9
Written by:	Robert Bloch
Directed by:	Joseph Pevney

After several murders take place during shore leave, Scotty is the only suspect.

Summary

While on medical shore leave on Argelius II, Scotty seemingly murders several women. Each time, he blacks out and regains awareness with a bloody knife in his hand, claiming no memory of what happened. The investigation is initially conducted by Mr. Hengist, assistant to Prefect Jarvis. Hengist quickly claims that Scotty is obviously guilty. Kirk, unwilling to believe that Scotty is capable of murder, insists on a more thorough investigation over Mr. Hengist's strident protests.

The true murderer is revealed to be a malicious incorporeal entity that feeds on fear. It once took the form of "Jack the Ripper" on 19th century Earth and then traveled from planet to planet, assuming humanoid bodies to murder women and to feed on their fear. None of those murders were ever solved. The reason for Mr. Hengist's opposition to this line of inquiry is soon revealed -- he is the current host of the murdering entity!

The entity is forced out of Mr. Hengist's body, but it moves into the Enterprise's computer systems and threatens to slowly murder the crew. Dr. McCoy gives everyone a tranquilizer to deprive the entity of the fear on which it feeds. Spock forces the entity out of the computer by ordering it to compute, at top priority, pi to the last digit - a task that can never complete. The entity repossesses Hengist's body, and Kirk orders it beamed into space "at maximum dispersion", spreading it into billions of harmless atoms.

Background Information

• Giving the role of the killer to John Fiedler-- a skilled actor who has played milquetoasts throughout his career-- was a great choice by Joe d'Agosta.
• Not so great is the obvious skin-cap worn by Fiedler's stunt double Paul Baxley.
• The Rigel VII fortress music by Alexander Courage is used in the seance sequence, but is not the original version. Its absence from the CD release of music from The Cage leads to the conclusion that this wonderful music cue was somehow lost. The re-done version will appear again in A Private Little War and That Which Survives.
• Vina's dance music from The Cage is reused as Kara's dance music.
• Some of the extras in the Argelius bar scene are wearing turtleneck uniforms from The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before.
• Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) does not appear in this episode.
• The Tricorder scans are never done on Scott after Karen Tracy is killed. Certainly they would have had some bering on Scott's state of mind?

Links and References

Main cast

• William Shatner as Kirk
• Leonard Nimoy as Spock
• DeForest Kelley as McCoy
• James Doohan as Scott
• George Takei as Sulu

Guest Stars

• John Winston as Kyle / Bartender
• John Fiedler as Hengist
• Charles Macaulay as Jarvis
• Pilar Seurat as Sybo
• Joseph Bernard as Tark
• Charles Dierkop as Morla
• Tania Lemani as Kara
• Judy McConnell as Tankris
• Virginia Aldridge as Karen Tracy
• Judi Sherven as Nurse
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• William Blackburn as Hadley
• Suzanne Lodge as Barista
• Marlys Burdette as Barista
• Paul Baxley as Hengist (Stunt Double)

Memorable Quotes

• "With an armful of this stuff, I wouldn't be afraid of a supernova! -- Sulu
• "You didn't have to shove me, Mr. Spock-- I'd have gotten 'round to it!" -- Mr. Kyle

References

Alpha Carinae V; Alpha Majoris I; Alpha Eridani II; Argelian; Argelius II; Argus River; Beratis; boridium; Cantaba Street; Deneb II; Drella; Edinburgh; Jack the Ripper; Kelsa; Mellitus; murinite; psychotricorder; Redjac; Red Jack; Rigel IV; shore leave.

Previous episode: The Doomsday Machine	Episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series TOS Season 2	Next episode: The Changeling
Previously aired episode: Obsession		Next aired episode: The Trouble with Tribbles