James Hise - The Unauthorized History of Trek

Kirk is appalled by this, of course—and all the more so when the Enterprise is decreed a casualty of war. Kirk and crew destroy the computers and leave the two worlds faced with the options of real war on the one hand and peaceful negotiations on the other.

“This Side of Paradise” takes the Enterprise to a colony that should have died of radiation poisoning years earlier, but survived because of spores on the planet Omicron Ceti III that also provide a constant sense of euphoria. The crew all fall prey to this, rendering them unfit for (and uninterested in) their duties. Foremost among these is Spock, who once again has his emotions liberated, as in “The Naked Time.” He falls in love with a young botanist whom he had known before. Kirk must discover a way to get his crew back; Spock’s happy romance is unfortunately short-lived. (He is also referred to as a Vulcanian on the show for the first and last time, since the terminology still hadn’t been standardized!)

About this time, in its issue of March 4, 1967, TV Guide featured a profile of Leonard Nimoy.

It could only happen in America: where else could a son of Russian immigrants become a television star with pointed ears?

The article then describes the picture of the “Spock Cut” in Max Nimoy’s Boston barber shop, where he would proudly point out his son to all customers; Nimoy’s mother, Dora, was sometimes interrupted at her job in a department store by people wanting to look at Spock’s mother.

According to TV Guide , much of Leonard Nimoy’s fan mail was from younger viewers, who thought Spock was “cool.” Roddenberry had a more philosophical idea: “We’re all imprisoned within ourselves. We’re all aliens on this strange planet, so people find identification with Spock.” Since it was the 1960s, it’s no surprise that so many young people felt they had more in common with a Vulcan than with their own parents!

Some fans had other ideas, and to many Spock became a sex symbol. A drama school colleague, actress Evelyn Ward, believed Nimoy’s own “great animal magnetism” was the reason for Spock’s popularity. Hidden for years under the heavy makeup of his Native American and Mexican roles, Nimoy’s charm was lying in wait for Gene Roddenberry’s genius—and a pair of pointed ears—to bring it out.

Hero for youth or sex symbol, Leonard Nimoy attempted to give Spock more depth and character. Spock was more than ears and eyebrows, largely because of Nimoy’s attitude: “I don’t want to play a creature or a computer. Spock gives me a chance to say something about the human race.” From the start, Nimoy hoped that the Spock role would bring him bigger projects: “I have all sorts of things I want to do. Perhaps this show will give me the wherewithal to do some of them.” But for now, he said, “I’m having a ball. It’s the first steady job I’ve had in seventeen years.”

Offscreen, Nimoy looked pretty much like an ordinary guy, if you overlook the “Spock Cut.” Quiet and serious, he even insisted that people call him Leonard, not “Lenny.” Though nicknames are almost required on a set, Nimoy managed to preserve a truly Vulcan dignity, regardless of whether he was being Spock or just plain Leonard Nimoy.

“The Devil in the Dark” is the Horta, a silicon-based creature that has been killing miners in the underground colony of Janus VI. The Enterprise is called in on the crisis, but Spock discovers, by means of the Vulcan mind meld, that it is actually a mother protecting its young, in this case spherical eggs which had previously seemed only peculiar geological phenomena. The real conflict of this story is the need to overcome the fear and hostility of the human miners when they are faced with something new and incomprehensible.

The Horta costume, designed and worn by Janos Prohaska, was originally used in the last Outer Limits episode, “The Probe,” but was customized and refurbished for its appearance on Star Trek.

“Errand of Mercy” sends Kirk to the peaceful, pastoral world of Organia, which is in danger of Klingon attack; Klingon/Federation relations have become increasingly strained, and war seems imminent. When Commander Kor and his Klingon force invade and take over, they arrest Spock and Kirk, but the Organians themselves seem unperturbed by the occupation. Still, the Organians rescue Kirk and Spock, and avert war by the use of their previously unsuspected mental powers, which render all weapons ineffective. They are in fact completely evolved beings whose human forms were a disguise, and they promise to keep a watchful eye on the enemy factions. In spite of the major plot element represented by the Organians and their ability to force an end to war, they were never used again in any subsequent Star Trek episode.

“The Alternative Factor” involves the battle between Lazarus and his antimatter double Lazarus; the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, and once again hinges on the need for dilithium crystals.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” is generally regarded as one of the best Star Trek episodes; it is also perhaps the episode with the most interesting background history. Harlan Ellison’s original script was rewritten by Gene Roddenberry, perhaps unnecessarily, and has become a long-standing source of annoyance for the writer. Roddenberry’s reasons for the rewrite have become somewhat clouded with the passage of time; he has claimed that Ellison’s script included huge crowd scenes and other factors which would have drastically exceeded the show’s budget (not exactly true), and even that the script had Scotty dealing drugs!

Ellison’s original draft did hinge on a low-ranking crew member dealing in illegal drugs, but it was not Scotty by any means; perhaps Roddenberry was simply aghast that someone might dare to show a seamy underside to his perfect human civilization of the future. The script as written by Ellison was published in the now-out-of-print Six Science Fiction Plays , edited by Roger Ellwood, and is due to be published again soon … with an extensive introduction by Ellison detailing the controversy in all its gory details. But, despite Ellison’s disavowals of the filmed product, his original story still shines through Roddenberry’s rewrite, and the story retains its fascination.

In the story as filmed, Dr. McCoy accidentally injects himself with a powerful experimental drug and becomes completely unhinged. (Apparently Roddenberry would rather impugn the good doctor’s basic competency than allow the blame to fall on a dishonest drug-smuggling crewman.) Meanwhile, Kirk and Spock are investigating a mysterious time portal, the Guardian of Forever, on the planet below.

McCoy beams down and leaps through the portal, disappearing into the past; the Enterprise suddenly ceases to exist, leaving Kirk and Spock stranded in a distant corner of the universe. They must go to the past and undo whatever it is McCoy has done to disrupt history. In 1930s New York, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), not realizing that she is the key to their predicament.

Spock manages to create a time-scanning device with his tricorder and the primitive technology of the period, and ultimately discovers that Keeler will, if she lives, lead a pacifist movement that will keep the USA out of World War Two. The Nazis will win the war and make history on Earth a veritable hell; thus, Keeler’s humanitarian impulses contain the seeds of humanity’s destruction.

Kirk must then force himself to keep the still delirious McCoy from saving Edith from her death under the wheels of a car. History is restored to its proper form—but not without some wrenching decisions for Kirk.

This was to be DeForest Kelley’s favorite episode of the series. According to him, Edith was to have been the key character, but the story was rewritten to give McCoy a greater role.