Star Trek (TV Series) Return to Tomorrow (1968) User Reviews

Glory Days of Half-a-Million Years Ago

[Bogmeister · 8/10 · 25 November 2006]

This one just misses being one of the great ones, concluding a bit too neatly and perfunctorily, but it still catches some fantastic concepts in a bottle, not to mention a chance to see Shatner & Nimoy act out new personalities. In a region of space where no other Federation ship has yet been, the Enterprise comes across a planet with three impressive survivors. All that remains of these beings is pure energy, their bodies lost in some cataclysmic war fought 500,000 years ago. They're somewhere between the Metrons ("Arena") and the Organians ("Errand of Mercy") in terms of unimaginable power, their minds capable of feats that 23rd-century humanity can scarcely dream of. So they've been waiting around in these containment globules for half-a-million years, waiting for their probable descendants to start exploring the spaceways (this is one of those episodes, echoed in a TNG show, which might explain the proliferation of similar humanoid lifeforms throughout the galaxy).

So what were they waiting for? To simply borrow three humanoid bodies in order to construct android shells for themselves. They borrow Kirk's (now call him Sargon), Spock's (now Henoch,from the 'other' side) and Dr. Mulhall's (now Thalassa); have no fear, Sargon is here. All very simple, as McCoy sarcastically puts it. But, there's a kink in the plans. Apparently, Henoch hasn't spent the past half million years contemplating peaceful pursuits; we learn this in short order when Spock's face assumes an uncharacteristically evil grin as Henoch confidently makes plans to remove Sargon from the equation and take over (I guess) everything. Now, for purposes of this story, Henoch, for all his supposed brilliance, proves to be very short sighted and impatient. If he really wanted to rule the galaxy...but, I suppose Sargon just stuck in his craw and he couldn't wait (half-a-million years of frustration spilling out). And we get to see Nimoy act out a sadistic villain - there's a creepy chilling tone to at least one scene.

I was also puzzled as to why, for all their amazing abilities, these beings were unable to construct androids with receptors for feeling. This was the crux of their ambivalence at the halfway point in the story, that the sensations experienced by their temporary human bodies would be lost in android form (see "Catspaw" and "By Any Other Name" as other examples of aliens becoming seduced by our surprisingly addictive bodies). And with Henoch out of the way, shouldn't that have opened the door for Sargon & Thalassa to proceed? Oh, well. Then we have Kirk's speech, about risk - yes, this endeavor was risky, no kidding. Others may jump at the chance to point out Shatner's over-emoting. But, it's a great speech. It sums up the goal of the entire series, the TNG series, and, to a lesser extent, the subsequent follow-ups - all in one fell swoop with about 5 minutes of wondrous trailblazing and preaching to a faltering choir. Hell, it summed up the true destiny of all mankind. Where else on TV can you hear such a speech? 'If Man was Meant to Fly...'

Invaded by the Body Snatchers...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 16 February 2022]

In a galaxy far, far away, sentient beings in orbs on display, transfer to a torso, you become their grotto, fingers crossed they don't extend their overstay.

In the pursuit of science and leaning Kirk, Spock and Ann Mulhall allow sentient beings to occupy their bodies in order to escape their confines.

That Diana Muldaur Was a Cutie

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 2 May 2014]

An outrageous plot. Sappy music. Spock acting evil. What more could you ask for. Another advanced civilization with immense power, their bodies confined to spheres that look like those beach balls you can buy at grocery stores. Kirk and his friends are approached by the leader (his voice, anyway) and asked if they would grant these beings a favor. They have been in these spheres for centuries and they would like to become corporeal for a while. After McCoy issues his usual paranoiac message, Kirk gives a speech, and the good doctor succumbs. Enter Diana Muldaur who is really striking (amazing eyes). She, along with Spock and Kirk, willingly allow the takeover. The problem is that the guy who is in Spock's body has designs on the pretty young woman. He takes over the brain of nurse Christine Chapel. She assists him in his endeavors, putting an end to his unsuspecting friend. He also destroys the beach balls where Kirk and Diana's real essence is kept. The more I write, the more stupid this all sounds, but it allows for some fun acting, especially Spock playing Snidely Whiplash. One thing that bothered me. These creatures are incredibly advanced. They enlist Scotty and the technical guys to build artificial bodies. They create store mannequins. It seems they could have done a little better with their implied talents. Just saying.

Excellent Episode

[csm-78119 · 9/10 · 15 December 2020]

This is one of the best episodes in Season 2, full of interesting ideas and a cracking plot. There are excellent performances from Shatner and Nimoy in dual roles and Diana Muldaur makes an impressive debut in the Star Trek universe in a third such role. This is what Star Trek is all about- transporting the viewer into high concept musings under the disguise of mainstream entertainment. Boldly going where no tv series had gone before.

Deeply Romantic, Dream Like, And Sensual

[Dan1863Sickles · 9/10 · 12 March 2019]

I saw many of the original series episodes when they came out in 1968 and 1969 -- but I was only six years old at the time! At that point I only liked the episodes where Kirk got into a lot of fistfights and fired his phaser. And especially the episodes where the Enterprise fired all its phasers at another ship!

Fifty years later . . .

This episode, which I hardly noticed as a little kid, is now a favorite. It's haunting, tragic, deeply romantic, dream like, and sensual. The idea that god like aliens long to be human, to have all the feelings and emotions we take for granted, is deeply inspiring. It's all the more poignant because they speak to us in the voices of people we already love, like Kirk and Spock and the incomparably lovely Ann Mulhall. I loved how the "temptation" of Thelessa was so Biblical, with the suave Henoch in the role of the serpent.

People joke about the plot, but from an acting perspective it must have been so liberating for William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy to take on these "dual" roles as aliens inhabiting the bodies of Kirk and Spock. Shatner gets to play a man who is quite different from James T. Kirk. Sargon is a great leader, a hero, but he's no playboy. He's dignified and caring and his scenes with his lost love are unbelievably touching. And for Nimoy to be able to step out from behind Spocks' shadow and play a truly Satanic villain must have been a real thrill. I think Henoch is one of the best Original Series villains and I think Leonard Nimoy deserves a lot of credit for bringing him to life!

Private joke: when Sargon talks about spending thousands of years searching the universe for passing ships to help, he says something like, "Always waiting, always probing, probing, waiting, probing." I wanted him to go the full Buddy Holly and say he was "crying, waiting, hoping" instead!

The idea is fine but I don't totally buy the execution.

[ignacio-mig14 · 7/10 · 30 August 2013]

It isn't the first time in the series when a self-called "super intelligent" civilization end up wishing nothing but human contact, even if that means giving up on all their original intentions and supposed skills. No, it is not just love. If Sargon loves his wife and vice versa, they'd love each other as energy contained in a receptacle, as minds contained in androids bodies or in any other place. But in their human bodies they can "feel", which means kissing and touching each other, which is the way of depicting sex in 60's television. In the beginning, Sargon threatens the crew telling them that if they let him perish, human race would have to perish also. Apparently, the writer forgot he wrote that line, because from then on the man is nicer than bread, and claims he'd like to teach humankind great technological advances and how to avoid committing the same mistakes they made. Well, I actually would have love to see some of those advances came true and how the crew would deal with these superior minds they brought back to life and who were now transforming everything as they pleased. But, instead, they ended up depicting them as humans who only wanted to express their love physically... which is fine, but it's a theme that has already been explored repeatedly in this series, and I was hoping more sci-fi here than cheesy romance. Kirk kissing all chicks around is fun, but it gets kinda tiresome the 100th time. Spock playing evil is fun to watch. Anyway, I think the idea of the episode is interesting, but they could have made much more of it, instead of repeating the same formula over and over.

And you thought that letting someone borrow your underwear was bad . . .

[BrandtSponseller · 9/10 · 10 August 2006]

As in the previous episode in production order, By Any Other Name, we again encounter superior aliens, but this time, they're slightly more benevolent--or at least they appear to be--even though they've been existing merely as disembodied energy (Star Trek getting mystical again) for 500,000 years.

Like usual, the ideas of the premise are interesting, although the reason for this episode not getting a "perfect score" from me is that the premise remains just a bit unexplored by the time the final credits roll.

The main attraction of Return to Tomorrow is the opening for William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy to stretch their acting chops a bit. Shatner, as we'd expect, hams it up, but that's what I like. It's sublimely enjoyable to watch him writhe in agony, build up to an eventually shouted, crazy monologue in even more bizarrely stilted speech than normal, and sweat like an overweight nerd on his first high school appointment with the backseat of a car. As good as that is, Nimoy's performance is even more fun, because he has another excuse to wallow in emotions, and he takes advantage of it to treat us to one of the most twisted but cordial and smiling psychopaths ever. Other performances in this episode are just as entertaining, even if they're not stretching as much. DeForest Kelley has many opportunities to fly off the handle as McCoy, and Majel Barrett gets to play the ultimate "wooden" towards the end of the story.

On a smarmier hormonal note, I know I just commented on how gorgeous Barbara Bouchet was in By Any Other Name, but holy cow, Diana Muldaur is just as breathtaking here. I guess Star Trek had more clout by the middle of the second season to snag unbelievably beautiful actresses for one-off parts.

By the way, am I the only one who thinks that the Kiss song, "100,000 Years" may have been influenced by this episode? I'm probably the only one who cares, at any rate.

Worth seeing just to see an evil Spock

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 8 December 2006]

Okay, this is an average episode that is still pretty interesting,...though I've gotta admit that the plot is pretty hard to believe--even for a sci-fi series. Think about it--some god-like and practically immortal beings are stuck inside orbs well beneath the surface of a planet. They need to borrow some of the bodies of the Enterprise crew in order to then fashion android bodies for themselves. You'd really think that being that powerful, they wouldn't need to go through all this rigmarole! Well, regardless, there are three super-beings still alive after all these many, many millenia and so Kirk, Spock and Diana Muldaur's character allow the three beings to use their bodies temporarily. However, the being inside Spock is selfish and evil and tries to kill off his rival being and he has no intention of giving Spock back his body. It's all very unusual, but not super-compelling. The episode is worth watching but is not among their best.

True Science Fiction

[celakipp · 10/10 · 4 April 2022]

This is a great, often overlooked and undervalued episode. It features a true science fiction plot, wherein powerful, noncorporial but benevolent aliens who may be responsible for life on Earth take over the bodies of Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Ann Mulhall so they can exist in our world. Great acting by Shatner and Nimoy, although Diana Muldaur is less than stellar. Plus, it features a speech by Kirk that perfectly sums up the Star Trek mythos.

"All readings are off the scale, Captain".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 15 December 2010]

Energy without substance, matter without form - you really have to take a lot for granted with a number of these Star Trek plots. What I found troubling was how easily Captain Kirk assented to Sargon taking over his body. Not that he could have prevented it as the story line went, but he could have shown a bit of angst over the idea.

What's cool here is seeing a possessed Spock plotting his takeover of the Enterprise and who knows, the entire known galaxy and beyond. It's probably just a bit too convenient the way the Henoch entity was disabled by a simple shot to the arm; what happened to all that mental energy building power over a half million years? But having the 'real' Spock share his essence with Nurse Chapel was a clever device. You know she thought so too; didn't she look positively giddy over the idea that she wound up spending some quality time with her favorite Vulcan?

For Kirk's part, not only does he get a chance to be chummy with a member of the crew (Diana Muldaur as Dr. Ann Mulhall), but he doesn't have to take responsibility. After all, this was just Sargon and Thalassa getting adjusted to their human bodies. For all of the Captain's reputation for being an interstellar Romeo, sometimes he got credit when he wasn't even being himself.

Risk is our business

[christian94 · 9/10 · 8 June 2016]

The episode has some run-of-the mill elements and a rather far- fetched premise as some pointed out, but to me stands out as what Star Trek does best: showing the joys, potentials, difficulties and dangers of space exploration.

Faced with a dilemma to decide if Kirk, Spock and astrobiologist Ann Mulhall should lend their bodies to a superadvanced alien race, a remarkable roundtable discussion takes place. Dr McCoy's objections are warranted and well expressed, but a final centerpiece speech by Kirk explains the risks and rewards of flight, space flight, sciences and alien encounter. He states "Risk is our business" in a well written and delivered plea. One of the best staff briefing scene in all of Star Trek, I would even say.

The rest of the episode deals with the concepts of awareness, android, consciousness, love, loyalty, life and eternity. All relevant philosophical themes and all explored very well in the limited time. A very satisfying episode that grows and culminate exquisitely.

Robot romance? much more in store for the viewers!

Reelin in the years

[evacuationplanb · 7/10 · 29 July 2008]

This is one of two episodes that has Diana Muldaur, the actress that would play Dr. Pulaski for The Next Generation twenty years later. She happens to play a the female doctor that contains the love interest of the two disembodied spirits. One of the better episodes of the show, it still contains many of the irregularities that plagued the original. Dr Ann would only appear in one other episode despite her apparent importance to the ship at that moment. Also it seems unlikely that super intelligent beings wouldn't be able to create an android that would not be able to "feel" in the loose physical sense of the word. Also for some reason Dr McCoy becomes does not suspect anything is amiss although he is always the most paranoid character. Still a fun 60s SciFi memory.

I suppose in a way it is a criticism.

[cmv32261 · 5/10 · 22 April 2013]

Could never figure out how a race who could preserve their consciousness in vessels for a half million years were not technologically advanced enough to build androids as sophisticated as those portrayed in the 3 episodes I Mudd, What Are Little Girls Made Of, and Requiem For Methuselah, granted it was like 30/35 yrs. later when Dr. Noonien Soong began creating androids, but even they possessed all 5 senses. It is obvious that Flint, Soong the race that created the androids that Dr. Roger Corby and those that Harcourt Fenton Mudd stumbled upon were more intelligent in Cybernetics able to design and build androids far more advanced than anything Sargon's people were capable of building. Guess they were not as advanced in every field as the writers of the episode tried to convince us of.

Diana Muldaur looks great

[rodkb-62759 · 9/10 · 11 January 2020]

Delightful to see Diana Muldaur in this early role. She was about 28 yo then and very convincing! Easy to see that her coming tv roles would be filled by the superconfident actress who would continue to please us for decades as a lawyer and space traveler. The writing of this episode was exceptionally future minded and discussions of risk and benefit in the philosophical meetings that Kirk held are a tribute to the venturous explorers of the universe that were put on the five-year mission in order to improve humanity and boldly go where others would not.

Both Kirk and Spock die!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 15 July 2015]

Responding to a distress call from far beyond where any Federation vessel has been before the Enterprise comes to a lifeless planet. Here a disembodied voice tells them that he is Sargon and requests that they beam down to coordinates he has provided deep within the planet. He also appears to have selected the members of the away team, when Kirk suggests Spock remain behind the Enterprise suffers a power failure; Dr Ann Mulhall, an astrobiologist, turns up to the transporter room claiming to have received orders; and the two security officers are left behind. It turns out Sargon is a being of pure energy; a consciousness stored in a glowing sphere. He 'possesses' Kirk and explains that he and two similar fellow survivors must occupy the bodies of Kirk, Spock and Mulhall so they can build androids to act as permanent hosts. There are two problems; while possessed the human bodies are put under potentially dangerous stresses and one of their number has decided he would rather keep Spock's body than live in an unfeeling android body.

This is an entertaining episode even though it was clearly cheap even by the standards of the series; we don't see the surface of any strange planets, there is no alien makeup and most of the action takes place in a few rooms on the Enterprise. It is the fact that the dangers come from aliens possessing the bodies of crew members that the danger somehow seems more real; we might know that Kirk and Spock will ultimately survive but the same can't be said for the previously unseen Mulhall; even Kirk didn't seem to know who she was! The cast do a fine job playing the possessed characters; Shatner hams it up delightfully and guest star Diana Muldaur is good as Mulhall but it is Leonard Nimoy who steals the show as we see his normally emotionless Spock start smiling in a most creepy fashion while possessed by the entity Henoch. Overall a pretty good episode.

More body snatchers

[Mr-Fusion · 6/10 · 3 August 2017]

"...but I must point out that the possibilities - the potential for knowledge and advancement - is equally great. Risk. Risk is our business! That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her!"

Easily the episode's best moment and one of the great speeches of Star Trek. Between wits impassioned delivery and the scene with Kirk being possessed, there's some nice Shatner overacting here.

Outside of that, this is a pretty average episode offering a good story about ancient beings needing new bodies to live on. And also a youthful Diana Muldaur and Spock as a bad guy.

But it's never as good after Kirk's big plea.

6/10

Star Trek: The Original Series - Tomorrow is Yesterday

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 13 September 2016]

Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski in the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation) guest stars on this fascinating episode of the Original Series as a scientist chosen to be the host for a female god-like lifeforce, pure incorporeal and without physical form (pure thought, pure energy), along with her "beloved", Sargon (the one whose voice from thought "spoke" to Kirk and the Enterprise, requesting his presence on their planet, inside a chamber located deep within rock, prepared before a cataclysm millions of years ago that happened on the surface. Three cylinder-shaped spheres encase the energy forms, Thalassa (to use Muldaur's Mulhall), Sargon (to use Kirk's body), and Sargon's former enemy, Henoch (to use Spock's body). They want to exist in the bodies of the humans they have chosen as they set out to create robotic bodies to house their forms, but Henoch is eyeing Thalassa for himself, loving the body of Spock, initiating a scheme to murder Kirk's body and hopefully rival, Sargon, as well. Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) is to help Henoch kill Kirk by using a Vulcan mind manipulation without her knowing what he has her doing.

This will probably best remembered for a couple of key scenes and performances. Nimoy did get chances to evoke emotion besides the cold and analytical Vulcan. "Return to Tomorrow" allowed him to play a scheming, mischievous, cold-blooded sociopath with a twinkle in his eye and a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. Thalassa angered at Bones, insulted at his "not into peddling flesh" comment and defying her attempt to reason with him to keep the secret of her holding onto the body of Mulhall, causing him purposed pain to prove a point about how easy it'd be to harm him (that he should be on his knees worshipping at her feet). Henoch outsmarted by Sargon who he thinks is dead. The episode actually having Kirk dead (and later Spock), with Bones realizing this with startled astonishment. Shatner's performance as Kirk's body is taken over by Sargon for the first time, and that re-introduction to human flesh and blood providing great satisfaction, forgetting how great it feels. The love story between these god-like beings reliving yesterday at the present in these bodies which allows them to feel each other after so long. Kirk's speech about what Sargon could provide them in terms of its knowledge and superior intellect. Chapel (always smitten with Spock with her infatuation falling on deaf ears) getting to share her body with Spock's consciousness. All the chicanery by Henoch, often mocking Thalassa, as he plots to keep his Vulcan body and all its pleasantries. And on and on. It is an episode with lots going on, giving Shatner and Nimoy a real chance to go outside their comfort zones and do something different with their characters. That Kirk and Spock suffer technical deaths only to be spared thanks to the power of these beings which can inhabit even the Enterprise (!) produce some knockout moments.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

[Samuel-Shovel · 6/10 · 19 June 2018]

In "Return to Tomorrow", the Enterprise encounters the remnants of an ultra-intelligent, long forgotten race who requires the crews' assistance. The 3 remaining aliens have taken on the form of pure energy to survive for half a million years; they want to borrow Kirk, Spock, and a female doctor named Ann Mulhall's bodies temporarily so that they can build themselves android shells and lead a semi-normal life. There are a few issues with this: 1) these lifeforms can only survive in human bodies for short periods of time without killing there surrogates; they come narrowly close to killing Kirk multiple times. 2) While the leader and his wife are cool, the third member named Henoch enjoys life in Spock's body and has plans on keeping it. To do this, he also plans on killing the Sargon the leader whilst Sargon is in Kirk's body, trapping Kirk's consciousness in a ball of energy.

Luckily Sargon is able to outwit old Henoch and gets him to kill himself without harming Spock. Sargon realizes that the temptation of the flesh (in more ways than one) is too much for him and his wife after thousands of years and they agree to fade out in oblivion, leaving the Enterprise to continue its exploration.

I thought this episode had a good idea going: ancient aliens needing humans as conduits to rebuild their society. In exchange, they would teach us their technology and wisdom. But as it turns out, these guys might not be as superior as they make themselves out to be. Their chief concern (besides Sargon) is maintaining their fleshy bodies. They all seem to have some pent-up sexual energy (and who could blame them?) and this allows them to wander into the temptation of trying to keep their human bodies.

The episode is okay but there are a few issues with the script. Sargon's constant reference to the crew as his "children" never amount to anything. There's also no payoff as to why he says without his help, the human race will perish. I guess he means they need his wisdom but that's half-baked at best. Henoch's such a villain, he doesn't even try to hide it. Nimoy might as well be twirling his mustache!

Anyways, a fairly forgettable episode with one exception: this was George Takei's first episode filmed since returning for Season 2. I look forward to more Sulu hijinks in the future!

Incredible prediction for Appolo mission

[nicofreezer · 9/10 · 1 June 2021]

Since no one have notice it I have to write a review.

In this episode James said that an Appolo mission has succeed in the past. And this episode aired in 1968 , man Walk on the moon with an Appolo mission in 1969, so what a great prediction !!

Great episode with a fantastic twist, I was not expecting that at all because star trek Never used twist before that ep, episo was a great one 8.75/10.

Disembodied consciousness

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 7 August 2019]

The Enterprise happens upon a long dead planet where miles beneath the surface there are three receptacles containing the disembodied consciousnesses of three remaining from an ancient civilization. Two men and a woman and they ask of William Shatner to occupy his body along with that of Leonard Nimoy and Diana Muldaur.

The consciousness of Sargon who was a wise leader who occupies Kirk and Sargon's wife who is in Muldaur are good people. The one who is within Spock has a whole different agenda. He also adapts more easily to the Vulcan body and that makes him a threat.

The episode belongs to Leonard Nimoy who gets to be a villain which he was mostly before coming to Star Trek. He's real good at it too.

I guess there are some things the ancients can't teach us. We have to learn for ourselves.

Hard to believe but...

[Gif-583-880923 · 8/10 · 27 April 2014]

The plot is way out there (an alien that is "pure energy" stealing the bodies of the crew). This episode is guilty of a lot of deus ex machine considering the amount of the story that is not at all plausible. However the acting is good, and it's interesting to see an evil Spock and to hear the echoing voices. The ending is kind of "cute" as well. It also suggests the reason why all aliens in Star Trek have humanoid form, that their race had spread it's genes over the galaxy. I enjoyed the theme of the idea that power (or rather, arrogance) is dangerous and devalues life. I think it was one of the better episodes of the series.

Sargon Needs 3 Human Bodies

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 11 January 2017]

Season 2, episode 20. The Enterprise receives a distress call from a lifeless planet. They enter into a zone that has never been explored by humans nor anyone else. Sargon communicates telepathically and wants Kirk, Spock and Dr. Ann Mulhall to beam down... McCoy wants to join for medical interests and Kirk has 2 security guards on the transporter to join them when they beam down. Sargon does not allow the 2 security guards to beam down but allows McCoy to beam down. Sargon takes over Kirk's body and also wants Mulhall and Spock's bodies as well for his wife and friend so they all 3 can live again. They want to construct robots to but themselves in and need to be in physical form to do so - that is their need for the bodies. They do not want the ship's crew to do it because they do not have the knowledge to construct exactly the android bodies they want. Sargon leaves Kirk's body leaving him with some knowledge of who and what Sargon's kind are. Kirk and crew are given a choice to help or not... if they refuse to help they are free to leave. McCoy protests helping the aliens because of the danger involved but finally agrees to it. Now Kirk, Spock and Mulhall are suspended while the aliens take over their bodies to do what they must do in creating their new android bodies but they love being in a human form but there are medical complications involved all except Henoch in the Vulcan body. It is Henoch that is the "evil" one.

Interesting concept for an episode. Spirits taking over the bodies of the 3 while the spirits or souls of Kirk, Spock and Mulhall are in a state of suspension.

7.5/10

A little off.

[Blueghost · 1 June 2017]

I was originally going to title this review as "Worthy of Season Three", with the implication that this episode of Season Two Trek is spartan in presentation, and has a lot of clichés aimed at Star Trek from onlookers who are not fans and fans alike.

The music is canned, the episode takes place entirely within the ship (no location shots, not interior studio shots of other locations outside the ship), and the script is borderline vapid. This script needed some doctoring before being committed to film.

The shortcomings; one of the myths created by asinine social psychologists in the 60s and 70s was that we only use ten or twenty percent of our minds. Completely false on every level. There was no bigger lie foisted on the public. The reason this is important to this episode is that the animal mind (in this case the human mind) is an integrated data storage and processing unit made up of a massive network of microprocessors. If you dump another data set into it at the mid-thirties or mid-forties age bracket, the person in question might not be able to function. But, it is science fiction, and no one new data storage and processing limits at that time. Still, there is a kind of psychological arrogance that pervades and reeks of this episode.

The other aspect is that the episode needed a bit more pizazz or energy to make it sing. We're seeing a love triangle of sorts, or rather a competition between two males for the attentions of a female. One man wishes to keep his people thriving, the other is willing to do anything to win the female. It sounds like an interesting story premise, and it is, but again we're limited to the interiors of the ship and a proxy use of the characters by another set of characters that we only see as orbs with blinking lights.

The acting carries the episode, but only far. In short the technological limits of both the production and the knowledge of the screenwriter, hold back what could have been a better episode. Nimoy does a superb job of portraying a very Machiavellian entity, and Shatner and the rest of the cast give excellent performances, but we're still stuck on the ship with characters that should have been both more cinematic and dynamic at the same time. The lack of SFX and the lack of locations couple with the already listed shortcomings to give us a very watered down version of a tale that should have been far more dynamic.

If I had shot it I might have had Spock going around taking over the ship and sabotaging efforts to stop him, replete with special effects and exterior shots of the Enterprise. But, that'll have to wait for another time and another place.

As it is it's a run in the mill episode. A sort of "Oh, this one's one..." installment of classic Star Trek.

An episode that should have had more impact, but didn't. Oh well.

Take my body --- please?

[thevacinstaller-03350 · 8/10 · 26 December 2022]

This episode has many qualities I enjoyed. I liked the tight scripting - the ending reveal of Nurse Chapel injecting spock and holding his essence was hidden from the viewer and is a well executed plot twist to end the show on.

There is a chess like feel to this episode throughout. With Sargon and Henoch and the episode is structured in a manner that we perceive Henoch as having the upper hand throughout.

What is love without physical touch ---- well, apparently it is just 'ok' but nothing beats the real thing according to the pure energy beings. That makes sense to me ---- Looks like you can take the body away from the being but you cannot get away from pesky biology.

I have this friend who is a bit crazy and he has a theory that our bodies are just a shell and only when we die does the real begin when we achieve pure energy status and become one with the universe. This episode paints that experience as being one of memory and regret for the loss of the physical shell.

I am a constant critic of star trek pacing issues but this episodes moves along quickly with one scene leading into another. It almost has a movie type feel to it. It was a good creative decision to have the voices be altered when inhabiting the host ---- it really sold the idea that they had taken over.

Are they alright in the head, doctor?

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 9 September 2021]

Enterprise encounters a planet with no life and receives contact from an ancient being.

This is a strong episode with a good sci-fi concept, decent visuals, and a number of memorable character moments.

The plot has a simple body-swap/possession concept that works very well and contains some interesting themes on the soul and the nature of being. What makes it work are the very human emotions experienced by the god-like beings central to the story, as we see them covet the physical bodies of the enterprise crew and experience love, jealousy, and compassion.

There is no major spectacle to look at, but it is effectively shot and edited. Some of the cinematography of the actors in particular as they interact and look in certain directions tells the story visually well. Also the focus on props and the set design is good.

As Kirk, William Shatner is charismatic as ever but overacts slightly during the 'risk is our business' speech.

Leonard Nimoy gives a refreshingly emotive performance as Spock controlled by another being. To see him this way is worth watching the episode for alone.

DeForest Kelley is also on good form as ever playing Bones totally uncomfortable with what's happening.

Easily the star attraction for me is Diana Muldaur as Dr Anne Mulhall. She not only has a striking presence but exhibits a similarly strong personality to what she brings to Star Trek: TNG. Her acting (with facial expressions alone) is better than most of the 'girl of the week' characters put together.

I love this type of Trek episode. Cheaply made, but done with the great style and charm of the 60s. It has plenty of memorable moments and thoroughly entertaining.