Star date: 3417.3
Summary: The Enterprise arrives at planet Omicron Ceti 3, expecting to find a ghost town of Earth colonies founded there 3 years earlier. In the intervening years, Starfleet scientists discovered that the planet is under constant bombardment by "Berthold rays", for which there is no known protection or cure, and which is always fatal in humans after prolonged exposure. When Kirk, Spock, Sulu, McCoy and two others beam down, they are shocked to find the Earth colonists not only alive but in perfect health. In addition, one of the colonists is Leila Kalomi, a woman who knew Spock six years earlier and still harbors a love for him.This was a good episode, in that it was fairly well written and had no obvious holes in the plot, as many of the preceding episodes have had. It also has a very definite message, although it does an unconvincing job of presenting it. The message, fundamentally, is that humans must not settle for a life of idle contentment, because (for some reason) we weren't meant to do so.
McCoy's investigations determine that not only are the colonists in perfect health, but that life on the planet has actually improved their health, removing scar tissue from lungs, re-growing removed appendices and so forth. Leila finally reveals the secret of their health to Spock: spores from a certain flower give the colonists protection from the Berthold rays, perfect health, and a perpetual sense of well-being and contentment. When exposed to the spores, Spock initially suffers some pain, but eventually discovers not only the sense of well-being the colonists have, but also a richness of emotion, including love for Leila.
Starfleet orders Kirk to take all colonists aboard the Enterprise and abandon Omicron Ceti 3, something the colonists refuse to do for obvious reasons. Vexed by Spock's new behavior, Kirk leaves McCoy in charge of beaming the colonists and their belongings up to the ship. However, McCoy is also exposed to the spores before long, and once under their influence, beams several of the spore-bearing flowers up to the Enterprise, sparking a mass defection of Kirk's crew to the surface. Kirk himself seems to be the only member of the Enterprise crew unaffected by the spores, and before long is the sole occupant of the Enterprise. Everyone else has departed to the paradise of Omicron Ceti 3, and Kirk is unable even to contact Starfleet since Uhura sabotaged the communications console before leaving.
When Kirk gets hit with a second blast of spores, he is temporarily affected by them, and plans to abandon ship as well. But when a sudden surge of anger hits him, he realizes strong emotions neutralize the spores' influence. Kirk tricks Spock into coming aboard, and insults him until he rises to anger and returns to his former demeanor. Kirk and Spock them implement a plan to use sound waves to irritate everyone on the surface and return them to their senses. The Enterprise crew eventually returns to the ship, along with all the colonists.
Although some Trek fans have promoted the show and Roddenberry as being somewhat brave and radical for presenting unpopular social messages in the show (equality of all races, equality of genders, condemning war), the message in this show is decidedly "establishment". I can't help but notice that this show aired in early 1967, a time when there was a vocal political movement in the U.S. urging people to "tune in, turn on and drop out". Although the spores in this episode are not presented as being addictive or physically harmful --- indeed, they are quite beneficial to one's health --- that is more or less precisely what the colonists have chosen to do. They grow only enough food for themselves, and have no productivity or industry beyond what is needed to survive. They mostly spend their days in idle, happy contentment. And although it's never made clear why this is a bad thing, the show's conclusion is unambiguously opposed to this lifestyle.
Kirk and Spock found a way to harsh their mellow.
Sandoval: They give you complete health, and peace of mind.Spock sounds like a true flower child of the 60's, talking about "belonging and love", and insisting that Kirk just doesn't get it. But what does Kirk have to offer as a response? An insistence that man stagnates without ambition? That man needs challenge? If someone believes they have all that they need, then they do. It's not for someone else to tell them what they need.
Kirk: That's --- paradise?
Sandoval: We have no need or want, Captain.
Spock: It's a true Eden, Jim. There's belonging, and love.
Kirk: No wants, no needs. We weren't meant for that, none of us. Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is.
Sandoval: We have what we need.
Kirk: Except for challenge.
Spock: You don't understand, Jim. But you'll come around, sooner or later. Join us. Please.
On the flip side, the argument given for a return to the Enterprise, and a life of work and challenge, is pretty weak. When McCoy and Sandoval first awaken from the influence of the spores, they have the following conversation:
Sandoval: We've done nothing here. No accomplishments, no progress. Three years wasted. We wanted to make this planet a garden.
McCoy: You can't stay here. You can't survive without the spores. After you've cleared at the Starbase, you could be relocated. It depends upon what you want.
Sandoval: I think I'd --- I think WE'D like to get some work done. The work we started out to do.
Pretty weak beer. Oh gosh, how silly of me. Of course we need to do work.
Really? Come on, guys. Look at what most of America has for ambition. Give me my iPad, my XBox 360, some beer and sex and I'm good. Rarely do you hear people yearning for work, yearning for a challenge. Far from seeking out work and challenges, this country has been striving for ever more inactivity and leisure time at least since the end of World War II. As far as I'm concerned, if I can spend the rest of my life in idle contentment and perfect health, I'll sign up tomorrow. The writers make no substantial argument as to why that's a bad thing.
Other observations about this episode:
It's not clear why Kirk is not affected by the spores the first time he is exposed. Perhaps he's irritated at the behavior of Spock and his crew, which prevents the spores' effect.
As usual, nearly the whole command crew of the Enterprise (Kirk, Spock, Sulu, McCoy) beam down to the planet's surface. This happens with such regularity I'm not going to comment on it any more.
Puzzlingly, the female guest star in this episode (Jill Ireland) shows almost no skin whatsoever. That's unusual for Star Trek.
There is no animal life on the planet except for the colonists --- apparently the spores' effect only protects humans. So how do the plants grow without, say, bees?
Why do the spores cause McCoy to develop a southern drawl?
We learn a bit more about Spock in this episode. For one thing, as half-Vulcan, his strength is much greater than that of an average human. Also, he does have a first name, but as he tells Leila "you couldn't pronounce it".
I'm sure Leonard Nimoy enjoyed acting in this show --- climbing trees, laughing, showing emotion, which is rarely allowed to do.
Even if we accept the idea that humans shouldn't allow themselves to fall under the "peace, love and harmony" influence of the spores --- which as I said above, I'm FAR from convinced about --- why isn't there any interest in further investigating the health benefits of the spores? The Enterprise crew could gather and hermetically seal away several pounds of the stuff --- they're spores, after all, they're designed to last forever --- and use them in medical treatments. What a wonder drug! Not only does it cure whatever ails ye (literally --- WHATEVER ails ye), it also gives you a wonderful feeling of contentment and happiness for a short time. But as was the case in "Shore Leave", McCoy is happy to leave this medical miracle behind.
Finally, the absurdity of the show's "work, strive, achieve, produce" message is highlighted in the final line of the show, when Spock tells Kirk about his time on Omicron Ceti 3: "I have little say about it, Captain, except that for the first time in my life, I was happy."
Well, sure Spock. Just don't let happiness get in the way of your job.
The Moral of the Story: Get a job, you smelly hippie freak.
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