Star date: 4768.3
Summary: The Enterprise is summoned by an unknown agent to a dead planet hundreds of light years further into deep space than any human has ever traveled. Spock estimates that the planet was once inhabited, but its atmosphere was destroyed a half million years before, leaving it devoid of life. Nonetheless, a voice greets them upon their arrival. The voice seems to be emanating from a chamber more than 100 miles beneath the planet's surface, a chamber in which Spock can detect energy readings, but no life.
The voice gives its name as Sargon, and has the power to transport Kirk, Spock, McCoy and an astrobiologist named Dr. Ann Mulhall down to the chamber, even though the transporter cannot ordinarily beam people through that much rock. Upon arrival, the team discovers that Sargon is indeed a life form consisting of pure energy, residing in a translucent sphere. Sargon explains that he was once part of a humanoid race which lived on this planet half a million years ago, that sent explorers into space just like the Federation does, and refers to the Enterprise crew as "my children", speculating that perhaps Adam and Eve were descendants of his race. Sargon then explains that he and the two other survivors of his race --- his wife, Thalassa, and a former enemy, Henoch --- need to temporarily occupy the bodies of Kirk, Mulhall and Spock, respectively, in order to build android bodies that they may occupy on a more permanent basis.
Sargon temporarily occupies Kirk's body, and greatly appreciates experiencing human sensations again. While Sargon is in Kirk's body, Kirk's consciousness is transferred to the sphere. McCoy and Mulhall note that Sargon's presence in Kirk's body is unsustainable --- when Sargon is present, Kirk's metabolism races, putting Kirk's life in danger. After making the request to exchange bodies, Sargon and Kirk switch back, and Sargon permits the crew to return to the Enterprise to discuss his proposal.
After some discussion, Kirk is able to overcome reservations on McCoy's part, and they agree to help Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch. All three of them switch places, but Kirk's body and Mulhall's cannot sustain Sargon and Thalassa for very long. However, Spock's Vulcan body is more robust, and Henoch is able to remain in his body long enough to prepare an injection which will control their metabolisms and allow the beings to occupy the mortal bodies long enough to construct their permanent android homes. Henoch is much more emotive than the stoic Spock, smiling and jovial, and takes an instant liking to Nurse Chapel.
However, Henoch has already decided that he likes Spock's Vulcan body and intends to keep it. He intentionally prepares an injection for Sargon which is insufficient to preserve Kirk's body, planning to have Kirk's body die while Sargon is in it, thus killing Sargon as well. Henoch makes these preparations in the presence of Nurse Chapel, and explains his plan to her quite calmly, using some kind of mind control to prevent her from alerting the others.
By the time Kirk's body dies --- with Kirk's consciousness still present in the sphere --- Henoch has also persuaded Thalassa that an android body is an unacceptable substitute for the living bodies they currently occupy. Thalassa tells McCoy she intends to keep Mulhall's body, and offers to restore Kirk's consciousness to his body if McCoy keeps his silence. McCoy refuses, angering Thalassa and causing her to use her considerable mental powers to attempt to kill him. But before it's too late, she realizes how dangerous her powers are, and that she cannot allow herself to remain in Mulhall's body. We then hear approval from Sargon who is not dead after all, but who transferred his consciousness into the Enterprise when Kirk's body died. Sargon then summons Nurse Chapel, who will play an integral part in his plan to stop Henoch.
When McCoy returns to sickbay, he finds Kirk and Mulhall returned to their bodies, and the three spheres destroyed, indicating to him that Sargon's, Thalassa's and Spock's consciousness have all been destroyed. Kirk explains that it was necessary to stop Henoch, and orders McCoy to prepare an injection which is the most lethal to Vulcans that he can manage. The intent seems to be to kill Spock's body, and Henoch's consciousness with it.
We next see Henoch in Spock's body on the bridge, having taken command of the Enterprise, Nurse Chapel at his side. When Kirk, Mulhall and McCoy arrive on the bridge, Henoch inflicts debilitating pain on Kirk and Mulhall, and halts McCoy before he can deliver the injection, pointing out that he knows "every thought of every mind around him". He then orders Nurse Chapel to apply the injection to McCoy --- but at the last minute, she injects Henoch instead. Henoch attempts to flee to another body, but then discovers that Sargon is still 'alive' in the ship, along with Thalassa. Somehow, Sargon prevents Henoch from inhabiting another body, forcing him out of Spock's body and into oblivion. Once Henoch is gone, Sargon revives Spock, explaining that McCoy's injection was not lethal after all --- Sargon just needed everyone to believe that so Henoch would read it in their minds --- and that Spock's consciousness had been carried in Nurse Chapel's body.
After occupying Kirk's and Mulhall's bodies one final time, so that they can touch one another again, Sargon and Thalassa also destroy themselves, having concluded that their existence is too dangerous to human life in the galaxy.
I have to admit, at the beginning of the episode, I was dreading having to sit through another "godlike powers" episode. However, it turned out to be pretty good because unlike previous episodes, the "gods" turn out to be largely benevolent for a change, and because although they have godlike powers, they are mortal after all. The tension largely comes from divisions between the godlike creatures, rather than the godlike creatures toying with the Enterprise crew, which makes it sufficiently different to be interesting.
Also, it's fun to see Leonard Nimoy playing a character so very different from Spock, and an interesting character at that. Evil, but a very casual, genial sort of evil.
Shatner, on the other hand, demonstrates his incredibly narrow range as an actor, continuing to use his same, distinctive halting speech cadences, even when he is playing Sargon.
We never really learn why Sargon's race was wiped out and reduced to living in spheres. Sargon explains that they did it to themselves somehow: "One day our minds became so powerful, we dared think of ourselves as gods". This is actually the second episode where we get the old Garden of Eden reference, that humans who aspire to be gods condemn themselves to ruin (the first being "Where No Man has Gone Before") --- with even a mention of Adam and Eve to boot. However, it appears that even after a half million years to ruminate on it, it is a lesson Henoch failed to learn.
My only quarrel with this episode is that the ending breaks the rules. For about 48 minutes, we're lead to believe that a body can only contain one consciousness at a time. But then Sargon stuffs Spock's consciousness into Nurse Chapel along with her own. If that sort of thing is allowed, why didn't they just shove all three of Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch into Scotty from the beginning, and let him build all three androids?
Also at the end, if Henoch really knows every thought of every mind around him, why doesn't he realize that Nurse Chapel/Spock plan to inject him? For that matter, wouldn't he detect Spock's consciousness on the bridge and wonder what the hell was going on?
Other observations about this episode . . .
Since Sargon and (eventually) Thalassa are enlightened and benevolent, I don't see why they must destroy themselves at the end. But even if they must, why can't they provide the Enterprise crew with all of their wonderful knowledge before they go?
When Sargon first introduces himself to Kirk, he says "If you let what is left of me perish, then all of you my children, all of mankind must perish too." But clearly this was B.S.
When Kirk is preparing to beam down to the planet, he explicitly states that Spock should remain on the ship, because it risks too much for them to both go to the surface. This is sound logic --- and it is also sorely missing from a great number of other TOS episodes.
Sulu's back again, and back to third in command. Where the hell had he been?
The Moral of the Story: From Kirk, when giving McCoy "one good reason" to accommodate Sargon's wishes: "Risk. Risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her!"
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