Lt.
Leslie
Eddie Paskey
Leila Kalomi
Jill Ireland
Elias Sandoval
Frank Overton
Lt. Commander Kelowitz
Grant Woods
Painter
Dick Scotter
Lt. Vincent DeSalle
Michael Barrier
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The
Enterprise arrives at Omicron Ceti III to investigate a lack of contact
with the colony there and Kirk leads a landing party down to the planet's
surface. They expect to find no survivors due to their having been exposed
to lethal Berthold rays and are amazed to be met by the leader of the
colonists, Elias Sandoval, who tells them that their sub-space radio has
been out of action.
Sandoval introduces them to Leila Kalomi, who knows Spock from six years
previously, and takes them around the colony where they notice the simple
life of the people and the strange lack of animals. On examination, McCoy
records that all the colonists are in a condition of perfect health even
to the point that Sandoval has re-grown an appendix. Kirk receives orders
from Starfleet to evacuate the colony but Sandoval refuses to leave and
Leila promises to show Spock the reason for their exceptional happiness
and health.
She leads him to some strange alien plants that throw out their spores,
covering the Vulcan and causing him to scream in pain. When he recovers,
he finds that he has lost control over his emotions and kisses Leila.
Kirk tries to contact him but he is otherwise engaged, lying with his
head in Leila's lap and looking at the shapes in the clouds. When he eventually
answers, Kirk is puzzled by Spock's off-handed responses to his requests
for information and also his refusal to reveal his location. McCoy is
left in charge of the evacuation plans while Kirk and Sulu search for
Spock.
They find him swinging from a tree branch saying that there will be no
evacuation. Annoyed, Kirk orders him to be arrested. As they travel back
to the settlement Spock leads them to the alien plants which cover them
all in spores. Kirk seems to be unaffected but the other crewmen tell
him that they are mutinying and staying on the planet. On returning to
the colony Kirk finds McCoy transporting some of the strange plants up
to the ship. He beams up himself and finds that the entire crew is now
under the effect of the spores.
Eventually they all beam down to the planet, leaving Kirk alone aboard
the Enterprise. The spores start to work on him and he begins packing,
but the sight of his souvenirs and the hold that the Enterprise has over
him is such that the thought of having to leave makes him angry and annoyed.
He recovers his senses and realises that the negative emotions have counteracted
the effects of the spores. He contacts Spock and asks him to come up and
help him pack some things that will be useful on the planet.
When Spock arrives, Kirk starts insulting him and provokes him into a
fight. The Vulcan gains the upper hand and is about to give Kirk a severe
beating when his aroused negative emotions also free him from the effects
of the spores. They arrange a sonic bombardment of the planet using a
subsonic frequency to make everybody irritable which soon has the desired
effect. When Sandoval recovers, he realises that the colony has become
stagnant and unproductive. The colonists agree to pack up and evacuate
to the Enterprise.
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