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Star Trek - This Side of Paradise
episode 1.24
Raumschiff Enterprise - Falsche Paradiese
USA 1967
produced by Gene L. Coon, Gene Roddenberry (executive) for Desilu, Norway Corporation/NBC
directed by Ralph Senensky
starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Jill Ireland, Frank Overton, DeForest Kelley, Grant Woods, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Michael Barrier, Dick Scotter, Eddie Paskey, Bill Blackburn
story by D.C. Fontana, Jerry Sohl (= Nathan Butler), screenplay by D.C. Fontana, created by Gene Roddenberry, music by Alexander Courage
TV-series Star Trek, Classic Star Trek, Star Trek (original crew)
review by Mike Haberfelner
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The Federation thinks that the colonists on Omicron have died due to some
radiation 3 years ago, thus the Enterprise is sent to the planet to
collect the bones ... but on the planet, Captain Kirk (William Shatner)
and his landing crew find the colonists, led by Sandoval (Frank Overton)
very much alive, and in some state of permanent bliss - which is enough to
make Kirk suspicious, especially when Sandoval refuses to have himself and
his colony evacuated to somewhere else to escape the radiation.
Mr Spock (Leonard Nimoy) meanwhile finds Leila (Jill Ireland), an old
flame of his, among the colonists, and she still seems to be in love with
him - and soon enough exposes him to a flower that spits spores that get
him into the same state of bliss all the settlers are in, and suddenly
Spock is not himself anymore. By and by, all of the Enterprise's crew are
exposed to the spores and begin to act like happy idiots, all but Kirk,
who somehow manages to evade the spores ... until he finds out that strong
emotions, especially any form of aggression, can shake off the effects of
the spores, so he lures Spock back to the ship and insults him to a point
where Spock reverts to physical violence - and during his fistfight with
Kirk, Spock is healed. Then Spock and Kirk transmit some subsonic sound to
the planet that drives everyone mad and the whole thing ends in a giant
brawl that heals everyone from spending the rest of their lives in an
ignorant bliss, and all of a sudden Sandoval is more than willing to be
evacuated.
Only Spock seems to miss the time he has been in love, probably for the
first time ever ...
By and large, this episode about a planet of brainwashed people is
offering little new content, the premise has been dealt with before time
and again in Star Trek and is not dealt with here any more
or less intelligent than before. Also, by and large this episode lacks
tension and suspense, but the fun thing about this episode (at least for
fans of the series) is Spock in love, which Leonard Nimoy hams up to the
hilts, but in a highly enjoyable way - so yes, this episode is a rather
entertaining one ...
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