#star trek TOS recaps
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Captain Kirk wont even look at a beautiful woman because he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable in a professional setting and yet people still act like he's nothing but a horndog
#Kirk drift is a disease#This is from one of the James blish books#Star Trek 7#It's an episode recap of who mourns for adonais#He also describes apollo as super hot like two paragraphs later btw#Star Trek#St tos#The original series#tos#my wife jim kirk#jim kirk#captain kirk
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star trek tos season 1–my summaries
i just finished a watch of season 1 of star trek tos season 1, and i would like to provide a (very) accurate summary of each episode. no one should let me have a Netflix account i stg
pilot: large veiny-head things make cishet male think about green ladies dancing at him. he then psychologically alters the green lady’s mind to be filled with lies.
the man trap: so here’s the thing. this lady really needs salt. also, bones. for some reason (just jk he’s perfect)
charlie x: annoying teen is annoying and also tries to kill everyone. but don’t worry, kirk saves the day while also being shirtless. yay.
where no man has gone before: this is an x files episode
the naked time: spock wants his mom, kirk kind of wants to kiss the enterprise and there is irishphobia
the enemy within: kirk wears a fuck-ton of eyeliner and sulu is chilly
mudd’s women: ooh sexy ladies ep number 1/2367
what are little girls made of: kirk spins while naked and chapel and uhura kiss :)
miri: the studio had this set lying around, and also kirk hits on a teenager
dagger of the mind: i don’t really remember this one tbh
the corbomite manouver: kirk just fucking goes for it. just lies for 40 minutes. goals
the menagerie part 1 and 2: clip show but good and gay and sad :(
the conscience of the king: kirk has a tragic backstory??? that explains it
balance of terror: why is sarek a romulan commander? did he and amanda fight?
shore leave: bones and everyone else goes insane. also finnegan and more irish stereotypes. kirk has made it clear; the irish are the enemy
the galileo seven: whyyyyy do they all hate spock
the squire of gothos: english dude throws a hissy fit
arena: GORRNNNNN and spock is proud his bf is doing science
tomorrow is yesterday: kirk flirts with someone who could very well be his great great great great great great great grandfather
court martial: spock uses ‘being gay’ as a valid point that will hold up in court
the return of the archons: 1984 but with spock in a cape. a computer is god but is clearly made of cardboard
space seed: khan is sexist in the way only a 90s man can be
a taste of armageddon: everything was fine until kirk showed up
this side of paradise: spock flirts with women despite being a homosexual
the devil in the dark: a shag rug pizza hybrid emotionally connects with spock. bones uses cement, but doesn’t like it, jim.
errand of mercy: klingons do not look like worf and that really threw me off guys
the alternative factor: what twin peaks season 2 shit is this
the city on the edge of forever: so good. i imagine existential crises are how bones wakes up all the time though
operation: annihilate!: small farting brain cells attempt to kill kirk’s nephew and his husband
#star trek#star trek tos#star trek season 1#season 1#tos#tos spirk#spirk#bones mccoy#leonard mccoy#james t kirk#jim kirk#spock#recap#summary
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Okay so let me just see if I understand what happened in S1E4 The Naked Time because frankly I feel extremely unhinged right now and I need to recalibrate my sense of reality.
They find a bunch of dead frozen scientists on a planet that's about to be destroyed by unclear natural causes. Only two of the six bodies are shown; one is very clearly a mannequin. Leonard Nimoy is wearing a repurposed shower curtain for the entirety of these initial scenes. That's not relevant to the plot, but it's important to me on a deep personal level.
They don't know it yet, but the scientists died because of some kind of Space Madness that spreads through water. Lieutenant Joe removes his safety glove to scratch his nose, earning him the title of Court Jester Of The Week, but does not contract the disease from touching any of the ice coating the area - instead he contracts it from a stray drop of blood that remains unfrozen for some reason. After sticking that blood drop directly up his nose for safekeeping, he and Spock return to the ship.
Joe has a minor existential crisis in sickbay, then he goes to get some lunch, where he has a major existential crisis and tries to stab himself with a butter knife. Sulu and Lt. Riley try to subdue him, but he gets stabbed anyway. Joe dies; Sulu and Riley are now infected. McCoy demonstrates an appalling lack of concern for basic masking procedures when performing open air surgery.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise absolutely positively has to maintain an orbit around the dying planet as it decays - a very delicate process that requires everyone to be running at full capacity. So naturally, Sulu fucks off to threaten blank-faced crewmen in the corridors with a sword, and Riley infects Christine before barricading himself in engineering and turning all the engines off so he can be better heard as he tells women at large that they're prettier without makeup.
Christine makes a heartfelt love confession to Spock (presumably earning herself some kind of write up for sexual harassment later what with all the hand-to-hand action) and he becomes infected as well. He sobs mathematically about it in a conference room.
Scotty and Kirk break into engineering and subdue Riley, but it's too late to restart the engines and the ship is gonna go down unless they calculate something something and implode the engines. But it's only a theory, Jim!!! It would take a million computers to calculate!!!
McCoy finds a cure to the Evil Water. The one that's got the Space Madness in it. The one that's like. Just water, but weird about it. But it's okay, because he has the cure now. The cure to water. But just the evil kind.
Kirk finds Spock crying about feeling love (mood) and becomes infected, but seemingly also fully cures Spock of the disease by letting himself get backhanded over a table.
(Side note: I am going to be keeping a running tally of how many times physical violence against Kirk ends up curing Spock of his emotional turmoil, because I know it's not just the once.)
Kirk has a minor meltdown about the Enterprise not being a flesh lady that he can take for walks on the beach, then decides he doesn't have time for that and goes back to the bridge, where McCoy He-Mans the fuck out of his shirt for no god damn reason just to give him a hypo for the Space Madness. Spock goes to help Scotty with the implosion calculations, and fuck me sideways they pull it off and everything's fine except for Joe who's still dead.
BUT!!! The implosion sends the Enterprise BACK IN TIME........BY THREE DAYS.
CONGRATULATIONS ON DISCOVERING THE SECRET TO TIME TRAVEL IN THE LAST TWO MINUTES OF THE EPISODE???????
Kirk and Spock comment mildly about trying out fucking time travel again later. Someday. When they're feeling more up to it. The end!
Do I have all of that right? Is that what just went down? I think I need to lie down.
#op:liveblog#star trek#star trek tos#s1e4 the naked time#this episode is such a god damn mess i love it#this is the GOOD shit right here#episode recap#for my own sanity#head in my fucking hands why did they time warp#what did that have to do with ANYTHING in the rest of the episode
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Something New
A/N: Someone asked me for a part two of this, and honestly? Don’t have to ask me twice, I’ve been thinking about it a lot 🫶🏻 sorry it took a little more time than I was expecting, we’re going on vacation soon so a lot of our time is being spent preparing for that :) - mod angel
Pairing: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader
Summary: Spencer has been spending a lot of time bonding with his new coworker, and they’re starting to realize that they might have more feelings than they were ready for.
~~~
I was, admittedly, pretty nervous the first time I came over Spencer’s apartment.
I’ve always been a really shy person, and new situations always seemed a little intimidating to me. But Spencer was… different, and that comforted me.
I walked up to his apartment that first day, fidgeting a little as I approached his door. I took a deep breath and knocked lightly.
He answered the door, smiling, gesturing for me to come in.
I smiled and looked around his apartment. I hadn’t known him very long but it seemed very… him. There was a bookshelf against one of the forest green walls that held a large amount of books; if it belonged to anyone besides Spencer, I would’ve doubted all the books had been read. But I guess if you can read as fast as he can, getting through all those books isn’t that big a deal.
He led me to the couch and motioned for me to sit down. He had taken out a DVD set of Star Trek: The Original Series that was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch.
He took the DVDs and started speaking. “So, I know you said you’ve seen some of TOS, but I figured it would be better to watch it completely through from start to finish.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen any of it,” I replied. “Plus, I always like to watch things fully in order. I can’t just pick up a show in the middle. I have to start at the beginning.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I feel the same way! People have told me it’s not a big deal to start watching a show in the middle, but I could never do that.”
I smiled. “Plus, there’s only 3 seasons of TOS, right? It’s not that hard to get through.” I could feel myself calming down as the conversation seemed to flow easily between us.
“There’s only 79 episodes. It’s really short, considering how many other shows and movies came out of it.” He seemed to hesitate for a moment as he put the DVD in the player. “… I have all the other Star Trek shows and movies too, if you want to watch them.” He cleared his throat and quickly continued, “of course, for now we’ll just stick to this and, um, we don’t even have to finish if you end up changing your mind…”
I shook my head. “No, I want to do this. I think it’ll be fun.” I smiled reassuringly. “Plus, what I have seen I’ve really liked, so I definitely want to watch the whole thing.”
He smiled back at me and sat on the opposite end of the couch. “I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to agree to this. Most people don’t really take my interests seriously…” he admitted, sounding a little sad.
I just shrugged. “Well, I’m here, aren’t I? Why would I come here if I wasn’t interested?”
“I guess that’s true,” he said as he picked up the remote. “… So, are you ready to start?”
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready,” I responded before he started playing the first episode.
…
We fell into a regular routine after that first day.
I’d usually come over about once a week. We’d always start with Spencer recapping the last episodes we watched, recalling them in perfect detail so I could remember exactly what happened.
I really liked watching the show with him. A lot of times, he’d get really excited and talk during the episodes. He’d always apologize when I asked him to rewind so I could catch what I missed while he was talking, but I always told him I didn’t mind. And I really didn’t, I loved listening to him talk. He always had something interesting to say.
I found myself starting to watch him more than I watched the show. I was trying really hard not to admit it to myself, but I was really starting to feel something between us. I’d noticed the way we both started to get comfortable with each other as time went on, and how we started to sit closer to each other every time we hung out. I felt some kind of… spark, whenever I was with him.
I tried to ignore this feeling, but it was getting more and more difficult. I felt so happy to see him all the time; hanging out with him felt like the highlight of my week. I looked forward to it for days, and I couldn’t help but think of how much I wanted to be alone with him when I saw him at work.
But I kept this all to myself. It was just a silly crush, and I didn’t even know if he had feelings like that. Plus, there’s no way I could have a crush on a coworker. That could never work out well.
Right?
… (POV change)
Spencer wasn’t used to spending so much time with someone. Sure, he talked with his coworkers every day, but it wasn’t the same. No one shared interests with him like this.
Since this was all new to him, he figured these feelings he was having were just normal when you made a new friend. This certain fondness he was feeling that he had never felt before now.
But as time went on, and he kept spending more time with them, he was starting to suspect he was feeling a little more than friendly with them. He started spending a lot of time wishing they would hang out more. Eventually, he couldn’t help it, and asked them to come over even if he’d already seen them that week. He’d say it was because he wanted to keep watching the show, but really he was just excited to see them.
Eventually, he couldn’t deny the feelings he had for them anymore.
There was one day they came over, after there had been a particularly exhausting case. It just so happened to end on the day they had both been reserving to watch the show together. Spencer offered to switch the days and let them catch up on sleep, but they insisted that they still wanted to come over.
It wasn’t a problem for a while, but eventually, as Spencer was talking, they stopped replying to him. He looked over to see they had fallen asleep curled up on the couch.
He just stared at them for a few moments before pausing the show, not wanting them to miss what was happening. He wasn’t sure what to do; he didn’t want to wake them up because they looked so peaceful. They looked… really cute…
He shook his head as if trying to shake the thought out of his mind. He stood up, getting a throw blanket and gently placing it over them, careful to not wake them up.
He walked to the kitchen, figuring he’d make something to eat in case they were hungry when they woke up. Really, he just needed an excuse to not be near them right now. It was taking every ounce of his willpower not to slip his arm around them and let them sleep on him.
He tried not to let his mind wander as he made dinner, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop thinking about them.
He kept trying to rationalize his thoughts, like he always did. It had never been a problem before; he had always been a logical person, so it had never been difficult to keep his thoughts in check. Until now.
He knew that he shouldn’t have feelings for a coworker. It just wasn’t professional. And besides, they probably didn’t feel the same way about him. No one ever had. It was new to him just to have someone willing to share his interests. Their feelings probably ended there: he was just a new friend to them.
Although… there have been multiple occasions where he thought he saw them sneaking glances at him. And the way they looked at him, he thought that maybe they were starting to have feelings for him too…
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice them waking up and walking into the kitchen until they spoke to him.
“Hey…” they started. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I was falling asleep.”
Spencer jumped a little before turning to look at them. They still had the blanket wrapped around their shoulders. They looked really comfortable that way. And the sleepy tone in their voice…
He cleared his throat. “That’s okay. We had a pretty tiring few days with that case, so I figured I’d just let you sleep. You seemed like you needed it.”
They smiled sleepily. “Yeah, I guess I did.” They turned their attention to the kitchen counter. “You made dinner? Was I asleep that long?”
He shook his head. “You weren’t out for too long, but I figured you might be hungry when you woke up, so…” He trailed off, blushing a bit.
They smiled. “Thank you. I am actually pretty hungry.” They hugged the blanket a little closer to them, rubbing their eyes a bit.
Spencer turned around and grabbed two plates, carrying them to the coffee table in the living room. They followed him and sat down on the couch, moving the blanket so it was laying across their lap.
They ate in silence, the show playing on the TV in front of them, though they both seemed to have trouble paying attention to it.
After a few more episodes, it was time to leave. Spencer took the blanket when they handed it to him, putting it back where it was before.
He walked to the door with them, like he always did. Today, though, they lingered in the doorway a little longer. Maybe it was the tiredness, or maybe they just finally found the courage they’d been looking for all this time.
“Um…” they started, looking a little nervous. “Thank you for making dinner tonight. That was really nice.”
He smiled warmly at them. “Oh, it was no problem, really. I was hungry too,” he laughed awkwardly.
They smiled a bit, but they had a concentrated look on their face. “Well, uh, I was wondering… Maybe one day you’d like to… go out to dinner?” They took a deep breath before continuing quietly. “Like… as a date?”
He blushed and smiled, all the thoughts of doubt he’d been having earlier thrown out the window. “Yeah, I... I’d really like that.” He tried to sound calm, but it was clear he was really excited about it.
They smiled back at him, the nervousness gone as they realized he was just as happy about it as they were. “Okay. It’s a date, then.”
They said their goodbyes, both of them unable to stop smiling as they thought about what their future together would hold.
#i hope the pov change doesn't read too awkwardly. it's just what was in my head so i wanted to write it that way#criminal minds#spencer reid#spencer reid x reader#spencer reid x gn!reader#spencer reid x fem!reader#spencer reid x male!reader#spencer reid fanfiction#criminal minds fanfiction#spencer reid fluff#fanfiction#mod angel
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actually, a great last episode, even though it probably wasn't intended as such: kirk (in the form of dr lester) recounting some of his adventures with spock. saying "the man who knows the captain best in the universe" and the mind meld after which spock knows that is truly kirk. like what could possibly be so significant, yet secret that he could only verify it with a mind meld? and what a tender moment they share afterwards. it's a little sad they were only able to have this bc kirk was in a female read body, but it almost feels like roddenberry wants us to know about these two…
also very interesting that dr lester despises their (I'm just gonna use gender neutral pronouns here, don't pitchfork me) own "womanhood", which can really be read from a queer perspective and sounds a lot like a trans realisation. or, more from a feminist pov, it at least sounds like the wish womanhood didn't exclude being able to become a leader (in this case starship captain). and the undoubtly homoerotic moment between a clearly in love dr coleman and dr lester (in kirk's body) where he gently puts a hand on his shoulder. and what would be more like tos than an episode fit for pretty obvious queer reading?
and with that my vaguely analytical-turned-spirk-recap of tos has come to an end. what a rollercoaster. except not bc I plan to watch all of the og star trek movies pre-tng as well, even if my dad is only mildly excited about the prospect. so look forward to more (spirk) observations!
#star trek tos#turnabout intruder#spock#james t kirk#gene roddenberry#janice lester#arthur coleman#spirk#star trek
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I’ve recapped Star Trek TOS for all the followers I have that haven’t seen it.
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yamok sauce returns from the dead
So guess what, Yamok Sauce is back!
(Yamok Sauce is a podcast! about Star Trek. in which we rewatch an episode, attempt to recap it and mostly laugh a lot. It is a good time.)
Anyway, this one was my choice, it's a TOS episode called Spock's Brain in which aliens steal Spock's brain, I hope you like it because Amy and Cathryn for sure did not. (They did. At least they love me which is the same thing.)
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lately my free time has looked like: read star trek fic. rewatch tos. watch tos clips compilations on youtube. outline star trek fic. work on tos skip/watch list. reread episode recaps on tvtropes. write star trek fic. watch the same four aos scenes over and over. read 6 random fanwiki articles that are the most insane thing i've ever heard. aos youtube amvs that all use the same 10 minutes of footage. reread william shatner's little tarsus iv novel. work on my little tos clip show. find gag reels and specials on youtube. listen to star trek playlists on spotify while i'm in the car. talk myself out of buying merch bc i don't have any money. think about spock. think about spock. think about spock. i am grinding my dopamine receptors into DUST and i couldn't be happier. i do not and i mean this so incredibly genuinely have ANY problems
#personal#star trek blogging#it was this or i start doing drugs again. so frankly i think since i'm still sober i'm doing a great job. please clap.#liz loves writing#tos lb#aos lb#kinda.
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The last episode was really terrible but hopefully this episode is better and doesn't continue with the eugenics stuff but I will be live blogging Star Trek SNW
Season 2 Episode 3
Ok first off why was the recap about genetic engineering stuff oh god not again
Okay so like a data day episode I always liked that one I'm down
Modern work out clothes? Should've done the red karate knock off outfit from TOS lol
I'm still not a fan of this Kirk at least do a dramatic accent or something or smile every once in a while I know it's a alternative universe in this episode but still
Okay the revolving door was funny
"I'm from space 😟" lmao
We can't both wear the same outfit one of us gotta change moment lol
Chess Kirk??? I thought that was a Spock thing
People bet on chess?
I could go for a Chicago style hot dog right about now
Please don't be a romance Star Trek does many things right romance is rarely one of them
Car theft Kirk lol
Kirk still can't drive now that's what I'm talking about
The anti cop speech felt like what a out of touch 40 year old thinks the "acab" crowd would say
Of course the anti cop person is also a crazy conspiracy theory person /s
Ah yes the "I believe in Aliens" person that always appears in all time travel episodes
Oh my god it's the engineer I love it actually made me laugh
Pelia not a engineer yet lmaoooo
I know I'm supposed to focus on the kiss but all I can focus on is the sideburns
Is this supposed to elicit sympathy for Khan? The genocidal eugenics dude??
Damn temporary investigations yall can't even let her get a little therapy? Dann
Well I definitely liked that more then the last episode but that isn't saying much it was your usual time travel episode with some fun parts
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I’m the one who questioned my faith in Ice Queendom a while back and pointed out how it’ll be hard for new comers to get attached to the characters because they give the cliff notes of the good parts V1-2. Turns out Penny (one of your examples) WILL BE IN THIS SERIES. So her character is going to get glossed over and killed.
Do we know that she'll be killed like in canon? Because if Ice Queendom is recapping Volumes 1-2 and Penny originally dies in Volume 3, it's likely that she's a part of the new AU story-line now, just like Pyrrha (presumably) is. I mean, she dies just episodes after Penny, but I doubt they would model her in that clearly AU dress if she was just going to die again in her normal, canon outfit. All of which isn't to say I necessarily trust this new team to do right by Penny — especially depending on how much of a hand RT had in the story conception — but that's not the same thing as automatically believing she'll automatically be glossed over and killed again. We'll have to wait and see.
As for newcomers getting attached, I'm still of the same opinionI was a couple months ago. Sure, they might only get the cliff notes of Volumes 1 and 2, but then they'll be new content for them to enjoy, getting attached to the characters via that. Leaving the canon behind doesn't mean we're dropping the cast and replacing them with a new set of characters; that newcomers only have an episode or two to get know Team RWBY before that opportunity is over. They'll have the entire run of Ice Queendom to develop an interest in the characters, it'll just be a slightly different interest than those who started with the original webseries. Which is fine! RWBY's issue with consistency aside, there's nothing wrong with newcomers falling in love with versions of the characters who experience different things and, as a result, likely have slightly different personalities than their webseries counterparts. That's just the reality of any long-running franchise. I've been watching Strange New Worlds (which I love) and any newcomer to Star Trek is going to have a very different experience with Spock, Pike, Uhura, etc. than someone who starts with the Original Series, simply by virtue of these characters being played by different actors, written in a different time, and informed by decades of rewrites/time travel/retcons/AU shenanigans. But the Spock of SNW is just as easy to get attached to as the Spock of TOS. And if a fan does love SNW? We can point them back towards previous content and say, "Hey, if you liked this I bet you'll love this fleshed-out variation." Same with RWBY. Unless Ice Queendom is a total train wreck — which, you know, always a possibility lol — I have no doubt that lots of new fans will get attached and use it as a gateway back towards the webseries, comics, manga, and shorts. The best case scenario is that we'll be able to say that the original Volumes 1-3 run was great, Ice Queendom's shortened Volumes 1-2 + AU content run was great, they're just great in different ways.
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Well, it's been a day. One of the ways my body lets me know i've overdone it (asides from pain and bp drops) is gastrointestinal distress which is actually quite smart at getting actually listened to as I'm forced to stay close to the toilet and not do anything physically strenuous that might provoke smth.
But hey Lily has perked up so much after her haircut over two days, she's back to her old mischief and recycling bin thievery. Worth it.
Readmore for ramblings
Up to episode 39 of Thundercats (plus the anointment trials of Lion-O) and I can't seem to find a skippable/key episodes list. Lots of discussion about production order and orders to avoid discrepancies but none that have, lets say, a sort of quality meter. I'm not sure how many times I can watch "old enemy finds new weapon"/"new enemy turns up out of nowhere" to attack the Thundercats. I'm interested in alliances, third earth lore, character episodes. There are only so many times you can watch Mumm-ra's extended magical girl transformation before it gets grating. This was absolutely not made for binge watching more than two at a time.
I'm thinking I might have to make one myself, there are recaps already but no table of new lore/character exploration vs basic filler (but may have a fun villain). I'm thinking of taking notes and if I can tolerate watching more Thundercats, sticking it on a neocities page.
I once printed a star trek TOS episode list and marked which ones had Kirk use seduction as a way to save his crew, in which ones he actually had romantic feelings and the ones without (at least if we deliberately pretend he's straight) . I regret not sticking that somewhere online before throwing it away. Kirk has few real romances and mostly uses his masculine wiles to save his crew. His romantic relationships are with smart independent women, his grand gestures are either for Spock, the ship herself or other core crew.
Today I did something I'd wanted to do for a while which is update the my crew 'mugshot' folder as there were dolls that have gone to new homes and a bunch I hadn't added yet. I snapped some quick photos but have about 7 more to do tomorrow.
The google spreadsheet is up to date but spread across 'my dolls: work in progress' -organized by work needed- and my crew' -organized by doll line-.
I also noticed i'd lost a bunch of ooak photos from the online galleries *and* the offline copy (the thumbnails were there but not the full size) and found them in the 2018 file backups. Not sure how that happens but grateful for file history.
Gunky bundle was cancelled by the seller. Oh well. Maybe that's for the best. It did have aqua fairytopia seapixie(?) - there are still a few I hope to get someday: jewellia with the blue translucent limbs, pale blue seapixie, ceo pink purple and blue fantasy skintone fairies with nice face alignment. Skipper face Kareena (blue) from starlight adventures. But I don't mind if the hunt takes another ten years.
Totally not in the mood to dig out the big box of 'barbie bundle' from under the bed and find a more photogenic approach.
The main problem is that usually I can sell at a big discount because I made money back on the bundle it came in so I zero the price cell. This new lot has quite a few dolls bought solo for my personal projects or were part of bundles with customs that haven't sold yet. It adds up.
My very real fear is that if I get out the box, I won't be able to resist keeping Pretty Girls, DCSHG, and a Snow white. OTL
It might have to wait until the SADS lifts to be more level headed and at peace with this hiatus for slow lower back rebuilding. I can't contemplate rerooting or other sewing/intense manual work for more than an hour at a time until the end of summer at this rate. It is what it is.
The little reorganisations and adding photos is sparking joy, not always in the moment but sometimes later, I'll see them and go oooh I have such treasures!
If you've slogged through this and read this far you deserve a treasure too, hope something that makes you feel happy when you see it or wear it comes your way this week. 💚💚💚
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, August 2
RILEY: I was wrong about Oz. I *was* being a bigot.
BUFFY: No you weren't. You were thrown. You found out that Willow was in... kind of an unconventional relationship, and it gave you a momentary wiggins. It happens.
RILEY: Still... I was in a totally black and white space, people versus monsters, and it ain't like that... especially when it comes to love.
BUFFY: I have to tell you some stuff... about my past. And it's not all stuff that you're gonna like.
RILEY: You can tell me anything.
BUFFY: I think so. (Smiles) I think I can.
~~Buffy Episode #75: "New Moon Rising"~~
[Drabbles & Short Fiction]
Making An Entrance (Buffy, T, LotR xover) by jerseyfabulous
Can You Break… (Buffy, T, McGyver xover) by beri_fanfic
A Slayer, a Reaper and a Mad Scientist (Buffy, G, Dead like Me/Fringe xover) by RainbowMish
Mentor (Dawn, G, Star Trek TOS xover) by MarcusRowland
Peach (Buffy/Angel, E) by a2zmom
favourite enemy (Spike, E) by alloftheimagines
Redirected (Buffy, T, SG1 xover) by MirroredIllusions
[Chaptered Fiction]
Game Of Survival: Season One Ch. 2 (AtS Ensemble, M) by sonnywithachanceofrollins
Violet (AtS Ensemble, unrated) by sonnywithachanceofrollins
Willow the Watcher Ch. 2 (Willow/Faith, E) by MTL17
Eye of Eleos CH. 81 (Buffy/Spike, T) by pfeifferpack
Talkative Minds, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Jws1993
The Time We Had, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dusty
The Slayer and the Vampire, Chapter 43 (Buffy/Spike, T) by violettathepiratequeen
Daughter of Aurelius, Chapter 49 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Loup Noir
[Images, Audio & Video]
Artwork:The Gentlemen () by K0nstantine1313
Artwork:Various BtVS fanart () by Brendan
Artwork:fight (Spike) by isevery0nehereverystoned
Artwork:Buffy () by milkduddles
Artwork:Buffy & SPike () by isevery0nehereverystoned
Artwork: Giles & Jenny () by flummoxedangel
[Reviews & Recaps]
Buffy Rewatch 2k22 3.7 Revelations by handsofabitterman
Chosen by samandcheesewinchesterr
Buffy Rewatch 2k22 3.6 Band Candy by handsofabitterman
I don’t love New Moon Rising. by three-blogs-in-a-trenchcoat
Xander was not raised in a religious household by annyankers, Anonymous
PODCAST: Episode 82: Superstar by Mythtaken
[Fandom Discussions]
in once more with feeling the ONLY reason spike turned up at the end by captain-peroxid3
I love Tara and willow more than anything, but willow and oz were so damn cute. by surrealsunday
Isn’t it crazy how Spike was licherally the only one that loved Buffy truly unconditionally. by malewifespike
rewatching buffy the vampire slayer for the first time by bongsmoke69
I like to think that at the end of The Killer in Me... by babygirlgiles
If you think Ms. Buffy Summers, whose type is by layer-of-slayers
the fact that it’s GILES who kills ben by mollyspeak
i've seen this idea a lot in fics and some meta that spike was always meant to be with buffy. by silvermars, messedupdoilies
if that vamp hadn’t shown up in the alley behind the Bronze by kyliafanfiction
What are your top 3 btvs quotations? by ofstormsandwolves
“The Longest Night”–being the first full-on “Angel the Series” book I’ve read by oveliagirlhaditright
Thoughts on Willow being bi vs lesbian? by buffysummers
Buffyverse Episodes Poll!? by Mr Trick
Do you feel critical of Angel for feeding off Buffy? Or of Buffy for risking her life? continued by multiple posters
bit of a weird question but does anyone have a link to a high quality photo of spike on the coffin? by tdodyeet
Backseat screenwriting: Casting choices and the big bad by The9thHuman
You’re forced to switch one main character from Buffy with one from Angel…. by MayorRichardWilkins3
Anyone else have BtVS themed dreams? by Holly_Laufeyson
Beer Bad good by eshopreviewer
angel doesn't get enough props for being such a badass character. by Current_Ad_9850
Riley & Spike played off each other quite well in this by TigerJean
Thoughts on Fool For Love? by Defvac2
Do the Scoobies ever find out Spike’s chip stopped working on Buffy? by CookieDough2887
If you could go back and change one storyline of AtS, which would you choose? by LarinaRichards
If you could go back and change one storyline of BtVS, which would you choose? by
I want to befriend this driver by HippieAccountant
Creative writing - what arc would you re-write? by Sir_Poofs_Alot
In the middle of my buffy rewatch when….. goddammit. by pleaseatme
Ok so in Consequences while Angel is trying to talk to Faith by 5bi5
Finally started watching Buffy and it’s fucking brilliant by worthyourweightinfanfiction
Buffy Summers for the ask meme! by julianazyalenskys
PUBLICATION: Her Name Alone Invokes Awe (An Analysis of 'Faith, Hope, and Trick') by Emily (Her Insect Reflection)
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Friends! I am now almost 3/4 of the way through Star Trek Discovery, and I have got some thoughts so far.
First of all, the first season is ROUGH. It's not terrible, but it's some pretty bad Trek.
The second season does pick things up a bit. You may think that the ending of season 1, where the Enterprise shows up for a bit, was just some fan service season ending bait, and it was, but the fan service doesn't stop there.
You see, Discovery takes place during the time when Christopher Pike was the captain of the Enterprise, before Kirk. So we get to meet him! Not only that, but he's really fun! Not only that, but he's taking command of the Discovery for this season because the Enterprise was conveniently taken out of commission!
Also, the mystery surrounding the Red Angel stuff was pretty good, and the writers anticipated that I would guess their secret, so they undid that expectation to hide their true secret, and it works!
Spock is also fun!
Though, this show in general does bring up an interesting question: how many siblings does Spock have? I forget if any reference to a sibling was made in TOS, but judging by Kirks reaction in one of the movies where Spock has a secret brother, I'm guessing not. Now, Spock has a secret sister, who was actually kind of a big deal on Starfleet? Now the question has to be raised as to why she is never mentioned.
In fact, at the end of season 2 the Discovery is sent far into the future, and because the Discovery was so influential in so many ways, they had to include a scene where it was decided that nobody could ever talk about Discovery ever again. I found that funny.
Anyways. If you can sit through the slog of season 1, you might enjoy the show. Or, better yet, just skip the whole thing and watch the recap, or ask a friend who has seen season 1.
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SNW Liveblog: “Children of the Comet”
First, to recap my all-over-the-place liveblog of the pilot...
Things I liked about the pilot:
“First contact is just a dream…until one day, it isn’t.”
Some stunning visuals, especially in the opening credits
Spock and Christine had instant chemistry!
Uhura being a total sweetheart.
Ethan Peck looks good without a shirt. I’m weak, okay?
Things I disliked about the pilot:
So. Much. Cringey. Dialogue!
A lot of elements seemed more like fantasy than they did scifi—even stuff like altering the landing party’s appearance via “gene therapy”.
Breaking established Trek rules (i.e., using the transporter for intraship travel, using warp within the solar system, etc.)
The way the stars are animated while the ship’s in warp makes me feel nauseous.
The complete lack of TOS’s retrofuturistic aesthetic + the whole ship being lit like a dance club
Making Christine Quirky and Clumsy in an effort (I guess) to modernize her character?
Pike. I’m sorry. This episode didn’t sell me on the dude.
Things I hated about the pilot:
T’Pring proposing to Spock. T’Pring and Spock almost having sex. What???
The embarrassing, flagrant disregard for the Prime Directive by both the writers and, as a result, by Pike.
“Take me to your leader.” Miss me with that shit!
I also meant to mention during my liveblog that Uhura being a cadet (not even an ensign!) on Pike’s Enterprise and a Lieutenant and the Communications Officer on Kirk’s makes little to no sense. But neither does T’Pring proposing to Spock, so…there you go.
Why does Uhura wear a dress as her ordinary uniform and this uninspired jumpsuit as her “dress” uniform?
I do like the idea of officers being invited to eat dinner with the captain, something that real Naval captains did (and maybe continue to do?) That said… “You do NOT want to be late to the captain’s table.” Why? Will he be Disappointed in You? Pike does have some real Dad energy (which is not necessarily a compliment).
We swapped groovy mod-inspired 60s looks for THIS?
I know they bought a lot of the “civilian” costumes off the rack, especially in TSFS, but at least they tried. Does Pike shop for his weekend wear at the 23rd century equivalent of Kohl’s?!?
Also, Pike has a collection of model ships, nautical artifacts, and antique books…? Jim Kirk called: he wants his personality back. (I know Pike technically came first, but he only existed for a single episode before Kirk replaced him!)
Pike’s quarters are stupidly big. I mean, this is ridiculous. Kirk occupied a single room with a desk separated from a bed and chest-of-drawers by a wall screen!*
I love Uhura. She’s amazing and iconic and was NEVER just a “glorified switchboard operator”. If nothing else about this show, I appreciate that they’re trying to better-develop her character. But they really expect me to believe that she speaks 37 fucking languages? As much as I also like the message of “it’s best to communicate with someone in their own tongue,” this is the same universe that has the universal translator?!?? Uhura’s remarkable abilities don’t need to be unbelievable just to emphasize that she has always been special!
And of course they gave her a Tragic Backstory. Everyone on the Enterprise must either be an orphan or estranged from their parents, apparently.
The cringe factor of this is physically painful to me.
Sam Kirk of xenoanthropology? Funny, because once upon a time Jim Kirk (of Starfleet Command) said “he’s a research biologist.”
On that note, no one but Jim called him Sam! His given name was George. That isn’t unrealistic or, as I saw one person claim, a case of “unreliable” narrator (i.e., Kirk); this is just lazy writing.
These suits looks like something out of a parody. Galaxy Quest, an actual parody, looked better 25 years ago.
Since Sam Kirk is Doomed by the Narrative anyway, it’s hard to be upset by the way things have turned out here so far. He probably won’t die in this episode (otherwise why would they have done the bait-and-switch in the pilot/cast an actor?) but if he does, well…it probably sucks less for him than his canon death.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but “don’t take your foot off the gas” is not a colloquialism they’ll probably be using 250 years in the future. The whole pep talk thing between Uhura and Spock was amusing, though.
I appreciate that music is the basis of the alien language, because both Spock and Uhura are canonically musical. That was a good idea! But I don’t like any of the stuff happening on the Enterprise. Pike comes across as tongue-tied and almost incompetent when dealing with these aliens, though he’s marginally more capable while giving orders from the captain’s chair.
It is cool to see this Enterprise maneuvering in ways that earlier renditions of her couldn’t… but on the other hand, the whole “evasive maneuver” sequence looks very uncanny valley/video game-esque. (Also, why is no one falling out of their chairs?)
Now this—the no-win scenario Pike gives the Shepherds to force them to offer help—feels like some classic Trek. Of course it’s coming right at the end of the episode, but better late than never.
JJ Abrams and his lens flares continue to haunt this franchise.
Again, whatever Spock is up to in the shuttlecraft just seems like a video game to me.
A good use of “Fascinating”! <3
When you inadvertently break the Prime Directive (instead of purposefully).
Oh boy. I don’t like all this predicting the future/plot-point-X-was-predestined nonsense going on so far. I don’t like it at all. Though Pike struggling with and finding ways to accept his fate might be integral to the plot of the show, does every weekly plot and moral have to align with that larger theme? I’m not a fan.
*I saw someone speculating that this is a space called the “captain’s mess” separate from the captain’s actual quarters. It would explain why it’s so gargantuan and has a whole-ass kitchen…but NOT why it exists at all. Kirk didn’t have one—on the SAME ship. Picard, on his substantially bigger ship, didn’t either. So why does Pike?
The Good: Some cute moments between Spock and Uhura; the life-form on the comet communicating through music; a tiny nugget of Spockstine at dinner
The Bad: Lame, lazy, totally twenty-first-century costumes; giving Uhura an unnecessarily tragic backstory/unrealistic abilities (37 languages!); cringey dialogue continues; unnecessarily introducing Sam Kirk just to use him as a “red shirt”; more talk about fate/destiny and being able to see the future that, again, makes this feel a lot more fantasy than scifi
Still holding out for the S/C bits...on to the next one!
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Star trek; Discovery:Light and Shadows
3s are narrative satisfying.
Video game glitches.
Red angel reminds me of puffin forests "Fire heaven"
Not on the record got it.
Why are there glowing blue things in stocks room like is he going to eat them
Michael played chess with him my gods
That statue looks like one of the ones statues in totk that gives you more hearts.
Like the beard
Oh no I'm stuck in a time loop, oh no I'm stuck in a time loop, oh no I'm stuck in a time loop, oh no-
Spock is irrational.
Spock mom and Spocks dad are fighting.
Amanda proves that vulcans like elves have only one gender and it's twink.
Sarah is more emotional than he let's on he's not ready to lose his children in one day.
"I would have toyed with my mother if she'd lived longer", "Did you kill her", "it's a blur" so yes but also Zip energy.
Fewer filters so autism?
Shoot the snakes they said it will be fun they said except for Henry who was being repeatedly shot instead of the snakes. Is Tyler and pike rn.
OwO is an actual character
The ai is unsafe.
Georgio is a gaslight, girl boss, gatekeep, girl.
New Episode: If memory serves
Its if memories serves and it's about the big brain people.
And they used tos for the recap.
They need to scrape the probe.
They are stuck in black holes gravity or talos gravity.
Tyler and Hugh are on the same deck fun drama
M class planet.
Oh my God they have the singing plants.
And the lady is here.
Telosians will fix spock.
Megaind looking ass. No bitches asking peoples.
Spock is experiencing time as a fluid instead of as a linear. So Paul Mohadib powers.
Michael is unwilling to show the incident which caused a rift between them.
Thriller. Thriller night.
Vulcans forge.
And Michael got attacked at something beyond her level. (Giant spider)
Jod saver her.
This looks like Graystilplays on solar smash.
Hugh and Stamus having dinner.
Out of it.
Hugh is not feeling anything and it's affecting him.
"Do you want to ask a valuable question", " "Yes Do you really think the beard works" lmao she doesn't like it.
Spock can see the future.
Spock didn't murder people.
Hugh has issues.
Spock said trust lmao and they need to fix the path they are on
Sending has its uses but are limited.
Noo the gay couple is broken up
Tyler is being blamed but it's ai person.
Michael is trying to protect spock but ended up hurting him. But she's only mid at insults. But they are healing.
Disengage beam.
It kills me there is someone named owo on the ship.
It can go harder with spock? Might want to get kirk involved.
She wears that corset because she wants to Georgio is a queen.
New Episode:Project Dedalus.
Ooh the admiral I like is here.
Tyler is framed and now they are on the run.
He was contained
A logic extremist gave her the tapes.
If leadership is in the hands of extremists everyone is in danger yep.
Ai person is remembering her past.
Half robot?
They are ripping into each other like real siblings.
Spock and Burnam don't have a good relationship.
But being chaotic is the best solution.
The extremist is telling them they are dangerous.
Oh there's blood and the ai is glitching okay
Oh the sphere data is doing bad things.
And the lady is gone
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Star Trek Episode 1.24: This Side of Paradise
AKA Yet Another Creepy Utopia Planet
Our episode begins with the Enterprise heading in to orbit around an Earthy-looking planet named Omicron Ceti 3. Omicon Ceti is a real star, by the way—also known as Mira or Mira A, it’s a red giant and part of a binary star system with its sister Mira B. It’s not a real likely place to go looking for such a nice homey sort of planet, though, because Mira is a pulsating variable star, which means its size and brightness is constantly fluctuating, and it’s hard to evolve life when your sun keeps flickering like a neon sign in a noir movie all the time.
Uhura reports to Kirk that she’s been transmitting a contact signal every five minutes just as he ordered, but she’s only getting dead air in response. Kirk tells her to keep it up until they get into orbit, then moves on to talk to Spock. “There were one hundred fifty men, women and children in that colony,” he says. “What are the chances of survivors?”
Looks like the chances are, uh...not great. And by ‘not great’ I mean ‘nonexistent’. Spock explains that ‘Bertold rays’ are a recent enough discovery that there’s still a lot not known about them, but one thing that is for sure known is that exposure to these rays causes living animal tissue to disintegrate. Nasty. Evidently this planet is heavily exposed to these rays, because a group of colonists-- “Sandoval’s group”-- came here only three years ago and Spock says there’s no possibility they could have survived. Well why the heck would anyone build a colony in such a place? All Spock can say is “They knew there was a risk.”
Kirk questions whether they can risk sending a landing party down under such conditions, but Spock says the disintegration doesn’t start immediately, so they’ll be alright if they don’t stick around too long. The helmsman reports that they’ve successfully established orbit, and he’s found a settlement—or at least, something that was a settlement at one point. Kirk tells Spock to equip a landing party of five to accompany him down there, including a biologist and McCoy. That’s gonna be a fun mission briefing. “Yes, we're beaming down to a planet bombarded with deadly radiation, but no need to worry, crew, your tissues will probably only disintegrate a little bit."
Sometime later, the landing party—Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, a blueshirt and a goldshirt—materialize into a meadow near a dirt path and a picket fence. They’ve thoughtfully arranged themselves into a nice alternating pattern.
[ID: A shot of a sunny meadow with a dirt road, a few trees and a white picket fence in the background. Newly beamed down are six Enterprise crewmembers standing in two rows: in the front are Kirk and Spock, in the back are McCoy, a goldshirt, a blueshirt, and Sulu.]
The goldshirt, incidentally, is DeSalle, who we last saw back in The Squire of Gothos. The character was originally written for this story as Lt. Timothy Fletcher, but was changed to DeSalle after the production crew realized they’d cast an actor who had already appeared in the series. Yes, really. AGAIN. The blueshirt is Kelowitz, who showed up briefly in The Galileo Seven and Arena, and likewise started out as another character but was renamed after being cast. I don’t know how this situation managed to happen so often on TOS, but apparently it did. At least they both seem to have managed to hold onto more or less the same positions that they had the last time we saw them, a rare feat for any minor TOS crewmember.
The group walks forward towards some nearby farm buildings arranged around a dirt yard, with a horse-drawn cart sitting out in front of one of them. But there’s no horse to be seen, and no people either. They wander through the yard and over toward what looks like a paddock, but without any animals in it. Everything seems quite thoroughly deserted.
Kirk leans on the paddock fence and glumly muses, “Another dream that failed. There’s nothing sadder. It took these people a year to make the trip from Earth. They came all that way...and died.” Hold on, it took them a year? What, do they not give colony ships warp drives? Did they have to hitchhike here?
“Hardly that, sir,” someone says, and suddenly we see three men in green jumpsuits standing at the edge of the yard, looking very relaxed and also very not dead.
As the landing party all turn around to stare in shock the man in front strides forward and says, “Welcome to Omicron Ceti 3. I’m Elias Sandoval.” McCoy looks like he’s getting ready to spray the dude with holy water.
After the titles, we get a brief captain’s log to sum things up, just in case everyone forgot what happened during the commercial break:
“Captain’s Log, Stardate 3417.3. We thought our mission to Omicron Ceti 3 would be an unhappy one. We had expected to find no survivors of the agricultural colony there. Apparently, our information was incorrect.”
The colonists start happily shaking hands with the landing party—but happily as in “oh, it’s so nice to meet you” not “oh thank god you came to rescue us we’re all on the brink of death”. Sandoval says they haven’t seen anyone outside the colony since they left Earth four years ago, although they’ve been expecting someone to come by for a while. Apparently their subspace radio didn’t work right and they don’t have anyone who could “master its intricacies”. Now, I’m no expert on establishing colonies on alien planets, but ‘person who can work our only communication device’ does rather seem like a position you would want to make sure was filled before you left.
Kirk has to explain that they haven’t come to visit because of the dead radio. He does not explain why they did decide to come when they did. Spock’s comment about the colonists knowing there was a risk indicates that whether or not Bertold rays specifically were known about before the colonists left, they at least had reason to believe there was something dangerous about the planet. So why’d the Federation let them go and then wait another three years before sending anyone to check up on them? Eh, probably just another failing of twenty-third century space bureaucracy.
Sandoval’s not bothered about it, though. He tells Kirk that it doesn’t make much difference—the important thing is the party is here now and the colonists are happy to see them. Then he invites them on a tour of the settlement and casually strolls off, leaving the landing party to stand there and try to process what the hell they just witnessed.
“Pure speculation, just an educated guess...I’d say that man is alive,” McCoy says. Thanks Bones.
Spock says that his scans show that the planet is getting ray’d just as their reports indicated, so that’s not the issue. Under this intensity, the landing party could safely hang out here for a week if necessary, as per the usual Star Trek rule that you can be exposed to a deadly thing and be just fine up until the exact moment it kills you, but there’s a mighty big difference between a week and three years. Or as Kirk succinctly puts it, “These people shouldn’t be alive.”
“Is it possible they’re not?” Sulu asks. Great out of the box thinking there Sulu, love it.
Kirk takes a moment to consider that, which is fair—compared to the kind of weird shit they’ve encountered so far, the walking dead wouldn’t even stand out that much. But McCoy points out that when they shook hands with Sandoval, “His flesh was warm. He’s alive. There’s no doubt about that.” Spock fires back with a reminder that, “There’s no miracle connected with [Bertold rays], doctor, you know that. No cures, no serums, no antidotes. If a man is exposed long enough, he dies.” Okay dude, calm down, all McCoy said was “he’s alive” not “my god! Bertold rays have been fake all along! wake up sheeple!"
As Kirk points out, this whole debate is pretty pointless anyway for the moment—they’re arguing in a vacuum, and they’ll need more answers if they want to get anywhere. So they go to follow Sandoval, who leads them towards a nearby farm house, while a few colonists do various farm chores nearby. Sandoval explains that the colonists split into three groups, with forty-five people at this settlement and two more settlements elsewhere on the planet. Apparently they thought that arrangement would give each group a better chance for growth, since if some disaster struck one group the other two would probably still be alright.
“Omicron is an ideal agricultural planet,” he says. “We determined not to suffer the fate of the expeditions that went before us.” It’s rather vague what expeditions he’s referring to here, since at no other point in the episode are any previous attempts at settling Omicron Ceti 3 mentioned. But given that Sandoval specifically mentions the possibility of disease afflicting one group as a reason to split up, and Spock earlier said that Bertold rays were a recent discovery—and that the colonists knew coming to Omicron Ceti 3 was risky-- it seems possible that previous groups tried to settle the planet and, without knowing about the Bertold rays, mistook their effects for some kind of disease native to the planet. Of course that doesn’t explain why this group of colonists decided it would be a good idea to try to settle here again anyway, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few months, it’s that not everyone sees the possibility of dying to a terrible disease as a compelling reason to change their plans in any way.
As they stand in the farmhouse talking about this, a woman steps forward from another room in the house. She’s in soft focus, just in case we might forget she’s a woman, and instead of the green jumpsuit all the male colonists are wearing, she’s wearing green overalls over a lavender shirt, a combination that somehow manages to be an even worse fashion disaster than the jumpsuits themselves. She starts to say something to Sandoval, then stops in surprise as she sees the landing party. But for once the romance-o-vision isn’t for Kirk—it’s Spock that the camera zooms in on as the woman stares at him.
“Layla, come meet our guests,” Sandoval says cheerfully, oblivious to the wistfully romantic background music. He introduces her as Layla Colomi, their botanist. Layla says that she and Spock have met before, but “It’s been a long time.” Kirk gives Spock a bit of a side-eye for that, but Spock offers no details.
Well, all romantic tension aside, they do still have a mission to attend to here, as Kirk reminds Sandoval. Sandoval tells them to go ahead with any examinations or tests they want. “I think you’ll find our settlement an interesting one. Our philosophy is a simple one: that men should return to a less complicated life. We have few mechanical things here, no vehicles, no weapons. We have harmony here. Complete peace.” Oh yeah, that bodes well. Remember the last place we saw complete harmony and peace? At least that explains why everyone on this farm is using equipment straight out of Stardew Valley, which is presumably not the most advanced agricultural technology available by the twenty-third century. I’m not sure why Sandoval’s idea of a simpler lifestyle excludes vehicles, though. They’re not exactly the most recent thing on the timeline of human technological advancements.
Sandoval tells the landing party to make themselves at home, and they all head off. All except for Spock, who lingers just a few seconds more to give Layla a completely neutral look before walking away as well.
Everyone goes off to conduct their respective investigations. Sulu and Kelowitz wander through a yard over towards another farm building. Kelowitz isn’t sure what exactly they should be looking for, though. “Whatever doesn’t look right—whatever that is,” Sulu replies, climbing up to sit on a railing on the building’s porch. “When it comes to farms, I wouldn’t know what looked right or wrong if it were two feet from me.” I hope you enjoyed that line, because “didn’t grow up on a farm” is about all the backstory TOS is going to give us for Sulu until the movies.
[ID: Three screenshots showing Sulu pulling himself up to sit on the railing of an old-fashioned farmhouse as he says, "When it comes to farms, I wouldn't know what looked right or wrong if it were two feet from me." Growing up from the ground nearby are two large plants with thick brownish-purple stems and large pink flowers on top.]
Hey Sulu, what's that about two feet from you? Oh well, I'm sure it's not important.
Kelowitz opens up a nearby barn and notes that there’s no cows there—in fact, the barn isn’t even built for cows, just for storage, and indeed it only looks big enough to be useful for holding cow, singular. Having a storage barn isn’t itself that weird, although the fact that there is nothing currently stored in the storage barn is a bit strange. But also, as Sulu points out, come to think of it, they haven’t seen any animals here, native or imported. No cows, no horses, no pigs, not even a dog. Which is a bit odd for an agricultural colony. They must have had or expected to have animals at some point—otherwise what was pulling that cart?
Back in the house, Sandoval is asking Layla about Spock (once again referred to as a ‘Vulcanian’). She says that she knew Spock on Earth, six years ago. Sandoval, apparently having noticed the dreamy background music by now, asks if Layla loved Spock. She says that if she did, “it was important only to myself...Mr. Spock’s feelings were never expressed to me. It is said he has none to give.”
“Would you like him to stay with us now? To be one of us?” Sandoval asks. Layla smiles at him. “There is no choice, Elias,” she says. “He will stay.”
Elsewhere in the house, McCoy is scanning a colonist. He doesn’t look exactly happy with the tricorder result he gets, but all he says is, “That’ll be all, thank you very much,” and the colonist leaves, passing Kirk coming in. Incidentally, I can’t help but note that this room contains two paintings on the wall and what appears to be a cabinet full of china. I suppose the paintings could have been done by a colonist, but the china could surely only have been brought there. Who decided to pack fancy china on a year-long space voyage to an agricultural colony?
[ID: A shot of the interior of a farmhouse with blue walls, with a large wooden table in the middle of the room, a cabinet with china and glassware in the corner, a wooden desk with a copper tea kettle and some other kitchen items on it against the back wall, and a painting hanging on the wall showing some blurry trees. Sandoval, a middle-aged white man with short brown hair wearing a green jumpsuit, walks past the camera as he says, "Oh, captain, I've been looking for you."]
Kirk asks if McCoy’s found anything yet. McCoy replies that he’s surveyed nine men so far, ranging in age from twenty-three to fifty-nine. And they’re all in perfect condition. Not just healthy—perfect. Textbook responses across the board, from all of them. “If there are many more of them,” McCoy muses, “I can throw away my shingle.”
At that point Kirk’s communicator goes off. It’s Spock, calling in from one of the crop fields. He’s made the same observation as Sulu—there’s no life on the planet aside from the colonists and the plants. No animals, no insects. Spock doesn’t have any explanation yet, so Kirk tells him to carry on with his investigation and hangs up.
McCoy notes the absence of animals as peculiar, and Kirk says it’s especially so because the expedition records show that they did bring animals with them to raise for food. And pull their carts, presumably. But it seems none of them are still around. McCoy says he’d like to see the expedition’s medical records, a request Kirk has apparently anticipated because he’s got the floppy disc on hand with him.
Sandoval comes in and says that he’d like to take the two of them on a tour of the fields, to show off what the colony’s accomplished. McCoy says he’ll have to bow out, since he’s still working on the medical examinations. “However, if I find everyone else’s health to be as perfect as yours...”
“You’ll find no weaklings here,” Sandoval says, which uh, sure is a hell of a way to phrase that. “No weaklings! None of those miserable, pathetic sods with imperfect health! Only the strong survive! THE SLIGHTEST BLEMISH SHALL BE CAUSE FOR EXILE!”
Leaving McCoy behind, Kirk and Sandoval head out to the fields, where Sandoval gushes to Kirk about how great this place is: they’ve got moderate climate, moderate rains all year round, and the soil will grow anything they stick in it. Which is pretty miraculous, considering there’s no such thing as growing conditions that are perfect for every plant. But as we’re about to see, that’s not the only weird thing going on with their farming practices.
The conversation is interrupted by DeSalle arriving to give Kirk the biology report. Sandoval excuses himself to attend to work elsewhere, leaving Kirk and DeSalle alone to discuss the report. At first, it seems to be just as Sandoval said: they’ve got a variety of crops growing here successfully. The weird thing is that they don’t actually have very many of those crops. There’s enough to keep the colony going at the size it currently is, but barely more than that. Which tracks with what we’ve seen of the place so far: a couple of tiny fields that look more about the size for someone’s backyard garden than for a prosperous farm, tended by the occasional person idly scratching at the ground with a hoe. For a supposedly bounteous agricultural colony, that’s pretty weird. What have they been doing all this time?
“It’s like a jigsaw puzzle all one color,” Kirk muses, taking a moment to stroll a few steps away so he can say this dramatically in the distance instead of actually talking to DeSalle. “No key to where the pieces fit in. Why?”
Kirk’s communicator goes off. It’s McCoy, saying Kirk had better get back over there. “Trouble?” “No, but I’d like you to see this for yourself.” Of course. No one can ever just explain something over the phone, can they.
So Kirk heads back to the house, where the thing that Kirk just absolutely has to see for himself turns out to be McCoy just telling him what he’s found out, but he definitely couldn't do that over the communicator for, uh, reasons. What he’s found out is pretty interesting, though: McCoy checked up on Sandoval’s medical records from right before the colonists had left, which said that Sandoval had had an appendectomy, and had scar tissue on his lungs from childhood pneumonia (the weakling!). Yet when McCoy scanned Sandoval himself today, the results came back just as perfect as all the other colonists’. Kirk’s first thought is instrument failure, but McCoy says no, he thought of that and tested it by scanning himself, and it recorded him just fine, down to “those two broken ribs I had once.” Which sounds like an interesting story. But Sandoval’s scan? No scar tissue, and one healthy appendix. That’s right, Sandoval’s apparently managed to regrow an entire organ. Do you think you would notice that happening? Like, would it itch?
While Kirk and McCoy try to figure that out, Spock is hanging out in a field scanning with his own tricorder, while Layla stands nearby smiling ominously at him. Spock muses that there’s “Nothing. Not even insects. Yet your plants grow, and you’ve survived exposure to Bertold rays.” Yeah, how are those plants growing without insects? Presumably the native plants have evolved some way around that, but the ones the colonists have brought from Earth would need some help. Are the colonists just manually pollinating everything? Maybe that’s why they haven’t grown very much.
Layla says this can be explained, but when asked to do so, she just says, “Later.” Spock looks annoyed and remarks, “I have never understood the female capacity to avoid a direct answer to any question.” Hey! Cut that bullshit out. No one on this colony has directly answered a question since you got here, there’s no call to go ragging on a whole gender for it. Besides, just saying “Later,” is hardly a stunningly deft diversion, it’s not like she threw a smoke bomb down and disappeared.
“And I never understood you,” Layla says, walking over and placing a hand on his chest. “Until now. There was always a place in here where no one could come. There was only the face you allow people to see. Only one side you’d allow them to know.”
[ID: Three screenshots of Spock and Layla, a white woman with a lot of long blonde hair wearing a lilac shirt and green overalls, standing outside in a field with a large tree in the background. Layla, seen from behind, is pressing her hand to Spock's upper chest and saying, "There was always a place in here where no one could come." Spock replies "you know that's not where my heart is right".]
If Layla was hoping this little speech would prompt Spock to cry out that yes, she’s figured him out, he does love her but has never been able to show it! she’s disappointed, because he just looks uncomfortable and steps away. He tries to steer the conversation back onto the mystery of the colonists. “If I tell you how we survive,” she asks, “will you try to understand how we feel about our life here? About each other?”
That’s a pretty vague thing to make a promise about, so Spock deflects by saying that emotions are alien to him; he’s a SCIENTIST. “Someone else might believe that—your shipmates, your captain—but not me,” Layla says. Oh sure! Obviously none of the people who have lived, worked, and risked death alongside Spock can be expected to know anything about Spock. Only you are the Spock Expert, gifted with incredible insight by virtue of having a crush on him.
“Come,” she says, sauntering off through the field with her hand outstretched to him. Spock rather pointedly folds his hands behind his back instead and follows her.
Back in the house, Kirk and McCoy are struggling to have a conversation with Sandoval. Kirk tells Sandoval that he’s received orders from Starfleet Command to evacuate everyone on the colony, since, y’know, deadly rays and all that. He expects Sandoval to start making preparations. But Sandoval, calmly, casually, says, “No.” It’s not necessary, he insists—they’re in no danger.
But...but the Bertold rays. Sandoval is unmoved, pointing out that as McCoy’s own instruments show, the colonists are in perfect health and there have been no deaths. Okay, what about all those animals? What happened to them? “We’re vegetarians,” Sandoval says blithely. Which, as Kirk points out, does absolutely nothing to answer the question. Actually it raises further questions.
Sandoval remains thoroughly unbothered and thoroughly unhelpful. “Captain, you stress very unimportant matters. We will not leave,” he says, and goes back to gazing out the window, evidently considering the conversation over.
Elsewhere, Spock and Layla are still walking, and Spock is getting annoyed that Layla still hasn’t explained just what it is they’re going to see. “Its basic properties and elements are not important,” Layla says helpfully. “What is important is that it gives life, peace, love.” Oh boy.
Spock is dubious, but Layla pulls him forward, over towards another one of those large pink flowers. “I was one of the first to find them,” Layla says. “The spores.”
[ID: A gif of Spock approaching a large pinkish-purple flower and saying, "Spores?" The flower then sprays a cloud of white spores all over his face and torso while Spock recoils.]
For a moment Spock just looks startled, but then he starts clutching his head and falling onto his knees in the grass, dropping his tricorder and gasping, “No--” For the first time all episode, Layla’s absolute serenity starts to fracture slightly. Over Spock’s agonized protests, she insists that it shouldn’t hurt—it didn’t hurt any of them. But, as Spock gasps out, he’s not like them. Whoops, did the biologist forget to account for biological differences before handing out a facefull of spores? I bet you didn’t even check if he had any allergies first, did you?
Just as it’s looking like this might put actually put a crack in Layla’s blissed-out impassivity, Spock stops thrashing about and starts seeming less anguished and more confused. Layla’s concern vanishes once again, and she goes back to smiling happily while stroking his face. “Now...now you belong to all of us...and we to you. There’s no need to hide your inner face any longer. We understand.”
Spock still seems unsure, but then he takes Layla’s hand in his and smiles. Not the slight hint of a smile or sardonic quirk of the lips you’d expect to see from Spock, but a huge, broad grin from ear to ear. “I love you...I can love you,” he says, and then he kisses her.
Hoo boy.
After the break, we get a quick Captain’s Log to recap:
“Captain’s Log, supplemental. We have been ordered by Starfleet Command to evacuate the colony on Omicron 3. However, the colony leader, Elias Sandoval, has refused all cooperation and will not listen to any arguments.”
Sure enough, we see Sandoval exiting the farmhouse, followed by McCoy and an extremely frustrated Kirk. “Captain, your arguments are very valid, but do they not apply to us,” Sandoval says, as calm as ever. He tries to walk off, but Kirk grabs his arm and pulls him back.
“My orders are to remove all the colonists,” he says, “and that’s exactly what I intend to do with or without your help.”
“Without, I should think,” Sandoval says, and strolls off, leaving Kirk standing there fuming.
Sulu and Kelowitz come walking up to report that they’ve checked out everything and it all seems normal, except for the missing animals. Of course, they also both said they had no idea what to look for in the first place, so maybe take that with a grain of salt. Kirk tells them about the evacuation orders, and says he wants landing parties to start gathering the colonists and preparing them to leave. And by the way, where did Spock and DeSalle go? Sulu says they haven’t seen either one in some time, but McCoy says DeSalle was going to examine some native plants he found. Native plants, huh? I think we can guess what happened to DeSalle.
Since Spock still hasn’t reported in, Kirk gives him a call. Or tries to, at least—Spock doesn’t pick up. On the other end of the line, we see why that is: Spock's communicator is laying abandoned on the ground, while Spock himself, now dressed in the same horrible green jumpsuit as the colonists, is stretched out on the grass with Layla, watching clouds. The communicator beeps away while Spock happily describes how one of the clouds looks like a dragon. "I've never seen a dragon," Layla says. BEEP BEEP. "I have." BEEP BEEP. "On Barengarius 7." BEEP BEEP. "But I've never stopped to look at clouds before." BEEP BEEP. "Or rainbows." BEEP BEEP. "You know, I can tell you exactly why one appears in the sky, but considering its beauty has always been out of the question." BEEP BEEP.
"Not here," Layla says (beep beep), and they smile dreamily at each other before going into another makeout session. Meanwhile, Kirk is still on the line, and not getting any happier about it. Layla finally picks up the communicator and holds it up for Spock, who takes a break from kissin' to say, "Yes, what did you want?"
Naturally, this throws both Kirk and McCoy for a loop. While McCoy stands there with a "what the fuck" look on his face, Kirk takes a moment to recover and then demands, "Spock, is that you?"
"Yes, captain, what did you want?"
"Where are you?"
"...I don't believe I want to tell you."
[ID: Three shots of Kirk and McCoy standing in front of the farmhouse, Kirk holding his communicator while McCoy looks on. Kirk has a stunned expression on his face and looks around with his mouth open, trying to figure out what to say.]
Kirk plows on ahead, telling Spock that, whatever the hell he thinks he's doing, he's got orders: they're getting the colonists out, and Spock is to meet back at the settlement in ten minutes.
"No, I don't think so," Spock says casually. "You don't think so, what?" "I don't think so, sir."
Kirk has to take a moment after that one. It's rather amazing that McCoy's made it this far into the conversation without saying anything himself. Presumably he's just in shock. Eventually Kirk tells Spock to report in immediately, but by now Spock and Layla have gone back to kissing, leaving the communicator open but abandoned in the grass once more.
"That didn't sound at all like Spock, Jim," McCoy says, putting in his bid for the Enterprise’s bi-weekly Massive Understatement contest.
"No, it--I thought you said you might like him if he mellowed a little."
"I didn't say that!"
"You said that."
"Not exactly,” McCoy protests, and then somewhat grudgingly adds, “He might be in trouble.”
I'm sure McCoy did say that, or something like it, but "I hope Spock has his brain taken over by alien spores" was presumably not where he was going with it. He obviously sees this sudden change of behavior as something to be concerned about--even moreso than Kirk, who seems more irritated than anything. But then, it's only been a couple episodes since McCoy had his own run-in with an alien influence making people act a lot more mellow than usual, and he didn't enjoy that experience at all, so it's not surprising that "trouble" is his first thought here.
Kirk tells McCoy to take over the landing party detail and start getting the colonists up to the ship, and to make sure the party works in teams of two, with nobody being left alone. Meanwhile, Kirk himself takes Sulu and Kelowitz and heads off to find Spock, using the open frequency from Spock's communicator as a homing signal. They follow a dirt path out of the main settlement and soon find said communicator, laying open and abandoned in the grass just off the path. As Kirk picks it up, they hear laughter nearby, and Sulu points in astonishment further down the path, where Layla is watching Spock dangle upside-down from a tree branch like a kid on a jungle gym.
[ID: A shot of Spock and Layla among some trees at the end of a dirt path. Layla is standing on the ground and holding hands with Spock, who is hanging upside-down by his knees from a large tree branch, laughing.]
For a moment all Kirk can do is stare weakly at this weird spectacle. Then he collects himself with a stern AHEM and marches over like a principal about to deliver some very serious detention.
Meanwhile, back at the main hub of the colony, the landing party seems to have gotten well underway with preparations for departure, with several colonists and crewmen piling up luggage and equipment in the middle of a field while McCoy stands nearby overseeing everything, a job I’m sure he’s enjoying since we all know administrative work is McCoy’s favorite thing. Then DeSalle arrives, carrying a couple of the spore flowers and tells McCoy to take “a good, close look” at them, because they’re very interesting. McCoy steps forward to check them out right before the scene cuts away again, leaving us with little doubt as to what’s about to happen next.
During that little interim, Kirk and his crew have made it over to where Spock and Layla are cavorting. Spock just grins happily at Kirk, clearly not bothered one bit, even as Kirk asks if Spock’s out of his mind. He didn’t report to Kirk, he says, because...he didn’t want to.
Kirk glances back and forth between Spock and Layla, who’s standing there smiling rather smugly, and tells Layla that she’ll need to come get ready to evacuate with the rest of the colonists. Spock cheerfully says that there’s not going to be any evacuation. “But perhaps,” he adds, “we should go and get you straightened out.”
That really doesn’t bode well, but rather than ask just what Spock means by that, Kirk tells Sulu that Spock is under arrest in Sulu’s custody until they get back to the ship. Which will certainly work out well because it’s not like Spock is strong enough to chuck Sulu all the way across the field barehanded or anything. Not that Spock seems especially perturbed about being under arrest; instead he just shrugs, drops down from the tree, and says, “Very well. Come with me,” before heading off across the field, leaving else to follow in confusion. That’s how you arrest someone, right?
Of course, Spock leads them right to another group of spore flowers, which the group stops and stares at obligingly for a moment. Then the flowers explode a bunch of spores at them. Somehow, even though he’s standing right next to Sulu and Kelowitz, Kirk manages to totally avoid getting any spores up his sinuses, while the other two are immediately affected. “Yes...I see now,” Sulu says blissfully, with that trademark Very High grin that George Takei does so well. “Of course we can’t remove the colony. It’d be wrong.”
Kirk grabs him by the shoulders—Kirk’s go-to method for snapping people out of it--but when this somehow fails to bring Sulu back to his right mind, all Kirk can do is say that he doesn’t know what these plants are or how they work, but “you’re all going back to the settlement with me, and those colonists are going aboard the ship.” This stern proclamation has absolutely no effect on anyone. The whole group just stands there happily watching Kirk stomp back toward the colony. “I can see the captain is going to be difficult,” Spock remarks.
Kirk’s day isn’t about to get any better, because upon making it back to the colony he’s greeted by McCoy, who we can immediately tell is under the influence as well because his accent is absolutely out of control. It’s so thick even the subtitles pick up on it.
[ID: A screenshot of McCoy walking through a meadow with his communicator out, saying, "Sho’nuf."]
“Hiya, Jimmy boy!” McCoy very happily says to a very unhappy Kirk. “Hey, I’ve taken care of everything. Now all y’all gotta do is just relax. Doctor’s orders!” With a very resigned look, Kirk asks how many plants McCoy’s beamed up to the ship, and McCoy says it must be going on a hundred by now.
So Kirk beams up to the ship and heads right to the bridge, where he tells Uhura to put him through to Admiral Komak at Starfleet, though what he expects Komak to do about all this I don't know. But it’s too late. Uhura turns around to show that she’s smiling as happily as everyone else, and says, “Oh, I’m sorry Dave, I mean, captain. I can’t do that.” She’s short-circuited all the ship’s communications, except for ship-to-surface, since they’ll need that for a little while yet. Then she leaves, pausing in the door of the lift to tell Kirk that it’s really all for the best.
Kirk stands there seething for a moment, then stomps over to grab a plant that’s been left in Spock’s chair. He throws it across the bridge, and the camera lingers ominously on it as Kirk heads back into the lift.
Things aren’t any better on the rest of the ship. Kirk soon finds a long line of crewmembers of all different shirt colors, patiently waiting to transport down to join the colony. Out of what I can only assume is some desperate futile hope that someone will follow his orders if he just keeps trying, Kirk orders them all to go back to their stations at once. Unsurprisingly, they all ignore him. Kirk points out to one of the redshirts that this is MUTINY! but it doesn't get him very far.
[ID: A gif showing a young white man with brown hair wearing a redshirt as he says, "Yes, sir, it is." The camera then zooms in very dramatically on Kirk's stunned face.]
So...they’re all going down to join the colony? All four hundred thirty of them? Or four hundred twenty-nine, I guess, if Kirk refuses to join the fun. That’s almost ten times the amount of people the colony currently has in it. That seems like it could present a bit of a problem, because if you’ll recall DeSalle told Kirk earlier that right now the colony’s growing enough food to feed their current population, with little left over. How are they going to handle such a large and sudden influx into their population? Do they have housing for all these people? Or are they just all going to eat dirt and sleep on the ground because they’re all too high to notice anyway?
After we’ve had a commercial break to contemplate this shocking turn of events, Kirk takes some time out to give vent to his feelings in a captain’s log:
"Captain's Log, Stardate 3417.5. The pod plants have spread spores throughout the ship, carried by the ventilation system. Under their influence, my crew is deserting to join the Omicron colony, and I can't stop them. I don't know why I have not been infected, nor can I get Doctor McCoy to explain the physical, psychological aspects of the infection."
And indeed, just in case we had any doubt, we then see McCoy strolling through the field and happily telling Kirk, “I’m not interested in any physical, psychological aspects, Jim-boy. We all perfectly healthy down here.” Kirk grumbles about how much he’s been hearing about things being perfect lately. “I bet you’ve even grown your tonsils back.” “Sho’nuf!”
Kirk tries desperately to get McCoy to do something to figure these spores out—run a blood test, take a scan, type the symptoms into WebMD, something, anything—but McCoy is more interested in rambling on about mint juleps. Meanwhile, back in the farmhouse, Sandoval’s having tea with Spock while they talk about how nearly everyone’s beamed down from the ship and things are “proceeding quite well.” Kirk storms in and demands to know where McCoy’s gotten to, and Spock says he went off to make that mint julep. Which could prove quite difficult unless this tiny half-assed farm colony has somehow managed to set up a working distillery around here somewhere, but Kirk’s got bigger concerns right now than where McCoy’s going to get his bourbon.
Sandoval wants to know why Kirk won’t join them in their private, spore-sponsored paradise. Kirk asks where these spores came from, anyway, and Spock exposits that there’s no way to know—they just drifted through space until they arrived at this planet, which is perfect for them because it turns out they actually thrive on Bertold rays. The plants act as a repository for the spores until they can find a human—or half-Vulcan—body to inhabit. No explanation is forthcoming as to how Spock knows any of this.
Spock and Sandoval insist that the planet is “a true Eden” with belonging and love and no needs or wants for anyone, but Kirk is skeptical. “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.” Of all the things wrong with this situation I’m not sure “BEING TOO HAPPY IS BAD FOR YOU” is the take I would go with, but okay. Spock says that Kirk doesn’t understand, but he’ll come around...sooner or later.
Kirk, disgusted with this whole conversation, goes back to the ship. The bridge is dark, silent, and utterly empty. We get a slow pan of the blinking lights and displays of the consoles, with no one left to man them. Kirk walks over to his chair, hits the intercom, and starts calling one part of the ship after another, with no response from any of them. With nothing else left to do, he sits down in his chair and starts glumly recording a captain’s log so angsty it could be a LiveJournal entry:
"Captain's Log, Stardate 3417.7. Except for myself, all crew personnel have transported to the surface of the planet. Mutinied. Lieutenant Uhura has effectively sabotaged the communications station. I can only contact the surface of the planet. The ship...can be maintained in orbit for several months, but even with automatic controls, I cannot pilot her alone. In effect, I am marooned here. I'm beginning to realize...just how big this ship really is, how quiet. I don't know how to get my crew back, how to counteract the effect of the spores. I don't know what I can offer against...paradise."
Hold on hold on HOLD ON what do you MEAN the ship can be maintained in orbit for several months? Every time someone takes their hands off the controls for five seconds we get told that the orbit is decaying and they’re gonna plummet into some hapless planet within a few hours at most but now all of a sudden it’s fine to hang out up there for several months? MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
Kirk gets up to go sit at the helm, just to get a change of scenery mid-mope, and as he finishes his log/rant the camera slowly pans down to reveal the spore flower that he chucked across the bridge earlier. Which is weird because we just got a wide shot of the bridge and that flower definitely wasn’t there then.
[ID: Two shots. The first is a wide shot showing Kirk alone on the empty, darkened bridge, preparing to sit down at the helm. There is nothing in on the floor in front of the helm. The second shot is a closer shot of Kirk sitting at the helm with his chin in one hand, now with a large spore flower poking up in the front of shot.]
The flower promptly shoots Kirk in the face, and for a moment he just continues to sit there with spores in his hair and a “yeah, this might as well happen” expression. But then he slowly starts to smile, suddenly as happy as everyone else. Exactly why Kirk’s been unaffected by the spores up until now, even after hanging out for quite a while on a ship that’s supposedly been thoroughly contaminated by them, is never really explained. Maybe he's just on a lot of Zyrtec. But it seems even Kirk’s determination to not be happy can’t hold out against a point-blank spray in the face. He calls Spock to say that he finally understands now, which Spock is happy to hear. Kirk says he’ll be down just as soon as he packs up a few things, so Spock says he and Layla will wait for him at the beamdown point.
So Kirk goes off to his quarters to pack up a suitcase, the contents of which seem to mostly consist of uniform shirts. Apparently paradise for Kirk does not include one of those green jumpsuits, which, really, who can blame him. He opens a small vault by his bed and pulls out a couple of black cases, one of which he opens to reveal a medal. This seems to stir some sense of conflict because he sits down and stares at it for a long moment, but then puts it aside and heads to the transporter room, where he puts the suitcase on the platform and then prepares to set the controls.
But then Kirk hesitates, and stands there for a moment looking conflicted. Possibly he’s still having feelings about those medals, or maybe he’s having second thoughts about whether he packed enough shirts. In any case, he eventually exclaims, “No...No! I...can’t...LEAVE!” Then he punches the console for good measure.
Apparently this little emotional outburst is all it takes to cure the spores, because Kirk gasps a little, looks momentarily confused, and then seems to be back to his old self. “Emotions...violent emotions. Needs...anger,” he tells the empty room. “Captain’s log, supplemental. I think I’ve discovered the answer...but to carry out my plan entails considerable risk. Mr. Spock is much stronger than the ordinary human being.” Then he treats us to this remarkable line:
[ID: A shot of Kirk in profile at the transporter controls as he says, "Aroused, his great physical strength could kill."]
um
Down on the planet, Spock and Layla are still waiting at the beamdown point when Kirk calls Spock up and says he’s realized there’s some equipment on the ship that they’ll need for the colony, and he needs Spock’s help to get it all beamed down. Really, you’d think there’d be quite a lot of equipment on the Enterprise that a farming colony could make good use of, but I guess they’re really determined to stick to the whole no-technology approach. Despite this, Spock cheerfully accepts the explanation, gives Layla a quick smooch, and beams up.
But upon materializing, Spock is greeted not with a smiling Kirk ready to go move some equipment with his bro, but Kirk standing there holding some nonspecific heavy metal rod thing that he’s smacking threatening against his hand. “All right, you mutinous, disloyal, computerized half-breed,” he says, “we’ll see about you deserting my ship.”
Spock reacts to this bar-brawl-starter with nothing more than a nonplussed expression and polite correcting Kirk on his syntax. Kirk, determination unshaken, continues laying into him with a stream of insults that would have made that fucker from Balance of Terror go, “Whoa, hold on there a minute.” Undeterred by not being able to use any actual expletives, he compares Spock both to a machine and to various fairy-tale creatures, makes fun of his ears, and rounds it all off by having a go at the entire Vulcan race. He even insults Spock’s parents.
[ID: 1. A shot of Spock standing in the transporter room looking perplexed as Kirk, off-camera, says, "Whose father was a computer and his mother an encyclopedia?" 2. A gif from Monty Python and the Holy Grail of John Cleese as the French knight on the battlements yelling, "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"]
Spock stands there taking it all stoically for quite a while, even as the background music gets increasingly tense. He finally starts to crack when Kirk goes after Spock’s relationship with Layla, and when Kirk keeps going despite Spock angrily telling him, “That’s enough,” Spock finally flips out big time. You know what that means, it’s time for a STAR TREK FIGHT SCENE! This one’s got it all: close-up shots of the actors intercut with long shots of very obvious stunt doubles; cardboard props getting punched; even people picking up random unidentifiable bits of starship equipment that may or may not have ever been there before to use as weapons. The only thing we’re missing is Kirk doing some kind of weird wrestling move.
[ID: Three gifs showing a fight scene between Kirk and Spock. First we see a long shot where Kirk and Spock are clearly being played by stunt doubles, as Spock punches a metal rod Kirk is holding, bending it in half. He then punches Kirk in the jaw, sending him careening into the wall. Then a close-up of Nimoy and Shatner as Spock advances on Kirk and throws a punch but misses, denting the control panel in the wall behind Kirk. Kirk dodges out of the way towards the console, and Spock throws another punch that hits the side of the console. Then back to a long view with the stunt doubles as Spock throws Kirk into the opposite wall, which Kirk careens off of, falling on his back on the floor, while Spock picks up something resembling a square metal stool or stepladder and raises it over his head. Finally, we see Nimoy and Shatner again as Kirk lays on the floor looking up at Spock, raising the thing he's carrying over his head.]
We dramatically cut to black as Spock stands poised above Kirk, raising whatever-the-hell-that-thing-is over his head threateningly. Apparently the ad break gives him enough time to cool down, though, because instead of bringing the thing down on Kirk’s skull, he hesitates.
“Had enough?” Kirk asks. “I didn’t realize what it took to get under that thick hide of yours.”
Spock slowly lowers the thing, looking a bit regretful about having to do so. Kirk says he doesn’t know what Spock’s so mad about, anyway. “It isn’t every first officer who gets to belt his captain...several times.” Dude, you just stood there and unleashed a screed of personal and racial insults at your best friend here. A “sorry” probably wouldn’t go amiss here.
“You did that to me deliberately,” Spock realizes, and then realizes that the spores are gone. “I don’t belong anymore.” Kirk explains that since the spores are “benevolent and peaceful,” violent emotions overwhelm and destroy them—that’s the answer. Which...definitely makes sense, chemically speaking. Sure.
Spock, still looking pretty glum about all this, points out that Kirk’s method might have worked out alright for curing one person, but they’ve got over five hundred infected people down there, and trying to pick a fight with all of them probably isn’t going to go so well. But no worries, Kirk’s got another plan. He wants Spock to rig up a subsonic transmitter that they can hook up to the ship’s communications system and then broadcast to all the communicators. Spock says he can do that, but hesitates as Kirk turns to leave. “Captain. Striking a fellow officer is a court martial offense,” he points out.
Kirk mulls over that one for a moment. “We-ll...if we’re both in the brig, who’s gonna build the subsonic transmitter?” he says, and Spock concedes the point. Besides, it’s a bit late to be worrying about striking fellow officers now.
[ID: A gif from The Naked Time of Kirk and Spock standing in an Enterprise conference room. Kirk slaps Spock across the face, and Spock retaliates by backhanding Kirk so hard he is thrown across the table in the center of the room and falls onto the floor on the other side.]
But what with the insults and the punching and de-sporing and everything, it seems that something has clean slipped Spock’s mind: Layla’s still down there waiting for him to come back. As she stands around the field, McCoy wanders over and asks what’s up. When she tells him that she’s been out here for some time now waiting for Spock and Kirk to come back, he gentlemanly offers to fix that for her and calls the ship. Spock picks up, and Layla asks if everything’s okay up there.
With obvious discomfort, Spock tells her that yes, he’s...quite well. Layla, oblivious to anything being wrong, asks if she can come up there, because she wants to talk to him, and besides, “I’ve never seen a starship before.” Wait a minute, never seen a starship before? You’re on a planetary colony! What, did you drive here?
Spock asks if she’s still at the beamdown point, and if McCoy’s there. Layla says yes to both, so Spock tells her to give the communicator back to McCoy, since she won’t need it to transport, and he’ll have her beamed up in a few minutes. One might think that at this point they might take this easy opportunity to also beam up McCoy and get him cured (it shouldn’t be hard, McCoy is already 85% comprised of negative emotions to begin with), so he can start investigating these spores, just in case Operation Go For the Eardrums doesn’t work. But they don’t. Kirk awkwardly asks Spock if he’s sure about talking to Layla while she’s still spore’d, but Spock just nods and heads to the transporter room.
He beams Layla up, and she happily runs over to give him a hug—they’ve been parted ever so long, after all—but when he just stands there stiffly, not reacting at all, she slowly pulls back and says, “You’re no longer with us, are you?”
Spock says it was necessary. Layla begs him to come back to the planet and belong again, but he says he can’t. She starts crying and saying she loves him. "I said that six years ago, and I can't seem to stop repeating myself. On Earth, you couldn't give anything of yourself. You couldn't even put your arms around me. We couldn't have anything together there. We couldn't have anything together anyplace else. But we're happy here. I can't lose you now, Mr. Spock, I can't." Look, if the only time the relationship you want can possibly work out is when the other person is being mind-controlled by alien spores, I think it may be time to consider whether this is really a relationship you should be pursuing in the first place.
“I have a responsibility to this ship...to that man on the bridge,” Spock gently tells her. “I am what I am, Layla. And if there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them. Mine can be no worse than someone else’s.”
Layla soon realizes that all this anguish has resulted in her getting de-spore’d as well, and she’s not happy about it. “And this is for my own good?” she demands angrily. Well...yes, I mean, it is, but Spock doesn’t say that. Nor does he respond when she asks, “Do you mind if I say I still love you?” but she hugs him again anyway.
[ID: Layla tearfully embraces Spock and says, "You never told me if you had another name, Mr. Spock." Spock replies, "You couldn't pronounce it."]
ROMANCE
We’re obviously supposed to read this little story arc as the tragic tale of true love destined never to be, because Spock is only able to express his feelings for Layla under the influence of the spores. He has experienced paradise, but alas, he cannot linger there, and so on. It’s never set all that well with me, though. The problem is we never really get Spock’s side of the story and so it leaves open the question of how much he actually did want this relationship in the first place. Layla said earlier that “Mr. Spock’s feelings were never expressed to me” so evidently he never outright said “I love you but I can’t be with you” or anything of that sort to her. When they’re alone in the field before Spock gets spore’d he seems stiff, standoffish, awkward, and deflects all of her overtures with what appears to be discomfort, even annoyance. He clearly has no interest in talking about whatever history they had together, even when they’re all alone. For all that Layla goes on about how she can see a side of Spock that his crewmates don’t, we see interactions with those crewmates multiple times throughout the show that prove that Spock is perfectly capable of showing people that he cares about them, even if the ways he does it are usually a bit atypical. We don’t see any of that in his initial interactions with Layla.
If we accept the premise that the spores only make people act as they would if they had no inhibitions or fears holding them back, then yes, Spock saying he loves Layla after he’s been spore’d would indicate that he did secretly love her all along. The problem is that we know the spores make people do things that they would not ordinarily want to do. You think all of those four hundred thirty people on the Enterprise secretly longed for a quiet life among the soil but all chose to instead join the space navy for some reason? Should we believe Scotty is actually deep down perfectly okay with abandoning his beloved ship to a slowly decaying orbit? I doubt that Kirk has always harbored a subconscious desire to give up exploring the final frontier to pursue a peaceful agrarian lifestyle, but he very nearly does do just that. So the question of how much a relationship with Layla is what Spock “really” wanted seems to be a bit hazy.
Mind, I’m not saying this makes Layla an evil person who deliberately drugged Spock so she could have a relationship with him or anything like that. It’s clear throughout the episode that the spores induce those who are infected by them to spread them around to anyone nearby who’s not in the spore fandom yet, so there’s no reason to believe Layla would act as she did if she wasn’t under the influence herself. I just personally find it hard to buy into the tragic romance of a star-crossed relationship when the thing crossing the stars is that one of the participants is only enthusiastic about the whole thing when they’re not fully sober. It makes me question how much of their previous relationship really was Spock having feelings for Layla but being unable to express them, versus Layla projecting a lot of feelings onto him and writing off his disinterest or discomfort as denial.
Kirk and Spock go back to working on the signal, while Layla deals with her heartbreak by disappearing into thin air for the rest of the episode. Spock says that the sound they’re going to send out is on a frequency that won’t be heard so much as felt, but apparently it will be felt quite emphatically. Kirk compares it to putting itching powder on someone. Which may seem like another silly technobabble deus ex machina, but speaking from personal experience, driving someone into a frantic frustrated fit by playing an obnoxious noise just on the edge of hearing sounds totally legit. All they need to complete the sensory overload meltdown experience is find a way to simulate some flickering florescent lights and put tags on the backs of the uniform shirts.
And indeed, as the device starts to work, we see Sulu and DeSalle working in one of the fields—for a certain value of ‘working,’ anyway, they’re kind of just digging around aimlessly—when Sulu accidentally elbows DeSalle in the back. He apologizes, but DeSalle shoves him back, and before long they’re having a full-on brawl right there in the field, which can't be good for the crops. As the device on the ship hums away, two more crewmembers start their own fight over by the farmhouse, and when a third tries to break them up he promptly gets dragged into it as well.
The effects haven’t quite reached everyone just yet, though, as we see McCoy chillaxing under a tree with some unspecified concoction. Sandoval strolls up and says that he’s been thinking about what sort of work he could assign McCoy to. When McCoy protests that he does one kind of work and that’s doctorin’, Sandoval says that he’s not a doctor anymore—they don’t need any doctors here.
This does not go over well.
[ID: A gif showing McCoy reclining against a tree in a grassy meadow, a stalk of grass in one hand and a grass of something brown with several leafy stalks in it. Sandoval is standing over him. McCoy says, "Oh, no?" and then slowly stands up, tosses his grass stalk aside, looks Sandoval in the eye and says, "Would you like to see just how fast I can put you in a hospital?"]
Undeterred, Sandoval says that he’s the leader and he’ll be assigning McCoy whatever work he wants to, but when he tries to walk away McCoy pulls him back and snarls, “You’d better make me a mechanic. Then I can treat little tin gods like you.” Sandoval throws a punch at him, but McCoy dodges and whacks Sandoval in the stomach, putting him out flat on the ground. See, I told you it wouldn’t be hard to cure McCoy. Everyone else on the Enterprise was perfectly happy to give up their careers to go do a bit of light farming, but tell McCoy he can’t be a doctor anymore and no amount of spores are going to save you.
While Sandoval is busy rolling around on the ground, McCoy stands there looking confused for a moment, then—presumably having only just now noticed that instead of a mint julep he’s actually been drinking a coke with a bunch of cilantro in it—throws his drink aside and admits that he’s not sure why he just clobbered Sandoval. But Sandoval has other concerns for the moment. With a look of dawning horror familiar to all us chronic procrastinators, he abruptly realizes that they haven’t actually been doing anything all this time. “No accomplishments, no progress. Three years wasted. We wanted to make this planet a garden...”
McCoy points out that the colonists really will have to leave—they can’t survive here without the spores handling all that radiation for them. But the dream’s not over; the colonists could be relocated to start again somewhere a bit less deadly, if that’s what they want.
“I think I’d...I think we’d like to get some work done,” Sandoval muses. “The work we set out to do.”
McCoy calls Spock and says that Sandoval wants to talk to Kirk. Spock notes to Kirk that the crew are all starting to rather sheepishly call in by now. Sandoval tells Kirk that the colonists will fully cooperate with the evacuation now, and Kirk tells him to start making the preparations. Real ones, this time.
Sometime later, everyone’s back on the bridge getting ready to head out. McCoy reports that he’s examined all the colonists and they all remain in perfect health. “A fringe benefit left over by the spores.”
One would think that this would have been quite the eventful afternoon for the medical sciences, given that they just discovered spores with such incredible healing powers that they can make people regrow organs, and McCoy just confirmed that anything healed by the spores stays healed after the spores are gone. Sure, they’ve got some side effects, but Kirk’s already discovered a simple way to get rid of the things once they’re no longer needed. Strap someone to a bed, give em a facemask full of spores, let them lay there for a while having a nice buzz while they heal their cancer or whatever, then play an irritating noise at them until they sneeze the spores back out again. Boom. Done. You’ve solved medicine. Or, y’know, we could vacate the planet and never speak of it ever again, that works too.
Notably unmentioned by anybody during this little denouement is the fate of the other two settlements on the planet that Sandoval mentioned back near the beginning of the episode. The length of the timeskip isn’t specified, so it’s possible that the crew went and collected them as well in the interim, but we never get any details as to how that little adventure went, assuming that it did happen and that the Enterprise isn’t about to get halfway to the next starbase before Kirk realizes he forgot something.
As they watch the planet diminish behind them on the viewscreen, McCoy muses that this was “the second time man’s been thrown out of paradise.” Kirk disagrees. "No, no, Bones, this time we walked out on our own. Maybe we weren't meant for paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through--struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can't stroll to the music of the lute. We must march to the sound of drums."
Spock remains unimpressed by this bit of philosophizing. “Poetry, Captain. Nonregulation.” Kirk notes that they haven’t heard anything from Spock about this whole ordeal, since, y’know, that definitely seems like something Spock would want to talk about. He says he’s got little to say about Omicron Ceti 3.
[ID: A close-up of Spock on the bridge as he says, "Except that for the first time in my life...I was happy."]
oh my god someone needs therapy
On that INCREDIBLY CHEERFUL note, the Enterprise flies away and the episode ends.
It’s somewhat baffling to me that of all the quite reasonable objections available to the whole situation with the spores, the main problem that Kirk—and by extension, the episode—seems to have is that “the spores make things too EASY and mankind was meant to STRUGGLE!!!” I mean, effectively what we had going on here was people being drugged without their consent into a state that overwrote their own desires, ambitions, emotions and much of their individual personalities and replaced them with bland, happy conformity to a goal and lifestyle none of them actually chose. That seems a bit worse to me than “people weren’t working hard enough.” Kirk goes on and on about how the spores made things too easy, but what they really did was make people apathetic to whether they succeeded at anything or not. Sandoval’s horrified when he’s cured of the spores because the colonists had much different plans for their colony; far from making those plans easier, the spores made them impossible. The dreams and desires of the Enterprise crew for a life of exploration among the stars would have been forever unmet if they had permanently joined the colony, they just wouldn’t have been able to care. Kirk seems to believe that the ultimate evil of the spores is that they deprive people of ambition; to me it seems that the worse evil is that they deprive people of their individuality and their autonomy.
Then there’s the fact that while the spores make people happy and friendly, they also make them remarkably blasé about the well-being of anyone who isn’t part of their collective. They have to be—caring about whether someone else is upset or hurt would make them unhappy, after all. Spock and McCoy are completely unconcerned with the mounting distress of their best friend, and beyond peer pressuring him to get with the program and take the spores like everyone else, they don’t seem to much care if he remains the only unhappy person on the planet. The colonists seem completely unbothered by the fact that all the animals they brought with them died a rather grueling death by radiation poisoning. Everyone on the Enterprise is happy to abandon the ship and join the colony with no message left behind for Starfleet, with apparently not a thought to spare for any friends and family back home, who would only ever know that their loved ones disappeared into space never to be seen again.
Or at least, they would if things actually went according to plan, which they probably wouldn’t, because the spores also made everyone cheerfully oblivious to the idea that anything could potentially cause a problem or pose a threat to them. After all, if Kirk hadn’t had a recovery at the last minute, the Enterprise would have been left unmanned in orbit around the planet, with no way for anyone in the colony to get back onboard. Uhura also goes out of her way to make sure that they no longer have any off-planet communication. So it’s probably not going to be long before Starfleet notices that one of their prize starships has abruptly gone incommunicado, and I’m willing to bet they’d be a bit quicker on that investigation than they were about checking on a tiny backwater colony (although it is Starfleet, so who knows, really). And since they know exactly where the ship was headed on its last recorded mission, it probably won’t take them long to find it. If Starfleet sends another ship along to investigate quickly enough, they’ll find the abandoned Enterprise hanging out in orbit around the planet, and Kirk’s log clearly lays out what happened, so all the other ship has to do is figure out how to neutralize the spores and everyone’s going to get rescued from Omicron Ceti 3 pretty quickly whether they want to be or not.
If Starfleet doesn’t show up in time...Kirk says the ship can be “maintained in orbit” for several months, but then what? It can’t stay up there forever. Sooner or later, the orbit will decay and the ship’s going to crash into the planet, and if it crashes anywhere near one of the colonies, their magic healing powers are going to be put to the test. Also their magic agriculture powers--rich soil and mild weather is all well and good, but is that going to be enough to carry all those crops through the ensuing environmental effects of an impact that big? Especially since, as already mentioned, the colony has enough to feed them and that’s about it—so they really can’t afford to lose any crops for very long.
Sure, maybe the Enterprise wouldn’t crash close enough to any of the colonies to ruin them, but why take the risk? All they had to do was have a helmsman set it on a course out of orbit, then take a shuttlecraft back to the planet. Doesn’t occur to anyone, evidently. Nor do we see anyone bothering to bring any supplies or equipment from the ship to the colony, even though there’s gotta be lots of stuff up there that would be useful. All in all, it seems quite likely that Paradise would have eventually collapsed in on itself simply because the spores make people unable to pay attention to any potential threats or obstacles long enough to do anything about them.
So what’s the moral here? ‘Society can’t survive if everyone is stoned all of the time’? I mean, okay? Sure? Cool? Glad we sorted all that out.
That said, despite having ranted for the past nine hundred words about the weird moral, I’m not saying this episode is bad. As a serious point about human nature I don’t find it especially compelling—YMMV, but I just personally tend to side-eye stories that center around the idea of “wouldn’t it be awful if we all had it too easy??”--but as fifty minutes of extremely Star Trek-y silliness it’s glorious. We’ve got Spock hanging from a tree and talking about dragons while making out in the grass, McCoy going full Georgia and wandering about with something he thinks is a mint julep, Kirk stomping around in increasing agitation as he tries to get some sense out of somebody and then making emo log entries while he sits on the bridge alone...it’s great.
The original draft of this episode apparently had the romantic subplot be for Sulu, who would have been motivated to stay with Layla after having been diagnosed with a serious medical condition that was cured by the spores, kind of like the eventual plot with McCoy in For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky. D.C. Fontana rewrote the story to focus on Spock, since if you have an episode about something that causes a strong emotional reaction, throwing Spock and his ever-present internal conflict into the mix is kind of the most immediately obvious way to generate some pathos and drama. The spores originally granted those affected with them telepathic abilities, enabling them to link with everyone else who’d been spore’d and form a hivemind. There are some traces of this in the final episode with spore’d people talking about “joining us” and “being one of us” and so on, but without the telepathy part it just kind of makes it sound like they’re in a cult. Also, the cure for the spores would have been consuming alcohol, so presumably in that draft McCoy never got infected.
For the purposes of the Trek Tally I’m going to count the spores as a Space Disease, which might be broadening the umbrella of that term a bit but hey, close enough. Next time we’ll be looking for life, Jim, but not as we know it, in The Devil in the Dark.
#star trek#star trek TOS#star trek TOS season one#recap tag#star trek TOS recaps#1.24 This Side of Paradise#1.24 This Side of Paradise recap
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