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This Side of Paradise (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"This Side of Paradise" is the twenty fourth episode of the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series
. It was first broadcast on March 2, 1967 and was repeated on August 10, 1967. The episode was written by D.C. Fontana and Nathan Butler
, and directed by Ralph Senensky
. The title is taken from the poem "Tiare Tahiti" by Rupert Brooke
.
Overview: The Enterprise
visits a planet
, where the inhabitants are under the influence of strange plant life.
3417.3, the Enterprise arrives at Omicron Ceti III, where a Federation
colony has been in place for several years. The planet however, is known to have been showered by Berthold rays, a deadly form of radiation which causes severe tissue damage within a few weeks of exposure. To make matters worse, there has been no communication with the colony for quite a while. The Enterprise's sad mission is to retrieve the colonists' remains and their equipment.
Captain Kirk, along with Spock
, McCoy
, Sulu
, and other crewmen, beam down to the planet's surface and make the startling discovery that the colonists are still very much alive. The crew is greeted warmly by Elias Sandoval, a farmer & leader who assures them that there have been no problems other than a faulty communications system. They encounter another colonist, Leila Kalomi, who fell in love with Mr. Spock's six years earlier back on Earth. At a loss to explain why these people are still alive, Dr. McCoy arranges to perform medical exams on a number of the colonists while other crew members search the vicinity for answers.
The puzzle deepens as McCoy finds the colonists in flawless health; in reviewing the colonists' medical records, he finds that, although the records indicate that Sandoval had had his appendix removed, his examination showed Sandoval to have his appendix intact. The other members of the landing party discover that there is no animal life present — no livestock, no birds and no insects. Evading Kirk's questions about the fate of the farm animals they brought with them and the general absence of animal life on the planet, Sandoval explains simply, "We're vegetarians".
As Spock is searching the surrounding area for clues, the lovely Leila meets with him and agrees to show him how the colonists have survived. She takes him to a place where there are strange flowers which spray him with spores.
Being half-Vulcan
, Spock doesn't normally express his emotions, but moments after exposure to these spores, the formerly logical Spock is able to tell Leila, "I love you". Now free to find bliss with Leila, Spock laughs and with his head in Leila's lap he lolls under a tree with her as they contemplate the clouds. When Kirk attempts to contact him, it is not Spock but Leila who opens the communicator. Unwilling for a moment to stop embracing, nuzzling, and kissing Leila, Spock answers Kirk's questions with amused curtness and refuses to obey orders.
Spock shows the strange flowers to Kirk and other crewmen, but at this point Captain Kirk escapes being hit by their spores as he is just out of their range. When Kirk returns to his ship, it is full of the flowers and their spores. The entire crew, in an open but peaceful mutiny, begin to beam down to the planet. Before she leaves, Lieutenant Uhura
sabotages the ship's communications system.
Soon, Kirk is the only person remaining aboard the ship. Since the ship is filled with the plants Kirk finds himself within range of one of them on the bridge, and it shoots its spores at him. Kirk begins to feel at peace and makes plans to beam down to the colony, but as he is about to leave the Enterprise, he has second thoughts in reflecting upon his career, causing him to feel a wave of violent emotions, which overwhelms and destroys the effect of the spores.
Kirk now realizes the spores cannot survive the presence of strong feelings. He asks Spock to come up to the ship ostensibly to help him with some things that they won't be able to retrieve once the last of them leaves. Kirk actually wants revert Spock's change of personality. The Captain states for his log that his plan to kill the spores by enraging Spock carries considerable risk: Spock is a half-Vulcan, a humanoid far stronger than a human, whose race were once ferocious warriors before their control of emotion ended the slaughter on their world.
Nonetheless, when Spock arrives, Kirk insults him with a stream of racist abuse and taunts him as a freak who dares to make love to Leila. Spock is angered and a brawl ensues but fortunately, his rationality returns to him before he seriously injures the Captain. They collaborate and create a device to send a subsonic frequency through the communicators that will irritate everyone in the colony. Soon, fights break out in the colony, which quickly ends the spores' influence.
After some time has passed and things return to normal, Spock asks Leila to come aboard the ship. She beams aboard only to find Spock no longer "with us", and desperately pleads with him to return to the planet so they can be together. Regretfully, he tells her he has responsibilities on the ship and can not. Leila begins to cry and says "Do you mind if I say I still love you?" Spock makes no objection and she embraces him. Then she asks if he has another name besides Spock. He takes her arms from around him and gently brushes a tear from her cheek. He smiles in a happy regretful way and says, "You couldn't pronounce it".
As the Enterprise, with the colonists safely on board, prepares to exit the planetary system, Spock comments about his experiences saying: "For the first time in my life, I was happy".
on July 28, 2007, as part of the remastered 40th Anniversary restoration of the original series (TOS). This episode had been preceded one week earlier by the remastered version of the episode The Squire of Gothos, and it was followed after a several-week break by the episode The Galileo Seven. Aside from its remastered video and audio, and the all-computer-generated imagery
(CGI) animations of the U.S.S. Enterprise
that are standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:
gave this episode an "A" rating, describing it as "an intriguingly ambiguous episode", and he praised its sense of humor.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. It was first broadcast on March 2, 1967 and was repeated on August 10, 1967. The episode was written by D.C. Fontana and Nathan Butler
Jerry Sohl
Gerald Allan Sohl Sr. was an American scriptwriter for The Twilight Zone , Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, Star Trek and other shows...
, and directed by Ralph Senensky
Ralph Senensky
Ralph Senensky is an American television director and writer. He studied at the Pasadena Playhouse and worked as a stage director before directing for television....
. The title is taken from the poem "Tiare Tahiti" by Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
.
Overview: The Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
visits a planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
, where the inhabitants are under the influence of strange plant life.
Plot
On stardateStardate
A stardate is a date in the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek, commonly heard at the beginning of a voiceover log entry such as "Captain's log, stardate 41153.7...
3417.3, the Enterprise arrives at Omicron Ceti III, where a Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
colony has been in place for several years. The planet however, is known to have been showered by Berthold rays, a deadly form of radiation which causes severe tissue damage within a few weeks of exposure. To make matters worse, there has been no communication with the colony for quite a while. The Enterprise's sad mission is to retrieve the colonists' remains and their equipment.
Captain Kirk, along with Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
, McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
, Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...
, and other crewmen, beam down to the planet's surface and make the startling discovery that the colonists are still very much alive. The crew is greeted warmly by Elias Sandoval, a farmer & leader who assures them that there have been no problems other than a faulty communications system. They encounter another colonist, Leila Kalomi, who fell in love with Mr. Spock's six years earlier back on Earth. At a loss to explain why these people are still alive, Dr. McCoy arranges to perform medical exams on a number of the colonists while other crew members search the vicinity for answers.
The puzzle deepens as McCoy finds the colonists in flawless health; in reviewing the colonists' medical records, he finds that, although the records indicate that Sandoval had had his appendix removed, his examination showed Sandoval to have his appendix intact. The other members of the landing party discover that there is no animal life present — no livestock, no birds and no insects. Evading Kirk's questions about the fate of the farm animals they brought with them and the general absence of animal life on the planet, Sandoval explains simply, "We're vegetarians".
As Spock is searching the surrounding area for clues, the lovely Leila meets with him and agrees to show him how the colonists have survived. She takes him to a place where there are strange flowers which spray him with spores.
Being half-Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
, Spock doesn't normally express his emotions, but moments after exposure to these spores, the formerly logical Spock is able to tell Leila, "I love you". Now free to find bliss with Leila, Spock laughs and with his head in Leila's lap he lolls under a tree with her as they contemplate the clouds. When Kirk attempts to contact him, it is not Spock but Leila who opens the communicator. Unwilling for a moment to stop embracing, nuzzling, and kissing Leila, Spock answers Kirk's questions with amused curtness and refuses to obey orders.
Spock shows the strange flowers to Kirk and other crewmen, but at this point Captain Kirk escapes being hit by their spores as he is just out of their range. When Kirk returns to his ship, it is full of the flowers and their spores. The entire crew, in an open but peaceful mutiny, begin to beam down to the planet. Before she leaves, Lieutenant Uhura
Uhura
Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
sabotages the ship's communications system.
Soon, Kirk is the only person remaining aboard the ship. Since the ship is filled with the plants Kirk finds himself within range of one of them on the bridge, and it shoots its spores at him. Kirk begins to feel at peace and makes plans to beam down to the colony, but as he is about to leave the Enterprise, he has second thoughts in reflecting upon his career, causing him to feel a wave of violent emotions, which overwhelms and destroys the effect of the spores.
Kirk now realizes the spores cannot survive the presence of strong feelings. He asks Spock to come up to the ship ostensibly to help him with some things that they won't be able to retrieve once the last of them leaves. Kirk actually wants revert Spock's change of personality. The Captain states for his log that his plan to kill the spores by enraging Spock carries considerable risk: Spock is a half-Vulcan, a humanoid far stronger than a human, whose race were once ferocious warriors before their control of emotion ended the slaughter on their world.
Nonetheless, when Spock arrives, Kirk insults him with a stream of racist abuse and taunts him as a freak who dares to make love to Leila. Spock is angered and a brawl ensues but fortunately, his rationality returns to him before he seriously injures the Captain. They collaborate and create a device to send a subsonic frequency through the communicators that will irritate everyone in the colony. Soon, fights break out in the colony, which quickly ends the spores' influence.
After some time has passed and things return to normal, Spock asks Leila to come aboard the ship. She beams aboard only to find Spock no longer "with us", and desperately pleads with him to return to the planet so they can be together. Regretfully, he tells her he has responsibilities on the ship and can not. Leila begins to cry and says "Do you mind if I say I still love you?" Spock makes no objection and she embraces him. Then she asks if he has another name besides Spock. He takes her arms from around him and gently brushes a tear from her cheek. He smiles in a happy regretful way and says, "You couldn't pronounce it".
As the Enterprise, with the colonists safely on board, prepares to exit the planetary system, Spock comments about his experiences saying: "For the first time in my life, I was happy".
40th Anniversary remastering
This Side of Paradise was digitally re-mastered in 2006, and this version was first broadcastBroadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
on July 28, 2007, as part of the remastered 40th Anniversary restoration of the original series (TOS). This episode had been preceded one week earlier by the remastered version of the episode The Squire of Gothos, and it was followed after a several-week break by the episode The Galileo Seven. Aside from its remastered video and audio, and the all-computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
(CGI) animations of the U.S.S. Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
that are standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:
- The pictures of the planet Omicron Ceti III from outer spaceOuter spaceOuter space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
have been changed to look more "realistic", and visible bands of the hypothetical auroraAurora (astronomy)An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
effect caused by the Berthold rays have been added in shots of the planet from space.
Reception
Zack Handlen of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave this episode an "A" rating, describing it as "an intriguingly ambiguous episode", and he praised its sense of humor.
External links
- This Side of Paradise screenshots before and after remastering
- This Side of Paraside script report and analysis