In There In Truth No Beauty? was the 60th episode broadcast and it aired on October 18 1968. The Enterprise is carrying Medusan Ambassador Kollos. He's an energy being that causes humans to go mad when they see him. That's why Spock is wearing the protective red shades when the Ambassador beams aboard the Enterprise. Vulcans are better suited to stare at the glowing green and yellow lights that appear when the Ambassador's box is open but they need those googles to keep on the sane side. Kollos is being shipped travelling with his assistant Dr Miranda Jones who is played by Diana Muldaur.
Also on board the Enterprise is one of the designers of the ship, Lawrence Marvick, who is jonesin' for Dr Jones. She's not into him and lets him know. He's jealous of the Ambassador and tries to kill him. When Lawrence goes insane, after the Ambassador flashes him, he runs down to engineering and forces the ship into Warp 9. They leave the galaxy and get lost. Spock has to mind meld with Kollos to return to known space. Kollos enters Spock's body and walks around with it. After Kollos leaves Spock's body, Spock nearly dies. He gets saved by Dr Jones's telepathic powers. Lots of things happen to Mr Spock over the series, huh. He's got a tough job. I can relate, I got a nasty paper cut at work the other day. It was touch and go but I'm better now.
Spector Of The Gun debut a week later and it was written by Lee Cronin which was really former series producer Gene L Coon using a pen name. The Enterprise is ordered to make peaceful contact with the Melkotians. Captain Kirk ignores the warning beacon and travels to their planet. He beams down with Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Chekov. The Melkotians, who are somewhat powerful and annoyed at the visitors, send the group to a version of the town of Tombstone in the wild west days. The landing party find they are the guys that get blasted at the OK Corral. The whole town knows them as the Clantons and their pals. Pals who are doomed to die.
Sadly they didn't get western garb to wear, just their regular uniforms, and they've got six-guns strapped to their hips instead of phasers. Time ticks by, and after an altercation, Chekov gets killed. Bummer, but I'm not too worried, he's got many lives, that Russian cosmonaut. Spock tries a gas attack but it doesn't work even though it should have. He reasons that the whole thing is a mind trick and they can fight it. Kirk has him mind meld with everyone to give them Spock's conviction of the falseness of the scene around them. Eventually the fated, and highly iconic, shootout occurs and the bullets pass through them. The scene disappears and everyone is back on the Enterprise including Chekov. A Melkotian appears on the bridge. He tells them he's impressed they used a non-violent way of saving themselves and less distrustful of the Federation he opens negotiations.
Day Of The Dove was the 62nd episode and it aired November 1 1968. After receiving a distress call from a planet they arrive and find no one there. A Klingon ship pops into orbit disabled from an attack. Kirk and the landing party are on the surface of planet when this happens. The Klingons beamed down and capture the Enterprise landing party. The Klingon Commander Krang is played by Michael Ansara. I'm a long time fan of his and have seen many of the tv shows and movies he's done. His career started in 1944 and he retired in 2000. He still with us at 90 years old.
The Klingon's blame the Federation for attacking their ship but Kirk says it wasn't them. Chekov gets mad at the Klingons for killing his brother and he starts a fight. We later find out that Chekov has no brother. After torturing Chekov a bit Krang figures he'll have Kirk beam them aboard the Enterprise. Jim appears to surrender to stop them torturing Chekov. He slips Spock a hint at their problem and the Klingon's are arrested when they beam aboard. Turns out their troubles aren't over yet. A powerful energy being has been the cause of all the Klingon's troubles and it's now on the Enterprise. Luckily they figure out that laughter is the best medicine, and they chase the thing off into space. Another fun episode with sword fighting and other silly things.
For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky opens with McCoy announcing he has a rare disease and he's got a year to live. I guess it's Leonard's turn in the barrel, huh. Don't worry he'll be ok. The show aired on November 8 1968 and it was the 63rd episode. While Doctor McCoy is having his issues the Enterprise gets attacked by a bunch of missiles. They track them to an asteroid on collision course with an inhabited planet. Before destroying it they scan the giant rock and find it's stuffed with people.
That pretty lady is Natira, played by Kate Woodville, and she's the leader of the 4 billion people on the asteroid which is really a generational ship that doesn't know it's coming up to doom time. A landing party beams down and gets attacked outside those big tubes. Art director Matt Jefferies said in an interview that they used large paper tubes that builders use for cement footings for the Jefferies Tube and other set decoration. The tubes lift up, revealing entrances, and the aliens attack. The landing party are captured and Natira falls for McCoy. McCoy decides to marry Natira and stay behind, as long as they free Kirk and Spock. That happens and K and S return to the Enterprise. McCoy gets hold of the astroid's book of knowledge and calls Kirk and Spock back to the astroid. Spock finds a cure in the asteroids medical files and McCoy returns to the Enterprise. He promises his new bride he'll meet her on the planet the asteroid is headed for. I wonder if he ever did?
Another good assortment of shows. No real complaints about any one of the episodes and all still prove to be entertaining. The middle two shows on the disc are the ones I liked the best. The only one I have any vague memory of is Specter Of The Gun. That episode was directed by Vincent McEveerty who was responsible for a lot of tv shows, Disney movies and the 1968 James Stwewart and Henry Fonda western Firecreek. That's a movie well worth checking out. Henry Fonda plays the bad guy and Stewart plays a farmer and part-time sheriff who goes up against him.
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