Star Trek The Animated Series Episode Guide
SEASON TWO (2274)
#17
"BEM"
Written by David Gerrold
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Guest Stars: James Doohan as Commander Ari bn Bem
Nichelle Nichols as Alien entity
James Doohan as Lieutenant Arex
Majel Barrett as Lieutenant M'Ress
Production 22018
Airdate 09/14/74
Stardate 7403.6
The U.S.S. Enterprise
is hosting Commander Ari bn
Bem of planet Pandro as an
independent observer of the Federation. Starfleet is eager to open diplomatic
relations with the Pandronians, due to their advanced
medical knowledge. Though he has not joined the crew on previous missions, Bem accompanies a landing party to explore Delta Theta III
and, due to his non-violent nature, secretly replaces their weapons with
non-functioning ones.
The planet is
populated by preindustrial aborigines; the Federation
is interested in gathering information about the world for research purposes.
While walking through the dense terrain, the crew scans lifeforms emanating
from the forest and Bem immediately runs toward them
against direct orders. Bem passes through the thick
rain forest by splitting into several body parts and floating through the
cracks. Kirk and Spock split off but are unable to track Bem
through the dense woods. They later discover that he has been captured by a
group of angry aborigines.
Scott and Sulu beam back to the U.S.S. Enterprise and discover a
force field developing around the small village, but they cannot contact Kirk
or Spock. At night, Kirk and Spock attempt to rescue Bem
from the natives but are also captured. Bem explains
that he took Starfleet equipment because he dislikes violence and wanted to see
how the captain could react without such devices. He returns the devices to
Kirk and Spock, who manage escape only to be paralyzed by a supernatural force
surrounding the area.
The entity tells them
not to interfere with her "children," the people of this world. Bem escapes and Kirk and Spock are again captured. The
entity demands that they leave immediately but Kirk tells Spock that they
cannot leave without Bem. They arrange a search party
to beam down, now that the entity has permitted communications. Bem is found and he realizes that he has failed in his
mission and must die. The entity tells him he will not be killed because people
must learn from their errors. The crew returns to the ship, where Spock ponders
the existence of such a God-like entity and how they are all really children to
the universe.
#18
"ALBATROSS"
Written by Dario Finelli
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Guest Stars: James Doohan as Kol-tai, Lou Scheimer as Demos, James Doohan
as Supreme Prefect
Production 22019
Airdate 09/28/74
Stardate 5275.6
The U.S.S. Enterprise
arrives at Dramia I to deliver medical supplies when
Dr. McCoy is arrested for mass slaughter and imprisoned. Nineteen years prior,
the doctor had created an inoculation program for a Saurian virus on Dramia II, but immediately following his departure a plague
virtually wiped out the entire population.
Kirk, aware of the
swift Dramian justice system, worries about McCoy's
future while McCoy thinks that the plague may have been his fault. Kirk and
Spock begin an investigation into the plague and realize they must go to Dramia II to draw some conclusions. En route, they are
pursued by Demos, the Dramian head of security. The
U.S.S. Enterprise entraps the Dramian ship and holds
it impounded. Forcing Demos to accompany them, the ship passes through an
orbiting aurora and the three beam down to the planet.
On the planet, they
pursue a plague survivor, Kol-Tai. When they finally
catch up to him, he tells them of McCoy's courage and ability to save the Dramians from the virus, nineteen years ago. Kol-Tai agrees to testify of McCoy's behalf, but the crew
must return to Dramia I quickly or it will be too
late.
Complicating matters,
Kol-Tai brings the plague on board the U.S.S.
Enterprise, and infects the entire crew, except an immune Spock. Kol-Tai may not live long enough to testify, while Demos
still believes McCoy guilty but has himself contracted the fatal disease. Spock
illegally breaks McCoy out of prison to cure the plague on the U.S.S.
Enterprise. On board McCoy discovers that he is innocent and that the aurora
recently encountered is the actual cause of the plague. by using blood samples
from the infected, McCoy cures the plague and shares the information with the Dramians. Demos and the Dramian
government agrees to dismiss the unorthodox jailbreak and drop the charges.
#19 "THE
PIRATES OF ORION"
Written by Howard Weinstein
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Guest Stars: James Doohan as Transporter Chief, James Doohan
as Orion Commander, James Doohan as Lieutenant Arex, George Takei as Huron Helmsman, George Takei as Orion
Lieutenant, James Doohan as Orion Ensign, Majel
Barrett as Huron First Officer, James Doohan as
Captain O'Shea
Production 22020
Airdate 09/07/74
Stardate 6334.1
A dreaded disease, choriocytosis, strikes the U.S.S. Enterprise. All except
Spock are cured, as the illness is fatal only to Vulcans. With the starship on
course to a Starfleet Academy dedication ceremony on Deneb
V, Spock realizes that he has as little as three days to live. The cure for the
disease is strobolin, which is found on only a few
worlds in the galaxy, the closest of which, Beta Canopus,
is four days away.
The U.S.S. Potemkin obtains the drug and transports it to the U.S.S.
Huron, en route to the Enterprise. Without warning, the U.S.S. Huron is
attacked by a vessel of Orion designation; the drug and a cargo of dilithium
crystals are stolen. The U.S.S. Enterprise encounters the Orion ship in a
volatile asteroid field by detecting the dilithium crystals in the ship's cargo
bay. Kirk attempts to negotiate for the drug in exchange for not mentioning the
stolen dilithium crystals, but the Orions' suspect a ruse. Kirk agrees to meet
the Orion captain on an asteroid knowing that it might be a trap, but worth the
risk for Spock's life.
The Orion captain
arrives carrying a bomb capable of destroying the entire asteroid but Scotty
beams the explosive to the U.S.S. Enterprise and discharges it. Scotty then
beams up the two captains and forces the Orion captain to stand trial for
piracy. With the medicine in hand, Spock is saved.
#20 "THE
PRACTICAL JOKER"
Written by Chuck Menville
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Guest Stars: James Doohan as Search Party Crewman, Lou Scheimer
as Romulan Commander, Norm Prescott as Romulan crewman, Majel Barrett as
Lieutenant M'Ress, James Doohan
as Lieutenant Arex, Majel Barrett as Enterprise
computer
Production 22021
Airdate 09/21/74
Stardate 3183.3
While studying an
asteroid, the U.S.S. Enterprise is attacked by three Romulan vessels which
claim that the Federation ship has trespassed into Romulan space. The U.S.S.
Enterprise hides from the Romulans in a gaseous energy field to avoid the close
range barrage from the war ships.
The gas from the
cloud enters the Enterprise's computer systems and affects the functions of the
computer. When the ship leaves for repairs the computer proceeds to play
practical jokes on the crew by altering various ship functions, so that drinks
leak and silverware bends. Spock is humiliated by his own microscope, and Scott
is pelted with fruits and pies from a food dispenser. The crew discover the
source of the jokes when outrageous laughter is heard over the intercom. Sulu, McCoy and Uhura are trapped
in a recreation room and Scott is unable to fix the logic circuits because
gravity has been shut off. Life support systems are replaced by laughing gas,
which causes pain to Vulcans.
The ship returns
itself to the neutral zone, thereby inciting a Romulan attack. The ship then
plays a practical joke on the Romulans by creating a balloon-shaped like the
U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk tricks the ship back into the energy field, which is
followed closely by the Romulans. While in the energy field the computer is
returned to normal but the Romulan vessel begins to be affected by the same
symptoms. Kirk decides to wait a bit before telling the Romulans how to remove
their practical joker.
#21 "HOW
SHARPER THAN A SERPENT`S TOOTH"
Written by Russel Bates, David Wide
Directed by Bill Reed
Guest Stars: James Doohan as Lieutenant Arex, James Doohan as Ensign Dawson, James Doohan
as Kulkukan
Production 22022
Airdate 10/05/74
Stardate 6063.4
A mysterious probe
that scanned a Federation system and sent a signal into outer space is pursued
by the U.S.S. Enterprise, which follows its propulsion trail to see if it can
catch the probe. While tacking the probe, the Enterprise encounters an alien
vessel that is surrounded by a magnificent energy field which proceeds to
encompass the Federation ship. The alien ship transforms itself into the shape
of a large feathered serpent which reveals itself as Kulkukan
of ancient Mayan-Aztec legend. Upset over being forgotten by Earthlings, Kulkukan transports Kirk, Scott, McCoy, and Ensign Dawson
Walking Bear to his ship to solve an enigmatic puzzle. If they succeed, Kulkukan will reveal himself. If they fail, the crew will
all perish.
The four crew members
are transported to an Earth-like city filled with many cultures and must force
a light source to strike a certain space on an ancient pyramid. When they
accomplish the task, Kulkukan appears as the winged
serpent, alleging to be their master. Transported to an ominous
"life-room," the crew members notice a variety of creatures from
around the galaxy, including the ferocious, but now peaceful, Capellan power-cat. Kirk explains that they cannot accept Kulkukan as their master, despite his contributions to
mankind.
On the U.S.S.
Enterprise, Spock discovers a way to break the energy field surrounding the
ship, distracting Kulkukan from the other crewmen.
The men release the animals from their cages, thereby creating a chaos which Kulkukan is unable to control. The power-cat traps Kulkukan and prepares to kill him; Kulkukan
is forced to reveal himself as a mortal. Kirk saves Kulkukan
and thus teaches him a valuable lesson about human survival. Kulkukan leaves as an old, broken mortal, and Kirk decides
that the price of infinite knowledge is to high to pay.
#22 "THE
COUNTER-CLOCK INCIDENT"
Written by John Culver
Directed by Bill Reed
Guest Stars: James Doohan as Commodore Robert April, Nichelle
Nichols as Dr. Sarah April, James Doohan as Karl
Four, Nichelle Nichols as Karla Five, James Doohan as Lieutenant Arex
Production 22023
Airdate 10/12/74
Stardate 6770.3
The U.S.S. Enterprise
is escorting Commodore Robert April and his wife Dr. Sarah April, the first
captain and chief medical officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, to Commodore
April's retirement ceremonies on Babel. While en route, an alien vessel passes
the U.S.S. Enterprise at warp 36 toward heading directly into the Beta Niobe nova. Locking onto the alien ship with the tractor
beam, the U.S.S. Enterprise is dragged along, unable to break free; both ships
fall into the nova and arrive in an antimatter universe where time flows
backwards.
The alien ship's
pilot, Karla Five, is an explorer from the reverse universe who accidentally
became lost in our universe. He leads the U.S.S. Enterprise to his home world
of Arret to help find a way back into normal space.
On Arret, the crew encounter an old man, who is Karla
Five's son, and a baby, his father. The crew begin to notice that they too are
getting younger as they remain in the negative universe.
In time they discover
a dead star that corresponds to the nova in the positive universe; it is the
gateway for the U.S.S. Enterprise's return. Though Karla Five's ship is strong
enough to pull the starship through the nova, the U.S.S. Enterprise crew is now
too young to pilot it. Commodore April, now a young handsome man, takes command
of the ship steering it back through the nova. Using the transporter, April
restores the crew to their proper age. The Aprils consider remaining young, but
instead decide that they have lived their lives to the fullest. Once back to
their original ages, the Federation decides to change the mandatory retirement
age and the Aprils are able to continue their careers.
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