Where No Man Has Gone Before

I will begin with the Second Pilot, 'Where No Man Has Gone Before'. I begin here because this is the first appearance of Kirk and Spock. Before we even start the normal production episodes of Season One, we see the beginnings of Kirk/Spock.

The very first scene shows Kirk and Spock playing a 'very irritating game of Chess'. Captain James Kirk is already flirting with his Science Officer, and finding ways of getting under his Vulcan's skin. Then immediately after this we see Kirk, Spock and Gary Mitchell enter a turbolift together; it is obvious that sexual tension is a way of life aboard the good ship Enterprise. The way Gary Mitchell looks at Spock speaks volumes. It is clear that Gary is jealous of the close relationship that is developing between his friend and Captain and and the Science Officer, Spock. Jim seems oblivious and is his usual ebullient self, joking about having beaten Spock at Chess.

As the story goes Gary and Dr. Denher are both zapped by some unknown energy at the very edge of our galaxy. Gary is most severely affected and is confined to Sick Bay to recuperate. Jim visits his long time friend, who it seems has already begun his descent into the thrall of his god-like powers. His eyes have become strangely glowing and silver, his voice deeper and more resonant. When he tells Jim: "You'd better be good to me." there is menace in his voice and the feeling that Gary expects Jim to treat him better than that Vulcan he is paying so much attention to.

As the story progresses Spock urges Kirk to kill Gary before his powers become too great to be controlled. Kirk, of course baulks at killing his best friend an accuses Spock of being heartless.

But course Spock was being completely logical (no surprise there) and was right. A fact that Jim discovers soon enough when Gary attempts to kill Jim, but not before playing some sick and twisted domination games with Kirk.

Of course our hero prevail, but not before getting his shirt ripped for our pleasure.

The final scene sees Spock take up his customary position at his Captain's side, as Jim sits in the Command Chair. In an attempt to curry favour of the man he so obviously is madly in love with, Spock says (and I don't believe a word of it) that he 'felt' for Gary too. Kirk falls for it and tells his Vulcan friend: "I believe there's some hope for you after all, Mr. Spock." They then exchange a loving look and Spock turns back to us with a self-satisfied look, that says something like: 'Well that worked!' and we end the episode how things are going to continue...Kirk and Spock side by side.