Miri

Ah 'Miri'...I love this episode and I think that it is one that is often under-rated. Many people seem to have a probelm with the episodes with children in them. Anyway, I find this a powerful and deeply moving episode that looks at the folly of a society that tries to prolong their life-spans and instead end up destroying themselves.

The Enterprise comes upon a planet identical in every way to contemporary Earth, except that when they beam down they are confronted with a ghost town or so it seems. They eventually encounter the only residents, a motely collection of children and a few adolescents. The crew quickly discover that there are no adults or 'grups' as the children call them. Everyone who reaches maturity dies of a hideous disease that covers their body with plaque and which finally sends them mad, before resulting in a horrible death.

The crew gets to work isolating the virus and searching for a cure, but the children, threatened by the adults presence, steal there communicators, thus stopping them from contacting the ship's computers to assist with the development of the antidote.

The major subplot concerns the beautiful young girl, Miri and her fate; she is about to enter adolescence and as such will soon succumb to the ravishes of the disease. Jim befriends her to gain her trust in the hope of helping all the children, but Miri develops a crush on the Captain and betrays the crewmembers in the hope of getting Jim away from her perceived rival, Janice Rand. I just want to acknowledge at this point, the outstanding effort from Grace Lee Whitney in this episode; it really is the highpoint for her character's involvement in TOS and she gives a powerful performance as she battles the disease and her feelings for Captain Kirk.

As the clock ticks, the landing party's tempers flare and a cure is found, but without the ship's computers McCoy and Spock have no way of knowing what dosage to use (with the absolutely marvelous line "beaker full of death" from Spock...LOL). Miri lures Yeoman Rand away and she is held prisoner by the children. Kirk decides that he must confront the children to gain Janice’s freedom and retrieve the vital communications devices.

Meanwhile McCoy decides that he must risk taking the serum, which he does with violent results. Kirk convinces the children in the nick of time; the serum works and all ends well.
This episode is chock full of tension and drama, and has the gentle and poignant 'love story' between Kirk and Miri at its core. If you haven't watched this one recently, please do again because it really is a gem.

Miri - Special Slash Notes

Okay so this is the first episode where I feel the need to write a 'special supplemental' post on the slash moments. About halfway through the episode we have one of the most tender scenes between Kirk and Spock that I have ever had the privilege to view (over and over again, I might add...LOL). The crew are discussing the situation with the progress of the disease (they all have it at this stage) and the following conversation takes place between the Captain and his First Officer (and by now lover):

SPOCK: The older the victim, the more rapid the progress of the disease.

KIRK: And you? The disease doesn't seem to be interested in you.

SPOCK: I am a carrier. Whatever happens, I can't go back to the ship, and I do want to go back to the ship, (long pause as he and Jim gaze with undisguised adoration into each other's eyes), Captain.

KIRK: Of course, Mister Spock (another long loving look at each other and a melting smile from Jim).

You do need to see this interchange to truly appreciate what is going on. To see how they look at each other and what is conveyed through their eyes and facial expressions. It is as beautiful and tender as the infamous 'this simple feeling' scene from Star Trek - The Motion Picture.

This is followed by a heart-wrenching scene when Janice confronts her growing fear as the disease takes over her body. In effect she admits her feelings for Jim and he comforts in a very stiff and uncomfortable way, obviously not wanting to lead her on. Only moments into their hug McCoy calls out to them to say he has isolated the virus and they rush back into the laboratory to hear the news. Janice and Jim reflexively hug in celebration but Jim quickly looks over his shoulder to beam another of his 'special' smiles at his real love...awww. I get gooey just thinking about these two moments, imagine how I am when I actually watch them.

Dagger of the Mind

'Dagger of the Mind' another episode just full of slashy goodness.

A penal colony requires a shipment of drugs and as part of the transfer a crate of research materials is beamed to the Enterprise, hidden inside of which is one of the former directors of the colony, Van Gelder who demands, at gunpoint that he be given asylum. McCoy examines Van Gelder and believes him to be quite insane, but his intuition tells him something is not quite right about the situation.

We are treated to one of the best three way arguments between Kirk, Spock and Bones about whether there is something strange going on down on the planet. Kirk wants to put his faith in Dr Adams, the other Director, who has a reputation and record of revolutionizing the treatment of insane prisoners. Kirk decides to beam down to the planet to investigate and asks for an expert in psychology and penology to accompany him. McCoy assigns the very beautiful (but very stupid) Dr. Helen Noel. As she and Kirk prepare to transport to the colony we are given one of the strangest and slashiest scenes in all of TOS. This scene is just as much a slash 'Rosetta Stone' as is the 'Back Rub Scene' from 'Shore Leave'.

Okay let's look at it in detail: Kirk and Spock (why is he there again? Oh that's right to say goodbye to Jim...huh?) enter the transporter room. Waiting for Jim on the transporter pad is the very lovely (and pushy) Dr. Helen Noel. Jim is clearly NOT happy to see her, and Spock gives him a look like 'well, well, well...another of your dalliances?' Jim reluctantly stands next to her on the pad and she starts reminding him of when they had meet before. Jim is like a cat on a hot tin roof, effectively shushing her, and nervously watching Spock's reaction. "Problem Captain?" asks Spock rather facetiously. Spock seems to be annoyed and amused at the same time. Jim dismounts the transporter pad and goes back to Spock (why is he doing that again?) and in a roundabout way assures Spock that this woman means nothing to him. Spock gives him a long suffering look as he goes back to the pad...curiouser and curiouser! What is this scene all about? I know what it looks like to me. It looks like Jim has been keeping his hand in at the old seduction game and has been caught out. He realises he needs to reassure Spock immediately that nothing is going on. I figure that Kirk and Spock have become lovers by this stage of the game and Spock is beginning to be alittle possessive of his Captain.

Anyway the rest of the episode is not all that good, alot of silliness involving a mind altering machine and Dr. Adams evil experiments on inmates. Kirk for some unknown reason decides to use the machine on himself and is re-programed to believe that he is in love with Helen Noel (huh?). Why this should be the case only comes into play towards then end of the episode when Spock beams down to the colony to save Jim's bacon. Jim is caught in a tight clinch with Helen and we are treated to another of Spock's dismayed looks at his Captain's indisgression.

This is not one of my favourite episodes, as the character of Dr. Helen Noel is just awful, she seems to have no idea how to advise her Captain with anything even approaching valid information and she spends most of her time trying to convince Jim that there should be something between them, against all evidence to the contrary. A badly written character and a weak story, but you gotta love the slash.

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

Another powerful First Season episode, where we are given an insight into how close Kirk and Spock have become plus a lovely little piece of slash at the very end of the episode, to keep us wondering: "Just what is going on between these two?

To the story. Nurse Christine Chapel joined Starfleet in the hope of finding her long lost fiancee, the brilliant Doctor Roger Corby, who has been missing for five long years. Eventually the Enterprise comes across the planet of Corby's last known whereabouts. Corby contacts the ship and asks that Captain Kirk beam down alone, because the nature of the discoveries that Corby has made. Kirk tells Corby that Christine will beam down with him and it looks like we are in for a happy reunion. Well that changes very quickly when one of the two Redshirts who accompany them falls to his death within minutes of arriving.

Turns out that Corby has discovered the machinery left by a long dead race, that enables him to produce almost perfect replica human androids. Roger has knocked himself up a replacement assistant - Brown and a nice little 'Geisha' (as Christine calls her) Andrea, to help keep him company. Corby wants to bring his discoveries to the Galaxy but fears that others will misunderstand and/or misuse the technology and he will be thwarted. He holds Kirk and Chapel prisoner and makes an Android Kirk,; he says, to 'impress' Jim of the power of the technology. However when Kirk won't come at a deal to 'selectively introduce' the androids to to humanity, Corby sends the Android Kirk to the Enterprise to grease the wheels, so to speak.

Jim is just too smart for Corby though, and during the transfer of his memories to the android, he imprints it with the phrase: "Mind your own business Mr. Spock; I'm sick of your half-breed interference!" Now, you and I and Spock all know that Jim would never speak to his First officer like that...and it takes Spock about a half a millisecond to spot the impostor.

Meanwhile down on the planet Jim is busy messing with the Androids heads (a specialty of his). First he seduces Andrea to break her programming and then he convinces the gigantic Ruk that's it's okay to rise up against his human controllers (I'm not sure if this is such a good idea, but then Kirk never seems to mind going toe to toe with those bigger, stronger and more powerful than he).

Ultimately we discover that Roger Corby had been so mutilated when he arrived on the planet that Ruk had rebuilt him an android body and Roger's 'soul' had been transferred into the machine. Corby had lost the capacity to be truly human and this had twisted him so much that he was a danger to himself and humanity as a whole. It all ends very badly, as Andrea tries to reconcile her emotions with her programming and Roger realizes he has lost his humanity...they in effect destroy each other.

The final scene back on the Enterprise is a sweet little bit of slash with Spock chiding Kirk for using the term 'half-breed' but they kiss and make up very quickly after Jim gives him those puppy dog eyes and all is forgiven...awww. Oh and there's more 'Kirklight' in this episode than really should be allowed in any given 48 minute period...yummy.