[Nate the Great]

February 23rd, 1968, "By Any Other Name"

No fiver
Transcript
Memory Alpha

The Episode

SPOCK: What brings you here?
ROJAN: Within ten millennia, high radiation levels in our galaxy will make life there impossible. So the Kelvan Empire sent forth ships to explore other galaxies, to search for one which our race could conquer and occupy.

This whole situation deserves a little more scrutiny. Their entire galaxy will be uninhabitable? Where are these high radiation levels coming from? There are so many Kelvans that they need an entire galaxy to occupy?

KELINDA: Our ships were of multigeneration design. We were born in the intergalactic void. We shall die there during our return journey.
ROJAN: And our mission will be completed by a commander who is my descendant.

So...is there a ruling class system, or has Rojan's family's genetic structure been altered to make them all ideal commanders? Why would his son necessarily be the right choice?

KIRK: What happened to your ship?
ROJAN: There is an energy barrier at the rim of your galaxy.
KIRK: Yes, I know. We've been there.

Back in "Where No Man Has Gone Before." It's a shame that this really won't be followed up on in future series. The novels have had a great time trying to figure out what the Galactic Barrier is and is not, I especially refer you to the Q-Continuum trilogy of novels.

SPOCK: Why use our vessel? Why not transmit a message to your galaxy?
ROJAN: No form of transmission can penetrate the barrier.

So...go past the barrier, drop a relay bouy, then come back and check up on the bouy every few years to see if you've gotten a response. Not that complicated.

KIRK: Rojan, there's no reason to do this by force. Let's take your problem to the Federation. Research expeditions have catalogued hundreds of uninhabited planets in this galaxy suitable for colonization.
ROJAN: We do not colonize. We conquer. We rule. There's no other way for us.

You mean you've been taught to conquer, not colonize. Every single thing that you know about Kelvan society has been altered by generations of educational drift. Besides, who says that dogma has to guide your every action?

ROJAN: These shells in which we've encased ourselves, they have such heightened senses. To feel. To hear. To smell. How do humans manage to exist in these fragile cases?
HANAR: Since the ship was designed to sustain these forms, we have little choice.

Heightened senses I can understand, but Rojan is implying that in his natural form he neither feels, hears, or smells, and that's just ridiculous. As for "fragile", probably yes, but I fail to see why the Kelvans couldn't make more durable humanoid bodies. Closer to Khan, or androids, or whatever.

ROJAN: I think we're somewhat alike, Captain. Each of us cares less for his own safety than for the lives of his command. We feel pain when others suffer for our mistakes. Your punishment shall be to watch them die.

Invoking the Not So Different trope can backfire very easily, and I think this is one such case. While in this case Rojan makes good points, they're very superficial traits.

ROJAN: Bring them to me. This is the essence of what they were. The flesh and brain and what you call the personality, distilled down into these compact shapes. And once crushed (he demonstrates) this person is dead. However, that one can be restored.

So the water has been taken out and the matter has been rearranged into a structure that holds an equivalent of a transporter pattern. A clever idea, but I'm not sure that it'd be that simple.

SPOCK: The power source is protected by a material we cannot breach even with our phasers. Mister Scott and I have prepared the means for the only logical alternative available to us.
KIRK: What alternative?
SPOCK: The barrier we must penetrate is composed of negative energy.
SCOTT: I have opened the control valves to the matter-anti-matter nacelles. On your signal, I will flood them with positive energy.

First, the power source being shielded has nothing to do with sabotaging other aspects of the propulsion system. Second, opening the control valves to the nacelles will destroy the ship by itself, as uncontrolled warp plasma can do an awful lot of damage.

ROJAN: There aren't enough of us to efficiently guard all of you of the time. Further, the food synthesisers cannot manufacture enough food for the entire journey. We are therefore neutralising all nonessential personnel.

And Kirk is considered "essential"? Even the Nitpicker's Guide commented on this one. This also came up in "The Ultimate Computer."

ROJAN: Well, I do not understand this business of pressing with the lips to apologise.
SPOCK: I believe you're referring to a kiss. But it is my understanding that such apologies are usually exchanged between people who have some affection for each other.
ROJAN: Kelinda has no affection for Captain Kirk.
SPOCK: Your game is off. Are you disturbed by the incident?
ROJAN: Why should I be disturbed?
SPOCK: You've known Kelinda for some time. She's a Kelvan as you are. Among humans, I've found the symptoms you're displaying usually indicate jealousy.
ROJAN: I have no reason for such a reaction. Kelinda's a female, nothing more.
SPOCK: Captain Kirk seems to find her quite attractive.
ROJAN: Well, of course she is!
SPOCK: You are not jealous?
ROJAN: No!
SPOCK: Nor upset?
ROJAN: Certainly not.
SPOCK: Checkmate.

Ha ha. Good scene. The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.

TOMAR: What is it?
SCOTT: Well, it's, er. (peers at it, sniffs it) It's green.

Always a classic. Even so, shouldn't the identity of these things be written on the bottles, or is Scotty so drunk he can't see clearly?

KELINDA: (coming up for air) Rojan has forbidden me to see you.
KIRK: Yes, that's too bad. Why do you defy him?
KELINDA: It's not a question of defiance. We were told to find out everything we could about you.
KIRK: Huh. And how's the research going?
KELINDA: I need some more experiments.

Ha ha.

KIRK: I'm stimulating him. (McCoy pushes him back into the fight.) You have no choice. To use this ship, you have to use our form and now you're stuck with it, you and your descendants, for the next three hundred years.

Yeah, about that. Did the Kelvans permanently turn themselves into human beings, down to their reproductive systems? That seems to be the idea. So when the ship full of humans with hundreds of years of values-warping arrives in Andromeda, what happens? Either they're executed, or every Kelvan who wants to colonize the Milky Way turns themselves into a human being? Unless you want to tell me that with the Enterprise's sensor logs of the Galactic Barrier the Kelvans can refit their ships to handle it. We could be here all day.

ROJAN: You would really do that? You would extend welcome to invaders?
(They finally stop fighting.)
KIRK: No. But we would welcome friends.

Always a great line.

ROJAN: And you. You would wish to remain with him?
KELINDA: He's most interesting, but I wish to go with you. I believe I owe you an apology. (she kisses Rojan) It's most pleasurable.
ROJAN: Yes. Very curious.
KIRK: You see, Rojan, being human does have certain advantages. Being able to appreciate the beauty of a flower or a woman.

Great scene.

Memory Alpha

* Last Sulu-less episode made during his Green Berets absence. "Return to Tomorrow" was made after this one and aired before.
* This episode is referenced in Good Eats when Alton describes what's in the human body besides water.

YouTube

* Two crewman being turned into blocks.
* The key might be stimulating the Kelvans, and "It is green".
* D.C. Fontana tells the story of the creation of the dehydrated block idea. I don't think I'd ever seen or heard Fontana before, only read about her.