[Nate the Great]

December 15, 1967, "Obsession"

Plenty of ridiculous technobabble, but this is supposed to be a character piece. And it does that very well, even if there are plenty of logical hiccups. Although I do hate how often Trek goes with the Ahab-like plot of wanting to destroy the enemy no matter the cost.

Part One, by the way.

Transcript
Fiver (by Nic)
Memory Alpha

The Episode

CHAPEL: Transfusion completed, sir. His pulse and respiration are still far below normal.
MCCOY: Give him one cc of cordazine, nurse.
CHAPEL: Yes, sir.

Memory Alpha lists several other appearances of cordrazine, almost always used as a stimulant. Given the hesitation shown in "The City on the Edge of Forever" and the almost routine nature of it now and in the future, I do wonder if McCoy dedicated himself to finding a safer version of the stuff after experiencing it in "City." Perhaps he managed to perfect a synthetic, purer version with fewer side effects.

SPOCK: I've scanned for that element, Captain. There's no trace of dikironium on the planet surface or in the atmosphere.
KIRK: Suppose it camouflaged itself. Let's assume that it's intelligent, that it knows we're looking for it.
SPOCK: To hide from a sensor scan, it would have to be able to change its molecular structure, like gold changing itself to lead or wood changing itself to ivory.

One, the way Kirk feeds his obsession by expanding parameters until he hears what he needs to hear is a good touch. Two, there are ways to hide from sensor scans without resorting to alchemy. I expect better from Spock.

KIRK: Are you the new security officer?
GARROVICK: Yes, sir.
KIRK: Was your father...
GARROVICK: Yes, sir, but I don't expect any special treatment on that account.
KIRK: You'll get none aboard this ship, Mister.

I jolly well hope nepotism is dead by the 23rd century. That was a bit of a leap on Garrovick's part, wasn't it? Kirk could've finished that line any number of ways. Was your father...the first man to traverse every corridor on a starship on roller skates? The one billionth customer served by Monolith Burger (props to whoever gets this reference without looking it up)? The designer of those atrocious white uniforms Starfleet says we're all going to have to start wearing in a few years? The guy who put the bomp in the bomp bomp ba bomp? Etc.

Captain's log, stardate 3619.6. One of the men in critical condition, the other is dead. And I, I am now even more convinced that this is not only an intelligent creature, but the same which decimated the crew of the USS Farragut eleven years ago in another part of the galaxy.

And yet again we act like the entire galaxy has at least been traversed if not completely charted. Cue "series bible" remarks here. One wonders how long it would've taken Voyager to get home at TOS speeds!

Surely Kirk could've said "X sectors from here" and given me less ammunition. "Sector" is an awfully broad term that can cover any number of nits.

MCCOY: Ensign, did you sense any intelligence in this gaseous cloud?
GARROVICK: Did I what, sir?
MCCOY: Did you get any subconscious impressions that this was a creature. A living, thinking thing, rather than just a strange cloud of chemical elements?
GARROVICK: No, sir.

You seem to be mixing up "intelligent" and "alive", Bones. And if you want to get particularly nitpicky, "gaseous cloud" is terribly redundant.

SCOTT: Captain, while we're waiting I've taken the liberty of cleaning the radioactive disposal vent on number two impulse engine, but we'll be ready to leave orbit in under half an hour.

What? Now? You reduced the ship to maneuvering thrusters only on your own initiative? Putting aside this cloud that may or may not be alive and/or malevolent, you've got vaccines to deliver!

SPOCK: I need your advice.
MCCOY: Then I need a drink.

Great couplet. It's a shame later series never had a comedy duo like McCoy and Spock.

KIRK [OC]: Personal log, stardate 3620.7. Have I the right to jeopardise my crew, my ship for a feeling I can't even put into words? No man achieves Starfleet command without relying on intuition, but have I made a rational decision? Am I letting the horrors of the past distort my judgment of the present?

One wonders about the Vulcan captain of the Intrepid. Jokes aside, this is another great example of how Kirk's a good character. He's not the sanitized, perfect, boring future human Gene was always banging on about.

MCCOY: Jim, When a young officer is exposed to unknown dangers for the first time, he's under tremendous emotional stress. Now we all know that.

And that's when potential officers are separated from future redshirts. Law of the space jungle and all that.

MCCOY: Am I? I was speaking of Lieutenant James T. Kirk of the starship Farragut. Eleven years ago, you were the young officer at the phaser station when something attacked. According to the tapes, this young Lieutenant Kirk insisted upon blaming himself.
KIRK: Because I delayed in firing at it.
MCCOY: You had a normal emotion. You were startled. You delayed firing for a grand total of perhaps two seconds.
KIRK: If I hadn't delayed, it would have been killed.

Yikes, if we all tortured ourselves for the rest of our lives over two second mistakes, nobody would ever get anything done! I don't understand how Kirk can lead wave after wave of redshirts to early graves without a twinge of guilt, yet still beat himself up over things like this.

KIRK: I can't help how I feel. There's an intelligence about it, Bones. A malevolence. It's evil. It must be destroyed.

So now we've jumped from "lifeform" to "sentient lifeform" to "evil sentient lifeform" without evidence. Not that it makes much difference in the long run (this thing doesn't seem to fit into the natural food chain or anything), but I thought I'd point it out.