Operation -- Annihilate!

The Enterprise is going to investigate what appears to be a very slow-moving viral form of mass-hysteria which has, over centuries, brought several thriving civilizations on many different planets down. Spock reviews the epidemiology of the phenomenon at the beginning of the episode, revealing that the trajectory of the epidemic places a Federation colony directly in its path. Sam Kirk, his wife and their son, live in this colony.

Captain Kirk is directly affected by his family's involvement in all of this, and Shatner does a very nice job of portraying a captain whose professionalism and rational judgment are threatened, and whose usual rational support structure (Spock) is also imperiled and unavailable. In a scene which was, unfortunately underexploited by the mediocre script, Dr. McCoy rises to the occasion and, surprisingly, fills both his usual role and that of the great first officer.

Herschel Daugherty directs this memorable episode of TOS, and does an admirable job with a somewhat weak script. The Stephen Carabatsos script creates some problems for the acting (particularly Nimoy, Barrett and Kelley), and - like his previous effort "Court Martial" - makes the pace a bit inconsistent. Kelley and Shatner are truly remarkable despite these challenges.

The episode also uses setting very nicely, with a very minimal use of backdrops and carefully chosen locations for rare open air shots. Additionally, Spock's character is very nicely examined, the developing rivalry and friendship between McCoy and Spock is enhanced, and the powerful - though unresolved - relationship between Christine Chapel and Spock begins. Finally, this (and the great earlier City on the Edge of Forever)is one of the first episodes to exploit the (unfortunately largely overlooked and unrecognized) subtlety of William Shatner's acting ability by placing Kirk's personal life in the way of his professional practice. This became a major theme as the series continued into its 2nd and 3rd seasons.

We sadly learn of the death of Kirk's brother, wife, and son. They have been victimized by an influx of rubbery creatures that latch on to their victims and do in their central nervous systems. Kirk vows to find a solution to this problem. Spock is investigating the things but fails to check out his surroundings. As he walks under an archway, one of the creatures, previously stuck to a wall, flies through the air and settles on his back. He is immediately overcome with excruciating pain. The crew is able to stun one of the creatures and it is brought to Dr. McCoy for analysis. McCoy tries every kind of approach he can think of from poisons to heat to shooting and stabbing but nothing works. It is when they realize that one of the victims said as he approached the sun that he was free that they try one last thing: light. The remainder of the episode involves their efforts to test their light theory, being stopped short because to do this, you need a host that has been assaulted by this creature. It is the quest for such a host and more tests that make the conclusion quite interesting.

When the Enterprise arrives at the planet Deneva they discover the population has been attacked by creatures with the ability to control humans using pain as a motivator.

There are a number of things to recommend about this episode which, in lesser hands, could easily have turned into just another dull exercise in sci-fi mediocrity. The futuristic architecture of the Denevan capital for one is a fine example of the show's use of outdoor locations. The striking design of the place (which is actually the old TRW Defense & Space Group Campus in Renondo Beach, CA. and thanks to Maverick-154 for that info) is vivid, well constructed and definitely a cut above the usually unconvincing indoor sets that producers so often had to make due with.

The alien invaders in the story (resembling some sort of pulsating tumors) are quite repellent, especially with the sound effects enhancement of insect buzzing and repulsive sucking noises. Certainly an unpleasant thing to have landing on you- which is exactly what happens to Mr. Spock here and the viewer feels real sympathy for him as he suffers with the pain of the alien infection. At the same time however we eye him with suspicion as he may just become another unwilling slave to the alien invaders and threaten the safety of the ship. Spock eventually calls upon all the Vulcan will he can muster to contain the alien influence, and here it becomes especially interesting to watch all the little indications of his inner struggle for control. His sporadic facial twitches, an especially stiff gate when he walks, and his fluctuating vocal tones all clearly indicate he's engaged in an internal war. Plus, with Spock being the type of character he is, you understand it's a struggle to maintain personal dignity as well as his self control.

Also worth noting is the inclusion in the story of Kirk's sister-in-law, nephew, Peter, and his brother, Sam, the only family members Kirk ever encountered during the 3 year run of the "Star Trek" series. Sam- or rather Sam's body as he's already dead when Kirk arrives on the scene- is also played by William Shatner wearing a little mustache.

One of the more compelling aspects of this story is the way the characters are faced with making difficult choices that will be costly for some but may accomplish the greater good for all, and this is very much a recurring "Star Trek" theme. Unable to find a method of destroying the alien presence on Deneva, Kirk must consider the cold blooded option of annihilating every living thing on the planet (including Spock and his own nephew) in order to keep the aliens from invading other worlds. When they hit upon a method by which they might destroy the creatures with intensely bright light, Spock volunteers to test that method knowing it may come at the cost of his eyesight. This story is not just about icky space creatures. It's also about moral conflict and brave sacrifice, and it's a most interesting episode all around with a terrific emotional payoff that's worth waiting for.

If anyone doesn't see the similarities to RA Heinlein's Puppet Masters, well, I don't know what to say.

User commentator a_l_i_e_n from Canada does great job of summarizing plot of this episode.

Of interest to me is his comment "The futuristic architecture of the Denovan capital for example is a fine example of the show's use of outdoor locations. The art direction here is vivid, well constructed and definitely a cut above the usually unconvincing indoor sets they so often had to make due with."

In fact the location of this episode's set was the old TRW Defense and Space Systems Group campus in Redondo Beach, CA at Avaiation Blvd and Marine Ave (also adjacent, and just N. of old Redondo HS campus) where I used to work in the late 70s. It was called Space Park or Research Park (address was 1 Space Park, RB, CA) back then. The flight of concrete stairs they come down at beginning of episode was the path to the cafeteria/lecture presentation area. Rest of set (where creatures were stuck to walls and ceiling) was in a typical indoor waiting area in most any of the many architecturally stylish buildings on that campus.