Who Mourns for Adonais?

2x02 Amok Time The Changeling Star Trek: The Original SeriesSeason 2

 WRITTEN BY

Gilbert Ralston

 DIRECTED BY

Marc Daniels

 AIRED ON

September 22, 1967

 RUNTIME

50 minutes

 STARRING

 VIEWS

242

 LAST UPDATE

2024-09-18 21:01:38

 PAGE VERSION

Version 6

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0

 DISLIKES

1

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 STORY

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 BEHIND THE SCENES

• Classical Mythology Inspiration: The episode draws heavily from Greek mythology, specifically focusing on the idea that ancient gods could have been powerful extraterrestrials. Apollo, the main antagonist, was played by Michael Forest, who brought a commanding presence to the role. His godlike powers are revealed as advanced alien technology, a common theme in the series where myth and legend are explained scientifically.
• Filming Michael Forest’s Costume: Michael Forest’s portrayal of Apollo required him to wear a toga-like costume, which some crew members found amusing given its revealing nature. Forest himself reportedly joked that his costume left very little to the imagination. Due to the cold studio, they had to constantly warm him up between takes to avoid goosebumps, which would have been noticeable on camera.
• Production Challenges: The Giant Hand: One of the iconic visual elements of the episode is a giant green hand that grabs the Enterprise in space. This was achieved using early special effects techniques. The hand was a practical effect, a large model filmed separately and composited into the shots with the starship. At the time, the effect was considered quite ambitious, though modern audiences may find it somewhat dated.
• Behind-the-Scenes: Leonard Nimoy’s On-Set Role: Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, was reportedly more than just an actor on set. While making this episode, he assisted with some of the technical aspects of production. Nimoy had an interest in special effects and camera work, which led him to occasionally offer suggestions to the crew on how to stage shots, including those involving the giant hand.
• Cultural Commentary on Religion: Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek's creator, was known for incorporating deeper messages into the show. In "Who Mourns for Adonais?", the crew's rejection of Apollo reflects Roddenberry's personal views on religion and humanity’s independence from the divine. He believed that humans should rely on themselves and not on deities, a theme that comes across as Kirk defies Apollo and claims that humanity has no need for gods anymore.
• Shatner’s Speech: Human Evolution and Independence: Captain Kirk’s speech to Apollo, where he declares that humanity no longer needs gods, is one of William Shatner's memorable moments in the episode. Shatner has stated in interviews that these kinds of speeches were particularly important to him, as they allowed his character to deliver the moral or philosophical heart of the episode.
• Michael Forest’s Return in Star Trek Continues: Decades after playing Apollo in this episode, Michael Forest reprised the role in Star Trek Continues, a fan-created continuation of the original series. The episode, titled "Pilgrim of Eternity" (2013), explores Apollo's fate and offers closure for his character, showing the lasting impact of his role on Star Trek fans.
• Possible Title Misunderstanding: The episode's title "Who Mourns for Adonais?" references Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, Adonais, which is an elegy for the poet John Keats. However, some have speculated that the title was not clearly understood by the audience at the time, as the classical reference to "Adonais" was obscure. The producers reportedly debated whether to change the title to something more accessible but decided to keep it.
• Fan Reception and Legacy: Though the episode received mixed reviews upon its original airing, it has since become a beloved part of Star Trek lore. Fans have often commented on the episode’s unique blend of science fiction and mythology, and Apollo’s character has inspired discussions about the relationship between gods and mortals in various online forums and conventions.

 QUOTES

Chekov: Am I seeing things?
Sulu: Not unless I am, too. Captain, that thing's a giant hand.

Apollo: Captain Kirk, I invite you and your officers to join me. But do not bring that one, the one with the pointed ears. He is much like Pan, and Pan always bored me. No sad faces. This is a time to rejoice, not to fear.

Spock: Verbose, isn't he?
Kirk: Insulted, Spock?
Spock: Insults are effective only where emotion is present.

Apollo: Search your most distant memories, those of the thousands of years past, and I am there. Your fathers knew me, and your father's fathers. I am Apollo.
Chekov: And I am the tsar of all the Russias.

McCoy: To coin a phrase... fascinating.

Kirk: Analysis. Lieutenant Palamas, what do you know about Apollo?
Carolyn: Apollo, twin brother of Artemis, son of the god Zeus and Leto, a mortal. He was the god of light and purity. He was skilled in the bow and lyre.

Apollo: Agamemnon was one such as you, and Hercules. Pride and arrogance. They defied me until they felt my wrath.
Scott: I would like to point out that we are quite capable of some wrath ourselves.

Chekov: Sir, some creatures can generate and control energy with no harm to themselves. The electric eel on Earth, the giant dry worm of Antos Four, the fluffy
McCoy: Not the whole encyclopaedia, Chekov.
Chekov: The captain requires complete information.
McCoy: Spock's contaminating this boy, Jim.

Carolyn: He wants us to live in peace. He wants to provide for us. He'll give us everything we ever wanted, and he can do it, too.
Kirk: All right, Lieutenant, you can come down from Mount Olympus now. You've got work to do.

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 REVIEWS

A giant (and sexist) hand

Written by Pike on 2019-05-02
★

Two things.

First, the episode is ridiculous. When you suddenly see a giant green hand in the middle of Space, you can be the episode will be awful. Then, a giant face appears and here comes Apollo. I would have preferred to see the opponent from Rocky, at least that would have been funny.
Here, everything is dull, boring and unbelievable.

Second, the episode is sexist from the beginning to the end. In the beginning, Kirk thinks that the character of Carolyn may end up with Scotty and already knows that he'll be losing a lieutenant. Oh, well...
But when the crew is on the planet, the sexism only grows, with sentences like "You are wise for a woman."

Actually, a third thing. In the beginning of the episode, the crew on deck is yet again shaken and falling on the floor, etc. At what point will they finally start implementing safety belts? I find it funny that they do galactic wars without wearing any equipment nor safety belts.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Awful.

 TRANSCRIPT

[Bridge]
CAROLYN: Here's the report on Pollux Five, Captain. This entire system has been almost the same. A strange lack of intelligent life on the planets. It bugs the percentages.
KIRK: Bugs the? Well, carry out the standard procedures on Pollux Four.
CAROLYN: Aye, sir.
MCCOY: Lieutenant, you look a bit tired this morning.
CAROLYN: Well, I was up all night working on this report, sir.
SCOTT: Well in that case, there's nothing like a wee bit of coffee to get you back in shape. Join me, Carolyn?
CAROLYN: All right, Scotty. Just let me give this to Mister Spock.
KIRK: Bones, could you get that excited over a cup of coffee?
MCCOY: Even from here I can tell his pulse rate's up.
SCOTT: Gentlemen. Come along, my dear.
MCCOY: I'm not sure I like that, Jim.
KIRK: Why, Bones? Scotty's a good man.
MCCOY: And he thinks he's the right man for her, but I'm not sure she thinks he's the right man. On the other hand, she's a woman. All woman. One day she'll find the right man and off she'll go, out of the service.
KIRK: I like to think of it not so much losing an officer as gaining
SCOTT: Come along.
(He and Carolyn enter the turbolift.)
KIRK: Actually, I'm losing an officer.
CHEKOV: Entering standard orbit around Pollux Four, sir.
KIRK: Cartographic Detail, stand by.
UHURA: Standing by, sir.
KIRK: Preliminary reports, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Pollux Four. Class M type planet, oxygen and nitrogen atmosphere. Sensors indicate no life forms. Approximate age four billion years. Judged no reason for contact. In all respects, quite ordinary, Captain.
KIRK: Cartographic Sections, implement standard orders.
UHURA: All cartographic standards full automatic.
SULU: Captain?
MCCOY: What in the name of?
(Where there was originally an image of a nice blue and white planet there is now a .... hand?)
KIRK: Analysis, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Momentarily.
CHEKOV: Am I seeing things?
SULU: Not unless I am, too. Captain, that thing's a giant hand.
KIRK: What is it, Mister Spock? Is it a hand?
SPOCK: Negative, Captain. Not living tissue.
KIRK: A trick, then? A projection?
SPOCK: Not a projection, sir. A field of energy.
KIRK: Hard about.
SULU: Hard about. We can't seem to get away from it.
UHURA: It's almost as if it means to grab us.
KIRK: Reverse all engines.
SULU: All engines reverse.
(Everyone is thrown forward as the ship is grabbed by the hand and stopped in its tracks.)
SULU: We're dead still, Captain. Helm doesn't answer. We can't move.

Captain's log, stardate 3468.1. While approaching Pollux Four, a planet in the Beta Geminorum system, the Enterprise has been stopped in space by an unknown force of some kind.

[Bridge]

KIRK: Lieutenant, relay our position and circumstances to Starbase Twelve immediately.
UHURA: Aye, aye, sir.
KIRK: Mister Sulu try rocking the ship. Full impulse power forward and back.
SULU: Aye, aye, sir.
UHURA: Damage report coming in, Captain. Situation under control. Minor damage, stations three, seven, and nineteen.
MCCOY: Sickbay reports five minor injuries, all being treated.
KIRK: Thank you. Mister Sulu?
SULU: Applying thrust, sir. No results, Captain. We're stuck tight.
KIRK: Mister Spock. Status.
SPOCK: The ship is almost completely encircled by the field. It resembles a conventional force field but on unusual wavelengths. Despite its appearance, that of a human appendage, it is definitely not living tissue. It is energy.
KIRK: Thank you. Mister Sulu. Our forward tractor beams, adjust to repel.
SULU: Aye, aye, sir. Standing by.
KIRK: Activate.
SULU: Ineffective, Captain. There doesn't seem to be anything to push against.
SPOCK: Captain, a most curious development on scanner five seven.
KIRK: Let's all take a look at it, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Screen on, Captain.
(Now a face appears in space, a male human wearing a laurel wreath.)
UHURA: Activity on hailing channel three, sir.
KIRK; Put it on audio, Lieutenant.
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: The eons have passed and what has been written has come about. You are most welcome, my beloved children. Your places await you.
KIRK: Response frequencies, Lieutenant.
UHURA: Calculated. Channel open, sir.
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: You have left your plains and valleys and made this bold venture. So it was in the beginning. You have made me proud. Now you can rest.
KIRK: This is Captain James T. Kirk, commanding the USS Enterprise. Please identify yourself.
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: We shall remember together. We shall drink the sacramental wine. There shall be the music of the pipes. The long wait has ended.
KIRK: Are you responsible for stopping the ship?
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: Yes. I caused the wind to withdraw from your sails.
KIRK: Give it back, then we'll talk.
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: It has been five thousand years. Have you learned no patience in that time?
KIRK: I don't know who or what you are, but I must warn you we have the power to defend ourselves. If you value your safety, release this ship.
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: You have the same fire. How like your fathers you are. Agamemnon, Hector, Odysseus.
KIRK: Never mind the history lesson. Release the ship!
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: You will obey me, lest I close my hand thus.
SCOTT: External pressure building up, Captain. Eight hundred GSC and climbing.
KIRK: Compensate.
SCOTT: One thousand GSC and climbing. (The crew react to increasing air pressure) Becoming critical, Captain. We can't handle it.
KIRK: All right! Whatever you're doing, turn it off! You win!
SCOTT: Pressure is gone, Captain. Space normal on hull.
APOLLO [on viewscreen]: hat was your first lesson. Remember it. Captain Kirk, I invite you and your officers to join me. But do not bring that one, the one with the pointed ears. He is much like Pan, and Pan always bored me. No sad faces. This is a time to rejoice, not to fear. You are returning home. Let your hearts prepare to sing.
KIRK: Let's go, Bones. You in good voice?
MCCOY: Sure it's wise, Jim?
KIRK: If we don't accept his invitation, we'll have a crushed eggshell where this ship used to be.
SPOCK: Verbose, isn't he?
KIRK: Insulted, Spock?
SPOCK: Insults are effective only where emotion is present.
KIRK: Good. We'll tackle him together. We already know the questions. You're the best man to find the answers.

[Temple]

(Kirk, Scott, Chekov, McCoy and Lt Carolyn Palamas beam down into a lightly wooded area in front of a Greek temple.)
KIRK: Tricorders.
CAROLYN: What am I doing down here, Doctor?
MCCOY: Well, you're the A and A officer, aren't you? Archaeology, anthropology, ancient civilisations.
CAROLYN: Correct.
MCCOY: We're going to need help in all those areas.
KIRK: Come on.
(Apollo is sitting on a throne, lyre by his feet)
APOLLO: My children, long have I waited for this moment. The memories you bring of your lush and beautiful Earth, the green fields and blue skies, the simple shepherds and their flocks.
KIRK: You know of Earth? You've been there?
APOLLO: Once I stretched out my hand, and Earth trembled. And I breathed upon it, and spring returned.
KIRK: You mentioned Agamemnon, Hector, Odysseus. How do you know about them?
APOLLO: Search your most distant memories, those of the thousands of years past, and I am there. Your fathers knew me, and your father's fathers. I am Apollo.
CHEKOV: And I am the tsar of all the Russias.
KIRK: Mister Chekov.
CHEKOV: I'm sorry, Captain. I never met a god before.
KIRK: And you haven't yet. Readings, Doctor.
MCCOY: Simple humanoid, Captain.
KIRK: Evidently not so simple.
APOLLO: Earth, mother of the most beautiful of women in the universe. That at least has not changed. I am pleased. Yes, my children. Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis. A gallant band of travellers. We knew your Earth well, five thousand of your years ago.
KIRK: All right. We're here at your invitation. Would you mind telling us what you want without all the Olympian generalities?
APOLLO: You will not leave this place.
KIRK: Transporter room.
APOLLO: Your transportation device no longer functions.
KIRK: Enterprise, come in.
APOLLO: I will not permit that device to work, either, Captain.
KIRK: What is it you want?
APOLLO: You will worship me, as your fathers did before you.
KIRK: If you want to play god and call yourself Apollo, that's your business, but you're no god to us, Mister.
APOLLO: I said you would worship me.
KIRK: And you've got a lot to learn!
APOLLO: And so have you! Let the lesson begin! (Apollo grows as tall as his temple.) Welcome to Olympus, Captain Kirk.

[Bridge]

(Enterprise is still held by the hand.)
UHURA: Mister Spock, I can't contact the landing party. All frequencies are jammed.
SPOCK: Try to break through it, Lieutenant.
UHURA: Aye, sir.
KYLE: Transporter and communications?
SPOCK: Very efficient. Mister Sulu, rig all transmission circuits for maximum power generation. Compute for reversal of polarity of the field around the ship.
SULU: Working, sir.
SPOCK: Lieutenant Kyle, I want a complete sensor scan of the planet.
KYLE: Aye sir.
SPOCK: Locate all the lifeforms. I want to know what's going on down there.

[Temple]

(The giant Apollo suddenly looks weary, and vanishes.)
MCCOY: To coin a phrase, fascinating.
KIRK: Analysis. Lieutenant Palamas, what do you know about Apollo?
CAROLYN: Apollo, twin brother of Artemis, son of the god Zeus and Leto, a mortal. He was the god of light and purity. He was skilled in the bow and lyre.
KIRK: And this thing? (the temple)
CAROLYN: Obviously he has some knowledge of Earth. His classical references and the appearance of all this.
KIRK: I think the appearance of this is for our benefit. Bones?
MCCOY: I can't say much till I check our these readings. He looks human, but of course that doesn't mean a thing.
CHEKOV: Whatever he is, he seems to control a remarkable technology.
SCOTT: Power is what he controls. You can't do tricks like that without energy.
KIRK: Fine, but what power, and where is it? Scout around with your tricorders. Find the source of that power. Bones.
(Scott, Chekov and Carolyn wander off.)
MCCOY: Yes?
KIRK: Bones, I wonder if five thousand years ago
MCCOY: You have a theory?
KIRK: I have an idea. What if he is really Apollo?
MCCOY: What?
CAROLYN: Captain.
(Apollo is back on his throne.)
APOLLO: I want from you that which is rightfully mine. Your loyalty, your tribute, and your worship.
MCCOY: May I ask what you offer in exchange for this worship?
APOLLO: Life in paradise. As simple and as pleasureful as it was those thousands of years ago on that beautiful planet so far away.
KIRK: Apollo, we're willing to talk, but you'll find we don't bow to every creature who happens to have a bag of tricks.
APOLLO: Agamemnon was one such as you, and Hercules. Pride and arrogance. They defied me until they felt my wrath.
SCOTT: I would like to point out that we are quite capable of some wrath ourselves.
KIRK: I have four hundred and thirty people on that ship up there.
APOLLO: No, you do not, Captain. They are mine. To save, to cherish, or to destroy at my will.
CAROLYN: But why? What you've said so far makes no sense at all.
APOLLO: How like Aphrodite and Athena. The beauty, grace. And you seem wise for a woman. What is your name?
CAROLYN: Lieutenant Palamas.
APOLLO: I mean your name.
CAROLYN: Carolyn.
APOLLO: Carolyn. Yes. You are beautiful. You would do Aphrodite credit. I will tell you a thousand tales, stories of courage and love. You will know what it is to be a goddess.
SCOTT: Leave her alone.
APOLLO: You protest? You risk much.
SCOTT: And so do you.
(Scott draws his phaser and Apollo blasts it out of his hand with a point of his finger. Chekov finds his phaser doesn't work.)
KIRK: Scotty. (picks up the twisted and melted weapon) Very impressive. How'd you do it?
APOLLO: I've grown weary of discussion and argument.
CHEKOV: Captain, the phasers. All the working parts are fused.
APOLLO: None of your toys will function. Yes. You are a beauty. But like Artemis, the bow arm should be bare.
(He waves his hand and her clothes turn into Greek-style draperies, with her hair piled very tall.)
CAROLYN: Oh, it's beautiful.
APOLLO: Yes. Come. (he takes her hand and leads her away)
SCOTT: She's not going with you.
(Scott gets thrown over a table with a flick of the wrist.)
APOLLO: He shall learn the discipline of the temple. So shall you all. Come.
CAROLYN: It's all right, Captain. I'll go.
APOLLO: Without fear. She is fit indeed.
(They both vanish as they walk away.)
KIRK: Bones, how is he?
MCCOY: Stunned but coming around. I'm not sure it's wise to let her go off like that.
KIRK: He would have been rather difficult to stop.
MCCOY: You saw how capricious he is. Benevolent one minute, angry the next. One more wrong move from her and he could kill her.
KIRK: Mister Chekov, I think you'd better continue your investigation.
CHEKOV: Aye, aye, sir.
(leaves)
KIRK: How do you feel, Scotty?
SCOTT: I am tingling all over. Did he take her with him?
KIRK: It would seem so.
SCOTT: Captain, we've got to stop him. He wants her. The way he looks at her.
KIRK: Mister Scott, I understand your concern over her, but she volunteered to go with him, hopefully to find out more about him. She's doing her job. I think it's about time you started doing yours. We've got to find out the source of his power. You've got a tricorder. Use it if you're able to.
SCOTT: I'm able, sir.
KIRK: And one more thing. I want no more unauthorised action against Apollo or whatever he is. That's an order!
SCOTT: Aye, aye, sir.
KIRK: Besides, you stiff-necked thistle head, you could have gotten yourself killed.
SCOTT: Aye.
(leaves)
MCCOY: Scotty doesn't believe in gods.
KIRK: Apollo's no god. But he could have been taken for one, though, once. Say five thousand years ago, a highly sophisticated group of space travellers landed on Earth around the Mediterranean.
MCCOY: Yes. To the simple shepherds and tribesmen of early Greece, creatures like that would have been gods.
KIRK: Especially if they had the power to alter their form at will and command great energy. In fact, they couldn't have been taken for anything else.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Ready to reverse polarity, Mister Sulu?
SULU: Computed and standing by to generate, sir.
SPOCK: Activate all units.
(The ship jolts several times, but)
SULU: No good, Mister Spock. We didn't even faze it. We're still locked tight.
SPOCK: Cut power, Mister Sulu. Lieutenant, we must restore communications with the landing party.
UHURA: I'm working, sir, but I can't do anything with this.
SPOCK: Oh?
UHURA: I might be able to rig up a subspace bypass circuit.
SPOCK: Good. Do so. Sensor report, Mister Kyle.
KYLE: I've located the landing party, but one of them seems separated from the other four.
SPOCK: And Apollo?
KIRK: I've just picked up readings for our own people, sir.
SULU: Mister Spock, here's something. There seems to be a radiated energy pulsation coming from the planet. I don't know what it is, sir.
SPOCK: Origin?
SULU: I can't seem to pinpoint it.
SPOCK: I would suggest, Mister Sulu, if you cannot find out where the power source is, you should find out where it is not. A simple process of elimination.
SULU: The whole planet, sir? Yes, sir. The whole planet.

[Water's side]

(At a marble bench by a tranquil water scene.)
CAROLYN: Oh, it's lovely.
APOLLO: I've known other women. Daphne, Cassandra, but none more beautiful than you. Are you frightened of me?
CAROLYN: Frightened? No, I don't think so. Of course, a girl doesn't go walking with a
APOLLO: A god?
CAROLYN: All right, a god every day. What happened to the others? Artemis, Hera?
APOLLO: They returned to the cosmos on the wings of the wind.
CAROLYN: You mean they died?
APOLLO: No, not as you understand it. We're immortal, we gods. But the Earth changed. Your fathers changed. They turned away until we were only memories. A god cannot survive as a memory. We need love, admiration, worship, as you need food.
CAROLYN: You really think you're a god?
APOLLO: In a real sense, we were gods. We had the power of life and death. We could have struck out from Olympus and destroyed. We have no wish to destroy, so we came home again. It was an empty place without worshippers, but we had no strength to leave, so we waited, all of us, through the long years.
CAROLYN: But you said the others didn't die.
APOLLO: Even for a god, there's a point of no return. Hera was first. She stood in front of the temple and spread herself upon the wind, thinner and thinner, until only the wind remained. But I knew you would come. You striving, bickering, foolishly brave humans. I knew you would come to the stars one day. Of all the gods, I knew and I waited, waited for you to come and sit by my side.
CAROLYN: I don't understand.
APOLLO: Even five thousand years ago, the gods took mortals to them to love, to care for, like Zeus took Leto, my mother. We were gods of passion, of love.
(They kiss.)

[Temple]

CHEKOV: There is a repeated occurrence of registrations, a regular pulsating pattern of radiated energy.
SCOTT: Unquestionably, an immensely powerful field of energy is being generated around here somewhere. We're just having difficulty focusing on it.
KIRK: Apollo has no difficulty focusing. He taps that energy, Mister Scott.
CHEKOV: Sir, some creatures can generate and control energy with no harm to themselves. The electric eel on Earth, the giant dry worm of Antos Four, the fluffy
MCCOY: Not the whole encyclopaedia, Chekov.
CHEKOV: The captain requires complete information.
MCCOY: Spock's contaminating this boy, Jim.
KIRK: Are you suggesting that he, Apollo, taps a flow of energy and channels it through his body?
CHEKOV: That would seem most likely, sir.
KIRK: Mister Chekov, I think you've earned your pay for the week. But where is the source of that power?
MCCOY: Number one on our list of things to do.
KIRK: Is that all you have to offer?
MCCOY: Yes, except my estimation for his physical condition. In spite of Apollo's bag of tricks, he comes up essentially normal with just a few variations. However, there's an extra organ in his chest that I can't even make a guess about.
KIRK: Bones, is it possible
MCCOY: Jim.
(Apollo walks back in out of thin air.)
KIRK: Where's Lieutenant Palamas?
APOLLO: She is no longer of any concern to you.
SCOTT: You bloodthirsty Saracen, what have you done with her?
(Scott picks up a statuette and rushes at Apollo. He gets another finger blast of electricity for his effort.)
KIRK: Scotty!
MCCOY: Not good. Severe shock.
KIRK: All right, mister. You wanted worshippers? You've got enemies. You want us to bow down, you'll have to
(Kirk clutches his throat and falls to the ground, choking.)
APOLLO: You will learn discipline. You will learn
(Again, he suddenly becomes tired and vanishes.)
MCCOY: Chekov, give me a hand.
KIRK: Take care of Scotty.
CHEKOV: Are you all right, Captain?
KIRK: Where's Apollo?
CHEKOV: He disappeared again like the cat in that Russian story.
KIRK: Don't you mean the English story, the Cheshire Cat?
CHEKOV: Cheshire? No, sir. Minsk perhaps, but
KIRK: All right, all right, all right.
CHEKOV: Sir, there is something I noticed. Apollo looked very strange when he disappeared, tired or in pain. I don't know if it means anything.
KIRK: Very good, Mister Chekov. That might very well mean something.
MCCOY: How do you feel?
SCOTT: I can't get my arm to move.
MCCOY: Some neural damage.
KIRK: We've got to get out of here.
CHEKOV: How?
KIRK: Well, let's assume that five thousand years ago creatures like our friend Apollo did indeed visit Earth and form the basis of the Greek classic myths.
MCCOY: Makes sense.
KIRK: Most mythology has its basis in fact. If I remember my ancient legends, the gods, after expending energy, required rest, even as we humans.
CHEKOV: And Apollo's gone, after attacking you and Mister Scott. You think maybe he's off somewhere recharging his energy cells?
KIRK: Something like that. Remember, he's keeping a force field on the ship and he's expending energy down here. You said he looked pained and tired when he disappeared. If we can wear him out, overwork him, that might do it.
MCCOY: The trouble with overworking him is that it can get us killed.
KIRK: If we can provoke him so that he strikes one of us again, there's a chance that he'll be drained enough so the rest of us can jump him.
MCCOY: I still say it can get us killed.
KIRK: Not all of us, Bones. When he comes back, it's a chance we'll have to take.

[Bridge]

(Uhura is underneath the communications station, doing some soldering.)
SPOCK: Progress report.
UHURA: I'm connecting the bypass circuit now, sir. It should take another half hour.
SPOCK: Speed is essential, Lieutenant.
UHURA: Mister Spock, I haven't done anything like this in years. If it isn't done just right, I could blow the entire communications system. It's very delicate work, sir.
SPOCK: I can think no one better equipped to handle it, Miss Uhura. Please proceed.
UHURA: Yes, sir. Right away.
SPOCK: Progress, Mister Sulu?
SULU: Sectors one through twenty five charted and examined. No chance at all of power originating in those areas.
SPOCK: Continue the search.
SULU: Aye, sir. Fourteen B by twenty six index.
SPOCK: Mister Kyle.
KYLE: Yes, sir.
SPOCK: We're unable to break completely loose from this force field, but we might be able to punch some holes through it.
KYLE: What for, sir?
SPOCK: To shoot through. It might also relieve Lieutenant Uhura's communications problem. Take these equations to the nuclear electronics lab. I want them to work on the problem of negating the force field in selected areas. That might be done by generating a strong pinpoint charge of M-rays on some of these selected wave lengths and tying them in with the combined output of all our engines.
KYLE: Right away, sir.

[Temple]

(Apollo reappears on his throne, Carolyn standing by his side.)
APOLLO: Come here! I know you're trying to escape me. It's useless. I know everything you do. I tried to be compassionate toward your kind.
KIRK: You know nothing about our kind. You know only our remote ancestors who trembled before your tricks. Your tricks don't frighten us, neither do you. We've come a long way in five thousand years.
APOLLO: But you're of the same nature. I could sweep you out of existence with a wave of my hand and bring you back again. I can give life or death. What else does mankind demand of its gods?
KIRK: Mankind has no need for gods. We find the one quite adequate.
APOLLO: We shall not debate, mortal. I offer you eternal rest and happiness according to the ancient ways. I ask little in return, but what I ask for I insist upon. Approach me. (the four men turn their backs on him) I said approach me!
KIRK: We're busy. (quietly) Look after the girl.
APOLLO: You will gather laurel leaves, light the ancient fires, kill a deer, make your sacrifices to me. Apollo has spoken!
KIRK: Go! Gather laurel leaves? You must be joking!
ALL: Ha ha ha ha.
MCCOY: Kill a deer. That's the funniest thing I ever heard.
CAROLYN: Captain.
KIRK: Lieutenant, get back.
APOLLO: You shall reap the rewards of your insolence!
KIRK: We're tired of your phony fireworks!
APOLLO: Mortal, you have earned this!
CAROLYN: No, don't!
KIRK: Lieutenant!
CAROLYN: A father doesn't destroy his children. You said you were gentle and understanding.
KIRK: Lieutenant!
CAROLYN: How can they worship you if you hurt them?
KIRK: Lieutenant.
CAROLYN: Apollo, please. (taking his hand) You know so much of love. Please don't hurt them. Please.
APOLLO: I shall be lenient with you, for her sake. You will make plans to bring the rest of your people down. Be sure your artisans bring tools. You will need homes.
KIRK: And you will supply the herds of sheep, and the pipes we'll play, and the simple skins we'll wear for clothes.
APOLLO: You will dismantle your ship for the supplies you need, and I'll crush its empty hull. I have been too patient. I shall be patient no longer.
(He disappears with Carolyn still holding his hand.)
SCOTT: Captain, we've got to do something!
KIRK: We were doing something until our brave lady stepped in and saved us.
MCCOY: Any more good ideas, Jim?
KIRK: Yes, I have. One more. And it depends on the lieutenant's loyalty. If she fails us, we'd better get used to herding goats.

[Water's side]

APOLLO: Fools. I offer them more than they could know. Not just a world, but all that makes it up. Man thinks he's progressed. They're wrong. He's merely forgotten those things which gave life meaning. You'll all be provided for, cared for, happy. There is an order of things in this universe. Your species has denied it. I come to restore it. And for you, because you have the sensitivity to understand, I offer you more than your wildest dreams have ever imagined. You'll become the mother of a new race of gods. You'll inspire the universe. All men will revere you almost as a god yourself. And I shall love you for time without end, worlds without end. You shall complete me, and I you.
(She embraces him happily.)

[Temple]

KIRK: Kirk to Enterprise, come in. Enterprise, come in. Kirk to Enterprise, come in. Kirk to
SCOTT: Carolyn. What's happened to her?
KIRK: Scotty, I'll find out.
CHEKOV: Perhaps if I assisted.
KIRK: How old are you?
CHEKOV: Twenty two, sir.
KIRK: Then I'd better handle it. (goes over to a very satisfied looking woman) You all right?
CAROLYN: Oh, yes, I'm all right. I have a message for you.
KIRK: Come over there. Well?
CAROLYN: He wants us to live in peace. He wants to provide for us. He'll give us everything we ever wanted, and he can do it, too.
KIRK: All right, Lieutenant, you can come down from Mount Olympus now. You've got work to do.
CAROLYN: I don't understand.
KIRK: He thrives on love, worship, attention.
CAROLYN: Yes?
KIRK: We can't give him that worship, none of us can. Especially you.
CAROLYN: What?
KIRK: Spurn him. Reject him. You must. You're special to him.
CAROLYN: Yes. I love him.
KIRK: Lieutenant. All our lives, here and on the ship, depend on you.
CAROLYN: No, not on me.
KIRK: On you, Lieutenant! Reject him, and we have a chance to save ourselves. Accept him, and you condemn all of us to slavery, nothing less than slavery. We might never get help this far out. Or perhaps the thought of spending an eternity bending knee and tending sheep appeals to you.
CAROLYN: Oh, but you don't understand. He's kind, and he wants the best for us. And he's so lonely. What you ask would break his heart. How can I?
KIRK: Give me your hand. Your hand. (she does) Now feel that. Human flesh against human flesh. We're the same. We share the same history, the same heritage, the same lives. We're tied together beyond any untying. Man or woman, it makes no difference. We're human. We couldn't escape from each other even if we wanted to. That's how you do it, Lieutenant. By remembering who and what you are. A bit of flesh and blood afloat in a universe without end. The only thing that's truly yours is the rest of humanity. That's where our duty lies. Do you understand me?
CAROLYN: Yes. Yes, I understand. He's calling me.
KIRK: Lieutenant. You have your orders and your duty.
CAROLYN: Yes, sir. My orders and my duty.
(She walks away slowly, looking back.)

[Bridge]

UHURA: I think we can try it now, sir. Enterprise to Captain Kirk. Enterprise to Captain Kirk. Come in, Captain.

[Temple]

KIRK: Kirk here.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Spock here, Captain.

[Temple]

(The rest of the men gather to listen)
SPOCK [OC]: We've pinpointed a power source on the planet's surface which seems to have something to do with the force field.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Is there a structure of some sort near you?

[Temple]

KIRK: There is indeed, Mister Spock.
SPOCK [OC]: The power emanates from there.
KIRK: Very good. How are you doing on the force field?

[Bridge]

SPOCK: We can negate sections of it, creating openings through which we can fire our phaser banks.

[Temple]

KIRK: Well, that ought to do it. Have Sulu lock all phaser banks onto the structure. Fire on my order only. Cut it fine. We'll be standing nearby.

]Bridge]

SPOCK: Captain. I would recommend a discreet distance.
KIRK [OC]: I'd love to oblige you, Mister Spock, but we're not all together. Besides, we have Apollo to deal with.

[Temple]

KIRK: If that structure is the source of his power, I want to know where he is when we attack it.

[Bridge]

KIRK [OC]: Kirk out.

[Temple]

KIRK: Bones, do you think that mysterious organ in Apollo's chest could have something to do with the transmission of energy?
MCCOY: Well, it doesn't serve any other purpose I know of.
SCOTT: Captain, we've got to wait until Carolyn comes back before we fire on the temple. We don't know what would happen to her if he was suddenly attacked. She might get killed.
KIRK: Yes, I know. I know. Scotty. We'll wait.

[Water's side]

(There's some very passionate kissing going on.)
CAROLYN: I must say, Apollo, the way you ape human behaviour is remarkable, but there are some other things I must know. Your evolutionary patterns and your social development.
APOLLO: My what?
CAROLYN: I'm sure they're unique. I've never encountered a specimen like you before.
APOLLO: I am Apollo. I've chosen you.
CAROLYN: I'm sure that's very flattering, but I must get on with my work now.
APOLLO: Your work?
CAROLYN: I'm a scientist. My particular specialty is ancient civilisations, relics, and myths. Surely you know I've only been studying you.
APOLLO: I don't believe it. You love me.
CAROLYN: Love you? Be logical. I'm not some simple shepherdess you can awe. Why, I could no more love you than I could love a new species of bacteria.
APOLLO: Carolyn! I forbid you to go. I order you to stay.
CAROLYN: Is that the secret of your power over women, the thunderbolts you throw?
(She walks away, and a strong wind begins to blow. Thunder rumbles.)

[Temple]

MCCOY: What the devil is that?
KIRK: (answers communicator) Kirk here.
SPOCK [OC]: Spock, Captain.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Sensors are picking up an atmospheric disturbance in your area.

[Temple]

KIRK: Stand by your phasers, Mister Spock. Prepare to fire on my signal. Kirk out.
SCOTT: Captain, we've got to go and find her!
KIRK: We've got to be here when he comes back.
SCOTT: But what if he doesn't. What if he
KIRK: Scotty, just hold on!
(Carolyn falls to the ground in the strong winds, and a giant image of Apollo looms over her amid the lightning flashes.)
SCOTT: Captain!
KIRK: All right. The temple is his power source. Let's bring him back to it. Get to cover. Mister Spock, fire those phasers.
SPOCK [OC]: Captain, you're too close.
KIRK: Fire those phasers! That's an order, Mister Spock!

[Bridge]

SULU: All phaser banks, fire!

[Temple]

(The white marble starts to glow pink under the phaser beams, and Apollo runs back.)
APOLLO: No! Stop! Stop, I say!

[Bridge]

(Enterprise shudders under his anger. There is no longer a hand holding the ship.)
SULU: All phaser banks, maintain firing rate!
SPOCK: More power to the shields.

[Temple]

APOLLO: Stop!
(Carolyn totters into view, and Scotty dashes to her.)
KIRK: Scotty!
APOLLO: Stop, I say! (the temple is now yellow) I command it!

[Bridge]

SPOCK: All banks maintain firing rate.
SULU: Maintaining, sir.

[Temple]

APOLLO: Stop! Stop! Stop!
(His lightning bolts end, and the temple dissolves into rubble. Scott helps Carolyn to her feet as Apollo walks around, surveying the ruins.)
APOLLO: I would have cherished you, cared for you. I would have loved you as a father loves his children. Did I ask so much?
KIRK: We've out grown you. You asked for something we could no longer give.
APOLLO: Carolyn, I loved you. I would have made a goddess of you. I've shown you my open heart. See what you've done to me.
(He becomes a giant.)
APOLLO: Zeus, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite. You were right. Athena, you were right. The time has passed. There is no room for gods. Forgive me, my old friends. Take me. Take me.
(And he disappears one last time. Carolyn cries.)
MCCOY: I wish we hadn't had to do this.
KIRK: So do I. They gave us so much. The Greek civilisation, much of our culture and philosophy came from a worship of those beings. In a way, they began the Golden Age. Would it have hurt us, I wonder, just to have gathered a few laurel leaves?

 HISTORY

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