Patterns of Force

2x21 Return to Tomorrow By Any Other Name Star Trek: The Original SeriesSeason 2

 WRITTEN BY

John Meredyth Lucas

 DIRECTED BY

Vincent McEveety

 AIRED ON

February 16, 1968

 RUNTIME

50 minutes

 STARRING

 VIEWS

250

 LAST UPDATE

2024-09-19 18:45:26

 PAGE VERSION

Version 8

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 BEHIND THE SCENES

• The Nazi Controversy: "Patterns of Force" stands out for its controversial subject matter, portraying a society that embraces the ideology and symbols of Nazi Germany. This made the episode a sensitive topic, especially in post-World War II Germany. As a result, the episode was banned in Germany for several decades and was only aired on German TV in 1996 with some censored content. Even today, it's considered one of the most provocative episodes due to its use of Nazi imagery.
• John Gill's Role: The character of John Gill, a Federation historian, played by David Brian, is at the center of the story. Gill is the one who introduces Nazi principles to the planet Ekos, believing that this organizational structure would quickly build a strong, efficient society. However, Gill's experiment goes horribly wrong when his underlings exploit these principles for their own gain. This episode serves as a critique of how even seemingly "good" intentions can lead to catastrophic consequences when authoritarian ideologies are adopted.
• Uniform Design: Costume designer William Ware Theiss created the Nazi uniforms worn by the characters in the episode. The level of detail in replicating these uniforms was remarkable and uncomfortable for many on set. The choice to replicate Nazi uniforms so precisely added to the overall controversy and shock value of the episode. Actor Leonard Nimoy (Spock) recalled that it was disturbing to walk around the set seeing people dressed in Nazi uniforms, even if it was for a fictional story.
• Guest Star Appearances: Actor Skip Homeier portrayed the antagonist, Melakon, the deputy führer of the Nazi regime on Ekos. Homeier was no stranger to playing Nazi-like roles, having previously appeared as a Nazi youth in films such as Tomorrow, the World! (1944) when he was a child actor. His casting added a layer of realism to his portrayal of the character, as he had prior experience with similar roles.
• German Reception and Censorship: As mentioned earlier, Patterns of Force was banned in Germany until the mid-1990s. Even when it was finally aired, it was heavily edited. The portrayal of Nazi symbols and ideologies, even in a critical light, was seen as too controversial and painful for a country that was still grappling with the aftermath of the war.
• Philosophical Themes: The episode explores themes of power, control, and how societies can be manipulated into following harmful ideologies. John Gill's decision to implement the Nazi system on Ekos was meant to demonstrate that even a seemingly efficient political system can be corrupted when human nature takes control. This ties into a larger philosophical debate about the dangers of authoritarianism and the potential for even well-intentioned leadership to lead to catastrophic results.
• Cultural Commentary: The episode is often viewed as a direct commentary on the perils of blind nationalism and fascism. In the 1960s, when this episode was made, the world was still very much influenced by the events of World War II, and Nazi Germany was a recent memory. The writers and creators of Star Trek used this episode to explore the dangers of fascism and authoritarianism in a sci-fi setting, but the real-world implications were clear.
• Makeup Mishap: There was a minor production hiccup involving William Shatner (Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Spock) during the filming of the scene where they are tortured and whipped by the Nazis. Both actors had to endure makeup that simulated injuries and lashes, and there were reports that the makeup took longer to apply than expected, delaying production slightly. Despite this, Shatner and Nimoy both performed the scene without major issues.
• Director’s Influence: The episode was directed by Vincent McEveety, who directed several other episodes of Star Trek. McEveety was known for his efficiency and ability to handle tense and action-packed scenes, making him a great choice for this controversial and intense episode.
• Comparisons to Real-World Regimes: Many fans and critics have drawn parallels between the Nazi regime on Ekos and other authoritarian governments from history. Some have even suggested that the episode indirectly referenced the growing concerns about authoritarianism during the Cold War, particularly in the Soviet Union and other dictatorial regimes of the 20th century.
• Gene Roddenberry’s Vision: Although Gene Roddenberry did not directly write or direct this episode, it still fits within his larger vision for Star Trek as a show that tackles real-world issues through allegory and science fiction. By placing a Nazi regime in a faraway galaxy, the writers could explore these themes in a way that was thought-provoking but not overly preachy.

 QUOTES

Officer: Lieutenant, what have we here? A Zeon?
Spock: Yes. Obviously he's not one of us. I captured him. Is that not correct procedure with enemies of the Fatherland?

Spock: Your uniform, Captain.
Kirk: Yes, it's a shame yours isn't as attractive as mine. Gestapo, I believe.
Spock: Quite correct. You should make a very convincing Nazi.

Daras: You mean that the Fuhrer is an alien?

Spock: Captain, I'm beginning to understand why you Earthmen enjoy gambling. No matter how carefully one computes the odds of success, there is still a certain exhilaration in the risk.
Kirk: Very good, Spock. We may make a human of you yet.
Spock: I hope not.

McCoy: Stupid computer made a mistake in the measurements. The right boot's too tight.
Spock: There is a logical way to proceed, Doctor. Point your toe, apply equal pressure to either side of the boot, and push. We have no time for emotionalism.

Kirk: Why did you interfere with this culture?
Gill: Planet fragmented. Divided. Took lesson from Earth history.
Kirk: But why Nazi Germany? You studied history. You knew what the Nazis were.
Gill: Most efficient state Earth ever knew.
Spock: Quite true, Captain. That tiny country, beaten, bankrupt, defeated, rose in a few years to stand only one step away from global domination.
Kirk: But it was brutal, perverted, had to be destroyed at a terrible cost. Why that example?
Spock: Perhaps Gill felt that such a state, run benignly, could accomplish its efficiency without sadism.
Kirk: Why, Gill? Why?
Gill: Worked. At first it worked. Then Melakon began take over.

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 REVIEWS

Space Nazis

Written by Pike on 2020-05-10
★ ★ ★ ★

Once again, a great episode where Kirk and Spock both explore a world that isn't made out of ridiculous creatures.

In this great episode, Kirk and Spock are dressed as civils (not for a while) on a planet resembling Earth. This starts in a very similar fashion as the best episode of the entire series: The City on the Edge of Forever (1x28).

NAZI PLANET
Soon after, they discover they are on a planet where Nazis are in power. Yes, there are Swastikas pretty much everywhere, including on the cameras, but it was done well and it worked.

WEAK CONCLUSION
The conclusion of the episode, though, is either dishonest or immature (or both?). In it, all the characters (including Spock and Kirk) agree on the same: the Nazi regime had a negative dimension in being a totalitarian regime, but it also made for a great renewal of Germany and therefore has roots of greatness.
This kind of fascination for the Nazis having rebuilt Germany is out of place to me. We've killed six million Jews, but hey, we created highways! I think this should have been greatly rewritten.

VERDICT
Still, the episode is fun to watch and I'm not the type to be shocked. It's Nazis in space, nothing more, nothing less. I give it 4 out of 5. Very good.

 TRANSCRIPT

[Bridge]
(The Enterprise is gliding past a red planet towards a blue one.)
SPOCK: Passing outer planet, Zeon.
KIRK: We want the inner one, Ekos. Plot a standard orbit, Mister Chekov, and take us in.
CHEKOV: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura, raise John Gill on Starfleet communications.
UHURA: Aye, aye, sir.
MCCOY: Starfleet's been trying for six months. If he's alive, isn't it unlikely that he'd receive us now?
KIRK: I don't know, Bones. We're here to find out what's happened because I don't know.
SPOCK: I never met John Gill, but I studied Earth history from the text he prepared.
KIRK: I knew him very well. He was my instructor at the Academy.
SPOCK: What impressed me most was his treatment of Earth history as causes and motivations rather than dates and events.
UHURA: Captain, no response on any Starfleet channel.
CHEKOV: Spacecraft approaching from inner planet.
KIRK: From Ekos?
SPOCK: Yes, but it must be a Zeon ship. Zeons do have a crude interplanetary capability. Reaction powered. A small rocket. It is on an intercept course. That would mean it has sophisticated detection devices which neither Zeon nor Ekos should have.
KIRK: Have you raised anyone, Lieutenant?
UHURA: Nothing, sir.
SPOCK: Captain, it's an unmanned probe which seems to be carrying a warhead.
KIRK: Stand by phasers.
CHEKOV: Phasers ready.
KIRK: Range, Mister Chekov?
CHEKOV: Two thousand kilometres, closing fast.
KIRK: Fire.
(A big ball of fire fills the viewscreen. Fire in a vacuum? Never mind.)
SPOCK: Fascinating. A thermonuclear warhead.
MCCOY: That's generations ahead of where these people should be technically. How'd they manage that?
KIRK: Maybe they had help. Maximum orbit. Take us out of range of their detection range.
SPOCK: Most interesting. We were attacked by a thermonuclear missile from a planet which should have no such weapon.
CHEKOV: Orbit computed and locked in, sir.
KIRK: Execute.
UHURA: Captain, no response from John Gill on any channel.
MCCOY: He must be dead. And what's going on down there on Ekos?
SPOCK: According to our records, the Ekosians are a primitive, warlike people in a state of anarchy. The other planet, Zeon, has a relatively high technology, and its people are peaceful.
KIRK: We've run into a far more serious problem than the disappearance of John Gill. Spock, you and I will beam down. Bones, one precaution. Prepare a subcutaneous transponder in the event we can't use our communicators.

[Transporter room]

(Kirk and Spock are in local dress - mid/late twentieth century manual worker style including woolly hat to cover Spock's ears.)
KIRK: Insert the transponders. Make one low pass to communication range in three hours. If we fail to make contact at the appointed time, take our co-ordinates from the transponder and beam us aboard no matter what our condition may be.
SCOTT: Aye, sir. Whatever your condition.
KIRK: You ready?
SPOCK: Ready, Captain.
KIRK: Energise.

[Street]

(It's very quiet, no people or transport.)
SPOCK: The Ekosians are humanoid, so there is apt to be a similarity in architecture. Interesting.
(A man runs round the corner and trips.)
ISAK: Hide! They're right behind me. Hide! Hide!
(They do, as three jack-booted soldiers surround the fallen man and kick him.)
YELLOW: Zeon pig. On your feet, pig.
(They are wearing armbands with - swastikas! on them, Nazi style, not peaceful indian style. Kirk starts to move.)
SPOCK: Captain, the non-interference Directive.
YELLOW: Hold. Your hands above your head, Zeon. Higher. Keep your hands up so you don't touch anything Ekosian. You swine have defiled us for the last time. But that's now ended. Move!
(They march him away.)
KIRK: Unbelievable. Do you recognise those uniforms?
SPOCK: Mid-twentieth century Earth. The nation state called Nazi Germany.
(A broadcast comes over a screen hung between two columns of a building in the street.)
MAN [on screen]: Attention. Attention. Attention. An announcement from Fuhrer Headquarters. Today, the Fuhrer has ordered our glorious capital to be made Zeon-free. Starting at dawn, our heroic troops have begun flushing out the Zeon monsters who've been poisoning our planet.
KIRK: How could this have happened? The chances of another planet developing a culture like Nazi Germany, using the forms, the symbols, the uniforms of twentieth century Earth are so fantastically slim.
SPOCK: Virtually impossible, Captain, yet the evidence is quite clear.
MAN [over images]: The Fuhrer's headquarters reports repulsing an attack by Zeon spacecraft. Our missiles utterly destroyed the enemy.
KIRK: You look quite well for a man who's been utterly destroyed, Mister Spock.
CROWD [on screen]: Sieg heil! Sieg heil!
MAN [over images]: At this patriotic demonstration, Deputy Fuhrer Melakon presented the Iron Cross, second class, to Daras, hero of the Fatherland. (a blonde woman) Everywhere, preparations go forward toward the Final Decision, death to Zeon. Long live the Fatherland. Long live the Fuhrer.
(The camera swings over to a portrait on the studio wall.)
KIRK: That's John Gill. The Fuhrer?
SPOCK: Fascinating.
SOLDIER: You, Zeons! What kind of monsters are the Zeons sending against us?
KIRK: You're right. He's not one of us.
SOLDIER: What do you mean?
KIRK: Look at him.
(Kirk karate chops the soldier unconscious and takes his pistol.)
KIRK: Spock, take his uniform.
SPOCK: You propose we pass ourselves off as Nazis, Captain?
KIRK: If John Gill is the Fuhrer it would seem the logical approach.
SPOCK: That's very well taken, Captain.

[Another street]

(With Spock in a grey uniform with the obligatory tin helmet.)
KIRK: That helmet covers a multitude of sins.
(They are accosted by a man in a dark blue uniform and peaked cap.)
OFFICER: Lieutenant, what have we here? A Zeon?
SPOCK: Yes. Obviously he's not one of us. I captured him. Is that not correct procedure with enemies of the Fatherland?
OFFICER: With all Zeon pigs, Lieutenant.
SPOCK: Take charge of him.
OFFICER: With pleasure. Today we have a surprise planned for you, Zeon.
(He steps in front of Spock and gets his neck pinched, of course.)
SPOCK: Your uniform, Captain.
KIRK: Yes, it's a shame yours isn't as attractive as mine. Gestapo, I believe.
SPOCK: Quite correct. You should make a very convincing Nazi.

[Outside the Chancellery]

MAJOR: Lieutenant! Have you forgotten how to salute? (Spock salutes.) Your papers.
KIRK: Your orders, Lieutenant. He wants to see your orders in the jacket. The Lieutenant's a little dazed. He captured several Zeons single-handed. One of the pigs struck him before he dropped. I promise you that pig will never get up again.
MAJOR: Good work, Lieutenant.
KIRK: Hail the Fuhrer.
MAJOR: Hail to the Fuhrer.
KIRK: This is a day to remember, Major.
MAJOR: Lieutenant? Better see a doctor. You don't look well. Your colour.
SPOCK: Yes. I shall tend to it, Major.
MAJOR: Lieutenant! Your helmet. Remove it.
KIRK: We have urgent business with the Fuhrer.
MAJOR: Lieutenant, remove your helmet.
(The guards at the doorway point their guns at Spock's head, so he takes off the helmet and gives the Major a Look.)

[Interrogation room]

(Kirk and Spock are being whipped, but they are not flinching despite the weals and blood on their skin. Green blood in Spock's case. The man from the street is watching from his cell.)
MAJOR: Enough. do you wish to speak now? Tell me your orders! You were sent to kill our Fuhrer. Confess! Do you want some more persuasion?
KIRK: You're making this a rather one-sided conversation, Major.
MAJOR: Do not joke with me, Zeon pig. Who is this alien? Things might go easier if you tell me about him.
KIRK: Let me speak to your Fuhrer. I'll tell him everything he wants to know.
MAJOR: You'll be glad to talk to me before I'm through.
ENEG: Major.
MAJOR: Ah, Chairman Eneg. Your Excellency, I am honoured. I've been interrogating these spies, captured in
ENEG: I've had a full report. You are not from Zeon.
SPOCK: Obviously.
ENEG: Where do you come from?
KIRK: I'll explain when I see the Fuhrer.
ENEG: What is your business with the Fuhrer?
KIRK: I'll discuss that only with him.
MAJOR: Pig! You're speaking to the Chairman of the Party.
ENEG: That's enough, Major. What were the weapons found on you? What design? Our famous SS laboratories have been unable to discover how the weapons work.
MAJOR: Excellency, give me a few minutes with them. I promise you, I'll have
ENEG: You've had a few minutes without result. The trouble with you SS is that you don't realise that punishment becomes ineffective after a certain point. Men become insensitive.
MAJOR: Yes, Excellency.
ENEG: Lock them up. Let their pain argue with them. Then I will question them.
MAJOR: Excellency, the standing order is to interrogate and execute. The interrogation is finished, therefore
ENEG: Finished? What have you learned? Hold them for an hour.
MAJOR: Excellency, the order
ENEG: That is my order, Major. I suggest you do not disobey it.
MAJOR: Yes, Excellency. (Eneg leaves) All right, pigs. I shall keep my eye on the clock. When the hour is up, you will die most unpleasantly, I promise you! Lock them up.
(They are put into the cell next to the man from the street.)

[Cell]

KIRK: John Gill was the kindest, gentlest man I ever knew. For him to be a Nazi is impossible.
(As soon as the Nazis have left the room, the other man comes over to the adjoining bars.)
ISAK: Why did they take you? You're not a Zeon. He certainly is not one.
Why do the Nazis treat you as enemies?
SPOCK: Why do the Nazis hate Zeons?
ISAK: Why? Because without us to hate, there'd be nothing to hold them together. So the Party has built us into a threat, a disease to be wiped out.
SPOCK: Is Zeon a threat to them?
ISAK: Where did you come from? Our warlike period ended dozens of generations ago. We came here. We thought we were civilising the Ekosians.
SPOCK: It would seem the assumption was premature.
KIRK: Were they like this when you first came?
ISAK: Warlike, yes, but not vicious. That started when the Nazi movement began only a few years ago.
SPOCK: That would coincide with the time of John Gill's arrival.
ISAK: When they've destroyed us here, they will attack our planet. They'll use the technology we gave them. The danger is that taking life is so repugnant to our people, I'm afraid we'll go down without a struggle. But after what I saw in the street today, I think I could kill.
KIRK: Do you know the plan of this building?
ISAK: Why?
KIRK: If we can get to the SS weapons laboratory, get our weapons back, we might be able to stop the slaughter.
ISAK: Why should you be interested in saving Zeons?
KIRK: We must get our communicators, contact the ship.
SPOCK: Captain, the flaw in the plan is this locked door, and the guard beyond it. To the logical mind, the outlook is somewhat gloomy.
KIRK: The transponders.
SPOCK: Yes.
KIRK: And a way to shed some light on the gloom, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Of course. The rubindium crystals in the transponders.
(Kirk pulls a metal strip from the bed in the cell, and Spock uses it to cut into Kirk's arm.)
ISAK: Are you trying to kill yourselves?
(Spock gets Kirk's transponder out, then Kirk tries to extract Spock's.)
KIRK: I know it's there. McCoy put it in. There. Do you have the figures computed?
SPOCK: Yes. We must hold the crystals rigidly at a specific distance, which I believe should be twenty seven point two millimetres.
(He bends the metal strip accordingly.)
SPOCK: Twenty seven point two millimetres would be, approximately, there. That is, of course, a crude estimation.
ISAK: What is it you're making, some kind of radio?
KIRK: No, not a radio. The power from this light is very low.
SPOCK: Yes. To reach that light, I shall require some sort of platform.
KIRK: I would be honoured, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Now, the rubindium crystals should find enough power here to achieve the necessary stimulus. As I recall from the history of physics, the ancient lasers were able to achieve the necessary excitation, even using crude natural crystals.
(Kirk squats down and Spock eventually stands on his thighs, leaning against the well-injured back.)
KIRK: Oh, Mister Spock, the guard did a professional job on my back. I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry.
SPOCK: Yes, of course, Captain. You realise that the aim will of course be very crude.
KIRK: (in pain) I don't care if you hit the broad side of a barn. Just hurry, please.
SPOCK: Captain, why should I aim at such a structure?
KIRK: Never mind, Spock. Just get on with the job.
(With the crystals presumably in the holes where the strip was fastened to the bed frame, Spock holds it up to the light bulb and directs a beam of coherent light at the door lock, burning through it.)
KIRK: Oh, my goodness. Beautiful. Oh, Spock Spock! (Spock gets down) Beautiful. Over there. I'll create a commotion.
(Spock goes to hide behind the door to the room)
KIRK: Help! Help! I'll talk! I'll talk! I can't stand it anymore! I'll talk! Guard! Guard, I'll talk!
(A guard enters.)
KIRK: Guard, I'll talk. I'll talk. The pain
(Spock neck-pinches the guard. They start to undress him.)
ISAK: Take me with you. Give me a chance to fight them.
SPOCK: May I remind you, we did not intend to fight.
ISAK: Take me with you, or you'll never find the laboratory.
KIRK: Take him with us, Mister Spock. He's got a point. He's our guide.

[Corridor]

(Kirk is in the uniform, escorting an unshackled Isak and Spock.)
KIRK: Which is the laboratory door?
ISAK: The end of the hall.
(The door labeled Authorised Personnel only, not Fire Stairs only. A Nazi comes out of the room and locks the door.)
KIRK: All right, Zeon pigs, move. (He stumbles against the Nazi.) Zeon pigs. They do nothing right. Don't worry. They're on their way to the laboratory, for experimental work. They'll pay. Move!
(Kirk has picked the keys from the Nazi's pocket.)
KIRK: Move, move.

[Laboratory]

KIRK: (giving the pistol to Isak) Cover the door.
(Spock and Kirk search for their equipment.)
KIRK: Here they are. The communicators, disassembled. Can you get one to work?
SPOCK: Possibly.
ISAK: Who are you people?
KIRK; The phasers?
SPOCK: I do not see them.
ISAK: Where do you come from?
(Meanwhile, the Nazi realises his pocket has been picked and returns, weapon drawn.)
KIRK: (reading a clipboard) The alien pistols have been sent to Gestapo Command Headquarters. Well, that takes care of the phasers.
(The Nazi walks back in, and Isak pistol-whips him.)
KIRK: You Zeons, for peaceful people, are pretty thorough.
ISAK: Yes. With this uniform, we can steal a car, get out of the capital.
KIRK: We came for John Gill.
SPOCK: Captain, without phasers, and until we are able to communicate with the ship, it is illogical to assume that we can hold out against the entire military force of this planet.
KIRK: All right, Mister Spock. You've made your point. Get into the uniform and hide those ears again.

[Street]

(Kirk and Spock are carrying a stretcher out of the doors. The brass plaque says Service Entrance.)
KIRK: Hunting's good. We've caught so many Zeons, we've got to dump them outside.

[Zeon hiding-place]

(Down a manhole, down a ladder, along a tunnel into a cave.)
DAVOD: Who's with you?
ISAK: It's all right. They helped me escape from the prison. I owe them my life.
ABROM: Isak, what is all this?
ISAK: Abrom! Abrom, thank God you're well. This is my brother. They were in the prison. Beaten as I was, Abrom.
ABROM: Why were you in their prison?
KIRK: I was trying to see the Fuhrer.
ABROM: The Fuhrer?
KIRK: If I can see him, there may be a way of stopping this insanity.
ISAK: Abrom, I owe them my life.
ABROM: Isak, Uletta is dead. Shot down in the streets.
ISAK: She would've been my wife.
ABROM: She lived for five hours while they walked past her and spat on her. Our own people were unable to help her. Now you ask me to help strangers.
ISAK: If we adopt the ways of the Nazis, we're as bad as the Nazis.
SPOCK: Captain, I suggest the most profitable use of our time would be to reassemble our communicators. May I work undisturbed somewhere?
ABROM: This way.

[A side chamber]

(A barrel is Spock's work table.)
SPOCK: By using parts from both, I've completed one communicator. I do not know if the circuits are correct, Captain. There is no way to test it, except in actual use.
KIRK: The Enterprise won't be within range for another hour.
(A Nazi with a machine gun comes in. Abrom, Davod, Isak and others are being herded at gunpoint by the young woman from the news broadcast.)
DARAS: Over there. Against the wall, all of you.
KIRK: The girl on the viewscreen.
SPOCK: The one receiving a medal.
KIRK: Daras.
DARAS: Quiet. Hands in the air, Zeon swine. So you're the three who escaped from the Chancellery detention centre. What was your plan? Speak. It's the last chance you'll get.
KIRK: I must see the Fuhrer. It's urgent.
DARAS: Urgent? I'll bet it is.
ABROM: I alone am responsible for what happens here.
DARAS: Do you know what we do to responsible Zeons?
(She shoots Abrom, and Kirk grabs for her gun, but is pushed off by the guard.)
DARAS: Now we finish the job.
(She puts her pistol to Kirk's head.)
ISAK: Stop, Nazis. After you've killed the last of us off, what do you do, turn the guns against yourselves?
(Kirk uses the distraction to take Daras' pistol and use her as a shield.)
ISAK: Don't shoot. Don't shoot, please.
ABROM: No, wait. (gets up) No more. You've proved they're on our side.
ISAK: Now, please forgive us, but we had to be absolutely certain.
ABROM: Yes. If we had taken you into our confidence, we could've betrayed all our people if you'd been Nazi spies. All right, leave us.
ISAK: The Gestapo methods are frighteningly efficient. We must be very, very careful in order to survive here. We of the Underground don't know who our leaders are. That way, if we break under pressure, we can only betray a handful of our people.
SPOCK: This young lady is a Nazi, a hero of the Fatherland. We saw her being decorated.
DARAS: I'm an Ekosian fighting the terrible thing that's happened to my people. The decoration was for betraying my own father to the Party. It was my father's idea. You see, he used to be very close to the Fuhrer. Then he saw the changes and where they were leading. He turned against the Party. They imprisoned him. Melakon sentenced him to death.
KIRK: Melakon?
ABROM: The Deputy Fuhrer. He's taken over.
DARAS: My father denounced me, making it appear like I'd betrayed him. He gave me a weapon to continue the fight with.
KIRK: How could this have seemed right to John Gill?
ABROM: Who?
KIRK: John Gill, your Fuhrer. He's one of our people.
ABROM: And what is your people?
KIRK: I'm Captain James Kirk of the United Spaceship Enterprise. This is my first officer, Mister Spock. John Gill, your Fuhrer, was sent here by the Federation as a cultural observer.
DARAS: You mean that the Fuhrer is an alien?
SPOCK: That is correct.
DARAS: I grew up to admire him, later to hate and despise everything he stands for. But I always thought he was one of us. Now to hear that he's an alien sent here to destroy us
KIRK: That was not his mission, ever. He was sent here to observe, not to interfere. Something went wrong, and that's why we're here. To find out and to correct. We must see him.
ISAK: It's impossible. Even if this were another time, it still would be impossible. He sees no one. No one but Melakon. He's under maximum security.
KIRK: Maximum security. Is he so afraid?
ISAK: There are many of us, both Ekosians and younger Zeons, who would gladly risk our lives to kill him.
KIRK: I don't understand what's going on here. This goes against every principle that John Gill ever believed in. Our only chance is to see him, and quickly.
DARAS: He makes a speech tonight from the Chancellery. All the top Party officials will be there.
KIRK: Will you be there?
DARAS: Of course. As a symbol of the proper attitude toward the Fatherland.
SPOCK: As an honoured member of the Party, she could get us past the guards.
DARAS: Only the top, most trusted, officials will be allowed in. The country will watch on the viewscreens.
ISAK: I'm afraid it will be a formal declaration of war against Zeon. Their Final Solution.
KIRK: You must get us in there.
DARAS: It would be suicide.
ISAK: Well it's a risk living at all the way things are going. If the Captain believes he has a chance, I'm willing to commit suicide with him.
DARAS: You, a Zeon? You expect to get into the Chancellery?
ISAK: It's even more my fight than yours.

[Chancellery entrance]

(A car pulls up and this time Kirk and Spock, and Isak, are in black uniforms. They are a film crew.)
KIRK: Lights.
(The hand held floodlight blinds the guards.)
GUARD: You, what is your business here?
(A second car arrives and Kirk turns his camera on it.)
KIRK: Get me some lights on her.
GUARD: It's Party Secretary Daras.
DARAS: (marching into the building.) The Fuhrer's special documentary corps. Smile, Corporal.
KIRK: Excuse me.

[Corridor]

SPOCK: Captain, I'm beginning to understand why you Earthmen enjoy gambling. No matter how carefully one computes the odds of success, there is still a certain exhilaration in the risk.
KIRK: Very good, Spock. We may make a human of you yet.
SPOCK: I hope not.
KIRK: Let's go.

[Entrance to Main room]

(There's a bit of a party going on before the speech.)
KIRK: Lights. (he films Eneg leaving) Thank you. Where does the Fuhrer enter?
DARAS: He doesn't. They watch him on the big screen. There, at the end of the room. He broadcasts from the booth for security.
KIRK: They've got the booth curtained off. Bring that light to the side of her face. Where's the entrance to the broadcast booth?
DARAS: There, at the end of the corridor. You're not going to try to get into the broadcast booth.
KIRK: We're going to try.
ISAK: Sir, is this light better here?
KIRK: Good.
ISAK: If you distract the guard long enough, I can get a machine gun. It's a small booth, I could shoot through the door.
KIRK: We're here to get John Gill, and alive, not for your personal satisfaction. Is that clear? Let's try down there.
(They go down the corridor)

[Outside the booth]

KIRK: Lights, please. Gentlemen, this is for the record of the Fuhrer's Final Solution speech.
DARAS: We're documenting the men responsible for
(Through a small window in the door, Spock sees Gill being wheeled into place. He is motionless.)
KIRK: Smile, gentlemen. There will be more coverage later. Thank you very much. Let's get a moving shot down the hall.

[Corridor]

ISAK: So, what have we accomplished? You should have let me shoot him.
SPOCK: Captain, it was John Gill, but he never moved. Never once looked up.
KIRK: Yes, well, that may be part of the plan, the semi-divine detachment.
SPOCK: Or a deep psychosis.
KIRK: It may be simpler than that. He may be drugged. We need McCoy. Is there a place, a room we can be alone for a few minutes? I'm going to send for help.
DARAS: Send for?
KIRK: It takes too long to explain. Any place will do.
ISAK: The cloakroom?

[Cloakroom]

(In amongst the hangars full of uniforms, Spock fiddles with his home-made communicator.)
SPOCK: It may not have the range it had. In fact, it may not work at all.
KIRK: Think positively, Spock.
SPOCK: Spock to Enterprise. Spock to Enterprise. Come in, Enterprise.
UHURA [OC]: Enterprise. Lieutenant Uhura.
KIRK: Captain here. Put McCoy on.
UHURA [OC]: Yes, sir. Captain, we're not reading you well. You're nine points into the low-frequency band.
KIRK: We've having difficulty. Patch historical computer into uniform section. I want McCoy outfitted as a Gestapo doctor Nazi Germany, old Earth date 1944. Make him a colonel.
UHURA [OC]: Yes, sir.

[Main room]

(Isak is socialising.)
ENEG: Search the building.
(Isak gets Daras and takes her out of the room)

[Cloakroom]

MCCOY [OC]: What have you got, Jim?
KIRK: We found John Gill. At least, we've seen him. He may be drugged, hypnotised, or psychotic. You'll have to make a determination. Hurry with that uniform.
(Daras enters.)
KIRK: What is it?
DARAS: Isak just heard two security men. They picked up your broadcast, pin-pointed it within this building. They're starting to search.
SPOCK: If there's going to be a delay in transporting the doctor, I suggest we cancel our
KIRK: Kirk to Enterprise. What's happening up there?

[Bridge]

UHURA: Doctor McCoy is having difficulty with that uniform, sir.

[Cloakroom]

KIRK: Send him down naked if you have to. Kirk out.
(McCoy is beamed down still trying to put a boot on.)
DARAS: It's true. I only half-believed what you said.
MCCOY: Stupid computer made a mistake in the measurements. The right boot's too tight.
SPOCK: There is a logical way to proceed, Doctor. Point your toe, apply equal pressure to either side of the boot, and push. We have no time for emotionalism.
KIRK: This is Doctor McCoy, our Chief Medical Officer. Daras, secretary to the National Socialist Party.
MCCOY: How do you do? What in blazes is this?
(Eneg and two guards enter.)
DARAS: Chairman Eneg.
KIRK: The Colonel is drunk. He's had a little too much to drink.
ENEG: I see.
KIRK: Yes, he thought he would embarrass the Fuhrer.
SPOCK: Yes. A doctor should have more pride.
ENEG: You were right to conceal him. There's a spy in this building with a secret transmitter. We're conducting a search. Hail the Fuhrer.
ALL: Hail the Fuhrer.
(Eneg and guards leave.)
SPOCK: Captain, I do not understand how he failed to recognise us.
KIRK: Nor do I, but luck is something you also fail to recognise, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: True. I shall reconsider.
(A buzzer sounds.)
DARAS: The Fuhrer's speech.
KIRK: Let's go.

[Main room]

(The curtain is pulled aside so Gill can be seen on the screen, but his mouth is hidden behind the large microphone. All the people salute him.)
ALL: Hail the Fuhrer! Hail the Fuhrer! Hail the Fuhrer! Hail the Fuhrer!
GILL: Ekosians. The job ahead is difficult. It requires courage and dedication. It requires faith. The Zeon colony has existed for nearly half a century.
KIRK: Watch his mouth.
GILL: If we fulfill our own greatness, that will all be ended. Working together
SPOCK: Captain, the speech follows no logical pattern.
KIRK: Random sentences strung together.
GILL: Will at times be difficult.
MCCOY: He looks drugged, Jim. Almost at a cataleptic state.
GILL: To reach our goal, And we will reach that goal.
(Wild applause.)
MCCOY: I have to have a close look at him.
GILL: must be decisive. Every thought directed toward a goal. This planet can become a paradise, if we are willing to pay the price. As each cell in the body works with discipline and harmony for the good of the entire being

[Corridor]

KIRK: (to guards) Gentlemen, I want a picture of you two with the Hero of the Fatherland listening to the stirring Fuhrer's speech. Get that light over there, please. Get this light around here. Smile, gentlemen. Turn around, smile, and now.
(Neck pinch and strangle hold dispose of the guards.)
KIRK: It's locked. Keys.

[Main room]

ALL: Hail the Fuhrer!
MELAKON: Hail the Fuhrer!
ALL: Hail the Fuhrer!
MELAKON: The Fuhrer has given us our orders, and we pledge him our lives in this sacred task. Death to Zeon!
ALL: Death to Zeon! Death to Zeon!

[Broadcast booth]

ALL [OC]: Death to Zeon! Death to Zeon!
MCCOY: Definitely drugged, almost comatose.
SPOCK: What drug?
MCCOY: I can't identify it without a medi-comp. Without knowing, an antidote would be dangerous.
KIRK: Is there anything you do?
MCCOY: I can give him a general stimulant, but it would be risky.
KIRK: Take the risk.
MELAKON [OC]: But despite our best efforts, they remain like a cancer, eating away at our state.
ISAK: There's no reaction. Whatever you gave him isn't working.
KIRK: Bones, increase the dosage.
MCCOY: I'm working in the dark. I could kill him.
DARAS: If they find us here, we'll all be killed.

[Main room]

MELAKON: Ten minutes ago, on our Fuhrer's orders, our troops began their historic mission.

[Broadcast booth]

MELAKON [OC]: In the cities, the eliminations have started. Within an hour, the Zeon blight will forever be removed from Ekos.
DARAS: It's begun. It's finally begun.
MCCOY: The stimulant's working.
MELAKON [OC]: I now announce the glorious final solution.
MCCOY: He's reaching a level of consciousness. It's almost like he's in a light sleep. Now, that's as much as I dare do.
MELAKON [OC]: Our entire solar system will forever be rid of the disease that was Zeon.
KIRK: Spock, try to get through to him with a mind probe. If you can't, Bones, you'll have to use a stronger stimulant, no matter what it does.
MELAKON [OC]: Our space fleet is on its way toward Zeon, both manned and unmanned weapons.

[Main room]

MELAKON: This is the time of destiny. Hail victory!
ALL: Hail victory! Hail victory! Hail victory!

[Broadcast booth]

ALL [OC] Hail victory!
DARAS: There's one chance left. If you'd use the weapons you have, you could destroy the fleet.
KIRK: That would mean the death of thousands of Ekosian spacemen.
ISAK: Many of my friends are aboard that ship, many of the Underground.
DARAS: Yes, but against those thousands are millions of innocent Zeon lives. You've got to choose the lesser of two evils.
KIRK: We could save Zeon, but what about Ekos?
SPOCK: Captain. I have created a condition in which Gill cannot initiate speech or any other action, but he can reply to questions.
KIRK: Well done, Spock. They've kept what's left of him as a figure head.
SPOCK: Quite correct. For the last few years, the real power has been Melakon.
KIRK: Gill. Gill, why did you abandon your mission? Why did you interfere with this culture?
GILL: Planet fragmented. Divided. Took lesson from Earth history.
KIRK: But why Nazi Germany? You studied history. You knew what the Nazis were.
GILL: Most efficient state Earth ever knew.
SPOCK: Quite true, Captain. That tiny country, beaten, bankrupt, defeated, rose in a few years to stand only one step away from global domination.
KIRK: But it was brutal, perverted, had to be destroyed at a terrible cost. Why that example?
SPOCK: Perhaps Gill felt that such a state, run benignly, could accomplish its efficiency without sadism.
KIRK: Why, Gill? Why?
GILL: Worked. At first it worked. Then Melakon began take over. Used the. Gave me the drug.
KIRK: Gill. Gill. Gill, can you hear me? You've got to tell those people what happened! You're the only one who can prevent the slaughter! Gill!
MCCOY: He's still alive, but the drug they use is too strong. If I give him another shot
KIRK: Bones, give him another shot!
MCCOY: I don't dare.
ISAK: (watching the door) Guards.
KIRK: We've run out of time, Bones. No, wait. (to Daras, with a rifle) Aim it at Spock. Spock, take off the helmet.
(Eneg and guards enter)
ISAK: For the second time in one day, Daras is a hero to the Fatherland.
KIRK: She captured a Zeon spy that was attempting to assassinate the Fuhrer.
ENEG: Guards.
ISAK: Yes, let us make an example of this traitor once and for all.
KIRK: We'll make a present of him to Melakon.
ISAK: Chairman Eneg, this spy must be taken to Melakon.
ENEG: Pass them on my responsibility.
(The guards leave with Spock and Eneg follows.)
ISAK: Eneg is one of us.
KIRK: Stay close to Spock. Stall for time. And hope.
(They leave him alone with Gill.

[Main room]

MELAKON: What is this?
ISAK: A spy, Excellency.
DARAS: A rare prize. The Deputy Fuhrer can see this is no ordinary Zeon.
MELAKON: No, not a Zeon, definitely not.

[Broadcast booth]

(Kirk gives Gill another injection.)
KIRK: Professor Gill, can you hear me? You've got to speak. You've got to speak. This is our last chance. Gill?

[Main room]

DARAS: The Deputy Fuhrer's an authority on the genetics of racial purity. How would you classify this one?
MELAKON: Very difficult. Note the sinister eyes and the malformed ears. Definitely an inferior race.

[Broadcast booth]

(Kirk tries slapping Gill to wake him up.)
KIRK: Professor. Professor! You've got to talk! You've got to tell them what happened. You've got to come out of it. Come on, Professor. Come on. Come on.

[Main room]

MELAKON: Note the low forehead, denoting stupidity. The dull look of a trapped animal. You may take him now for interrogation, but I want the body saved for the Cultural Museum. He'll make an interesting display.
(The viewscreen comes alive, and Gill is speaking for himself.)
GILL: People. People of Ekos.
MELAKON: Go to the booth. See to the Fuhrer at once. He's ill. Turn off that camera.
GILL: Hear me.
MELAKON: I suggest we leave and let our Fuhrer rest.
GILL [OC]: We were betrayed by a self-seeking adventurer who has led us all to the very brink of disaster. I order the immediate recall of the space fleet. This attack must stop. All units are to return to base. To Zeon I promise, this was not an aggression of Ekosian people.

[Broadcast booth]

GILL: Only one evil man. Melakon

[Main room]

GILL [OC]: Is a traitor to his own people and all that we stand for. To the Zeon people, I promise reparation and
(Melakon grabs a machine gun and fires at the curtained window of the broadcast booth. Isak shoots Melakon and Eneg intervenes when a solder points his weapon at Isak.)
ENEG: Wait, soldier. There's been enough killing. Now we'll start to live the way the Fuhrer meant us to live.

[Broadcast booth]

GILL: (shot and dying in Kirk's arms) I was wrong. The non-interference Directive is the only way. We must stop the slaughter.
KIRK: You did that, Professor. You told them in time.
GILL: Even historians fail to learn from history. They repeat the same mistakes. Let the killing end. Let (dies)
(Spock knocks on the door to be let in.)
SPOCK: Is he dead, Captain?
KIRK: Dead.
ISAK: For so long I've prayed for this. Now I'm sorry.
KIRK: So is he.
ISAK: You've given us all a new chance.
ENEG: Thank you, but go now. We must do the rest.
DARAS: Eneg and I will go on the air, offer a new way for our people. For all our people, both Zeons and Ekosians.
ENEG: It is time to stop the bloodshed, to bury our dead.

[Corridor]

KIRK: Mister Spock, I think the planet is in good hands.
SPOCK: Indeed, Captain. With the union of two cultures, this system would make a fine addition to the Federation.
KIRK: Kirk to Enterprise.
UHURA [OC]: Enterprise here, Captain.
KIRK: Beam us aboard.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Captain, I never will understand humans. How could a man as brilliant, a mind as logical as John Gill's, have made such a fatal error?
KIRK: He drew the wrong conclusion from history. The problem with the Nazis wasn't simply that their leaders were evil, psychotic men. They were, but the main problem, I think, was the leader principle.
MCCOY: What he's saying, Spock, is that a man who holds that much power, even with the best intentions, just can't resist the urge to play God.
SPOCK: Thank you, Doctor. I was able to gather the meaning.
MCCOY: It also proves another Earth saying. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Darn clever, these Earthmen, wouldn't you say?
SPOCK: Yes. Earthmen like Ramses, Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Lee Kuan. Your whole Earth history is made up of men seeking absolute power.
MCCOY: Spock, you obviously don't understand
SPOCK: Obviously, Doctor, you fail to accept
KIRK: Gentlemen. Gentlemen, we've just been through one civil war. Let's not start another. Mister Chekov, take us out of orbit. Warp factor two, and hurry.

 HISTORY

2024-09-20 02:12:50 - Pike: Review modified.
2024-09-19 18:57:21 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-19 18:49:13 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-19 18:45:26 - Pike: Updated the transcript.
2024-09-19 18:45:09 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-19 18:42:50 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-19 18:38:54 - Pike: Added some trivia.
2024-09-19 18:22:12 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-19 18:21:41 - Pike: New quote added.
2024-09-19 18:14:59 - Pike: Added the writer.
2024-09-17 21:36:35 - Pike: Added the director.
2024-09-15 11:09:02 - Pike: Updated the transcript.
2024-09-15 11:08:54 - Pike: Added a banner.
2024-09-14 13:01:39 - Pike: Added the air date.