STORY BY
Gene L. Coon
TELEPLAY BY
Oliver Crawford
DIRECTED BY
Jud Taylor
AIRED ON
January 10, 1969
RUNTIME
50 minutes
STARRING
VIEWS
251
LAST UPDATE
2024-09-23 07:21:12
PAGE VERSION
Version 8
LIKES
0
DISLIKES
1
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BEHIND THE SCENES
- The Episode's Theme and Social Commentary: The story of "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" is remembered for its bold allegory on racism and the futility of prejudice. The episode features two characters, Bele and Lokai, who are from the same planet but hate each other because of the color of their skin. Their bodies are half black and half white, but each considers the other inferior because the black and white sides are reversed. This was a direct commentary on the racial tensions of the 1960s, particularly in the United States.
- The Role of Frank Gorshin: Frank Gorshin, who played Bele, was already well-known to television audiences for his role as The Riddler on Batman. His portrayal of Bele as a driven, obsessive character is often considered one of the highlights of the episode. Gorshin's talent for intensity brought a powerful energy to the role, particularly in his scenes with William Shatner as Captain Kirk.
- The Controversial Make-Up: The makeup for the characters of Bele and Lokai, with their half-black and half-white faces, was a striking and literal representation of racial division. The show's creators wanted to use a visual motif that would instantly symbolize division and conflict. Although the idea was simple, it became a powerful symbol for the episode's message about racism.
- Budget Constraints: By the third season of Star Trek, the show was facing severe budget cuts. This meant episodes had to be shot with fewer resources, fewer special effects, and often reused sets. "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" reflects these limitations, particularly in the minimalistic representation of the planet Cheron, which is shown only through viewscreen effects. The conflict is largely played out aboard the USS Enterprise, limiting the need for expensive new sets or locations.
- The Planet Cheron: Cheron, the home planet of Bele and Lokai, is mentioned but never seen in the episode. The planet was devastated by centuries of racial warfare, leaving Bele and Lokai as the last survivors of their respective factions. The crew of the Enterprise only learns of the planet’s condition when they scan it, adding to the tragedy of the story.
- The Episode's Legacy: While "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" may have seemed heavy-handed to some viewers at the time, it has since been recognized as one of Star Trek's more daring and important episodes. Its direct tackling of racial issues, something that many shows in the 1960s avoided, has given the episode enduring relevance. The powerful imagery of two beings who are physically divided by their skin but equally hateful has made it one of the more iconic moments in the series.
- The Script Revisions: Originally, the episode's story concept was developed by Star Trek producer Gene L. Coon under the title "A Portrait in Black and White." This early version of the script had a more nuanced exploration of racial tension but was simplified for broadcast. Writer Oliver Crawford eventually revised the script, making the racial allegory much more explicit.
- The Unseen Ending: The episode ends with Bele and Lokai beaming down to the dead planet of Cheron to continue their fight, while the Enterprise leaves them to their fate. Originally, an additional sequence was considered, where viewers would see the two characters' final, futile battle on the planet’s surface. However, due to budget constraints, this final scene was cut, leaving their ongoing conflict to be imagined by the audience.
- Controversy Over the Message: Despite its overt anti-racist message, the episode's handling of race was somewhat controversial at the time. Some viewers appreciated the allegorical approach, while others criticized it for being overly simplistic. However, Star Trek's commitment to using science fiction as a vehicle for social commentary was a defining feature of the series, and this episode remains a key example of that philosophy.
- Bele's Pursuit of the Enterprise: One of the more memorable moments is when Bele takes control of the Enterprise, guiding it towards his home planet, Cheron, without the crew being able to stop him. This adds a dramatic element of tension, as the crew wrestles with the moral question of whether to assist Bele or resist his fanatical quest for revenge.
MYTHOLOGY
The Enterprise encounters two aliens, each half black and half white, who are engaged in a bitter racial conflict.
Explores themes of racism, hatred, and the self-destructive nature of bigotry.
The episode is a clear allegory for racial tensions in the 1960s, using science fiction to comment on contemporary social issues.
QUOTES
McCoy: I've never worked on anyone like him or anything like him.
Spock: Yet you are pumping him full of your noxious potions as if he were a human.
McCoy: When in doubt, the book prevails, Mr. Spock. I've run tests. Blood is blood, even when it's green like yours.
Kirk: Bele, I am captain of this ship, and it will follow whatever course I set for it, or I will order its destruction.
Kirk: Computer, this is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Begin thirty second countdown. Code zero, zero, zero, destruct zero.
Kirk: Computer. This is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Code one, two, three continuity. Abort destruct order. Repeat code one, two, three continuity. Abort destruct order.
Computer: Destruct order aborted. Destruct order aborted.
Bele: It is obvious to the most simpleminded that Lokai is of an inferior breed.
Spock: The obvious visual evidence, Commissioner, is that he is of the same breed as yourself.
Bele: Are you blind, Commander Spock? Well, look at me. Look at me!
Kirk: You're black on one side and white on the other.
Bele: I am black on the right side.
Kirk: I fail to see the significant difference.
Bele: Lokai is white on the right side. All of his people are white on the right side.
Spock: It is Bele, Captain. And another life-form has appeared on Cheron.
Uhura: It doesn't make any sense.
Spock: To expect sense from two mentalities of such extreme viewpoints is not logical.
Sulu: But their planet's dead. Does it matter now which one's right?
Spock: Not to Lokai and Bele. All that matters to them is their hate.
Uhura: Do you suppose that's all they ever had, sir?
Kirk: No, but that's all they have left.
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REVIEWS
It's black, it's white, hoo!
Written by
Pike on 2020-05-16
★
BLACK & WHITE v WHITE & BLACK
The episode is very simple: two individuals hate each other. The reason? One is white on the left side of the body and black on the right side, whilst the other is black on the left side and black on the right side.
I couldn't go past the bad makeup of the two guest characters. If Star trek had had a higher budget and more time (meaning less episodes per year), it could have been much better. Here, we face again ridiculous characters, which is difficult to virtually impossible to go through.
It would have been far more interesting to make the characters a single color and for instance having a green character hating a purple one. I understand that the goal of the half-black, half-white faces is to make the futile argument of racism even more compelling.
But I don't think this was the solution.
The episode is as profound as lyrics from a Michael Jackson song:
It's black, it's white
It's tough for you to beat, yeah (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's black, it's white (It's white)
It's black, it's white
It's tough for you to beat, yeah (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's black, it's white, hoo!
Also, the second part of the episode was about Kirk and Spock lecturing the bad guy(s) and telling them how bad they are. Completely anti-climatic and, well, cheesy.
The scene of the (almost) self-destruction of the starship Enterprise was very interesting though. I liked the closeups to the crew members and the effect of suspense.
So, I watched the episode but cannot really tell you what it even was about. It felt like tasting a bad steak, you don't continue to see if the rest of the meat was good. And apologies to the vegetarians for this bad taste comparison.
ENDING
(Spoiler alert) Yes, the ending was fascinating and only something
Star Trek could do. Unfortunately, for budget reasons, we didn't get to actually see the scene, but we are told that the two characters
REVEAL THE SPOILER!.
I would have imagined a shot from above, with the camera slowly zooming out and just showing two small dots fighting on a dead planet. Quite magnificent. Similar to that one shot of the two characters fighting from
Interstellar, showing us the futility of physical violence.
VERDICT
Perhaps that last scene would have deserve the episode to get a 2, but I still give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.
TRANSCRIPT
Captain's log, stardate 5730.2. The planet Ariannus is vital as a transfer point on regular space commercial lanes. It has been attacked by a bacterial invasion which threatens to render it lifeless unless checked. Our mission, to decontaminate it.
[Bridge]
KIRK: Mister Chekov, our estimated time of arrival for Ariannus?
CHEKOV: At present speed, our eta is three hours, four minutes, sir.
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura, advise the planet's ministry of health that we'll begin decontamination procedures immediately upon locking into orbit.
UHURA: Aye, aye, sir.
KIRK: Scotty, will that present any problems for you?
SCOTT: None, sir. All tanks are being positioned.
SULU: Captain, sensors indicate a space vehicle of some sort ahead.
KIRK: Is it within visual range?
SULU: Coming into range now, sir. It's following a very erratic course.
KIRK: Put it on the screen, extreme magnification.
(A wobbly shuttlecraft appears on the viewscreen.)
CHEKOV: I think that may be a Starfleet shuttlecraft.
SPOCK: That is exactly what it is, Mister Chekov.
SULU: It looks like the one reported stolen from Starbase Four two weeks ago.
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura, try to contact them on command frequency two.
UHURA: Aye, Captain. No response, sir.
KIRK: Try all frequencies.
UHURA: Aye, sir. Hailing on all frequencies.
SPOCK: Captain, there is one living creature aboard. Humanoid. He is either injured or ill. His craft shows internal atmospheric leakage. The creature may be suffocating.
KIRK: Lieutenant Sulu, activate tractor beams.
SULU: Tractor beams activated. We have it, sir.
KIRK: Prepare to bring it aboard the hangar deck.
SULU: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura, send a security team to the pressure doors on the hangar deck.
UHURA: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Mister Spock, come with me. Scotty.
(Scott takes the conn.)
[Hangar deck]
(As we watch the shuttlecraft land, we think it might say USS Enterprise across it's nose.)
SULU [OC]: Hangar doors open and clearing for entrance of shuttlecraft. Shuttlecraft approaching hangar deck.
[Turbolift]
SULU [OC]: Bridge to Captain Kirk.
KIRK: Kirk here.
SULU [OC]: Hangar doors closed, and hangar deck is pressurising.
KIRK: Acknowledged.
(As the shuttlecraft turns around, NCC 1701/7 is clearly emblazoned on it. Careless special effects.)
[Outside hangar deck]
KIRK: (to security men) We'll enter as soon as the doors open. Go on my command.
(The doors open, and a man falls to the floor. He is white on the right side, and black on the left. This is important.)
[Sickbay]
(McCoy gives the patient an injection.)
SPOCK: You are certain, Doctor, that this pigmentation is the natural condition of this individual?
MCCOY: That's what I've recorded, Mister Spock.
KIRK: Do we have any knowledge of a planet that could have produced such a race of beings?
SPOCK: Negative, Captain.
KIRK: Bones, what do you make of it?
MCCOY: Well, I can't give you any specific circumstance that will explain him.
KIRK: And judging by looking at him, we know at the very least he is the result of a very dramatic conflict. Spock?
SPOCK: There is no theory, Captain, from the basic work of Mendel to recent nucleotide studies, which would explain our captive. All gradations of colour from black to brown, to yellow to white are genetically predictable. We must therefore conclude that this alien is that often unaccountable rarity, a mutation, one of a kind.
MCCOY: Yes, I would agree. That's the case here.
KIRK: Your prognosis, Doctor?
MCCOY: Well, I can't give you one, Jim. I've never worked on anyone like him or anything like him.
SPOCK: Yet you are pumping him full of your noxious potions as if he were a human.
MCCOY: When in doubt, the book prevails, Mister Spock. I've run tests. Blood is blood, even when it's green like yours. The organs are there. They're rearranged to a degree, plus a few I've never seen before. Now, I've enriched the oxygen content of his blood and pumped in a strong stimulant. And I must say his recuperative powers appear to be excellent.
SPOCK: With your permission, Captain, I shall do some further research and join you on the bridge.
)Spock leaves.)
CHAPEL: He's coming around, Doctor.
MCCOY: Well, touch and go there for a minute, but you're out of danger now.
KIRK: You're aboard the starship Enterprise.
LOKAI: I've heard of it. It's in the United Fleet of Planets?
KIRK: Federation. So was the shuttlecraft that you were flying in.
LOKAI: It was?
KIRK: Don't you usually know whose property you've stolen?
LOKAI: I am not a thief.
KIRK: Well, certainly no ordinary thief, considering what it is you appropriated.
LOKAI: You're being very loose with your accusations and drawing conclusions without any facts.
KIRK: Well, I do know you made off with a ship that didn't belong to you.
LOKAI: I do not make off with things. My need gave me the right to use the ship. Mark the word, sir, the use of it.
KIRK: You can try those technical evasions on Starfleet Command. That's where you'll be facing your charges.
LOKAI: I'm grateful for your rescue.
KIRK: Don't mention it. We're pleased to have caught you. Who are you?
LOKAI: My name is Lokai.
KIRK: Go on.
LOKAI: From the planet Cheron.
KIRK: That's in the southernmost part of the galaxy, in an uncharted quarter. What are you doing so far from home? (no answer) You understand that when we complete our mission, we'll take you to Starbase where you'll face a very serious charge.
LOKAI: The charge is trifling. I would've returned the ship as soon as I
KIRK: Had what? What were you going to do?
LOKAI: You monotone humans are all alike. First you condemn and then attack. I will answer no more questions.
MCCOY: Well, however we view him, Captain, he's certainly no ordinary specimen. Lokai, I don't know what's normal for you exactly, but if I had your readings, I'd be the most incredible physical specimen of all time.
KIRK: We've never encountered a being like you. I'd like to know more about you and your planet.
LOKAI: I'm very tired.
KIRK: And very evasive. Or at least not fully responsive. Now, then,
LOKAI: I insist, I'm extremely tired. Made so by your vindictive cross-examinations. I will answer no more questions.
(Kirk goes to a desk monitor.)
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura.
UHURA [OC]: Lieutenant Uhura here.
KIRK: Notify Starbase Four that we've recovered its shuttlecraft, and it will be returned along with its user as soon as we've completed our mission at Ariannus.
UHURA [OC]: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Bones, if you're satisfied that the mutation theory is applicable, I'll make a note of it in my report.
MCCOY: Unless we get more information from him, it'll have to serve.
(Intercom whistle)
KIRK: Kirk here.
CHEKOV [OC]: Captain, contact with alien ship, sir.
KIRK: I'll be right there. Notify Mister Spock.
[Bridge]
KIRK: Put the ship on the viewing screen, Mister Sulu. Magnification. Still nothing, Mister Chekov.
CHEKOV: I verify, sir, it's out there.
KIRK: Maximum magnification. I draw a blank, Mister Spock. Your response?
SPOCK: Negative, Captain.
CHEKOV: No malfunction, sir. The reading persists.
KIRK: What is it?
SPOCK: There is a vessel out there, Captain.
KIRK: Could it be a Romulan ship using their cloaking device?
SPOCK: Negative. This would not be a Romulan vessel. It is totally alien in configuration. Motive power unknown. Small size of the craft indicates a rapid scout vessel, one or two-man crew.
UHURA: Captain, I've tried all hailing frequencies. Negative, sir.
KIRK: Weaponry on the vessel, Spock?
SPOCK: Nothing identifiable. The craft appears to be built for speed rather than combat.
KIRK: Something out there can't be seen. Explanation?
SPOCK: None. Completely elusive. In fact, it's invisible.
KIRK: Invisible. Malfunction?
SPOCK: There is no sensor failure. The readings persist.
CHEKOV: It's headed straight for us!
KIRK: Evasive action.
CHEKOV: It shifts with us, sir. And we're pushing to the limit!
KIRK: Deflector shields activated, Mister Sulu.
SULU: Automatic, sir.
CHEKOV: We're on collision course.
SULU: It's out of control or a suicide mission.
KIRK: Sound warning for collision. Red Alert.
SULU: Brace yourself for collision. Brace yourself.
(Nothing happens.)
KIRK: Read out, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: It just disintegrated. Fascinating.
KIRK: What is it now?
SPOCK: It is gone now, Captain, but it seems to have deposited an alien presence.
KIRK: Where?
BELE: Right here, Captain.
(By the turbolift doors is a man, white on the left side, black on the right.)
KIRK: Explain, Spock. One of a kind?
BELE: I am Bele.
KIRK: Of the planet Cheron, no doubt.
BELE: Forgive my unorthodox arrival.
KIRK: Your mode of travel was also unorthodox. Secure from Red Alert. What happened to your vehicle?
BELE: It served me long and durably. Unfortunately, the strain of arduous pursuit has exceeded even its advanced qualities. I was just able to complete this trip and disembark in time, or I would have disintegrated in space with it.
SPOCK: A most unique craft. Pity it couldn't be salvaged for our study.
BELE: Yes. It was sheathed in special materials that rendered it invisible.
KIRK: What brings you to us?
BELE: You bear precious cargo, Lokai. He has taken refuge aboard this ship. I am here to claim him.
KIRK: All personnel aboard this vessel are subject to my command. No one claims anyone without due process.
BELE: My apologies, Captain. I overstepped my powers. Claim is undoubtedly an unfortunate word.
KIRK: What is your authorisation? From what source?
BELE: I am chief officer of the Commission on Political Traitors. Lokai was tried and convicted of treason, but had escaped. May I see him, please?
KIRK: He's in Sickbay. Remember, since you're aboard the Enterprise, you're bound by its regulations.
BELE: With your permission, Captain.
KIRK: Mister Spock.
[Sickbay]
BELE: Well, Lokai, it's a pleasure to see you again. This time I'm sure our joining will be of a more permanent nature. Captain, you are to be congratulated. Never before has Lokai been rendered so quiescent.
LOKAI: I will not return to Cheron with him, to a land of murdering oppressors!
KIRK: I told you where you were going. I allowed your fellow countryman here simply as a courtesy.
BELE: And you see how this killer repays you, as he repays all his benefactors.
LOKAI: Benefactors? He's a liar. He raided our homes, tore us from our families, herded us together like cattle and then sold us as slaves!
BELE: They were savages, Captain. We took them into our hearts, our homes. We educated them.
LOKAI: Yes, just education enough to serve the master race.
BELE: You were the product of our love! And you repaid us with murder.
LOKAI: Why should a slave show mercy to the enslaver?
BELE: Slaves? That was changed thousands of years ago. You were freed.
LOKAI: Freed? Were we free to be men? Free to be husbands and fathers? Free to live our lives in equality and dignity?
BELE: Yes, you were free, if you knew how to use your freedom. You were free enough to slaughter and to burn all the things that had been built!
LOKAI: I tried to break the chains of a hundred million people. My only crime is that I failed. To that I do plead guilty.
BELE: There is an order in things. He asked for utopia in a day. It can't be done.
LOKAI: Not in a day. And not in ten times ten thousand years by your thinking. To you, we are a loathsome breed who will never be ready. Genocide for my people is the plan for your utopia.
BELE: You insane, you filthy little plotter of ruin. You vicious subverter of every decent thought. Oh, you're coming back to pay for your crimes!
LOKAI: I know you and all those with whom you're plotting to take power permanently. When I return to Cheron, you will understand what power is. I will have armies of followers.
KIRK: It's now very clear you know each other extremely well, gentlemen. The only service this ship can offer is to bring you together. It is not a battlefield.
LOKAI: Captain, I led revolutionaries, not criminals. I demand political asylum. This ship is a sanctuary.
KIRK: I'll tell you once more. For you, this ship is a prison.
BELE: Captain, it is imperative that you return Lokai to Cheron for judgment.
KIRK: Commissioner, Cheron is not a member of the Federation. No treaties have ever been signed. Your demand for possession of this prisoner cannot be honoured. There are no extradition procedures to allow it. Is that clear, Commissioner Bele?
BELE: Captain, I hope you will be sensible.
KIRK: How do you mean?
BELE: Co-operation.
KIRK: I cannot take sides.
BELE: Since I am without a vessel to return to Cheron, I insist that you take us there immediately.
KIRK: Impossible. I have a mission to accomplish. There's a planet to be decontaminated. Millions of lives are at stake. Once that has been completed, I'll return to Starbase Four and turn you both over to the authorities. You can make your case to them.
BELE: I am sorry, Captain. That will not be satisfactory, not at all satisfactory.
KIRK: Commissioner, as a visiting dignitary from a far planet, I offer you every hospitality aboard this ship. Choose any other course,
BELE: You're the captain.
KIRK: Yes, I am. I think we can consider your problem settled. At least for the present. I have ordered guest quarters for you on deck six.
(Bele leaves with a security escort.)
KIRK: And I suggest you get a great deal of rest, especially your vocal chords. It seems you'll have a double opportunity to practise your oratory on Starbase Four.
CHEKOV [OC]: Chekov to Captain Kirk. Chekov to Captain Kirk. Urgent.
KIRK: Kirk here.
CHEKOV [OC]: Captain, we're off course.
KIRK: Well, get back on course.
CHEKOV [OC]: That's just it, sir. The ship's taken a new heading all by itself.
KIRK: I'll be right there.
[Bridge]
KIRK: Have you located the malfunction?
SULU: No, sir. The ship is unresponsive. We're moving away from Ariannus.
KIRK: Explanation, Mister Spock?
SPOCK: Elusive, Captain. I am investigating.
SULU: I can't understand it. I simply have no control.
KIRK: Kirk to engineering.
SCOTT [OC]: Scott here.
KIRK: Scotty, we're suddenly off course. Check our manoeuvering controls.
[Engineering]
SCOTT: Aye, sir. Hold. Captain, no malfunction indicated.
KIRK [OC]: Switch to auxiliary.
SCOTT: Aye, sir. Out. (presses a lot of buttons.) Engineer to bridge.
[Bridge]
KIRK: Kirk here.
SCOTT [OC]: On auxiliary, sir.
KIRK: Stand by for check. Scotty, we're still off course.
SCOTT [OC]: I'll be right up.
KIRK: Speed, Mister Chekov.
CHEKOV: We're moving at warp eight.
KIRK: And new course?
CHEKOV: four oh three mark seven. Straight for the Coal Sack if there is no letup.
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura, put the ship on Red Alert. All hands, this is the captain. The ship is on Red Alert.
[Engineering]
KIRK [OC]: Repeat, the ship is on Red Alert. There has been an unidentified malfunction in the ship's directional control.
[Sickbay]
KIRK [OC]: Repeat, the ship is off course and out of our control.
(As the guard heads off to his battle station, Lokai dashes out of Sickbay.)
[Bridge]
(Scott enters.)
KIRK: Our new heading, Mister Chekov?
CHEKOV: Four oh three mark seven.
KIRK: Spock?
SPOCK: Confirmed, Captain. Holding pattern. Co-ordinates now indicate we are charting course to (pause) Captain, Cheron lies between four oh three mark seven and mark nine.
(Bele enters)
BELE: We're on the way to Cheron. Captain, this ship is now under my direction. For fifty thousand of your terrestrial years, I have been pursuing Lokai through the galaxy. I have not travelled this far, this long, only to give him up. This ship goes where my will drives it.
SCOTT: Captain, we are now at warp ten and the speed is increasing!
(Lokai enters)
SPOCK: Captain, course is now clearly straight for Cheron, despite all efforts to direct us to Ariannus.
LOKAI: I will not return to Cheron. Captain, you must guarantee me sanctuary.
BELE: He cannot help you now. You are lost, Lokai. You're on the way to judgment, to final punishment.
LOKAI: Stop him.
BELE: You evil mound of filth. Not this time.
LOKAI: My cause is just. You must help me. All of you must help me.
BELE: Oh, the old cry. Pity me, pity me. Everywhere he's gone, he's been helped to escape. On every planet he's found fools who bleed for him and shed tears for the oppressed one. But there is no escape for you on this ship. This is your last sanctuary.
LOKAI: Kill him. Kill him!
KIRK: You're two of a kind.
BELE: And we are both going to Cheron. You cannot change the course of this ship any more than you can change me. This ship goes where I want it to go.
KIRK: Security, put them both in the brig.
(The security guards are held back by forcefields.)
KIRK: Phasers on stun. Fire. (no effect)
BELE: Your phasers are ineffective against our shields. You are helpless, Captain.
LOKAI: What a fool I am, expecting help from someone like you.
KIRK: This ship is going to Ariannus.
BELE: No, this ship is going to Cheron. I will let nothing interfere.
KIRK: We are going to Ariannus. The lives of a billion people make no other choice possible.
BELE: You are being obtuse, Captain. I am permitting no choice. My will now controls this, and nothing can break it.
KIRK: Bele, I am captain of this ship, and it will follow whatever course I set for it, or I will order its destruction.
BELE: You're bluffing.
KIRK: I will destroy it.
BELE: You can no more destroy this ship than I can change colour.
KIRK: Lieutenant Uhura, tie in the bridge to the master computer.
UHURA: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Computer, destruct sequence. Are you ready to copy?
COMPUTER: Working.
KIRK: Prepare to verify destruct sequence code one. Computer, this is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Destruct sequence one, code one, one A.
COMPUTER Voice and code one, one A verified and correct. Sequence one complete.
KIRK: Mister Spock.
SPOCK: This is Commander Spock, science officer. Destruct sequence number two, code one, one A, two B.
COMPUTER: Voice and code verified and correct. Sequence two complete.
KIRK: Mister Scott.
SCOTT: This is Lieutenant Commander Scott, chief engineering officer of the USS Enterprise. Destruct sequence number three, code one B, two B, three.
COMPUTER: Voice and code one B, two B, three verified and correct. Destruct sequence completed and engaged. Awaiting final code for thirty second countdown.
KIRK: Mister Spock, has the ship returned to the course set for it by my orders?
SPOCK: Negative, Captain. We are still headed directly for Cheron.
COMPUTER: Destruct sequence engaged. Awaiting final code for thirty second countdown.
KIRK: Computer, this is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Begin thirty second countdown. Code zero, zero, zero, destruct zero.
COMPUTER: Thirty seconds. twenty nine, twenty eight, twenty seven, (break) twenty five seconds,
KIRK: Let's see you prevent the computer from fulfilling my commands.
COMPUTER: Twenty seconds,
KIRK: From five to zero, no command in the universe can prevent the computer from fulfilling its destruct orders.
COMPUTER: Fifteen seconds,
KIRK: You can use your will to drag this ship to Cheron. But I command the computer. Mine is the final command.
COMPUTER: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
BELE: I agree!
KIRK: Computer. This is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Code one, two, three continuity. Abort destruct order. Repeat code one, two, three continuity. Abort destruct order.
COMPUTER: Destruct order aborted. Destruct order aborted.
KIRK: Mister Spock, is this ship headed for Ariannus?
SPOCK: Negative, Captain. The Enterprise is now moving in a circular course.
SCOTT: And at warp ten, we're going now here mighty fast.
LOKAI: I warned you of his treachery. Kill him!
KIRK: We're waiting for you to fulfil your commitment, Commissioner.
BELE: Captain, I am happy to have you complete your mission of mercy to the planet Ariannus. It was madness to interfere with such a worthwhile endeavour. But, if you will, upon completion, please take me and my traitorous captive to Cheron.
KIRK: I make no deals for control of this ship, sir.
BELE: The ship's course is now in your control.
KIRK: Ship's course?
SPOCK: Enterprise is now on course to Ariannus, Captain.
KIRK: Speed, Scotty?
SCOTT: Warp six and smoothly operating, sir.
KIRK: Good. Lieutenant Uhura, cancel Red Alert.
UHURA: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Let me reaffirm my position, gentlemen. I could put you in the brig for what you have done, but I won't do it because you are new to this part of the galaxy, which is governed by the United Federation of Planets. We live in peace with full exercise of individual rights. The need to resort to violence and force has long since passed, and it will not be tolerated aboard this ship. You are free to move about the ship. I hope that you'll take the opportunity to know more about the Federation through its best representatives, my crew. But let me make it clear. I will stand for no interference with the function of this ship. All hands, return to normal routine. Captain out.
(Bele leaves, with an escort.)
LOKAI: You speak very well, Captain. Your words promise justice for all.
KIRK: We try, sir.
LOKAI: Yes, well, I have learned to wait for actions. After Ariannus, what is justice? I shall wait to see it dispensed.
(Lokai leaves)
SPOCK: Fascinating. Two irrevocably hostile humanoids.
SCOTT: Disgusting is what I call them.
SPOCK: That description is not scientifically accurate.
SCOTT: Mister Spock, the word disgusting describes exactly what I feel about those two.
KIRK: That's enough for today. Those two are beginning to affect you.
[Rec room]
(Crew are sitting at tables, not playing chess, while Lokai expounds his case. Spock and we are listening from outside.)
LOKAI: And I know from my actions you must all think me a volcanic hothead, erupting lava from my nostrils at danger signals that are only figments of my imagination. But believe me, my friends, there can be no moment when I can have my guard down where such as Bele is present. So what happens? I act the madman out of the anger and frustration he forces upon me, and thereby prove his point that I am a madman.
SULU: No one knows how he'll react under pressure, Lokai.
CHEKOV: After all, we are only human.
LOKAI: Ah, Mister Chekov, therein lies my lack of ability to alert you and your captain to the real threat of someone like Bele. You see, you are from the planet Earth. There is no persecution on your planet. How can you understand my fear, my apprehension, my degradation, my suffering?
CHEKOV: There was persecution on Earth once. I remember reading about it in my history class.
SULU: Yes, but it happened way back in the twentieth century. There's no such primitive thinking today.
LOKAI: You have read about it in history, I see. How can I make your flesh know how it feels to see all those who are like you, and only because they are like you, despised, slaughtered, and even worse, denied the simplest bit of decency that is a living being's right? Do you know what it would be like to be dragged out of your hovel into a war on another planet? A battle that will serve your oppressor and bring death to you and your brothers?
[Captain's mess]
BELE: Putting the matter into the hands of your Starfleet Command is, of course, the proper procedure. How long will it be before we hear from them, Captain?
KIRK: I expect the answer is already on its way.
BELE: Well, then, let us drink to their wise solution to our problem.
KIRK: Let's do that.
SPOCK: Commissioner, Starfleet Command may not arrive at the solution you anticipate. There is the matter of the shuttlecraft which Lokai appropriated. The interrogation of that matter may be of paramount importance to Starfleet.
BELE: Gentlemen, we are discussing a question of degree. Surely, stealing a shuttlecraft cannot be equated with the importance of murdering thousands of people.
SPOCK: We do not know that Lokai has done that.
BELE: One thing we are agreed on is that Lokai is a criminal.
KIRK: No, Commissioner. The one thing we're agreed upon is that Lokai took a shuttlecraft.
(Intercom whistle)
KIRK: Excuse me.
UHURA [OC]: Uhura to Captain Kirk.
KIRK: Kirk here.
UHURA [OC]: I have a communication from Starfleet Command, sir.
KIRK: Yes, read it.
[Bridge]
UHURA: Starfleet Command extends greetings to Commissioner Bele of the planet Cheron. His urgent request to be transported to his planet with the man he claims prisoner has been taken under consideration.
[Captain's mess]
UHURA [OC]: It is with great regret that we cannot honour that request. Intergalactic treaty clearly specifies that no being can be extradited without due process. In view of the circumstances, we have no doubt that after a hearing at Starbase, Commissioner Bele will be permitted to retain his prisoner and be provided transportation
KIRK: That's enough. Thank you.
BELE: As always, Lokai has managed to gain allies.
KIRK: Now, wait a minute, Commissioner,
BELE: Even if they don't recognise themselves as being such. Yes, he will evade, delay, and escape again and in the process put thousands of innocent beings at each other's throats, getting them to kill and maim for a cause which they have no stake in, but which he will force them to violently espouse by twisting their minds with his lies, his loathsome accusations and his foul threats.
KIRK: I can assure you, Commissioner, that our minds will not be twisted, not by Lokai, nor by you.
BELE: It is obvious to the most simpleminded that Lokai is of an inferior breed.
SPOCK: The obvious visual evidence, Commissioner, is that he is of the same breed as yourself.
BELE: Are you blind, Commander Spock? Well, look at me. Look at me!
KIRK: You're black on one side and white on the other.
BELE: I am black on the right side.
KIRK: I fail to see the significant difference.
BELE: Lokai is white on the right side. All of his people are white on the right side.
SPOCK: Commissioner, perhaps the experience of my own planet Vulcan may set an example of some value to you. Vulcan was in danger of being destroyed by the same conditions and characteristics which threaten to destroy Cheron. We were once a people like yourselves, wildly emotional, often committed to irrationally opposing points of view, leading, of course, to death and destruction. Only the discipline of logic saved my planet from extinction.
BELE: Commander Spock, I am delighted that Vulcan was saved, but you cannot expect Lokai and people like him to act with self-discipline any more than you can expect a planet to stop orbiting its sun.
KIRK: Let Lokai state his grievances. Hear him, listen to him. Maybe he can change. Maybe he wants to change his image.
BELE: He cannot change.
SPOCK: Change is the essential process of all existence. For instance, the people of Cheron must have once been mono-coloured.
BELE: You mean like both of you?
KIRK: There must have been a time, long ago no doubt, when that was true.
(Intercom whistle)
KIRK: Excuse me. Kirk here.
SCOTT [OC]: We're orbiting Ariannus, sir.
KIRK: Very good. Commence decontamination procedures when ready. Advise when complete.
SCOTT [OC]: At once, sir. Scott out.
BELE: I once heard that on some of your planets people believe they are descended from apes.
SPOCK: The actual theory is that all life-forms evolved from the lower levels to the more advanced stages.
[Bridge]
SCOTT: Ready for decontamination procedure.
CHEKOV: Ready, sir.
SULU: Ready here.
UHURA: Ready, Mister Scott.
SCOTT: Mister Sulu, lock into co-ordinates requested by Ariannus.
SULU: Locked in, sir.
SCOTT: Mister Chekov, position tanks for spray release.
CHEKOV: Tanks positioned.
SCOTT: Lieutenant Uhura, advise Ariannus the mission is to begin on signal. All ground precautions must be ready.
UHURA: Ariannus says go ahead.
SCOTT: Well, let 'er rip.
(The planet they are orbiting turns orange, then white and blue)
SCOTT: Scott to Captain Kirk.
KIRK [OC]: Kirk here.
SCOTT: First run complete, sir.
[Captain's mess]
KIRK: Good. Repeat procedure for maximum effect.
[Bridge]
SCOTT: Aye, sir. Ready to repeat decontamination procedure.
CHEKOV: Ready, sir.
SCOTT: Mister Sulu?
SULU: Ready here.
(This time the oceans and land masses are very clearly seen. Not a cloud in the sky.)
KIRK [OC]: Kirk here.
SCOTT: We're completing the final orbit of Ariannus, sir. I'm awaiting instructions to set course for the next destination.
KIRK: Very good. We'll be right up.
[Captain's mess]
KIRK: Set directional controls for Starbase Four. Kirk out. Will you join us on the bridge?
BELE: There is nothing I would like more.
Captain's log, stardate 5730.7. Having completed our mission to Ariannus, the Enterprise is now on course to Starbase Four. The crew is on normal routine, and we are proceeding without incident.
[Bridge]
(Chekov is hunched over Spock's station.)
SPOCK: Trouble, Mister Chekov?
CHEKOV: I don't rightly know, Mister Spock. I was trying to programme for Starbase Four as ordered. I can't get a response.
UHURA: It just seemed to go dead, sir.
SPOCK: Captain, some of the memory banks of the computer are burned out.
KIRK: Can you determine which ones?
BELE: The directional control and the self-destruct, Captain, are both burnt out. I did it like this.
(Bele waves his hands over the computer controls and they flash in electrical short-circuits)
Captain's log, stardate 5730.6. In a deliberate act of sabotage, Commissioner Bele has burned out our destruct mechanism and through the power of his will has again taken over directional control of the Enterprise.
[Bridge]
(Lokai enters)
BELE: Now can we go to Cheron without any more discussion?
KIRK: At the moment, I seem to have no choice.
LOKAI: So this is justice after Ariannus! You have signed my death warrant. I warned you what to expect. Will you continue to let this mockery of justice go on? If you are partisans of justice, prove it! Kill him!
CHEKOV: We are not killers.
LOKAI: What do you do, carry justice on your tongues? You will beg for it, but you won't fight or die for it.
KIRK: After so many years of leading the fight, you seem very much alive.
SPOCK: I doubt that the same can be said for many of his followers.
BELE: You're finished, Lokai! We've got your kind penned in on Cheron into little districts, and it's not going to change. You've combed the galaxy and come up with nothing but mono-coloured trash, do-gooders and bleeding hearts. You're dead, you half-white!
LOKAI: You useless pieces of bland flesh. I'll take you with me, you half-black.
(They lunge for each others throats, and send off electrical charges.)
KIRK: Bele, you keep this up, and you'll never get to Cheron with your prisoner. The rest of this ship will be irreparably damaged. This will be your final battlefield. Your fifty thousand years of pursuit will have been wasted.
(Bele and Lokai separate)
KIRK: And you, Lokai, will die here in space. You'll inspire no more disciples. Your cause will be ended.
LOKAI: Remember, Captain, political sanctuary is my right. I am your prisoner. Honour that right, or the fight will go on and your ship will burn up.
KIRK: You've made your point.
BELE: If you listen to his legalistic trickery, I shall have to destroy this ship and everybody aboard.
KIRK: I understand. Will you return the Enterprise to my control?
BELE: Why not?
KIRK: Scotty, have repairs on directional control been completed?
SCOTT: Aye, sir. Re-routed.
KIRK: Check controls and co-ordinates.
SULU: Controls operating. The Enterprise is responding as always. Captain, it's beautiful.
CHEKOV: Locking onto co-ordinates.
SPOCK: Captain, we are within scanning range of Cheron.
KIRK: Is it within visual range?
SPOCK: Coming within visual range now, Captain.
KIRK: Chekov, put it on the screen. Extreme magnification. What are you picking up?
SPOCK: Several large cities, uninhabited. Extensive traffic systems, barren of traffic. Lower animal sand vegetation encroaching on the cities. No sapient life-forms registering at all, Captain. There is no evidence of natural disaster, yet there are vast numbers of unburied corpses in all cities.
KIRK: You mean, all the people are dead?
SPOCK: All dead, Captain. They have annihilated each other totally.
BELE: My people, all dead?
KIRK: Yes, Commissioner, all of them.
LOKAI: No one alive?
SPOCK: None at all, sir.
BELE: Your band of murderers did this.
LOKAI: Your genocidal maniacs did this!
(They attack each other again.)
KIRK: Stop it! What's the matter with you two? Didn't you hear Spock? Your planet is dead! There's nobody alive on Cheron because of hate. The cause you fought about no longer exists. Give yourselves time to breathe. Give up your hate. You're welcome to live with us. Listen to me. You both must end up dead if you don't stop hating.
LOKAI: You're an idealistic dreamer.
(Lokai leaves)
KIRK: Bele. The chase is finished.
BELE: He must not escape me.
SPOCK: Where can he go?
(Bele leaves)
KIRK: Bele.
UHURA: Shall I alert security, sir?
KIRK: No, Lieutenant. Where can they run?
(Through the ship, knocking over crewmen, whilst imagining the buildings burning on their home planet.)
SPOCK: Captain, I have located them on ship's sensors. Bele is chasing Lokai on deck three. Bele is passing recreation room three, approaching the crewmen's lounge. Lokai is running past the crewmen's lounge. Lokai has just arrived on deck five. Passing recreation room three.
(Lokai beams himself away)
UHURA: Captain, someone has activated the transporter mechanism.
KIRK: Spock, anyone in the transporter room?
SPOCK: Negative, Captain. Transporter room is clear. However, there is a life-form materialising on the planet. It is Lokai. He is back on Cheron.
KIRK: There's nobody there to try him. His judges are all dead.
UHURA: Captain, the transporter mechanism has been activated again.
KIRK: Of course.
SPOCK: It is Bele, Captain. And another life-form has appeared on Cheron.
UHURA: It doesn't make any sense.
SPOCK: To expect sense from two mentalities of such extreme viewpoints is not logical.
SULU: But their planet's dead. Does it matter now which one's right?
SPOCK: Not to Lokai and Bele. All that matters to them is their hate.
UHURA: Do you suppose that's all they ever had, sir?
KIRK: No, but that's all they have left. Warp factor two, Mister Sulu. Set course for Starbase Four.
2024-09-23 07:32:00 -
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