The Paradise Syndrome
| "The Paradise Syndrome" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Original Series episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 3 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Jud Taylor |
| Written by | Margaret Armen |
| Featured music | Gerald Fried |
| Cinematography by | Jerry Finnerman |
| Production code | 058 |
| Original air date | October 4, 1968 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
"The Paradise Syndrome" is a third season episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek, and was broadcast October 4, 1968. It is episode #58, production #58, written by Margaret Armen and directed by Jud Taylor.
In the episode, an alien device on a primitive planet erases Captain Kirk's memory, and he begins a new life with the planet's indigenous people modeled on Native American Indians.
Plot
Stardate 4842.6, Captain James T. Kirk, First Officer Spock and Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy transport to the surface of an earth-like planet, from which they are to deflect an approaching asteroid. They discover an obelisk with strange markings, and observe a settlement whose inhabitants, according to Spock, are descended from indigenous Americans. Kirk, while out of sight of the others, falls through a trap door into the obelisk, where a beam shocks him into unconsciousness. Spock and McCoy are unable to locate Kirk and are forced to return to the Federation starship USS Enterprise to complete their mission.
Kirk awakens with amnesia, and a pair of women, including Miramanee, the tribal priestess, see Kirk emerge from their "temple." He is hailed as a god, and taken back to their village, where the tribal elders demand proof of Kirk's divinity. At that moment, a drowned boy is brought in. Salish, the medicine chief, declares the child dead, but Kirk uses mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive him. The elders accept Kirk as a god, forcing Salish to relinquish his position to Kirk.
Following the tradition that the tribe priestess and medicine chief marry, Miramanee rejects Salish for Kirk. Salish attacks Kirk in the forest, and when his knife draws blood, he realizes that Kirk is no god. Meanwhile, the Enterprise crew warp to the asteroid, but fail to deflect or destroy it, burning out the ship's warp engines in the process. Spock orders the ship to shadow the asteroid back to the planet, now two months away by impulse power. Meanwhile Kirk falls deeper in love, and revels in his new carefree life, though haunted at night by dreams of people he feels he should be with. Miramanee happily tells Kirk that she is pregnant.
As the Enterprise nears the planet, Spock succeeds in partially deciphering the markings on the obelisk. He has discovered that it is an asteroid deflector built by the Preservers, an ancient race that resettled various endangered humanoid populations on other planets in order to ensure their survival. Spock surmises that the obelisk has malfunctioned.
As the asteroid nears the planet, the sky darkens and strong winds blow, and the elders tell Kirk he must go into the temple to stop the storm. As Kirk pounds fruitlessly on the side of the obelisk, the tribe turn against him, stoning him and Miramanee. Suddenly, Spock and McCoy materialize, frightening the villagers away. Spock uses a mind meld to retrieve Kirk's memories, while McCoy tends to Miramanee's wounds. Acting on Spock's information, Kirk is able to open the trap door. Kirk and Spock enter and Spock activates the deflector with minutes to spare.
Later, in Kirk and Miramanee's lodge, McCoy tells Kirk that she will not survive. Kirk holds Miramanee in his arms as she dies.
External links
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