Star Trek (TV Series) This Side of Paradise (1967) User Reviews

Why leave?

[khafre7878 · 8/10 · 23 September 2016]

This episode reminds me of Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New World." I read the book before I saw this episode. Huxley's book had a profound impact on me, and this episode had essentially the same message - perfect happiness and utopia is inhuman and bad, and human flaws with struggle and pain is good. My philosophy has always been that happiness is the ultimate goal. If one is delusional or whatever, what does it matter if one is happy? Isn't happiness everyone's goal. It would seem not if you took the message from Huxley's novel and this episode. It would seem that the right answer is that to be flawed is human and one should embrace that, whether that mean war, starvation, misery, or whatever. The message is that it is better to be under one's own faculties than under the influence of a lie, even if that lie leads us exactly where we all want to go. I say, if we are unaware of the lie, then it does not matter. I can see the argument for why it would be bad. The argument is that it isn't possible, and I get that. But in Huxley's novel and this episode, it is possible, yet it is still purported to be a bad thing. It is as if something is lost in the human experience if the negative side of life cannot be experienced, though we all strive to avoid that side.

I am much like Spock, a bit autistic and logical. I really empathize with Spock when he states that this is the only time he knew happiness, and I wonder why he did not strive to return to it. To be completely free of what hindered him from enjoying life; to know what that felt like and abandon it truly asks for a serious philosophical discussion. I would not have made that decision. I would have returned to the bliss.

People question why Kirk was the only one that didn't succumb, and to me it is because he is the ideal human. For him, normal human life is extremely rewarding. He is a winner. For him to succeed when others fail is what drives him. It would be unthinkable that there are no winners or losers and that everything is just dandy the way it is. He cannot function like this. I think this is a very American view of the world; very individualistic; there must be winners and losers, pain and triumph.

We are told that we have to be a certain way, but that is just brainwashing to get us to comply and fill our role in society. It is what the ideal man wants for the rest of us. They don't want us to have bliss and happiness and not produce anything for them to feed their ego. They want us to be enslaved to them. Stories like this tell you that if you are ignorant of greed and the desire to be something better that you are living a worthless life. Marijuana was banned in the 60s not because it was unhealthy. It was banned because there was a concern that we would be turned into a country of do-nothings that were satisfied with basic needs. While I relate to wanting to live in such a way, I understand that ultimately, a nation of do-nothings is harmful, however when such a model could be produced such as in this episode to where there were no negative consequences from such a lifestyle, why not choose it?

For someone like Spock, he doesn't know true social happiness, and to find it is truly a gift. My guess is that without the influence of the spores that Spock succumbed to his loyalty to Kirk and the mission because that is what he is programmed to do. But for me, the human side of me, the non-autistic side, yearns to be blissfully unaware as most human beings are. I am too tuned in, and to be this tuned out would truly be something that I would not give up. I am a psychiatrist and find these sort of possibilities of the imagination most intriguing.

Perhaps the best Spock episode

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 6 December 2006]

I really liked this episode even though the plot seemed a bit silly. The Enterprise come to a planet that was settled by a scientific team some time back. They expected to find everyone dead, as they later realized that the planet's atmosphere was lethal--but everyone is very much alive and tremendously happy. They see their dull little planet as a new Eden and they refuse to leave. The reason for this is a strange plant that shoots spores in everyone's face when they come near it. While the spores DO keep you alive, they also make you so content that meaningful existence and work are not possible. Very quickly, all of the members of the landing party are infected and become happy little idiots--even Spock. For a while, Kirk is not hit by the spores, but even when he is, he is somehow above it all because he's the ultra-macho and studly "JAMES T. KIRK"! His job is to somehow destroy these plants and bring the crew back to the ship--because as of this point, EVERYONE but him has beamed to the planet in search of contentment.

I think the reason I liked the episode so much was seeing Spock for the one and only time on the show as a happy, smiling and laughing person!! The ending is especially poignant when Spock waxes lyrical about losing this--a great dramatic moment that will probably bring all the Trekkies close to tears!! An episode not to be missed.

FYI--Spock's lady love is Jill Ireland--later Charles Bronson's wife.

Fascinating

[mstomaso · 9/10 · 25 April 2007]

This fan favorite is most well known for its scenes of Spock falling in love, imitating a chimp and telling Kirk to get with the program or leave him alone. McCoy also has a few goofy scenes like this, and his southern drawl becomes more intense with the number of mint juleps he imbibes.

The Enterprise has been diverted to a planet which is being bombarded by lethal Berthold rays, to look for survivors in a luddite-utopian commune founded there several years ago. Remarkably, despite the killer radiation, the population is mostly intact and in great health. Just as it is becoming clear how the colony has survived, Kirk is ordered to evacuate all of them. They don't want to leave.

Ralph Senensky does a great job of directing this thoughtful D. C. Fontana episode, and the acting supersedes the standard franchise fair. Great for fans, very good for others.

Personal Impact

[llward3 · 10/10 · 11 February 2007]

This episode validated Spock's "half-human" emotional nature. As a teen, my nickname was "Spock". As a fan, I organized a write-in campaign to prevent the original cancellation of Star Trek (unsuccesful). So, when I tell you that Spock kissing the delicately beautiful Jill Irelend caused me no small discomfort in high school, believe it! The effect of the spores could only be overcome by adrenaline (epinephrine). My favorite lines from the show? When questioned as to whether he really is a doctor, McCoy replies: " Do you want to see how fast I can put you in the hospital?" My current occupation is- yes- physician!

love story without peer

[cafescott · 10/10 · 11 October 2008]

This Side of Paradise is sublime, and features for my money the greatest love scene i've ever seen on TV. Spock also has one of the most memorable final lines ever. There's also a thrilling scene between Kirk and Spock in the transporter room.

I watch this episode when i want to remember that life is short, and artists try to leave memorable culture behind for others to admire. When Spock is first hit by the spores, and he finally responds to Leila (Jill Ireland), she utters these lines of dialogue with Alexander Courage's love scene music playing softly:

Leila: Now, now you belong to all of us. And we to you. There's no need to hide your inner face any longer. We understand.

This scene still floors me. It always has.

In the transporter room Kirk goads Spock into fighting him, breaking his influence from the spores. Minutes later Spock has another unforgettable scene with Leila, and she realizes that she has lost him forever.

As the Enterprise departs the planet, heading to a star base, Spock closes out the show with his remark that for the first time he had been happy. Again, this line captivates me no end.

This Side of Paradise is another Star Trek episode that puts to shame anything else put on television. I've never encountered television that expressed complex emotional ideas such as this.

BTW, the guy who plays Sandoval (Fran Overton) died one month after This Side of Paradise aired! that's a real shame. He didn't get to appreciate this episode by watching it many times, but he certainly was part of a work that has inspired many others.

Escaping Your Self-Made Purgatory

[Bogmeister · 10/10 · 17 July 2006]

This one really is one of the all-time Trek greats - one of the best episodes of the first season and, for that matter, of the whole three years of the series. It begins as a mystery on a very peaceful planet, where settlers were meant to begin an agricultural colony several years ago. Kirk tries to unravel this odd jigsaw puzzle presented before him in the first act - the colonists should all be dead by this point due to what are known as Berthold Rays and all animals have indeed died off. The answers lie in some funky-looking plants which shoot spores into human beings, thereby indoctrinating them into a space-age version of a 'happiness pill' society. All worries melt away and humans can, for the first time since Adam & Eve (one might say), relax in paradise. In a sense, this is "The Naked Time" episode taken to the next level - rather than fighting a form of disease, mankind here seems cured of all ills - there appears to be no reason to escape something so benevolent.

There is a beguiling quality to most of this episode and moments of incredible poignancy. Most of these moments are in Spock's scenes, usually with his newfound lady love (the luminous Ireland). Here we see Spock as perhaps he really is without that wall of anti-emotion he projects - this story hints that it really is an artificial wall, even unnecessary. This is not Spock afflicted by sickness or possessed by an alien force - it's the real Spock, smiles and all, all his usual defense mechanisms swept away, as human as, well, Dr. McCoy. Swept Away - that's probably as good a description as any for what happens to him and then the rest of the crew. And ironically, it's most tragic for Spock, among all the crew, when this happiness is taken away - we realize he loses the most here - everyone else just realizes they've been kind of wasting their time. Interestingly, Kirk proves to be the only one resistant to these spores, to a degree. I guess that's why he's captain - it takes a lot more to dissuade him from his mission than it does the average crew member.

Overall, this episode presents a superlative progression of surprise, suspense and some jarring thrills following on the heels of the early mystery. After Spock gets through that brief, though alarming, painful transition to his new self, we see Kirk's astonishment as he first observes his transformed first officer (more irony here: Kirk could have really enjoyed a relaxed friendship with Spock if things continued as they were here, a typical 'best friends' relationship, though McCoy might've gotten jealous and then burned off the effect of the spores). Then the ship empties; this was the first time something like this happened - now things look really grim - and once Kirk exits, that's it; the ship will burn up in a decaying orbit. I believe this episode has the shot of the empty bridge which was later used in the TNG episode "Relics." Those hints we've seen of Spock's Vulcan strength prove to be quite valid - don't ever anger a Vulcan, especially if you're a frail human. I don't pretend to understand all of Kirk's insults but I think his reference to freakism did the trick. Finally, McCoy gets in the best line towards the end when he tells the colony's leader to make him a mechanic - "Then I can treat little tin gods like you!" Priceless.

A great episode with other meanings

[Bobulo · 10/10 · 12 October 2008]

I also find this to be one of the very best Star Trek episodes. One of the saddest and moving also.

To me, this episode is a thinly-veiled allegory that examines some of the good effects and bad effects of mind and personality altering substances (drugs, alcohol).

The two quotes that best exemplify this (and the bad/good) are when Sandoval sobers up and says "We've done nothing here". And the last line of the episode from Spock: "For the first time in my life, I was happy".

Also, I've begun to think that the difficulties that Spock has with the spores shows why some people become addicted to substances while others don't. Spock finds happiness with the spores, but realizes later that the spores are wrong. Well acted, you can see the mental torture Spock goes through. Very similar to people fighting addictions.

Spock's comments about self-made purgatories are especially poignant, beautiful, and moving.

An excellent TV episode.

Spock's little affair with Charles Bronson's wife.

[fedor8 · 28 April 2008]

The best Season 1 episode, and my personal overall favourite. No dull Klingons, no switcheroos, no arrogant and stupid Federation dignitaries, no main characters being "killed", no non-descript red-shirts being sent to their doom by Kirk, no absurdly mega-powerful aliens, no court-room scenes, and most importantly: no tiresome and preachy analogies about 20th-century social/political issues.

TSOP is almost devoid of ST clichés, containing a perfect balance of sci-fi and lighthearted humour. The humour isn't just "cute", as in the fairly entertaining "The Trouble With Tribbles", but genuinely funny.

The highlights: Spock acting weird over the communicator, Spock telling everyone that "Kirk is going to be difficult" (Kirk is ALWAYS "difficult"), Kirk taunting Spock, and the funniest scene: McCoy threatening to beat up Sandoval.

TSOP is cheerful without being overly "sweet", it's visually good, with interesting twists. The only logic problem may be the far-fetched premise that somehow Kirk can snap out of it by will alone, whereas no-one else can. And - of course - Kirk had to be the last person to get brainwashed. But there is something intriguing about the prospect of Kirk being stuck alone in the ship, orbiting his zombified crew.

It's ironic that D.C. Fontana, a mere secretary on the show, would come up with the best ST script (she wrote the bulk of it). Maybe she should have written more, letting Roddenberry focus on the thing he does best: NOT getting too involved with ST. Gene R. generally wrote the weakest scripts.

TSOP offers an interesting dilemma, one the viewer never encounters again: who does one root for, the plants or Kirk? I.e. Free Will or heavenly bliss. Nimoy delivers one of his best performances, very convincingly showing Spock's obvious disappointment at having been jerked out of paradise...

Paradise Lost...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 16 February 2022]

It's a must visit to Omicron Ceti III, where you will never have felt you're so free, organically fed, you'll lose any dread, a final frontier spaced out hippy.

Overcome by the flora and fauna the crew of the Enterprise, including Mr. Spock find peace and harmony in paradise but the captain finds it hard to let go and relax.

The remastered episodes are fantastic

[brainsmasher-66 · 10/10 · 4 July 2021]

I've probably seen every episode 3 or 4 times; but that was over 40 years ago. The enhanced special effects really add depth and nuance. I'm seeing things I never noticed before.

Flower Power

[amusinghandle · 7/10 · 10 November 2023]

It is a good thing that Captain Kirk was pissed off at the crew for not following his orders or he would have succumbed to the flower power and the galactic flower conquest would have commenced.

As a lazy working man who kicks my feet up in my cozy recliner, I feel like this episode is a commentary on my sedentary lifestyle choice and claws at me to get out and be active and make a difference. But, but I'm tired man.

A few highlights in this episode ---- The guest love interest of Spock manages the rare feat of looking incredible sexy in coveralls --- I am a trades person, so a working woman in coveralls hits home for me. Dr McCoy was an absolute delight with his over the top Georgian accent.

It's a sobering episode to be sure ---- We are not meant to be happy, we need to feel the flame of life scalding our skin to be truly alive!

The human settler managed to grow back an appendix. Really? Are you sure about that Dr McCoy or have you been dipping into that Mint Julep on the clock?

I do ponder about the space plants ultimate goal ---- it clearly wanted to board the enterprise. Those darn long hair hippies wanted to roam the frontier filling up the galaxy with sermons of peace and love. Well forget that! Not on Jim Kirk's watch! We will fight for our trophy of love the way that chemical chance intended.

Particularly poignant today...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 27 February 2015]

Just the other day, as I have on many other days of late, I ventured back in Time to revisit the adventures of Kirk and Spock and McCoy. No, I haven't discovered how to hitch a ride to tachyons into the Past: I simply took out my DVD set of STAR TREK- THE ORIGINAL SERIES and spent some quality time with the original crew of the Enterprise. One of the episodes I chose was THIS one, because it gave fans a rare glimpse into the "other" side of the stoic Science Officer- the Human Side. Leonard Nimoy was capable of great Depth when the opportunity presented itself, and this particular episode of this particular series stands as a Lasting Tribute to the Man who played the Vulcan. If, as has been suggested, Energy never dissipates, he's still Out There, Somewhere, in some New Form- waiting for us to join him.

Leila, got me on my knee's leila.

[thevacinstaller-03350 · 6/10 · 19 December 2022]

The beginning of a fine star trek tradition of a predatory planet species controlling humans. This episode is getting a lot of love from the reviewers who appreciate the Spock character development of actually experiencing emotions.

I wanted something more from this but ultimately the episode is a commentary that living a life without stress/conflict ends up being an existence without meaning. It's a fair point. And a chance for Spock to fully experience his emotional side.

The highlight of the episode for me was when McCoy turned up his Georgia accent to 11 while under the influence of plant pollen. It just cracked me up. Ireland is stunning even while sporting a pair of farmer overalls ---

The stakes are raised when Kirk is infected with the pollen. I anticipated that he was either faking it and was about to transport to the surface and solve the problem somehow. Well, that didn't happen ---- He figured out that emotions of anger stopped the controlling effects in the transport room. This struck me as odd with the set up they had previously established --- but hey --- it still kinda works.

I differ with the trek consensus on this one ----- This episode rates quite high on many 'best of lists' and I think that speaks to the love the fan base has for Spock. It just did not resonate with me.

Flower power.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 25 May 2022]

Star Trek meets Invasion of the Bodysnatchers* as members of the Enterprise crew fall under the influence of strange plants whose spores, when inhaled, bring improved health and total peace of mind. On discovering a means of counteracting the effects of the spores, Kirk sets about returning everyone back to their former miserable selves, paradise be damned.

I can't bring myself to like this one very much: those pesky polystyrene plants ensure that everyone is free of illness and disease and are in a perpetual state of bliss, which sounds pretty darn appealing to me. Even Spock finds happiness, falling in love with blonde beauty Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland). But the captain has to go and spoil things, saying it's not human to be completely content, or some such bull. If know that, if I could, I'd beam down to Omicron Ceti III and snort the nearest bunch of freaky flowers pronto.

*Leonard Nimoy would have another run in with alien spores, albeit less benign ones, in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.

Self made purgatory

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 1 May 2021]

Enterprise is tasked with resettling the colonists of Omicron Ceti III.

This is a memorable episode with some excellent concepts, different character moments and strong visuals.

The plot is simple but has some interesting psychological themes that are very sixties. The planet in focus is reflective of a counter-culture type community and the catalyst for their happiness and fulfilment are plant spores with mind altering narcotic effects. I found this along with Kirk's opposing viewpoint to be quite thought provoking.

I also love the sci-fi concept regarding the plants and how the writers mix this with the radiation problem. This for me is one of the most creative ideas in the original series.

The eventual resolution is a classic Star Trek anticlimactic technobabble solution but it just about works for me thanks to the prior scene with Kirk and Spock.

For me it is a strong episode for both the above characters. We see Kirk's strength of character and the powerful hold of his dedication to duty. Spock shows his emotional human side and additionally we have some backstory. Bones does not work quite as well for me as no effort is really put into writing him anything more than an overly Southern version of his normal character.

I enjoyed the cinematography, which had a nice mixture of camera angles and tells the story well in a visual way. The shots of Kirk on board the empty bridge are very effective.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both give strong performances, particularly Nimoy. DeForest Kelley has less to do but he does it well. Even Nichelle Nichols has a rare opportunity to give a bit of emotion. Jill Ireland is the most memorable of the guest stars and she contributes well in an important role.

Remember Odysseus and the Lotus Eaters

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 28 April 2014]

Kirk and Spock find themselves on a planet where no living thing should exist. In contrast, there seems to be vegetation and a thriving population. There is another surprise. A beautiful young woman played by Jill Ireland, who once had a thing for Spock, is on the planet. Also, on the planet is a sort of flower that when approached, fires spores, causing a sense of utter euphoria in the recipient. Most of the crew are infected with these spores which causes them to loll around, forgetting their duties. Spock, though initially traumatized, falls in with the rest. He picks up his romance with the young woman and announces that he has never been happy before. His deep human side is being exposed. Soon Kirk, who has somehow avoided the spores, is the only one left on the Enterprise. He can't possibly manage the ship by itself and the crew is unwilling to have anything to do with assisting him. He is bewildered but doesn't know what to do. Fortunately, as luck would have it, McCoy has brought some of the flowers on board and Kirk is dispatched by one of them. This leads to the solution to the problem.

In some ways this is quite sad because of Spock's experience with love and the loss of it. The positive is that we get to see Leonard Nimoy stretch himself a bit, not playing the stolid Vulcan all the time.

Spock finds Love

[woljm45 · 21 March 2006]

The Enterprise investigates a deadly planet that supposed to have killed a community there, but instead they find that a plant's spores not only keeps them safe, but also acts as some "cult love-drug". This episode was defiantly a product of the late 60's, which is actually mentioned. Spock gets hit with the spores and his human-half ignites the flames for an old "interest" who lives in the community, played by Jill Ireland(Charles Bronson's former wife). Great acting job by Nimoy to add that warm love dimension to Spock's usual cold demeanor. The episode is rather light-hearted, and almost even comical, but definitely enjoyable.

"This time we walked out on our own."

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 11 June 2022]

The Enterprise arrives at a planet called Omicron Ceti III where the locals *should* have perished long ago. The planet has been bombarded by "Berthold" rays that have been known to be lethal. But the landing party finds a bunch of beaming residents that welcome them with open arms. It's a mystery to Kirk, Spock, Bones, and everybody else in the party, especially as Bones is able to determine that the residents are all in perfect health. Then all of the various Enterprise crew members end up in the same smiling, euphoric state, and Kirk has to deal with a mutiny as everybody deserts to beam to the planet below!

This excellent script by D. C. Fontana comes up with some brilliant humor as well as a pointed observation on the whole idea of "paradise", and whether it's really all it's cracked up to be. Kirk opines that a species can grow stagnant if it's not challenged enough.

The mystery is soon solved in a clever way, and nobody is really immune from the effects - until Kirk is the last crew member standing, and it's up to *him* to come up with a counter-action. The result is a wonderful scene where he must motivate a much-changed Spock to respond to him in a negative way. And it's Spock who figures in some of the brightest laughs - we actually get to see him swing from a tree! Truly in touch with his emotions for the first time, he responds to the overtures made by an old acquaintance (the lovely Jill Ireland). Bones has fun moments of his own as he addresses Kirk as "Jim boy" and talks about making himself a mint-julep.

There is also a genuine haunting quality when Kirk is alone on the starship. He realizes for the first time how vast it is, without a crew to fill it. And the potential for the starship to be lost forever is there, once Kirk beams down and the craft is unmanned.

One very entertaining sequence is the Kirk-Spock fight. Here we get to see just how strong a Vulcan can be.

Overall, this is one very effective episode that works on multiple levels.

Eight out of 10.

Wish Spock could have stayed!!!

[SusanJL · 10/10 · 2 March 2019]

Great episode, really enjoyed seeing Spock act human and in love and not subservient to Kirk. Spock's line "the first time in my life I was happy" was so sad, I wish he could have said something about the incident that didn't make me feel so bad!! Negatives - spore-emitting flowers even cheesier-than-average special effect. And Kirk has Samsonite luggage, how retro lol!!

He Is So Much More

[Richard_Dominguez · 10/10 · 31 March 2017]

This Side Of Paradise ... (The Enterprise investigates a planet whose colonists should be dead, but are not) ... A Wonderful Episode And Lesson, No Matter How Good It Is, If You Don't Choose It For Yourself Than It Isn't Good At All ... The Depth Of Spock In This Episode Is Amazing To Say The Very Least ... As I Mentioned Once Before (Regarding McCoy) This Is The Episode Of The Woman That Will Haunt Spock's Memory Forever ... The Last Line In The Episode, Spock Says "I Have Very Little To Say, Except That For The First Time In My Life I Was Happy" ... LLAP In The Life That Follows Leonard

Problems in Paradise

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 10 June 2015]

When the Enterprise investigates a remote colony the landing party are surprised to find the inhabitants alive and well; they should have died years ago because of Berthold radiation, a danger not known about at the time of settlement. Medical checks reveal that not only are they well old ailments have gone; the leader has even regrown the appendix he had had removed! Whatever the cause Kirk is ordered to evacuate the colonists. Surprisingly objections come from a surprising quarter… Spock states that he is staying with the colonists! It turns out that people are effected by spores from a local plant that leaves people feeling mellow with a strong desire to remain near the flowers. Kirk is naturally angered and only gets more frustrated as more and more members of the landing party are effected. When Dr McCoy beams some of the plants to the Enterprise Kirk becomes the only crew member unaffected. If he is to keep his crew together he will have to figure out why he was unaffected so he can 'cure' them.

This episode is a classic thanks to the way we get to see the emotional side of the usually emotionless Mr Spock. Leonard Nimoy does a fine job showing how the character reacts to gaining emotions and poignantly losing them again; as he observes that for the first time he'd felt happiness. It was nice to see Spock not only happy but in love with one of the colonists, played by Jill Ireland. The plants are clearly a metaphor for psychotropic drugs with the colonists feeling happy till they are free of the plants' effects when they realise the meaninglessness of the lives they've lived… although given they were happy and healthy it didn't seem so bad!

Star Trek: The Original Series - This Side of Paradise

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 10 September 2016]

Bertold rays, poisonous to the humanoid body, have the Enterprise crew visiting a colony planet containing them in their atmosphere. However, when Kirk, Spock, Sulu, McCoy, and away team beam down to the planet, Omicrom, they notice that the colonists (who left earth for this planet), who should be by all accounts dead, are alive and perfectly healthy! McCoy does exams on the colonists, even realizing that surgeries removing appendix and showing scars are totally healed! What is the reason behind this? Well, Spock sure finds out when someone he meets from six years prior, still madly in love with him, introduces him to flowers that release spores, influencing anyone who absorbs them at close range. His emotional control barrier is broken down, allowing Spock to be free to smile, to be silly, to love. Jill Ireland (wife of Chuck Bronson) was the love interest for Spock, who admits at the very end that for the first time in his life, he was happy. The episode is a bit sappy with its romantic subplot (the music when Nimoy and Ireland are together is gag-inducing for those like me who just aren't into lovey-dovey) but seeing Spock swinging from a tree, disobeying Kirk's orders flippantly while smooching Ireland, and revealing a side to him that was behind a protected wall due to the Vulcan repression of emotion provide plentiful entertainment value. My favorite scene is definitely Kirk on the Enterprise by himself, with a flower dumping spores into his face, with him combating their influence through anger. The crew just disregarding their captain who is ordering them to go back to their stations as they beam themselves down to the planet is a hoot. You can see how helpless Kirk feels. McCoy laying on a Georgia accent real thick, with "good ole Jim-boy" banter towards Kirk is priceless. Ireland is absolutely beautiful. The location is sunny and vibrant, although Kirk realizes it is all a façade. The colony has done nothing but live in a fog of good health and joy (kind of a pleasant alternative to what Kirk believes shouldn't be so easy; many would prefer Omicron any day of the week compared to the struggles we so often face in life), having done little agriculturally besides raise vegetables. Kirk having to land a barrage of insults at Spock in order to get him really violently mad so the spores leave his system is a memorable scene. It had gotten so bad for Kirk, Uhura, under the spores influence, had short-circuited distance subspace communication, with only "to surface" lines open. Although the script makes a point about how living in total harmony but stagnant without any progression is wrong, there could be a debate right the opposite: why not accept spores enabling you to not feel anything but pleasure and happiness with perfect health against the alternative of cancer, misery, and aging?

If You Love Spock...

[zvaigsne · 9/10 · 29 August 2016]

...you will love this episode! It features a smiling and laughing Spock, not fighting his inner feelings for once. I love that the first thing he says to his lady friend after he has accepted the effect of the plant's spores is "I love you." It's not so much that he FALLS in love as he is ABLE to express that love, which before this was locked away. He appears genuinely happy, and his relationship with Jill Ireland's character seems warm and real.

You know that this loosening effect on Spock and crew is temporary, so watch and enjoy while it lasts. Also priceless is Kirk's first view of his former oh-so-serious second in command dangling upside down from a tree branch.

Poignant at the end are Spock's words: "for the first time in my life, I was happy."

"We weren't meant for paradise..."

[Blueghost · 3 March 2010]

Says Captain James T. Kirk. Truth be told I'm not sure that this is the episode in which he makes this statement, but even it it isn't the summation is apt.

A colony is bereft of want or desire, other than to frolic. While all the time their animals and works have decayed and died off. Partially because of the deadly environment, but partially because of an outside influence.

Which would you have, a paradise where all your carnal and emotional amusements were satisfied at the cost of everything you spent your previous life building, or a life where your work and struggles were rewarded? Does the heir of a fortunate fare better than the child born on the wrong side of the tracks who makes good through academic and/or physical effort?

The gist of the story is clear. But the truth of the parable is actually a more sophisticated one, the true depths of which are not addressed in this brief photoplay. But, what we do see is a commentary on the overindulgence of the 1960's new-youth oriented social movements, and the consequences of excess to the exclusion of all else in a social structure where achievement is discouraged. In this sense we're also seeing the segment of a rehabilitative asylum, satiating a patient's alleged unhealthy wants and desires to "get it out of their system", so to speak.

What truly is paradise? What is truly hell? This episode (and a couple others in the franchise) attempt to address facets of both sides of the coin through the presentation of dramatic scenarios for our pleasure.

Again, Star Fleet's finest meet the challenge, albeit in an unusual way.

In terms of production values ... well, the plants are what they are, and there's no two ways about it. But the acting, story and theme are first rate, particularly by Nimoy's stretching of Spock's boundaries. Great stuff. And Shatner's Kirk is of course the lynch pin to the entire thing. The Enterprise herself looks fantastic in her 1960 glory as she glides across the screen of Omicron Ceti III, even if somewhat dated.

The key "antagonist" may garnish a chuckle from younger viewers, and appropriately so. Heck, even when the show first aired people were in a "awe, come on" mode when the "spores hit-the-fan", so to speak :)

Regardless, watch this episode to see the crew of our favorite starship get pushed to their limits and beyond.

Enjoy :)

p.s. We're actually watching a man (Spock and the crew of the Entperise) recover from bi-polar disorder. A clever gimmicky use of abnormal psychology in a sci-fi vein. In the end Spock releases his temper and recovers.

p.s. in retrospect it is about recovering from depression and bi-polar. I only wish the plants had been tweaked or turned into something else.

"Man stagnates if he has no ambition".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 31 October 2010]

Though the story is ultimately a good one, there are an awful lot of elements over the course of the episode that don't make sense to me. For starters, there's Kirk's decision to bring an unprotected landing party of six to the surface of Omicron Ceti III, even while knowing that Berthold rays disintegrate living animal tissue. That detail is glossed over by Spock's mention that it would take seven days for Berthold rays to begin to affect humans, but still, why not take the precaution? I thought that was weak.

Later an observation is made by the Enterprise crew that the agricultural colony was not producing more food than was needed by the colonists themselves, as if that was a negative. My response to that is, what would be the point? What would they have done with the over-production? It's not like they could have traded their food with another settlement doing the exact same thing. That just didn't make sense.

Then there's the scene between Spock and Leila (Jill Ireland) right after Spock gets hit with the spores. In the subsequent scene, Spock is wearing the brown coverall uniform of the Omicrons. Where did he get it from? It's not likely that they would have stopped a moment to marvel at Spock's transformation long enough to go back to the settlement for a change of wardrobe.

But the best, and seriously, I had to laugh - Why would Captain Kirk have a suitcase in his quarters on the Enterprise? A suitcase??? The whole idea of that cracked me up so much that I'm laughing again even as I write this.

Well I guess I've panned this episode enough, There's some good stuff here, just as there was in the very prior episode - 'A Taste of Armageddon'. Both tell essentially the same story from diametrically opposite angles. In 'Armageddon', the leaders of Eminiar VII have surrendered their authority to a mathematically constructed computer game in order to minimize destructive conflicts. Citizens live in peace but willingly surrender their lives when a computer tells them it's time to do so. On Omicron Ceti III, the settlers live in complete peace and comfort, but with no ambition to create progress and further the advance of their community or civilization. With no wants or needs, the community stagnates, causing it's leader Sandoval (Frank Overton) to question their very purpose once the effects of the spores is counteracted.

Like other reviewers on this board, I also question what made Kirk so immune from the effects of the spores. You might add that puzzler to my earlier list of quirks for this episode. I can go along with the idea that strong emotions countered the effects of the spores, but the Captain was no more suited to be unaffected by them than was Spock, given the way their characters had been developed by the series up till now. Also convenient as well, that Spock was affected by something the same way as humans here, while in other situations he wasn't. Not finding fault mind you, just making another observation.