Star Trek (1966) 1.26

Errand of Mercy

The Enterprise is on its way to Organia when it is attacked by a Klingon warship. Captain Kirk knew that relations with the Klingons were on the decline but war had yet to be declared when the Enterprise was attacked. The Enterprise returns fire and destroys the Klingon ship.

Kirk and Spock beam down to Organia in the hopes of negotiating with the people who live there. They warn the leaders of Organia that the Klingons are on their way and that it would be far better to make an alliance with the Federation than to become a vassal of the Klingon Empire. The Organians refuse to accept that they are in any danger.

Several Klingons ships approach Organia. They attack the Enterprise which cannot lower its shields long enough to beam Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock aboard. Kirk orders Sulu to get the Enterprise to safety. He and Spock will have to fend for themselves. 

A detachment of Klingons arrives on Organia. They do exactly as Kirk warned they would and assume control of the planet. Kor, the Klingon leader, doesn’t like any members of the Organian high council and makes Kirk, who is dressed as an Organian and calls himself Barona, the representative of the Organian people. Spock has also changed clothes and claims to be a Vulcan trader. Kor eyes Spock suspiciously. 

Kirk and Spock try to inspire the Organian by blowing up some of the Klingon munitions. Things don’t go exactly as Kirk hoped they would. The Organians are not inspired to fight back. Ayelborne, the leader of the high council, instead reveals to Kor exactly who Kirk and Spock really are.

Kor likes Kirk because he seems to have a backbone, unlike the Organians. Kor tries to convince Kirk to answer his questions about the Federation. The alternative is to be submitted to the mind scanner which will almost certainly turn him into a vegetable. Kirk refuses and is locked up with Spock, in the hopes that he will change his mind.

Ayelborne breaks Kirk and Spock out of their jail cell. Kor responds by killing 200 Organians. He promises to kill 200 more every 2 hours until Kirk and Spock are returned. 

The Organian high council decides that they’ve seen enough. They step in and reveal that no Organians have died. They are beings of pure energy. They go one step further and prevent the war from continuing between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Kor is frustrated and disappointed but both sides depart without attempting further violence toward one another. 

Thoughts

McCoy and Scottie are not in this episode. Sulu pronounces Klingon with the emphasis on the first syllable so it sounds more like Kling-un.

This is the first episode in which the Klingons appeared. They look nothing like the Klingons would later appear in the movies and The Next Generation.

I like this episode. I might have seen it before, decades ago, but I don't remember it. I like how Kirk and Kor seem to bond in this episode. I feel as though I shouldn't like this episode given how things get resolved in the end but there is something about it that works for me.

Notes

John Abbott played the part of Ayelborne. This is the only episode of Star Trek in which he appeared. He was also in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955).

John Colicos played the part of Commander Kor. This is the only episode of Star Trek (1966) in which he appeared but he came back to play Kor three more times in episodes of Deep Space Nine. He appeared in episodes of Night Gallery, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985). He played the part of Baltar in the 1970s version of Battlestar Galactica.