Journey to Babel
The Enterprise transports delegates from many Federation governments to a conference on Babel. Sarek, the Vulcan ambassador, and his wife Amanda, a human, Spock's parents, are among the passengers. Spock has not seen them in four years. Spock's decision to join Starfleet rather that attend the Vulcan Science Academy created a rift between Sarek and Spock.
Kirk hosts a couple of receptions for the delegates. Sarek is accosted twice by the Gav, the Tellarite ambassador, who demands to know how he plans to vote at the conference on the issue of admission of Coridan to the Federation. Gav later turns up dead, due to a broken neck. Circumstantial evidence makes Sarek a likely suspect. Kirk confronts Sarek demanding to know where he was at the time of the murder. Sarek collapses due to a heart condition.
A very fast moving spaceship approaches the Enterprise. It doesn't respond to attempts to contact it. Captain Kirk is attacked by one of the Andorian delegates. Spock assumes command while Kirk is out of commission. Doctor McCoy is ready to operate on Ambassador Sarek but he needs Spock to provide a transfusion. Spock refuses to abandon his post on the bridge under the current circumstances.
Captain Kirk recovers enough to convince Spock that he can head to sick bay to provide the needed transfusion. The fast moving vessel attacks the Enterprise. The Andorian who attacked Kirk turns out not to be an Andorian. Kirk fools the fast moving vessel and then blasts it with phasers. The fake Andorian dies of a slow acting poison before he can be interrogated. The operation on Sarek is a success and Captain Kirk return to sick bay to resume recovering from the injuries he sustained.
Thoughts
Scott and Sulu were not in this episode. Scott's name comes up when Doctor McCoy is trying to convince Spock to relinquish command to someone else so that he can donate blood to Sarek. Nurse Chapel made her sixth of 25 appearances in this episode.
I recall watching this episode before, but it has been at least a couple decades, maybe more like three or four, since I last watched it. It is a bit overloaded with plot developments but I enjoyed it very much. This is a good one, an upper ties episode of the series. There are a lot good things starting with most of the interpersonal exchanges in this episode. I also really like the resolution of the battle with the fast spaceship.
Notes
Jane Wyatt played the part of Amanda. This is her only appearance in this show. She appeared in one Star Trek movie and one episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. She was also in Pitfall (1948).
Mark Lenard played the part of Sarek. This is Sarek's first and only appearance in this show. He returned in episodes of other shows and in movies. Lenard appeared once before in this show playing a Romulan Commander in 1.14 Balance of Terror. I have also seen him in an episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century titled Journey to Oasis.
William O'Connell played the part of the fake Andorian. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared. He also appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone (1959), The Outer Limits (1963), and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
D.C. Fontana wrote this episode. It is one of 36 episodes that she had a hand in writing but it is only the second episode that she wrote by herself. The first one was 1.19 Tomorrow Is Yesterday.
This is the ninth of 14 episodes that was directed by Joseph Pevney. The eighth episode he directed was 2.07 Catspaw.
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