star trek original eden cast

The Way to Eden (episode)

The Enterprise picks up a group of renegades who have rejected modern technological life to search for the mythical planet Eden.

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.2 Story and production
• 4.4 Sets and props
• 4.5 Continuity
• 4.6 Reception
• 4.7 Remastered information
• 4.8 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest star
• 5.4 Also starring
• 5.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.6 References
• 5.7 External links

Summary [ ]

The USS Enterprise intercepts the Aurora , a stolen space cruiser. The crew of the craft attempt to run away, but the engines overheat and the vessel is destroyed. Moments before the explosion, Scott is able to beam them safely aboard. There, the thieves are revealed to be a wild-looking group of primitivist space hippies.

Act One [ ]

In the transporter room, Kirk and Spock meet the thieves. Among them is Tongo Rad , the son of a Catullan ambassador – and whose involvement prevents Captain Kirk, under orders from the Federation , from arresting the group for theft . Instead, Kirk is ordered to bring them to a starbase as guests. Rad and the group are not fazed by Kirk, and continue to sit on the floor, though they do demand Kirk bring them to the planet Eden – which Kirk insists is a myth. Spock apparently seems to understand the group's gestures and motives, though they do not give him details, either. They chant Kirk derisively, " Herbert! Herbert ! "

Irina Galliulin

Kirk goes to the bridge to have Lieutenant Palmer notify the starbase that they have the group alive. Another member of the group is Irina Galliulin , an acquaintance of Ensign Chekov and a dropout from Starfleet Academy . The group, led by Dr. Sevrin , a former university professor on Tiburon , rejects conventional society.

In sickbay, Chekov meets Galliulin after losing track of her a long time ago. He asks what happened, and she says she believes in her path and knew Chekov would not approve. When she rejoins her group, shouting is heard since Dr. Sevrin is quarantined. Chekov joins the security officers guarding sickbay in pushing back Sevrin's followers from entering.

Act Two [ ]

After being examined in sickbay , Dr. Sevrin is found to be a carrier for the deadly bacteria synthococcus novae , created by the very advances that make life in the 23rd century possible. The disease has no cure, but immunization is available. Kirk orders Dr. McCoy that boosters be administered to the crew, but that Dr. Sevrin must be put in isolation until he no longer poses a danger to the crew or his companions. Dr. Sevrin protests the action, claiming he did not know he was a carrier. Meanwhile, Dr. Sevrin's companions boldly circulate among the crew, attempting to incite the younger members, in particular, Sulu , to join them.

Kirk finally asks Spock to speak to Dr. Sevrin to persuade his followers to stop their actions before they are charged under Federation laws and barred from continuing their search for Eden . Dr. Sevrin then reveals to Spock he did know he was a carrier, and blames advanced technology for infecting him, then forcing him to stay near advanced technology. He says only a primitive world – such as Eden – can fully cleanse him from the disease. Spock counters that his presence would destroy any life on that planet , but Dr. Sevrin is unrelenting in his quest. Spock concludes that Dr. Sevrin is insane, but offers to help in the search for Eden by using the resources of the Enterprise .

Adam , one of Dr. Sevrin's followers, visits Spock in his quarters with a request to put on a concert for the crew. Spock agrees to ask Kirk about the idea. Adam spots Spock's Vulcan lute on a shelf behind him and Spock lets him try it out. Adam then hands the lute to Spock for a little demonstration on how to play it. Adam asks Spock to join him on the concert that he has proposed. Spock agrees.

Meanwhile, in auxiliary control , Chekov is assisting Spock's search for Eden, but he is distracted by Irina's presence. In trying to seduce the young ensign, Irina learns about the functions of the secondary control room. Adam and Irina then rejoin the rest of the group and there the true plan is revealed: the group is attempting to seize control of the Enterprise once Eden is located.

Act Three [ ]

"That's right, someone else is running this ship. I am."

During the concert, Tongo Rad climbs up a ladder, sneaks up behind Sevrin's guard , knocks him out and releases Dr. Sevrin. They make their way to auxiliary control and the others join them, they divert control of the ship to themselves and change course for Eden – taking the Enterprise across the Romulan Neutral Zone and into Romulan territory.

On the bridge, Sulu reports to Kirk that the helm is unresponsive. Scott believes it may have shorted out, but determines that helm control has been redirected to auxiliary control. Sevrin announces that he now has control of the Enterprise , as well as the ship's life support , and will not release control of the vessel until they reach Eden. Knowing that Dr. Sevrin will do whatever he plans to do, Kirk orders Scott to break into auxiliary control by cutting through a wall with a phaser .

As Kirk, Spock, and Scott attempt to enter the room, Sevrin prevents he and his followers from being seized by applying ultrasonics to knock out the crew of the Enterprise .

Act Four [ ]

The planet Eden

Kirk and Spock come to, however, and, under great agony, manage to shut off the sound waves. Kirk contacts the shuttlebay and discovers that a shuttle is missing. Dr. Sevrin and his followers stole the shuttlecraft Galileo II to take them to the planet's surface. Kirk decides to go after them.

" Be incorrect, occasionally. " " And you be correct. " " Occasionally. "

They are joined by Chekov and Dr. McCoy in the transporter room and beam down to the planet's surface in search of the group. They learn the legends about the planet are true – Eden is a fabulously beautiful planet. However, they learn the beauty hides deadly secrets: the grass and plant life are full of a powerful acid, and the fruit is poisonous to Humans . Eventually, the shuttlecraft is found, with Sevrin and his followers nursing severe burns on their bare feet from the acid in the grass and Adam dead from eating the fruit. McCoy makes plans to beam everyone to the ship for medical treatment, but Sevrin refuses to leave, runs to a tree, takes a bite out of the fruit and quickly dies.

Back on the Enterprise , Sevrin's followers prepare to leave the ship. On the bridge, Spock urges Irina to continue their quest for Eden. " I have no doubt you will find it … or make it yourselves, " he tells Irina as she and Chekov then kiss goodbye. " We reach… Mr. Spock, " Kirk says. The Enterprise continues on its mission.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Herbert! "

" One. " " We are one. " " One is the beginning. " " Are you One, Herbert? " "I am not Herbert. " " He's not Herbert! We reach! "

" Many myths are based on truth, Captain. "

" There are many who are uncomfortable with what we have created. It is almost a biological rebellion – a profound revulsion against the planned communities, the programming, the sterilized, artfully balanced atmospheres. They hunger for an Eden – where spring comes. " " All do. The cave is deep in our memory. "

" They regard themselves as aliens in their own worlds – a condition with which I am somewhat familiar. "

" Herbert was a minor official, notorious for his rigid and limited patterns of thought. " " Well, I shall try to be less rigid in my thinking. "

" Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy! I got a clean bill of health from Doctor McCoy! "

" I thought all the animals were kept in cages. "

" I am proud of what I am, I believe in what I do. Can you say that? "

" Why did you stay away? " " Because you disapproved of me, just as you do now. Oh Pavel, you have always been like this, so correct. And inside, the struggle not to be. Give in to yourself, you will happier, you'll see."

" You don't belong with them! You know what we want – you want it too! Come! Join us! " " How do you know what I want? " " You're young. Think young, brother! " " You make it tempting. "

" Stiff man putting my mind in jail And the judge bang the gavel and say 'No bail' Gonna lick his hand and wag my tail! "

" Captain, I just had to give one of those barefooted what-do-you-call-'ems the boot out of here. She came in bold as brass, tried to incite my crew to disaffect. "

" I could never obey a computer. " " You could never listen to anyone. You always had to be different." " Not different, what I wanted to be. There is nothing wrong in doing what you want. "

" I don't understand why a young mind has to be an undisciplined one. " " I used to get into some trouble when I was that age, Scotty, didn't you? "

" We cannot allow them to come after us. It will not reach us in here; I can control it all. I have adjusted it so that it will suspend its effects after a few moments and allow us time to escape. Then, after we've gone, it will automatically reactivate. Rejoice, brethren! Soon we shall step together into Eden. "

" Stepping into Eden Yea brother Stepping into Eden Yea brother No more trouble in my body or my mind Gonna live like a king on whatever I find Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind Yea brother. "

" His name was Adam. "

" It is my sincere wish that you do not give up your search for Eden. I have no doubt but that you will find it, or make it yourselves. "

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• Story outline by D.C. Fontana , titled "Joanna", 11 July 1968
• Revised story outline, 24 August 1968
• Revised story outline, titled "The Way to Eden", 27 August 1968
• Second revised story outline, 5 September 1968
• First draft teleplay by Arthur Heinemann , 6 November 1968
• Second draft teleplay, 11 November 1968
• Final draft teleplay by Arthur Singer , 12 November 1968
• Revised final draft teleplay, mid- November 1968
• Second revised final draft teleplay by Fred Freiberger , 18 November 1968
• Music recording session, 20 November 1968
• Makeup tests, 21 November 1968
• Additional page revisions by Freiberger, 21 November 1968 , 26 November 1968
• Day 1 – 21 November 1968 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge
• Day 2 – 22 November 1968 , Friday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Auxiliary control center
• Day 3 – 25 November 1968 , Monday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Recreation room (redress of Briefing room ), Transporter room
• Day 4 – 26 November 1968 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Transporter room , Sickbay , Corridors , Auxiliary control center
• Day 5 – 27 November 1968 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Ext. Eden surface , Int. Shuttlecraft ; Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Sickbay
• Day 6 – 29 November 1968 , Friday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Brig , Auxiliary control center , Recreation room (redress of Briefing room )
• Original airdate: 21 February 1969
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 20 January 1971
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 5 August 1984
• Remastered episode airdate: 14 June 2008

During the syndication run of Star Trek , no syndication cuts were made to this episode.

Story and production [ ]

• D.C. Fontana was unhappy with the rewrite of her original script, and requested to be credited under her pseudonym "Michael Richards".
• The character of Irina Galliulin was originally to be Joanna McCoy , daughter of Dr. McCoy, and to be a love interest for Captain Kirk (the episode's original title was " Joanna "), but that script was later rejected. Joanna was also supposed to appear in an episode in season four, but again, it was not to be. [1]
• Chekov's character (which in the original story, was meant to have been Kirk's character) is portrayed in this episode as a rigid, rule-quoting straight arrow, in contrast to the writers' initial concept of the character as a younger, less authoritarian character who might appeal to teenage viewers. Walter Koenig has called the episode "badly written" partly because of this. He also called this episode the low point of his character's tenure on the show. [2]
• To create reaction shots of Kirk that were not filmed, several shots of William Shatner are repeated, printed backwards. This is obvious in a shot on the surface of Eden, where Kirk's insignia appears on the wrong side of his shirt.
• In the scene in which Spock plays his Vulcan harp for Adam (the last time he plays the instrument on the series), the background music for Uhura 's song from " Charlie X " is recycled.
• Nurse Chapel's collapse, as well as the collapse of other crewmembers in the corridor, is reused footage from " Spock's Brain ". This is why the lights go out in sickbay during that shot, while they are functioning normally elsewhere on the ship.
• The references to the insult "Herbert" and the official it was named after were inserted at the behest of production executive Douglas S. Cramer . It is thought that they were digs at his predecessor, Herbert F. Solow , though Herbert Hoover has also been suggested as a target. ( citation needed • edit )
• Due to the extra makeup load for this episode, Paramount brought additional outside makeup artists Larry Abbott and George Barr to assist in show's regular makeup staff. ( On the Good Ship Enterprise , p. 249)
• Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) does not appear in this episode. Lieutenant Palmer , who fills in, makes her second and final TOS appearance after " The Doomsday Machine " in the second season .
• Skip Homeier also starred in " Patterns of Force " as Melakon .
• Charles Napier co-wrote two of the songs he sings in this episode, including " Headin' Out to Eden " and " Looking for a New Land ". ( Star Trek: The Original Series Soundtrack Collection liner notes ; These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Three , p. 555) He later appeared as Denning in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fourth season episode " Little Green Men ".

Sets and props [ ]

• The hijacked Class F shuttlecraft was the oft-used Galileo , although in this adventure she bore the name Galileo II .
• In the original version of the episode, the spacecraft Aurora is a Tholian ship with AMT model kit nacelles added to it. It is shown in the preview trailer without the nacelles. For the remastered version, a new design was created.
• A brief shot of the surface of Eden is reused footage of the lakeside from " Shore Leave ". A shot of the surface of Gamma Trianguli VI from " The Apple " is also recycled and used in the same scene.
• Gary Mitchell 's Kaferian apple tree can be seen in the foliage on Eden.

Continuity [ ]

• This episode marks the first mention of Chekov's patronymic / middle name. Galliulin greets him with "Pavel Andreievich".
• Spock's desire to find Eden is further explained in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , although it is unlikely the stories were intended to be linked. Star Trek V closely parallels some of this episode's plot points, too.

Reception [ ]

• According to James Doohan , this was the only episode of the series that he did not like. ( citation needed • edit )

Remastered information [ ]

The remastered version of "The Way to Eden" aired in many North American markets during the weekend of .... The episode included new effects shots of the Aurora , replacing modified Tholian studio model.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1988
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 39 , catalog number VHR 2435, 18 March 1991
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 3.7, 2 February 1998
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 38, 27 November 2001
• As part of the TOS Season 3 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS-R Season 3 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Guest star [ ]

• Skip Homeier as Sevrin
• Charles Napier as Adam
• Mary-Linda Rapelye as Irina
• James Doohan as Scott
• Walter Koenig as Chekov
• George Takei as Sulu
• Majel Barrett as Nurse Chapel
• Victor Brandt as Tongo Rad
• Elizabeth Rogers as Lt. Palmer
• Deborah Downey as Girl #1
• Phyllis Douglas as Girl #2

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• William Blackburn as Hadley
• James Drake as Medical technician
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• Roger Holloway as Lemli
• Female patient (archive footage)
• Frieda Rentie as Sciences crew woman 2 (archive footage)
• Gary Wright as Enterprise sciences crewman
• Command lieutenant 1
• Command lieutenant 2
• Crewman (archive footage)
• Engineering technician 1 (archive footage)
• Engineering technician 2
• Engineering technician 3
• Medical technician
• Operations crew woman 1
• Operations crew woman 2
• Operations crew woman 3
• Sciences crew woman 1
• Sciences crew woman 3
• Sciences technician 1
• Sciences technician 2
• Security guard 1
• Security guard 2

References [ ]

ability ; acid ; acoustics ; Adam and Eve ; Adam's guitar ; alien ; ambassador ; ancient history ; anger ; animal ; answer ; antipathy ; area ; arrest ; arrogance ; aseptic ; atmosphere ; attack ; Aurora ; authority ; auxiliary control center ; bacillus ; back ; bail ; bearing ; belief ; Bible ; biological rebellion ; body ; " bold as brass "; boarding ; " Bones "; booster shot ; botany ; breathe ; briefing room ; brig ; brother ; bug ; carrier ; case ; Catulla ; Catullan ; Catullan ambassador ; cave ; charge ; " checkup "; Chekov, Andrei ; children ; choice ; circuit ; city ; civilization ; Class F shuttlecraft ; " clean bill of health "; clothes (aka clothing ); combat ; communications ; computer ; computer banks ; computer program ; confusion ; coordinates ; course ; cream ; crime ; criminal ; crying ; curiosity ; danger ; day ; destination : disease ; disciple ; disciplinary action ; door ; Earth city ; Eden (garden); Eden (planet) ( moons ); electronics ; emergency power ; emptiness ; endangering ; engine ; evidence ; evolution ; explanation ; explosion ; favorite ; Federation regulations ; file ; fire ; flight regulations ; floor ; flower ; friend ; fruit ; fun ; immunization ; Galileo II ; Galliulin's friends ; gavel ; grass ; guest ; guilt ; hailing frequency ; hand ; hangar deck ; harassment ; " Headin' Out to Eden "; Herbert ; " Herbert "; " Hey, Out There! "; hippie ; hobby ; honey ; hospital ; hostility ; hour ; humanoid ; imprisonment ; incitement to disaffection ; infection ; information ; infringement ; insanity ; isolation ; jail ; joy ; judge ; judgment : king ; knowledge ; knuckles ; leader ; legend ; licking ; " Like Hail "; life ; life support ; location ; " Looking for a New Land "; main control room ; malfunction ; mathematics ; medical gear ; medical team ; memory ; mile ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mind ; mood ; mutual understanding ; myth ; name ; navigation ; objection ; official ; One ; orbit ; order ; overheating ; panel ; passenger ship ; patrol ; permission ; physical ; piracy ; planned community ; planet (aka world ); plant ; poison ; peace ; power ; prejudice ; primitives ; prisoner ; problem ; product ; programming ; promise ; psychological profile ; quarters ; radiation ; report ; research ; research engineer ; resource ; revulsion ; right ; rind ; Romulans ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Romulan space ; room ; science ; scientist ; scope ; sensor range ; sentence ; session ; shield ; shuttlecraft ; sitting ; son ; sound ; space ; space cruiser ; space studies ; specialist ; speed ; spring ; standing ; starbase ; Starbase Planet ; star chart ; Starfleet Academy ; strain ; suicide ; suspicion ; sympathy ; Synthococcus novae ; tail ; tape ; teasing ; technology ; text ; thinking ; thought ; Tiburon ; Tiburonian ; tolerance ; tractor beam ; transportation range ; transporter room ; treaty negotiations ; truth ; Typhoid Mary ; ultrasonics ; United Federation of Planets ; voice ; Vulcan ; Vulcan lute ; wagging ; way of living ; weapons ; wheel harp ; whistle ; white ; wish ; word ; year

External links [ ]

• " The Way to Eden " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Way to Eden " at Wikipedia
• " The Way to Eden " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• "The Way to Eden" original and remastered screencaps at TrekCore
• " The Way to Eden " at the Internet Movie Database
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Bell Riots

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The Way To Eden Cast

• UPDATED: December 7, 2023

Table of Contents

“The Way to Eden” is an episode from the original Star Trek series, which aired in 1969. The episode follows the crew of the USS Enterprise as they encounter a group of space hippies searching for a mythical planet called Eden. The cast includes several memorable characters, portrayed by talented actors. Here are the top ten cast members from “The Way to Eden” and their IMDb URLs:

1. William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000638/ 2. Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000559/ 3. DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445497/ 4. Nichelle Nichols as Uhura – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0629666/ 5. Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0463343/ 6. George Takei as Hikaru Sulu – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001786/ 7. Skip Homeier as Dr. Sevrin – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392883/ 8. Charles Napier as Adam – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0621044/ 9. Deborah Downey as Irina Galliulin – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236163/ 10. Phyllis Douglas as Girl – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236164/

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“The Way to Eden”

Air date: 2/21/1969 Teleplay by Arthur Heinemann Story by Michael Richards and Arthur Heinemann Directed by David Alexander

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

"The Way to Eden" is an example of trying to fit an elephant into a birdcage, and it comes off looking about as silly as a visualization of the said analogy. For starters, whoever came up with the idea of "23rd-century hippies in space" was stretching the idea of allegory beyond even Trek 's abilities. (Does this strike only me as a Federation oxymoron?)

Maybe a new view of the Federation could've theoretically been revealed, but the episode is far too inept to come up with one. Instead, the "insanity" of Dr. Sevrin (Skip Homeier) becomes the driving force of the story's impenetrable plot involving the search for "Eden." And what about "Eden," anyway? Is it supposed to be a myth or a planet? The episode can't seem to decide. One wonders if the search becomes one for a charted planet that simply happens to be named "Eden."

Characterization is also way off: Chekov as a stolid, conservative, by-the-books Voice of Starfleet doesn't make any sense given his character, and Spock being absorbed by the hippie cause lacks dramatic payoff, instead seeming like an excuse to warrant his presence in several annoying musical numbers. Honestly, I'd rather watch "Spock's Brain" again, because at least it's dumb enough to laugh at. "Eden" is not particularly laughable. But it is rambling, unenlightening, misconceived, mischaracterized, pointless, and requires sheer endurance to sit through—comprised of yet another plot where a group attempts to commandeer the ship for its own purposes. It's like "And the Children Shall Lead" with older children; the meanings behind the hippiedom aren't considered for a moment, resulting in zero digestible substance.

Previous episode: Requiem for Methuselah Next episode: The Cloud Minders

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Comment Section

96 comments on this post.

Myth or reality, season 3 was the worst season. It didn't lack quality episodes, but it did have by far the most phoned-in-turkeys. One of those I'd like to discuss here is "The Way to Eden". In a transparent attempt to be 'relevant' (a catch word of the day) they give us future hippies! I'm going to disagree with Jammer here in that Chekov, though young, hip and brash relative to the other Enterprise officers would indeed come off as conservative compared to his anti-establishment, hippie ex-girlfriend. After all, he is still military. Also, Spock being somewhat sympathetic to their cause is also in character IMO. Besides, it allows him to walk in and jam albeit uninvited with the space hippies! It's the message that irked me back when I saw it in its original run as a kid. Keep in my mind that one of the target demographics were middle aged, middle class people of the late 1960's. It's to these sensibilities that this (and many other) epsiodes were meant to appeal. Though it clung to a standard TOS theme echoed in so many episodes - humanity was not meant for paradise and if you find one, it's a false one - this one has an insidious edge to it. The message to the youth was: Come back to us! Cut your hair, shave, change your clothes back to grey, put your bras back on and throw away your rock records! Your paradise (peace, love?) is a fallacy, and though it may appear beautiful it is dangerous and even deadly (drugs?) and your leaders or older mentors (Timothy Leary?) are actually insane and will only lead to you ruin! Hmm, exactly what parents of the late 60's wanted to hear.

karatasiospa

The "way to eden" is perhaps the only really "reactionary" episode in the history of star trek. whatever the faults of the youth movements in the '60s these were the people who ended the war in vietnam and fought for civil rights. They deserved a better treatment. And perhaps the "middle aged", "middle class" people were the demographic target (aren't they allways?) but they were not, in the end, the people who liked and supported star trek.

I extremely disagree with your rating on "The Way to Eden" - I thought it was one of the best episodes of the season. I also really liked the musical numbers. "And what about "Eden," anyway? Is it supposed to be a myth or a planet?" - Well that was the point of the story: if the myth is just a myth or if it also reality. "Chekov as a stolid, conservative, by-the-books Voice of Starfleet" He wasn't portayed like this at all, kissing and making out during work time.. His anger towards his ex girlfriend was obviously out of frustration about their break up. I also found Spock's fascination with the space hippies' quest plausible. The episode had very funny moments like the flowers being full of acid and Scotties look during the sit-in and also quite beautiful metaphors like the sickness of the doctor which was caused by technology and which also circumvented him from returning to a simpler life - or the databanks with all the knowledge of the world which Chekov had and he still missed something: love. I also disagree with another poster's notion that this episode has a reactive message. The space hippies (exept the crazy doctor) where all extremely sympathetic and likeable. In the end Kirk says, they did what they had to do and Spock encourages them not to give up their way of life and their search and added that he believed that they will someday succeed.

Jeffrey Bedard

"The Way to Eden" is one of those frustrating episodes for me because if you rip away the silliness and the goofiness there is some great stuff here which is unfortunately not presented well. I wish DC Fontana's original script could have been made. It would have been great to see Joanna McCoy. It's a shame she couldn't be included later on in TAS or in one of the films, but oh well. This is a definite 1 star episode. But there are aspects of interest here. 1) I love the extra focus it gives on Chekov. While the "former love interest" subplot isn't new at least it gets Chekov away from the navigation station for a time and opens up his character more. I've heard that Koenig wasn't happy that Chekov was written as being rigid, but to me it makes sense. I don't think Chekov comes across as rigid. But Starfleet is a para-military organization based on the US Navy and Chekov would know that going in. I also like how the character of Irina provides a window to a part of TREK society we rarely see: those people who not only aren't in Starfleet, but who DON'T want to be in Starfleet. 2) Through the character of Doc Sevrin we have a slightly sympathetic villain. Until he contracted his disease Sevrin was probably a pretty nice guy. He most likely never had any desire to visit or live in a more primitive environment, but from the moment he found out he never could I'm sure that's when his transformation began. The concept of this disease is fascinating to me and had it been presented in a better story I think it would make for a great sci-fi concept. His scene with Spock allows us to see past the silly costume and make up and see a person who now loathes the very type of 23rd century environment so many TREK fans (myself included ) wish was real. 3) Tongo Rad is interesting because he seems like the type of spoiled son of a famous father. Being the son of an ambassador probably gave Rad license to do a lot of bad things and get away with it and we see it here in the fact that none of them get arrested for stealing a shuttle. Also, Rad doesn't appear to be upset (unlike Irina) with the idea that Sevrin's manipulation of the Enterprise's acoustics will kill the crew. It's a hint of a dark streak behind the facade of love and peace. I wish it had been developed more. 4) Adam is the one tragic character in all this. Unlike Irina (who seems to allow herself to be convinced by Sevrin that he won't really kill the crew) Adam appears to believe heart and soul in the idea of Eden and Sevrin's message. He befriends (to a degree) Spock and then fails to listen to Spock when Spock tries to convince him of Sevrin's true intentions. He hides behind his music. Once Sevrin starts tampering with controls what does Adam do? Start singing a song about the beauty of Eden. For him to be only one of Sevrin's followers to die makes sense. While we don't see the landing of Sevrin and his followers I can picture Adam being the first one to leave the shuttle and go running onto the field and grabbing that piece of poisonous fruit. 5) It's not touched upon much but I like how Kirk is seen to at least attempt to give Sevrin and his group a chance. His initial conversations with them are rather heated, but once Spock explains to Kirk what a Herbert is Kirk says "I'll try to be a little less rigid." And we get to see a bit of follow up with that. Kirk allows the jam sessions to be broadcast across the ship (I can't imagine Picard ever allowing such a thing). And when Scotty complains about the followers Kirk recalls doing a few reckless things in his youth. So he's at least trying, until of course the crew and ship are threatened. And the final line of the episode is Kirk saying "We reach" to Spock. And he's not saying it in a patronizing or mocking tone. He's learned a bit from this experience. "The Way to Eden" is definitely one of the worst TOS episodes which is a shame. Had they stripped away the space hippie theme and the protest songs, it's possible that some of these other themes could have been explored more fully and with a more interesting story. Oh well...

In the 1960s, the counterculture movement (which shared some of Roddenberry's ideals, albeit not all), was omnipresent. Many shows wanted to have their own 'hippie' episode. Even "Get Smart" had "The Groovy Guru". "Trek", mixing a moral play with sci-fi, making it experimental for the time, did clearly stretch things too far. I can handle a bunch of rogue malcontents being led by another, stealing a ship, et al, but the hippie allegory is way too direct. Chekov is rewritten as a lapdog for Kirk, obeying every order like a good little tin soldier. This is at odds with his previous persona of being a loose cannon, campily championing Russia at every turn. Chekov as a serious character without the camp was great, but this episode altered his personality solely for the sake of the story. Stories are made for characters; not the other way around. Especially in a long-running show with established character types, even in the 1960s when each episode ending was its own 'reset button', meaning there was no real continuity to move forward with. On the plus side, when the full TOS soundtrack comes out, the music from this story is the first I will be listening to. :) I liked the inconsistency of Eden. It meant Spock had to do research and for Kirk to take a chance on such information. It sweetened the pot that the planet was, you guessed it, in the Neutral Zone, but given the pacing of the story there was no time to fill it with angry Romulan birds... I also enjoyed Jeffrey's analysis above on the miscreants. While I disagree re: Chekov's newfound personality, I do like how he pointed out the side of people we don't see... He nailed the point of Severin perfectly. The story itself is almost a scary precursor to AIDS in a way, and Severin himself is a proto-TNG villain (shades of gray; a villain having a sympathetic side is not easy to do, and TNG would often play with this sort of moralizing.) With Severin, as he said, there was potential for a good story, which failed to materialize. I too wish the facade of love and peace was explored more; especially as that was one of the goals to this story and discussing the hippie movement. John Lennon was not identical to the songs he wrote for sure, and the counterculture participants were - arguably - too idealistic. Or, perhaps, high at the time. Real peace takes commitment and effort. Drugs are means to escape commitment and effort. As such, Rad does make for an interesting - and dangerous character. Had this story, here we go, been a two-parter and given some gravitas, the creators could have really put out a strong story. Season 3 often put out very strong messages with strong contention-based concepts ("Battlefield", "Cloud Minders", "Plato's Stepchildren", etc), but "Eden" was a missed opportunity to really say something. Sadly, a certain affair at Kent State University a few years later would have - more loudly - end the counterculture and, perhaps, evolution as we know it... Adam definitely comes across as a total acolyte, devoted to the cause. He hides behind his music and, man, does he have a good signing voice. But that's Charles Napier, a known character and voiceover actor. And even as a mixed bag of a story, the coherence of Adam being the total acolyte of this Severin cult figure and being the only one dying does pack a certain punch. Picard, the one who fired a volley of photon torpedos over a planet just to inanely scare the entire inhabitants of the planet, wouldn't entertain any ideas. While I adore the music, the ideas in this story could have been better if the story was not so strongly hippie-themed, without the padding of the music, some of these ideas could have been a little more effectively explored... Still, it's not bad because it's mere rubbish, it's bad because the ideas could not be fully explored.

Sorry, Jammer. You're way too hard on this one. It's better than "That Which Survives", "Mark of the Gideon" and the absolutely horrible "And the children Shall Lead." The worst of the third season are the boring episodes where the cast and creators apparently were mailing it in. "The Way to Eden" is a misfire, but there's some good stuff in here. I actually liked Spock's part. It was in character. And I thought Checkov was overcompensating, more than anything. I actually liked some of the ideas here -- the rebellion against the "sterilized worlds and controlled atmospheres." You're right that Sevrin's insanity cheapened the drama, but it didn't ruin it. It was annoying that the Romulans all seemed to be on vacation.

This episode struck me as an analogous to the Jim Jones People's Temple movement. Lead by an insane rejector of civilized America, seeking utopia, and a mass suicide was preferable to life in the sanitized, civilized world. It's allegorical to all utopian movements, which are all doomed to failure because of the frailties and failings of man. Sevrin could easily be Jim Jones, Marshal Applewhite, or David Koresh.

The Romulans never showed up because they knew better than to get involved in this horrible pile of crap. Still, two of the hippies die horribly at the end and the rest suffer severe burns, so the ep isn't a total loss.

I was a teen in the late 60's when this episode aired. So I liked the premise of "The Way To Eden" Although it was a lot different from most of the rest of the series it had at least one good point, the dream of brotherhood still lives. The character of Adam to me represented The musical soul of his generation. I have always wondered if the song "Heading Out To Eden" was ever recorded in full. It would have been a good hit.

I respectfully disagree, Jammer. I thought this episode was hilarious. I put it right up there with Sharknado as one of the campiest, most unintentionally hysterical things I have ever seen. Now I just need to watch it high! XD

I wouldn't call this episode "reactionary". Honestly, I feel it gave the hippies a fair shot at expressing their opinions. They were clearly illusioned, their views were allowed to be demonstrated. Even though I dislike hippie culture, I find that kind of tolerance pretty refreshing. Nowadays when someone expresses a negative view on television, they're automatically wrong no matter what. Crap, the most tolerant of the Treks is TOS. I don't mind the music too much. While it does take up time that could have been used on the themes, it's funny as crap and fits in with the 60s. I bet if someone played this to someone of my parent's generation and said it was by the Mamas and the Papas, they would like it. That being said, the hippies were annoying, the costumes were awkward, and it's entirely implausible to actually find Eden, as there are no characteristics given as to what Eden actually is. On the plus side, the most annoying hippie died, and I actually like the direction things took in the end. Though I find it highly implausible that a hippie would go so far as to steal a starship.

I just can't get past the Enterprise getting easily taken over yet again. First there was Riley, Charlie X, Khan, the Kelvins, Commissioner Biel. At least that group had superpowers.

I thought this episode was ok, actually. It certainly sparks interesting discussions/debates regarding the quest for "simplicity" and whether it is well- or ill-advised. (Simpler feels easier, but reality and nature are complex, requiring complex technologies and solutions to problems.) To each their own. I'd have given this ep 2 stars.

Interestingly I really enjoyed this episode, and much more than 15 years ago when I first watched it (one reason is the terrible German synchronization voice of Adam, the English is much better). Aside from the annoying music, these silly Herbert-shoutings, the forced Russian dialect of Irina and the once again insanity of the villain, I found it quit compelling - much more so than the similar fifth ST-movie. I especially liked Spock's role here. What was a bit

Contra Jammer, I think this episode *is* nearly as funny as "Spock's Brain." I'd rather watch this a few more times than watch "And the Children Shall Lead," "That Which Survives," "The Alternative Factor" or "The Lights of Zetar," and probably more than "The Omega Glory" (though that one is almost as funny as this and "Spock's Brain" too). It's ridiculous throughout, with a few highlights for me being: * the way Chekov basically flat-out tells Irina that it's possible to take over the whole ship from auxiliary control even with having no prior knowledge because the computer banks are so good, as if in casual flirting conversation * "yayyyyyyyy brother yayyyyyyyyyy" * the repeated shots of Sevrin smiling evilly! * bizarre editing glitches, including several shots of Kirk which are mirrored! (you can see his insignia on the wrong side) * great little moment: after Spock starts to suffer from the acoustic attack, and then it hits Kirk, while Spock and Kirk are stumbling around the camera widens to reveal that Scotty is already unconscious. Something about that just kills me. * that redshirt on the bridge who can't help but toe-tap along to the music! * Spock saying "His name was Adam" with a serious voice after Adam has died eating fruit to shove home the Biblical allusion, which...doesn't make any sense? (Like, the problem with the Garden of Eden was not that the fruits were poisoned.) * Sevrin running out to eat a fruit himself like a madman. Anyway, buried under layers of ridiculousness the episode does have something to say: hippies have an understandable and even admirable desire for a better world. Their counterculture trappings are maybe weird and silly, but Spock's admiration for them drives home that there are things about the movement that are worth preserving: their emphasis on peace and art is something that I think does make sense as something Spock would appreciate, although it's pretty weird that Spock doesn't at least mention that their total lack of self-discipline seems like a bad idea, considering how much Vulcans emphasize discipline as absolutely central. But anyway, the problem is that by believing that Eden is a place they can actually get to, they can fall prey to charismatic (or "charismatic" as in this episode) leaders who are either charlatans out to exploit them, or simply madmen who have lost touch with reality. And once they get to that "Eden," it's poisonous because, uh...well, okay, it's poisonous because it's very possible that when they get to the kind of society that their counterculture leaders insist they should try to make, it may have problems they hadn't anticipated. This is the most in-your-face way of showing that. Anyway, the episode is held back by the hippies' really unconvincing lingo, which really sounds like old guys trying to either match or satirize hippiedom, though it may be that some of the counterculture's excesses are parody-proof. Whatever. The songs just go on forever. The ship is ridiculously easy to take over. That acoustic weapon seems like it might in fact be a weird metaphor that the hippies can knock out the squares with their awful sounds? No explanation is ever given for what Eden is supposed to be, and Chekov's explanation that they check for planets based on the orbits, positions etc. of other planets (inferring what other gravitational forces must exist) consist of an explanation of how to find new objects/planets in space, not how to find the specific "planet"/place/whatever which is "Eden." It's lazy, grating, painful, frustrating, and incredibly the "crazy charismatic leader spreads his peace by taking over the ship to bring it to paradise" was repeated for Star Trek V. Probably 1/2 star.

Oh yeah, having just watched sfdebris' takedown of the episode, I have to agree that the hippies' switching from peacenik to murdering the entire crew is really awful, too. I think Jammer's right on Chekov, I should also say. The whole subplot feels so out of place for Chekov's characterization, such as it is.

Couldn't agree more, this episode was pure stupidity. The writers and producers must have just finished a pot-smoking session when they dreamed up this mess. Bad, bad, and more bad.

Dutchgamer1982

I disagree with the low ranking this recieves by most. in fact I find this one of the best TOS episodes of them all. I give it a solid 4.25 stars Why? *well the story is unique and plausible, and starts quite logical : -group steals ship and runs away with it. -normally that would involve space-police, not the pride of the army (what the enterprise is) -however this is a political incident, so they might like to show force, to gain the upper hand in the negociations. This is a totally logical story, and one of the few ones like it. I usually hate TOS because like 95% of all episodes are "yet oneother earth" "kirk falls in love with a woman" and "kirk outsmarts the computer" non of that here. Than there is the issue TOS is FAR to focussed on sex, with the ridiculous dress-uniforms, kirk frigging around and such. That makes me dislike TOS a lot. So when this apeared to be a hippy-episdo, I feared the worste of it. But I was totally pleasantly surprised, this is one of the few TOS series without sexism, just a sensible talk between two people who deeply love eachother, but know their love is impossible, a nd logically make the right call and go their seperate way. A nice fresh breeze What looses it halve a point though is how a buch of space-hippies are able to take controll of the ship so easely. That it only looses halve a point is because they actually have this explained in the little talk between chekov and his ex. Also they pointed out how they are geniusses, and not average joes, and they planned this muteny in much detail ahead. Still I find it hard to figure that there would not be needed any passwords to transfer bridge-control, or to even get controll at all. A comment like -dang we should have installed security codes- or checkov giving away his code, by having his ex distracting him and looking down on his fingers.. would have prevent this star loss. (perhaps he did, as he takes blame in the last shot, but than he would have done so off-screen, as all he did say on screen is : the computer fills in the blanks if you ask it what you want it to do and is in full control and you can controll the ship from here too) And than there is the moral-plot of the story (all TOS are moral-story's and I am ok with that) : *don't follow leaders blindly *don't trow away wise teachings because they are brought by the wrong teachers (catholic priests come to mind) *hold on to your idealism and dreams. *adapt a little bit to society in order to change it. Still stands strong today, good message. There are a few dated-events though. Giving the leader space-typhus, was not neccecairy for the story, even though it helped he was insane and a treath against his own preaching. only to have him commit suicide some time later, when he discovers he is wrong. such insane leaders that refused medical treatment, and suicide commiting when prooved wrong, was however quite common in the 60's, so I let this get away with that. Than there is the computer locating eden. Nowever is explained what defines for them eden, do they really believe they can find the place God kicked us out from? Or do they just look for a pristine planet that fits their idea of eden, and they can live their desired way of life on. This is not explained enough, and looses it quarter of a point. That spock later sais eden is still out there at least admits that what they found was not eden, and their search-algoritm was wrong, this in some small way fills in this hole, but I'd liked a little more information. FInally there is the whole acid-point of the planet, and them hiding in fear inside of the shuttle. acid burns on touch, but adams body lies wit bare chest on those plants without the acid having damed his skin? And why are they hiding in fear inside the shuttle (for the acid?) but run out without problem when the enterprise crew arives? (if they were hiding FOR that crew, what would be logical, they left them for dead after all, punishment is to be expected, why would they come out?) I am sorry but I will have to pushing with halve a point deduction for these clear contractions to this story It would have had 5 stars would those last plotholes fixed and the space-typhus part cut out.. but those were minor plotholes and some attempt was done to closing them. making this one of the best and well-written TOS stories of them all. Finally What gains it a bonus +0.5 stars are the nice songs in this episode, I really love them, and the atmosphere it makes.

Enjoyable, funny, chaotic, great music. But definitely not a Standard TOS. Beware of that both Kirk and especially Spock are very tolerant. Kirk do understand that he is not the right person to deal with this, he takes Spock's advice. The crew get a great time. They (the establishment) though identifies the false prophet, they try to warn, but the followers does not listen. A theme valid also today. In the end Kirk and Spock shows great understanding. "let the sun shine in" I believe this is a Episode I will re-watch soon.

Spock Van Halen

I figured I had to be in the minority here but several of the comments seem to agree. This episode has such a negative reputation I expected it to be awful, but shock & horror...... I really enjoyed it. I thought it was an interesting look at the characters, and how they could well be viewed by outsiders who don't idolise our heroes. The look at counter-culture was respectful and I felt the views of the characters were on point. Chekov reminded me of Riker. Within the system he's a player, he's charming and loves the ladies - but to to those opposed to the ways of Starfleet he will defend the system, structure and ethos to the hilt. It really helped that I dig on the music, man :-) I enjoyed it far more than other Season 3 episodes that I found rather thin such as Troiyus, Children shall Lead, Zetar, Battlefield etc. I'd go so far as to say 3 stars. I have to also say, I think Season 3 is a little undeserving of it's poor reputation - there are some really interesting ideas around here - Spectre, Enterprise Incident, Empath, World is Hollow, Wink, Gideon, this one, I've enjoyed them all. Only a couple more to go in this season. Looking forward to the last 4 :-)

'Star Trek' meets 'Lost in Space.'

I think Jammer's rating is low. I agree this is a bad episode - probably 1.0 star. However, at least it is not boring, unlike The Alternative Factor (which Jammer to my surprise gave me two stars). I also think it is better than That Which Survives and The Lights of Zetar. My main problem with this episode is the implausibility, which James Doohan discussed in his book "Beam Me Up, Scotty". Doohan said you could respect bad guys like Khan and his crew (at least for their abilities, if not for their morals). But a bunch of space hippies taking over a starship? Also, as Doohan pointed out, how much patience would Kirk have with this bunch of fools? The 1st time they shouted "Herbert", he should have thrown them in the brig and been done with it. Doohan correctly stated that Kirk had no trouble telling ambassadors where to go, much the less the obnoxious son of an ambassador. Doohan originally did not want to appear in this episode. However, the producers changed his mind. Doohan said he should have gone with his original instincts.

Ahahahaha! I think I finally get what "Herbert" means, after all these years! I just realized it must be a reference to Frank Herbert, whose book "Dune" had come out just a few years prior. That book contains a setting where a huge amount of technology is banned, especially computers. The Dune series is also largely about not trusting authority figures, a theme that was particularly important to Frank. I guess that would make "Herbert" a fitting epithet coming from a group of anti-technologist hippies in the presence of a technocrat authority figure like a Starfleet Captain.

I'm confused - if Frank Herbert wrote about and cautioned of the dangers of modern technology wouldn't the space hippies want to be "Herberts".

Well I never said they were smart...

One of the worst episodes of 60's Trek, but I actually think Jammer's review is too harsh and his rating is definitely too harsh. This is not the worst TOS episode. The premise is poorly conceived, being blanketed in this hippie nonsense. But the idea of a renegade group trying to go out on their own is fine. Searching for an "Eden" is fine as well as a purpose, given that the leader is insane and has some kind of a hold on his followers. Kirk has to treat them with kid gloves because one of them is the son of some big shot and that creates an interesting dynamic. The episode gets silly with too much time spent on the music and the crew being unprofessional -- how about the red shirt on the bridge snapping his fingers and grooving out while Scotty stands right beside him? I don't have an issue with Spock trying to understand them and even jamming with them -- actually made for some fun scenes that have some purpose as the takeover of the Enterprise gets underway. I like Chekov in this episode -- he falls for the ladies typically and it's nothing different here. He regrets his actions in the end. Anyhow, I think "The Way to Eden" gets notoriety for the wrong reasons. There is an attempt at social commentary for the 60's and I wouldn't call it boring. It's definitely one of the turkeys in 60s Trek but not as bad as "And the Children Shall Lead" or "Spock's Brain". I give it 1 star out of 4.

Space hippies... what did we do to deserve THIS? Honestly it's not the worst episode of TOS or Season 3, so I think the zero stars is unwarranted in this case. This plays more like a 1.5 or 1 star episode to me, nothing substantial or particularly worthwhile, but not blatantly horrid. I commend the writers for *trying* to give Chekov some sort of history/storyline with that one girl. The supporting characters (Sulu, Chekov, Uhura) usually feel way underutilized in TOS, so I appreciate when they actually use them. But... definitely one that I would skip if I were to ever rewatch this season. Friggen space hippies.

Hated this episode as a kid but it has certainly grown on me as an adult. I even find Adam's songs to be catchy but as some have said, many great possibilities in this story that were never fully developed. The sequence on the planet seems rushed and poorly directed. I do enjoy "Eden" a lot more than the other original series stinkers. If played for laughs, they could have had a bikini-clad Goldie Hawn dancing in the background and a surprised Kirk ask, "Sock it to me?" Yeah, brother!

When I was young, I disliked this episode for the harsh comeuppance the idealistic hippies receive in the end, but now that I'm older and a bit wiser I've come to really enjoy it as an allegory about the dangers of seeking Eden (paradise in this life) without working for it. As such, much like "This Side of Paradise," this episode actually epitomizes the classic Trekkian belief that easy utopias are illusions, because the enlightened future envisioned by Roddenberry is the result of centuries of human struggle and hard work to make progress as a species. As a respectful exploration of the hopes and limits of utopian societies, I give it 3 stars. The counter-culture movements of the 1960s and 1970s accomplished much in terms of non-violent protest, but they also made many mistakes, seeking easy comfort in sexual license and recreational drug use that altered users' perceptions more than their realities -- and not always in a good direction. To be honest, the reality is that most 1960s hippies ended up cutting their hair, raising families, and quitting drugs to become productive members of society. And the rest -- those few who kept living the hippie life without "selling out" to society -- ended up sick, homeless, and addicted. Having lived in Berkeley CA, I can show you where they live in People's Park or on Shattuck Avenue any day you please. But preferably not at night, because they ARE violent and they ARE dangerous, just as this episode shows in Dr. Sevrin. Disease and drug use really *do* make people dangerous over time. Perhaps that's putting things too harshly, because "The Way to Eden" actually treats the hippie movement with tremendous respect, as Spock even says at one point that Sevrin's madness does not alter his respect for the cause at all. I love how Spock, totally in character as a cultural outsider himself, is the simpatico one with the hippies here. It's great to see him jamming with the musicians led by Adam (the great character actor Charles Napier of "The Blues Brothers" and "Austin Powers" among many other films) on his Vulcan lute here. It's cool seeing Spock as the most hip and sympathetic to the hippie outsiders who have abandoned technological society. I also love Chekov's back story here as he encounters the Russian hippie, a Starfleet Academy dropout and former romantic interest. Honestly, I'm not sure why Jammer finds Chekov's defense of Starfleet and anger that the girl he wanted turned her back on it out of character here, as his character on the show has been defined entirely by his DEEP pride to be in Starfleet and his STRONG love of technological knowledge. He's always been a know-it-all who loves all of humanity's technological accomplishments -- i.e. the grain in "Tribbles" -- which are precisely the things these hippies scorn. And he's angry that Irina turned her back on the things he loves. Of all the TOS shows, this one is the biggest "Chekov episode," as his thread actually runs through the whole show from start to finish, and he even gets a cute exchange of advice farewell scene with his crush. Too bad TOS was cancelled: It would have been great to see Uhura and Sulu get stories like Chekov got here. And Spock gets a nice line at the end, telling Chekov's girl to keep looking for Eden, which again defies the "reactionary" tag some people give this one. Good touch of continuity here, too, with the reference to Sulu's love of botany and other skills. And I *love* the teaser where we watch the hippies (presumably stoned) fly their stolen spaceship into ruin, then promptly form a drum circle on the Transporter Room floor when the Enterprise beams them aboard. It's just a lot of goofy fun to see contemporary hippies on the ship, fitting for the age, and somewhat thoughtful as well when we consider that someone in the 23rd century might one day revive the old hippie movement for a new generation of space travelers. In the end, the message of "Eden" is that we all have to grow up sometime, resisting the urge (which is dangerously infantile according to all modern psychologists) of returning to a womblike state of childlike innocence and freedom from responsibility. To be a healthy and mature adult is, ultimately, to take responsibility for our own actions and make hard choices in life. And folks, this message of "Way to Eden" is PROFOUNDLY in line with *everything* we've seen on TOS, even if the style makes it feel different from the rest of the series: Much like "The Apple" (where the "Eden" planet is likewise poisonous) and other episodes earlier in TOS, the Federation here encourages people to think for themselves rather than seek easy answers in messianic groupthink, and so "Eden" is perfectly consistent with Trekkian ideals. If "Way to Eden" is reactionary for saying we all have to leave the Garden of Eden to overcome infantile dependency, then so is pretty much every TOS episode where Kirk refuses to let alien races be the pawns of charismatic leaders seeking artificial utopias. (See also "Return of the Archons.") Having said all of that, I was sorry the Romulans were teased without actually showing up, as I was totally game for the kitchen sink to drop in our laps. Yet the concept of paradise being a poisonous planet in Romulan space, so useless that even the Romulans don't patrol it, makes for a memorable ending where the hippie named "Adam" (as Spock reminds us with irony) dies from eating a poison apple in "Eden." Even the hippies here have to grow up, except of course for Dr. Sevrin who takes the Jim Jones-style exit. The hippies turning evil through Sevrin's influence isn't a total loss, as the episode maintains respect for them and their cause despite their crazy leader. And it's not like Sevrin is trying to kill the crew, take over the ship, or conquer the universe: He just wants to go to this planet he's obsessed about and stay there with his people. So the hippies here are dangerous, but not necessarily murderous, and the episode raises good questions about well-meaning people who give up their best judgment to charismatic visionaries with mixed motives. Incidentally, it amuses me that some people get upset at TOS for too often making that charismatic leader a computer, but also get upset when TOS makes that leader a hippie or a Nazi. Is there someone else you had in mind to exemplify the excesses of groupthink? Perhaps Paris Hilton? Anyway, "Eden" isn't a top tier episode for me, as it's a bit too weird/atonal to feel truly satisfying, and it kind of meanders in the shipboard scenes for a while without advancing the plot. But I like it. And like several commenters here, I don't understand why some people are okay with Trek criticizing religion or AI run amok in a society, but self-righteously hate on "Eden" because Trek dares to take the counter-culture to task for the same problems. The truth is that any big social movements, even a counter-cultural or justice-oriented one, is vulnerable to the unhealthy whims of a charismatic leader -- it's not just religion and computers. Hitler also started as a social reformer: We tend to forget that the National Socialists (like the German Communists and others who favored government ownership of property) were liberals/progressives in 1930s Germany, not conservatives like the German Republic group or reactionaries like the pro-Kaiser German monarchists. So let's not throw the word "reactionary" at Trek so easily.

Poor but not as bad as the review makes it out to be. (IMHO) A beautiful planet with acid plants? Interesting concept.

I guess weed still exists in the far future. And is probably universally legal. That's all I take away from this epidode.

Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy. I got a clean bill of health from Doctor McCoy.

I’m seized with a desire to make a felt infinity egg and slap it on. Who’s with me?

Other Chris

Not good, but not the worst of the season.

Not good, but not the worst of the series or season. Requiem, right before this, was much worse. It's just one more silly episode, in a sea of them.

So, here’s another DC Fontana script about technology, except this time the episode seems to be pro-technology - or, at least against rejecting technology for the sake of ideology. While I’m on the subject of ideology, here we have the big anti-religion episode of TOS. I think the idea is that the hippies (who Roddenberry must relate to on some level) have a pure and true vision about what paradise should be, but they’re taken in by Dr. Sevrin, the local preacher/cult leader/kool-aid drinker. The episode spends enough time emphasizing the strengths of the philosophy of the non-Sevrin hippies that we get a sense that the hippies might be onto something. At the very least, I agree with William B that Spock’s character was used well to help us try to understand the benefit of hippie beliefs. At first I was a bit surprised at the rating by Jammer, but having read about all the technical glitches of the episode and mischaracterizations (Walter Koenig called this the low point of his career as Chekov) I can understand why we reach zero. Personally, I thought it was nice that Chekov got something else to besides be the naive kid, yet the episode still played that card as needed. One thing that screamed at me, though. DS9 missed a golden opportunity for the Maquis to be people still searching for Eden. That would’ve given them a righteous enough cause in the same vein as the Native Americans, instead of just making them petulant children. Peter G. wrote: “I think I finally get what "Herbert" means, after all these years! I just realized it must be a reference to Frank Herbert, whose book "Dune" had come out just a few years prior.” Weird, yeah, Memory Alpha says that the slur is a dig at one of the original executive producers, Herbert Solow, who was replaced by the third season. I don’t know, your idea is probably better. But the episode itself leaves the audience in the dark about this and many other things.

@Chrome No way does this episode deserve zero stars -- the music of the hippies alone is almost worth 0.5 star on its own. Seriously, Charles Napier is a good singer and I these are cool lyrics: "No more trouble in my body or my mind Going to live like a king on whatever I find Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind Yeah brother ... yeah" Granted -- listening to "pop" music is not what Trek is supposed to be about but this episode deserves props for coming up with some good tunes that many people love to this day. TOS music was just fantastic. The little sorrowful music at the end as they find Adam dead -- actually quite a touching moment. And I actually liked Chekov's part here -- granted he was unprofessional and later regretted his actions, but his character got a bit of development in that we learn he's uber-dedicated to Star Fleet and could not understand why Irina would go off pursuing Eden. But objectively and critically speaking, to me it's a 1* episode -- it has a ton of flaws and is a weak premise that is poorly executed. But I have a soft spot for it!

@Rahul I thought the music was pretty catchy too. One thing that's fun about this one is it's sort of a period piece (a 1960s show based on a popular movement of the 1960s), so you feel like you're seeing a little slice of history here. It's also pertinent to Trek's history as Roddenberry is known to have affection for the philosophy of free love. Sure, It's cheesy, but I think it engages counterculture and anti-authority on an intellectual level. What's more, there's a surprisingly large amount of meat to delve into with the planet Eden analogy, although it's all a very rough idea. Still, compare this to say, TNG's "Up the Long Ladder" which included some of the most horribly stereotypical cliches of a "primitive" race with no redeeming value, and I think you'll find this one comes out way ahead.

@Chrome That's one of the "virtues" of TOS is that you get these period pieces -- the sci-fi analogies of real world issues (counterculture, cold war, Vietnam, etc.), which became a hallmark of Trek. And some of them are different for TOS than for the later Treks. And yes, this episode is plenty cheesy but I actually think it fails to really engage in a sensible discussion of the counterculture movement or the aspect of a group following an insane cult leader. It gets lost in plenty of goofiness and the takeover/regaining control of the ship is just a mechanical exercise -- not particularly riveting. And with the Eden planet popping up right at the very end, there isn't much chance to reflect on the deaths of Adam & Sevrin. But I suppose you could also argue that it's left for the viewer to come to his/her own conclusions. Interesting comparison with "Up the Long Ladder" -- I also see that as a 1* episode but overall I rate that a tad higher due to the presentation of cloning and rights of the individual. It has a modicum of more intelligence to it. But the Irish group were worse than the space hippies!

@Rahul Yeah, unfortunately there’s too much dialogue given to the actually crazy guy about his motives so we aren’t given a lot to think about the hippie movement. There is something interesting about the protest in the med bay and the crew getting caught up the music that I think works well. But to be clear, this is plenty silly. One funny thing was how they kept bringing up the Romulans and — they actually invaded Romulan space which, you know, should have some huge repercussions. But the episode kind of forgets about that in the ending and they’re just kinda hanging out speechifying.

This was my favorite episode as a gradeschool kid—because of the music and the costumes. Adam was my favorite character, for reasons others have noted above. My issues with it (because "favorite" doesn't mean "best"—by a longshot!) include: For a crew on a ship traveling the galaxy, seeking out new civilizations and encountering a multitude of ways, mores, and cultures, it makes no sense for them to find this group so strange—certainly no stranger than most other groups. And with humans from earth already living on maybe tens or even hundreds of planets by then, certainly the already widely-varied cultural expressions found on earth over the millenia would have further splintered into more and more variation. I agree with comments above about Tong (or is it Tongo?) Rad's darkness. He's just a spoiled privileged a$$. Re: Irina and Chekhov, I found it kind of a chilling commentary on Federation society for him to express such horror at her ostensibly throwing her life away, just because she decided not to use her education/talents as part of the Federation's military industrial complex. Surely in their century, there are myriad streams of professional and personal opportunities. If only a military one is really respected as a "success"... ugh. Dr. Sevrin is of course not the only time in TOS we see a well-respected genius type figure losing his or her mind. In his story, it's especially sad as he acts like a selfish and greedy colonizer. As far as looking for the planet Eden... I think the perfect planet for this group would have been Omicron Ceti III (from "This Side Of Paradise.) No Indigenous animal life forms to be hurt by synthecoccus novae disease. The plant sports would protect the hippies from any harm from the Berthold rays. And, the laid back vibe created by the spores' influence on human behavior is, frankly, no different from how Sevrin and his gang were already striving to live as, as a value system. In fact, they wouldn't even need the spores (though they'd probably find a way to smoke them, lol.) That planet truly was a paradise for anyone who desired that lifestyle. Then, for the Romulan element... I did find the hippies dismissing of that threat highly... illogical. Even by their hippie logic. They were all citizens of the Federation (even if they reject its norms.) Surely all know that crossing the Neutral Zone is a BIG F*ing DEAL. Surely they would know, with 100% certainty, that the minunte Romulans discover Federation citizens colonizing one of their planets would bring swift attack and they'd all be killed. At most—even if the plants weren't filled with acid poison!—they'd get a few weeks or months, then they'd be killed. None of them seemed to understand their journey to Eden as comprising a suicide trip. Therefore, why do what they did? Kirk wasn't trying to keep them from that "Eden" to be a d*ck. He forbid them from going because (a) The Romulans would come and kill them all, and (b) it could spark a war with the Federation. There was no possibly scenario in which they would get to go to this Eden to actually make and live a life. Despite all that, despite it being silly often enough, it's still an episode I always enjoy watching. For the singing (yes, the sining!), for Adam, and for Chekhov finally getting some action! Yay, yayeeee.... brother :)

Sarjenka's Brother

Adam = Matthew McConaughey Yeah, brother! This could never legitimately top a "best of" list, but worst of all 72? Nah, it ain't that bad. And I thought some of the music was pretty cool.

John E Brengman

^.^ The high points of this episode really didn't save the episode very much. As ti a cimment made earlier ... "The "way to eden" is perhaps the only really "reactionary" episode in the history of star trek. whatever the faults of the youth movements in the '60s these were the people who ended the war in vietnam" Actually nope! Although the youth movement and the entire anti-war element put pressure on the government, in reality, after Tet, the communists had momentum, and that was sealed after the US removed their support for the South Vietnamese military. " and fought for civil rights." Not really. Martin Luther King was not part of the youth movement. The youth were more interested in sex, drugs, rock music, stepping off, and dropping out ... of society. More than a few adults in the room did what they could to push the US to get out of Vietnam, and it was adults in the room who pushed civil rights. However, the anti-modern stance of the episode is kinda interesting. How many people nowdays remember when there was not an Internet? I was at Subway earlier, and I saw a couple, but rather than talking to each other, the guy was engrossed in his smart phone, rather than talking to the girl sitting across from him. John B. John B. They deserved a better treatment. And perhaps the "middle aged", "middle class" people were the demographic target (aren't they allways?) but they were not, in the end, the people who liked and supported star trek.

David Strobel

A little 60's sci fi TV trivia: this episode wasn't the only one with space hippies. Lost in Space did it at least twice. First was a bit over a year before "Eden" with "Collision of Planets," then a few months later in "The Promised Planet."

I've read that the original concept for this show had, instead of Irina, divorced Dr. McCoy's daughter, Joanna, in whom Kirk takes a romantic interest. If only they'd made that one instead. Another irony... The parallels between this episode and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, where a madman leads his followers on a quest not for Eden, but for God's home planet. What were they thinking?

Sleeper Agent

Except for the somewhat foggy main plot, I don't see the critique here. On the contrary the crew felt very much in line with the personalities we have gotten to know over the past 3 seasons. It was indeed very nice with an episode focusing on Chekov and Spock. I also really dig the music, which felt fresh and daring to include so much of in a Trek episode. Would watch again. II I/II of IV

Would have given it three stars if it wasn't for Uhura's complete absence.

SouthofNorth

Hippies get their comeuppance? Nothing less than 3 stars from me. "I'm gonna snap my fingers and jump for joy, I got a clean bill of health of Dr. McCoy" and Spock's jam session puts it in the 3 1/2 stars range.

This episode absolutely rocks. Stupid hippies--who accomplished absolutely NOTHING and didn't (and fundamentally couldn't) help humanity or the earth in any way but were just self-indulgent masturbators all get blown the hell away in this wonderful rejection of hippie culture by Gene Roddenberry and crew. I just wish they all died.

I hate this episode. It’s giving something of the middle finger to the entire premise of original Trek, in essence saying “remember all that Roddenberry stuff about how humans had evolved beyond the petty differences that plagued it in the relative dark ages of the 20th century, such as Sulu saying there was no such thing as the ‘primitive thinking’ of racism? Remember how the show commented on social problems by have the enlightened Earth people encounter beings on OTHER planets with those problems? We’re going to JUNK all that. Not only does Earth still have social problems, it has a social problem that’s practically IDENTICAL to that of 1968-69, which just happens to be when the episode airs”. The ripping away of the “enlightened 23rd century” veneer in order to engage in naked pandering to the then-current hippie movement is revolting. None of the hippie characters is at all interesting or worthy of admiration. Also, teenagers TODAY are so joined to their smart phones that the line by Chekov’s ex girlfriend about never doing what a computer says is ludicrous. BTW, I have quite a different perspective on the whole “Herbert chanting” business after watching the Youtube video “Inside Star Trek The Real Story Herbert Solow Robert Justman”.

Terrible episode but the blonde hippie who jams with Spock is stupid hot, 4 stars

This isn’t so bad, though it is flawed. It’s fascinating to see Spock here, considering the Final Frontier revelations about his brother. While I doubt Shatner spent a moment’s thought on this episode when writing that, it does compliment this well. From this, it makes it look like Spock was far more than just aware of Sybok’s activities, and may have been strongly drawn to them or even participated to some degree.

Haha, wow I spit out laughing when Spock sat down to jam with that blonde hippie. Did they realize they were creating a classic meme when they filmed that? Anyway, there are interesting ideas with some flaws, as many here agree. Not the worst episode by a long shot.

The Way to Eden Star Trek season 3 episode 20 "If a man tells another man: out of my way, he piles up trouble for himself all day. But all kinds of trouble come to an end, when a man tells another man: be my friend.” - Adam 3 1/2 stars (out of 4) [For the record, the review at the top of the this thread from 2009, is not me] As we approach the final five episodes of The Original Series, it gladdens my heart to see one true classic Trek ere the end. Here is a simple tale of a mad man with sane thoughts, SEVRIN: This is poison to me. This stuff you breathe, this stuff you live in, the shields of artificial atmosphere that we have layered about every planet. The programs in those computers that run your ship and your lives for you, they bred what my body carries. That's what your science have done to me. You've infected me and his outcast followers of high birth. But first I have to say how much of a pleasure it is to see both Shatner and Nimoy at absolutely peak performance. Scotty and Bones do good work too. And this is really a splendid Chekov outing as well. When things clicked on TOS, they really clicked! Kirk is an incredible leader. There is a scene when he notices Chekov is uneasy, and he places his hand on Chekov’s arm, and asks just as gently as a Captain can be expected to be, KIRK: Do you wish to see her? Permission to leave your post. CHEKOV: Thank you, sir. Kirk’s tenderness towards Chekov continues to be a highlight of the episode through its very end, when poor Chekov, obviously embarrassed that he let his guard down around an old flame, presents himself for a flogging, CHEKOV: Captain, I wish first to apologize for my conduct during this time. I did not maintain myself under proper discipline. I endangered the ship and its personnel by my conduct. I respectfully submit myself for disciplinary action. But Kirk again understands that youth is, after all, inexperienced, KIRK: Thank you, Mister Chekov. You did what you had to do. As did we all. Even your friends. You may go. CHEKOV: Thank you, sir. Indeed. Next vote of commendation for an exemplary performance goes to Nimoy. His connect with the kids, especially with Adam through music, was such a delight! When Spock tries to convince Adam to check the computer’s files on his mad, mad leader, it damn near broke my heart, SPOCK: Adam. You know I reach you. I believe in what you seek. But there is a tragic difference between what you want and what he wants. ADAM: You're making me cry. Adam tries to blow it off, but these are good kids led astray by an insane adult. Irina is scared the ultrasound will do more than stun the crew ("Sound pitched that high doesn't stun, it destroys. I remember when we read in the text”). Rad, the ambassador’s son fears the same, but blows it off. But kids are stupid. Or not stupid per se, but naive. That’s why we protect them. Because otherwise they’re likely to be led astray and get themselves killed. The episode piles on a needless biblical narrative, both with the “Eden” episode title, and and fruit, as foreshadowed by the key line from Adam’s song in the control room, ADAM: Headin' out to Eden. No more trouble in my body or my mind. Gonna live like a king on whatever I find, Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind. And for sure that’s what they do. And that’s what kills them. Nimoy’s stunning line at seeing the dead boy rings all the more true given the real-life name Nimoy chose for his son, who at the time this episode aired, would have been almost 13, and probably going through a rebellious phase of his own, SPOCK: His name was Adam. There is no doubt Nimoy did Reach. For the life of me I cannot fathom how @Jammer has scored this one so low. My only guess is that he was a Herbert when he wrote it ;) Maybe now that @Jammer's kids are older, he’ll give this episode another look see. KIRK: I used to get into a little trouble when I was that age, Scotty. Didn't you? This is the Star Trek I have loved all my life. One with a rich message (@Chrome) and good music (@Rahul). https://youtu.be/z2MEYMMDhKk?t=35 Like Voyager’s “Living Witness,” TOS’ “Way to Eden” is an enduring tale that will continue to stand the test of time.

Did anyone else notice that the orderlies who take Dr. Severin away to Dr. McCoy for a medical examination are identical twins?? Whoa!

Say what you like about the space hippie music. This episode is worthwhile, if for nothing else, for the piece of advice that makes a great life motto: Be incorrect (occasionally).

I can't help but laugh thinking about a casting director looking at Charles Napier and saying "yep, we found our space-hippie."

Loved the opening scene. Talk about “Drive it like ya stole it!” Lol. And the Space Antifa hippies? Throw in a set of Viking horns on Brother Adam, and he would be right at home in a 22nd century Federation Capital building riot. Nothing has changed. Some people are born to serve, others are going to be starving artists because there is no way they are doing nine to five. And of course Chekov is conflicted. It takes a good 10 years for the military to stomp the Liberal out of you... The sabotage during the Spock Jam is going to be a tough one for him to live down. Spock with his eye off the ball. Disappointing Mr. Spock. Dr. Sevrin fooling his followers into believing in Utopia, just another dashing young Castro. The Left always ends up becoming the Right. Of course he was “diseased. “ The highly intelligent psychopath Pied Piper, leading his followers on the path to Totalitarianism...Thank goodness he got Kirk Blocked. If only they could have got Spock to go full Snoop Dogg, they might have had a chance. Maybe next time Galactic Flower Power...

Beard of Sisko

Well, I'm not going to say Jammer is "wrong" even I think "The Children Shall Lead" is the absolute worst. But it's not hard to see why some would pick this as the worst

Ultimately a good episode with flaws. Pros (from most important to least): • Makes its message clear without hitting you over the head. o A group of people looking for Eden continue to be flawed individuals. Severin in particular is focused on his own interests above others. Thus, Eden won’t let them in. The acidic plants are the same idea as posting an angel to keep Adam and Eve out of the original Eden. o According to the Trek writers, you don’t get to live a perfect life by separating yourself from society; usually, you have to help improve everyone around you. So Spock encourages one of the characters to keep looking for Eden, but any Eden they find will likely still be within the larger society. • Spock is able to look outside himself and relate to someone whose thoughts don’t conform to his rigid Vulcan logic. • We are given more back story for someone in the Checkov-Sulu-Uhura group. • In some season three episodes, I would have spent the entire episode wondering why the guest characters aren’t just thrown into the brig. The reasoning behind this was written into the episode satisfactorily. • We are given more glimpses of Federation society outside of Starfleet. • Kirk’s initial annoyance with the counter-cultural people and his move towards being understanding is an incremental enough change to be believable. Cons (from most important to least): • The guest characters realize that their supersonic attack may actually “destroy”, but we don’t see follow up to that. In my head cannon, I chose to help the episode out by assuming that most of the ship’s crew did suffer hearing impairments. Even the away team had to speak louder than usual to one another than we saw on camera. McCoy had technology on the ship to help most recover. But some had to go back to Earth to get proper treatment, remaining effectively deaf for months. • Even though some guest characters have above-average intelligence and education, it’s still hard to accept that they could take over the ship. • The mythology of “oneness” is not sufficiently explained. We never learn what attributes it predicted Eden would have, so what was the computer looking for? • The music served its purpose of extending the illusion that the characters were counter-cultural people, but it failed to create the illusion that the music was from the future. • The guest stars’ costumes weren’t great, but that’s pretty minor. The most annoying episodes for me are the ones where I spend the entire episode thinking that this isn’t how the characters would act. That didn’t happen to me here.

@ benji, It's interesting you see the ending as Eden not letting them in because they're unworthy. Admittedly this interpretation never occured to me. Knowing TOS and its extreme wariness about so-called paradise, I always assumed the ending meant that Eden wasn't what they thought it was. That is what a poisonous idea in the way they conceived it. The similarity to David Koresh's cult comes to mind, of trying to reach paradise by escaping the world. It's a death wish by another name.

S3 continues its political themes with The Way To Eden, obviously inspired by the hippie/student unrest of 1968. Produced pre-Woodstock, it reflects American society’s unease with certain elements of youth culture of the time; which didn’t just include hippies but also the more violent groups like The Weathermen. I always found the episode’s lampoon of hippie culture to be unintentionally hilarious. Take the lyrics of one song: No more trouble in my body or mind Be the king of all I find Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind LOLOLOL It’s a confused episode, never quite sure of what message it’s trying to convey. Spock as krypto-hippie was inspired; Chekov’s love interest less so, though Koenig did his best. It was also interesting that the Typhoid Annie bug had been caused by the artificial way human society had constructed “ideal” environments; so far, so sympathetic to 60s hippie concerns. There was never an outright condemnation of 60s youth, and even a nod to some of its more “digestible” (qua middle-class values of the era) ideals. It’s quite a hilarious episode though the ending is predictably tragic. In all though, it’s not a ‘no stars’ (unfair!) ... I’ll give it 1.5, perhaps a bit more for the musical interest and the occasional belly laugh.

A planet full of food containing acid? Far out, man, I’m there!

Hah, Tidd, it never occurred to me the “acid” of the plants might have been a dig at LSD. Or maybe this planet is the true origin of the Xenomorphs?

So Chekhov got the show’s Uber hottie this time , hooray for him. She was something. The rest of the episode was pure fluff. That 6 space hippies could take over a ship of 430 crewmen should have had Captain Kirk up on competency charges. The part that made zero sense was that Eden was not only in Romulan space but 3 hours inside Romulan Space!!! What, did Kirk have a “Get 3 hours into Romulan Space Free Card”? The Romulans have been quick on the scene every other time a federation ship enters their space. If this doesn’t scream that the show’s budget is toast, I don’t know what does. Why did they mention the Romulans at all if they were not going to even show them? Eden could have been anywhere. This episode is the worst in my book, the only F I’ve ever given out.

Jeffery's Tube

Does this episode benefit from being a cultural curiosity, now in retrospect? Not really. Would the episode have benefited had Nichelle Nichols shown up that week to sing a few songs with the hippies as Uhura? Undoubtedly. But would that have saved it? No. I do find it funny that of all the episodes, THIS is one she's absent from, though. Spock hanging out with the hippies reeks of a desperate attempt by the network to say "See, kids? Spock isn't a square. Spock is cool! He's a counter-cultural symbol! Watch us! Support us! Ratings. RATINGS!" An ill-advised attempt to correct a perception issue with the character that was never there. Chekov, on the other hand, is obviously defending his decisions here. His girlfriend left Starfleet Academy to do . . . well, this, I guess. He had the same opportunity to leave Starfleet with her and do something else with his life. He must have been tempted. He must not be all-the-way sure, on some level, that he's made the right choices in his life. So this is why he's so defensive of Starfleet and its worth--his lifestyle--even if it's otherwise somewhat out of character. I read this in the subtext just fine. We could alternatively attribute his behavior to suits at the network wanting the young "cool" character to be seen conforming and behaving respectably, as an example to other young people of the time to model. But I don't credit this. I just don't think that much thought went into it, frankly. Let's also not forget that Chekov will later become security chief/tactical officer. A more military-minded Starfleet man than most. It tracks. Third worst TOS episode after The Alternative Factor and And The Children Shall Lead, followed on by Catspaw, Spock's Brain, The Omega Glory, and then The Lights of Zetar. For my money, anyway.

To add, even best case scenario, the space hippies’ plan to colonize Eden would have never worked and had zero chance of success. Even if the fruit had been edible and the grass, trees, etc. been non acidic and suitable for humanoid life, the Romulans would have discovered the settlement sooner or later. They would have interpreted it as an invasion and killed everyone there. So the whole idea was senseless from the beginning. I guess that is what following a madman is all about.

Contumacious

Adam reminds me of a live action version of Beavis from Beavis and Butthead.

I agree with the defenders of this episode. It was funny (Adam was a hoot!) and an interesting reversal to see Kirk (The Great White Captain) so completely unable to control the situation and looking diminished, while Spock has the insight and nuance to be able control the group. The Chekhov /Irina back story and relationship was well scripted and acted. True, the taking over of the ship was silly and the costumes were bad, but that is par for the course in this series. I liked the common understanding that was reached in the end between the characters who initially disapproved of each other so vehemently. And Kirk’s final statement, tongue in cheek, that “We reach, Mr. Spock” was perfect. I give this 2.5 stars.

Not sure if this deserves zero stars, but it's definitely one of the worst episodes. Hippies annoy me, especially ones who lip sync, although John Rambo would eventually punish his bad singing in Rambo II. It was fitting that some of these cultists met an untimely end due to their foolish actions. As in all Trek series, civilians can walk into sensitive areas of the ship (which are not locked, guarded, etc.), operate the controls without any training, and also lock out the crew. What are all the security red shirts doing when they are not getting killed on away missions? They can't spare two guys to watch the secondary control center? No login/password to access a console or a shuttle? And why does anyone goto Starfleet Academy if you can learn how to drive a starship on your first try? It makes you scratch your head as to how mankind can travel faster than light but hasn't figured out how to lock a door.

Not an easy episode to love, but hardly the worst. It does make the interesting point that the Federation, as glorious as it takes itself to be, had its detractors. Dr. Sevrin is the guru of a whole 'reject artificiality' movement and at one point he speaks powerfully about this. Consequently, I diverge from Jammer's caustic judgment, which leads him to remark that: "the meanings behind the hippiedom aren't considered for a moment, resulting in zero digestible substance." There is plenty here to digest. Spock tries to be, what he later becomes in Trek, an ambassador, here using music to somehow build a language of understanding with these rebels. It's about relying on trust and trying to subdue self-protective cynicism in dealing with unlikable people...obstinate people who reject your way of life. This is actually what many hippies were back then, an angrier variant of the nihilistic Beat generation critical of all the squares. It is a far more coherent episode than, say, The Alternative Factor, which no matter how many times I see it still confuses me. At least in The Way to Eden, we see a realistic battle between generations being waged. I think that it gives a solid look at how the 'disingenuity of the few' (understand a small cabal of 'bad actors' at the leadership level) can doom a utopian project. I like it for that message.

Lawrence Bullock

Yeah, I suppose if you didn't see this as a kid, it would push yer "suck" button quite a lot, but I did see it as a kid, and me and most of my friends didn't mind it, but we just thought the "hippies" were corny because we knew real hippies and most were cooler than these dweeb. But what I really want to know is, who the hell was that red shirt who stopped to horn in on the conversation in the passageway between Chekov and an old gal friend from Starfleet Academy days? I would said, "Buzz off, away team meat, you weren't invited." Ha!

Had to laugh at this exchange given the times we live in. Dr. Severin was definitely an anti-vaxer MCCOY: I don't know. They all had full spectrum immunizations before boarding. Now my guess is that his friends have had their shots too. But a regular program of shots is necessary. I'll have to check everyone on the ship. There could be some skips. In the meantime, he should be placed in total isolation. SEVRIN: This is outrageous. You're not isolating me, you're imprisoning me. You invent a crime, find me guilty and sentence me! MCCOY: Would you like to run the test, Doctor? You knew you were a carrier before you came aboard, didn't you? SEVRIN: No! MCCOY: Then why did you fight the examination? SEVRIN: It was an infringement on my rights. KIRK: Put him in isolation.

EventualZen

No good sci-fi theme but entertaining episode. Nothing special but not as bad as Jammer says, I don't see how you can justify rating this as low as "Threshold" which is in a league of it's own. I think there are some Herberts amongst the reviewers. Over all score: 4/10

The character of Dr. Severin had potential, imo. A man who is a danger to a squeaky clean anti-septic civilization because he is a modern Typhoid Mary turns his back on society. His natural desire for companionship leads him to recruiting young naïve followers even though his search and maybe even his existence poses a threat to them. Severin seeks to "return to nature" only to find his personal Eden is inimical to him. If the "space hippie" stuff had been dialed way back and Severin had been treated more sympathetically so that the tragedy of his situation was more obvious this would have been a much better episode. Say what you will about TOS, but many of even the worst episodes had an interesting idea at the heart of the story. It's just that you sometimes couldn't see it because a mini-skirt wearing Charles Napier gets in the way.

Maybe 1 or 1.5 stars An underlying theme of TOS is the progress human civilization has made in the past 300 or 400 years Then why are these proto hippies no different definitely not progressed from the hippies of the 1960s Were our hippies Luddites? Funny how Kirk appoints Spock to be the primary interface with the group Spock’s dealings with them seems out of character for him Illogical Kirk immediately starts out on the wrong foot with them after he’s called ‘Herbert’ LOL Come on be a little tolerant and diplomatic

I saw this in syndication when I was 10, and it was one of my favorite episodes back then, because I liked seeing the crew (as in Charlie X) hang out, and I enjoyed the music. Joining cults led by charismatic leaders can often turn out badly; it's a reasonable message. I never got the impression in prior episodes that just because Chekov had an amusing shtick in his "Russia did it first and best" comments and was the youngest regular that he was supposed to be especially hip compared to, say, Sulu or Uhura, so I didn't feel he was acting in any way out of character. It's not the most subtle episode, but it sure didn't bore me, and it is way ahead of something like Turnabout Intruder.

In a way this episode is prescient, in that in 1966-68 it was characterizing a Charles Manson type hippie leader (coming to public attention in 1969-19700 with a music-based following, who promised a utopian future and fed it on cultic behavior & violence.

Funny to see the comment above - maybe it's anachronistic but I can never watch this episode without being reminded of Manson and his followers. Of course, Star Trek didn't start to be broadcast by the BBC until 1969 so by the time this episode was shown in the UK the Manson atrocities must already have happened. The hippies in this are culpable - they all are complicit in their leader's planned murder of the whole crew which he admits he is doing to prevent anyone following them down to the planet. So people they have been befriending are all expendable. Really they are all accessories to attempted mass murder.

This is truly an aggravating episode, but not because it features hippies. In fact it's irritating precisely because it does not feature hippies, but rather cultists in mock--60's costumes. I would not have minded at all watching an episode showing common ground between peaceniks and a Vulcan dedicated to peace. Too bad that's not what we get. I checked out the story writers to see if I could understand what they were thinking, and on Heinemann I cannot glean anything useful on a quick search. But to my surprise I learned that "Michael Richards" (not Kramer) was in fact a pseudonym for D.C. Fontana. I really can't understand what kind of story Fontana thought she was authoring here. The episode, both through costume, music, and Spock's point of view, tells us again and again that these are anti-establishment peace-lovers who just want "the man" to leave them alone. Yet time and again in the episode they're portrayed as being knowingly criminal, using violence to get their way (and being good at it), and not caring at all how many get hurt or die for them to get what they want. And all of this surrounding the buffoonishly insane Dr. Sevrin. When I was a kid I wrote them all off as weirdos, but it becomes pretty clear to me now, for example through their violent attempt to get to their leader when he was being medically examined, that they are very reminiscent of the Charles Manson cult. And those people were neither hippies nor peace-loving. Yes, they may have had the trappings of 60's folk who used terms like "brother" but these were not the flower children who just wanted to smoke weed and protest war at Berkeley. That Sevrin's people are at heart a death cult is shown pretty clearly by Sevrin committing suicide at the end rather than be taken alive. The only thing it was missing was him getting the others to do the same first. The writing here is so mixed up I can only surmise that the writers either thought that hippies were all essentially murderous cultists, or that they lacked even the slightest nuance of the difference between anti-establishment students and manipulative sociopaths. The worst part is there is just literally no way we're going to accept someone's POV that Kirk is a narrow-minded fascist, so even if the writing was better there would be zero chance that we'd accept the proposition that trying to take over the Enterprise is some kind of liberation from tyranny. The escape from technology angle is not new, but a curious McGuffin is present in the story in that Sevrin has a disease legally forcing him to stay in the technological society he hates, therefore requiring him to become a criminal just to get away. But this tidy formula is contrived to the extreme, even putting aside that it results in him wanting to be a mass murderer and therefore making him a loony even if he didn't act like such a maniac. In passing, the story also expects us to accept that somehow living in a technological society is the only reason he's infected with some disease. Naturally we might ask how many diseases he'd have without any technology. But never mind that, the episode isn't about such logic, it's about how he misled his well-intentioned followers... or something. Even though Irina knew full well the sonic attack would kill everyone and went along with it. But actually it didn't kill anyone, so was Dr. Sevrin meant to be telling the truth when he said he was "going beyond" the textbooks? Earlier we're told he studied acoustics, so I suppose this is plausible, but then why have Irina's friend also chime in saying it would kill, as if we're meant to understand Sevrin knows this? And if Sevrin really is an acoustics master, why have him deliver this plan as if he's playing Dr. Evil? None of this story writing makes any sense. Was Heinemann so drunk on delusion juice that he thought we'd connect everyone being alive with Sevrin really being able to produce a stun effect, and conclude that he never meant anyone any harm? I can also fall back on a more simple analysis, which I also used in thinking about This Side of Paradise: if we're to accept even for a moment that these people believe in something legitimate and are misunderstood, why are they all complete assholes? Adam's beliefs don't inspire much more in me than a desire to punch him in the face every time he shows off his impudent smile. Dr. Sevrin is about as charming as a mushroom. Which leaves Irina, who honestly (and I hesitate to say this) just comes across as an airhead who was too dumb to make it through the Academy. Chekhov has text implying that she was too independent to ever listen to anyone, and maybe it's the casting and the direction, but she comes across as really the opposite of that; just a mindless follower without a thought in her head. I'm being a bit mean, and I'm not trying to be acerbic but rather trying to communicate the visceral feelings I get when these people are in scenes. They are really unsavory persons, and I would not want to be friends with them. They are really rather scary, even on an interpersonal level. It's almost shocking that Chekhov and Irina have a makeout scene at the end - on the bridge!! - after what she pulled. Can you imagine your ex trying to kill you and everyone on the ship, stealing the Enterprise, and on a personal level lying to you and using you to gain intelligence to undermine you? And you'd feel all nostalgic after that and wish you were still a couple? Wow. These are different kinds of complaints than I had when I was 8. Back then I didn't like that Sevrin was so mean, I didn't like the music, and I didn't like that these people were so bad to people trying to be respectful toward them. Now I see other things, but still cling to this idea that they're just not nice people. You're going to stamp your feet and shout stuff when someone is trying to talk to you respectfully? What ideal is that suppose to exemplify, other than being a rotten brat? Interestingly, when they do think they've found Eden, they have this glee on their faces like the biggest orgy ever is about to happen. It doesn't feel peaceful, but more like gluttons about to satisfy the craziest lust for desserts ever. Is the writing supposed to suggest that 'Eden' is really a place where you just stuff your face and have all your desires satisfied all the time like a little emperor? Or is the writing condemning people who think of paradise as having the world bow to them and their whims? But this is a stupid question because the story just doesn't care. On the positive side, I think this is the first truly Chekhov-focused episode, and he's really great in it. I don't think we see him play a dramatic part at any time prior to this, other than maybe Spectre of the Gun, but in that one the setting is rather too theatrical to give him a serious scenario to act. I can actually see Koenig's turn as B5's Bester having a precedent here, in the more introspective and brooding side of his talent. I don't know whether they knew he could do this when they originally cast him, but it's just one more reason for me to conclude that the talent level of this cast was by far the best of any Trek. Every person cast on this show is good enough to steal scenes and captivate my attention.

Yet another ghastly 3rd season practically unwatchable episode. Truly painful to try to watch this, and I am a fan of Skip Homeier. Take into concert this episode with others like "Plato's Stepchildren", and you realize how Star Trek got canceled. Nothing could save it.

Yeah, "trying to fit an elephant into a birdcage" sums it up pretty well, but I don't think this a zero stars. It was funny, and one thing I like is that they didn't just "take over the ship"; instead, we actually saw them working on the crew, charismatically convincing them for the cause. Unfortunately the resolution for this plot was just "well, the leader was crazy and the utopia was poisoned" so we didn't had Kirk actually having to win back the heart of his crew, nor a more profound debate about hierarchy vs anarchy. But still a fun episode, at least 1 star for the beautiful hippie ladies and actually groovy songs.

I saw this as a teenager when it first aired. It was hilariously over-the-top then; it is the same now. I don't suggest watching it more than once.

Another hour that I'll never get back. Closest thing to a saving grace is watching a young Charles Napier going against his eventual type. You wouldn't hear Adam saying, "You're gonna look pretty funny tryin' to eat corn on the cob with no f***in' teeth!" Deep in Romulan space, and no Romulans show up. 1/4

This episode breaks the cardinal rule of avoiding cultural clothing, hairstyles, music and language of the time period in which it was produced. While all TOS episodes reflect women’s clothing of the 1960’s, this episode literally screams 1960’s instead of circa 2266–2269. I can hear the space hippies saying “groovy” and “I can dig it” when they utter their futuristic equivalent sayings. This episode does NOT stand the test of time. One more thing: the music, while attempting to emulate 1960’s music, is a million times more painful to listen to than anything else I’ve heard from any time period.

Man, you herberts just don’t reach man. I mean, I’m not saying this episode is really now, you know, it doesn’t totally sound or anything, but if you don’t have too hard a lip it can really make you bleed, you know? Yeeaaa brother. Cough, hack, ahem, whoa sorry about that. I got caught up in the spirit of oneness there for a sec. But seriously, this isn’t the worst episode ever, in fact if you strip away the incessant singing it had the potential to be a very good episode. I appreciate that Star Trek made the attempt to deal with the contemporary social movements and issues of the 60s. The idea that there’s a segment of society that rejects the techno-utopia of the federation is a pretty interesting concept that of course paralleled similar notions of discontent in the late 20th century. If anything the tech rejection idea at the heart of Eden has become more prescient as we become more technologically intertwined as a society. There’s a particularly strong premise at work given that Dr Sevrin is at least partially driven by a sense of victimhood due to being a carrier of a disease literally created by the thing he wishes to escape, he’s essentially a prisoner of the technology he hates. It’s a tragic circumstance that, given the proper expression, could have been quite poignant. Unfortunately, they went with a much sillier means of expressing the point of view of being “one”. I also found the general attitude of the “space hippies” to be unfortunately inadequate, whether you agree with counter culture philosophies or not, generally if you engage with people of that mindset they’ll give you better arguments than sarcasm and condescending petulance. It would have been nice to have less spontaneous jam sessions and more exploration of ideas in this outing. It’s a missed opportunity that also heavily dates the episode, which makes it interesting from an historical artifact standpoint but doesn’t make for pleasant viewing. I don’t see Spock as out of character in this episode at all, quite the opposite actually. These space hippies might have ideas that run counter to what most of us would prefer, they hate technology and want to return to “the simple life”, which to most people, just sounds naive. Personally I think paradise seekers are missing crucial data points which results in a loss of perspective. But just because I don’t generally agree with their ideas doesn’t mean their ideas don’t exist. If their ideas exist, they can have a measurable impact, if they have a measurable impact they represent a phenomenon that can be considered when constructing a logical framework. Spock doesn’t extol their worldview, he simply acknowledges it and seeks to understand it better. As a logical being I find this approach most appropriate. Lastly, it’s so very weird to me that of all the episodes to inspire a movie, THIS was chosen. It’s no surprise that ST:V was a bit weak. Also, Tongo Rad is a douche bag. 1.5/4 fields of acidic foliage.

My first comment; Chekov's hair. Could they have made that hairpiece even more obvious or horrible than it was? They should have talked to Shatner about hairpieces. He got it right, even back then. I have been streaming 'Upstairs/Downstairs', the British aristocracy/British servants depiction series of the early 1970's. Surprisingly, I came across an episode which reminded me so much of this one. The characters, however, were not referred to as hippies, but instead, bohemian. The daughter of the aristocratic side of the story finds this group and is so entranced by them, she immediately changes her style of clothing and joins up. I wasn't exactly sure what this group was trying to accomplish, but from her perspective, she wanted to help the poor. This group did not travel or live together as Sevrin's group did, but met at different places to quote their poetry or dance. Speaking of costumes, the women dressed in flowing, colorful kaftans. And the daughter very diligently searched for attire that would allow her to fit in with the group. Like Eden, they sang, and danced, quoted poetry, and ate at the aristocracy's expense. Of course the aristocracy was appalled but these bohemians were just as appalling to the servants. Eden mentions that several members of Sevrin's group are highly intelligent. I had to wonder why, then, they went about barefoot and scantily clad in space. I know this is Star Trek, but these people are supposed to be seeking paradise, presumably one on a planet somewhere. The clothing they were wearing wasn't exactly that which would aid in protecting them. Then there was that white and yellow (was it a rock?) on the lapel area of their costumes. It made me think of a little fried egg with glasses, lol. I have no problem with a group of people taking a different outlook on culture and so, they look for the new and different. The issue I have is that, for all of these brilliant members, they have a very skewered perception of how things work. Not one of them has any idea that they might have to work to get what they need to find their Eden. It'll just come to them. I watched this episode today, and was surprised at Kirk's attitude toward Sevrin's group. Although I thought it was dumb that the guy on the bridge was almost dancing to the music, I liked that Kirk tried to reach by allowing it to be piped over the ship and treating the group as guests. It falls right in with the whole concept of exploring strange, new worlds. Even though Kirk took a likeable approach, I do find it idiotic that these people were able to so easily take over the Enterprise. As for the music, the only tune I really liked was the one Spock and the blonde hippie girl played together. The rest I could have done without. Star Trek continues to make errors with their music, which started with Uhura's tune in Charlie X. I would not give this episode zero stars. It was not a bad episode. It had some bad elements that pulled it down, but also had some very good plot points as well. It'd certainly rate a 2.5 in my estimate.

Marlboro wrote: "The character of Dr. Severin had potential, imo. A man who is a danger to a squeaky clean anti-septic civilization because he is a modern Typhoid Mary turns his back on society. His natural desire for companionship leads him to recruiting young naïve followers even though his search and maybe even his existence poses a threat to them. Severin seeks to "return to nature" only to find his personal Eden is inimical to him." It's too bad that Star Trek once again tediously attempts to explain the antagonist's thought processes by pinning a label of insanity on him. Spock is not a doctor, and insanity is not a diagnosis. I'm not trying to be picky here, but this is an annoying part of the episode, and dampens the whole idea of this group seeking an Eden like planet, which happens to be a planet in Romulan space. Star Trek has never explained how anyone, or even a group of people, go about "owning" a planet. The actor who played Dr. Severin also appeared as Melakon in Patterns of Force. I wonder if the episode would have been among the better ones if the two stories had somehow been intertwined.

Not quite the infamous disaster it's remembered as. At least the equal of Spock's Brain as being redeemable just for being entertaining. It's endlessly quotable... you know what I mean., brother. Charles Napier! A tough guy in everything else, but not here. Spock's speech about "aliens in their own worlds, a condition with which I am somewhat familiar" is a genuinely memorable Spock character moment which later got sampled by at least one punk rock band later... it struck a chord. Nimoy sells it. Sevrin's ears are dumb. Even a Vulcan or Ferengi would agree. Star Trek can't seem to let go of the stupid "Eden" planet idea. What does that even mean? And just making everything acid and killing everyone was stupid. Hippies! Beware of Acid! The 1960s current events angle is somewhat redeeming even though every other show on TV was also doing something like this at the time, to varying degrees of silly. It was at least better than "Dragnet"

I suspect the end result would have been better had TWtE retained the counterculture theme, but ditched the ersatz hippies. That would have required more writing effort at a time when TOS was slogging through its final few productions after having learned there would be no Fourth Season. Perhaps because I don't mind the music, I find TWtE more watchable than several other "Turd Season" entries. One of a handful of episodes to air only once on NBC. 1.5 of 4 jumps for joy

I'm surprised to see no reference to Space Seed, a cultish leader takes over the ship by deploying his followers to gain knowledge of ship functions, then pirates the ship toward a destination. The fact that the participants commit criminal acts, the Enterprise seems to forgive in order assist the culture in locating a favorable habitat. I got a laugh out of the crew members being distracted and tapping along with the hippie jam band broadcast only to be easily overcome by a Spock like nerve pinch. There is also a bit of Mudds Women where the ship overtakes a smaller rogue or stolen vessel and is forced to transport its occupants just as the craft is destroyed in the effort of trying to escape. And the shock of the crew upon seeing how those transported appear. And Yes they were told to sick Chekhov with kissies since the audience (that by now was still left) supposedly connected with him. Well, at least I tried to make an un-dumb opinion of the episode instead of just saying it's stewpid. But that is hard to do because the episode is stewpid. Scott is the most "square" of the bunch, always looking disapprovingly of the space hippies and not enjoying their entertainment, no wonder Doohan tried to get out of getting filmed in it.

Gideon Marcus

Well. Maybe it's because I live in the context (Galactic Journey, natch), but I just watched this show with a whole bunch of folks who just started watching Trek this season (and some who have been along since Season 1). We watch it with original episodes. Not streamed. Not binged. Not edgy. Not ironic. Not trying to be the coolest folks in the room. Just watching it as it was. The ages of the folks watching ranges from 19 to 61, and we actually loved the episode. It was extremely timely (not dissimilar to a Mod Squad episode from this same season) and very much a return to 1st season form and characterization, save for the subject matter. We really dug the music, too—it's the first real music we've heard on the show. Again, it made the world feel lived in. And how cool that we have a rejection of the antiseptic utopia of the Federation. The first inkling that all is not perfect in this perfect future. And Spock reaching the hippies because he's an alien? That sounded, man. So yeah, bag on this episode all you want. But I've got a dozen folk with fresh eyes who gave it 4 or 5 stars out of 5. It doesn't objectively suck

Gonna post a comment to share my views This episode got a zero on Jammers Reviews! That chad guitarist was the best part of the episode to give you an idea of how bonkers this episode is.

Eastwest101

Man you Herberts are going to harsh out my peace man! There is just something so naive and yet unintentionally hip, silly and charismatic about this rather silly but charming fumbled incomplete counterculture comedy/satire with possibly some darker Manson overtones. Some great guest performances and fantastic music, I can understand why some view it as being the 'reactionary' episode of Star Trek and certainly some technical and characterization flaws by the squares in the writing room. Does have some major problems though with leaps of logic and poor use of the main cast as noted above.

I do have a number of problems with this episode and I agree it's one of the worst ones (and I actually liked Spock's Brain because it shows Kirk's bond with Spock is such that he'd grasp at any straw to try to restore him, even engage in a potentially wild goose chase across the galactic sector, a mirror of Spock's bond for Pike in The Menagerie). But I think people here are perhaps being a little harsh with Tong Rad. Dr. Sevrin meant for the crew of the Enterprise to die, and yet they didn't. Which means that somebody sabotaged Sevrin's deadly follow up. It could have been Irina, trying to protect Chekov, or it could have been Rad. But if Rad really didn't care if the crew died, he probably wouldn't have said anything instead of confirming Irina's suspicions and countering Sevrin's claim that it would have no long term harm. To me, Rad looks troubled when he says that, but Sevrin is behind him and can't see it. Now if you suddenly realized that your leader is a would-be mass murdering psychopath/loonie tune, your best shot is probably not to confront him in front of his other followers with questionable alliegiances but to appear to play along and let someone else you think might be sympathetic know what's afoot. It was Adam who heard that exchange and was so cool with it that he smiled and started to play another song. So my head canon is that one of Rad or Irina worked an off-screen diversion that allowed the other to sabotage Sevrin's homicidal plan (probably Rad doing the sabotage because he seemed more familiar with both the theory and the controls, and Sevrin would have been more suspicious of Irina). That would explain the morality of Adam being the one who dies from consuming the fruit, if Irina and Rad saved the crew while Adam would have stood by. Adam is deliberately made sympathetic with his music playing but he seems to be Sevrin's second-in-command and loyal follower. Rad's attacks on crewmen are like Spock's nerve pinch: quick, mostly painless, and with no long term side effects. Ha also was raised by an ambassador which would probably have stressed the importance of peaceful negotiation - perhaps a stifling environment encouraging rebellion but at odds with a lackadaisical response to mass murder. Sevrin's suicide at the end also makes sense. The crew's presence meant his trap had been sabotaged and whoever did it (Irina and/or Rad) eventually would have confessed his homicidal plot, ensuring his imprisonment for criminal insanity - a fate he would have considered worse than death. (And kudos to the poster who pointed out Sevrin was an anti vaxxer, and probably also a conspiracy theorist when blaming computers and technology for the creation of the virus he was carrying, with no evidence offered). Overall, though, for me the childish yells of Herbert were too reminiscent of the childish yells of the children in Miri. These are supposed to be grown, smart, accomplished adults? Between that, tarring counterculture with the cult brush, and the musical numbers taking too much screen time (while at the same time being mostly snippets of music with limited musical complexity) and resulting in a threadbare condensed plot, this episode failed in a lot of ways and lost my interest. There were interesting ideas that could have made for a very good episode with some more rewrites, but the poor handling had the opposite effect for me.

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Star Trek Re-Watch: “The Way to Eden”

Season 3, Episode 20 Production episode: 3×20 Original air date: February 21, 1969 Star date: 5832.3

Mission summary

The Enterprise is chasing a small re-used Tholian dart cruiser that’s heading for Romulan space. Despite repeated hails the cruiser will not turn back, and so Kirk engages a tractor beam to tow them to safety. They seem to really want to get to Romulan territory (must be the ale) because they struggle against the tractor beam. Soon their engines begin to overheat (we know this because it turns red, like an electric stovetop) and when it becomes obvious they’re going to explode, Kirk orders Scotty to beam aboard the crew of six to the Enterprise . He will regret this is fairly short order, as will we all.

In the transporter bay six space hippies, covered in floral body paint and flowing robes, materialize before us. They sit down on the transporter pads and refuse to move when Scotty tries to take them to the briefing room. Instead, they shriek like new age banshees, “No go! No go! No go!” Let’s just hope Nurse Chapel doesn’t have to play babysitter again .

Kirk arrives to dispense time-outs. He singles out Tongo Rad, a young man rocking a purple bald eagle look, as the reason they’re not all under arrest. Rad is the son of a Catullan ambassador and because negotiations between the Federation and Catullus * are tense, Kirk has been asked to be very delicate with respect to the petulant child-hippies. They respond by calling him “Herbert.” Spock offers to step in and try his hand at diplomacy. He unites his thumbs and forefingers to create a triangle and says: “One.” This gets the leader’s attention.

LEADER: We are One. SPOCK: One is the beginning. ADAM: Are you One, Herbert? SPOCK: I am not Herbert. ADAM: He is not Herbert. We reach.

Exactly! Wait, what? Spock asks them to explain their way of life for those of us at home.

SEVRIN: If you understand One, you know our purpose. SPOCK: I would prefer that you state it. SEVRIN: We turn our backs on confusion and seek the beginning. SPOCK: What is your destination? SEVRIN: The planet Eden. KIRK: That planet it is a myth. SEVRIN: And we protest against being harassed, pursued, attacked, seized and transported here against our wishes. ADAM: Right, brother. SEVRIN: We do not recognize Federation regulations nor the existence of hostilities. We recognize no authority save that within ourselves.

But isn’t zero the beginning? Well, that’s all fine and good, but Kirk orders the baby anarchists to get a check-up in sickbay anyway because they could have been exposed to intense levels of radiation when their ship exploded. (Also, it’s necessary for the Shyamalan-level “plot twist” to come.) The leader again requests that they be taken to Eden, but Kirk makes it clear that they will all be dispersed and sent back to their home planets as soon as the Enterprise make it back to a starbase. The hippies respond by screaming “Herbert! Herbert! Herbert! Herbert!”

Kirk and Spock return to the bridge, where Chekov confesses that he recognizes the voice of one of the hippies: Irina, a classmate (and old flame) of his at Starfleet Academy. Kirk grants Chekov permission to leave his post so he can find her. Kirk, meanwhile, is baffled by the whole organization. The leader, Sevrin, was once a great scientist and researcher; Tongo Rad is apparently adept at space studies; and Irina, of course, was distinguished enough to make it to the Academy. So what’s the deal?

SPOCK: There are many who are uncomfortable with what we have created. It is almost a biological rebellion. A profound revulsion against the planned communities, the programming, the sterilized, artfully balanced atmospheres. They hunger for an Eden where spring comes. KIRK: All do. The cave is deep in our memory.

I sit and ponder the cave all the time. In fact, I’m doing it right now.

Anyway, Kirk doesn’t grok why Spock seems to understand these people so well. Has he been harboring patchouli tendencies, too?

SPOCK: It is not sympathy so much as curiosity, Captain. A wish to understand. They regard themselves as aliens in their own worlds, a condition with which I am somewhat familiar.

Aw. Spock also explains that “Herbert! Herbert!” refers to a punctilious asshat official. Kirk, not wanting to seem square, says he’ll work on his attitude.

Meanwhile, those darn kids are jamming with their “music.” Adam seems to be the musician among them, and he rocks out with this tune:

Looking for the good land, going astray Don’t cry, don’t cry Oh, I can’t have honey, and I can’t have cream Gonna live, not die. Gonna live, not die Stand in the middle of it all one day I’ll look at it shining all around me and say, I’m here, I’m here, in the good land In the new land. I’m here.

Sheer poetry.

Their little goovefest is interrupted when Chekov comes in looking for Irina. She knew he would be on the ship and was hoping he’d come look for her. They retreat to a corridor and Chekov grills her on her new approach to life. Irina claims she’s really happy, though, and even if Chekov has turned into a tool she still kind of likes him anyway. Chekov doesn’t much return the favor–he tells her to go back to her “friends.”

Once she leaves, he stumbles on a commotion in the hallway. The hippies are trying to save Sevrin, who they claim is being held prisoner by Doctor McCoy. It’s for good reason–it turns out Sevrin is a carrier for synthococcus novae , a horribly deadly superbug with a vaccine but no cure. Were Sevrin to take his (already immunized) Federation hippies to an inhabited Eden, his disease would wipe out all humanoid life on the planet. Sevrin claims this is news to him and wails about the infringement of his rights, but Kirk orders him put in isolation until McCoy can make sure the entire crew is immunized against the superbug.

Meanwhile, his groupies are gallivanting around the ship trying to get recruits. Sulu seems vaguely interested, and Scotty complains that they’re looking for allies in Engineering. To prevent a full-on mutiny Kirk dispatches Spock to talk to Sevrin and try to convince him to call his people off and let the crew alone. Spock confronts Sevrin about the disease, and Sevrin admits that he knew he was a carrier. When asked why he still insists on going to Eden, though, he says this:

Because this is poison to me. This stuff you breathe, this stuff you live in, the shields of artificial atmosphere that we have layered about every planet. The programs in those computers that run your ship and your lives for you, they bred what my body carries. That’s what your science have done to me. You’ve infected me. Only the primitives can cleanse me. I cannot purge myself until I am among them. Only their way of living is right. I must go to them.

Spock sympathizes to a degree, and agrees to help Sevrin and his followers find Eden if they’ll stop mucking about in ship politics looking for new recruits. Sevrin reluctantly agrees.

Spock reports back to Kirk that Sevrin is crazy . Not kooky-hippie crazy, but certifiably insane, including possibly Hannibal Lecter-level security. Nonetheless, a deal’s a deal(?!?!), so Spock hires Chekov to help him with the Eden-locating calculations from auxiliary control, and goes to his quarters to do his side of the work there. But there’s no peace among hippies, and Adam stops by for a quick chat. He sees the lyre that Spock has on the wall and tries it out. Adam becomes a fan (“it’s now, that’s real now. I reach that, brother. I really do.”) and asks Spock to play.

ADAM: Hey, how about a session, you and us? It would sound. That’s what I came for. I wanted to ask, you know, great white captain upstairs, but he don’t reach us. But would he shake on a session? I mean, we want to co-operate, like you ask, so I’m asking. SPOCK: If I understand you correctly, I believe the answer might be yes.

Chekov, meanwhile, is busy plugging away at numbers in auxiliary control when Irina comes in.  She says she is there to apologize, and asks what Chekov’s up to. He helpfully explains the way that the computers work to navigate the ship and plot a course to Eden, and hands her their How to Hijack the Enterprise pamphlet prepared earlier in the season. She says she could never obey a computer, and all this talk of obeying and computers gets Chekov a little excited. The two kiss, made all the more awkward by Spock phoning in to the station asking Chekov with some irritation where the hell he went. (Makes you wonder what happens when people step away for bathroom breaks, huh?)

Later, the hippies congregate to discuss their potential new followers and Irina proudly explains that she knows now how to take over the ship. Way to go , Chekov . They agree to begin converting as many people as possible:

RAD: Can you suggest any special ways to swing them? ADAM: Just be friendly. You know how to be friendly. Then they’ll be friendly.

Apparently “be friendly” means “subject the audience to more singing,” which he does, repeatedly and shamelessly, over the ship’s loudspeakers. Crewmembers all over start to groove to the music, distracting them. Spock himself heads down to join the jam session with his lyre. He and a wheel-playing girl pluck away as Adam sings. While everyone is entranced by the music, Rad sneaks out the side and heads up to where Sevrin is being held. The guard there, swaying to the music, doesn’t even notice as Rad slips behind him and does his own version of a nerve pinch to take out the guard. Rad releases the door that holds Sevrin in his cell.

Shortly thereafter, Sulu stops getting a response from his console. Something has taken over the ship! Damn dirty hippies! Sevrin pages Kirk to let him know that the doors to Auxiliary Control are sealed, and he’s heading to Eden whether they want him to or not. Kirk pleads with him not to enter Romulan space and risk intergalactic war, but Sevrin’s not really concerned about that. Spock tries to tell the others, especially Adam, that Sevrin has gone crazy. He tells them to check his medical file. But Adam doesn’t believe them, and sings instead:

Headin’ out to Eden Yea, brother, headin’ out to Eden No more trouble in my body or my mind Gonna live like a king on whatever I find, Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind Yea, brother, yea.

You can totally see why a movement sprung up around this philosophy. No?

Sevrin starts messing with a circuitry panel, though, and explains that he’s going to use ultrasonic sound to knock out the crew, allowing him and his hippies to escape. But Irina seems to remember something from her academy days about that kind of sound: “it doesn’t stun, it destroys.” Rad seems a little nervous, too: “Brother Sevrin, it does destroy.” But the mushy-headed zealots are too easily swayed by Sevrin’s insistence that all will be fine once they reach Eden.

Kirk, Spock, and Scotty, meanwhile, are outside the door with a blowtorch making their way in. But they’re too late! Sevrin activates the ultrasonic wossname in every part of the ship other than the room they’re in. First Spock, then everyone else collapses in pain. The whole crew is out, but Kirk and Spock recover enough to turn off the sound. Soon Sulu has come to and informs them via communicator that Sevrin and his people have taken a shuttlecraft down to the surface of Eden.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Chekov beam down to find the renegades. The planet is indeed beautiful, but when Chekov touches a flower he screams in pain. McCoy runs his tricorder over it and discovers some kind of corrosive acid coats everything on the planet! Their clothes will protect them for now, but they find that the half-naked hippies weren’t so lucky. Adam is sprawled on the ground, covered in sores, with a fruit in his hand. The apple was poisonous.

Adam ate the poisoned apple. (GET IT? Okay, see, in the Garden of Eden there was Adam and Eve. And then Adam ate an apple and fell from grace and was exiled from Eden. This is just like that. Maybe I should explain it again…)

They come across the shuttlecraft and inside find the rest of the hippies writhing in pain, their feet covered in blisters, unable to walk. One by one our heroes carry the poor fools out of the shuttle (because it’s so much safer on the acid planet…) and prepare to beam up. But Sevrin has gone mad. He swears he will not leave the planet, and climbs the nearest tree. Even though Kirk and McCoy tell him not to eat it, Sevrin takes a big bite from a hanging fruit, and he falls dead from the tree.

Back on the ship, the chastened kids head to the nearest starbase to be repatriated. Chekov apologizes to Kirk for his behavior and says goodbye to Irina. Spock, too, says his goodbyes.

SPOCK: Miss Galliulin. It is my sincere wish that you do not give up your search for Eden. I have no doubt but that you will find it, or make it yourselves. IRINA: Thank you. KIRK: We reach, Mister Spock.

* Yes, I know, it’s Catulla. Whatever. I think a Catullus planet would be way more awesome.

The only way out is through…

There is not enough whiskey in the world for this episode. Maybe it was just me, but the introduction of the hippies gave me surreal flashbacks to The Muppet Babies –all the colorfully dressed, meddlesome children fantasizing a completely isolated, almost psychotically disconnected version of the world. This one probably should have been called “God, doesn’t it feel GREAT to punch a hippie?” Because I was just stunned by how awful Sevrin and his followers are. Sevrin is a complete maniac, a sociopath so obsessed with himself and his own illusions that he’s willing to murder the entire Enterprise crew for the chance to murder a whole planet of people he claims to idolize. He may as well twirl a long-haired hippie mustache. His followers are like children. They blindly follow his lead, refusing to even consider evidence contrary to their worldview; they believe that their own good vibes and attitudes will be enough to sustain them; and they recklessly jeopardize everything, including intergalactic peace, for a chance at their absurd dream. Talk about an indictment of the counterculture. They’re ineffective, effeminate idiots, tools to be manipulated by ambitious and dangerous men.

But it’s a morality play with some ridiculous assertions. For one, it totally sops to the moronic belief that hippie music is some kind of evil recruiting tool that makes good men go astray. The music distracts the crew into not doing their jobs, allowing the hippies to take over the ship with relative ease. It’s their key to domination, you see! I felt like the whole thing had been engineered to teach us A Lesson about Those Kids and Their Rock Music. I don’t think that Sevrin’s use of sound to disable the crew in the end is a coincidence, either. See what happens with that racket?!

While I’m a noted hippie sympathizer, I think most of us would agree that the dialogue is so scathing, it goes way beyond the usual degree of disapproval. Kirk is shocked when Chekov tells him “one of those was in the academy” and they constantly discuss how primitive they are. Then Nurse Chapel (my dear Chapel!) calls them “animals” that belong in cages.  Their lines just drip with disdain. Watching Kirk and Scotty whine about those “undisciplined troublemakers” doesn’t even seem like a joke, it seems sad. The whole thing felt like it had been penned by a cranky, 90-year-old man, confused and scared by those meddling kids.

The worst part, though, is that the idea is a good one. I like that we get to see some discontent within the idyllic Federation, and their concerns–the oversterilization of life, the rigidity of recreation, the seeming tedium of such an ordered world–would have been legitimate in the mouths of anyone less ghastly and unsympathetic. Sevrin’s right, and prophetic–superbugs do exist, and they exist because of how effectively we can combat the regular bugs. But by god are these people ghastly and unsympathetic. And boring. And oh god, I actually have a note here around the third time Adam started singing that says “KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!” And let’s not even get into the bludgeon-y biblical metaphors at the end.

One tiny thing I loved: when Chekov is leading Irina through the hallways of the ship and speaking in whispered, anxious tones, there are lots of other people on the ship passing him by who turn to stare at this crazy person he’s talking to. Most realistic moment in the entire episode.

And I don’t think I noticed it until the rest of you pointed it out in the comments, but these third season episodes are introducing more and more egregious examples of Kirk-is-so-special-X-doesn’t-affect him. In this case, the sound, which is supposed to kill people? Only it knocks out the rest of the crew. Except him and Spock. Who are so special and you just can’t see it but they probably have violet eyes and sparkle in the sun.

I have to say, though: it’s not worse than “ Plato’s Stepchildren .” At least it didn’t have torture porn?

Torie’s Rating: Warp core breach; escape pods deployed (on a scale of 1-6)

Eugene Myers: I’ve been dreading this day for nearly two years, since Torie and I started this re-watch.

When I first saw “The Way to Eden” as a teen, I thought it was the worst episode ever and vowed never to watch it again. A couple of years later, when the pain had finally faded, I decided to give it another try–surely it wasn’t as bad as I’d remembered. Damn you, selective memory! I found it just as awful as before, and once again I decided never to watch it again . And I blissfully stuck to that promise… until now.

I realized when I committed to re-watching the entire series that the endeavor would have to include “Eden,” but the notion seemed almost bearable when I was being paid to watch and analyze it. Once we began doing our reviews for The Viewscreen, I considered weaseling out of this episode, but that hardly seemed sporting. My one consolation was that Torie was going to have to write the summary and suffer along with me. Meager comfort.

So here we are. I’ve just seen “Eden” for the first time in perhaps seventeen years, and unsurprisingly, it’s still dreadful. I believe it’s the poster child for the third season, rife with weaknesses like sloppy reversed shots, cheap special effects (ships glow red when they’re about to explode!), truly outrageous wardrobes, a poor script, and heavy use of stock footage–including that ridiculous shot from “Spock’s Brain” of Majel Barret’s stunningly bad collapse in Sickbay. (Incidentally, that footage doesn’t even match her radically different, and dare I say hot, appearance in the rest of the episode.)

However, there were a few surprises mixed in with the excruciating segments that I literally winced through . First of all, I’d forgotten that this is one of the rare substitutions of Lt. Palmer for Uhura; I bet Nichelle Nichols was all too happy to sit this one out. I envy her. I had also forgotten that this is partly a Chekov story, fleshing out some of his background and establishing a relationship with a woman from Starfleet Academy, Irina. That almost made me care about it, a little bit. Unfortunately, Mary Linda Rapelye’s Russian accent was awful and I was far from impressed with her performance. For someone who supposedly went to the Academy, her character sure needs Chekov to explain a lot of basic things to her–unless that’s all an act. Then there’s Spock’s interactions with Adam…

I generally remembered Spock “jamming” with the space hippies, but when the scene came it wasn’t as cringeworthy as I anticipated. His solo was almost distinguished, really, especially in comparison to the bizarre musical numbers that plagued the rest of the episode at the drop of a hat. Music plays a very important role in “Eden,” which is as close to a musical as any episode in the franchise; this is the way in which Spock and Adam bond, and it’s striking that the hippies use sound itself to cripple the Enterprise crew and make good their escape.

I was intrigued with Spock’s interest in Sevrin’s beliefs and their pursuit of paradise, as well as his ability to relate to the hippies because, like them, he’s caught between two worlds, an alien even among his own people. Not only does he appreciate their situation, but he sees value in their beliefs; I found the ending touching when he encourages Irina to continue searching for Eden–or make their own. The thoughtfulness behind this character motivation and Leonard Nimoy’s nuanced performance aren’t enough to salvage this experience for me, but it adds some welcome depth that I wasn’t expecting.

I was also interested in the idea of science and technology as a kind of infection: modern advancements leading to new and deadly afflictions. This may have spoken to a genuine fear in the Sixties of too much progress too quickly, but it seems especially relevant today, with fears of the negative effects of cell phones, X-ray scanners, telephone wires, nuclear reactors, chemicals in plastics, and so on. There are new ailments developing regularly as direct and indirect results of our modern technological society: eye strain from staring at video screens all day long, carpal tunnel from typing, sprained thumbs from constant texting, diminished attention spans, cancers, obesity, etc. The idea of abandoning all technology isn’t foreign to some contemporary cultures–as extreme a reaction to progress as that might seem–and it’s especially interesting whenever it’s explored in Star Trek , which generally celebrates the future and humanity’s strides in technology and medicine. (Notably, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revisits this idea with mixed results in its creatively titled episode “Paradise.”) I also like the idea that a paradise can turn out to be a curse, perhaps a little too overtly in this case, where the “Eden”- of-the-week turns out to foster acidic flora. Because that makes sense.

When viewed with humorous tolerance, “Eden” is somewhat watchable, but it’s so consciously and ineffectually moralizing about hippy counterculture while taking a confusing stance on it (Should we make fun of them or should we admire their convictions?) that it’s simply a disaster. It’s uncomfortable when crewmembers like Nurse Chapel, who is usually sensitive and accepting, idly refer to them as “animals.”

Ultimately, this episode is riddled with classic Star Trek problems: an idealization of paradise, a crew that is incapable of defending the ship from being taken over by people who learn how to do so via their own library files in about ten minutes, inept plotting, laughable costumes, and trying too hard to make a statement without a clear moral. In a better season, in better hands with an actual budget, it may have succeeded, but instead it fails spectacularly. It’s impossible for anyone to take this seriously as either a drama or morality play, and it isn’t even campy enough to be entertaining.

This time I mean it: I’m never going to watch “The Way to Eden” again. Really . Not even if you paid me to do it!*

_________________ *But if you’re offering, let me check my bank account before you hold me to that.

Eugene’s Rating: Warp Core Breach

Best Line: ADAM: Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy/ I got a clean bill of health from Doctor McCoy!

Syndication Edits: None

Trivia: D.C. Fontana wrote the first draft of this one, but the script was so savaged she asked her name to be removed and used the pseudonym “Michael Richards,” as she did in “ That Which Survives .” Irina Galliunan was originally conceived as Dr. McCoy’s daughter, Joanna McCoy (the episode was titled “Joanna”). She was going to be Kirk’s, not Chekov’s, romantic interest. This version was scrapped. Plans to recycle the idea of her character for the fourth season died with the show’s cancellation.

Charles Napier, who plays Adam, wrote some of the songs he sings himself. I’m shocked he admits that publicly. This was his first guest appearance on television and he says he got the role by jumping up on a table at his audition and singing “The House of the Rising Sun.”

This is the first time we get Chekov’s full name: Pavel Andreievich Chekov.

James Doohan claimed this is the only episode of the original series he did not like. We hope, for all our sakes, he was being polite.

“Herbert!” is considered a possible reference to either former U.S. President Herbert Hoover (whose worst sin, let’s face it, wasn’t a straight-arrow demeanor) or Herbert S. Solow, the previous production executive (the current one being the person who suggested the analogy’s inclusion in the first place).

Other notes: Skip Homeier, who played Sevrin, appeared previously as Melakon in “ Patterns of Force .”

Charles Napier pops up later in the DS9 episode “ Little Green Men .” I, however, know him as Duke Phillips , Jay’s overbearing and hilarious boss in The Critic .

Previous episode: Season 3, Episode 19 – “ Requiem for Methuselah .”

Next episode: Season 3, Episode 21 – “The Cloud Minders.” US residents can watch it for free at the CBS website .

About Torie Atkinson & Eugene Myers

78 comments.

My goodness, warp core breach from both of you. Herberts! Whatever are you going to do when we get Abe Lincoln vs. the rock monster? For all its many, many flaws, this episode did have some potential. I’d give it a 1, maybe even a 2 if I’m feeling generous.

Maybe its because I’m just barely old enough to remember real hippies and the way people reacted to them, but while these were very much strawman hippies, there were those who were utterly self-righteous enough to have behaved this way (given some blurring with the more radical groups like the Yippies, SDS, Weather Underground, and so on) and the crew’s reactions pretty well covered the gamut of older, mainstream America’s reaction to real hippies. Chapel’s “Animals” comment is very harsh, but there were people who thought that way about the youth counterculture. Given that she’s a nurse, I’d say they probably don’t bathe; that or Adam grabbed her butt.

Doctor Sevrin (and I wish TNG and DS9 make-up artists had remembered him, it doesn’t always have to be foreheads!) is an obvious analog of Timothy Leary.

I will confess that I was once actually at a love-in. My parents were young and pretty liberal at the time (they had been active in the civil rights movement, such as it was in Southern California) and we went down to one in some park somewhere. All I remember was a bunch of people sitting around, so this isn’t much of a story. But I was at one once!

Torie: How To Take Over The Enterprise God I loved that concept. Were I talented in the graphical arts I’d print up a bunch of those pamphlets to hand out at conventions! Bravo girl Bravo! @1DemetriosX I barely remember the counter culture movement as well. (1961 here) Howvere this episode still get a core-breach and escape pod rating from me.

I kinda like it. Don’t judge me!

It’s one of the few TOS episodes that suggests that maybe everything in the Federation isn’t as perfect as it seems.

Plus, the music is oddly catchy. (Tell me you weren’t spontaneously declaring your clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy afterwards.)

If only they had gotten Lt. Reily to sit in on a session. Now that would sound.

@ 1 DemetriosX

But the potential is what makes it so much worse. I really like the core idea–the way that space travel and technological progress are essentially dehumanizing, and we all have a human desire to return to “the simple life,” even if it seems silly or out-of-place. Unfortunately, the execution is kind of like watching someone beat the shit out out of a clown–even if you don’t like clowns, you recognize that it’s a person in a costume, not really a clown, and even if it were, does he really deserve that ?

Haha, nice story. My dad was a draft dodger and my parents spent almost a decade on a commune–like I said, I’m a noted hippie sympathizer, so I’m not really objective here. And admittedly, there were plenty of foolish or just plain crazy counterculture groups out there, many of whom undermined their own stated goals with just about everything they did. But the hippies in this episode are just so cartoonishly awful–they’re either manipulative psychopaths or idiot children. It’s like a daycare for Abbie Hoffmans, with no Bobby Kennedies in sight.

@ 2 bobsandiego

They MUST be mass-producing those pamphlets. It happens every. single. time.

@ 3 ChurchHatesTucker

Haha, I knew SOMEONE would like it, but you don’t offer much of a defense!

I found this episode, for its pacing, more watchable than many in Season 3. It’s as close as the series ever got to Lost In Space but even LiS could entertain.

“Let’s get together and have some fun. I don’t know how to do it, but it’s got to be done!”

Speaking of Irwin Allen productions, the Enterprise’s misused auxilliary control room is coming to resemble the plot coupon of the same name aboard the Seaview. You’d think a room that caused so much trouble week after week would be sealed and guarded.

It’s funny that the actor who played Adam went on to a typcast career as a cop, and usually a brutal cop at that. I imagine he was considered for the part of the Sheriff in First Blood before they cast Brian Dennehy–that’s the kind of cop Napier usually played.

they’re either manipulative psychopaths or idiot children.

And yet there have been psychopathic leaders in recent history followed into doom by mesmerized idiot children. Jim Jones, David Koresh leap to mind. In that sense, the episode is a bit prescient.

@5 Lemnoc He was also one of the poor tragic cops gurading Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs . Strangely, I did not recognize him all while watching the episode. Am I the only person who thought, when Chevok burned himself on the acid flower, hmm acid and flowers another counter-counterculture statment?, this must be the planet where the Zeta Reticulian parasite came from?

Torie: I suppose what this episode really shows us is how the center-right of the day viewed the counterculture. It had been a year-and-a-half since the summer of love, but that had also been the long, hot summer, and it was still 6 months to Woodstock. People were mostly getting their views from the news, and what little they saw that wasn’t violent involved drugs and a general rejection of what they had grown up believing. In some ways, the political divide was worse than it is today, but it was more generational than it is now.

The real advantage of my telling about the love-in is that I am now stuck with “Saturday in the Park” (which is a pretty good description as I remember, except for the man selling ice cream) instead of “Heading Out for Eden (Yea, Brother)”.

Even as a kid I didn’t like much of the hippie dialogue in this one. I thought it was about as bad as Hollywood Indian.

The idea that a clean, controlled environment could be the cause of sickness in some people appealed to me (in a storytelling sense) and much later I made a connection to this episode when I learned of Uly’s condition in the series Earth 2.

I’ve a few other things I want to say about this one but I’m holding off while I search for reference material.

This is definitely a one bottle of gin episode for me. My biggest WTF moment was the wheel of music.

I found their reactions to the hippies mostly spot on though considering the times and the military nature of Starfleet. When you are all about orders, discipline, and being one of the upright citizens anything to challenge that can be reacted to poorly.

This is one of those “could have been episodes” imho. Too bad it was crap.

oh, best thing about this episode is a purely personal note. I had a friend, she was a neo-hippie, born too late to be part of the counter culture but loved th romantic view of those days. She was also gulliable to the extreme. She had never seen this episode and when we told her about she refused to believe us, convinced that we were palying upon her gulliable nature in another practical joke. (yeah, I have great friends. Don’t turn your back on ’em.) Ayway this went on litteraly for years until we procurred a copy and screened it for her. The horror, oh the horror. LOL

For all the episode’s faults, it’s still a 100% accurate portrayal. None of those characters would be in any way out of place sitting in Berkeley City Council.

Kirk in this episode comes across as such a stiff-necked brass hat, such a Herbert in comparison to Spock’s more intellectually sympathetic response, I wonder if the intent of the script was to place him, as a military man, in a bad light. Or whether it was just bad scripting that seemed to place Kirk in a bad light.

It wouldn’t be the first time “Kirk the Soldier” was shown as unpretty, but in other stories (“Errand of Mercy,” “Arena”) he at least comes to some awareness, some uneasy ease with his kneejerk fascism. He expresses some inner remorse or promise to do better. Here, he writes these people off pretty early on (as he did the revolutionary Lokai in “Last Battlefield”), then adds insult to injury by coopting their jargon in the closing line.

No, it was fairy well established by the space hippies that Kirk didn’t reach.

Remember that it is reasonable to assume that Star Trek’s core audience of the time, as s-f nuts, were interested in a different, better world just as were counterculturalists; if Roddenberry’s vision of a color-blind future utopia wasn’t hippie-dippie, I don’t know what is. So in one sense, this episode goes about mocking its core youth audience.

Kirks closing remark is like Nixon or Nelson Rockfeller waving their fingers around, “oo, peace baby,” or worse maybe, our fathers squeezing into paisley-plaid hiphuggers and growing out their combovers. Whatever we think of hippies today, it hits a flat, sour note and–in rhyming lyrics inspired by Adam—makes Kirk a real jerk.

@1 DemetriosX

Hey, I’ve been saving that Warp Breach rating since we began the re-watch! Although I may be with Torie–“Plato’s Stepchildren” may actually be worse, or at least the pain lingers longer. How fickle memory can be.

@2 bobsandiego

I think Torie did a great job with this recap. And we should totally design some of those pamphlets. I’ll have to see what my graphic design capabilities are, or task a better artist with this one.

@5, 6 Lemnoc

It certainly has its moments, which was more than I expected.

I also got the charismatic cult leader vibe from Sevrin. Was there anyone like him in the news in the Sixties? It might not seem otherwise believable that a man could lead people so far astray, but we know now that it happens all too often.

@7 bobsandiego

Acid! Of course! It seems so obvious now. Not as obvious as the apple and Eden thing… I’m disappointed that the Star Trek writers couldn’t do better than the whole paradise/Eden thing. Were people so obsessed with the idea of a perfect world back then?

Yeah, what the heck was that wheel thing? And did they beam aboard with these instruments? I meant to go back and check the beginning of the episode, but that would have meant watching more of it than I had to.

Good point about the discipline of Starfleet vs. the free love, devil-may-care attitudes of the space hippies. I think if anything, the later series emphasized the whole discipline thing even more, especially Picard and Sisko. And yet, isn’t accepting other people’s beliefs and customs also part of wearing that uniform?

@12 S. Hutson Blount

Thanks to this tidbit of information, I now have a blacklist of places I will never visit. Number one: Berkeley, CA.

Eugene: re: you coomment on never havig to watch this episode again. I guess that means you’ll never plays Star Trek Roulette with me. (a D3 for the season, and a d6+D12 to determine 1-24 the episode to wtach and NO CHEATING.) It’s how I get value from my set knowing left to my own devices I’d watch the same episodes over and over.

@ 6 Lemnoc Comparing hippies to Jonestown isn’t exactly fair, and any extent to which the episode makes Sevrin seem THAT out there was just punching strawmen.

@ 8 DemetriosX It wasn’t just the center-right, I’m sure–the old-school leftie labor leaders and civil rights crusaders weren’t exactly pleased at upstart punks throwing their entrenched power structures under the bus of radical change. To that extent, I can see the distaste even in people like Roddenberry, but I still think the language the characters use is more extreme than necessary to get the point across.

@ 10 Larry Interestingly, the efforts to make Starfleet seem like they had sticks up their asses meant casting Chekov as a square, when the whole point of him on the show was to be young and hip and cool and attract that demographic.

@ 12 S. Hunton Blount An accurate portrayal of what? They’re caricatures.

@ 14 Eugene I’m going to have to revise down my “Plato’s Stepchildren” rating.

@ 15 bobsandiego That’s a dangerous game…

@16 torie The only games worth playing are dangerous. I do it with Buffy The Vampire Slayer as well, but since I only own five season the odds of a clunker are significantly lower. Bet you’re missing The Tholian Web now.

I have to second S. Hunton Blount here. Berkeley’s City Council, Police Department, and area activists must be experienced to be believed. I don’t even know where to start!

Eugene @14:

I also got the charismatic cult leader vibe from Sevrin. Was there anyone like him in the news in the Sixties?

Timothy Leary. There’s even the acid thing again. He was a psychologist rather than what the writers probably meant by scientist and he didn’t have a fatal disease, but there are similarities.

Also, that round instrument looks to me like something bakeries use to slice cakes so that all the pieces are the same size.

Torie @16 re Chekov: Walter Koenig hates this episode. He says it is the absolute low point for his character. Some of the problem is that this arc was originally supposed to be Kirk and McCoy’s daughter and nobody thought to adjust the character dynamics when that changed. That said, I can see a couple of reasons why he might get more uptight than usual, under the circumstances. His connection to the group, tenuous as it is, probably makes him act a little more by the book, at least in front of Kirk, and seeing Irina having gone toward one extreme could push him toward the other.

@15 bobsandiego

Okay, but what’s in it for me? In a game of Star Trek Roulette, the odds are against us and the situation is grim.

However, that might be a fair way for us to choose episodes for the TNG Re-Watch…

@19 DemetriosX

Now I want cake.

On another note, I just posted a blog entry with pictures that show exactly how much I suffered through this episode: http://ecmyers.net/2011/02/the-way-to-eden-is-through-hell/ I imagine most of you can relate to my pain.

I’m glad you two are watching these, so I’m not tempted to.

Hm. Now I wonder if Eden being covered in deadly acid was supposed to be some sort of LSD reference.

Eugene @20: 1. “Wait…what?” 2. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” 3. “I really want to punch somebody.” 4. “Oh, please!”

@20 Eugene are you saying there are as many bad shows as good in Trek TOS? Anyway it’d be a chance for you to show your fanish quality. ;) Yup. LOTR reference in Star trek rewatch cause that’s how I roll.

Right, well, I seem to have missed all the fun. Oh, well.

Did I like the episode? Well, you know … actually, even though it’s stupid beyond belief, it’s actually fun. And, yes, I think it’s better than ‘That Which Survives’, ‘The Empath’, and — oh, we haven’t got there yet.

Skippy Homeier with lettuce-leaf ears. Inspired! (Picture him now as Melakon, with the same ears, getting machine-gunned at the end of ‘Patterns of Force’!)

Regarding Kirk’s hard-assedness, do recall that Gary Mitchell referred to Kirk at the Academy as ‘positively grim’, and the Kirk of ‘The Man Trap’ and ‘This Side of Paradise’ is decidedly a bit uptight. I see him as basically an Eisenhower Republican (i.e., pro-establishment but not totally insane or an obvious war criminal), except that he overthrows governments right out in the open, instead of through clandestine CIA programmes. So it’s not surprising that he’s not too wild about the flower children.

Chekov does tend to be less hip than his haircut would imply. Is he that different here to the way he was in ‘Spectre of the Gun’? A bit uptight but still romantic, just a nice guy? Not sure.

I do like the idea of the How To Take Over the Ship pamphlet; clearly, that must be part of the ship’s library, and is the first thing any strangers check out upon getting access to a viewscreen. Or maybe it’s been posted to the Federation equivalent of the Internet, which would explain how everyone seems to know how to do it straight away.

And I actually like the songs! So they’re not The Mamas and the Papas or Pete Seeger.

And you know what? I will take Berkeley over San Diego any day of the week. Sorry, bob.

Okay, that’s it.

Oh God, Adam’s singing. NO ONE SINGS THROUGH A SMILE LIKE THAT. You’ll look and sound like a lounge singer and an obvious lip syncher.

Anyway, one thing I haven’t seen people mention here yet is the class implications of the episode. The hippies were often seen as these well-off college kids who totally ignored how privileged they were to drop out of school, squandering an opportunity that their working-stiff detractors would’ve loved to have received; it was a big source of resentment. (Obviously this isn’t universal). The episode writers try to capture that here, going out of their way to portray these dropouts as a very talented and privileged bunch — the Academy, an ambassador’s son who’s also a scientific genius, another genius leads them — even Adam’s a pretty good musician, considering his ability to spontaneously improvise appropriate tunes and lyrics.

@24 Nomad UK umm Just a note of clarification, I did not bring up real world politics. That was another commenter. Believe me I resisted great temptation to really tear into Star trek political message on earlier episode.

I didn’t think NomadUK was replying to you — just referring to San Diego generally, and apologizing to you for using it as the contrast example?

Also, Eugene, they did beam aboard with the instruments. I noticed it on the watch-through. (Because obviously what I’d do in a ship about to explode is clutch my Space Harp.)

OK, I have yet to grade this episode. It’s a really tough one, since my head says it’s a 1 and my heart says it’s a 3.

So, I’m going with Warp 2. With an asterix.

Late to the party as usual. (Well, I read the rewatch last night but find posting from my mobile phone to be somewhat less than satisfactory.)

re: the speculation about “Herbert” referring to Herb Solow – I find that to be quite plausible. If any of you have read the “Inside Star Trek” book he cowrote with Robert Justman, you’ll see him in that role. Though I had to refer to my copy to see it was Justman, not Solow, who called Gene out for allegedly using marijuana.

There’s a school of thought that the whole “hippie” phenomenon was largely a creation of the media in the first place, and this episode would fit right in with that. Having been born in 1962, and kept well sheltered through much of my childhood, I have no firsthand experience…but as a former member of The Media (TM), I don’t find it hard to believe.

Music plays a very important role in “Eden,” which is as close to a musical as any episode in the franchise

Perhaps the music is somewhat less central to the stories, but I prefer the various Deep Space Nine episodes featuring the Vic Fontaine character. But then DS9 is my favorite of the Treks, and I’m a sucker for holodeck stories.

bobsandiego@26: My apologies; I was in a hurry and forgot who said what.

(I still prefer Berkeley to San Diego, but it’s nothing personal.)

…oh, and:

TNG Re-Watch

Haven’t been reading them but just discovered AV Club is already doing one. Looks like they just hit the fifth season. They’re cheating, though – more than one episode per write-up.

Show ’em how to do it right!

rvanwinkle @ 29

At the risk of dating myself, I had the opportunity to visit San Francisco on a family vacation in the summer of 1968. We did a drive through of Haight-Ashbury. As we waited at a red light on that famous intersection, a group of gingerhaired freaks in wild clothes wandered out and sat on our car until the red light changed, then moved off. It was the most ridiculous and time-wasting thing I’d ever seen, sitting on cars until the light cycled. My dad in his crewcut laughed and laughed, then circled back around to experience it again like an amusement ride.

So I can attest with certainty that the hippie movement was not (entirely) media created.

It was a scene, a vibe… and as I suggested earlier, involved people not terribly different from the “movement” of Trekkies who penned a letter campaign to NBC when the network threatened to cancel the series at the end of its second season… a bunch of smelly, jobless, immature freaks obsessed with some touchy-feely hippie-dippie space utopia teevee show with black women as officers (imagine!) and (ha-ha!) a green dude with silly devil ears. Eye rolls all around.

The same treatment the Enterprise crew gives the space hippies I imagine the NBC execs gave those letter writers—a pat on the head while killing the show’s budget and moving it to a time slot that made its doom a self-fulfilling prophesy that justified their earlier decision to cancel it. Just sayin’…

Man, you guys are such downers .

@ 18 sps49 I’m a California native, so Berkeley brings warm fuzzies to mind. Your mileage may vary.

@ 19 DemetriosX I was thinking Timothy Leary the whole time, too, which again seems profoundly unfair.

@ 21 Jon Hansen That sounds like about the right level of subtlety the episode engaged in.

@ 24 NomadUK Agreed. But I have a grudge against San Diego ever since I got left behind there at the zoo on a school field trip. (True story.)

@ 25 DeepThought Has there been ANY episode of Star Trek (or any popular show, for that matter) that cared about characters who weren’t privileged? Fiction is never interested in the poor, unless they’re there to Teach Us Something.

@ 26 bobsandiego Yeah, let’s save real world political discussions for open bar at our first get-together.

@ 29 rvanwinkle Oh god, those are my least favorite DS9 episodes. (Well, second least favorite, after Ezri.) But I’m a huge fan of musicals so I tried to give the episode some slack… I mean some of the songs are kind of fun. Or at least they were after I drank my two drinks. I was going to open the whiskey but decided to save that for Turnabout Intruder.

@ 32 Lemnoc You made me sad. :(

@33 Torie Fiction is never interested in the poor, unless they’re there to Teach Us Something ah hem that’s a bit broad in content. Of Mice and Men, The Grapes Of Wrath, The Old Man and The Sea off the top of my head, of course those are not genre stories. Sadly, genere, SF and even worse fantasy, is very much about well-heeled (or characters who are heels) and powerful characters. Off the top of my head in genre I come up with only two, both Heiniein juvies, Starman Jones and <em? Citizen Of The Galaxy, but Thorby, in the latter, turned out to be very rich after starting the story as an illiterate slave. /subject switch I think you blokes are just upset that last Week San Diego have lovely weather in the mid 70s. :) Well I’m going to worldcon in Reno…anyone else?

@33 Torie Fiction is never interested in the poor, unless they’re there to Teach Us Something ah hem that’s a bit broad in content. Of Mice and Men, The Grapes Of Wrath, The Old Man and The Sea off the top of my head, of course those are not genre stories. Sadly, genere, SF and even worse fantasy, is very much about well-heeled (or characters who are heels) and powerful characters. Off the top of my head in genre I come up with only two, both Heiniein juvies, Starman Jones and Citizen Of The Galaxy , but Thorby, in the latter, turned out to be very rich after starting the story as an illiterate slave. /subject switch I think you blokes are just upset that last Week San Diego have lovely weather in the mid 70s. :) Well I’m going to worldcon in Reno…anyone else?

The “How To Take Over The Ship” Pamphlet is not only in the ship’s library. Star Fleet regulations insure that a copy can be found in the upper left dresser drawer in every guest compartment on every ship. It’s found right on top of the Gideon Bible. :)

@ 34 bobsandiego You’re right, that was too broad. I meant television and film, mostly.

@ 36 Ludon Ha! Don’t you mean data disk?

@33 Torie & 34 BobSanDiego

I submit for your approval the entire sub-genre of Cyberpunk.

@33 Torie: well, I guess it’s a matter of personal taste. I found it refreshing they used any music other than then-current pop.

@32 Lemnoc: but how many of those came to Haight-Ashbury after hearing about it through what we, these days, call the mainstream media?

My 1968 story: my parents took us to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. All I remember is being cooped up in a hotel room, not understanding why my parents didn’t want us to go outside. As I stated earlier, a sheltered upbringing. It wasn’t until I was in college that I learned what was going on that week – our high school American history stopped at the end of WWII.

@Torie #33 Sure, stories usually focus on privileged people. But my point is that they’re making an express effort to represent these people as more privileged than most, and also as having significant talent that could go to good use but instead is getting squandered on childish utopianism. I’m not sure we’ve seen any other group be so explicitly characterized as privileged by ST writers, and we’ve met a lot of guests-of-the-week. It just seems intentional when it also fits so well with the allegory.

@bobsandiego #34 Hmm . . . well, I think fantasy is a little unfair, because in most societies of that kind, the peasant class simply doesn’t have the chance to do anything worth writing adventure stories about at all, unless they’re getting plucked out of peasant-dom. I will give more reflection upon genre-teleplays-about-underprivileged-people, though I think at the end of the day a lot of it’s going to come down to having adventures is itself a privilege, or at least heavily dependent upon privilege. If you’re not in a pretty special social role, that “adventure” is going to be more like a “desperate struggle for survival.”

@rvanwinkle #39 Funny how history stops at politically significant junctures. When I was in school, History Ended at 1968. I think (from, er, tutoring them and writing their textbooks) the kids these days get all the way up to Reagan, with maybe some mention that 9/11 happened afterward . . .

@33 Torie- It’s fine to visit, and they still have the late 60s reputation, but they just act so Against Everything all the time. I remember in Fall ’91 we had a Naked Guy attending classes- oh, he was such an Individual, and how dare they dispute his right to attend class as nature made him, but who wants to be the next to sit in his chair? And all the effort put into People’s Park, with the result that is a dealer’s haven and scary late at night. But I don’t get all upset about it. Today I’m sad about the poisoning of the trees at my other alma mater (I didn’t know how old they were).

As a native Angeleno, I suppose I ought to weigh in on Berkeley vs. San Diego. I went to a debate tournament at Berkeley in the late 70s and got my degree from UCSD, so I lived outside of La Jolla and in Del Mar for 5 years. SD has better weather and better beaches. Berkeley has more interesting shops and better public transportation (no car in SD was hell). SD probably has better bars and clubs, but a lot of that has to do with people in Berkeley being able to jump on the BART and go across the bay to SF. Pace Torie, I’ll just say that politically they are in many ways mirror images of each other and leave it at that. Me, despite the hipsters and aggressive bicyclists, I’ll take Portland, OR ([Homer]Mmmmm, Powell’s[/Homer]).

@ 38 ChurchHatesTucker Cyberpunk TV/movies?

@ 39 rvanwinkle That’s pretty funny, actually.

@ 40 DeepThought For my school, history also Ended at World War II.

@ 41 sps49 We always have That Guy, but this is NYC. Maybe it’s an urban thing?

@ 42 DemetriosX Haha, what is this debate we’ve started? I can’t take sides, I haven’t been to SD since I was a kid and I only went to Berkeley once–just a few months ago. But if anyone starts dissing Santa Cruz or the Monterey Bay, there’s gonna be a rumble. That’s where I’m from.

Torie @43: Cyberpunk TV/movies. Max Headroom is the first thing that springs to mind. Most of the characters were elites, but Blank Reg was a regular and several other blanks also appeared often.

None of the characters on Red Dwarf could really be considered an elite. Decker isn’t exactly privileged in Bladerunner , though he isn’t part of the underclasses either. But finding something from before the early 80s is going to be very difficult.

@44 & 43 Cyberpunk movie: Really I think a great cyberpunk movie, granted it was before the coining of that phrase, is Rollerball , very much a corporate dystopian setting. Curiously it has no really poor people because there are no really poor people left in the world. Economic hardship has been traded away for security the price being freedom. I’m not a native San Diego – few are – I’m a transplant from the south courtesy of the USN, however I adore my adopted city.

I believe a story about an average person does exist within the Star Trek universe. That would be the Cardassian novel The Neverending Sacrifice discussed in at least one episode of DS9.

As to other sci-fi shows or movies about underclass characters. These two would be marginal, but the short-lived shows Salvage 1 and Quark could count. Additionally, (And I’m dredging up an old nightmare with this one.) The Starlost could be counted.

Cyberpunk movies by decade according to cyberpunkreview.com.

A pretty loose list, I’d say, but worth a gander.

@3 ChurchHatesTucker

Yes, the idea that the Federation was not all in one happy, peppy, middle-class lockstep march toward The Future was one of the interesting things about this episode. One problem so many of the ST iterations have had is a lack of self-reflection — the problems faced are always the external threats. Discussion of internal threats and politics and social discontent have always gotten short shrift (with the possible exception of early DS9 examination of Bajoran religion and politics).

I always figured the acid of “Eden” was a heavy-handed analog to the fiery-sword-wielding angel that guarded the Biblical Eden after Adam and Eve were kicked out.

@42 DemetriosX

I was at some speech/debate tourneys at UC Berkeley in ’78 or ’79. It’s a small world after all. (Also, it was far less crazy-hippy a place than I’d always pictured it.)

And, with all that, and with all the very obviously flaws of this ep, I still give it a 2 or so. There’s an exuberance here, no matter how misdirected, and a fine questioning of whether Our Heroes are always, in fact, the Heroes. And, honestly, I could just sit around hearing Skip Homeier reading from the phone book to be entertained. There’s a lot of bad goofiness here, but some good, too. If I had to banish one episode from the TOS canon, it wouldn’t be this one.

***Dave @48: If the topic was health care, then we may have been at the same tournament. I don’t remember anything about that particular tournament or even our affirmative case & plan, but maybe we even faced each other. Who knows?

Church @47: That is a pretty broad list, but I do see a couple of other films there that deal at least in part with underclasses. Metropolis is certainly the earliest, but they are sort of a plot point there. In some ways, Modern Times also fits. We also have a plot point underclass coming up next week.

@23 bobsandiego

I always appreciate a well-placed LotR reference! We should probably tally up our final ST ratings to figure out exactly what the ratio of good to bad is.

@29 rvanwinkle

Sadly, Vic Fontaine is one of my least favorite additions to DS9, though I liked some of his episodes on my latest re-watch. But you’re right, he adds a lot of music to the series, and his songs are definitely better than Adam’s.

@31 rvanwinkle

I didn’t realize AV Club was doing TNG, but we knew they were re-watching Star Trek when we started, and obviously that didn’t deter us! There’s plenty of room on the internet for varying opinions and different approaches to re-watches.

@49 DemetriosX – I think it was the next year, on energy policy. At least I seem to recall being there and shuffling around a lot of 4×6 cards talking about nuclear fusion. Health Care Reform was 77-78, and it’s funny how much some of the basic talking points still applied (or were used) 30+ years later.

Just as some of the topics in this episode (alienation, youth, conformity, back to nature, playing music on a bicycle wheel) still resonate today, no matter how Jack Webb-like the Enterprise officers class tended to treat them.

@***Dave #51 Man, why’d you have to go and drop the Jack Webb bomb? Now I’m picturing Adam from this episode looking in the camera and earnestly saying “My hair is green, and I’m a tree! I’m Blueboy!”

@34 bobsandiego

Re: Worldcon, I probably won’t be in Reno this summer, but I may make it to the 2012 Worldcon! I’m way overdue for a trip to Chicago.

***Dave @51: Yeah, that was the year after I was there. I wasn’t terribly interested in the health care thing, but I really wanted to do energy policy. Unfortunately, the teacher who was our coach decided no more debate, so we only did local speech tournaments that year. I was really looking forward to it, too.

@52 DeepThought: Exactly. They even both end up tragically, based on something they ate. The Dragnet LSD episode aired just two years before this tale. At least Spock softened the condemnation of Those Kids These Days, by suggesting at the end they might be able to channel their rebelliousness into something more productive, but I do wonder whether the former LAPD cop had seen that Dragnet ep and, if so, what he thought.

@50 Eugene:

Well said, I shouldn’t presume to judge their approach.

Should you and Torie continue the rewatch past TOS, it might be of interest to jointly review TNG and DS9 episodes that originally aired the same week when those shows overlapped, i.e. staying in chronological airdate order. Ditto DS9/Voyager overlap.

IIRC the LSD episode was in fact Dragnet’s pilot. One might view it as the media’s opening salvo in the War on Drugs.

@56 rvanwinkle: Dragnet had been for at least a decade on radio, then TV, before that episode (or LSD) made the scene, and “relevant” shows had been tackling issues like the drug counter-culture before 1967, I believe.

That said, it certainly was one of the most mainstream (or conservative) portrayals of drugs on TV — laughable in some ways, but with a quirky, unpolished authenticity that was the hallmark of Jack Webb.

And, to bring it back around, arguably more realistic and better acted than this particular TOS episode.

With the talk early on about the music distracting the crew in this episode, I had wanted to mention a short story from the 60s or 70s in which music played an even bigger distraction. I’ve spent the week trying to locate it but with no luck. Maybe someone here can help me with this one. I don’t remember the why, but somehow a mega-popular rock band gets booked to perform for the U.S. Armed Forces. Someone gets the idea to make sure that everyone in the service – no matter where they happen to be – gets to hear the performance. The story ended with the team in a silo somewhere in the midwest getting drawn into the music and how they responded to the relentless chanting of “Do It! Do It!”

Can anyone help me with this one? I’ve been trying to find when it had been written in relation to this episode.

Ah, so that was the research you were doing. I’m drawing a blank, but hopefully someone will remember the title. I suppose the ISFDB isn’t any help?

Ludon’s short story doesn’t ring any bells. I’ll ask around, maybe at LibraryThing; they’re pretty good at teasing out forgotten titles. But it did remind me of the truly awful movie Wild in the Streets . It’s worth watching once just for the sheer lunacy. Basically it’s the story of a youth takeover of the US by a rock star elected president. It stars Shelley Winters and Hal Holbrook, who both must have been really hard up for cash. It also features Richard Pryor in one of his first movie roles. There’s also a Melvin Belli cameo, so there’s a Trek connection. The music isn’t bad, especially when you think of what Hollywood thought of as “youth music” in 1968. “Shape of Things to Come” even went to #22 on the charts.

The first suggestion I got for the story that Ludon was looking for is “The Big Flash” by Norman Spinrad. It seems to match what you’re looking for and the reason the band got to be broadcast to the armed forces is that they were a CIA psy-ops project.

@61 DemetriosX

Thanks. I’m sure this is the one. I hadn’t read the thing since the 70s so my mind must have filled in the details that had slipped away. I just found an on line copy in Google Books and skimmed through it. For those who would like to read it, this link should take you right to the into to that story in a book called Beyond Armageddon.

http://books.google.com/books?id=6jS0PYWOGxIC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=the+big+flash+spinard&source=bl&ots=kVDSOgNZNu&sig=ImbpSzHmgfAHGPC87JvN05a82Us&hl=en&ei=y4pmTeahN8atgQf3g-TmDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

It looks like this story was written after this episode was produced so I don’t think there’s any direct connection. However, I can’t help thinking about this story anytime I see The Way To Eden. The idea of people on duty at critical positions being influenced by music.

@61 DemetriosX, @62 Ludon

Thanks for tracking this down! I’ll check it out.

It looks like this story was written after this episode was produced so I don’t think there’s any direct connection.

There could have been a direct connection in the other direction though. Spinrad wrote for Trek , so assuming he stuck it out through the third season, he could have seen and been influenced by this episode.

And in my brief research on that possibility, I just found this fascinating list of undeveloped episodes, which includes another Spinrad outline called “He Walked Among Us,” which would have starred Milton Berle! http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Undeveloped_Star_Trek_episodes

Actually, Spinrad kind of dealt with a lot of this in Child of Fortune , which has a charismatic sort-of-hippie leader enticing the privileged young to drop out. Of course, he is treated rather more positively than Dr. Sevrin, but that’s not atypical for Spinrad.

I’ve just looked over that list on the Memory Alpha site. Some very interesting ideas there and a few that sound like they really couldn’t have been produced within the real-world timeframe of their given series. The idea with McCoy and Uhura on the reversed race status world caught my attention. Star Trek’s take on that could have been interesting. The basic idea was later explored in the movie White Man’s Burden http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114928/ and with some variations in Watermelon Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066550/ and Soul Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091991/ . I can’t help wondering how Star Trek’s take would have compared with these stories.

I can’t think of Spock jamming with the hippies without remembering the Bilbo Baggins song. Oh, it hurts.

I also, I don’t know why, have this weird image of Leonard Nimoy singing Davy Crockett.

Anyway, I’ve been lucky enough only to sit through this episode a couple of times myself. I remember the first time I saw it I was so disappointed in Chekov (even though he strangely seemed to fit in with his Monkees haircut). Handing over the “Guide to Taking Over Enterprise” like that. Just wrong.

I kind of like the general concept of the planet being poison to the hippies and all, even though the hammer of Adam and the poisonous apple is so heavy that it hurts my brain. I think it would have been more effective if they were just all extraordinarily allergic to everything rather than the vegetation being coated with an acid. Anyway, it just seems really appropriate that paradise for them all is a killer.

Probably because the Bilbo Baggins song sounds a little like the Davy Crockett song, or at least, it does when I sing it.

Speaking of Leonard Nimoy’s singing, you should really check out our LaughTrek for “Spock’s Brain” when you get the chance. :P

Eugene @ 67:

Y’know, that hadn’t occurred to me about the Bilbo Baggins song. I’ve only seen the video twice, years ago, and I do my best not to allow my brain to summon the music from the depths of its synapses. I figured it started playing Davy Crockett as a reflex mechanism. Which, come to think of it, it probably is.

I fully intend to check out the Laugh Trek. It sounds amusing as all hell.

@EugeneMyers – “I also got the charismatic cult leader vibe from Sevrin. Was there anyone like him in the news in the Sixties? It might not seem otherwise believable that a man could lead people so far astray, but we know now that it happens all too often.”

Look up Mel Lyman.

I think, though, that whoever said it was supposed to be an indictment of “those kids and their music” had it right. There was a lot of hogwash being written by music critics and political and religious leaders, about the detrimental effects of rock and roll. The music itself was supposed to be hypnotic, to produce the effect of being high on drugs just by listening. Rock’s emphasis on the second and fourth beats, “similar to the jungle rhythms of Africa” (also said about jazz), was said to be the exact opposite of normal biological rhythm. It was described as having an effect on the cerebrospinal fluid, causing a shutdown of intellectual functioning and a heightening of primitive emotions, removing inhibitions and causing listeners to behave solely on basic animal instincts. Sounds like zeenite.

Now that you’ve stopped laughing: Countless stories and articles of this type were being published, radio and television interviews with alleged experts, describing rock as spellbinding, hypnotic, leading listeners into confusion and seeking a leader to follow in mindless obedience… whomever. Leary. The Beatles. Commies. Many otherwise intelligent people believed it, because they couldn’t understand rock. They literally couldn’t hear the melodies, let alone the lyrics. “Christian rock” began as an attempt to use the awesome hypnotic power of rock for good instead of evil since lyrics could suggest Jesus as the answer.

The image of the usually ultra-efficient Enterprise crew zoning out on Adam’s preachy lyrics and the bland blues played by Mr. Spock and Mavig invariably bring this now incredibly antiquated hysteria back into what’s left of my mind.

I was always intrigued by Mavig’s round musical instrument. It was identified by fan writer Ruth Berman as a Berengarian dulcewires. She had Uhura playing one in the short story “The Disaffirmed”.

Just saw that Charles Napier died Wednesday. He was 75.

Trivia note: Charles Napier is also well-known for being the leader of The Good Ol Boys in The Blues Brothers. I’m surprised that no one mentioned that one.

I just watched this earlier and it is pretty awful. Why these people, who no one seemed to like having on board had access to shipwide communications was a glaring plothole. It also bears restating that there was no reason to pull the space-hippies out of the shuttle and every reason to not pull them out. What the hell was that about? They had no shoes and McCoy clearly stated that even their own Starfleet clothing would not protect them forever. I’m clearly baffled by this.

Like many of the other people who posted here, I too, found this episode to have a lot of wasted potential. There was a pretty damned good premise there, but they decided to mess it up by having a seriously messed-up concept of space-hippies.

Probably the saddest part about this is that ST has always been known for being a progressive view on the future. Yes, it explored contemporary issues in the guise of Sci-Fi, but, nothing like this. It really is a shame that Dragnet actually portrayed hippies in a better light than this episode did, and Jack Webb was a serious hippy hater.

Side note: Although the murders took place after TOS went off the air, there’s almost a Manson-like quality to the villain in this episode. Just an odd coincidence.

You know how to really enjoy an episode? Hear over and over for a year how bad it is, lower your expectations, and Shazam!

I liked “The Way to Eden” very much. I’m sure it will number among my favorites for 3rd season. I’ll save most of it for my own site, but there are far too many interesting concepts here, and moments of important character development, to warrant all the opprobrium.

One thing this episode was NOT is a moral polemic against hippies. They get too much respect from Spock, and sympathy from the rest of the crew, for that–and too many great scenes from the writers. This is instead the episode where Kirk learns to be less of a Herbert, and feels wistful about his Starfleet programming. For Spock, it’s about showing interest and openness to an alternate way out of his personal emotional hell, and his logic first protest against the barbarism of society. It feels like the end of a series long, character arc for him–Spock’s most important episode since “Journey to Babel.”

I believe this episode treats the hippies very sympathetically, but identifies and explores two concerns and vulnerabilities about the movement, both valid: 1) that the style of the movement leaves its young followers too vulnerable to exploitation by charismatic cult leaders, who may be less benign than they appear, which is what Severin is; and 2) there is not enough respect granted to other people’s choices, who may find other valid paths to validation and fulfillment. That’s the Chekov/Irina story. Her accent may have been terrible, but if you listen to their lines when they debate their life choices, it’s one of those rare dialogue scenes where they’re both absolutely right, from their point of view. The episode doesn’t end with either one of them being convinced of their wrongess (even after Severin nearly murders Irina), but with an exchange of respect and a promise to mutually strive be more understanding.

My run in with hippies (modern day ones) came in 2001, when I was a public defender in Seattle, charged with representing 13 peaceful protesters arrested during the WTO conference. All in all, almost 600 were swept up in mass arrests, and held in jail for 5 days until the end of the conference. This experience made me very sympathetic to the scene where Kirk and Spock meet Severin’s followers in the transporter room, which is all about passive resistance and the sheer power of this technique to gum up the works. It’s amazing what falls apart once one side decides that they just aren’t going to play along–and being as annoying as possible to those wielding the “power” is part of it. In WTO, this took the form of mass refusal of the arrestees to give their names, repond, or offer any form of ID while they were in jail. This was very frustrating for the public defenders, who of course were sympathetic and wanted to do what we could to help, but were effectively sidelined by this technique (at least at the mass arraignment stage), and grouped with the police and prosecutors as their antagonists.

I also met an acquaintance in the crowd of arrestees who was fellow graduate of Princeton University. Commentary on privilege and social class is definitely a component of this fascinating episode, which I eagerly look forward to watching again (sorry Eugene!).

I got my year wrong for the WTO protests in Seattle–I’m older than I think I am–it was 1999. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests

You might be interested in Greg Schnitzer’s take on Mavig’s instrument. He actually built one.

http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/2015/08/08/mavigs-harp-from-the-way-to-eden/

This episode wasn’t quite as bad as I remembered it to be, although I would definitely not go as far as Kevin in ranking it among the best of the third season. Sure, it’s a period piece, but so is every other Star Trek episode; at its core, Star Trek is about the 1960s, not the 2260s or whatever. Yes, the music is pretty hard to listen to (except for the instrumental “Far Out Jam” with Spock and Mavig), and the fake Russian accents are even harder to listen to. What I find interesting is how this episode compares with “This Side of Paradise” (a first season episode with a similar theme).

I’ve always interpreted “This Side of Paradise” as a commentary on the 1960s counterculture, albeit one written at a different stage of its emergence. In 1966, when “This Side of Paradise” was written, the hippie subculture was going strong in places like San Francisco — although it was not in the public eye to the extent that it would be two years later. Therefore, the episode’s commentary needed to be somewhat oblique; a more obvious or direct parallel would have risked losing viewers who hadn’t heard of Haight-Ashbury yet. The result was an episode that could stand on its own merits as a story.

In contrast, by the time “The Way to Eden,” the hippie was a more-or-less familiar character on television. Therefore, it was simple enough to present the space hippies as space hippies, rather than jumpsuit-wearing agrarian colonists. With fewer constraints, the story required far less creativity to tell. The result was a lazy and poorly-written script.

It’s often said that all great art needs constraints, and the third season of Star Trek provides a good example. In the first season, Star Trek’s social commentary needed to be more or less below the surface. By the third season, the secret was out, and social commentary no longer needed to be veiled; subtlety was thrown out the window (see: “Day of the Dove,” “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” “The Mark of Gideon,” “The Cloud Minders,” etc.), and both storytelling and social commentary suffered for it.

Would this episode have been better if D.C. Fontana’s “Joanna” story idea had been adopted? I think so, although the idea of a relationship between Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy’s daughter is kind of problematic for me. The intensity of the resentment Fontana portrays McCoy as having for his daughter and ex-wife is also problematic. With enough time, the concept could have developed into a decent episode. On the other hand, if these elements had been handled in a sloppy way (unfortunately, very likely in the third season), their inclusion might have made the episode even worse.

For what it’s worth, Joan Winston’s “Perchance to Dream,” a story outline that might have made into the fourth season had there been one, dealt with rock concerts and drug abuse. If it had ever been made into an episode, it might have given “The Way to Eden” a run for its money.

One thing I appreciate very much about “The Way to Eden” is Spock’s line to Irina in the final scene, encouraging her not to give up on her ideals. In contrast, in “This Side of Paradise,” the conclusion is basically that the countercultural experiment was a total waste of time. Nearly five decades later, it’s clear that, while the 1960s counterculture did not achieve its goals, and was a failure in many regards, it nevertheless had a positive impact on many areas of society.

FTR, “The Way to Eden” did not make my top 5 for Season 3, but I did give it an honorable mention.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'Star Trek: The Original Series'

Gabbi shaw   .

• There has been some form of "Star Trek" in our lives since 1966, when "Star Trek" premiered its very first episode on September 8.
• Over the last 50-plus years, the stars of the original series have remained sci-fi icons, especially to all the Trekkies out there.
• Here's where all nine stars from "Star Trek: The Original Series" are up to now. Only four are still alive.

As Spock might've said, the cast of "Star Trek: The Original Series," all lived long and prospered. Four of the stars are still alive today, all in their eighties — William Shatner is pushing 90 — and those that died lived into their seventies and eighties as well.

We've taken a look back at the pivotal show, and the careers of these TV pioneers, and paid respects to those that aren't with us anymore.

Keep scrolling to see what the cast of "Star Trek" has accomplished in the last 54 years.

William Shatner led the crew of the USS Enterprise as Captain James T. Kirk.

"Star Trek" was originally going to be focused on a different captain, Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter. A pilot was even filmed, but never aired. Gene Roddenberry, the creator, eventually retooled the show and cast Shatner as a new captain, Kirk.

Before "Star Trek," Shatner was famous for his role in an iconic "Twilight Zone" episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which he played a man recently released from a mental hospital who becomes convinced he can see a creature on the wing of the plane he's flying on. It aired in 1963, three years before "Star Trek."

In addition to his "Star Trek" roles, Shatner acted in "T.J. Hooker" and "Boston Legal," hosted "Rescue 911," and has written numerous books.

Though he's 89 years old, Shatner has shown no signs of slowing down. After "Star Trek" was canceled in 1969, he briefly returned to voice Kirk for the "Star Trek" animated series. In 1979, he again reprised his role as Kirk in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." He'd continue to do so regularly until 1994's "Star Trek Generations." He even directed one of the "Star Trek" movies: "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."

Besides "Star Trek," Shatner starred as the titular police officer on the '80s procedural "T.J. Hooker," and narrated "Rescue 911," a show that consisted of dramatic reenactments of real crimes.

Other roles that you might recognize Shatner from: a pageant host in "Miss Congeniality," attorney Dennis Crane in "The Practice" and its spin-off "Boston Legal" for which he won two Emmys , and in the 2016-2018 reality show "Better Late Than Never," in which Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman, and Terry Bradshaw traveled around the world and experienced different cultures.

Shatner has written multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction over the course of his career. His 2016 book, " Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man ," was about his friendship with "Star Trek" co-star Leonard Nimoy, who played his on-screen better half, Commander Spock.

Nichelle Nichols played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a translator, communications officer, and linguistics expert.

Uhura was one of the first Black television characters that didn't have a menial job, but instead was in a position of power. She and Shatner were also involved in what is thought to be the first interracial kiss on American TV.

Nichols stayed with the show for all three seasons, but it wasn't without drama. She was tempted to leave during the first year, but none other than Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay. She told the New York Post that when she told him that she wanted to leave, he told her, "You can't do that. You have the first non-stereotypical, non-menial role on television. You have created strength and beauty and intelligence. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen. It's what we're marching for. You're a role model and whether you like it or not, you belong to history now."

She also released an album in 1967, "Down to Earth." In between "Star Trek's" cancellation and its return on the big screen, Nichols starred in the 1974 blaxploitation film "Truck Turner," as Dorinda, a madam.

Nichols retired from public appearances in 2018.

From 1977 until 2015, Nichols was involved with the program, Women in Motion. It was a recruiting program for NASA to help get more women involved in the space program. In July 2020, a documentary about the program finally secured distribution and will be released in 2021, Deadline reported.

"Nichelle Nichols not only was a trailblazer in Hollywood, she was a trailblazer for the future of our society. She took the fight for Civil Rights, diversity and inclusion and gender equality to new frontiers with NASA which continue to serve America's space program today. She was ahead of her time," said executive producer Ben Crump.

Nichols, 87, has also appeared in "The Young and the Restless," "Heroes," and "Futurama." She was diagnosed with dementia in 2018 , and subsequently retired from public appearances.

Walter Koenig was cast as Ensign Pavel Chekov because of his resemblance to the Monkees' Davy Jones.

While Chekov was Russian, Koenig was born in America and based his accent on his parents' accents, who were Russian immigrants. Koenig was cast because, according to legend, he was supposed to help attract young girls as viewers due to his resemblance to teen idol Davy Jones. He even wore a Davy Jones-esque women's wig for the first seven or eight episodes, he told TV Insider in 2016.

Koenig's mainly recognized for his on-screen role as Chekov, though he became a pretty prolific screenwriter in the '70s. He wrote episodes for the "Star Trek" animated series, anthology series "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?" and children's series "Land of the Lost."

Koenig appeared in the 2018 film, "Diminuendo."

Koenig, 83, still makes frequent appearances on the "Star Trek" convention circuit, as well as acting in the occasional film. He appeared in 12 episodes of "Babylon 5" in the '90s, voiced himself in an episode of "Futuruma," and also voiced Mr. Savic on the Netflix animated series "Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters."

While not all of the "Star Trek" cast were on great terms, Koenig and his co-star George Takei remain close. Koenig was even the best man in Takei's wedding in 2008.

George Takei played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, a helmsman on the Enterprise.

Over the course of the show, Sulu was revealed to have many interests outside of Star Fleet — most famously, fencing. At the time, Sulu was one of the first Asian characters on TV that wasn't explicitly a villain, and instead a fully-formed hero.

"Up until the time I was cast in 'Star Trek,' the roles were pretty shallow — thin, stereotyped, one-dimensional roles. I knew this character was a breakthrough role, certainly for me as an individual actor but also for the image of an Asian character: no accent, a member of the elite leadership team," Takei told Mother Jones in 2012.

Takei originally was supposed to play Sulu as an astrophysicist, but the role was changed to helmsman. Before "Star Trek," Takei also appeared in "The Twilight Zone" like his co-star William Shatner, among other '50s and '60s procedurals.

Takei is still acting to this day, though many people know him now for his social media presence.

Who says an 83-year-old doesn't know how to use social media? Takei's Facebook page has 10 million likes to date, and he has 3 million followers on Twitter .

In addition to his continued acting in films like "Kubo and the Two Strings," and "Mulan," and TV shows like "Heroes," and "Supah Ninjas," Takei is an activist. He came out as gay in 2005 , and began working as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.

Takei also starred in the 2012 musical "Allegiance," which was based on his and his family's experiences during Japanese internment in World War II.

Leonard Nimoy played Captain Kirk's first officer and close friend Commander Spock.

Spock was the only alien member of the original crew, as he was half-human, half-Vulcan — an alien race from the planet Vulcan whose residents operate solely from a point of logic, not feelings. Much of the show's comedy came from Spock and Kirk's differences and their amusement at each other. His frequent farewell, " Live Long and Prosper ," accompanied by the Vulcan Salute, are among the most recognizable pieces of the "Star Trek" canon.

Nimoy had multiple small parts in B movies and TV shows before booking "Star Trek," including an episode of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." alongside future co-star William Shatner, as well as an episode of "The Twilight Zone."

But once "Star Trek" premiered, Nimoy would be forever linked with his Vulcan counterpart, and mainly did voice work after the show ended. He also reunited with Shatner for an episode of his show, "T.J. Hooker."

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83. He played Spock for the final time in 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness," meaning he played Spock for almost 50 years.

Nimoy is the only actor from the original series to appear in JJ Abrams' rebooted films, as he appeared in 2009's "Star Trek" and its 2013 sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" as an older version of Spock who was trapped in an alternate universe.

In addition to acting, Nimoy was a photographer, recording artist, author, and director. He directed two "Star Trek" movies ("The Search for Spock" and "The Journey Home"), and "Three Men and a Baby," which became the highest-grossing film of 1987 .

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DeForest Kelley played the ship's curmudgeonly chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

Bones, as he was affectionately called, was one of the oldest members of the crew, and thus got to be a bit more obnoxious than the rest of them. His frequent catchphrase, " I'm a doctor, not a ___, " is one of the most parodied lines of dialogue from the show.

Like his character, Kelley was older and a more established actor than the rest of the cast. Before the show, he had appeared in Westerns and historical films like "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," "Warlock," and "Raintree County" in the '50s.

Kelley died in 1999 at the age of 79, nine years after playing McCoy for the last time.

Kelley essentially retired from acting, besides playing McCoy, after the success of "Star Trek." He appeared in all six films starring the original cast, and appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as McCoy, as well.

While he wasn't much of a sci-fi fan, Kelley was proud of his "Star Trek" legacy. When asked what he thought his legacy would be, he explained that his character inspired people to enter the medical field. He told the New York Times , "These people [fans] are doctors now, all kinds of doctors who save lives. That's something that very few people can say they've done. I'm proud to say that I have.''

He died in 1999 at the age of 79 due to stomach cancer .

Majel Barrett had a recurring role as Nurse Christine Chapel.

Barrett was originally cast in the first version of "Star Trek" as Pike's first officer, but when that episode was scratched, so was her character. However, due to her romantic relationship with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry (who she later married), she was brought back as Nurse Chapel (a divisive character).

Before the show, Barrett was in various bit parts in '50s and '60s shows, but her big break was "Star Trek," which she stayed involved in for the rest of her life.

Barrett died in 2008 when she was 76 years old. Up until her death, she had been involved with every "Star Trek" series in some way, leading fans to call her the First Lady of "Star Trek."

Barrett reprised her role as Chapel in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." She also appeared in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi, a main character in "Next Generation." Her other involvement in the series was the voice of the computer many of the other "Star Trek" films: "Generations," "First Contact," "Nemesis," and 2009's reboot.

She died in 2008 at the age of 76 due to leukemia .

James Doohan played chief engineering officer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.

Contrary to popular belief, the phrase " Beam me up, Scotty " is never actually uttered in the original series. The man on the other end of that command, Scotty, was played by Doohan, who was Canadian in real life, not Scottish.

Before "Star Trek," Doohan served in the Canadian military and was even on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, and was a pilot as well. After the war, he began acting and became a successful radio actor. Like his co-stars, he also appeared in an episode of "The Twilight Zone," and other popular procedurals.

In the animated series, Doohan proved to be indispensable, with his talent for voice acting and accents. He voiced over 50 characters during the show's run.

James Doohan died at the age of 85 in 2005.

Doohan didn't find much success outside of the world of "Star Trek," and thus embraced his role as Scotty. He appeared in "Generations," as well as an episode of "The Next Generation."

However, his impact on the field of engineering cannot be overstated. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Milwaukee School of Engineering "after half the students there said that Scotty had inspired them to take up the subject," according to the BBC .

Towards the end of his life, Doohan suffered from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and retired from public life in 2004. He died the next year, at 85, due to complications from pneumonia .

Grace Lee Whitney appeared in the first season of the show as Yeoman Janice Rand.

Rand appeared in eight episodes of the show's first 15-episode season as a clerical and administrative worker aboard the ship, before Whitney was released from her contract. At the time, the story was that the show didn't have enough money to keep everyone, but years later in her autobiography, Rand accused an unnamed executive producer , who she called "The Executive," of sexually assaulting her.

"I tried to do what he wanted me to, so I could get it over with. I knew, deep down inside, that I was finished on 'Star Trek.' At that moment, however, I didn't care about that. Nothing else mattered — not my tarnished virtue, not my career, not my role on 'Star Trek.' The only thing that mattered was getting out of that room alive," she wrote.

Whitney died in 2015 at the age of 85.

After getting written off the show, Whitney struggled with her career, and alcoholism. She credited co-star Leonard Nimoy with helping her get back on her feet and involved with "Star Trek" once again. She reprised her role in four of the original "Star Trek" films, and in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" alongside George Takei.

She died in 2015 due to natural causes at the age of 85.

• Here's what the cast of 'Star Trek: Discovery' looks like in real life
• A 'Star Trek' writer made a 1999 prediction that absolutely nailed what technology is like today
• The 31 most underrated 'Star Trek' episodes
• RANKED: The 13 best original 'Star Trek' episodes

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What Star Trek IV's Dr. Gillian Taylor Actress Catherine Hicks Looks Like Today

Catherine Hicks had already started to gain a foothold for herself in the world of pop culture when she took on the role of Doctor Gillian Taylor in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Gillian is the level-headed gal of the '80s who finds herself in the company of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), who are visiting the past in response to a cylindrical probe that keeps wreaking havoc in the distant future. Their only hope? finding a whale and bringing it back in time with them so that they can respond to the distress call, as it matches the song of the humpback from the past. 

Gillian is a marine biologist who happens to be preparing whales for release back into the ocean. To get closer to the situation, Kirk finds himself romancing her — and Gillian ends up in his time and with his team, making a desperate last-ditch attempt at saving a future Earth.

As for Hicks, she started her career as Dr. Faith Coleridge on "Ryan's Hope." She appeared in a number of smaller movie roles — including a supporting part in "Peggy Sue Got Married" as Peggy Sue's (Kathleen Turner) friend Carol — before becoming Gillian. It was a role that taught her to stand up for herself, thanks to William Shatner's impish on-set behavior  which was all part and parcel of the infamous "Kirk Rule" that encouraged the property to remain mainly laser-focused on him . But her acting days have tapered off a bit since her time as Kirk's main squeeze — though she did manage to snag a lot of memorable parts on her way out the door.

Catherine Hicks is retired from acting

After playing Gillian Taylor, Catherine Hicks appeared in the Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron feature "Like Father, Like Son," and then took on another role that would gain her cult fame; she played Karen Barclay, Andy Barclay's (Alex Vincent) frightened mom in the first "Child's Play" film. In 1996, she went on to become a familiar face at the WB — and then the CW  — by taking on the life of Annie Camden. Hicks became the mom of the huge Camden clan when she was  cast in the family drama "7th Heaven."  She was with that long-lived series from its first season to its last. 

When the show wrapped up in 2007, she took on a series of roles in direct-to-DVD, streaming, and television films, including "A Valentine's Date" and "A Christmas Wedding Tail." Her last credited role is a voiceover role in an episode of "JJ Villard's Fairy Tales" in 2020. There's a good reason for that, as Hicks told TMZ in 2023 she's done with acting and wouldn't be interested in appearing in a reboot of "7th Heaven." But she continues to make public appearances, such as the one she made in 2022 at TCMFest to introduce a screening of "Peggy Sue Got Married." It looks like she's kicking her heels up and enjoying herself — something Gillian Taylor would highly approve of.

'Star Trek: Prodigy' is the 'Voyager' spin-off you never knew you wanted — and we love it

And you thought it was just a kids' show… Why "Prodigy" is the perfect continuation of Captain Janeway's story.

Of all the TV Treks to date, " Star Trek: Voyager " is the one with the most definitive ending. From day one, the show was on a mission to get Captain Janeway and her lost-in-space crew back from the distant Delta Quadrant. Once that objective was achieved in series finale "Endgame", however, there wasn't much left on the ledger labelled "unfinished business". The series certainly wasn't calling out for a follow-up, but two decades later it's got one — and it's great.

Okay, " Star Trek: Prodigy " isn't technically the eighth season of "Voyager", but it's undeniably the '90s show's spiritual heir. Unlike "Picard", which used its third season to deliver the perfect send-off for the "Next Generation" crew, "Prodigy" substitutes wall-to-wall nostalgia for youthful exuberance, to tell the story of a bunch of kids who stumble on a grounded Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant.

They're a likeable group seemingly focus-grouped to look good on a lunchbox. Indeed, on many levels, "Prodigy" is the quintessential Nickelodeon animation, working through a playbook that's been serving Saturday morning cartoons since the '80s. A gang of mismatched heroes with plenty to learn? Hat tip to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Characters trapped in an unfamiliar and hostile alien location? Thank you, "ThunderCats". A cute, wise and indecipherable sidekick? That'll be Brain in "Inspector Gadget". They've even brought the obligatory mentor along for the ride.

But while it would undoubtedly have been easier to set a fun, kid-friendly cartoon in a loose facsimile of the "Star Trek" universe, "Prodigy" goes all in and embraces the franchise's history with the same reverence "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels" had for the "Star Wars" movies . That aforementioned mentor is an Emergency Training Hologram based on a certain Captain Kathryn Janeway (voiced by original actor Kate Mulgrew ), and she ties the voyages of the USS Protostar to nearly six decades of "Trek" storytelling — while helping her protegés to learn the ropes, and shape the future of the universe. 

The show is ingeniously structured, drip-feeding the " Star Trek " references to keep older viewers interested without alienating new recruits. Like most of the show's younger viewers, the rag-tag crew of the Protostar (each one an extra-terrestrial) have no knowledge of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Federation. But with Janeway as their guide, their close encounters with Tribbles, the Borg and even the Kazon (Klingon-esque antagonists so lame that "Voyager" quickly left them behind) provide a gateway to "Trek"'s wider universe, plotting a course for the real story to get started.

"Prodigy" may be targeted at kids, but it's hard to imagine how any show could more embody the values of "Star Trek". As in "Voyager", the crew of the Protostar are charting a course through an unknown region of space, working as a team to science their way past the obstacles they encounter, while formulating theories that (almost) sound plausible.

As with all the best Starfleet crews, the chemistry is fantastic, all the way from conventionally cocky Dal R'El, to malleable Mellanoid slime worm Murf, and — perhaps best of all — Zero, a telepathic, non-corporeal Medusan. Their species first appeared in "Star Trek: Original Series" episode "Is There in Truth no Beauty", and they have to keep their true form hidden in a robot suit to avoid driving shipmates mad. (Just as "Voyager" did with the entirely CG Species 8472, "Prodigy" relishes the fact its alien lifeforms aren't limited by what's feasible for human actors in prosthetics.)

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The production also features none of the "it'll do…" mindset you'd once have expected from a kid-oriented spin-off. The theme is by top Hollywood composer Michael Giacchino (whose previous credits include "Rogue One", "The Batman", JJ Abrams first "Star Trek"), while the voice cast is packed with top talent like John Noble ("Fringe"), Daveed Diggs ("Snowpiercer") and Jameela Jamil ("The Good Place"). The space battles are pretty spectacular, too.

And for anyone expecting a dumbed down plot, "Prodigy"'s second season shoots preconceptions down faster than you can say "Temporal Mechanics 101". The foundations of season two were laid in season one, when the real Janeway (now a Vice Admiral, as revealed in " Star Trek: Nemesis ") learned that an experimental starship called the USS Protostar — under the command of her former first officer, Chakotay — had been located on a planetoid called Tars Lamora, and was now under the control of a bunch of fugitive kids.

Without venturing too far into spoiler territory, what follows is a complex and sophisticated story involving time loops, a first contact scenario gone horribly wrong, and an antagonist with a serious (and, arguably, understandable) grudge against Starfleet. It has monsters (known as the Loom) who can erase their victims from history, and a brief excursion to the Mirror Universe — where, yes, goatee beards are still a surefire giveaway that you're talking to a villain. It also features some refreshingly familiar voices (Robert Beltran as Chakotay, Robert Picardo as the Doctor, Ronny Cox as Admiral Jellico ), and a pivotal role for a former boy wonder who quit Starfleet to play at being Doctor Who.

If "Prodigy" is not quite "Voyager" season 8, it's definitely season 7.2, a passing of the torch to the next, next generation. This show was never about Janeway, Chakotay or the Doctor but its wonderful, cynicism-free celebration of "Star Trek" could never have worked without them. 

As this era of Starfleet deals with synth uprisings and the evacuation of Romulus — events destined to leave lasting scars on Jean-Luc Picard and the Federation — it's good to know the crew of the Prodigy are still out there, somewhere in the cosmos. There's no question they deserve a third season to see what strange new worlds they might find.

Every episode of "Star Trek: Prodigy" is available to stream on Netflix .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor. 

He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.  

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In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

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• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
• Goofs The deck locations for Kirk's Quarters, Sickbay and Transporter Room vary (usually between decks 4-7) throughout the series.

Dr. McCoy : "He's dead, Jim."

• Crazy credits On some episodes, the closing credits show a still that is actually from the Star Trek blooper reel. It is a close-up of stunt man Bill Blackburn who played an android in Return to Tomorrow (1968) , removing his latex make up. In the reel, He is shown taking it off, while an off-screen voice says "You wanted show business, you got it!"
• Alternate versions In 2006, CBS went back to the archives and created HD prints of every episode of the show. In addition to the new video transfer, they re-did all of the model shots and some matte paintings using CGI effects, and re-recorded the original theme song to clean it up. These "Enhanced" versions of the episodes aired on syndication and have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
• Connections Edited into Ben 10: Secrets (2006)
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Diana Muldaur's 3 Star Trek TOS & TNG Characters Explained

"polar opposites": robert duncan mcneill compares his 2 star trek characters, star trek: voyager’s tuvok starfleet career explained.

• Actors in minor roles in Star Trek often return to play iconic characters, showcasing the franchise's successful casting choices.
• René Auberjonois and Tim Russ, among others, had minor roles in Star Trek before landing their iconic roles in the franchise.
• The progression of characters like Dr. Katherine Pulaski, Quark, and Lt. Tom Paris highlights the versatility of Star Trek actors.

Several actors appeared in Star Trek as minor characters before being cast in their more iconic roles. The Star Trek franchise has a long history of making great casting choices, and some actors made such an impression that they were brought back to play multiple characters. With actors and characters as iconic as William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy's Spock, it's no surprise that S tar Trek actors often became most associated with just one role. This applies to characters like Odo (René Auberjonois) and Tuvok (Tim Russ) as well, but these actors had appeared in Star Trek shows before.

Many factors contribute to Star Trek's success, including the franchise's incredible characters and the actors who play them. Even with modern Star Trek prequels like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the producers have taken great care when choosing new actors to portray iconic characters. While many Star Trek characters have now been played by two (or more) actors , just as many Trek actors have portrayed multiple characters. Here are 10 Star Trek actors who popped up in the franchise before being cast in their most iconic Trek roles.

The Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained

Star Trek's timeline spans a thousand years of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, with alternate realities and time travel galore.

10 Mark Lenard

Known for portraying ambassador sarek in star trek: the original series & star trek: the next generation..

Before taking on the role of Spock's father Ambassador Sarek, Mark Lenard appeared as an unnamed Romulan Commander in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 14, "Balance of Terror." As one of the first Romulans seen on screen, Lenard's Romulan Commander shocked Captain Kirk and his crew with his Vulcan-like appearance. Although the Romulans and the Federation had been involved in a war before the events of "Balance of Terror," they had never actually seen one another.

Mark Lenard's performance as the Romulan Commander so impressed the producers of TOS that they thought of him when casting began for Spock's father, Sarek. In TOS season 2, episode 10, "Journey to Babel," Lenard originated the character of Sarek alongside his human wife and Spock's mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt). Lenard would go on to portray Sarek in three Star Trek films and one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Mark Lenard also appeared as a Klingon Captain in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , making him one of the few actors to portray a Romulan, a Vulcan, and a Klingon.

Star Trek: The Original Series

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9 Diana Muldaur

Known for portraying dr. katherine pulaski in star trek: the next generation..

Diana Muldaur is most recognizable to Star Trek fans as TNG's Dr. Katherine Pulaski, but she had previously appeared as two different characters on Star Trek: The Original Series. Muldaur's first appearance came in TOS season 2, episode 20, "Return to Tomorrow," where she played Dr. Ann Mulhall, an astrobiologist serving on the USS Enterprise. In TOS season 3, episode 5, "Is There In Truth No Beauty?," Muldaur portrays Dr. Miranda Jones, a psychologist accompanying the Medusan ambassador Kollos .

Diana Muldaur appeared in two episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series long before she took on the role of Dr. Pulaski in Star Trek: TNG.

After playing two doctors in two different TOS episodes, Muldaur took on the role of Dr. Katherine Pulaski for Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2. Although Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) had served as the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise-D, McFadden had been fired before TNG's second season. With a personality similar to Dr. Leonard McCoy's (DeForest Kelley), Pulaski didn't quite gel with the rest of TNG's cast and she left the show after only one season.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

8 armin shimerman, known for portraying quark in star trek: deep space nine..

With his portrayal of Quark in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Armin Shimerman almost single-handedly changed the perception of the Ferengi in Star Trek . But Quark was not the first Ferengi Shimerman had played. Long before the character of Quark was even conceived, Shimerman appeared as Letak, one of the first Ferengi on screen in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 5, "The Last Outpost."

Armin Shimerman had an uncredited appearance as a Betazoid gift box in TNG season 1, episode 11, "Haven."

Armin Shimerman also played Ferengi DaiMon Bractor in TNG season 2, episode 21, "Peak Performance," the commander of the Ferengi ship Kreechta. The Ferengi were initially meant to be major villains on TNG, but they came across as too humorous and were difficult to take seriously. Thankfully, Shimerman got to redeem himself with his portrayal of Quark, making the Ferengi bartender a complex and fascinating character.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

7 marc alaimo, known for portraying gul dukat in star trek: deep space nine..

As the Cardassian Gul Dukat on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Marc Alaimo consistently delivered a menacing, but captivating performance. Before appearing as Dukat, however, Alaimo popped up in several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation as various characters. Alaimo's first credited appearance was as the Romulan Tebok in TNG season 1, episode 26, "The Neutral Zone."

Alaimo had an uncredited appearance in TNG season 1, episode 7, "Lonely Among Us," as an Antican delegate named Badar N'D'D.

Marc Alaimo also played Gul Macet, one of the first Cardassians seen on screen in TNG season 4, episode 12, "Wounded." Alaimo's final appearance in TNG came in the two-parter "Time's Arrow," in which he played the human card shark, Frederick La Rouque. Alaimo would go on to appear as Gul Dukat in 35 episodes of DS9, making him one of Star Trek's most prominent Cardassian characters.

6 Max Grodénchik

Known for portraying rom in star trek: deep space nine..

Like Armin Shimerman before him, Max Grodénchik also appeared as two different Ferengi on Star Trek: The Next Generation before taking over the role of Rom on DS9. In TNG season 3, episode 19, "Captain's Holiday," Grodénchik portrayed a Ferengi named Sovak, who followed the archeologist Vash (Jennifer Hetrick) to Risa where he had a run-in with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

Later, in TNG season 5, episode 21, "The Perfect Mate," Grodénchik played the Ferengi Par Lenor, who tricked his way onto the Enterprise-D to acquire an empathic metamorph named ​Kamala (Famke Janssen). Grodénchik is, of course, most known for playing Rom, the lovable Ferengi engineer on DS9. Constantly picked on by his brother Quark, Rom eventually became the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi.

5 Robert Duncan McNeill

Known for portraying lt. tom paris in star trek: voyager..

Before taking on the role of Lt. Tom Paris in Star Trek: Voyager, Robert Duncan McNeill played Starfleet cadet Nicholas Locarno in TNG season 5, episode 19, "The First Duty." Part of the flight team known as Nova Squadron , Locarno and his friends, including Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), were involved in an accident at Starfleet Academy that killed a fellow cadet.

Robert Duncan McNeill plays Lt. Tom Paris and Nick Locarno in Star Trek, and he compares and contrasts his two identical-looking characters.

The character of Tom Paris was largely based on Nick Locarno, but Locarno's actions in "The First Duty" made him too difficult to redeem. Initially, Voyager's producers sought a different actor to portray Tom Paris, but no one was better suited than Robert Duncan McNeill. Unlike Locarno, Paris is ultimately a good guy who has made some mistakes, and he redeems himself throughout Voyager's seven seasons.

Robert Duncan McNeill returned to voice Nicholas Locarno in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, in which the former Starfleet cadet turned full villain.

Star Trek Voyager

4 rené auberjonois, known for portraying constable odo in star trek: deep space nine..

Throughout seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, René Auberjonois' Odo became one of the show's most compelling and beloved characters. Before being cast as Deep Space Nine's security officer, René Auberjonois appeared as Colonel West in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . West was a Starfleet officer involved in the conspiracy to sabotage peace talks between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

René Auberjonois' role as Colonel West went uncredited because all of his scenes were cut from the theatrical release of the film, although his scenes are included in the 2022 Blu-ray edition. Between his search for belonging, his romance with Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), and his contentious friendship with Quark, Odo has an incredible journey on DS9 and is beautifully brought to life by René Auberjonois​​​​​.

Known for portraying Lt. Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager.

Tim Russ may be most recognizable as Lt. Tuvok, but he has the distinction of being one of the few actors to have appeared in TNG, DS9, and a Star Trek film. Russ's first Trek appearance comes in TNG season 6, episode 18, "Starship Mine," in which he plays Devor, one of the mercenaries thwarted by Captain Picard. Russ then went on to portray a Klingon mercenary named T'Kar in DS9 season 2, episode 4, "Invasive Procedures."

Before taking on the role of Tuvok, Russ popped up​​​​​​​ in Star Trek Generations as a lieutenant aboard the USS Enterprise-B, who tries to beam aboard El-Aurian refugees. As the first Vulcan main cast member since Spock, Tim Russ had big shoes to fill, but he more than lived up to expectations, making Tuvok a fascinating and complex character. Russ returned as Tuvok in Star Trek: Picard season 3, to promote his fellow Voyager crew member Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).

Star Trek: Voyager's Tuvok has a long Starfleet career, from Captain Sulu's USS Excelsior, to the USS Voyager under Captain Janeway, and beyond.

2 Todd Stashwick

Known for portraying captain liam shaw in star trek: picard..

As the grumpy, but lovable Captain Liam Shaw, Todd Stashwick became the breakout star of Star Trek: Picard season 3 , but some fans may not know the actor had been in Star Trek before. In Star Trek: Enterprise season 4, episode 9, "Kir'Shara," Stashwick portrayed Talok, a Romulan working undercover as a Vulcan. Although Talok attempted to further the goals of the Romulan Star Empire and their desire to conquer Vulcan, his plan was ultimately thwarted by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula).

Todd Stashwick returned to Star Trek in Picard season 3, as the captain of the USS Titan. Having survived the devastating Battle of Wolf 359, Shaw did things by the book and was none too happy when Admiral Picard and Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) commandeered his ship. Despite an initially cold introduction, Captain Shaw developed into one of Picard season 3's most compelling and tragic characters.

Star Trek: Picard

1 elias toufexis, known for portraying l'ak in star trek: discovery..

In Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season , Elias Toufexis portrayed L'ak, the first Breen to be unmasked, but he had previously appeared in an earlier episode of the show. In Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings," Toufexis portrayed a human convict nicknamed Cold. Cold was being transferred alongside Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), and he pointed her out to his fellow inmates.

Discovery season 5 followed Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery as they searched for the powerful treasure of the Progenitors. Elias Toufexis appeared throughout the season as L'ak, a member of Breen royalty who ran away with a human courier named Moll (Eve Harlow). In their search for the Progenitors' technology, Moll and L'ak evaded the Federation for much of the season before Discovery eventually caught up with them. Elias Toufexis joins the list of actors who appeared in Star Trek before landing the role they would later become known for.

Star Trek: Discovery

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  Now, in a new interview with TV Line (conducted shortly after the July 27 SDCC panel), Simien shared how he came to be involved with the Star Trek franchise — and some of the  Trek inspiration that lead to the potential new television show.

It was actually very organic. I’ve been a ‘Star Trek’ fan my whole life; I was a Trekker before I was in any other nerd category.   Around the time of ‘Discovery,’ I just sort of befriended the folks that were making it – Alex Kurtzman, and Tawny [Newsome] was hosting this aftershow podcast thing that I was on because I was a nerd.

Simien was referring to his May 2021 appearance on  The Pod Directive , the official  Star Trek franchise podcast:

Over time, that developed into us having a comedy pitch for ‘Star Trek’ that really grew out of our organic love for those bottle episodes — especially on ‘Deep Space Nine’ — where no adventure would happen but it was mostly a character-drama-slash-comedy.   We just sort of kept riffing, and here we are. We are in development. We are in a very early stage, we don’t even have a title… but I don’t know, it’s feeling really good, I have to say.

Simien continued, sharing how the show’s pitch eschews the longform storytelling which is part of many mainstream television projects these days — including, of course, Star Trek: Discovery and  Star Trek: Picard — for more traditional, focused stories.

[With television seasons now] you’ve got thirteen episodes and you’ve got to keep that scripted arc going – but we kind of longed for those episodes that exist inside of like, a 39-episode season, you know, where you had time to hang out with Quark for a second.  We came up with a pitch out of that space, and it’s going.   DS9 is a big, big inspiration, but also – and this is true for everything [I’ve done], true for ‘Dear White People,’ even – those episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ where it wasn’t plot-heavy; it was more like you were with a character for a day and you got to see their perspective on a bigger thing.   Those were always my favorite episodes. So we decided to make a show that was made up of our favorite parts.

With a series this early in development, it may be quite some time until more news about its structure, characters, or even title becomes known — but when there’s more to share about this live-action comedy project, you can be sure to find it here at TrekCore.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for all the latest  Star Trek franchise news!

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