star trek the empath script

Star Trek (1966–1969): Season 3, Episode 12 - The Empath - full transcript

Trapped in an alien laboratory Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments.

The Empath (Episode)

Stardate 5121.0 : The landing party is used to test an empathic race.

The Enterprise journeys to the Minaran system to rescue Federation researchers Dr. Linke and Dr. Ozaba before the Minaran star goes nova . Captain Kirk , Spock , and Dr. McCoy discover recordings that show the missing scientists literally disappearing from their posts. While trying to discover what happened, the three are also seized and materialize in the presence of their abductors: Lal and Thann . Kirk and crew discover that Linke and Ozaba are dead, their bodies preserved in huge containers. The only other living being present is Gem , a young woman who cannot speak. Kirk and McCoy are taken one at a time and experimented on by Lal and Thann, resulting in terrible injuries, and they discover that Gem is an empath who can absorb their injuries and pain into her own body.

When McCoy is gravely injured, Kirk is prevented from helping him or urging Gem to cure him. Although she knows that his injuries may kill her, Gem begins to cure McCoy. The entire, apparently senseless series of brutalities is revealed as a test to determine whether or not Gem's race is worthy of being saved from a disaster that will soon engulf her entire star system, which also contains a second inhabited planet. This is the only method that Lal and Thann could devise to determine which planet's population to save, as they lack the means to save both. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are returned to the Enterprise.

Image Gallery

Surface of Minara II

Minara II outpost

Interior of Minara II outpost

Vian device

Related Data

Created by Gene Roddenberry

Starring William Shatner

Also Starring Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Written by Joyce Muskat

Directed by John Erman

Produced by Fred Freiberger

Co-Producer Robert H. Justman

Executive Producer Gene Roddenberry

Associate Producers Edward K. Milkis Gregg Peters

Guest Star Kathryn Hays as Gem

Co-Starring Alan Bergmann as Lal

James Doohan … Scott George Takei … Sulu Davis Roberts … Dr. Ozaba Jason Wingreen … Dr. Linke and Willard Sage … Thann

Story Consultant Arthur H. Singer

Theme Music by Alexander Courage

Additional Music Composed and Conducted by George Duning

Director of Photography Jerry Finnerman

Art Director Walter M. Jefferies

Film Editor … Donald R. Rode Unit Production Manager … Gregg Peters Assistant Director … Gil Kissel Set Decorator … John M. Dwyer Costumes Created by … William Ware Theiss Photographic Effects … Westheimer Company Sound Effects Editor … Douglas H. Grindstaff Music Editor … Richard Lapham Re-Recording Mixer … Gordon L. Day , C.A.S. Production Mixer … Carl W. Daniels Script Supervisor … George A. Rutter Recorded by … Glen Glenn Sound Co. Casting … Joseph D'Agosta Makeup Artist … Fred B. Phillips , S.M.A. Hair Styles … Pat Westmore Gaffer … George H. Merhoff Head Grip … George Rader Property Master … Irving A. Feinberg Special Effects … Jim Rugg

A Paramount Production In Association With Norway Corporation

Executive Vice President in Charge of Production Douglas S. Cramer

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“The Empath” Review, Screenshots and FX Video

| July 30, 2008 | By: Jeff Bond 150 comments so far

REVIEW by Jeff Bond

“The Empath” is one of those classic Trek episodes that you appreciate more as an adult than as a kid or teen, when it’s likely to play as unbearably “mushy.” But it’s illustrative of how different Trek has always been from the other science fiction shows of the period—classic Trek was unashamedly “touchy feely,” focusing on humanity’s most noble impulses and feelings.

In “The Empath” Kirk, Spock and McCoy touch down on a planet threatened by an imminent supernova (see “All Our Yesterdays”), and find a Federation research station that’s seemingly abandoned. “Security cam” footage saved in the station’s computers shows the station’s crew mysteriously disappearing (this is one of several examples on the show of security cam footage employing arty zooms and pans) before the Enterprise officers themselves disappear and find themselves deep underground in an alien research facility. There they find an attractive female mime that McCoy dubs Gem (in a strange foreshadowing for an episode based on torture, the bed Gem is found lying on looks like a giant agonizer from “Mirror, Mirror”). Soon Gem’s captors also appear: the Vians, aliens who look a lot like the Talosians from “The Cage.” They eventually hang Kirk and McCoy from the rafters (given the show’s strange, minimal sets, just exactly what the rafters are in this case is an interesting question) and torture the bejeezus out of them as we discover that Gem is an “empath” who absorbs other’s emotions and physical pain into her own body. As in many Trek episodes, the superior Vians are running a test—but in this case the subjects aren’t the Enterprise crew and by turn humanity, but Gem and her race, with the Vians seeking to discover whether she is willing to sacrifice her life for her newfound friends Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Like “Spectre of the Gun,” “The Empath” showcases an odd, stage bound theatricality, from Kathryn Hays’ pantomime performance as Gem to the strange minimalist sets, achieved by blacking out the stage floor, curtaining off the walls and lighting to create the effect of a pure black, featureless environment marked by “floating” set pieces including Gem’s bed and the Vians’ laboratory equipment. This was a technique often used on Lost in Space and Irwin Allen’s other sci fi TV shows of the period but rarely on Star Trek—in fact the sets, lab sound effects and even the Vians’ costumes seem much more like something out of Lost in Space than Trek. There are other stylistic touches that are out of character for Trek, notably the use of slow motion in an exterior scene involving the illusion that the landing party is about to be rescued by Scotty.

“The Empath” is all about caring, but there is some condescension in the way Gem is treated that echoes the “Mary Sue” approach of some later Trek episodes—McCoy especially seems instantly charmed by and concerned for Gem despite having little or no idea exactly who and what she is (although Spock does remind him that the sandbats of Maynart IV appear to be inanimate rock crystals before they attack…) and the doctor immediately raises the need to find a catchy name for her to Priority One. There’s a sense that this is more about her appearing to be a helpless, pretty “girl” rather than an alien and you have to wonder how Kirk, Spock and McCoy would treat Gem if she were male instead of female. On the other hand, while it’s unstated in the episode, women are often considered to be more “empathic” and nurturing then men so it’s somewhat of a natural choice to portray Gem this way.

Some of what appears to be clumsy plot development in the story winds up making perfect sense when we see what the Vians are trying to achieve—the fact that they tell the Enterprise officers how their force field works, giving them the key to their eventual escape, the fact that they label their experiments in English so Kirk and the others can read and divine what’s about to happen to them, and the fact that they allow the humans to obtain one of their “control units” all plays into their manipulation. And “The Empath” does pay off as an illustration of one of Trek’s key strengths, the unstated but effectively portrayed “love” between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Probably the warmest moment between Spock and McCoy in the entire series occurs in the aftermath of McCoy’s torture as the camera holds on a shot of Spock’s deeply concerned expression as he holds his hand to McCoy’s head, with a touched McCoy weakly responding “You’ve got a good bedside manner, Spock.” Gem herself expresses the affection between the characters with a warm and silent smile as she watches them vie to be the first to sacrifice themselves for the others earlier in the story.

Another Trek staple that works better here than in some other episodes is the way Kirk manages to change the Vians’ behavior with an imploring speech—this one makes particular sense given what the aliens want out of Gem; for them to refuse to show mercy and compassion when they value it so highly in others is a critical contradiction.

All that said, “The Empath” still registers sometimes as overly sentimental and it gilds the lily with its talky final scene on the bridge in which Kirk and McCoy have to admit that they were “awed” by Gem and Scotty unloads his “story of the merchant”—Trek often presented the moral of the story verbally but after such an effective wrap-up this coda seems like more hand-holding than an intelligent viewer really needs.

With most of the episode set underground there are few spaceship shots in “The Empath,” but in addition to their usual additions of a new planet, CBS-D puts their efforts in other directions—there’s a more realistic view of the star system’s sun with visible solar flares and most importantly, the team has worked to smooth out the transitions in the makeup effects that are used to illustrate Gem’s empathic powers. When Star Trek was originally filmed this kind of effect hadn’t changed much from the thirties and forties when films like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Wolf Man showed transformations by fading between shots of different stages of theatrical makeup. While it worked for audiences of the time, the approach requires loads of suspension of disbelief. Because of the big changes in the look of the static makeups between shots, and even changes in the position of the subject and the sudden appearance or disappearance of hair, the technique has the aspect more of a magical quality than something organic. Here the impact of CBS-D’s digital “smoothing” of the effects is considerable as it actually adds quite a bit of emotional power to the growth of scars and bruises on Gem’s fragile facial features. It’s too bad this couldn’t have been employed for the healing scenes in “Miri” as well but the addition here is one of CBS-D’s more effective fixes.

SFX VIDEO by Matt Wright

SCREENSHOTS by Matt Wright

Remastered vs. Original

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Boy, this episode was always a tough one to swallow!

Eh. This one always felt phoned-in.

sound stage city

I guess I’m in the minority who liked this show, even as a kid in the 1970s. The stage-iness is part of the mood and the charm; Gem was oddly appealing in her muteness; and the Big Three had some great moments.

Sure, it’s no “Balance of Terror” or “City on the Edge…”, but it’s also far from the “Spock’s Brain” and “Children Shall Lead” end of the spectrum.

Uh oh. I always liked this one as a kid. But I was a wierd kid.

Never liked this episode. The merchant story that Scotty paraphrases is from the Gosples. Jesus used it as a parable. I like how trek writers lift material from scripture but given the show’s humanist bent would never properly give due credit. “Bread and Circuses” being a notable exception.

I love this episode. Reminds me of the last season of Batman.

so i guess its obvious that these guys are based on the talosians? i remember having an old copy of the cage i taped from BBC2, anyone remember the talosians voices changing from scene to scene> lol from high to loww and slowww

5. I still like this one, probably because it did feel theatric, more like a play than a television episode.

ive got to be in the mood for this episode. it has some really good moments but its very surreal.

I think this episode was one of four of TOS banned by the BBC here in Great Britain for many years before it was finally shown to UK audiences.

many thanks Greg UK

I loved some of the new music created for this episode.

Funny how Jeff nailed the fact that the platform looked like a giant agonizer. As many times as I’ve seen this episode over the years, I never picked up on that until I watched the remastered episode last weekend.

““The Empath” is one of those classic Trek episodes that you appreciate more as an adult than as a kid or teen,”

1. “Boy, this episode was always a tough one to swallow!”

Agreed Harry. I hated it as a kid and it really made for a lousy afternoon after school when I discovered, “Oh man!”, this was the one that was on. I just found it gory and sadistic. I couldn’t believe any race could be that way.

I do remember an ailing Deforest Kelly telling on those SciFi extras in between the commercials that this was one of his favorites because of the approach and art direction. Again, to quote Jeff Bond….I can appreciate them all on a different level these days.

Always loved this episode, when I was a kid I was very curious as to how Gem survived the pain, it looked so gruesome to me back then!

#8: The voices of The Talosians changed in pitch only during the “pieced together” version of “The Cage” that had both black and white and colour footage, this was before the “lost colour footage” was “found”. It’s been so long since I have seen the entire colour version of The Cage that i can’t remember if they kept the pitch correct throughout that one. On the original “Managerie”, their voices were re-dubbed at a lower pitch (and re-voiced), there was a post here a while back about the guy who played Commodore Mendez being one of the re-dubbed voices), and the main Talosian voice in the original “Cage” was the late Meg Wyle herself.

The story and dialog has some holes, but it’s heavy on the McCoy, so I still enjoy it. And like Paul, I liked the black box set. It manages to make me feel closed in, yet suspicious of what may be lurking in the darkness.

I think this was one of the ones the BBC dropped from showing because it was No Good

Oh boy More Mars like Planets!

No Season 2 Box-Set in UK???? What’s wrong? Season 2 only available in US-Stores next week? Why is it impossible to tell us the european release-date????

I’ll try to not ever say this again, but boy am I tired of the “realistic” planets!!

I’ll give it to them that the makeup transitions look great. Makes the episode better, even. However, whats with CBS and their hatred of over exposing shots? The new sun looks far less menacing than the old. Like a planet.

i am very impressed with the high def video clip shown above for this episode. if that’s what the remastered episodes looks like, I might change my mind and get the DVD.

I always liked this episode and still do. it made a whole lot of sense to me, even as a kid.

This may be the only original series episode that I’ve never seen all the way through. And, because I didn’t set my VCR correctly last weekend, I still only saw the last 15 minutes.

But as a kid, I’d read the James Blish adaptation, so I staged it in my head. I knew it was set in a pitch dark, nearly featureless underground cavern, so I pictured it as a dark place I knew — my grandmother’s spooky basement. Thereafter, when I’d go into that basement, I’d be expecting to see those tubes with the dead scientists in them. Yikes!

But last weekend, with the bit I did see… as Jeff ponders above, I wondered what the empath would have been like if it had been male instead of female. More to the point, I wondered, what if the Empath looked like the Vians(Talosians), and the captors torturing them were typican Trekian alien babes? Be an interesting change in the dynamic of the episode.

I miss the split-screen “comparison” videos!

The aliens in Lost in Space’s “Invaders from the Fifth Dimension” appear to be related to the Vians.

“(this is one of several examples on the show of security cam footage employing arty zooms and pans)” — I think it was mentioned in the review for “And the Children Shall Lead” that the reviewer didn’t see how the tricorder could take shots of the subject that contained the tricorder itself. Neil Stephenson makes a very believable for nanotechnology employing camera obscurae (sp?) of only a few molecules in size. Essentially, there would be no need for a fixed camera; you would get an indefinite number of tiny low powered cameras flying around.

Point is — if Trek ’09 is to use the three basic tools — phaser, communicator, tricorder — then each has to show us something that doesn’t exist in 2008. There are opportunities to do that and blow us out of our socks. I think JJ will.

re: better transitions and “It’s too bad this couldn’t have been employed for the healing scenes in “Miri” as well ” — As I’ve repeatedly said, I doubt this is the last time we’ll see a revamp of TOS. CBS-D has broken some important ground, but another complete pass would be nice to finish the job. I mean really, Paramount is making a mint off this 40+ year old property. COME ON.

Anyway, thanks Jeff. I always thought this one had a nice creepy beginning, then got sloooooow through the middle. Yes, I agree that this one is the most Lost In Space-like ep. I like Scotty’s little Gaelic storytelling at the end, but maybe that’s just me.

believable case for…

This one was one of my favorites… to the contrary of the popular opinion on it..

Yeah this was one of the ‘banned’ episodes in the UK for years. Probably until the 90s. It was released on a rental VHS along with ‘Miri’ the other banned episode in the UK. Renting the video in the 80s was the only way to see these episodes.

Oh, and the Talosians were all played by chicks. The Vians are dudes — with no dates. No wonder they’re grumpy.

10 — yes Beeb did restrict it because it thought the Kirk hanging/torture too strong. I like it’s theatrical feel. I watched for the first time the last but one episode of the Prisoner with just Pat McGoohan and Leo McKern in a very play like surreal script and theatrical set which also worked brilliantly with strong allegories to modern life and the individual fitting in to society etc (exec prod, written and directed by McGoohan too), very Trek like.

13 I can also remember reading De’s comments about this being one of his favourites with its theatrical prod design somewhere in an Starlog article I think years ago.

A big part of Trek and its appeal was is theatrical/Shakespearean feel and connections, hope this is not forgotten in the new film.

The set doesn’t just SEEM to be out of “Lost in Space,” the tubes holding Ozaba and Linke ARE from “Lost in Space.” They are, in fact, the freezing tubes from the Jupiter II, which can be identified by their crowns and pedestals. Five of these tubes are seen simultaneously in “The Empath,” six would have been available as old props from LIS.

Apparently, one year after LIS left the air, Star Trek felt it was safe to rent some of its props from 20th Century Fox.

As for the giant “agonizer”-shaped bed, it is actually the Eymorg conference table from “Spock’s Brain.” The base of the table was either cut off, or, more likely, the carpeted pedestal was built around it.

I think I have those stairs b4, which episode? Other than all the time Irwin Allen used them. The holding tubes for the crew, look like the freezing tubes from LIS.

This has to be one of the lowest budget episode of the whole series. Very few cast, no stage, and very little props. But not the worse episode by any means.

I’m pretty sure that CBS-D did touch up the healing “morph” shots in “Miri.”

I believe that a similar spiral metal staircase shows up as the way into the underground portion of Yonada in “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky.”

25. CmdrR “I like Scotty’s little Gaelic storytelling at the end”

As #6 Roger points out, Scotty’s little story was actually one of Jesus’ parables.

13. Andy Patterson “I do remember an ailing Deforest Kelly telling on those SciFi extras in between the commercials that this was one of his favorites because of the approach and art direction”

“Star Trek Special Edition”! I can’t believe I forgot all about that! Strange that CBS/Paramount hasn’t included any of those interviews as extras in the DVD box sets. Same with the Patrick Stewart-narrated documentary that accompanied the “All-Color” version of “The Cage” that debuted just before the 2nd season of TNG. I always felt that little doc was far better than the lame anniversary ‘celebration’ shows that came in the years following it (the 25th anniversary show, the lame show that accompanied the TNG finale, and especially that *awful* Star Trek Honors show with Kenny G and some opera diva singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” plus that painful-to-watch Trek skit with the cast of “Frasier”).

RE: The agonizer bed

Glad to see I’m not the only one whoever noticed this! Genius bit of self-referencing (whether intentional or not).

The new close up of the sun looked even more fake than the original. It looked like a static painting. I didn’t care for it.

I love the planets the guys at CBS-D are doing.. MUCH better than the ones that they originally had. I love the realism to them.

I was watching an old episode on SPACE here in Canada… wow… you can see the choma key shadows of the enterpise as it orbits… the planets look horrible and unbelievable. But then again.. AT THE TIME, it was advanced and spectacular.

I look forward to purchasing the remastered series and watching the full episodes. Everything looks great in them!

I never cared for this episode. Call me a Philistine.

Also, it’s “gild” the lily, not “guild” the lily.

Lod Garth’s FAAAAAVorite episode

If JJ and company watched this episode and used it as a basis on how to treat the big 3. Their humanity, courage, sacrifice and hetero brotherly love for one another they will do well

WAY TOO MANY TORTURE SCENES THAT WENT NOWHERE…

…helped make “The Empath” seem as if it was being written as it went along. I never thought it was as BAD as some make it out to be… just irritatingly unfocused.

cbs does a great job with planets but they have no talent for anything else

This is not Lost In Space, it’s The Outer Limits “Nightmare”. Check the credits for both: directed by John Erman.

#31, There was also a hexagonal viewscreen (with rounded corners) on the set that was either from Land of the Giants or Lost In Space…not sure which, but definitely from one or the other.

I recognized it being in The Empath when watching my Irwin Allen DVDs recently…

#37 – I represent the Lily Pop Guild.

I always liked this episode. The low-fi production design forces you to pay attention to the acting and the dialogue, and in that way “The Empath” always reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone. Serling could get enormous mileage out of two or three sets, some well written dialogue and a handful of quality performers.

oh and the score is beautiful

STILL wish that they’d made the ‘remastered’ Enterprise a far LIGHTER shade overall, throughout the episodes…. The comparison shots here really show how much ‘whiter’ the original looked overall. And I don’t ever recall seeing ‘grey’ merchandise of the ‘E’ either….

41. I was just about to mention the similarity to “Nightmare,” which is quite a bit creepier than the “Empath.” Amazing that it’s the same director, though his style is certainly a big clue.

I also find Gem a bit like the Eloi in the 1960’s “The Time Machine.” Attractive, not very verbal, and really in need of developing an instinct for self sacrifice.

I always loved this episode! Spock’s reaction to McCoy’s hypo shot is priceless.

…the adventure continues….

ahhhh… reminds me of me boyhood boarding school…

St. Lulubell’s Co-Ed School For Misfit Boys by tha’ Isle o’ Eel… vast dark open spaces, strange blokes in robes running aboot, tha’ only women thar’ havin’ taken a vow o’ silence, showin’ strong emotion gets ya’ confined ta’ quarters, indiscriminate torture of alien life forms to (offical story) make them feel human, and a Scotsman relatin’ Bible stories…

tha’ best o’ times… tha’ worst o’ times… These days, iffi I had any, I would just send me kids ta’ bandcamp…

Arrrrrrrr…

on a more pedestrian note did anyone think the way they treated Gem was truly outrageous?

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Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise are sent to a planet called Minara II to help the Medusans, a remote and reclusive species of non-corporeal energy beings. On the planet, they meet a young woman named Gem, who is the last survivor of an ancient race known as the Vians. Gem is an empath, meaning she has the ability to absorb the pain and suffering of others into herself and then heal them.

When the Enterprise crew arrives, they are surprised to find that the Medusans are not quite as reclusive as they had thought. Instead, they are a peaceful people, although they are persecuted by a neighboring race called the Vians who are intent on wiping them out. The Medusans are too weak to defend themselves against the Vians, so they turn to the Enterprise crew for help.

Kirk agrees to help the Medusans, but before they can act, Gem is taken prisoner by the Vians. Gem is brought to their leader, Thann, who tells her that the Vians have discovered a powerful weapon that can destroy the Medusans. He demands that Gem use her empath powers to help the Vians find the weapon. Gem refuses, but Thann refuses to let her go until she agrees to his demands.

Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise must now find a way to rescue Gem without provoking the Vians. To that end, Spock comes up with a plan to create a device that will mask the Enterprise’s presence and allow them to pass through the Vians’ defenses undetected. Kirk and Spock take the device into the Vians’ base, while the rest of the crew distracts the Vians from their mission.

Meanwhile, Gem uses her empath powers to heal the Vians’ wounded and Thann is so impressed that he spares her life. With the Vians diverted, the Enterprise crew is able to locate the weapon and destroy it, saving the Medusans from extinction.

In the aftermath of the mission, Gem reveals that the weapon was created by her own people, the Vians, in order to destroy her own species. She is devastated by this revelation and decides to stay on Minara II in order to help the Medusans rebuild.

The crew of the Enterprise returns home, proud of their accomplishment and of the selfless courage displayed by Gem. They realize that, thanks to her empathy and kindness, they have been able to save a species from extinction. The crew of the Enterprise have also learned a valuable lesson: that the power of empathy can be a powerful weapon against prejudice and hatred.

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Recap / Star Trek S3 E12 "The Empath"

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Original air date: December 6, 1968

The Power Trio beams down to a planet in the Minaran system to rescue a pair of Federation scientists before the sun goes supernova. The scientists are nowhere to be found, but an audio/visual record they left behind reveals they seem to have vanished into thin air accompanied by an earthquake and an ear splitting buzz. Soon, our heroes are experiencing the same thing.

Fade from black . Spock's reading indicates that they are either on the set of a minimalist avant-garde play, or they're several miles below the planet's crust. They find a lovely brunette with a pixie cut and a diaphanous gown taking a nap. They wake her up to find that she is mute. Bones decides to call her Gem. (No relation to a truly outrageous pop star , or a young character from To Kill a Mockingbird , or a hyper active and immature power ranger ). Soon after, they are introduced to their hosts, a pair of Sufficiently Advanced Aliens named Thann and Lal. (No relation to a certain android who learned to feel )

Doctors Ozaba and Linke are now physicians under glass. Lal and Thann maintain that they had nothing to do with their deaths . They have experiments to do, and now they have three new lab rats. They even have neatly labeled glass cases in the event that they don't survive the experiments!

The Tropath:

Act of True Love : Each of the Power Trio attempts to sacrifice himself to protect his friends. Kirk intends to give himself up to the Vians to keep Spock and McCoy from having to go through the Cold-Blooded Torture they would inflict on them; Spock fully means to do the same once Kirk is sedated, making him the highest-ranking officer on the mission. Then McCoy sedates Spock and sacrifices himself to protect him and Kirk . He lives, thanks to outside interference, but he did not know that that would happen.
All There in the Script : Though identified as Thann and Lal in the closing credits, the two Vians are never called by their proper names on-screen.
In the teaser, one of the doomed scientists calls the planet a "godforsaken place" just before the earthquake hits. His colleague quotes from the Book of Psalms , and jokingly suggests that God is registering an objection.
At the end, Scotty paraphrases the parable of the Pearl of Great Price from Matthew's Gospel .
Blue-and-Orange Morality : The Vians must have some form of compassion if they are willing to rescue a race from a supernova sun. Yet, their test to see which one is more worthy of saving is needlessly cruel.
Book Ends : The scientists quote a Bible passage during the teaser, while Scotty recounts the story of the Pearl of Great Value, which while not identified as such, originates as another passage at the end.
Everything is fanservice to somebody.
Cobweb of Disuse : The research station has dust and cobwebs everywhere note so we know the planet has spiders — will the Vians transport them and other life forms as well? to show how long it's been since the scientists disappeared. One of the away team does the traditional pick-up-an-object-and-blow-dust-off-it to emphasize the point.
Cold-Blooded Torture : The Vians call it an "experiment".
Cute Mute : Gem, with her pixie cut and modest if diaphanous outfit, is more cute than sultry. Her constantly startled expression adds to her cuteness. She has no vocal cords and never utters a sound, even her weeping being silent.
Deadpan Snarker : The values of emotion are discussed in the epilogue. Spock is told that perhaps Vulcans could learn something about the importance of emotion. "I shall give the thought all the consideration it is due." Spock replies. Bones' compliment of Spock's bedside manner could count as a deadpan snark as well.
Description Cut : While the Enterprise waits out the solar storms, Scotty figures that Kirk and the gang are all right. Cut to Kirk getting tortured, while Spock and McCoy are next.
Emotions vs. Stoicism : A major theme of this episode. The force field Kirk and Spock are kept behind is triggered by their emotions. Spock is able to suppress his enough to walk through it.
The Empath : Well, duh! Look at the title! However, it is implied that the Vians may have given Gem her powers (there's a short scene where they are using their devices to somehow alter her).
Empathic Healer : Gem, and her decision of whether to risk her life to save Dr. McCoy is a major plot point.
Friendship Moment : Bones knocks out both Kirk and Spock in order to sacrifice himself to the Enemy of the Week.
Healing Hands : Gem has to touch people, and let their pain flow momentarily into her, in order to heal them.
Hell Is That Noise : The sound that attacks everyone's eardrums just before they disappear and awaken in the Vians' "lab" for want of a better word.
Heroic Sacrifice : Kirk offers himself up to save Gem and his friends. While Kirk is sedated, Spock declares himself in charge of the mission and decides that he will give himself over to the Vians. Bones sedates Spock and offers himself up. Gem's entire race will be destroyed if she is not willing to sacrifice herself to heal Bones.
Hey, You! : Name dropped when Bones defends his idea of calling the female alien Gem with "It's a lot better than 'Hey you'."
Homeworld Evacuation : The star of the Minara system is about to go nova. A group of highly advanced aliens known as the Vians can save the population of only one of the planets in the system. They decide to determine which planet's population will be saved by putting a member of each population through a Secret Test .
Hope Spot : Hey, look! Scotty and a pair of Red Shirts are here to save us! Nope, just a mirage set up by those darn Vians.
Humans Are Special : That's what the Vians learn from their "experiments". Thankfully, this also convinces them to save Gem and the other Minarans after all, in addition to healing McCoy.
I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder : Bones, complaining about the underground lair they're imprisoned in, says that he's a doctor, not a coalminer. Later, when Spock tries to get him to help with a captured alien device, he adds that he's not a mechanic either, but without using the whole phrase.
Liquid Assets : Gem can heal others, but suffers concurrent damage to herself. If she heals someone badly enough injured, she could die.
Making the Choice for You : The Vians give Captain Kirk a Sadistic Choice: which of his officers will be subjected to torture. If Dr. McCoy is chosen there's an 87% chance he will die, but if Mr. Spock is chosen there's a 93% chance he will suffer permanent insanity. Dr. McCoy makes the decision for Kirk by injecting him with a sedative, then injects Spock with a sedative when he decides to sacrifice himself and go.
Moral Myopia : Gem has to die to prove she's worthy of life?! Well, to prove her people are worthy of it, but still...
More Expendable Than You : The Vians intend to use either Spock or Bones for an experiment that is highly likely to cause death or permanent insanity. Spock declares that he is volunteering; Bones overrules that decision with a sneak knockout shot.
My Brain Is Big : The alien Vians are much more intelligent than Earthlings and have the bulging heads to prove it.
Never My Fault : When accused of killing the two scientists, the Vians insist it was their own physical weaknesses that killed them. It was their fault for not being immortal!
Noodle Incident : Bones mentions that the sleeping woman they find looks harmless. Spock points out that people have said the same before being attacked by rock crystals. When the Hell did that happen, Spock?
Ontological Mystery : How did we get here? This is not our red sheeted bed. This is not our beautiful healer. These are not our specimen jars. (OK, they have our names on them....)
Parting-from-Consciousness Words : "My decision still stands" says Spock when Bones shoots him up with a sedative, taking the decision of who will be tortured out of Spock's hands. (He was going to offer himself.) "Good bedside manner, Spock." Bones tells Spock just before he passes out from his injuries.
Discussed in the episode. Kirk actually suggests to the Vians that Gem could heal Bones just enough to keep the injuries from being fatal, and that would be sufficient. They reply back that it's not enough to just heal him—she must be willing to sacrifice her life to do so, to reveal the depth of her (and her species') capacity for compassion. The Vians just ain't gonna be happy unless SOMEONE dies in the process... They do finally take Spock's point note "It is complete. Gem has earned the right of survival for her planet. She offered her life." that she's already shown herself more than willing to do it, and they heal McCoy, pick her up and leave.
Prematurely Marked Grave : The Power Trio find two scientists dead in experiment cases and three more cases with their names.
Psychic Powers : Gem has them in the form of Healing Hands . It is unknown whether other members of her race have this ability or if she is unique.
Reckless Gun Usage : Kirk, telling someone you're not going to hurt them would be a lot more convincing if you weren't pointing a phaser at them. He does this twice.
Rubber-Forehead Aliens : Lal and Thann. Seriously, Will, what's up with the glittery Hefty bags?
Sadistic Choice : Kirk is told he must give either Spock or Bones up to be tortured as he was earlier. He decides to Take a Third Option and offers himself.
Screw You, Elves! : Kirk gives Lal and Thann a good Him Summation when the "experiment" is finally over.
Secret Test : The Vians can save only one planet when the sun goes supernova and wanted to see if Gem's people were worth saving, all based on her decision to save another's life.
Shirtless Scene : Kirk's torture (but not McCoy's).
Single Tear : Gem sheds one when she realizes what these three men are willing to go through for each other. She breaks down in tears when she finds out just how tough it will be to heal Bones' extensive injuries.
Some Kind of Force Field : Prevents our heroes from interfering with the "experiment".
Stock Footage : The footage of the sun Minara is re-used from " Operation: Annihilate! ".
Tareme Eyes : Gem is a rare live-action example.
Unwanted Rescue : McCoy uses what's left of his strength to push Gem away so that she won't sacrifice herself. McCoy: Jim, I can't destroy life, even if it's to save my own. I can't.
The Voiceless : Gem. Justified in that she has no vocal cords.
You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious : After the power trio's escape to the surface, McCoy refers to the captain as "Kirk," a rare deviation from the usual.
You Said You Would Let Them Go : Said by Kirk after he offers himself up to the Vians. Bones and Spock are, as they say, safe. For now.
Star Trek S3 E11 "Wink of an Eye"
Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek S3 E13 "Elaan of Troyius"

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ArchivesSpace at the University of Iowa

Star Trek Scripts: The Empath, 1968

Creation: 1968
From the Collection: Hansen, R. Karen (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

From the Collection: 15.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Physical Storage Information

Box: 59 (Text)

Repository Details

Part of the University of Iowa Special Collections Repository

Collection organization

Star Trek Scripts: The Empath, 1968, Item 1, Box: 59. R. Karen Hansen Fanzine Collection, MsC0966. University of Iowa Special Collections.

Cite Item Description

Star Trek Scripts: The Empath, 1968, Item 1, Box: 59. R. Karen Hansen Fanzine Collection, MsC0966. University of Iowa Special Collections. https://aspace.lib.uiowa.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/188516 Accessed April 18, 2024.

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Star Trek : "Wink Of An Eye"/"The Empath"

Joyce Muskat

View history

Joyce Muskat wrote the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode " The Empath ".

A fan of TOS, her unsolicited script for "The Empath" was read by Robert H. Justman , who recommended to producer Fred Freiberger that the script be bought. To date, it is her only sale to television.

External links [ ]

Joyce Muskat at Wikipedia
Joyce Muskat at the Internet Movie Database

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Star Trek – The Empath (Review)

This July and August, we’re celebrating the release of Star Trek Beyond by taking a look back at the third season of the original Star Trek . Check back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the latest update.

Like Is There in Truth No Beauty? before it, The Empath is very much “weird big ideas” version of Star Trek .

It is a simple story, as Kirk and his away team visit a planet in a star system about to go nova. It deals with fairly universal themes, like compassion and humanity. There are stakes, there are aliens, there is a test of worthiness. In many ways, The Empath is a quintessential Star Trek episode, one of those classic “humanity proves their worth to a powerful alien species” narratives in the style of Arena or Spectre of the Gun . The biggest deviation from that template is the fact that it is not humanity on trial; it is an unknown species represented by an anonymous mute.

The triumvirate triumphant.

However, The Empath works in large part due to this simplicity. There is an elegance to the story, one that distils a lot of core Star Trek ideals down to their very essence. The Empath is very much a “humans are special” story, in the vein of episodes like Lonely Among Us or The Last Outpost . However, it works better than most of these stories because it hits on a very strong core idea. The Empath suggests that what makes humanity special is not necessarily unique or intrinsic or intangible. According to The Empath , what makes humanity special is pretty basic.

As the title implies, humanity’s greatest virtue might be its empathy or its compassion.

Although humanity also offers “Shirtless Shat.”

The Empath works in large part due to its elegance and its simplicity. The set-up is fairly simple, established through the exposition of the opening log entry. The Minara star is entering a “critical period” of its “nova phase.” The Enterprise has been ordered to evacuate a research facility before the star goes nova and consumes everything in the system. When the Enterprise picks up a “gigantic solar flare” , it is forced to withdraw to a safe distance. Kirk and his party are left alone on the surface of the planet.

Inevitably, Kirk discovers that the researchers are not where they are supposed to be. Instead, they have been abducted by an alien species. Kirk and his away team are abducted by the same aliens, and subjected to a battery of brutal tests while an anonymous alien mute watches silently. Kirk finds himself wrestling with impossible questions of sacrifice and compassion as the sinister alien overseers confront him with one difficult choice after another. Lives hang in the balance, as the nature of the test slowly becomes clear.

Researching the research party.

It is a stock Star Trek plot, the kind of story that Gene Roddenberry would use in Encounter at Farpoint to launch Star Trek: The Next Generation almost two decades later. However, what is striking about The Empath is the sheer unrelenting purity of its plot. This is an episode with a minimum of superfluous or distracting material. The outline of the story is established with ruthless efficiency in the opening minute of the teaser; Kirk explains about the star going nova, and Scott immediately has the ship withdraw to “minimum distance for absolute safety.”

This efficiency is reflected in other aspects of the script. The episode’s primary guest star is Kathryn Hays as Gem, the alien who finds herself caged up with the leading trio. As the climax of the episode reveals, Gem is primarily there to observe the activities of the Enterprise crew. “You were her teachers,” Lal states at the climax. The Empath doubles down on this idea. Reinforcing the suggestion that Gem is there to watch and learn, the episode reveals that the character is mute. As such, her abilities to actively contribute are minimised.

Empath to glory.

Actor Kathryn Hays quite enjoyed the experience of working on Star Trek , finding the role rewarding and the technical aspects of the production quite fascinating :

I’ve often thought that was an interesting role for me to play. I loved playing that. It was technically very interesting. That show was fascinating to work on from a technical point of view. It was so different from a regular show.

Indeed, it is telling that Hays should mention the technical aspects of the episode. The Empath takes the simplicity of its premise and carries that all the way through, right down to the production design.

No need to be (Mc)Coy about it.

The bulk of The Empath unfolds upon a very distinctive set, particularly by the standards of Star Trek . The space is mostly blacked out and half-formed. There are occasionally items of furniture to be distinguished from the all-encompassing blackness; there are gigantic tubes, a sofa, a laboratory table, a readout. All of these items seem to have been conjured up from nothing, from the surrounding darkness. When Kirk and McCoy are tortured later in the episode, they are suspended from chains that seem to reach upwards into an infinity void.

The set design on The Empath mirrors that of Spectre of the Gun . There is a sense of abstraction, as if the characters have stepped into a world that is not fully formed. There is an absurdist quality to it, recalling the more visually creative touches of British sixties science-fiction like Doctor Who or The Prisoner . To some extent, British broadcasters embraced those designs because they were cost effective. With The Empath , that style of production design had a similar appeal to the production team. The third season of Star Trek was looking to save money.

Broken Bones.

The set design on The Empath is one of the episode’s most memorable features. When Starlog asked actor DeForest Kelley to single out his favourite episodes of the original run, he immediately jumped to The Empath :

Another one that I like very much, that I enjoy, is The Empath. That was an interesting show because it was done on a huge soundstage all blacked out. It was a very theatrical production, the only lights were pinpoint wipes that were spotting us and we had great fun doing it.

If the premise of The Empath is quintessential Star Trek , then the production design on the episode is much more unique. The Empath is an episode that lingers in the memory.

Running just as fast as he can.

At the same time, the consciously stagey design of The Empath captures a lot what is so distinctive and effective about the production of the original Star Trek show. The underground prison is very obviously a blacked-out sound stage, but the truth is that the production values on Star Trek were never enough to render alien environments in a particularly convincing manner. Even when Kirk and the away team leave the prison to enter the cave system, the cave system looks like a stage. Even when they reach the surface, the surface looks like a studio.

This is particularly apparent in the third season of the show. After all, budget cuts forced the cast and crew to work primarily on soundstages; The Paradise Syndrome and All Our Yesterdays were the only episodes that shot on location. All other planet surfaces had to be represented through set design. It is very difficult for standing sets to look natural. This has always been the case, even in earlier seasons. This is not to complain, this is simply to make an observation. The production design on Star Trek always felt slightly abstract, representational rather than literal.

“Production budget? What production budget?”

As Mervyn Nicholson argues, there is a very clear aesthetic divide between the original Star Trek series and the live action series that would follow :

There is an obvious difference between Star Trek, the original show, and the successor series and movies. And that is that they look so different. In terms of the look, there is a definite dividing line between the origin and what came after. The first series looks primitive, even quaint — not much more than “a lot of orange paint [and] plastic plants” — by comparison with the successor series, with their sophisticated special effects and updated styling. The computers in the original series appear to be plywood painted grey. The revolution in special effects came after the first series, and affected both the movies and the TV series that succeeded it. But the difference in style is much more than just special effects and, by the 1980s, changes in fashion and production values. The ’60s, the period of Star Trek, were long gone in a cultural sense, as well as in terms of visual fashions and production values. The original series has a definite look, a style. This look is not the mere consequence of what are today obsolete production techniques. By treating the style of the original series as integral to the show — and not as a kind of regrettable defect — we can get a better grasp on the Star Trek phenomenon itself. Typically, people talk about themes and characters, while the visual style is regarded with a patronizing sense of its quaintness. In fact, however, the look of Star Trek is deeply interesting in its own right.

The later series put a much greater emphasis on verisimilitude than the original Star Trek had, with the more abstract production design of episodes like The Thaw standing in stark contrast to the general look and feel.

They’re even vacuum-packed.

In some respects, it is interesting to wonder if the lack of detail on the sets of the original Star Trek simply reflected the reality of television production at the time. After all, television sets were a lot smaller during the middle decades of the twentieth century and broadcast reception was a lot rougher during the sixties. As such, set detail was a lot less important for sixties television shows than it would have been in later decades. Audiences at home were unlikely to be watching on sixty-inch high definition plasma television sets.

After all, a lot of the production design choices on Star Trek were made in the context of contemporary media technology. This is most obvious in the show’s use of colour. When Star Trek was first broadcast, colour television was a novelty. However, the show seemed designed for colour more than black-and-white. There was less emphasis on the sharp visual contrast associated with black-and-white cinematography, while the production design used all manner of bold and distinctive colour to give the series a unique visual flair.

Shadows and symbols.

In Inside Star Trek , Herb Solow argued that Star Trek benefited from its proud use of colour in its production design early in its first season:

However, in December 1966, with Star Trek having been on the air only three months, an NBC executive called with some news. The Nielsen research indicated that Star Trek was the highest-rated color series on television. I distributed the information to the Star Trek staff. We thought it was all very interesting, nothing to write home about, and went back to work. We were wrong; we failed to see the importance of the research.

Perhaps those initial and subsequent Nielsen color series ratings contributed to giving Star Trek a second year of life. Putting aside low national ratings and lack of sponsors, perhaps a reason for renewing Star Trek, other than all the phone calls, letters, and demonstrations at NBC, was its position as the top-rated color series on the ‘full color network.’ NBC’s parent company was RCA. Star Trek sold color television sets and made money for RCA.

Michael Kmet has suggested that this is something of an exaggeration , but it underscores how important colour was to the production design of Star Trek .

Talk about a black out.

This style of production design (heavy on strong colours and light on fine detail) was likely informed by the realities of contemporary television consumption. After all, television shows are designed to cater to the audience at home. This is not to diminish the fantastic work done by people like set designer Matt Jefferies, set decorator John Dwyer and cinematographer Jerry Finnerman. The fact that their work is still subject to so much discussion and debate today is a testament to their skill and technique.

The franchise wouldn’t begin moving away from this style of production until the third season of The Next Generation . The first two years of The Next Generation feature a number of studio sets that look and feel like they might have been lifted from the original Star Trek ; the planets featured in Arsenal of Freedom , Skin of Evil or Loud as a Whisper . From the third season of The Next Generation onwards, dry ice and lighting was typically used to disguise studio-bound sets in episodes like The Enemy or Battle Lines .

Getting away, Scott free.

Still, there is only so much that lighting and dry ice can do. Even on the later shows, the franchise’s fantastic (and famous) standing cave sets cannot perfectly emulate a real cave environment. On a science-fiction show like Star Trek , there is always some element of abstraction required. Given that this is a show with warp speed and transporters, suspension of disbelief comes with the territory. At the same time, even the cave sets in the later series would grow more elaborate and more detailed, more closely approximating real caves.

The set design in The Empath is simply the more abstract minimalist tendencies of the original Star Trek series taken to their logical extreme; sofas without furniture sets, consoles without walls, chains without ceiling hooks. It is haunting and unsettling, feeling incomplete. The set design in The Empath looks wrong on an instinctive level. The Empath wanders into the realm of the uncanny, suggesting that there something fundamentally broken. The set design is an artistic triumph.

It was, by all accounts, a pretty rough season.

It also fits quite comfortably with the apocalyptic themes bubbling through the third season of the show. Star Trek was dead at this point in the run. There was very little that could change that. The series had been lucky to secure a third season; there would not be a fourth. It seems as though the entire production team has accepted this fact, a grim resignation sinking into every fibre of the production. There is a sense of dread that hangs over the whole of the third season.

To be fair, there were earlier points in the run when the universe seemed like a haunted place that was hostile to the very notion of humanoid life. The Man Trap had been the very first episode of Star Trek to broadcast, the story of a predatory salt vampire that was the very last of its kind on a dying world. It would be quite some time before Kirk encountered a rival galactic power, when the Romulans appeared in Balance of Terror . The Klingons would not appear until Errand of Mercy . Otherwise, space seemed strangely empty.

For most of the first season, the universe seemed to be inhabited by dead or dying civilisations that had shuffled off this plane of existence; the all-powerful aliens of Charlie X , the long-vanished “Old Ones” of What Are Little Girls Made Of? , Trelane’s parents in The Squire of Gothos , the Telosians featured in The Menegarie, Part I and The Menagerie, Part II . Although the universe became a bit more vibrant early in the second season, producer John Meredyth Lucas returned to that tone with episodes like The Immunity Syndrome or The Gamesters of Triskelion .

While the third season certainly mirrors that early portrayal of the Star Trek universe, it feels more melancholy. It is no longer that Kirk and his crew are wandering through the light of long-dead stars in search of ghosts, it is that Kirk is in the process of becoming a ghost himself. Death stalks Kirk and the Enterprise in the third season. The tone was set quite effectively in Spectre of the Gun , with Kirk and his away team sentenced to die in a shoot-out as they watch their final minutes tick away.

“I hate to point it out, but…”

Death accompanies Kirk as he warps across the universe, literally and figuratively. Kirk dies metaphorically at the start of The Paradise Syndrome , replaced by Kirok; later in that same episode, Kirok’s wife and unborn child are stoned to death. Spock fakes Kirk’s death in The Enterprise Incident . McCoy diagnoses his own terminal illness in For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky . Federation outposts seemed to be staffed by dead bodies in episodes like And the Children Shall Lead , Whom the Gods Destroy and The Lights of Zetar .

This apocalyptic tone simmers through The Empath , as Kirk and his away team visit a system that will soon be consumed by a star going nova. The Viians are engaged in fatal research, torturing their subjects to death. The Federation researchers are found dead, stuffed in labelled tubes. The Viians warn Kirk that their experiments will exact a deadly toll. “There is an eighty seven percent chance that the doctor will die,” Lal advises Kirk. What of Spock? “The possibility is ninety three percent that he will suffer brain damage, resulting in permanent insanity.”

Let it Viian.

Ultimately, the Viians are conducting an experiment to determine which civilisation will be permitted to survive the supernova. “Of all the planets of Minara, we have the power to transport the inhabitants of only one to safety,” Lal confesses. Even allowing for the relatively upbeat optimistic ending of The Empath in which all four participants survive the latest iteration of the Viians’ deadly experiments, the episode still ends with the deaths of an entire star system. (Save one planet.) Death stalks the Enterprise.

Still, The Empath is an endearingly optimistic episode. Star Trek is a show with an intrinsically optimistic perspective on the human condition. Although the franchise’s utopian idealism would not truly galvanise until the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , this was always a show about how humanity managed to survive the twentieth century and find their way out into the stars. In the context of the sixties, with looming threat of mutually assured destruction, that alone provided a counterpoint to post-apocalyptic science-fiction like Planet of the Apes .

“Anybody up to recreate the poster for The Motion Picture ?”

It is debatable how much of this utopian humanism was part of the franchise from the beginning. After all, Gene L. Coon was highly critical of the Federation as an institution in episodes like Arena or Errand of Mercy . It was only in the early years of The Next Generation that the franchise came to embrace the idea that humans were generally just the best at everything. This could occasionally become suffocating and overwhelming, particularly in episodes like Lonely Among Us or The Last Outpost or The Neutral Zone .

The Empath hits on a number of similar ideas, with the Viians abducting Kirk and his away team because they seek to exploit that which makes humanity special. However, The Empath is never as clumsy or awkward as those later episodes. In part, this is because the Viians suggest that humans are not inherently superior, and that they just happen to have developed values that are worthwhile and can thus serve as an example. This is also because the episode chooses to be very specific about what makes humans so special: empathy and compassion.

“I sense a Gem of an idea here.”

In keeping with the rest of the episode, this is a very simple idea. However, it is also very specific. Humanity are of interest to the Viians for a very precise reason. In fact, it seems to have been a happy coincidence that the Federation seemed to have a research post in the sector. Perhaps if another species had been present, the Viians might have used them instead. Indeed, Spock is just as capable of demonstrating the commitment and self-sacrifice which the Viians laud, with the episode never daring to suggest that Spock’s human half is superior to his Vulcan half.

(To be fair, there is some good-natured ribbing about Spock’s Vulcan heritage at the very end of the episode. “I find it fascinating that with all their scientific knowledge and advances, that it was good old-fashioned human emotion that they valued the most,” McCoy reflects. Scotty suggests, “Perhaps the Vulcans should hear about this.” Spock wrily responds, “I shall certainly give the thought all the consideration it is due.” However, Spock’s half-human heritage is never discussed, and he is just as willing to sacrifice himself to save Kirk and McCoy.)

Communicating his anxiety.

More than that, there is a sense that the humanism in The Empath is earned. In later Star Trek stories focusing on how special and unique humanity are, there is a sense that mankind is speaking from a position of comfort and luxury. It is easy for mankind to be selfless and altruistic in a world where the replicator can provide for just about every need, where poverty does not exist, and where the holodeck can allow individuals to live whatever life they choose. There is no conflict because technology has evolved to a point where it blunts the causes of conflict.

Watching later episodes of Star Trek , it can seem like the franchise embraces technological determinism. It can occasionally seem like mankind does not get along because they learned important lessons from history, mankind gets along because they invented magic technology. In a way, this aspect of the franchise’s utopianism feels quite cynical. After all, if the modern world does not have replicators or transporters, if it is not physically possible to eliminate poverty and starvation by pushing a button, can mankind really transcend its base impulses?

The brutality of the Viians really floored Kirk.

To be fair, it could be argued that there is some intrinsic worth to that sort of utopian thought. It is reassuring to know that all of our modern problems are transient, and that it is physically possible for mankind to get along with one another if all of our basic needs are met. However, it is also very much an easy answer with limited application to the modern world. It suggests that the problems with the world today have nothing to do with mankind, and everything to do with resource scarcity and competition.

This approach to utopian thought and idealism ignores the role that mankind plays in issues like food scarcity and poverty. It suggests that the problems facing mankind are all external, in a way that allows mankind “off the hook.” After all, what introspection and reflection is necessary if all it takes is a replicator to perfect mankind? If technology provides an easy answer, there is no need for personal development or growth to make a better world feasible. This is one of the big criticisms of Roddenberry’s utopian thought.

“Soon the Viians will have what we desperately need. Soon we will have the secret of William Shatner’s hairpiece.”

The humanism in The Empath is not anchored in technology. It is not an “easy” humanism preached to the universe by the crew of what is effectively a floating five-star hotel. Instead, the compassion and empathy in The Empath is well earned. It shines through a crucible of pain and suffering. Kirk’s compassion for Spock and McCoy is not diminished by the knowledge that he will suffer for the sacrifice that he makes, it is enriched by it. Spock’s willingness to sacrifice himself is even more altruistic once he knows the potential price of his sacrifice.

This is not the same as condoning the suffering or pain. The Empath is explicit in condemning of the Viians’ experiments. They may be a technologically advanced species, but their methods are barbaric. “You’ve lost the capacity to feel the emotions you brought Gem here to experience,” Kirk insists. “You don’t understand what it is to live. Love and compassion are dead in you. You’re nothing but intellect.” There is never any indication that the trials are “fair” or “justified” or “righteous” , even if they form something of a crucible for the crew’s humanism.

“Dammit, Jim. I asked them to tear my uniform sexy, just like yours.”

Indeed, the torture inflicted upon the crew in The Empath was so striking that it was the first episode of Star Trek not to be shown on the BBC. The British Broadcasting Corporation pulled the episode from its schedule. When fans wrote to query the show’s absence, the broadcaster responded in June 1976:

After very careful consideration a top level decision was made not to screen the episodes entitled Empath, Whom Gods Destroy, Plato’s Stepchildren and Miri, because they all dealt most unpleasantly with the already unpleasant subjects of madness, torture, sadism and disease. You will appreciate that account must be taken that out of Star Trek’s large and enthusiastic following, many are juveniles, no matter what time of day the series is put into the programme schedules. A further look has been taken following the recent correspondence, but I am afraid it has been impossible to revise the opinion not to show these episodes.

Reportedly, the controversy was sparked when the BBC’s broadcast of Miri in December 1970. The broadcaster reportedly received a high volume of complaints about content . As a result, The Empath , Whom Gods Destroy and Plato’s Stepchildren were not broadcast. They were first broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky One in 1990.

No Miri illusion.

In some ways, the hard-earned humanism of The Empath foreshadows the approach that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would take towards the franchise’s utopianism. The second live action spin-off would adopt a more skeptical approach to the technological determinism that defined a lot of the early Next Generation episodes, instead suggesting that mankind’s capacity for empathy and compassion is best judged under pressure or facing threat. Deep Space Nine would suggest that those virtues meant nothing if they could not survive a crucible.

The Empath is very much a piece of “pop Christianity.” To be fair, a lot of popular culture is heavily influenced by Christian belief. In the United States, and the larger western world, Christianity is treated very much as the default belief system. Even those raised outside Protestantism or Catholicism will recognise many of the basic stories, lending those tales a universal and recognisable quality. These core Christian stories are ubiquitous in western culture. As such, pop culture can seem to absorb these elements passively, almost through osmosis.

Research stations of the cross.

Certainly, the original Star Trek embraced a passive Christian aesthetic. In the later spin-offs, the Federation would be defined as an atheistic organisation that had moved away from religious and spiritual beliefs. However, episodes like Balance of Terror , Who Mourns for Adonais? and Bread and Circuses subtly seemed to suggest that the Federation shared the same religious outlook as sixties America; a monotheistic Christian belief system with chapels and a singular capital-g God.

The religious subtext in The Empath is distinct from those earlier stories. The episode is infused with Christian imagery and iconography, from the story itself through to the production design choices. The very idea of a representative chosen to suffer for the redemption of an entire species recalls the story of Jesus Christ. Like Jesus Christ, Gem takes the sins of the world upon herself. She even dies and is ultimately resurrected, saving her entire planet. The humanism at the heart of the story recalls a very New Testament philosophy of love and compassion.

A thorny issue.

Crucifix imagery abounds. The sofa on which Gem is sleeping evokes a cross. When Kirk and McCoy are tortured by the Viians, they are hung from the ceiling by chains that hold them in a position quite similar to the crucifixion. Gem’s miraculous healing powers recall those demonstrated by Jesus Christ, but it is worth noting the wounds that she takes upon herself. Early in the story, Kirk has a gash across his forehead; it recalls the wounds Christ would have suffered from the crown of thorns. Later, she heals his wrists, where the crucifixion nails would be.

The Empath is very much written in the style of a religious parable, something reinforced towards the climax of the story as Gem lays dying. When the Viians decide to take her away, they do not simply disappear as they did (repeatedly) earlier in the story. Instead, they float upwards, as if taking Gem towards heaven. The framing emphasise this ascent imagery, the camera inviting the audience to stare down at Kirk and the away team as the Viians ascend in their flowing gowns.

It’s all in the wrists.

While The Empath trades in Christian iconography, it never leans too heavily into it. Kirk and Spock never pause to label the story as one rooted exclusively in a western Christian tradition. Instead, the story incorporates the strong humanist values of the New Testament, recognising the ideas of empathy and compassion as intrinsically valuable without needing to tie them to a particular set of religious beliefs. It just so happens that the New Testament is one of the great humanist texts, so it makes sense to draw upon that imagery in crafting The Empath .

The Empath was the first and only episode of Star Trek to be directed by veteran television director John Erman. While Ralph Senensky’s work on Is There in Truth No Beauty? demonstrated the influence that a director could have on television production in the sixties, Erman’s experience on The Empath is perhaps more indicative of what sixties television shows expected from directors. There is a sense that television directors were largely treated as hired hands in the sixties, mostly in charge of getting the episode done on time and on budget.

Just floating some ideas.

Discussing the episode with These Are the Voyages , Erman stressed that he had very little input into the stylised aesthetic of the episode:

My memory was that [the stylised approach] was pretty much dictated by the powers to be. I don’t think I had a whole lot to say about it. The only place that I kind of exerted some influence was with Kathy Hays and a couple of the other actors, but I didn’t have control over what the look was supposed to be.

Erman was largely working within predefined boundaries established by the production team, rather than defining his own vision of what he wanted Star Trek to be.

The production team had to find new and exciting ways to keep William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy from killing one another.

In many ways, Erman seemed to be there to mediate between the various actors and their competing interests. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy had a strained relationship at this point in the run of the original Star Trek show. Both actors had a legitimate claim to playing the lead character. William Shatner was top billed and played the senior officer, while Leonard Nimoy was very much the breakout fan-favourite character who received mountains of fan mail each and every week.

With all of that in mind, it was inevitable that there would be some tension between the two performers. Both Gene Roddenberry and Fred Freiberger had been forced to carefully navigate the egos of the two leading men, with the show often caught between their demands. William Shatner would notoriously count his lines in a given script and steal lines from his co-stars . Leonard Nimoy had been embroiled in a heated salary battle at the start of the second season, seeking to increase his input and influence over the show .

“Well, at least I don’t have to count her lines.”

The directors of individual episodes could often find themselves caught in the middle of this tug of war between the two actors. In Science Fiction Television Series , co-star Alan Bergmann recalled working on The Empath :

Working with Ms. Hays was a pleasure. Mr. Shatner and Mr. Nimoy seemed to be in conflict. They struggled over better camera positions and made life difficult for the director.

After all, as far as Shatner and Nimoy were concerned, the episodic directors were just blow-ins who were working on the series for a single episode. Erman must have seemed like easy prey to Shatner and Nimoy.

Things are looking up.

Discussing the experience with Marc Cushman for These Are the Voyages , Erman candidly acknowledged a sense of disappointment with how he was treated by the show’s two lead performers:

I just remember that I was really disappointed in Lenny. I had known him from before when we were both young actors. We had studied with Jeff Corey at the same time, and so I was really looking forward yo doing the show. But the role of an episodic director is not a very creative one. I likened it, at one point, to saying that you’re kind of sweeping the sh!t under the carpet. You’re not really able to make creative choices. The only time you’re really creative in episodic television is if you do the pilot, or if you come in right after the pilot. But nobody was like Bill and Lenny. I don’t remember any other actors absolutely saying what those guys said, which was, “Oh no, my character just wouldn’t do that.” That was kind of the ultimate put down [for a director].

Erman is quite honest in discussing the role of a director on a show like Star Trek , as something akin to a safe pair of hands. He is also quite frank in his assessment of the two lead actors.

This one’s a real Gem.

Still, beyond the difficulties facing Erman in dealing with Shatner and Nimoy, The Empath is a very effective and very intriguing piece of Star Trek . It is an episode that is striking and memorable, as much for its simplicity as for anything else. It is an episode that cuts to the heart of the franchise’s humanist and idealistic philosophy, without feeling heavy-handed or awkward. It is a piece of pop Christian television that never feels patronising or crass. The Empath is a remarkable accomplishment, all the more powerful for how surreal and odd it seems.

Then again, it is perhaps the perfect third season episode.

4 Responses

‘The Empath’ is a fine and moving piece of work. All concerned should be very proud of what they accomplished.

It really is. Massively underrated.

Strange that in all this write-up you mentioned Kelly but briefly though in many ways this is his episode.

I thought that as well, this was very clearly a McCoy episode, with him making the ultimate sacrifice for Spock and Kirk, and mentioning him so little in the review feels like a great disservice.

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Star Trek 4 Has To Happen In 2026

Star Trek 4 is crucial for the 60th anniversary celebration in 2026 to honor the franchise's legacy with a big-screen mainstream blockbuster.
Star Trek 4 is in development with new screenwriter Steve Yockey.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds offers an opportunity to honor the 60-year milestone with Kirk and Spock on the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek 4 needs to be released in 2026 to properly celebrate Star Trek 's momentous 60th anniversary. Star Trek: The Original Series premiered on September 8, 1966, and the franchise is going stong going into its sixth decade. The J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek 4 is currently in active development with new writer Steve Yockey tackling script duties. Star Trek 4 has the opportunity to honor Star Trek 's 60th-anniversary milestone and continue the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the beloved USS Enterprise crew in Star Trek 's alternate Kelvin Timeline.

In 1996, Star Trek celebrated its 30th anniversary with crossover episodes in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . DS9 's “Trials and Tribble-ations” sent Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his crew back to the 23rd century to save Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the USS Enterprise. Voyager 's "Flashback" featured Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) interacting with Captain Sulu (George Takei) and Commander Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney). However, Star Trek ’s 40th anniversary passed without much fanfare, although Star Trek Beyond was released in 2016 to mark Star Trek' s 50th anniversary. Star Trek 4 must now seize the opportunity to release in 2026 to honor Star Trek 's 60th anniversary .

Every Star Trek Movie Ranked (From Worst To Best)

Star trek 4 has to release in 2026 for star trek’s 60th anniversary, star trek beyond, the franchise's latest movie, was released in 2016.

The 60th anniversary of Star Trek in 2026 presents a perfect opportunity for the release of Star Trek 4 in tandem with wider franchise celebrations. Despite persistent interest from fans and cast members, a movie continuation of the alternate Kelvin Timeline has been in development hell for almost a decade. Star Trek 4 offers a return of the Chris Pine-led USS Enterprise cast for what has been dubbed its “ final chapter .” While details remain unknown, the timing for Star Trek 4 is crucial. Ten years after the release of Star Trek Beyond , Star Trek 4 must embrace the 60th anniversary deadline to avoid missing a huge opportunity.

Star Trek evolved from a groundbreaking science fiction show into a cult phenomenon.

A 2026 movie release would make Star Trek 4 the centerpiece of Star Trek' s 60th anniversary celebrations . Aligning with other franchise festivities to blend innovation, continuity, and tradition would appeal to longtime fans and modern audiences and offer a unique chance to celebrate everything and everyone great about Star Trek . Celebrating 60 years since Star Trek began and evolved from a groundbreaking science fiction show into a pop culture phenomenon and multi-decade global movement, Star Trek 4 could unify the franchise's legacy with a modern generation and pave the way for a new era of Star Trek .

Star Trek On Paramount Plus Can Also Mark Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary

But a new star trek movie in theaters is a bigger draw for star trek's 60th anniversary.

Paramount+ positions itself as " the home of Star Trek ," but uncertainties loom over the future of Star Trek content on the platform, with shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks coming to an end. Multiple Star Trek series cancelations diminish Paramount+’s potential to celebrate Star Trek's 60th anniversary with a wide range of legacy characters through animation, archive footage, or live-action. In 2026, only two Star Trek shows are expected to be streaming on Paramount+: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Director Toby Haynes's Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie has been announced for a 2025 release.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is Paramount+'s best bet to honor Star Trek's 60th anniversary. Strange New Worlds is renewed for season 4 , which could potentially be released in 2026 following season 3's expected 2025 premiere. Since it also has Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) aboard the Starship Enterprise, Strange New Worlds is Paramount+'s best opportunity to honor Star Trek's 60 years . However, the return of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the USS Enterprise to movie screens in a multiplex blockbuster like Star Trek 4 would be an even bigger event to capture mainstream audiences in 2026 and give Star Trek 's 60th anniversary the prestige it deserves.

All Star Trek series (except Prodigy), and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix.

Star Trek movies I-X are available to stream on Max.

Star Trek 4

Writers Steve Yockey

Studio(s) Paramount

Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures

Cast Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho

Franchise(s) Star Trek

prequel(s) Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Beyond

A Star Trek origin story movie is officially on the way from Andor and Black Mirror director

It's set to take place decades before 2009's Star Trek

Paramount has officially announced a new Star Trek movie – but it's not Star Trek 4.

The Untitled Star Trek Origin Story was unveiled at CinemaCon, with J.J. Abrams set to produce (H/T The Wrap ). The film will take place decades before 2009's Star Trek, with Andor's Toby Haynes set to direct and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter author Seth Grahame-Smith set to pen the script. Plot details have yet to be released. Deadline first announced the film earlier this year.

Haynes directed the popular Black Mirror episode U.S.S Callister, which acts as a Star Trek parody. Black Mirror season 7 will feature a sequel to U.S.S Callister , though it has not yet been announced who will direct.

Paramount also stated that the origin pic would begin production later this year to make it in time for a 2025 theatrical release. Star Trek 4, the sequel to Abrams' 2009 flick, is still in development. WandaVision's Matt Shakman was previously attached to direct, but left the project in August 2022 around the same time he was announced as the new Fantastic Four director. Last month, Variety reported that Sucker Punch and Supernatural writer Steve Yockey would pen the fourth Star Trek film, which intends to bring back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the cast.

The Untitled Star Trek Origin Story does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates .

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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IMAGES

ORIGINAL Star Trek TOS Script (1968) "The Empath" w/ Camera Notes
Star Trek Episode 67: The Empath
The Empath (1968)
The Empath (1968)
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) "The Empath" Revised Final Draft
Star Trek Episode 67: The Empath

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We've Never Been This Frustrated Watching Star Trek (S3E12)
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COMMENTS

The Star Trek Transcripts
The Star Trek Transcripts - The Empath. The Empath Stardate: 5121.5 Original Airdate: 6 Dec, 1968. Captain's log, stardate 5121.5, orbiting the second planet in the Minarian star system. This star has long given evidence of entering a nova phase, and six months ago, a research station was established to make close-up studies of the star as its ...
The Empath
The Empath. " The Empath " is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Joyce Muskat and directed by John Erman, it was first broadcast on December 6, 1968. In the episode, while visiting a doomed planet, the landing party is subjected to torturous experiments by powerful aliens.
The Empath (episode)
This episode was written by Joyce Muskat, one of only four fans who were able to sell scripts to the original series, the others being David Gerrold, Judy Burns, and Jean Lisette Aroeste. Co-producer Robert H. Justman read her unsolicited script and recommended it be bought. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, p. 404) It was Muskat's only script ...
Star Trek: Season 3, Episode 12 script
Star Trek (1966-1969): Season 3, Episode 12 - The Empath - full transcript. Trapped in an alien laboratory Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments. in the Minarian star system. as its end approaches.
The Empath (Episode)
Stardate 5121.0: The landing party is used to test an empathic race.. The Enterprise journeys to the Minaran system to rescue Federation researchers Dr. Linke and Dr. Ozaba before the Minaran star goes nova. Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy discover recordings that show the missing scientists literally disappearing from their posts. While trying to discover what happened, the three are also ...
"Star Trek" The Empath (TV Episode 1968)
The Empath: Directed by John Erman. With William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Kathryn Hays. Trapped in an alien laboratory, Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments.
"The Empath" Review, Screenshots and FX Video
REVIEW. by Jeff Bond. "The Empath" is one of those classic Trek episodes that you appreciate more as an adult than as a kid or teen, when it's likely to play as unbearably "mushy.". But ...
The Trek Nation
Original Airdate: December 06, 1968. Credits. Written By: Joyce Muskat Directed By: John Erman. Guest Stars: Kathryn Hays as Gem. Alan Bergmann as Lal. Davis Roberts as Dr. Ozaba. Jason Wingreen ...
The Empath
"The Empath" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Joyce Muskat and directed by John Erman, it was first broadcast on December 6, 1968.
Star trek. The empath : [script]
Part of a collection of original studio-generated scripts for films and television episodes with African American casts or with important African American actors featured. Description: 60 leaves ; 28 cm. Other Titles: Empath Star trek (Television program) Responsibility: written by Joyce Muskat.
Star Trek Transcripts
The Empath: 63: 6 Dec, 1968: Elaan of Troyius: 57: 20 Dec, 1968: Whom Gods Destroy: 71: 3 Jan, 1969: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield: 70: 10 Jan, 1969: The Mark of Gideon: 72: 17 Jan, 1969: That Which Survives: 69: ... The Star Trek web pages on this site are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All other copyrights property of ...
The Empath
The Empath. July 1, 2022. The Empath. Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise are sent to a planet called Minara II to help the Medusans, a remote and reclusive species of non-corporeal energy beings. On the planet, they meet a young woman named Gem, who is the last survivor of an ancient race known as the Vians.
Collected Star Trek Scripts » Star Trek Minutiae
(Please don't ask me about getting more scripts added, I've posted all the files I've found.) Star Trek: The Movies. All Movies [ZIP file, 612 KB] Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; Star Trek VI: The ...
Star Trek S3 E12 "The Empath" / Recap
Star Trek S3 E12 "The Empath". It doesn't get much more Moe than this. Original air date: December 6, 1968. The Power Trio beams down to a planet in the Minaran system to rescue a pair of Federation scientists before the sun goes supernova. The scientists are nowhere to be found, but an audio/visual record they left behind reveals they seem to ...
Star Trek Scripts: The Empath, 1968
Star Trek Scripts: The Empath, 1968, Item 1, Box: 59. R. Karen Hansen Fanzine Collection, MsC0966. University of Iowa Special Collections. Copy to clipboard
"The Empath"
Review Text. A little money can go a long way, which is proved by "The Empath," an episode made on an obvious shoestring budget, but having the style and story strength to pull off something quite moving. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to a research outpost, but soon find themselves the captives of alien experimenters (Willard Sage and Alan ...
"Star Trek" The Empath (TV Episode 1968)
"Star Trek" The Empath (TV Episode 1968) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. ... Script and Continuity Department . George Rutter ... script supervisor (as George A. Rutter) ... STAR TREK THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON 3 (1968) (7.9/10)
Star Trek: "Wink Of An Eye"/"The Empath"
"The Empath" is a sad reminder of Trek's slow sink into mediocrity, an ep with a lazy, random script, a set that would've made more sense on Lost In Space, and a leading lady that tests the ...
Joyce Muskat
Joyce Muskat wrote the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode "The Empath". A fan of TOS, her unsolicited script for "The Empath" was read by Robert H. Justman, who recommended to producer Fred Freiberger that the script be bought. To date, it is her only sale to television. Joyce Muskat at Wikipedia Joyce Muskat at the Internet Movie Database
Star Trek
It is a stock Star Trek plot, the kind of story that Gene Roddenberry would use in Encounter at Farpoint to launch Star Trek: The Next Generation almost two decades later. However, what is striking about The Empath is the sheer unrelenting purity of its plot. This is an episode with a minimum of superfluous or distracting material. The outline of the story is established with ruthless ...
"The Empath"
Noob Trek 67 - The Empath So far I'm liking Season 3, it isn't the train wreck I was warned of. ... yet with a solid, well-executed script as bedrock, it was another strong entry. It was a strange beast dramatically - a very high stakes opening with a powerful force effortlessly defeating our three major characters straight off the bat ...
Episode Preview: The Empath
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"Star Trek" The Empath (TV Episode 1968)
The titular character, an empath named Gem, is also a mute, and actress Kathryn Hays puts in a performance reminiscent of French mime Marcel Marceau, her movements exaggerated and dance-like, making this feel more like a pretentious piece of performance art than an episode of Star Trek.
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