Original air date: December 1, 1967
After viewing some footage and receiving a briefing on the people of Capella IV from Dr. McCoy, who was on the First Contact team, Kirk, Spock, Bones and a Redshirt with the shortest career ever beam down to negotiate with the locals. It seems the Klingons have gotten there first and the Capellans seem to have more of a rapport with them than they could ever have with Starfleet. Bones has been well versed in Capellan etiquette, but things still manage to go to hell when High Teer Akaar is killed by his pro-Klingon rival Maab, and Kirk saves Akaar's extremely pregnant wife from being murdered. (There is a strict taboo against other men touching the wife of a Teer.) Kras the Klingon capitalizes on this, turning the rest of the Capellans against Kirk and the Federation. Meanwhile, a Klingon ship is playing a Cat-And-Mouse game with the Enterprise.
Kirk, Bones and Spock escape into the wilderness with Eleen, the High Teer's widow, who is about to give birth any minute. After the baby is delivered, Eleen knocks out Bones and returns to the Capellans, telling them the Enterprise landing party and the baby are all dead. Her people take her at her word, but Kras demands proof. Kirk and Spock are forced to attack him with handmade bows and arrows, having surrendered their weapons. Maab decides that this is all his own fault and demands that Kras kills him. Kras is all too eager to comply and is soon killed himself. The baby is named Leonard James Akaar and pronounced the new Teer. Kirk and party succeed in arranging diplomatic relations with the people of Capella IV.
Friday's Tropes:
- Afraid to Hold the Baby: Spock finds himself awkwardly holding Eleen's baby. Dr. McCoy tries showing him how to hold the infant properly; Spock responds by saying "I would rather not" and handing him off.
- All There in the Script: Kras's name only appears in the credits and is never spoken in the episode; he's always referred to as "the Klingon" and addressed as "Klingon".
- Babies Make Everything Better: Aw, nothing like a newborn baby to make everyone forget the three brutal murders that just happened!
- Baby Talk: Bones makes some "oochie-woochie-koochie-koo" noises for little Leonard James. Spock is completely mystified.
- Big Damn Heroes: The day is saved by Scotty and a team of Redshirts.
- Blatant Lies: Kras tells Kirk he just wants peace all the while trying to stab him.
- The Chains of Commanding: Ma'ab feels this the very moment his coup is successful. Kirk reasonably points out that if he's the leader, he needs to make certain he's making the right decisions because there are real consequences for his people if he doesn't. Ma'ab gets an extremely thoughtful look on his face, begins to transition into a Reasonable Authority Figure, shows respect for Kirk as Worthy Opponent, and is clearly disgusted with the Klingon's naked fear after Kirk suggests the two of them fight.
- Clean, Pretty Childbirth: Not only are McCoy's hands, sleeves, and shirt not spattered with all kinds of bodily fluids and solids, Eleen's clothing doesn't even look any worse for the wear. She's climbing freaking mountains within hours of giving birth, which any mother will tell you is reality being very unrealistic. This was supposed to illustrate the Capellans' enormous strength and stamina.
- Deadly Disc: The Capellans utilize these.
- Death Seeker: Maab's demand to be killed by Kras has shades of Ritual Suicide.
- Expospeak Gag: this conversation between Kirk and Spock.Spock: It is fortunate indeed that this bark has good tensile qualities.Kirk: You mean it makes a good bowstring?Spock: I believe I said that, Captain.
- Dirty Coward: Kras is nothing without Ma'ab's men backing him up, is terrified of fighting Kirk (it shows on his face, which Ma'ab immediately notices), and is only a threat when he gets his hands on a phaser (which Ma'ab wisely tried to keep from him).
- First-Name Basis:
- This is the only episode in which Kirk refers to Bones as "Leonard", or in which Bones refers to Kirk as "James".
- This is also the only episode in which both Sulu and Uhura address Scotty by his nickname, indicating that he allows his subordinates to call him that as well as his peers (Bones) and superiors (Kirk).
- I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: When McCoy is trying to help Eleen climb up the rocks and hampered by her refusal to let anyone but him touch her. "I'm a doctor, not an escalator!"
- Imperiled in Pregnancy: A usurper named Ma'ab kills Aka'ar, the Teer (tribal king), in a successful coup. (Kirk wisely takes this in stride, saying only "If you lead these people now, be sure you make the right decisions.") He then demands Aka'ar's pregnant wife Eleen and her unborn son be killed, as the unborn son is Aka'ar's heir of succession, and Kirk, Spock and McCoy have to go on the run with Eleen to keep her safe.
- Improvised Weapon: Kirk and Spock make primitive bows and arrows out of wood they find in the wild.
- I Never Told You My Name: The Enterprise picks up a Distress Call from a freighter and rushes to the rescue, but finds nothing. Scotty orders the call replayed, and gets suspicious that the freighter specifically called for the Enterprise, even though they shouldn't know that the Enterprise is nearby. He then realizes that they've been set up.
- In the Original Klingon: Chekov claims that the saying "Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you" was "inwented in Russia". On this occasion, at least, he's obviously kidding.
- Lampshade Hanging: At the end of the episode, Spock mentions the potential complications if the Capellans ever realize Eleen's son is technically Bones', not Akaar's, by their cultural rules. When Scotty asks how that could possibly be true, Kirk admits they have no idea.
- Last-Minute Baby Naming: At the end of the episode, Eleen decides to name her son in honor of McCoy and Kirk. The decision happens offscreen, so it's not clear whether she hadn't already picked a name (perhaps that would have been Akaar's privilege if he'd lived) or the events of the episode made her change her mind.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: At the end, after the baby is named "Leonard James Akaar".Kirk: Yes. I think it’s a name destined to go down in galactic history, Leonard. What do you think, Spock?
- Madness Mantra: Eleen explains that "Here, child belongs to husband," a rule that McCoy dismisses as "poppycock!" He tells her to say "The child is mine." She insists on "The child is yours." When he thinks it's a language problem, she looks at him seriously and says "Yes, McCoy, it's yours." Uh oh.
- May–December Romance: Akaar praises Eleen for giving an old man such as him a child.
- Mission Briefing: Conducted by McCoy, since he was stationed on Capella for a few months.
- Not So Stoic: Spock's reaction to the baby's name is priceless:Spock: (shocked) The child was named Leonard James Akaar?Bones: Has a kind of a ring to it, don't you think, James?Kirk: Yes. I think it's a name destined to go down in galactic history, Leonard. What do you think, Spock?Spock: I think you're both going to be insufferably pleased with yourselves for at least a month… sir.
- Pregnant Badass: Eleen has her moments. She's able to go rock climbing while in labor, and Bones is more tired than she is after the delivery.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy:
- The Capellans consider battle more enjoyable than love. They also have no use for medicine.
- Kras paints the Klingons this way, but utterly fails to live up to that description himself.
- The remastered version screws up Kras's crew in this regard. His ship backs down from a fight with the Enterprise, which might be understandable as it was originally shown to be a small scout, as Kras himself tells Kirk. The remastered version, however, changes it to a D-7 battlecruiser (making Kras a liar), which should be a match for the Enterprise.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: At first Maab seems to be just another Big Bad; he leads a coup against Akaar and is ready to slay Akaar's pregnant widow. But he quickly finds that leading requires a different point of view - he even says as much at one point - and ultimately sacrifices himself so that his second-in-command can kill the Klingon. It's not a Heel–Face Turn; everything Maab does is consistent with Capellan laws and customs.
- Redshirt: Grant doesn't even survive The Teaser.
- Revenge: Kirk admits to Spock that he wants to be the one to kill Kras for this reason.
- Sacred Hospitality: The Capellans take this seriously. Kras breaks it and dooms himself. It's also how the Redshirt gets killed, by pointing his weapon at the unarmed Kras while he's their guest.
- Schmuck Bait: Scotty thinks it a bit odd that a distress call from a freighter would specifically ask for the Enterprise.
- The Social Darwinist: Kras comments disdainfully on the Federation's offer of medical aid and says that Klingon values are better aligned with Capellan ones because both believe that only the strong should survive.
- Strange Salute: The typical Capella greeting is holding one's fist over one's heart, then showing an open hand. "We come with open hearts and hands."
- Three-Month-Old Newborn: Little Leonard James.
- Too Dumb to Live: The episode's redshirt draws on the unarmed Kras while the latter is under the Capellans' protection. When Kirk gets upset about it, Spock actually points this out, but Kirk continues to defend Grant as having been a young, inexperienced security officer and reacting instinctively to protect them upon seeing an enemy of the Federation, and blames himself instead.
- Translation Convention: One of the few episodes where it's plain the Capellans are speaking their own language, which McCoy understands. When the Klingons and Earthmen each state their case before Akaar, Kras speaks of Terrans as weaklings who are afraid of death and offer nothing of value; McCoy then says "What Maab has said is true; our ways are different. What the Klingon says is unimportant, and we do not hear his words." Amid general laughter, McCoy steps back, muttering to Kirk "I just called the Klingon a liar."
- Unobtainium: The only reason they're on this planet of towering hats in the first place. How are these substances "vital" when they're so rare?
- They were there to negotiate topaline, a mineral rare in most places in the galaxy, but abundant on this planet. It's used in life support systems inside dome cities on colony planets with uninhabitable surfaces. They were considered a form of Worthless Yellow Rocks to the Capellans, since Maab talked about the Klingon and the Federation people offering trade items for their "rocks."
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kirk gets angry as he usually does when a Red Shirt dies, and takes it out on Spock and Bones. They enjoy drawing out his apology.
- Won't Get Fooled Again: After Scotty realizes that the first distress call is a ruse and orders the ship back to Capella IV, a second distress call comes in. Scotty ignores it and orders the incident entered on the log as "my order, my responsibility". Fortunately, he's right.
- Worthy Opponent: While pursuing Kirk and his party, Maab acknowledges their cleverness.
- Would Hit a Girl: After Eleen bitch-slaps him twice, Bones returns with a slap of his own. He later calls it a "right cross". While it wasn't that violent, it did garner some respect from his hitherto reluctant patient. Maybe that's why he did it in the first place.
