- Edited for Syndication: During the syndication run, the following scenes were typically cut from broadcast
- A log entry by Kirk in which he recaps the situation of Van Gelder's escape and then states that he (Kirk) will get to meet Doctor Adams after all.
- A log entry by Spock in which he explains the Vulcan mind meld in some detail. While the mind meld later became a common plot device, at this early stage of Star Trek production, the viewing audience had not yet seen the meld on camera, leading to Spock's need to explain the nature of the meld. When the episode was syndicated, this scene was frequently cut, since it was assumed that most viewers already knew what the mind meld was.
- A more lengthy recovery scene by Kirk after his first neural neutralizer session.
- Executive Meddling: The script originally called for Spock to hypnotise van Gelder, but NBC sent a caution:In accordance with our precautions to avoid hypnotizing a viewer, the act of hypnotizing must be either out of context or done off-camera. Further, since you are portraying hypnotism as a legitimate medical tool, Van Gelder should be hypnotized by Dr. McCoy rather than Mr. Spock unless Mr. Spock can be established as being qualified in the use of this technique.
- Playing Against Type: Morgan Woodward was a veteran of Western series and films (much like DeForest Kelley, in fact, though surprisingly they'd never shared a credit before this) who took the opportunity to play the very different role of Dr. Simon van Gelder and went into it with gusto. After viewing the finished product when it aired he was embarrassed by what he perceived as his overacting but mellowed in subsequent years after being praised repeatedly for the intensity of his performance. In his later years, he still regarded it as the most challenging role of his very long career.
- Prop Recycling: The surface of the Penal Colony uses the same matte-painting of Delta Vega in "Where No Man Has Gone Before", slightly modified.
- Recycled Set: Some of the colony interiors are reused (and redressed) sets left over from "What Are Little Girls Made Of".
- Serendipity Writes the Plot: The original plan was for Spock to hypnotize Van Gelder. NBC's Broadcast Standards office sent a memo that it would be better to have Dr. McCoy do this rather than Mr. Spock unless he could be established to have appropriate credentials; they also warned the production team against showing anything that might accidentally hypnotize any easily-suggestible viewers. Leonard Nimoy thought up the Mind Meld to get around these things. This is why he says "This will not affect you, Doctor, only the person I touch. It is not hypnosis."
- What Could Have Been:
- The part of Helen Noel was originally written for Janice Rand. However, the producers wanted to avoid showing Kirk becoming involved with her, and Grace Lee Whitney was already on the verge of leaving the show due to personal problems on the set. In any event, from a dramatic point of view, it made more sense for a trained psychotherapist, rather than a yeoman, to accompany Kirk to the Tantalus rehabilitation colony.
- Scotty appeared in the original script, operating the transporter in the first scene, when Van Gelder is beamed aboard. His appearance was nixed by Bob Justman, who saw this as a way of saving costs by eliminating James Doohan, who would have been paid $890 for the episode, and replacing him with a random performer (Larry Anthony, playing Lieutenant Berkeley), hired for a much lower salary.note
- S. Bar-David's original script had more pointed criticisms of 20th-century penology, including a rather leaden line from Kirk that the reforms at Tantalus "at last make me proud to be a human being". These were included as late as the revised final draft, suggesting that they were cut during filming, possibly for time.
- You Look Familiar: Woodward would later play Captain Ron Tracey in "The Omega Glory".
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