Star Trek (1966) s03e24 Episode Script

Captain's log, stardate 5928.
5.
The Enterprise has received a distress call from a group of scientists on Camus II who were exploring the ruins of a dead civilisation.
Their situation is desperate.
Two of the survivors are the expedition surgeon, Dr.
Coleman, and the leader of the expedition, Dr.
Janice Lester.
- What's wrong with her? - Exposure to radiation.
What form of radiation was it? Nothing I've ever encountered.
Janice.
You must remain absolutely quiet.
Those are doctor's orders, not mine.
Captain, tricorder picking up very faint life readings, approximately 700 metres from here.
Help will have to be immediate.
Perhaps your presence will quiet her.
I hoped I wouldn't see you again.
I don't blame you.
The year we were together at Starfleet is the only time in my life I was alive.
I never stopped you from going on with your space work.
Your world of starship captains doesn't admit women.
- It isn't fair.
- No, it isn't.
And you punished and tortured me because of it.
I loved you.
We could have roamed among the stars.
We'd have killed each other.
It might have been better.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.
Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.
You had your chance, Captain Kirk.
You should have smothered the life in me.
Then they would have said, "Dr.
Janice Lester.
Died of radiation poisoning in the line of duty.
" Why didn't you do it? You've always wanted to, didn't you? You had the strength to do it.
But you were afraid.
You were always afraid.
Now, Janice Lester takes the place of Captain Kirk.
I already possess your physical strength.
Only this Captain Kirk is not afraid to kill.
Now you know the indignity of being a woman.
For you, this agony will soon pass as it has for me.
Quiet.
Quiet! Believe me, it's better to be dead than to live alone in the body of a woman.
It's better to be dead.
Dr.
McCoy? Your report.
We were too late, Jim.
There's nothing could be done.
Was it radiation as suggested? No, I believe it was celebium.
However, Dr.
Coleman disagrees.
To be specific is essential because the treatment of celebium is quite Dr.
McCoy.
Did you notice any unusual symptoms while we were gone? No, nothing at all.
She was unconscious all the time.
Dr.
Lester is near death.
Perhaps the shock of knowing what happened to her staff is part of the problem.
I'm sure it is.
Beaming her up to the Enterprise would be less harmful than waiting.
I don't know.
I'm not sure.
Captain Kirk to the Enterprise.
Captain Kirk to the Enterprise.
- Mr.
Scott, sir.
- Mr.
Scott.
Prepare to beam the landing party aboard.
Plus two others, one critically ill.
Have a medical team standing by to receive the patient.
Captain Kirk out.
Prepare to beam aboard.
Dr.
Coleman, accompany the patient to the Sickbay.
Mr.
Spock, take the ship out of orbit.
Resume designated course.
Dr.
McCoy.
Dr.
McCoy, you and Dr.
Coleman seem to disagree on diagnosis.
No, not entirely.
We both agree it's radiation.
Dr.
Coleman isn't prepared to say what form of radiation.
Will it affect your arriving at a correct treatment? It's crucial.
Well, this is especially disturbing to me for personal reasons.
Oh, I didn't know you knew her that well.
Oh, yes.
It's been a long time since I saw her.
I walked out on her when it became serious.
Wow, you must have been very young at the time, Jim.
Youth doesn't excuse everything, Dr.
McCoy.
It's a very unhappy memory for me.
I didn't realise that.
I shall do everything in my power.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Dr.
Lester is certainly a very lucky young person - to have escaped.
- Yes, very lucky.
Very lucky.
- Just began.
- Well, you better put a stop to it.
If you allow Dr.
Lester to become fully conscious, she'll know what has happened.
Probably no one will believe it.
- Probably? - That's all we can ask for.
How can death be explained now? I tell you, it can't continue.
You killed every one of the staff.
You sent them where you knew the celebium shielding was weak.
Now, why didn't you kill him? You had the perfect opportunity.
There wasn't enough time.
I gave you every minute you asked for.
He hung on to life too hard.
I couldn't You couldn't because you love him.
You want me to be his murderer.
Love him? I loved the life he led.
The power of a starship commander.
It's my life now.
I won't become a murderer.
You are a murderer.
You knew it was celebium.
You could have treated them for it.
You're a murderer many times over.
Jim, what are you doing here? I thought my presence might quiet Dr.
Lester.
- It seems to have the opposite effect.
- It has nothing to do with you.
It's a symptom of the developing radiation illness.
Tests with the ship's equipment shows no signs of internal radiation damage, Dr.
Coleman.
Didn't Dr.
Lester's staff become delirious before they went off and died? Well, yes, captain.
Yes.
Dr.
Lester could be suffering from a phaser stun as far as the symptoms I can detect, Jim.
Dr.
Coleman.
Dr.
McCoy has had a great deal of experience with radiation exposure onboard the Enterprise.
I am guided by his opinion.
Dr.
Lester and her staff have been under my supervision for two years now.
If you don't follow my recommendations, responsibility for her health or her death will be yours.
Dr.
McCoy, I am sorry, but I'm gonna have to take you off the case and turn it over to Dr.
Coleman.
You can't do this.
On this ship, my medical authority is final.
Dr.
Coleman wants to assume the full responsibility.
Let him do it.
- I won't allow it.
- It's done.
Dr.
Coleman, your patient.
Dr.
Coleman, didn't you suggest a sedation to rest the patient? - Yes, captain.
- It's not necessary, Jim.
Can't you see she's coming around? - Dr.
Coleman? - Nurse, administer the sedative.
A sedative is not wise at this time, captain.
Nurse Chapel, you have your orders.
Nurse Chapel, follow your instructions.
Am I really losing command of the Enterprise? No.
Oh, no, bad dream.
Bad dream.
James Kirk is returning to consciousness in the body of Janice Lester.
The Enterprise is proceeding to its next mission on the course set for it before I took over command.
Now the years I spent studying every single detail of the ship's operation will be tested.
With a little experience, I will be invulnerable to suspicion.
At last I attained what is my just due: Command of a starship.
All the months of preparation now come to fruition.
- Course, Mr.
Chekov? - 127 mark 8.
Mr.
Sulu, set speed at warp factor 2.
Warp factor 2, sir.
Half to phase.
Engineering to Bridge.
All conditions green.
Full scan Bridge, green.
Engineering control.
Deck scanner, red to green.
Environmental control disrupted.
Mr.
Chekov, plot a course for the Benecia Colony.
Direct course to Benecia, How long to the colony at our present speed? Forty-eight hours, sir.
Mr.
Sulu, set course for the colony.
- 373 mark 8.
- Aye, sir.
Captain, that will delay our work at Beta Aurigae.
- It means reversing course.
- Yes, it can't be helped.
We must take Dr.
Lester to a place where she can be treated.
May I point out that Starbase 2 is on the direct route to our destination? How long to Starbase 2? Seventy-two hours, captain.
That's 24 hours too long.
Dr.
Lester's condition is increasingly serious.
- Continue present course.
- Aye, sir.
Sir, if the diagnosis of Dr.
Lester's illness is the critical problem, then the Benecia Colony is definitely not the place for her.
Their medical facilities are the most primitive.
- They will have to serve.
- Starbase 2 is fully equipped.
And staffed with the necessary specialists to determine exactly what is wrong with the doctor.
Is that not crucial to your decision? Thank you, Mr.
Spock.
But the facilities will be of little use if Dr.
Lester's dead.
Time is of the essence.
Continue present course.
At maximum speed, Starbase 2 would still meet the emergency.
Captain, shall I advise Starfleet Command of the change of plan? No change of plan has been ordered, lieutenant.
Our arrival at Beta Aurigae will merely be delayed.
Our gravitational studies of that binary system will not suffer, and a life may be saved.
That is not unusual procedure for the Enterprise.
Sir.
I believe that Starfleet will have to be notified that our rendezvous with the starship Potemkin will not take place as scheduled.
Mr.
Spock, if you'd concentrate on the areas for which you are responsible, Starfleet Command would have been informed already.
Since the captain usually deals directly with Starfleet in these matters, I assumed that my suggestions might be deemed interference.
Inform Starfleet of the delay, lieutenant.
- Aye, sir.
- Continue present course.
Increase speed to warp factor 6.
I'll let my record speak for me.
Why are you being so defensive? There is no implied criticism of you in my order to remove you from the case.
That is not the reason I'm here.
I'm here because Dr.
Coleman's record states that he's incompetent.
- That's the opinion of an individual.
- No, sir.
That is the opinion of Starfleet Command.
I checked with them.
And Dr.
Coleman was removed from his post as chief medical officer of his ship for administrative incompetence.
There are no administrative duties required here.
As well as flagrant medical blunders.
Promotions and demotions can be politically manoeuvred.
You know that, Bones.
Not in Starfleet Headquarters, captain.
And certainly not in the surgeon general's office.
I'm afraid the order will have to stand.
I can only say that Dr.
Coleman's experience with what happened on the planet had to be the deciding factor here.
I'm sure that you can appreciate that.
I appreciate the fact that you had a decision to make.
I also find myself in that position now, Jim.
And I'm asking you to report for an examination.
Why? What do you base that on? Development of emotional instability and erratic mental attitudes since returning from that planet.
You'll never make that charge stick.
Any fool can see why you're doing this.
I'll let Starfleet Command be the judge of my motives.
I won't submit to this petty search for revenge.
But you will submit to Starfleet regulations.
And they state that the ship's surgeon will require a full examination of any crew member that he has doubts about, including the captain.
Captain Kirk here.
Sulu here, captain.
Starfleet Command is requesting additional details on the delay.
I'll be right there.
Pulse.
Pressure.
Blood count.
All body functions normal.
Then why am I here? Dr.
McCoy? Dr.
McCoy Quiet would be best for you.
Where is Dr.
McCoy? I am in charge now.
Bring Dr.
McCoy at once.
He is in command of medicine on this ship.
He was taken off your case by Captain Kirk.
By Captain Kirk? It was done for your own protection, Dr.
Lester.
I am not Janice Lester.
She did this to me.
Now, how can I make you understand? Janice has driven herself mad with jealousy, hatred and ambition.
Nurse Chapel, bring Mr.
Spock and Dr.
McCoy to me at once.
Now, they must believe I am not Janice Lester.
I am imprisoned in her body, but I am not Janice Lester.
She is suffering from the delusion of being Captain Kirk.
I am not Janice Lester.
The paranoia has been developing for the past six months.
The radiation seems to have intensified it.
She must be kept sedated.
Shall I prepare a mild sedative, doctor? Of course.
You are insane, Dr.
Lester.
Captain's log, stardate unknown.
I have lost track of time.
I am still held captive in a strange body and separated from all my crew.
I must have sounded quite mad to you before.
What you've been through would have completely broken most of us.
Well, I'll be all right now.
Could I see your Dr.
McCoy? I'm afraid that's against Dr.
Coleman's orders.
Is a visit by that very kind Mr.
Spock to be allowed? Perhaps that can be arranged before we reach the Benecia Colony.
The Benecia Colony? But isn't the Enterprise going to rendezvous with the Potemkin at Beta Aurigae? Well, first we have to let you recuperate at Benecia.
You'll feel better if you have a little.
Well, I'll try.
Thank you.
Oh, it is good.
Thank you.
Could I finish it slowly, Nurse Chapel? - Well - I promise I'll be good.
Well, I'll be right back.
I'm glad you're feeling so much better.
These tests should help me pinpoint the cause of Jim's illness.
Good.
Knowledge of the captain's aberrant behaviour is spreading.
The crew is becoming increasingly tense.
Yes, well, what worries me most is that Jim seems completely unaware that something is wrong with him.
Now, we've got to make him realise that something serious is happening before treatment can even begin.
I'm afraid that is a forlorn hope, doctor.
The illness appears to be primarily mental.
Well, one of us should be able to get to him.
I I don't know.
I keep looking for an approach, but the speed with which the illness has travelled makes it doubly difficult.
Perhaps the surgeon general's office should be alerted.
You know headquarters, Spock.
They're only interested in results of specific tests.
So far, all we have to offer are our opinions.
Are you sure that the captain will comply with your order in his present state of mind? I'll use my medical authority to enforce it, if necessary.
Doctor, we are treading on very thin ground.
Actions such as these might be misinterpreted.
Well, then so be it.
Our responsibility is clear.
Whatever happened to the captain on that planet must have taken place in the short space of time that he was alone with Dr.
Lester.
Perhaps a conversation with her might shed some light.
Well, it's worth a try.
Why don't you try to get to Dr.
Lester while I examine Jim? Well, gentlemen.
I'm here, doctor.
Spock, Bones, help me.
Don't let them lock me away from you.
I've got to talk to you.
Jim! She might have killed someone.
Put her in isolation in her room.
Maintain a 24-hour watch.
No one, absolutely no one is to talk to her without my permission.
Yes, sir.
Captain.
How is the doctor? She regained consciousness very quickly.
Good.
I have a few questions to ask her.
Did the captain order it, sir? Why should he? They're my questions.
Therefore I am ordering it, lieutenant.
The captain said that no one is allowed to speak to Dr.
Lester.
Has such an order ever included his senior officers? No, sir.
Mr.
Spock, I think the captain meant that a guard should be present.
By all means, lieutenant.
That's enough.
That's enough.
Your heart will last forever, captain.
How am I otherwise? In the pink, as usual.
Liver.
Kidney.
Blood count.
Metabolic rate.
Everything.
Even your glands.
Functioning at their usual normal peak of efficiency.
I hope you're as pleased about it as I am.
Don't get dressed yet.
You said I was in perfect condition.
Physically.
I don't think another test is necessary.
The Robbiani Dermal Optic is crucial.
It reveals the basic emotional structure.
You had one once before.
Now I need another one to compare with that previous test.
There should be no change in your dermal optic reactions to the colour wavelengths.
Over here, captain.
Over here, captain.
Complete life-entity transfer with the aid of a mechanical device.
Yes, that's what it must have been.
To my knowledge, such total transfer has never been accomplished with complete success anywhere in the galaxy.
It was accomplished and forgotten long ago on Camus II.
I am a living example.
That is your claim.
As yet, it is unsubstantiated by any external evidence or objective tests.
Nevertheless, Spock, it is the truth I'm speaking.
Now lower your arms and open your eyes.
At this moment, Dr.
McCoy is examining the captain for psychological changes.
If any facts are uncovered, that would be acceptable evidence.
The only kind which is acceptable to Starfleet Command and to the crew of the Enterprise.
Spock, when I was caught in the interspace of the Tholian Sector, you risked your life and the Enterprise to get me back.
Help me get back now.
When the Vians of Minara demanded that we let Bones die, we didn't permit it.
That is true.
The captain did not.
However, those events have been recorded.
They could have become known to you.
You are closer to the captain than anyone in the universe.
You know his thoughts.
What does your telepathic mind tell you now? I believe you.
However, my belief is not acceptable evidence.
Evidence must be factual.
Dr.
McCoy may be of help.
Come with me.
I'm sorry, sir, but Dr.
Lester cannot leave here.
Well, are you satisfied with the results of the test? There is no positive evidence of any disorder.
You're asking me to violate the captain's orders.
He is not the captain.
You're as mad as she is.
You're to leave here at once.
I follow orders.
Certainly, lieutenant.
We all must do our duty.
Security.
.
! No hard feelings, Bones.
You did your usual thorough good job.
Yes, I'm sure everything is gonna be all right.
Captain Kirk.
Captain Kirk here.
Escape attempt by Dr.
Lester.
Captain Kirk to security.
On the double to Dr.
Lester's room.
Quite all right, ensign.
Everything's under control.
Phasers.
A repetition of your physical violence is not called for, sir.
No physical resistance will be offered.
Attention, all personnel.
First Officer Spock has been placed under arrest.
He has conspired with Dr.
Lester to take over the ship from your captain.
A hearing will be immediately convened to consider the charges and specifications of a general court-martial on the charge of mutiny.
Captain's log, stardate 5930.
3.
The results of Dr.
McCoy's examination have given me complete confidence in myself.
My fears are past.
I shall function freely as the captain.
I am the captain of the Enterprise, in fact.
Surely you must have more than that to go on.
I have stated my evidence.
Telepathic communication with the mind of Captain James T.
Kirk.
Your evidence is completely subjective.
We have to have evidence that we can examine out in the open.
You had a great deal of evidence, except that of the chief witness.
The one who should be the real subject of this investigation is kept locked away and in isolation.
Why? Captain? She is dangerously insane.
We've seen the evidence.
She is dangerous only to your authority, sir.
Mr.
Spock.
Mr.
Spock, my authority has been given to me by Starfleet Command.
And only that high authority can take it away.
The witness, sir.
Bring on the witness.
Let your officers put the questions.
Mr.
Nunnely, have Dr.
Janice Lester brought here.
Aye, sir.
Dr.
McCoy.
While Mr.
Spock was busy with his ambitious plot, what were you doing? Examining you.
Oh, yes.
You were deeply concerned about my health, emotional and physical, since leaving Camus II.
Is that correct? Yes, that's correct.
And instead of trying to destroy me, you were searching for ways to help me.
Dr.
McCoy, for the record, will you tell the court your findings? The captain is in the best of physical condition.
His emotional and mental state is comparable to the time that he assumed command of the Enterprise.
Thank you, Dr.
McCoy.
Mr.
Spock, were you aware of Dr.
McCoy's findings? I know them now.
And what have you to say now? I am disappointed and deeply concerned that there is no objective evidence to support my position.
So far.
Dr.
Coleman, if you're required here, we'll call you.
We certainly appreciate you being here.
Everyone is deeply aware that you have been subjected to inordinate emotional stress.
We'd hoped to avoid any further stress, but Mr.
Spock disagrees.
It's his opinion that your testimony is important in determining the merits of his case.
And since we are solely interested in arriving at a just decision, I'm going to have to ask you a few more questions.
I'll try not to upset you.
You claim that That you are Captain James T.
Kirk.
No.
I am not Captain Kirk.
That is very apparent.
I claim that whatever it is that makes James Kirk a living being special to himself is being held here in this body.
However, as I understand it, I am Dr.
Janice Lester.
That's very clever.
But I didn't say it.
I said the body of James Kirk is being used by Dr.
Janice Lester.
A subtlety that somehow escapes me.
I assume that this switch was arrived at by mutual agreement.
No.
It was brought about by a violent attack by Dr.
Lester and the use of equipment she discovered on Camus II.
Violence, by the lady, perpetrated on Captain Kirk? I ask the assembled personnel to look at Dr.
Janice Lester and visualise that historic moment.
Can you tell me why Dr.
Janice Lester would agree to this ludicrous exchange? Yes.
To get the power she craved.
To attain a position she doesn't merit by temperament or training.
And most of all, she wanted to murder James Kirk, a man who once loved her.
But her intense hatred of her own womanhood made life with her impossible.
Are you prepared with witnesses? One will do.
Sir.
There is only one issue here.
Is the story of life-entity transfer believable? This crew has been to many places in the galaxy.
They've been witness to many strange events.
They are trained to know that what seems to be impossible often is possible, given the scientific analysis of the phenomenon.
Now, Mr.
Spock, have you ever heard of a case such as described by Dr.
Janice Lester? Not precisely.
No.
Assuming that you are correct in your belief, do you expect Starfleet Command to place this? This person in command of the Enterprise? I expect only to reveal the truth.
And with the truth revealed that I am not really the captain, and knowing that she would not be allowed to serve as the captain, then you would be the captain! It is inevitable.
Spock.
Spock, give it up.
Return to the Enterprise family.
All charges will be dropped.
And the madness that temporarily overcame all of us on Camus II will fade and be forgotten.
And what will become of Dr.
Lester? Dr.
Lester will be cared for, always.
It is a debt and a responsibility I owe her from the past.
No, sir.
I shall not withdraw a single charge that I have made.
You are not Captain Kirk.
You have ruthlessly appropriated his body.
But the life entity within you is not that of Captain Kirk.
You do not belong in charge of the Enterprise and I shall do everything in my power against you.
Lieutenant Lisa, play back those last two sentences from Mr.
Spock's tirade.
You do not belong in charge of the Enterprise and I shall do everything in my power against you.
You heard the statements placed into the record by you.
- Do you understand the nature of it? - I do.
And I stand by it.
It is mutiny! Deliberate, vindictive, insane at its base! But mutiny is charged and encouragement to mutiny.
Dr.
McCoy.
Mr.
Scott.
You heard it.
On the basis of these statements, I call for an immediate vote by the powers granted to me as captain of the Enterprise.
A recess is declared to be followed by a vote.
Yes, sir.
An immediate vote before our chief witness can be left to die on some obscure planet with the truth locked away inside of her.
Silence.
You will be silent! A recess has been declared.
There'll be no cross-discussion.
When I return, we will vote on the charge of mutiny.
The evidence presented here is the only basis of your decision.
- Scotty.
- Doctor.
Doctor, I've seen the captain feverish, sick, drunk, delirious, terrified, overjoyed, boiling mad.
But up to now, I have never seen him red-faced with hysteria.
I know how I'm going to vote.
I've been through this with Spock.
He's not being scientific and neither are you.
It may not be scientific, but if Mr.
Spock thinks it happened, then it must be logical.
Don't you think I know that? My tests show there's nothing wrong with the captain.
Now, that's the only fact Starfleet's going to be interested in.
Headquarters has its problems and we have ours.
And right now, the captain of the Enterprise is our problem.
They're going to call for the vote in a few minutes.
Let me put one last question.
Suppose you vote with me in favour of Spock.
That means two votes to one and Spock is free.
What do you think the captain will do? - I don't know.
- You know, all right.
It'll stick in his craw.
He'll never accept it.
We don't know that.
I tell you, he won't.
Then, doctor, that's the time we move against him.
We'll have to take over the ship.
We're talking about mutiny, Scotty.
Aye.
Are you ready for the vote? Yes.
I'm ready for the vote.
Play the tapes of the conversation in the corridor.
Aye, sir.
Then is the time we move against him.
We'll have to take over the ship.
We're talking about mutiny, Scotty.
Aye.
Are you ready for the vote? That's enough.
We know what was said.
Enough to convict you of conspiracy with mutineers.
And you are so charged.
The sentence: Death.
Mr.
Nunnely? Starfleet expressly forbids the death penalty.
All my senior officers turning against me? The death penalty is forbidden.
- There's only one exception.
- General Order 4.
And it has not been violated by any officer on the Enterprise.
I am responsible.
Execution will be immediate.
Go to your posts.
Go to your posts.
Mr.
Nunnely, take them to the brig.
Prepare for execution.
Go on! The captain really must be going mad if he thinks he can get away with an execution.
Captain Kirk wouldn't order an execution even if he were going mad.
That cannot be the captain.
What difference does it make who he is? Are we going to allow an execution to take place? If security backs him up, how will we fight him? I'll fight them every way and any way I can.
Lieutenant Lisa, inform all sectors of my decision.
Have each section send a representative to the place of execution on the hangar deck.
Mr.
Chekov, how far to the Benecia Colony? Coming within scanning range.
Plot coordinates for orbit.
Mr.
Sulu, lock into coordinates as soon as orbit is accomplished.
Interment will take place on Benecia.
You have received your orders.
You will obey my orders or you'll be charged with mutiny! You will obey my orders or Or For a moment, I thought I was up on the Bridge.
Perhaps you were.
Then it's possible the transference can be broken.
Well, if it happens again, I'll fight to stay there.
The Bridge is where you belong.
To accomplish that, each one of us must be ready to seize any opportunity to break out of here and attack.
Arthur.
- The transference is weakening.
- What happened? For a moment, I found myself back with the prisoners.
I will not go back to being Janice Lester.
You must help me prevent it.
The only way to prevent the transference is by the death of Janice Lester.
You must carry out the execution.
I can't.
I can't.
The crew is in mutiny.
You must kill her for me.
I have done everything else for you.
- But I will not murder for you.
- Then do it for yourself.
If Kirk doesn't die, we'll both be exposed as murderers.
Does that give you any choice? The dosage should be doubly lethal.
It is.
To prevent any further conspiracy, you'll be removed to separate cells.
If there's any resistance, you'll be given a sedative until you learn cooperation.
Dr.
Lester will be first.
Follow Dr.
Coleman.
May I point out, captain.
.
? Kill him! Kill him! I've lost to the captain.
I've lost to James Kirk.
I want you dead! I want you dead! I want you dead.
I'll never get to be the captain.
Never.
No, no.
You are You are as I loved you.
Kill him.
Can you do anything for her? I'd like to take care of her.
Of course.
Come with me.
I didn't want to destroy her.
I'm sure we all understand that, captain.
Her life could have been as rich as any woman's.
If only If only.