ONE
The Enterprise in space, maneuvering to come alongside a cargo vessel. Captain’s log, over. Kirk wears the more formal gold shirt and heads to the transporter room. The Antares is beaming over an “unusual passenger”.
The captain and navigator come aboard, along with “young castaway” Charlie, a regular-looking human young adult. Kirk reaches to shake his hand, something Charlie takes a second to understand. We get a closeup of his face as he looks at Kirk with — awe? admiration? The two crewmen look nervous.
TWO
The captain hesitates, and we see Charlie frown and roll his eyes into his head. The two crewmen immediately begin to praise Charlie, talking over each other. Kirk gives them a look like, oookay, take it easy. They quickly drop the information that Charlie was alone on a planet, possibly for a long time.
Charlie grabs his luggage and interrupts them. Kirk frowns at him, but the other captain enthusiastically answers his question. Over 400 people on a starship! The captain is glassy-eyed as he regrets having to part with Charlie. Again, Charlie interrupts. This time Kirk corrects him. “That’s considered wrong.” It’s firm but kind instruction. Now the other crew hurries to transport away.
Yeoman Janice comes in. She’s to escort Charlie. He stares at her. My beautiful basket head is here! It was probably this episode that started my girl-crush.
Roll credits.
Title card and log update as we see Charlie in medical with McCoy, getting a physical. He’s been alone on a planet since age three, according to Kirk’s voiceover. He learned to talk by listening to his ship’s tapes and found things to eat in nature. Charlie asks McCoy why “that captain” Kirk calls him “Mr. Evans”. That’s your name. “He’s not like the other captain.” Nope, he’s one of a kind.
Then Charlie asks McCoy, “Do you like me?” McCoy shrugs, “Why not?” The other ship didn’t like me. I wanted them to like me. “Most 17 year-olds do,” McCoy says, smiling.
THREE
Charlie wanders the hall. He’s happy to see people, I suppose, and activity. Human behavior is something he couldn’t have learned when he was alone. Janice passes by and Charlie turns to follow.
FOUR
He got her a present. (It looks like perfume, maybe.) Do you like it? She looks closer: it’s my favorite. Where did you get it? He just says, in a mysterious manner, it was a present. She invites him to visit later, when she’s off duty. As she’s walking away, he says, “You’ve got a deal, friend,” and smacks her on her behind. He’d just seen two men do this behavior in a much different context. Janice freezes. “Charlie!” She kindly but firmly corrects him. When he looks confused and upset, she tells him to ask Kirk or McCoy to explain it to him. We’re all on pins and needles, waiting for him to do that eye-cross thing again. His emotions are so volatile.
The bridge and its business. Kirk says that Spock will be educating Charlie about science, and that McCoy should teach Charlie about . . . adolescence. Bones suggests Charlie needs a strong father figure, like Kirk. Meanwhile, McCoy and Spock continue to argue about the alien life, assumed extinct, that was native to Charlie’s planet.
Spock tunes some kind of lute. Ah, we’re in a recreation area. Uhura, Janice, and many other crew socialize together. Janice coaxes Uhura to sing while Spock plays. Oh! It’s a roast that Uhura composes on the spot. Spock is her first target. He lifts an eyebrow and continues to play his atonal accompaniment. While everyone’s smiling, enjoying her riff, Charlie walks in. He tries to show Janice a card trick but she waves him off. When Uhura finishes everyone applauds and Janice calls out, “One more time!” Uhura chooses to roast Charlie. He looks uncomfortable, and then he turns his bull gaze on her. She loses her voice, touching her throat, but the crowd just rolls on, not noticing.
Orbit. Kirk in the mess, I think, talking about Thanksgiving with the cook. Meatloaf will have to suffice without turkeys. Charlie comes in to ask his question, demonstrating his move on Kirk: Why can’t I smack Janice on the ass like this? Cringe moment, saved by the bell. Kirk’s called to the bridge by Uhura (her voice is back, I see), Charlie following. It’s the Antares captain. He’s got to warn– and the transmission goes dead. Charlie says, “It wasn’t very well constructed.” Debris on the scanner. Oh, we get a long look at Kirk, Uhura, and Spock exchanging a glance. Then Kirk turns to Charlie and thinks. The cook calls to tell him real turkeys are now in the oven rather than the meatloaf he put in. Charlie giggles and leaves the bridge. Last look before commercial break at Kirk’s face. How much has he put together?
Ooh, the first game of three-dimensional chess! Kirk plays Spock in the rec room, but his mind is not on the board. Ah, Kirk has put nothing together. It’s Spock who’s suspicious of Charlie. Out of nowhere Kirk gets checkmate. Ha. His illogical approach has its advantages. In comes Charlie and away goes Kirk, leaving Charlie to play chess with Spock. On the second move Spock says, “That was a mistake, Charlie.” Checkmate. Charlie says it wasn’t and gives him a glare. Danger? No, Spock leaves safely. Ah, there’s the super-duper eye roll. All the white chess pieces melt.
Storming down the hall, he runs into Janice. She wants to introduce him to Tina, someone his own age. He’s rude and Tina leaves. Janice is the only one who smells right? Something. He has a crush, obviously, but he doesn’t know how to phrase it. He describes his feeling in a very creepy way. Janice gets it, but what does she do? Ooh, cut away.
The bridge. Oh, what! Kirk is laughing at her as she tells him! That’s bad captain-ing. Janice explains that she’s going to have to hurt Charlie’s feelings if Kirk doesn’t intervene. She’s so calm and wise! No wonder she was my beloved basket head.
Ugh, Captain’s quarters as Charlie enters, smiling. This is going to be so squirmy. Dating advice from Kirk. Charlie protests and Kirk brings the hammer. “There are a million things in this universe you can have, and a million things you can’t.” He can see that Charlie is truly distressed. He puts aside work and tells Charlie to come.
It’s a sparring room, with mats and crew tumbling about. Hey! Shatner managed to take his shirt off! And he’s in . . . tights. Whoa, dude. Yikes. Ooh, beautiful shoulder roll! He finally convinces Charlie to wrestle. It’s a bit of a pissing contest, and Kirk takes him down. Another crewman in the room laughs. There it is — the bull glare — and jolly crewman disappears.
SWITCH
Kirk knows now, alright. He stands up into an extreme closeup. That’s the good stuff, there. (Shatner can hit a mark so well!)
FIVE
He moves right into stern-mode. Charlie says, “He’s gone. He made me do it.” Kirk comms for security. He’s still firm, but Charlie ducks his head and the two crewmen fall to the ground. A huge bull glare, and the phaser disappears. Maintaining eye contact, Kirk gets in his face. “Go to your quarters or I’ll pick you up and carry you there.” Kirk wins the staring contest and Charlie goes under escort.
As Kirk sorta collapses against the wall Uhura comms in to tell him all phaser weapons onboard have disappeared. Heh, he still has no shirt on.
In the briefing room Spock recites what he knows about these kinds of powers. McCoy says that Charlie’s definitely human. Spock gets right to it: High probability he’s responsible for the destruction of the Antares. Kirk is still somewhat sympathetic: He’s a boy. They discuss Kirk’s authority over Charlie as he pops in through the door. Are you responsible for the Antares? Yes, they weren’t nice to me. What about us? I don’t know.
I actually hate this episode. There’s so much cringe. However, I do like the adult behavior that’s modeled. Kirk is kind but firm and honest. Janice the same. It’s a great conundrum. What do you do with a teen, even if you sympathize with his growing pains, whose power can destroy everything?
Orbit. Aha! This is the equivalent of the bubble-wipe in Spongebob! Orbit to the bridge, ahoy!
Kirk wants to talk to Colony 5 (their destination) and turn the ship away from them. Uhura, processing his request, is electrocuted by her console. She’s tossed to the floor. Helm can’t course change. Charlie steps onto the bridge. Spock is not immune: Instead of giving Kirk a report, he quotes Blake against his will. Actor Histrionics! Yay!
Charlie wants to get to Colony 5. Kirk tells him to release the transmitter. Charlie smiles that he can make Spock do anything. Once more Charlie backs down when Kirk gives him that authoritative look. Welp, that won’t last forever.
Striding the halls Charlie meets Tina. Giving her the bull-charging glare, he turns her into an iguana.
Oh, my. Cut to Janice in her quarters. She wears a pink chiffon lounge dress, off the shoulder, with her hair in a high basket weave. Goddess. Charlie enters without knocking. He presents her a pink rose, and she reprimands him. Okay, he broke into her room and now he’s going toward her. Behind her back Janice activates the comm transmitter to the bridge. Kirk and Spock, hearing what’s happening in her room, take off in a hurry. They rush in, and Charlie knocks them back with his head charge. Janice slaps him. And . . . she’s gone. Of course he blames her for the fact that he disappeared her. Then he turns to Kirk and says, “I still need you.” The Enterprise is too sophisticated for him to run by himself. But you have to be nice. He turns his glare on Kirk, who doubles over. And that’s the moment we’ve anticipated: Kirk is no longer immune to Charlie’s anger.
In the hallway, Spock is clearly setting up some kind of measure to deal with Charlie. Kirk brings him in. They trick him into a room with a force field protecting the doorway. Is he a prisoner? Super gargantuan eye-rolling, and the entire wall disappears. He freezes Kirk and Spock in place. “You’ll be sorry.” But he releases them. He wanders the hall, angry, tormenting the crew.
On the bridge. Charlie sits at the helm, resetting the instruments. Suddenly Uhura receives a transmission. Charlie is worried by this. Something’s happening. He recovers and leaves the bridge.
Closeup of everyone, like a still photograph. What a lovely, subtle way to show they’re terrified.
SIX
Out of the elevator, Charlie rushes through the halls, brushing through people with force, knocking them aside, but not turning on the bull gaze.
SEVEN
Kirk says he’ll take Charlie on. McCoy and Spock insist he not. Wait a minute, Kirk says. Has Charlie done away with anyone since he took over? He’s taken full control of the ship. Maybe he’s overreached. Let’s tax his power. He’ll do away with us anyway, so we have nothing to lose.
EIGHT
Charlie, feeling in charge, sits in the captain’s chair. That’s the last straw for Kirk. Get out of my chair. He challenges Charlie while McCoy and Spock flip switches. Hahaha! Kirk, you magnificent bastard. He grabs Charlie by the lapels and tosses him across the room, regardless of the consequences. Unh — doubled over in pain. And Shatner falls right into a foreground rack focus! So beautiful; what a master. As Kirk writhes, Charlie says sorry.
Static. Uhura has something. This distracts Charlie, Kirk is released, and he launches at Charlie, fist cocked. Spock stops him: Ship is answering to helm. Our controls have been returned and someone is off the starboard bow.
And then Janice, in her pink nightie, reappears on the bridge.
Charlie is clearly worried. A ship materializes on the view screen. Charlie screams to the heavens, “No!! Don’t let them take me!”
A large green face, wavy and translucent, appears on the bridge. Charlie begs, holding Kirk’s arm.
The face speaks. We did not realize the boy had gone. We have returned your people and fixed what we could.
Kirk and Uhura are moved by Charlie’s lonely plea. After a beat: “The boy belongs with his own kind.” The answer: “We gave him the power so he could survive.” But either he’ll kill you or you’ll kill him to save yourselves.
As Charlie laments — “I can’t even touch them” — McCoy keeps a hold on Janice’s arm. It is a pitiable moment. “They don’t love! I want to stay . . .” He’s taken.
NINE
The alien ship fades from the view screen as the bridge crew feels the moment. They’re all moved, Janice weeping, but, as Kirk says, “It’s all over now.” Pull out on the tableau. Credits roll as Janice, helped by McCoy, leaves the bridge. End.
That Three/Six mirror is so subtle! At the Three, Charlie wanders the halls while feeling hope, curiosity, and enthusiasm. This is juxtaposed with the Six: Charlie wanders the halls while feeling anger, fear, and resentment. It counts, although so far Star Trek is making me work to identify the beats, lol. Could I get an actual, mirrored visual insert at the Three/Six once or twice, please? Heh.
The Seven is what’s so strange. A real decision, one that seems consequential, is made. Kirk will provoke Charlie. The climax and resolution, though, have nothing to do with this. The Seven doesn’t lead to the Eight. As far as I can tell, the Eight is random. The uber-race of aliens that fostered Charlie just happen to arrive at the end of the story and save the day. Aha! It’s a deus ex machina! That means we are to focus on the reactions and feelings of the crew more than the removal of the threat. Interesting. How Roddenberry! Kirk’s pity, his final attempt to help Charlie in spite of the danger, is the true climax.