Star Trek: For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

Episode: "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"
Series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Season 3, Episode 8
Original Air Date: November 8, 1968

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This week's episode is a Dr. McCoy story.  There aren't too many of those.  Generally speaking, Bones gets the least attention of Trek's Big 3.  He's the George Harrison to Kirk and Spock's Lennon and McCartney (I guess Scotty is Ringo in this analogy).  While Trek wouldn't be Trek without him, McCoy rarely benefits from the scant character development on offer in the original series. 

In our story, the Enterprise is sent on a mission to stop an asteroid from careening into an inhabited planet.  One small snag: the asteroid has people inside of it! 10,000 years previously, just before their star went supernova, the Fabrini built an asteroid-shaped spaceship called Yonada and sent it off into space, hoping to find a new home.  Our heroes are faced with the dilemma of how to save both Yonada and the four billion inhabitants of Daran V.

Interesting story, yet it's not even the best narrative running through the episode.  McCoy has diagnosed himself with a rare, incurable illness, estimating he only has one year to live.  When he goes down to Yonada with Kirk and Spock as part of the landing party, the high priestess Natira falls in love with him and invites him to live out the rest of his days as her husband.  He accepts, understandably seeking companionship at the end.  "For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky" perhaps translates to "life is lonely but I have known love." 

Obviously, there's more to play out as we all know from future stories that McCoy survives his illness and returns to the Enterprise.  But there are a few memorable scenes along the way.  The love affair moves along quickly but manages to be quite touching at times.  The very best scene, though, is between Spock and Bones.  Spock's human side shines through when he learns of the doctor's illness.   Spock grasps McCoy's shoulder - the gesture begins as physical support but evolves into an expression of compassion.  It's a wonderful moment in the development of a relationship so crucial to the spirit of Trek. 

*****

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Kate Woodville (Natira) was born December 4, 1938 in London.  She moved to the States in 1967, the year before her appearance on Trek.  Film credits include The Clue of the New Pin, The Wild and the Willing and The Informers.  She had numerous TV appearance in both Britain and the US.  British credits included The Avengers, The Saint and No Hiding Place.  Besides Star Trek, Woodville had American television gigs on Mission: Impossible, The Rockford Files and Eight Is Enough among others. 

Woodville was in the very first episode of The Avengers and later married the show's leading man, Patrick Macnee.  Her second husband, Edward Albert, was also an actor.  Woodville died of cancer in 2013.