Series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Season 3, Episode 8
Original Air Date: November 8, 1968
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| via Wikipedia |
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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| via Find A Grave |
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.
Yeah, Bones was much more than the usual, "He's dead, Jim."
ReplyDeleteYes, more on that to come.
DeleteI remember this one and looked up what McCoy's disease was --xenopolycythemia. I found polycythemia is an excess of red blood cells. This is what got numerous athletes tested right out of their careers, as it enhances athletic performance if accomplished by "blood-doping". Xeno is Greek for foreign. How bones got a foreign excess of hemoglobin into himself is a mystery I am content to live with --and happily, so was he.
ReplyDeleteSome come by that condition naturally, though. I recently read an excellent book about such things: The Sports Gene by David Epstein.
Delete>>He's the George Harrison to Kirk and Spock's Lennon and McCartney (I guess Scotty is Ringo in this analogy). <<
ReplyDeleteThis is a great synopsis of the episode, but that was the line that cracked me up with its brilliance, ha ha ha. I guess all the "one scene" actors in the series were versions of Pete Best.
Great post, Squid!
Christopher Pike would be Stuart Sutcliffe. Poor Stuart...
DeleteBones had the benefit of being lead commentator in the series, plus being best friends/frenemies with Kirk and Spock.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a bit more to it than that. Like I said, more to come. I'll be writing a lot about the relationship between these three as the series (and mine) wraps up.
DeleteIn 1950s-1960s westerns and doctor shows, I think there was a popular character trope of the "wise, old, homespun doctor mentor" who advised the (usually younger) leading man. McCoy may have started out in this mold, but I'm glad he evolved.
DeleteThinking all the way back to "The Cage," that mentor idea was definitely the case with Pike and McCoy's predecessor Dr. Phillip Boyce. That may, in fact, have been the original intent with McCoy but I think the relationship between the three principals evolved into something quite different.
Delete"For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky" perhaps translates to "life is lonely but I have known love."
ReplyDeleteAhh... I never caught that metaphorical coupling of themes in this episode. Nice.
The Beatles correspondences are interesting... would Uhura be Yoko?!?
By the way, I had to check to see whether Woodville's 2nd husband was the well known star of Green Acres, or his son of the same name, who played an extremely poignant role in the Beauty & the Beast TV show that I blogged about while ago. It was the son.
The character of Uhura was a revolution all her own.
Delete'He's the George Harrison to Kirk and Spock's Lennon and McCartney'
ReplyDelete:)
I thought you might enjoy that. ;^)
DeleteI adore the Beatles comment and the title is sadly lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe Avengers and Patrick Macnee... perfect.
cheers, parsnip
My wife's an Avengers fan. It's never quite taken with me.
DeleteI barely remembered McCoy, but when I Googled him I instantly recognized his face.
ReplyDeleteI like the name "Natira."
It's a close call between Spock and McCoy for the best eyebrows in the history of television.
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