| Star Trek: TOS episode | |
| "The Empath" | |
 The Vians run cruel experiments |
|
| Episode no. | 67 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 063 |
| Remastered no. | 79 |
| Airdate | December 6, 1968 |
| Writer(s) | Joyce Muskat |
| Director | John Erman |
| Guest star(s) | Kathryn Hays Alan Bergmann Willard Sage Davis Roberts Jason Wingreen Richard Geary William Blackburn (actor) Roger Holloway |
| Year | 2268 |
| Stardate | 5121. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Screenwriters or scenarists are Scriptwriters who write the Screenplays from which Films and Television programs are made Joyce Muskat was one of only four writers with no prior television credits able to sell a script to Star Trek ( David Gerrold, Judy Burns and Jean A television director directs the activities involved in making a Television Episode. John Erman (born August 3, 1935) is a two-time Emmy Award -winning American television and Film director and producer Kathryn Hays (born July 26, 1933) is an American actress. She was born in Princeton Illinois and grew up in Joliet Illinois Jason Wingreen (born October 9, 1920) is an American actor Born in Brooklyn New York, He lent his voice to Boba Fett in the Roger Holloway is an American television actor who portrayed the recurring character Lt Stardates are a means of specifying absolute dates in the fictional Star Trek universe. 5 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "Wink of an Eye" |
| Next | "Elaan of Troyius" |
"The Empath" is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and was broadcast December 6, 1968. This is a complete list of Star Trek The Original Series episodes See also Blink of an Eye (Voyager episode " Wink of an Eye " is a third season episode of Star Trek The Original Series, and " Elaan of Troyius " is a third-season episode of Star Trek The Original Series, and was broadcast December 20, 1968. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It is episode #67, production #63, written by Joyce Muskat and directed by John Erman. Joyce Muskat was one of only four writers with no prior television credits able to sell a script to Star Trek ( David Gerrold, Judy Burns and Jean John Erman (born August 3, 1935) is a two-time Emmy Award -winning American television and Film director and producer
Overview: While visiting a doomed planet, the landing party is subject to torturous experiments by powerful aliens.
Contents |
Plot
On stardate 5121. Stardates are a means of specifying absolute dates in the fictional Star Trek universe. 5, the starship USS Enterprise arrives at Minara II to pick up research personnel. A starship is a theoretical Spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for Orbital spaceflight or Interplanetary The Enterprise or USS Enterprise (often referred to as the " Starship Enterprise " are the names of several fictional The mission is crucial since the Minaran star is close to going supernova. A supernova (plural supernovae or supernovas) is a stellar Explosion. Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Mr. Spock beam to the planet to locate the research team while the Enterprise waits in orbit. Leonard H "Bones" McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, is the Doctor character in the original Star Trek series and the first six Spock (sometimes referred to as Mr Spock) is a main character in the original Star Trek TV series The landing team finds the research camp abandoned and the scientists missing.
Meanwhile in orbit, the Enterprise is bombarded by intense solar radiation which is causing instrumentation failure, and threatening the lives of the crew. Mr. Scott orders the ship to break orbit while the landing party continues the search for the missing scientists on the planet. Montgomery Scott, or "Scotty", is a character in the original Star Trek series and the films which followed
As the search continues, the landing party finds themselves teleported to an underground chamber, and there they find a young woman lying on a raised platform. The woman awakens but she appears to be mute and all attempts to verbally communicate with her are in vain. Dr. McCoy names the mystery woman "Gem".
Soon, two silver-robed aliens appear, and identify themselves as Vians. Kirk approaches the beings but they repel the team with a force field. Kirk is injured and knocked to the floor. The silent Gem then rushes to Kirk's side and uses a mental power to absorb Kirk's injuries, taking them on herself and then dissipating them, healing him instantly and revealing that she is a powerful empath. In the paranormal and some works of Science fiction and Fantasy, Empathy is described as a paranormal or psychic ability to sense the emotions of others The Vians leave the chamber to prepare experiments upon their newly arrived subjects.
Spock takes the opportunity to scan their "prison" for a way out. He locates a nearby area filled with sophisticated machinery and computer banks. Along with the equipment are several glass cylinders, two of which contain dead bodies frozen in ghastly poses. Signs on the cylinders identify the test subjects as "Linke" and "Ozaba", the missing research scientists. Three more cylinders next to them are empty but contain name plaques: "McCoy", "Spock" and "Kirk".
The Vians appear again, explaining that Linke's and Ozaba's "own fears killed them," and demand that one of the landing party offer themselves for their tests. Kirk volunteers on the condition that Spock and McCoy are freed. The Vians agree, but only transport Spock, McCoy and Gem to the other room, and they subject Kirk to physical torture. They then send him back to the first chamber where Gem heals his wounds. Kirk has been so badly hurt that Gem expends almost all her power on him, and faints from the strain. Because Gem takes on others' injuries in order to heal them, Kirk and McCoy are concerned that she could severely hurt or kill herself if she overdoes it. McCoy points out that her instinct for self-preservation would take over to prevent this.
Not satisfied with the results of the experiment, the Vians return and demand another test subject, giving Kirk the choice of McCoy or Spock. They even "helpfully" explain that there is an 87% chance McCoy will die, and a 93% chance Spock will suffer brain damage resulting in permanent insanity. As Kirk ponders what to do, McCoy sedates him, intending to offer to be taken next. Spock, now in command as Kirk is unconscious, wants to offer himself, but McCoy sedates him as well. Later, Spock makes adjustments to a teleportation device stolen earlier from the Vians. Though Spock suggests that they return to the surface, Gem holds up McCoy's medical tricorder and Kirk says, "The best defense is a good offense, and I intend to start offending now" and they go to the Vians' medical chamber, finding McCoy near death. In the fictional Star Trek Universe, a tricorder is a handheld device used for scanning an area interpreting and displaying Data from scans
They return to the first chamber where Gem rests. She is still weak and fearful. Kirk speculates that he may persuade her to stabilize McCoy, at which point the Vians reappear and imprison Kirk and Spock in the force field to prevent them from interfering. At last, Gem overcomes her fear and tries to help the doctor but struggles painfully with her remaining power to ease his suffering. Kirk angrily demands an explanation for the tortures.
The Vians explain that they aren't testing the landing party, but are in fact testing Gem. They claim they have the ability to save only one of the peoples living in their system from the impending supernova disaster. They want to see if Gem's race are worthy of rescue. If she has learned to value the lives of others before her own, they will consider her people worthy. If not, the Vians will spare another race that is doomed to die.
The aliens continue to observe Gem as she grows weaker, sacrificing her remaining energy to save McCoy's life, but breaking away from him to rest. This leads them to determine that she is not willing to give her life for that of another, and that her people will be the ones chosen to die. They demand that the test proceed to "completion", presumably the death either of Gem or McCoy. Gem does return to McCoy, but aware her attempt will cost her her own life, he shoves her away. Too drained to return, she falls to the floor.
Meanwhile, Spock observes that the force field's energy increases with strong emotions. He manages to break free and overpowers the two aliens. Kirk confiscates the devices used for controlling the force fields.
The Vians watch as Spock explains that since Gem has already offered her life, she's earned the right of survival for her planet. Moreover, McCoy's life is not solely dependent on Gem; the Vians have the technology to save him as well. But the Vians refuse, saying that Gem offering her life is not enough. Kirk accuses the aliens of lacking the one thing that Gem has already shown herself capable of, and the one thing the Vians sought: compassion. Kirk even returns the Vians' devices, saying, "If death is all you understand, here are four lives for you. " The aliens consider the behavior and agree that Kirk's words have merit. The aliens restore Gem and McCoy to health and agree her people will be the ones they spare. The aliens, along with Gem, teleport away, and Kirk and his team return to the Enterprise. Kirk muses on the "chance" encounter with Gem, and Scott talks about her in terms of the biblical parable of the "pearl of great price". Montgomery Scott, or "Scotty", is a character in the original Star Trek series and the films which followed Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin
40th Anniversary remastering
This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired July 26, 2008 as part of the remastered Original Series. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered "Spectre of the Gun" and followed a week later by the remastered "Turnabout Intruder". " Spectre of the Gun " (originally 'The Last Gunfight' is an episode from the third season of Star Trek The Original Series, that was first broadcast " Turnabout Intruder " is a third season as well as the final first-run episode of Star Trek The Original Series. Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:
* to be noted
Notes
- This episode was reported to be DeForest Kelley's favorite. Jackson DeForest Kelley ( January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999) was an American actor known for his starring role as Dr
- It is widely believed that the sparse settings for this episode were necessitated by the reduced budget under which the series worked in its last season on NBC. At the time of filming, writers and fan critics who were allowed on the set believed the sparseness was meant to be Expressionistic, for psychological effect. Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form
- Dorothy Heydt, a personal friend of Muskat, has reported that the character of Gem was a deliberate Mary Sue; that is, a character based on herself or what she would have liked to be. Dorothy J Heydt is a US Author of Science fiction and Fantasy. Gem can also be seen as a type of stock character, a combination of an Ingénue and a Mute Kid With Powers. A stock character is one which relies heavily on cultural types or names for his or her personality manner of speech and other characteristics
- Soap Opera Digest once reported that it was Hays' appearance as Gem that inspired creator Gene Roddenberry to write a role for her in all of his projects, in case she ever wanted to return. Soap Opera Digest is a Magazine chronicling the stories airing on American Soap operas and the off-screen lives of the actors appearing on them Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry (August 19 1921 &ndash October 24 1991 was an American Screenwriter and producer.
- In the United Kingdom, the BBC skipped this episode in all runs of the series in the 1970s and 1980s, due to the torture scenes. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It was however released on home video with other "banned" episodes, and was shown on Sky One in 1991. It was broadcast for the first time on the BBC in January 1994.
- The daybed featured among the set elements is a replica in shape of the "agonizer" device from "Mirror, Mirror". " Mirror Mirror " is an episode of Star Trek The Original Series.
A goof~ When Kirk touches the cut on Gem's head, he extends only his index finger, and touches the cut, but when the camera shows him looking at the blood on his finger, it's suddenly only his middle finger that has blood on it.
External links
- The Empath at StarTrek. com
- The Empath article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- The Empath report and script analysis
| Last produced: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" |
Star Trek: TOS episodes Season 3 |
Next produced: "The Tholian Web" |
| Last transmitted: "Wink of an Eye" |
Next transmitted: "Elaan of Troyius" |
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