I simply must mention today's episode, #66, The Day of the Dove, as a tremendous example of the insights revealed by this program. Who could have come up with this?
A pure-energy being that feeds on negative emotions (violent thoughts, hatred, bloodlust), and can manipulate matter and minds, draws a Klingon vessel and the Enterprise via a distress signal to a Federation colony on a planet. The entity had already destroyed the colony and it damages the Klingon vessel upon arrival, leaving only 40 alive. These are two perfect, false flag attacks that cause the Klingons and the shortly arriving Enterprise to blame each other for apparently brutal, unprovoked acts of war.
Once the 40 Klingons are taken aboard the Enterprise as prisoners, the ship again becomes a microcosm to reflect our reality here on Earth. The entity, which is unseen, unknown, and stealthy, traps all but 40 Enterprise crew below deck and replaces all weapons with primitive ones that require the most intense kind of fighting (hand-to-hand and bloody), arming both sides equally, creating a perfect balance of power. Shocked and horrified, the two sides begin to battle, each believing the other to be bloodthirsty killers, as they try gain control of the other's portion of the ship.
Spock reasons, and determines that the material transmutation of the weapons is beyond each's technology, and so theorizes existence of an unseen third party. But the provoked violence escalates, thus the entity's power begins to grow, and it agitates minds with thoughts of hatred and bloodlust, even implanting false memories among some crew that beckon them to vengeance. Chaos ensues as bloodlust reigns and injured crewmen recover only with thoughts of hatred, racial bigotry, and eagerness to return to battle. There is even a scene in which Chekhov, under influence, is inspired to attempt rape of a Klingon prisoner.
Spock, as usual, because of his emotional control, keeps stays objective and reasoning. He analyzes the history and begins to crack the assumptions that they're all under by determining that at the time of the attack on the colony, the Klingon ship was too far away to have done it. He builds a case for existence of a third party. They scan the ship and detect the pure-energy being, but still have no clue what it is or what its motives are. Spock recognizes the "influence" of the entity and Kirk conquers it by self-examination, but others don't. The dialog is amazing.
Kirk, representing the peacmaker, proposes convincing the Klingons of the manipulation and trying a truce.
McCoy, agitated, representing the warmonger, sounding just like a furious Zell Miller: Truce? Are you serious? ... This is a fight to the death. We'd better start trying to win it!
Kirk: We're attempting to end it, by reason...
McCoy, unswerved: But this is war!!
Kirk, using facts to advance the theory of a setup: There isn't any war! ... Two forces aboard this ship, each of them equally armed. Has a war been staged for us, complete with weapons and ideology and patriotic drum beating? Even race hatred?
Spock, representing those who begin to see: Recent events would seem to be directed toward a magnification of the basic hostilities between humans and Klingons. Apparently, it is by design that we fight. We seem to be pawns.
Kirk: But what's the game? And whose? And what are the rules?
Spock, theorizing that exposure of truth will solve the problem: It is most urgent that we locate the alien entity immediately and determine its motives and a method for halting its activities.
Each side begins to realize that as they nearly checkmate the opposing side, something mysteriously foils it, causing the balanced fighting to continue. The Klingon commander suspiciously ruminates, "What power is it that supports our battle, yet starves our victory?"
So many great quotes. When they finally encounter the alien and figure out that it feeds on negative emotion:
Kirk: It subsists on the emotions of others.
Spock: This one appears to be strengthened by mental irradiations of hostility, violent intentions.
Kirk: It exists on the hate of others.
Spock: To put it simply. And it has acted as a catalyst, creating this situation in order to satisfy that need. It has brought together opposing forces, provided crude instruments in an effort to promote the most violent mode of conflict. And kept numbers and resources balanced so that it can maintain a constant state of violence.
Kirk: It's got to have a vulnerable area. We've got to get rid of it.
Spock: Then all hostile attitudes on board must be eliminated.
Kirk: The fighting must end and soon, or we're a doomed ship... We've got to pool our knowledge and get rid of this thing.
Spock: Soon it will become so powerful, none of us will be able to resist it.
Kirk: Stop the war now, or spend eternity in futile bloody violence... pawn against pawn! Stopping the bad guys. While somewhere someone or some...thing sits back and laughs, and starts it all over again.
And finally, when McCoy suggests to Spock that they stop the Klingons by force, Spock says, "Those who hate and fight must stop themselves, Doctor. Otherwise, it is not stopped."
If interested, I recommend reading the whole script, to recognize the full extent of the insights here. It's an easy read -- and the whole episode plays itself in your head as you go: http://members.aol.com/adrockb/StarTrekEpisode66.txt
A pure-energy being that feeds on negative emotions (violent thoughts, hatred, bloodlust), and can manipulate matter and minds, draws a Klingon vessel and the Enterprise via a distress signal to a Federation colony on a planet. The entity had already destroyed the colony and it damages the Klingon vessel upon arrival, leaving only 40 alive. These are two perfect, false flag attacks that cause the Klingons and the shortly arriving Enterprise to blame each other for apparently brutal, unprovoked acts of war.
Once the 40 Klingons are taken aboard the Enterprise as prisoners, the ship again becomes a microcosm to reflect our reality here on Earth. The entity, which is unseen, unknown, and stealthy, traps all but 40 Enterprise crew below deck and replaces all weapons with primitive ones that require the most intense kind of fighting (hand-to-hand and bloody), arming both sides equally, creating a perfect balance of power. Shocked and horrified, the two sides begin to battle, each believing the other to be bloodthirsty killers, as they try gain control of the other's portion of the ship.
Spock reasons, and determines that the material transmutation of the weapons is beyond each's technology, and so theorizes existence of an unseen third party. But the provoked violence escalates, thus the entity's power begins to grow, and it agitates minds with thoughts of hatred and bloodlust, even implanting false memories among some crew that beckon them to vengeance. Chaos ensues as bloodlust reigns and injured crewmen recover only with thoughts of hatred, racial bigotry, and eagerness to return to battle. There is even a scene in which Chekhov, under influence, is inspired to attempt rape of a Klingon prisoner.
Spock, as usual, because of his emotional control, keeps stays objective and reasoning. He analyzes the history and begins to crack the assumptions that they're all under by determining that at the time of the attack on the colony, the Klingon ship was too far away to have done it. He builds a case for existence of a third party. They scan the ship and detect the pure-energy being, but still have no clue what it is or what its motives are. Spock recognizes the "influence" of the entity and Kirk conquers it by self-examination, but others don't. The dialog is amazing.
Kirk, representing the peacmaker, proposes convincing the Klingons of the manipulation and trying a truce.
McCoy, agitated, representing the warmonger, sounding just like a furious Zell Miller: Truce? Are you serious? ... This is a fight to the death. We'd better start trying to win it!
Kirk: We're attempting to end it, by reason...
McCoy, unswerved: But this is war!!
Kirk, using facts to advance the theory of a setup: There isn't any war! ... Two forces aboard this ship, each of them equally armed. Has a war been staged for us, complete with weapons and ideology and patriotic drum beating? Even race hatred?
Spock, representing those who begin to see: Recent events would seem to be directed toward a magnification of the basic hostilities between humans and Klingons. Apparently, it is by design that we fight. We seem to be pawns.
Kirk: But what's the game? And whose? And what are the rules?
Spock, theorizing that exposure of truth will solve the problem: It is most urgent that we locate the alien entity immediately and determine its motives and a method for halting its activities.
Each side begins to realize that as they nearly checkmate the opposing side, something mysteriously foils it, causing the balanced fighting to continue. The Klingon commander suspiciously ruminates, "What power is it that supports our battle, yet starves our victory?"
So many great quotes. When they finally encounter the alien and figure out that it feeds on negative emotion:
Kirk: It subsists on the emotions of others.
Spock: This one appears to be strengthened by mental irradiations of hostility, violent intentions.
Kirk: It exists on the hate of others.
Spock: To put it simply. And it has acted as a catalyst, creating this situation in order to satisfy that need. It has brought together opposing forces, provided crude instruments in an effort to promote the most violent mode of conflict. And kept numbers and resources balanced so that it can maintain a constant state of violence.
Kirk: It's got to have a vulnerable area. We've got to get rid of it.
Spock: Then all hostile attitudes on board must be eliminated.
Kirk: The fighting must end and soon, or we're a doomed ship... We've got to pool our knowledge and get rid of this thing.
Spock: Soon it will become so powerful, none of us will be able to resist it.
Kirk: Stop the war now, or spend eternity in futile bloody violence... pawn against pawn! Stopping the bad guys. While somewhere someone or some...thing sits back and laughs, and starts it all over again.
And finally, when McCoy suggests to Spock that they stop the Klingons by force, Spock says, "Those who hate and fight must stop themselves, Doctor. Otherwise, it is not stopped."
If interested, I recommend reading the whole script, to recognize the full extent of the insights here. It's an easy read -- and the whole episode plays itself in your head as you go: http://members.aol.com/adrockb/StarTrekEpisode66.txt
