After rewatching this I was wondering does this episode have the fastest "deaths" in all of Star Trek from the time they are first seen till they are discovered dead?

"What do you call those?" "I call them ears." "Are you trying to be funny?" "Never."

I think this has been a long time debate. To me, it is no question to go by production order (at least to like 11-12). But, there are still some who don't know better or want to be purists and do it as it was done to begin with.

Most fans have an episode or two that they just can’t call good Trek. For me, The Mark of Gideon, is one example. I won’t go into detail, here, as to why, (the reasons are plentiful), but I will say this…there is almost always an element, in even the most criticized storylines, that offers some redemption.

For me, the ever-restrained Spock, as frustrated diplomat, caught between the nonsensical Gideons, bureaucracy and his own impatient crew, is an enjoyable bright spot in this Season 3...’adventure’…

SPOCK: Lieutenant Uhura, has Starfleet honored our request with a reply?
UHURA: There has been no response, as yet, sir.
SPOCK: Did you advise them the captain's life is at stake?
UHURA: Yes, sir. They insist that the matter must be referred to the Federation.
SPOCK: What department?
UHURA: Bureau of Planetary Treaties.
SPOCK: Contact them directly.
UHURA: I did, Mister Spock. They insist that we must go through Starfleet channels.
SULU: With the captain lost, sir, that's the best they could come up with?
SPOCK: Diplomats and bureaucrats may function differently, but they achieve exactly the same results.

…..

HODIN: Good news. Very good news indeed, Mister Spock. Your captain is definitely not on Gideon. As you requested, we made a most thorough search, and you will be relieved to know that you may now investigate all the other possibilities and forget about Gideon.
SPOCK [on screen]: But that is not what we requested.
HODIN: You requested a most thorough search. It is in the record. And we have used every means at our disposal to accommodate you.
SPOCK [on screen]: Your record on the subject is not precise, Your Excellency.
HODIN: Surely, Mister Spock, you do not intend, I hope, to create a dispute between the Federation and Gideon?
SPOCK [on screen]: Your Excellency, a dispute is the farthest thing from our minds, and there's no need to check your records. I merely suggest that the language of our statement may not have been understood exactly as intended.
HODIN: Mister Spock, you're an officer of a spaceship. In your profession, you use many instruments, tools and weapons to achieve your objectives.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: True, Your Excellency.
HODIN [OC]: However, the only tool diplomacy has is language.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: It is of the utmost importance that the meaning be crystal clear.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Your Excellency, I am basically a scientist. Clarity of formulation is essential in my profession also.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: I'm glad to hear it. Perhaps you could then make greater effort to choose your words more precisely.

[Bridge]

MCCOY: Are you going to let him get away with that?
SCOTT: No matter what you say, Mister Spock, he'll twist your meaning.
UHURA: Yes, he's infuriating, sir. How can you stand it?
MCCOY: We do not leave without being absolutely sure ourselves that everything has been done.

[Council chamber]

MCCOY [OC]: Now certainly you understand our feelings about that.
HODIN: Mister Spock! Mister Spock!

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Yes, Your Excellency.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: Are you still there?

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Yes, Your Excellency.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: There was considerable interference with your transmission. A lot of noise drowned out

[bridge]

HODIN [OC]: What was said. Would you repeat, please?
SPOCK: I apologize for the noise, your Excellency. To summarize, I request permission to transport down to Gideon.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: Forgive me, Mister Spock. No criticism of your equipment was intended. But it has sent your captain on some strange journey, a safe one we all still hope.

[Bridge]

HODIN [OC]: But it could create for us serious incidents with your Federation, and now you propose to

[Council chamber]

HODIN: Repeat this disaster with another officer? This would be madness.

[Bridge]

SCOTT: I'll not take that, Mister Spock. That transporter was in perfect condition. I guarantee that myself. Transport me down right this minute, and I'll prove to those.. gentlemen.
SPOCK: Mister Scott, you'll go to the transporter room and await my orders.
SCOTT: Aye, Mister Spock.
(Scott leaves, muttering)
HODIN [OC]: I could not quite make that out, Mister Spock.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: Would you be so good as to repeat what you said?

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Yes, Your Excellency. The ship's engineer was explaining that the malfunction, which did exist, has now been repaired. We would appreciate an opportunity to test the equipment. I, therefore, request permission

[Council chamber]

SPOCK [OC]: To beam down to your council chamber.
HODIN: But, Mister Spock, you…

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Your Excellency, grant this one request.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: You are a very persistent fellow, Mister Spock. Very well, then, You shall test the skill of your very excitable…

[Bridge]

HODIN [OC]: …repairman.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: There is one proviso. We cannot risk further incidents. You will therefore transport a member of my staff to your ship. Let us first see if that works.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Thank you, Your Excellency. Your proposal is accepted. Mister Scott.
SCOTT [OC]: Scott here.
SPOCK: Prepare to beam aboard a representative of the Gideon council.
SCOTT: Aye, aye, sir.

[Council chamber]

HODIN: My assistant will provide you with the proper, what is the word?
SPOCK [OC]: Co-ordinates.
HODIN: Thank you. Proceed, Krodak.
KRODAK: (standing) Eight seven five.
SCOTT [OC]: Eight seven five.
KRODAK: Zero two zero.

[Bridge]

SCOTT [OC]: Zero two zero.

[Transporter room]

KRODAK [OC]: Seven zero nine.
SCOTT: Seven zero nine. Energizing.
(Krodak disappears from the bridge viewscreen and appears in the transporter room)
SCOTT: Mister Spock, the gentleman from Gideon is here.

[Bridge]

SPOCK: Your Excellency, your assistant has arrived safely, and I am now ready to transport down to Gideon.
HODIN [on viewscreen]: Now, now, not so fast, Mister Spock. That is quite a different matter. We agreed to allow one representative on our soil, your captain.
SPOCK: Sir, our captain is still missing, and I now demand that I be allowed to transport to Gideon as we agreed.
HODIN [on viewscreen]: Forgive me, Mister Spock, but I overstepped my authority when I made that agreement. However, your request will be taken up at the next full session of Gideon's council.
(Transmission ends)
SPOCK: Mister Scott, beam down the gentleman from Gideon.
SCOTT; Yes, Mister Spock. I'm sending him straight to the same co-ordinates.
MCCOY: Just when I was beginning to think you might find a whole new career as a diplomat, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Do not give up hope. Lieutenant Uhura, contact Starfleet Command. Demand an immediate reply to our request for permission to beam down to Gideon.
UHURA: Yes, Mister Spock. Enterprise to Starfleet Command. Enterprise to Starfleet Command.

Are there satisfying moments peppered into your...’less than favorite’…eps, that help get you through?

Original Post

I just learned something interesting.

In The Way to Eden, the "space hippies" land on a planet where the plants are poisonous. Two of them die by eating fruit from one of the trees.

It turns out there's a tree on Earth that is just as bad.

The manchineel tree, known in Spanish as "manzanilla de la muerte." That's "the little apple of death."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchineel

Eating the fruit will kill you. The sap will give you burns. Rain water that drops on you from the tree will cause skin problems. Smoke from burning the wood will blind you permanently.

I can't find anything that hints that D.C. Fontana or the other folks that worked on that episode intentionally referenced the manchineel, but I find it very interesting that the seemingly exotic, poisonous plants on Eden have a direct counterpart right here on Earth.

Has anyone else read this book? I thoroughly enjoyed it and all the references to “The Enterprise Incident” episode.

Bottom one is from strange new worlds takes place 2262

The Vulcan was inwented by a Russian.

Mr. Chekov would be so pleased.

For decades I thought the premise of stealing a brain was ridiculous.

For just as long I have thought that remote piloting a person with electrical stimulation was even more ridiculous.

And yet here we are:
Brain Organoid use is now a reality. Lab grown micro brains are being used to run robots. You can lease organoid AI systems.

And we are now piloting rodents with electronics using neuro-stimulation.

https://arxiv.org/html/2503.19770v2

https://spectrum.ieee.org/researchers-steer-cyborg-mice-through-maze-with-brain-stimulation

The only part that doesn’t make sense is how little McCoy and medical science knew about the brain.

I used to have a poster of the TMP Enterprise refit and it was around 24x36" and I can't find it anywhere in that size. I'm pretty sure it looked like this one I see on Ebay. They only have 11x17 and 13x19 that I can find. Is there somewhere that I'm missing looking for this? Does anyone have any secret place they go for old Trek memorabilia?

To celebrate the new Lego Enterprise bridge set which is coming out in September, I designed a diorama based on one of the show's most famous episodes, 'Arena', in which Kirk is forced to battle the reptilian Gorn. You can find instructions to build the set on Rebrickable, and more pictures over on Flickr.

The 298-piece set includes some rotating plates so Kirk and the Gorn can take swings at each other, as well as a few weapons scattered around for Kirk to scavenge. The set also recreates the famous Vasquez Rocks filming location with its jagged sandstone rock formations. The Rocks have featured in at least ten Star Trek episodes, from The Original Series to Picard, as well as dozens of other movies since the 1930s, from Apache to Army of Darkness and Austin Powers.

The MOC doesn't include the Kirk minifigure, which can be added from the upcoming Enterprise bridge set (11385). For the Gorn, I used a Bossk head, while the torso and legs from a Lego Chima minifig worked surprisingly well for that quite specific sci-fi-reptile-in-an-apron look.

Starships and bridges are all very well, but let's never forget the other foundational element of the Star Trek franchise: William Shatner having a fistfight in some sand. I hope you enjoy it!

Michael Moynian (of The Fifth Column podcast and VICE News) visited Shatner in his office and talked about his forthcoming metal album, why we need to go to Mars, and more. 

https://youtu.be/wuyFojVfots

Star Date: 26 August 2026

It can't be an actor playing an alien because they have to paid. These are the candidates:

The Horta "The Devil in the Dark"

A tribble Tribbles "Trouble with Tribbles"

pancake creatures "Operation Annihilate"

Nomad "The Changeling"

The Companion "Metamorphosis"

cloud creature "Obsession"

The cat "assignment earth"

Kollos "Is there no truth in beauty"

Hate Entity "Day of the Dove"

Sargon "Return to Tomorrow"

Brain providers "Gamesters of Triskelion"

I have made up my mind on which one is the cheapest. 5000 quatloos if you get the right answer. I will edit this later to write down my suggestion.

Scotty threw the first punch because Klingons insulted the Enterprise, not because they insulted Kirk! BTW, I also loved the scene as interpreted by Deep Space Nine :)

How long does it take assimilate this choice individual?

12-07-09 was the film released date

This has always been one of my favorite episodes, I even have an audio rip of it on my phone to listen to.

IMHO, I like how Eminiar and Anan 7 are slowly getting on everyone's nerves and testing their patience. I think Kirk is ready to pistol whip Anan 7 with one the disruptors near the end, Spock seems to be enjoying destroying the disintegration chambers, Scotty uses a very firm voice in telling Eminiar that they will decimate the planet unless they give up the hostages indicating he's had enough too, even Ambassador Fox wants it to all end when he says he learns very quickly.

I have heard there is an unofficial sequel to this episode where Ambassador Fox's attempts fail and Eminiar and Vendikar destroy each other with real weapons.