What was the name of the Star Trek episode...

[Dangerously Amused]

Howdy there! So. My friend is a big Star Trek fan. Me, I hardly ever saw the show and don't know any of the trivia stuff at all. ANYway, he was telling me about his favorite episode and was getting frustrated because he could not recall the name of it. I told him that I would ask you guys. I told him that if we can get the name of the episode, then there's probably a place in internetdom where he can either download it or at least watch it for free (either YouTube or maybe a ST fan site) and if there is, you guys would probably know about that as well.

So this is how he described the episode to me: An invisible life force enters the ship. It can read minds and manipulate them to make the individual see illusions. It makes everyone on the ship have to confront his or her worst fears (in illusion form). They finally figure out that they are all seeing illusions, so then they have to fly the ship based only on the information that the flight instruments provide, and not based on anything they otherwise perceive to be reality. I'm sure there is more to the plot, but that's all I remember of what he told me.

And yes, I did try to research this on my own, but there is so much Star Trek info out there that it boggles the mind! I could probably search for days and still never find it.


So...

1. Episode name? and,

2. Site to download or watch the episode?



Thanks so much for any help you might provide!


:hi:

[Deja Q]

1. Day of the Dove (season 3)

Youtube or buy the DVD set. :D

[Dangerously Amused]

7. Thanks a ton, HT.

I should have known you'd be so fast on the draw!


:7

[General Zod]

2. It sounds a lot like "Day of the Dove"

Here is the plot synopsis and a link to an episode guide:

A U.S.S. Enterprise landing party beams to a human-colonized planet in answer to a distress call. A Klingon ship, apparently damaged, is detected and a group of Klingons accuse Kirk of having damaged their ship. Kang, their leader, claims the U.S.S. Enterprise as a prize and Kirk beams the Klingons on board, reluctantly. However, Spock is warned by Kirk and quickly takes the Klingons prisoner. Both ships seem to have received the same, false, distress call.

A malevolent entity has entered into the U.S.S. Enterprise computer and excites both sides to aggressive behavior. It forces the ship out of control, rushing toward the galactic rim, while isolating a number of Klingons and U.S.S. Enterprise crew, heightening their sense of paranoia and violence turning them against each other. Phasers become swords and the battle begins.

Spock finally realizes that the entity feeds off hatred and emotional excitation and has acted as a catalyst to provoke combat, keeping the numbers on both sides even. Kirk is able, in the end, to make a common-cause truce with the Klingons and they drive the creature out of the ship with their laughter.

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/episodes/index.html

[Dangerously Amused]

8. Thank you, and thanks so much for the plot summary!

I am going to copy the plot summary and send it to him to make sure it's the right one. Verrry helpful!


:hi:

[baldguy]

3. Day Of The Dove

The Cage
And The Children Shall Lead

[Dangerously Amused]

9. Thank you!

It is really helpful to have the back-up suggestions in case it turns out that "Day of the Dove" isn't the right one.


Thanks again!!!


:hi:

[EstimatedProphet]

4. From your description, either Day Of The Dove or And The Children Shall Lead

http://www.startrek.com

[Dangerously Amused]

6. Thank you!

My buddy will be so pleased!


:hi:

[Dangerously Amused]

5. Wow, that was FAST!

AND saved me hours of research.


Thanks, everybody! I knew you guys woulod come through with flying colors!


:woohoo:


:hi:

[Orsino]

10. This doesn't sound much like either "Day of the Dove" or...

..."And the Children Shall Lead," nor any other original-series episode. Perhaps it was another crew than Kirk's?

The resolution of "Day of the Dove" depends, as said above, on Kirk and a Klingon captain putting aside their induced rage to laugh a malevolent entity off the ship. In "And the Children Shall Lead," Kirk forces a bunch of kids to watch video of their dead parents to break the hold of a different malevolent entity.

[Dangerously Amused]

11. Hmmm. And... uh oh.

Thanks for the info. I believe the episode he was referring to was indeed one of the original episodes as he said he remembers seeing it when he was in grad school... which would make it at least thirty or so years ago. Maybe he has parts of episodes mixed up, or something? Hmmm.

I did email him with the info that the kind and helpful DUers above provided, but haven't heard back from him yet. Oh well. Thank you for your input, and if the info he provided rings any bells for you later on, would you be so kind as to let me know? In the meantime I hope to hear from him soon and maybe that will help to solve the mystery.

Thanks again!


:hi:

[Orsino]

12. Thirty years is a long time, indeed.

Could be a mix-up with other stories. I do that a lot.

In case these ring bells, here are Kirk and the Klingon captain laughing the alien off the ship in "Day of the Dove":
http://images.wikia.com/memoryalpha/en/images/thumb/f/f0/Kang,_James_T._Kirk,_Spock.jpg/180px-Kang,_James_T._Kirk,_Spock.jpg


...and Melvin Belli (!) as the malevolent alien in "And the Children Shall Lead":

[Frank Cannon]

13. The illusory instruments makes me think of "Children..."

[Orsino]

14. Oh, yeah.

Many of the crew were paralyzed with various fears, weren't they?

[Frank Cannon]

15. Yes, they were

Kirk is finally able to wrest control of the Enterprise by showing the kids videos of their happy lives pre-Melvin-Belli.