Metamorphosis (TOS episode)
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| Star Trek: TOS episode | |
| "Metamorphosis" | |
 Zephram Cochrane and Nancy, Metamorphosis. |
|
| Episode no. | 38 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 031 |
| Airdate | November 10, 1967 |
| Writer(s) | Gene L. Coon |
| Director | Ralph Senensky |
| Guest star(s) | Glenn Corbett Elinor Donahue Elizabeth Rogers Eddie Paskey William Blackburn (actor) |
| Year | 2267 |
| Stardate | 3219.4 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "I, Mudd" |
| Next | "Journey to Babel" |
"Metamorphosis" is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series first broadcast November 10, 1967 and repeated July 19, 1968. It is episode #38, production #31, written by Gene L. Coon, and directed by Ralph Senensky.
Overview: A shuttle crew from the Enterprise encounters a castaway and his mysterious alien companion.
[edit] Plot
On stardate 3219.4, Captain James T. Kirk, along with his first officer Mr. Spock and chief medical officer Dr. McCoy are ferrying Commissioner Nancy Hedford to the starship USS Enterprise aboard the shuttlecraft Galileo. Nancy, a tough diplomat who's devoted her entire life to her career, suffers from Sicuro's disease, and will seek treatment for her illness aboard the Enterprise while the ship takes her to Epsilon Caneris III, where she will join in negotiation talks between the planet's warring factions.
As the shuttle passes near an unexplored system, a strange glob of energy appears and disables the craft's systems. The energy pulls them down to the nearby planet Gamma Canaris N. Once there, the party disembarks and finds a rocky planet with suitable atmospheric conditions to support humanoid life. Kirk tries to contact the Enterprise for assistance, but his signals are being blocked by some unknown phenomenon. With no time to waste exploring, Kirk and Spock try to figure out a way to repair the shuttle.
Suddenly a friendly young man appears from nowhere, and identifies himself as Cochrane. He tells the party he has been marooned on the planet alone for quite some time, and that he's afraid repairing the shuttle is futile. He informs that there is a dampening field in effect that won't allow the shuttlecraft to leave and they are stranded just as he is. Cochrane leads his new guests to his home, a small but cozy little shelter.
The crew find Cochrane's face familiar. When questioned, Cochrane admits he is in fact Zefram Cochrane, the Alpha Centaurian who developed the first warp drive technology over 100 years ago, and tells how when he was 87 years old, he took to space to die alone. When he came to this system his ship was disabled by an asteroid, he would have surely been killed if he had not been saved, grabbed at the last minute by the same energy force which brought Kirk's shuttle down. He calls the being who saved him "The Companion", a shimmering blob of sparking energy, and says the entity brought the others here to keep him company. Despite being so old, Cochrane appears young, claiming the Companion rejuvenated him.
Nancy soon develops a fever, the first sign her illness is getting worse. McCoy informs the others that without proper medical treatment aboard the Enterprise she may die. Not willing to stay any longer, Kirk orders Spock to try to repair the shuttle, while Dr. McCoy makes Nancy as comfortable as possible.
As Spock performs repairs on the shuttle, the Companion appears, and observes what Spock is doing. Spock tries to touch the entity, but is given an electrical jolt that knocks him back. The Companion then takes the liberty of frying the Galileo's electrical systems, rendering any hope of further repair useless. Spock returns to Cochrane's shelter and informs Captain Kirk of the encounter. Spock believes the creature's electrical attack may give a clue to how to disable it. He then sets to work constructing a device that may "short circuit" the entity.
Once Spock's device is complete, Kirk orders Cochrane to call the Companion. Cochrane becomes uneasy about having to harm the being, but calls it anyway. When The Companion appears Spock activates his device. The effect seems to cause Cochrane more harm, as he stiffens in pain while the Companion lashes out at its attackers. Cochrane regains his composure and orders the Companion to stop the attack. The creature obeys just before finishing Kirk and Spock off for good.
Kirk decides to communicate directly with the entity and fetches the universal translator, (which translates brainwave emissions into spoken language), from the shuttle. Hoping it will work on the incorporeal creature Kirk begins to talk to it, asking why it is keeping everyone prisoner.
The device works, and the Companion responds, identifying itself as a female of its kind. It explains it is keeping Cochrane on the planet, but not as a prisoner nor as a pet as the humans initially assume. The creature says it is in love with Cochrane, and wants only to care for him, showing him nothing but love and companionship. Cochrane, repulsed by the entity's words, barges off saying he will not be "fodder for any inhuman monster." Nancy, in a feverish daze and near death, overhears the whole thing. She observes that while she's proud of her work, she would give anything to experience another's love, and wonders how Cochrane could just run from it.
Kirk tries to convince the Companion that it is not compatible with Cochrane, and it is not capable of loving a human the way another human can. If the Companion truly loves Cochrane, it would let him go. The Companion however seems to disagree, then suddenly it enters Nancy's body. To everyone's amazement, Nancy rises, fully recovered. The Companion then says it has merged with her, and the two are now one. It is now the only thing keeping Nancy alive, If the Companion leaves her body, she will die. The Companion then restores the shuttlecraft's systems allowing Kirk and the others to leave as they please. Cochrane then takes Nancy in his arms and decides to remain behind and live with her forever, sealing his vow with a passionate kiss.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise arrives in the system and begins searching for the Galileo in an asteroid field containing at least 7,000 asteroids. They soon pick up communications from the shuttle, and are relieved that the Captain is all right and will dock with the ship shortly. Kirk and the others agree to keep their encounter with Cochrane to themselves.
[edit] Trivia
- Zefram Cochrane later appears in the filmStar Trek: First Contact, although the character is in many ways different from the one portrayed in "Metamorphosis".
- Fan critics cite this episode as one of many TOS stories which exemplify the idea that women can be either dedicated to a career or have commitment to a loving relationship -- not both.
- This episode was spoofed in the Star Trek-themed Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before". In this episode Fry, Leela, Bender and the cast of the original series are held captive on a planet by an energy being for the purpose of holding a Star Trek convention.
[edit] External links
- Metamorphosis at StarTrek.com
- Metamorphosis article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
| Last produced: "Catspaw" |
Star Trek: TOS episodes Season 2 |
Next produced: "Friday's Child" |
| Last transmitted: "I, Mudd" |
Next transmitted: "Journey to Babel" |
