Patterns of Force (Star Trek)

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Star Trek: TOS episode
"Patterns of Force"
Image:STPatternForce.jpg
The Enterprise visits the Nazi planet Ekos
Episode no. 50
Prod. code 052
Remastered no. 31
Airdate February 16, 1968
Writer(s) John Meredyth Lucas
Director Vincent McEveety
Guest star(s) David Brian
Chuck Courtney
Skip Homeier
Richard Evans (actor)
Patrick Horgan
Valora Noland
William Wintersole
Paul Baxley
Peter Canon
Gilbert Green
Bart LaRue
Ralph Maurer
Ed McCready
Eddie Paskey
William Blackburn
Roger Holloway
Year 2268
Stardate unknown
Episode chronology
Previous "Return to Tomorrow"
Next "By Any Other Name"

"Patterns of Force" is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and was broadcast on February 16, 1968. It is episode #50, production #52, written by John Meredyth Lucas, and directed by Vincent McEveety.

Overview: The crew of the Enterprise visits a planet dominated by a Nazi regime.

[edit] Plot

The starship Enterprise arrives at the planet Ekos in the M34 Alpha System, to investigate the disappearance of a Federation historian named John Gill.

As soon as the Enterprise enters orbit around Ekos, it is attacked by a rocket armed with a thermonuclear warhead. It carries technology that is too advanced to be from Ekos or their closely neighboring planet Zeon. The ship easily destroys the weapon, and moves out of range of the planet's detection devices.

The crew is confused as to how the inhabitants of Ekos acquired such technology, since records indicated the Ekosians are supposed to be a primitive, warlike people in a current state of anarchy. Zeon has a more advanced technology level, but the inhabitants are peaceful and would never make such weapons. However, Kirk suspects Gill may have been responsible for that technology introduction which means he has violated the Prime Directive.

No contact can be made with Gill, so Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock decide to beam down to the planet to investigate. Before they leave, Dr. McCoy fits them with sub-dermal transponders, which can be used to locate and retrieve them if they are not heard from within three hours.

Upon their arrival, Kirk and Spock are approached by a Zeon man who urges them to hide. Kirk and Spock then watch the Zeon as he is arrested by Ekosian soldiers who appear dressed in uniforms that resemble Nazi German forces of the mid-20th Century. Kirk wants to intervene, but Spock reminds him of the Prime Directive which prevents them from interfering.

Kirk and Spock then watch a video broadcast that shows that the Ekosians and Zeons are at war. Kirk is astonished that another planet could independently develop a culture so similar to one that once existed on Earth. They watch the broadcast further as a beautiful female Nazi officer called Daras, receives a medal of honor, and learn that the planet is committed to "a final solution"; the death of all Zeons who reside on their planet. The broadcast ends with a salute to the Führer - who turns out to be John Gill.

Kirk is determined to get to the bottom of this and find Gill as soon as possible. He and Spock are approached by a Nazi SS officer who questions them, but Kirk manages to overpower him and steal his uniform. Spock, now disguised as an Ekosian soldier and Kirk acting as his Zeon prisoner, disable a Gestapo commander and Kirk obtains his uniform.

They then try to infiltrate the main headquarters, but are caught when Spock neglects to salute an SS officer and is forced to remove his helmet. They see his Vulcan ears and the two are arrested. Their weapons and communicators are confiscated and they are taken for interrogation and torture. Afterward, a senior commander orders them thrown in a cell for an hour for further interrogation. They meet Isak, the Zeon man they saw being arrested earlier. Isak informs them that the Nazi movement started "just a few years ago", which coincides with John Gill's arrival, and an all-out invasion of Zeon is being planned.

Spock removes the rubidium crystals from the subcutaneous transponders he and Kirk received earlier, and fashions a crude laser from it. Using the focused light of an incandescent bulb on the wall, Spock directs the resulting beam which cuts the lock off the cell door. After overpowering the guard, they recover their dismantled communicators, but discover that their phasers have been taken to another location. Isak takes them to meet the underground resistance led by his brother Abrom. Kirk explains to Abrom that he needs to find John Gill in order to stop the war. Abrom is not keen on helping them until Kirk persuades him that it is their only chance for success. Meanwhile, Spock tries to call the Enterprise with a reassembled communicator but is unable to make contact because the ship is still out of transmission range.

Suddenly, the resistance group headquarters is raided, led by Daras, the officer who was being honored on the newsreel broadcast. She manages to shoot Abrom before Kirk overpowers her and takes her weapon. Now convinced that the strangers can be trusted, they are then told that the raid was only a ruse to test their loyalty. Abrom is actually unhurt, shot only with a blank. Daras is actually a member of the resistance group. The medal they had seen her receive on the newsreel was awarded for her turning in her father to the Gestapo. Her father had planned this in order to get her elevated to a position of trust within the Nazi government.

Kirk asks questions about Gill; Abrom explains that Deputy Führer Melakon is the real one in command. Kirk and Spock explain that Gill is an extraterrestrial cultural observer in flagrant violation of his orders. Daras says that Gill is due to make a speech soon, and she will help get them past security to meet him. To gain entrance, they pretend to be a film crew that is shooting propaganda footage. John Gill is eventually seen sitting in a broadcasting booth surrounded by guards and giving a speech that is a barely coherent string of almost random statements. Isak insists that Kirk and Spock kill Gill as soon as possible, but Kirk refuses. Spock has had a look at Gill who appears to be either heavily drugged or perhaps mentally ill.

Spock finally makes contact with the Enterprise and explains their situation while Kirk orders Dr. McCoy to beam down and examine Gill. McCoy materializes in a cloakroom, disguised as a military doctor, but the party is discovered by a security team who have detected Spock's communications in the building. Although the search leader is Eneg, the same officer overseeing Kirk's and Spock's earlier imprisonment, he surprisingly does not seem to recognize them, and accepts their hasty excuses. After he leaves, Isak explains that Eneg has been on their side all this time.

Sneaking into the broadcast booth, McCoy examines Gill and confirms he is drugged, and prepares a serum to counteract the effects. McCoy administers the stimulant to Gill, but he fails to revive him. Spock assists Gill by performing a mind meld on him which brings him to a state of semi-consciousness that allows him to respond to questions.

Gill is barely coherent, but explains that he never meant for any of this to get out of control. He instituted Hitler's National Socialism upon the lawless Ekosians because he believed that it is the most efficient system of government ever devised. He explains he only wanted to bring order to the people of Ekos, and it worked until Melakon gained control, and took it further, twisting it into an antisemite policy to rid the planet of Zeons as Hitler tried to annihilate the Jews. Kirk tells Gill that he must recall the invasion fleet headed to Zeon.

Melakon has already started the broadcast, announcing the "final war" with Zeon that Gill is to endorse in his speech. Through the help of Spock's mind meld combined with Kirk having him further injected with stimulants, Gill renounces the invasion and declares that Melakon is a traitor. Melakon grabs a machine gun and opens fire on the broadcast booth, fatally wounding Gill. Isak shoots and kills Melakon in retaliation.

Before he dies, Gill tells Kirk he is sorry for violating the Prime Directive, and hopes the Ekosians and Zeons can work together and fix the damage he caused.

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Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot.

[edit] 40th Anniversary remastering

This episode was re-mastered in 2006 and was first aired May 19, 2007 as part of the remastered 40th Anniversary original series. It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered version of "Errand of Mercy" and followed a week later by the remastered version of "Shore Leave". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:

  • The Enterprise is seen passing the ringed Zeon before proceeding to Ekos in the opening scene.
  • The Ekos nuclear missile attack has been revised with a CGI animated missile targeting the Enterprise and a cleaned up explosion after the Enterprise destroys it.
  • The planet Ekos was given a digital face lift with more realistic features.
  • The laser beam created by Spock to burn open the jail cell door has been enhanced.
  • The system's sun is seen when the Enterprise departs Ekos (again passing the ringed Zeon).

[edit] Notes

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Skip Homeier, who played Melakon, would later reappear in the season three episode The Way to Eden.
  • Many of the Zeon characters have names that resemble judaic names, such as Isak (Isaac) and Abrom (Abraham). The name 'Zeon' is also a play on words, a clear reference to Zion.
  • The Nazi commander Eneg is named (indirectly) for Gene Roddenberry - 'Eneg' being 'Gene' spelled backwards.
  • No stardate is mentioned in the episode. The Star Trek Concordance gives it a stardate of 2534.0, apparently based on an earlier version of the script, as that stardate would place this episode early in season 1 instead of season 2.
  • John Meredyth Lucas has said that he was inspired to write this episode by thinking about how the Nazis might have motivated people outside their natural base to join the party. He felt that an appeal to efficiency would have been their strongest card.
  • John Gill was mentioned in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly (Part II)", listed in computer records of the USS Defiant (NCC-1764) in which Gill referred to Jonathan Archer as "the greatest explorer of the 22nd century."
  • In Germany, this episode was considered as exploiting Nazi crimes for entertainment. It was rated "16" and thus never shown on regular broadcasts of the series. It was not until the late nineties that this episode was first shown on German TV. There exists no German dubbed version of "Patterns of Force".
  • Bart LaRue who was the newscaster in this episode was also the gladiator sports commentator in the episode "Bread and Circuses". He also provided the voice for the Guardian Of Tomorrow in the episode "The City On The Edge Of Forever."
  • In Futurama this episode is parodied during a flashback which shows Star Trek fans taking over the Earth in an attempt to pattern it after the program. One sign identifies a country as "Nazi Planet Episode Land (Formerly Germany)".

[edit] External links

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Last produced:
"Return to Tomorrow"		 Star Trek: TOS episodes
Season 2		 Next produced:
"The Ultimate Computer"
Last transmitted:
"Return to Tomorrow"		 Next transmitted:
"By Any Other Name"