| "Bem" | |||
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| Star Trek: The Animated Series episode | |||
| Episode no. | Episode 018 | ||
| Directed by | Hal Sutherland | ||
| Written by | David Gerrold | ||
| Production code | 018 | ||
| Original air date | September 14, 1974 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of Star Trek: The Animated Series episodes | |||
"Bem" is an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series. This episode marks the first time that it is revealed that Captain James T. Kirk's middle initial stood for Tiberius, after the Roman emperor.[1]
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The Enterprise crew is conducting a series of exploratory missions with Commander Bem, a representative from the newly-contacted planet Pandro, who is working for his government as an independent observer of the Federation.
Bem accompanies a landing party on a mission to a newly discovered planet, but, instead of observing, begins to interfere with the mission.
Before long, Kirk and his people are captured by primitive natives. They soon learn that these primitives are under the guardianship of a powerful noncorporeal entity who is upset that the Enterprise crew has come to her planet.
The idea of a native species being under the protection of a non-corporeal life form was also seen in the Star Trek: TNG episode "Justice". The non-corporeal entity there also expressed unhappiness at the presence of Starfleet officers among their "children", and the question of punishment vs understanding were also debated. David Gerrold worked extensively on the first season of Next Generation, suggesting his using elements of his previous story for "Justice."
In science fiction, BEM is an acronym for Bug Eyed Monster, although this particular alien Bem does not quite meet that criterion.
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