Cast:Barbara Gates (Astrochemist)
Blaisdell Makee (Lt. Singh)
Arnold Lessing (Lt. Carlisle)
Meade Martin (Engineer)
Arnold Lessing (voice of Security Guard)
Writer: John Meredyth Lucas
On paper, this episode does not look all that good. A machine that left Earth hundreds of years ago is on its way back, looking for it's creator. Now, from that bried synopsis you might think that I am talking about Star Trek: The Motion Picture but obviously I am not. The computer (Nomad) has a mission to destroy anything that is not perfection, (including the Enterprise) although, unlike V'ger in the aforementioned film, it does not wish to kind it's creator.
Another similarity is the mind meld that Spock performs on the machine (though how a Vulcan can meld with this I am not sure!) And we finally get some crew deaths in this episode - I am not bloodthirsty but we have not had a crew death in many episodes and in this one four rouge-cladded extras are sent to their graves!
Although in the end Kirk talks the machine into suicide, I don't dislike this episode as much as I should. The main part that I hate is the fact that Uhura seems to have her brain totally erased, but five minutes later she is reading basic english and within a week she will be fit to return to duty! So that means that StarFleet Academy should be able to turn out officers in the same amount of time. Also, if her brain was erased then surely she is no longer the Uhura that we know? I am assuming that the brain erasure is not as complete as made out in the episode (she tries to speak Swahili at one point, suggesting that not everything is gone) but that part is still nonsense!
Crew Deaths: 4
Total Crew Deaths So Far: 30
Score: 7/10
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