The Paradise Syndrome
The Paradise Syndrome (Memory Alpha; HD Video) starts on a beautiful pastoral scene that looks a lot like Earth but that, by all measures, shouldn’t. There’s honeysuckle, orange blossom, Amerindians, and a giant green monolith. Well, the giant green monolith is a bit odd, I’ll admit.
Oh, and there’s an asteroid hurtling toward the planet.
But then Kirk falls down a secret shaft and gets lost and the Enterprise has to leave to deflect the asteroid and when Kirk wakes up he can’t remember who he is!
Dammit, this is an amnesia episode. Amnesia episodes are crap.
But this one, surprisingly, is not at all.
Begin Spoilers
Kirk is adopted by the natives as a God, and saves a boy from drowning to prove his bona fides.
Spock and the rest of the crew, meanwhile, are failing to stop the asteroid. After burning out the warp engines (they burned them up going “maximum warp,” which is once again Warp 9), they have two months to get back to the planet and activate the monolith, which is a conveniently-placed asteroid deflector, left by “The Preservers” who plucked the Amerindians from Earth and deposited them here many years ago. This incredibly important setting point is dropped in with just enough amazement that you can believe it, but not enough that you can believe it will ever be mentioned again.
No really, Spoilers!
Kirk is still back on the planet, and in those two months he marries the chief’s daughter, and then get her pregnant. Yeah, so this episode is a small event in Kirk’s life.
When the asteroid gets close, though, the natives expect their God to open the monolith and save them, and when he can’t they stone him and his wife, which is not a good thing to do to a pregnant lady.
But the Enterprise arrives in time, they figure out how to open the monolith, and they save the day.
Except Kirks wife, who’s been mortally wounded by a number of rocks hurtled at her by ignorant savages. She’s gonna die. Convenient wrap up of that little plot. (Interesting side note: Memory Alpha claims the original script had her live, which would have complicated Kirk’s choices rather a lot. Does he just leave her there?)
End Spoilers
If you can get over the incredibly cheesy 60s Indian outfits and the incredibly cheesy 60s Indian makeup and the not quite as cheesy 60s Indian actors, this is a pretty good episode. Shatner gets to play real love, which is a dramatic range he doesn’t usually get to play, but he does a pretty good job at it. Spock gets to be all smarty and figure out the puzzle, which is actually kind of neat. McCoy gets to do his concerned-doctor schtick that he’s so good at. And Scotty does his “I canna give you any more” deal, even if he doesn’t give that line.
Awesome Dialog
McCoy: Spock, what is it?
Spock: His mind. He’s an… extremely dynamic individual.
Best Dialog In Perhaps Ever
Kirk: More symbols. Can you read them?
Spock: I do have an excellent eye for musical notes, Captain. They would seem to indicate that–
Kirk: Spock, just press the right button.
Grade
B+; would be more, but the cheese smothers it a bit
