TV Sharing Time: Star Trek, Shore Leave
John popped a frozen pizza into the oven and I sat on the couch continuing to compile information for my dissertation. While I worked and pizza cooked John went through the collection of Star Trek and found the next episode for us to watch. Finally, with the pizza done and the episode chosen, we sat down to continue on with Star Trek.
Shore Leave is an episode in the first season. Dr. McCoy prescribes some much needed rest for the crew and the Enterprise locates a planet that seems to be without any animal life on it. Sulu, McCoy, and a search party beam down to the surface of the planet to take samples of the flora and examine it, to make sure it will be safe for the crew to take a break on. The surface of the planet is lovely, as Bones puts it, "Like something out of Alice in Wonderland." Sulu bounds off to take more readings and as McCoy strolls along the most unusual thing happens--he sees a white rabbit. But, more than that, he sees a white rabbit in a plaid waistcoat and jacket with a pocket watch that's being chased by a little blonde girl. And here's where the mystery begins. This episode is full with strange things popping up. Meanwhile, Spock notices that the communications between the ship and the away party are growing weaker and that the ship is slowly losing power. Are the crew of the Enterprise going mad? What is the source of this mysterious power drain? Kirk and the crew do, in the end solve the mystery and get their much needed rest. It was a very entertaining episode, although it clues the audience in what is happening a little earlier than it needed to. Ah well, it gets full marks for being quite funny.
