For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (8 Nov. 1968)

The Enterprise discovers an apparent asteroid that is on a collision course with a planet is actually an ancient populated generation ship.

Director:

Anton Leader

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), Hendrik Vollaerts

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
Katherine Woodville	...	Natira (as Kate Woodville)
James Doohan	...	Scott / Oracle
George Takei	...	Sulu
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Majel Barrett	...	Nurse Christine Chapel
Byron Morrow	...	Admiral Westervliet
Jon Lormer	...	Old Man

Storyline

The Enterprise in attacked by a missile, launched from an asteroid on an independent collision course with highly populated planet, Darren 5, in 396 days, which has simple atomic power and an internal atmosphere, but no inhabitants. McCoy has found he's the only unhealthy crew member: only one year of life left. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to the asteroid surface but are suddenly overpowered by sword-bearing men, commanded by high-priestess Natira who makes them kneel before a worshiped oracle, which smites them down electrically. They are given a medicine by an old servant who suffers pain twitches while telling them "things are not as they teach us", and that he once climbed the mountain and touched the sky. He then dies. The earthly visitors are now offered hospitality. The high-priestess asks McCoy to stay as her mate and explains the people is on its way to a new, green world, 'soon' according to the oracle. Kirk and Spock discover the oracle was build by the alien Fabrini ...

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Plot Keywords:

collision course | obelisk | heat | disembodied voice | 23rd century | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 1968 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television, Norway Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Longest title name of the whole series.

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Goofs

After the old man dies, the shadow from an overhead beam across Kirk's, Spock's and McCoy's chests appear and disappear between shots.

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Quotes

Natira: May I give you the love you want, and make the time you have beautiful.
Dr. McCoy: We're now of one mind.
Natira: One heart.
Dr. McCoy: One life.

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Connections

Referenced in Free Enterprise (1998)

User Reviews

A Day on the World-Ship of Yonada

One drawback to this episode is the startling revelation about one of the main crew members in the pre-credits sequence: there's a scene in this early section which has so much dramatic impact that the rest of the episode cannot help but be somewhat anti-climactic in comparison. The plot has to do with one of those enclosed worlds concepts well known in science fiction: the inhabitants of a huge ship built inside an asteroid believe themselves to be on a typical planet - their 'sky' is actually the inner shell of the asteroid - similar to the hollow Earth concept developed by Edgar Rice Burroughs for his Pellucidar sci-fi/fantasy stories. It's intriguing and fanciful; the people of this Yonada have a different (and erroneous) view of the universe. They're not stupid, simply misinformed, and need someone like Kirk and his crew to explain the reality of things, kind of like getting away from the whole 'the Earth is flat' view. The hook to the episode is that things need to be righted pretty fast - Yonada is on a collision course with a planet, set to strike in a little over a year.

This isn't that bad of a 3rd season episode, but it doesn't really go anywhere with the intriguing concepts. The story falls back on the now-tiresome 'ruling machine gone wrong' plot, with any of the lackluster tension stemming from the main Enterprise trio getting zapped by this Oracle-instrument as punishment (I also wondered why this machine resorted to heating a room at the end instead of the tried-and-tested zapping attack). The one deviation of the usual scripting is that the high priestess of these people falls for McCoy instead of Kirk (or even Spock or Scotty). This episode is McCoy's story all the way and actor Kelley gets the opportunity to show some range here, further developing the sober dramatic aspects of his character. However, as with the rest of the story, the good set-up is abandoned towards the end: out of necessity, McCoy essentially abandons (not divorces) his new wife and life to continue his adventures on the Enterprise, so that we can see him in a few more episodes for the rest of the 3rd season. If there had been a 4th season, we may have seen a sequel to this episode then. As it is, we never find out what happens regarding the McCoy-Natira relationship, and that's a shame. Or a cheat, if you will.