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Storyline
When Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to a supposed uninhabited planet to gather the mineral ryetalyn to fight a plague of Rigelian fever on-board the Enterprise, they find a fellow Earth-man called Flint and his extremely intelligent female ward Rayna with whom Kirk begins to fall in love. Flint then proceeds to trap them and the Enterprise on his planet. Written by
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The last name of Rayna Kapec is an anagram of the last name of
Karel Capek, the Czech author who popularized the term "robot".
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Goofs
In the wide bridge shot of the "frozen" Enterprise, the crew is motionless, but the panel lights are still running. However, when the shot changes to the viewscreen, both the lights and the crew are frozen.
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Quotes
[
first lines]
Capt. Kirk:
Captain's log, stardate 5843.7. The Enterprise is in the grip of a raging epidemic. Three crewmen have died and twenty-three others have been struck down by Rigelian fever. In order to combat the illness, Dr. McCoy needs large quantities of ryetalyn, which is the only known antidote for the fever. Our sensors have picked up sufficient quantities of pure ryetalyn on a small planet in the Omega system. We are beaming down to secure this urgently needed material.
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Connections
Referenced in
Free Enterprise (1998)
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Arguably the last good episode of Star Trek ("All Our Yesterdays" features an interesting plot line with Spock and Mariette Hartley), "Requiem for Methuselah" is among the more literate scripts the series offered. Jerome Bixby demonstrates his considerable science-fiction writing ability in his well-drawn Flint character, adeptly brought to life by veteran TV actor James Daly. While this episode is almost farcical in its accelerated Kirk/Rayna love-story arc, the concept of Flint as an immortal conglomeration of the some of the greatest minds in human history and Spock's gradual realization of this secret are intriguing and engaging. What also makes this episode memorable is that it stands out so far above the largely forgettable third season, and a touching scene between Kirk and Spock helps an otherwise schlocky ending. "Methuselah" belongs nowhere near the pantheon of the likes of "Naked Time" or "City on the Edge of Forever," but it was a final reminder of what made the series so special.