The Naked Time (29 Sep. 1966)

The crew is infected with a mysterious disease that removes people's emotional inhibitions to a dangerous degree.

Director:

Marc Daniels

Writers:

John D.F. Black, Gene Roddenberry (creator)

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Stewart Moss

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
Stewart Moss	...	Tormolen
Majel Barrett	...	Nurse Christine Chapel
Bruce Hyde	...	Kevin Riley
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
Grace Lee Whitney	...	Yeoman Janice Rand
George Takei	...	Sulu
James Doohan	...	Scott
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
William Knight	...	Amorous Crewman
John Bellah	...	Laughing Crewman

Storyline

When Lieutenant Junior Grade Tormolen brings aboard an infection that killed the science team on Psi 2000, the crew of the Enterprise soon find themselves unable to control their most pre-dominant emotions. Soon the entire starship is in a shambles and plummeting toward the self destructing planet.

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Plot Keywords:

planet | engineering | frozen | medical examination | sword | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1966 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions, Norway Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After his appearance in the second pilot episode (Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before), George Takei accepted the regular role of Sulu largely because he read a draft of this script, and relished the idea of running shirtless through the ship, sword in hand. However, he had no fencing experience, so as soon as he was hired, he began a crash-course on the sport. In the end, he loved his sword-fighting scene so much he held onto the rapier for several hours, poking stage hands with it and engaging in mock duels off the set. In his autobiography "To the Stars", Takei names this episode as his favorite.

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Goofs

When Kirk is having his emotional soliloquy in the conference room, Scotty enters, and Spock tells him that there is an intermix formula to restart the engines quickly and that he'd call it down from the bridge. However in the next scene, Spock and Scotty are in the Engine Room working together to restart the engines.

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Quotes

Spock: I am in control of my emotions! Control of my emo -
[starts sobbing]

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Naked Now (1987)

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Soundtracks

"I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"
(uncredited)
Written by Thomas Payne Westendorf
Performed by Bruce Hyde

User Reviews

No Beach to Walk on... as The Ship Spirals Down

Here, we learn that Kirk yearns to walk on a beach somewhere, perhaps with Yeoman Rand. This episode is probably best known as the one with Sulu, stripped to the waist, running around the ship's corridors with a sword. But, it's this episode where we learn a lot of interesting things about the main characters, so all the actors get a chance to shine a bit, including Hyde as young crewman Riley in the first of his two appearances on the show. Hyde provides most of the amusing scenes in this episode, but it's not really a comedy, such as "I,Mudd" or a "A Piece of the Action." It's a grimly amusing tone as Hyde manages to take over the engine room and the ship then starts to spiral downward towards the planet the Enterprise is orbiting, it seems to certain doom. What Kirk really needed to refine after this episode is ship's security; not only do they ignore Spock's request to escort Riley to sickbay, they then let him take over the ship - all by his lonesome!

Besides Riley, a nutty Irishman at heart, Sulu reveals his secret taste for swashbuckling, nurse Chapel turns out to be secretly in love with Spock, who shows a tendency to weep uncontrollably over his lot in life (half-Vulcan, half human) and, finally, Kirk seems caught between his love of the Enterprise and more normal desires. I was puzzled as to why Uhura wasn't affected by this strange space disease (altered water, it turned out), since she had prolonged contact with the sweaty Sulu (that's how the disease spreads). The disease forces all the hidden desires and emotions of the affected crew to the surface. It's a far better depiction of released inhibitions than the later retread on TNG

• "The Naked Now," where everything was very one-note by comparison.

The episode is brilliantly paced and directed. It begins rather slowly and uneventfully, not quite routine since they find a scientific party which is dead by mysterious circumstances. There's an ominous tone to this first act, but it gives no hint of the wild madness to come. Things escalate rapidly to a delirious pitch, with Kirk near panic as he loses all control of the ship and then himself. There are some great stylistic flourishes during the final act, such as a fevered Kirk's entry into one of the lifts, where he sees the words written in red paint - it's almost surreal. And, of course, his confrontation with Spock and their mutual slapping scene is one of the all time classics. You never look at any of these characters in quite the same way after this episode.