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Title: The Practical Joker (21 Sep 1974)
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Cast
| Episode cast overview: | |||
| William Shatner | ... |
Capt. Kirk
(voice)
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| Leonard Nimoy | ... |
Mr. Spock
(voice)
|
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| DeForest Kelley | ... |
Dr. McCoy
(voice)
|
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| George Takei | ... |
Sulu
(voice)
|
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| Nichelle Nichols | ... |
Uhura
(voice)
|
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| Majel Barrett | ... |
M'Ress /
Computer voice
(voice)
|
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| James Doohan | ... | ||
Storyline
To avoid a confrontation with Romulans, Kirk orders the ship through a unknown energy field. They escape the Romulans, but the energy field has changed the ship's computer into a prankster. It begins pulling more and more complicated practical jokes on the crew, finally to the point of endangering McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu on the Recreation Deck. Besides those three's lives, the Romulans re-appear and threaten the ship. The practical-joking computer actually helps distract the Romulans for a short while, but then the ship is once again set upon. Kirk tricks the computer (using reverse logic) into re-entering the energy field, which restores the computer to normal, but makes the Romulans' computers into pranksters instead. Written by Tony-B4
This was actually the first Star Trek episode to feature the Holodeck--called the 'Rec Room' here. So, The Practical Joker enjoys an important link to Star Trek: The Next Generation where the holodeck appears so prominently. The Enterprise accidentally enter into Romulan territory and Kirk is now pursued by the Romulans. The crew try to elude the Romulans by entering an energy field...but the field is alive and seizes control of the Enterprise's computer where it launches one 'joke'/trick after another upon the Federation crew.
The crew were able to create any environment they choose with the use of the computer (basically the holodeck) but it malfunctions since the energy field placing McCoy, Uhura and Sulu in several inhospitable situations. The Enterprise eventually escape the cloud and the pursing Romulans now get entangled in the same cloud instead. Other than the holodeck link with TNG, The Practical Joker was OK but not outstanding.