Errand of Mercy 

With a war with Klingons raging, Kirk and Spock attempt to resist an occupation of a planet with incomprehensibly placid natives.

Director:

John Newland

Writers:

Gene L. Coon, Gene Roddenberry (created by)

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, John Abbott

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Capt. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
John Abbott	...	Ayelborne
John Colicos	...	Kor
George Takei	...	Sulu
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Peter Brocco	...	Claymare
Victor Lundin	...	Lieutenant
David Hillary Hughes	...	Trefayne
Walt Davis	...	Klingon Soldier
George Sawaya	...	Second Soldier

Storyline

War! The Klingons and the Federation are poised on the brink, and then war is declared. Kirk and Spock visit the planet Organia. Organia, inhabited by simple pastoral folk, lies on a tactical corridor likely to be important in the coming conflict. Whichever side controls the planet has a significant advantage. But the Organians are a perplexing people, apparently unconcerned by the threat of the Klingon occupation or even the deaths of others in their community. Finally, Kirk and the Klingon commander Kor learn why, and the reason will change Federation/Klingon relations for decades to come.

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Plot Keywords:

year 2267 | kor character | elderly man | klingon | starship's phaser | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1967 (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:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Klingon Kor eventually becomes a Dahar master, klingons who are the best of warriors and achieved legendary status. Other examples of Dahar masters are Kang and Koloth.

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Goofs

When the Klingon officer informs Kor about Kirk and Spock's escape, we can see the boom microphone appear on the top right corner of the picture.

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Quotes

Mr. Spock: Captain, our information on these people and their culture was not correct. This is not a primitive society making progress toward mechanization. They are totally stagnant. There is no evidence of any progress as far back as my tricorder can register.
Captain James T. Kirk: That doesn't seem likely.
Mr. Spock: Nevertheless, it is true. For tens of thousands of years, there's been absolutely no advancement, no significant change in their physical environment. This is a laboratory specimen of an arrested culture.

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Alternate Versions

Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II: Mind-Sifter (2014)

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Soundtracks

Theme From Star Trek
Written by Alexander Courage

User Reviews

With John Calicos, this can't help but be good

This is the first episode where you see the Klingons--you know, the ORIGINAL Klingons who look a lot like humans with dirty skin. The bumps on the head and long scary hair are not to be seen--this didn't come until the first Star Trek movie (and even then, they still didn't look exactly like the later Klingons). Fortunately, the leader of the Klingons is John Calicos--a slimy character actor who almost always played villains. He was just perfect for the role and contributed a lot to the episode.

The show starts with Spock and Kirk landing on a planet that is about to be invaded by Klingons. The pre-industrial residents seem to care less about the invasion despite their best efforts to warn them of impending death or slavery. However, before they can go back to the ship, the Klingons land and the guys are stuck among the smiling and somewhat zombie-esquire residents. For most of the rest of the film, Kirk and Spock try to wage war against the Klingons--hoping to get the residents to join them. How this is all handled is truly interesting and a fitting conclusion to the madness.