Mental illness is often stigmatized and feared due to it being poorly understood. The truth is that although we have made great progress in our recognition and treatment of many mental illnesses, there are still vast aspects of our brain function which are, for now, uncharted. In a place where knowledge is lacking we often … More Scars, Suffering, and Blank Slates, TOS: S1E9 “Dagger of the Mind”
A snapshot of a population after a disaster event does not always offer information on what the nature of the population was prior to the catastrophe. Upon receiving an ‘Earth style’ distress signal (SOS), the Enterprise crew was astonished to discover a second Earth lightyears away from the original. The main crew beamed down to … More Generation Exterminate, TOS: S1E8 “Miri”
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both,” is a vastly paraphrased version of a quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, although he allegedly denied saying it. However, the idea which it conveys can be quite challenging to reconcile. We need both freedom … More Imperfection is in the Eye of the Beholder, TOS: S1E7 “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”
Modern human exploitation takes many forms, such as forced labor and sex trafficking. Fortunately, charities and government organizations are working to increase global awareness of this distressing issue, and in a similar vein, Kirk and his crew did not approve of trading Harry Mudd’s ‘cargo’ either. In ‘Mudds Women’ the Enterprise comes across the distressed … More Soap Sales and Stepford Wives, TOS: S1E6 “Mudd’s Women”
A popular psychological theory suggests that we possess five major aspects of personality, which shape our character depending on the relative strength and weakness of each. These traits (openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) are not meant to function independently, but the Star Trek episode ‘The Enemy Within’ does just that. After beaming aboard the … More Authoritarian Assumptions, TOS: S1E5 “The Enemy Within”
In one of the most cringe worthy contamination scenarios brought about by a group of trained space scientists, the Enterprise crew is exposed to a disease causing agent manifesting bizarre behaviors in the affected. The episode opens with an away team, led by Spock, inspecting the planet Psi 2000 to investigate a research team that … More Operation Contamination, TOS: S1E4 “The Naked Time”
The second pilot produced, but actually the third episode to air, “Where No Man Has Gone Before” challenges the limits of our human experience, both intellectually and emotionally. While exploring, the Enterprise stumbled across the old black box recorder of the starship Valiant, which carried evidence of the ship’s ill fate two hundred years prior. … More Upper Limits, TOS: S1E3 “Where No Man Has Gone Before”
The teenage years are tough, and the Enterprise crew understood that, which is why it was so heartwarming to see how openly they welcome Charlie aboard, and how sincerely they wanted to help him. In “Charlie X”, the crew is charged with the care of seventeen year old Charlie after he was found by the … More Space Angst, TOS:S1E2 “Charlie X”
Whether you consider it to be the true ‘first episode’ or not, “The Man Trap” is a solid and entertaining story. We begin with Kirk, McCoy, and some other guy beaming down to the ruined planet M-113 to give medical aid to the husband and wife archeology team, Mr. and Mrs. Crater. Although Dr. McCoy … More Sodium Homicide, TOS:S1E1 “The Man Trap”
