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Friday's Child (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"Friday's Child" is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
. It is episode #40, production #32, and was broadcast December 1, 1967. It was written by D.C. Fontana, and directed by Joseph Pevney
.
Overview: The crew of the Enterprise
become entangled in a planet's tribal power struggle.
3497.2, the starship
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
, arrives at Capella IV to negotiate a mining contact for topeline. The Capellan inhabitants are described by Dr. McCoy
as strong, warlike humanoids who average 7 feet in height; and, despite their violent tendencies, the Capellans do have a strong sense of honesty. McCoy is familiar with the Capellans since he spent a few months of his Starfleet
career stationed on their world; he speaks their language and knows a great deal about their customs. Kirk is also aware that the Capellans are known to have dealings with the Klingon
s, which may make the negotiations difficult.
Kirk beams down to the planet with Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and a security officer, and leaves Mr. Scott
in command. He warns him to keep alert for Klingon ships in the area, since they may try to interfere in the talks. Kirk's fear is realized as soon as he arrives, finding Kras, a Klingon emissary, is already present.
Kirk's security officer reacts without thinking and draws his phaser
on the emissary, but the redshirted
officer is immediately killed by a Capellan guard with his kligat, , a weapon that is part boomerang
and part dagger
. The Capellans order Kirk and his party to hand over their weapons just as the Klingon had done. Despite the hostile greeting, the Capellans treat the party as honored guests.
Kirk is offered some food by a Capellan woman, but McCoy manages to restrain Kirk from physical contact with a small bulbous object that she is holding, for touching it mandates hand-to-hand combat with her closest male relative. McCoy explains that the Capellans consider such fights entertaining. Kirk's restraint actually annoys the woman's male relative, who was looking forward to a deadly duel with the Captain.
Kirk and the Klingon emissary meet with Akaar, the Teer - leader - of the Ten Tribes, and the talks begin, with McCoy interpreting for the Earthmen. While Akaar seems to favor the Federation's
offer over the Klingons', Akaar's rivals seem to disagree, especially Maab, who challenges Akaar. A coup d'état ensues and Maab kills Akaar, thus winning the throne and becoming the new Teer. Kirk wisely takes this in stride, but the Klingon demands that the Earthmen be killed. Maab begins to disparage the Klingon, who showed fear, and to respect Kirk, who did not.
Maab orders the death of Eleen, Akaar's wife, for she is pregnant with Akaar's child, who was to be the next Teer in line of succession. As Eleen comes into the main tent expecting to be killed, Maab partly trips and partly shoves her with the flat of his sword, so that she falls against a lit torch and burns her arm. When Kirk and McCoy intervene, Maab becomes greatly angered by the break of tradition, and has Kirk and his party imprisoned along with Eleen, who herself is upset, claiming that she was prepared to die. Kras wickedly smirks, for the scales have tipped in favor of the Klingons' offer.
Meanwhile the Enterprise receives a distress call from the S.S. Deirdre. Mr. Scott takes the Enterprise out of orbit to find the ship, but when it arrives at the coordinates, he finds nothing. He notes the call strangely asked for the Enterprise by name, and no civilian ship would have direct knowledge of the Enterprise's whereabouts. Realizing he had been duped, he races back to Capella IV, but receives another distress signal along the way, this time from the U.S.S. Carolina. Scotty ignores it saying "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me", which Chekov
reports is an old Russia
n saying.
When the Enterprise shows up at Capella, Scotty finds a Klingon warship waiting to ambush him. Forced to deal with a heavily armed adversary, the Enterprise is rendered unable to help its captured crewmembers imprisoned on the planet.
Kirk and his party, along with Eleen, manage to overpower their captors and escape into some nearby hills. McCoy is worried about Eleen's arm, and persists in touching her to determine the scale of the wound. She resists and slaps him twice, very hard, which causes McCoy to slap her in response. Due to the militaristic ideology of her culture, this actually impresses Eleen, and she allows McCoy to examine her. He discovers that she is ready to give birth at any time. He is concerned about his ability to deliver the child, since the Capellans are not human but humanoid, and he might not be able to handle complications. Eventually the party finds a cave to hide in. The way to the cave is steep and rocky, and Eleen insists McCoy, and only McCoy, help her up, whereupon he comments "I'm a doctor, not an escalator." Kirk and Spock start a fire and begin to fashion primitive bows and arrows to defend themselves.
Maab and his warriors, now hot on their trail, are getting closer. Kirk and Spock use their communicators to create a frequency that will disrupt the rocks above them. They cause an avalanche which kills some of the Capellan pursuers. Kras uses this opportunity to obtain a Federation phaser
weapon of his own from a fallen Capellan.
Meanwhile, McCoy attempts to deliver Eleen's baby. She refuses to have it born, struggling against the contractions, saying that it isn't hers, and that it must be killed. McCoy tells her to repeat the words: "it is mine", but she misinterprets, thinking McCoy is claiming the child as his own. Due to her medical state, McCoy refrains from attempting to convince her of her error. The delivery is successful. Thinking everything will be fine, McCoy nods off, just as Eleen knocks him unconscious with a rock, and heads out to surrender to Maab. When she meets him she claims she killed the baby, as well as the humans, while they slept.
Kras steps forward, and with a weapon in hand, demands to see Kirk's dead body to verify Eleen's story, which is seen as a sign of extreme disrespect for the widow of a High Teer. When one of the Capellans tries to kill Kras with a kligat, Kras vaporizes him with the phaser. Kras and the Capellans quickly discover that Kirk and Spock are still alive when arrows – a weapon unknown on Capella IV – begin to fly. One strikes Kras in the knee. Kras returns fire. An exchange of fire ensues between Kras, Kirk, Spock and the Capellans. Kras threatens to kill any Capellan who raises a weapon against him. Maab takes defensive action, saying he will allow Eleen to live in exchange for his own death. Maab confronts Kras, and is vaporized. As arranged, a Capellan warrior takes advantage of the distraction and kills Kras. At this point, Mr. Scott and a squad of security officers show up and stop the fighting.
With the conflict over, McCoy reunites Eleen with her baby. The Capellans then hail their new infant leader. As allowed by custom until the newborn Teer comes of age, Eleen acts as her son's regent
, naming him Leonard James Akaar and authorizes the mining agreement with the Federation. In a rare display of emotion, Spock is astonished and supposedly jealous at the child's name and when Kirk and McCoy talk of how great a name it is, Spock declares that the two "will be insufferably pleased with yourselves for at least a month."
In D. C. Fontana's original ending, Eleen hands over her baby to save herself. The Capellans keep the baby, because he is a boy, and kill her. Gene Roddenberry overrode Fontana's ending.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. It is episode #40, production #32, and was broadcast December 1, 1967. It was written by D.C. Fontana, and directed by Joseph Pevney
Joseph Pevney
Joseph Pevney was an American film and television director.-Biography:Pevney was born on September 15, 1911 in New York City, New York.He made his debut in vaudeville as a boy soprano in 1924...
.
Overview: The crew of the Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
become entangled in a planet's tribal power struggle.
Plot
On stardateStardate
A stardate is a date in the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek, commonly heard at the beginning of a voiceover log entry such as "Captain's log, stardate 41153.7...
3497.2, the starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
, arrives at Capella IV to negotiate a mining contact for topeline. The Capellan inhabitants are described by Dr. McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
as strong, warlike humanoids who average 7 feet in height; and, despite their violent tendencies, the Capellans do have a strong sense of honesty. McCoy is familiar with the Capellans since he spent a few months of his Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
career stationed on their world; he speaks their language and knows a great deal about their customs. Kirk is also aware that the Capellans are known to have dealings with the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s, which may make the negotiations difficult.
Kirk beams down to the planet with Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and a security officer, and leaves Mr. Scott
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
in command. He warns him to keep alert for Klingon ships in the area, since they may try to interfere in the talks. Kirk's fear is realized as soon as he arrives, finding Kras, a Klingon emissary, is already present.
Kirk's security officer reacts without thinking and draws his phaser
Weapons of Star Trek
The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. As with most science fiction franchises, the series focuses primarily on energy weapons...
on the emissary, but the redshirted
Redshirt (character)
A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek , from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes.-Star Trek:...
officer is immediately killed by a Capellan guard with his kligat, , a weapon that is part boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
and part dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
. The Capellans order Kirk and his party to hand over their weapons just as the Klingon had done. Despite the hostile greeting, the Capellans treat the party as honored guests.
Kirk is offered some food by a Capellan woman, but McCoy manages to restrain Kirk from physical contact with a small bulbous object that she is holding, for touching it mandates hand-to-hand combat with her closest male relative. McCoy explains that the Capellans consider such fights entertaining. Kirk's restraint actually annoys the woman's male relative, who was looking forward to a deadly duel with the Captain.
Kirk and the Klingon emissary meet with Akaar, the Teer - leader - of the Ten Tribes, and the talks begin, with McCoy interpreting for the Earthmen. While Akaar seems to favor the Federation's
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
offer over the Klingons', Akaar's rivals seem to disagree, especially Maab, who challenges Akaar. A coup d'état ensues and Maab kills Akaar, thus winning the throne and becoming the new Teer. Kirk wisely takes this in stride, but the Klingon demands that the Earthmen be killed. Maab begins to disparage the Klingon, who showed fear, and to respect Kirk, who did not.
Maab orders the death of Eleen, Akaar's wife, for she is pregnant with Akaar's child, who was to be the next Teer in line of succession. As Eleen comes into the main tent expecting to be killed, Maab partly trips and partly shoves her with the flat of his sword, so that she falls against a lit torch and burns her arm. When Kirk and McCoy intervene, Maab becomes greatly angered by the break of tradition, and has Kirk and his party imprisoned along with Eleen, who herself is upset, claiming that she was prepared to die. Kras wickedly smirks, for the scales have tipped in favor of the Klingons' offer.
Meanwhile the Enterprise receives a distress call from the S.S. Deirdre. Mr. Scott takes the Enterprise out of orbit to find the ship, but when it arrives at the coordinates, he finds nothing. He notes the call strangely asked for the Enterprise by name, and no civilian ship would have direct knowledge of the Enterprise's whereabouts. Realizing he had been duped, he races back to Capella IV, but receives another distress signal along the way, this time from the U.S.S. Carolina. Scotty ignores it saying "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me", which Chekov
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov is a Russian Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the original Star Trek series and first seven Star Trek films; Anton Yelchin portrayed the character in the 2009 film Star Trek.-Origin:Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry...
reports is an old Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n saying.
When the Enterprise shows up at Capella, Scotty finds a Klingon warship waiting to ambush him. Forced to deal with a heavily armed adversary, the Enterprise is rendered unable to help its captured crewmembers imprisoned on the planet.
Kirk and his party, along with Eleen, manage to overpower their captors and escape into some nearby hills. McCoy is worried about Eleen's arm, and persists in touching her to determine the scale of the wound. She resists and slaps him twice, very hard, which causes McCoy to slap her in response. Due to the militaristic ideology of her culture, this actually impresses Eleen, and she allows McCoy to examine her. He discovers that she is ready to give birth at any time. He is concerned about his ability to deliver the child, since the Capellans are not human but humanoid, and he might not be able to handle complications. Eventually the party finds a cave to hide in. The way to the cave is steep and rocky, and Eleen insists McCoy, and only McCoy, help her up, whereupon he comments "I'm a doctor, not an escalator." Kirk and Spock start a fire and begin to fashion primitive bows and arrows to defend themselves.
Maab and his warriors, now hot on their trail, are getting closer. Kirk and Spock use their communicators to create a frequency that will disrupt the rocks above them. They cause an avalanche which kills some of the Capellan pursuers. Kras uses this opportunity to obtain a Federation phaser
Weapons of Star Trek
The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. As with most science fiction franchises, the series focuses primarily on energy weapons...
weapon of his own from a fallen Capellan.
Meanwhile, McCoy attempts to deliver Eleen's baby. She refuses to have it born, struggling against the contractions, saying that it isn't hers, and that it must be killed. McCoy tells her to repeat the words: "it is mine", but she misinterprets, thinking McCoy is claiming the child as his own. Due to her medical state, McCoy refrains from attempting to convince her of her error. The delivery is successful. Thinking everything will be fine, McCoy nods off, just as Eleen knocks him unconscious with a rock, and heads out to surrender to Maab. When she meets him she claims she killed the baby, as well as the humans, while they slept.
Kras steps forward, and with a weapon in hand, demands to see Kirk's dead body to verify Eleen's story, which is seen as a sign of extreme disrespect for the widow of a High Teer. When one of the Capellans tries to kill Kras with a kligat, Kras vaporizes him with the phaser. Kras and the Capellans quickly discover that Kirk and Spock are still alive when arrows – a weapon unknown on Capella IV – begin to fly. One strikes Kras in the knee. Kras returns fire. An exchange of fire ensues between Kras, Kirk, Spock and the Capellans. Kras threatens to kill any Capellan who raises a weapon against him. Maab takes defensive action, saying he will allow Eleen to live in exchange for his own death. Maab confronts Kras, and is vaporized. As arranged, a Capellan warrior takes advantage of the distraction and kills Kras. At this point, Mr. Scott and a squad of security officers show up and stop the fighting.
With the conflict over, McCoy reunites Eleen with her baby. The Capellans then hail their new infant leader. As allowed by custom until the newborn Teer comes of age, Eleen acts as her son's regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
, naming him Leonard James Akaar and authorizes the mining agreement with the Federation. In a rare display of emotion, Spock is astonished and supposedly jealous at the child's name and when Kirk and McCoy talk of how great a name it is, Spock declares that the two "will be insufferably pleased with yourselves for at least a month."
In D. C. Fontana's original ending, Eleen hands over her baby to save herself. The Capellans keep the baby, because he is a boy, and kill her. Gene Roddenberry overrode Fontana's ending.
40th Anniversary Remastering
This episode was remastered and first aired January 6, 2007 as part of the 40th anniversary remastering of the Original Series. It was preceded three weeks earlier by "The Corbomite Maneuver" and followed a week later by "Wink of an Eye". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:- Capella IV has been reworked with more realistic features.
- The bridge readout of the distress call ship has been enhanced to an animated tactical diagram instead of a simple point of light on the screen.
- Correction of a scene after the Klingon ship disappears from the sensors, the original shot of the navigator's station controls was changed to one of Chekov hitting buttons at the science station.
- The Klingon ship has been reworked to an actual model instead of a glowing shape.
- Phasers beams and their vaporizing effects have been refined.