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Miri (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"Miri" is the eighth episode of the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series
, that was first broadcast October 27, 1966, and repeated June 29, 1967. It was written by Adrian Spies
and directed by Vincent McEveety
.
Overview: The Enterprise
discovers an exact duplicate of Earth
, where the only survivors of a deadly plague are some of the planet's children.
2713.5, the starship
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
, follows an old planetary distress call leading to a planet that looks exactly like Earth in every detail.
Kirk assembles a landing party consisting of himself, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy
, Yeoman Janice Rand
, and two security personnel, to investigate this remarkable find. Upon their arrival, they find the planet is virtually a duplicate of Earth of the 1960s, but it all seems abandoned. As the team curiously inspects a tricycle, they are attacked by a ragged man who seems infected by a horrible disfiguring mutation, but shows incredible strength. Spock attempts to stun the man with his phaser, but the man drops dead at that point. The security guards then spot another figure running into a building.
The team chases the figure down, discovering that it's a terrified girl, who appears physically normal. She identifies herself as Miri (Kim Darby), and when asked why she ran away from them, she tells them because they are "grups" (a contraction of "grown ups"), and the grups killed and hurt the children before they died. When asked where her family are, Miri tells them that she is an "Onlie", and she and her friends are the "only ones" left as all the adults are dead.
Soon the landing party starts to notice painful blue sores are forming on their bodies; Spock however remains immune. Miri informs them that these are the first sign of the disease, and they will soon become like the other adults. The team searches an abandoned hospital for clues to the mysterious condition. They discover the disease infects only those who have reached puberty
. It is an accidental side-effect of an experiment to prolong life; the technique works on children, but when they reach puberty, they enter a short period of violent rage and then die. Shockingly, they learn that the children are over 300 years old, having aged only one month's time every century.
McCoy also discovers that once the disease starts, they only have 7 days to live. Even though Spock seems immune to the disease, he believes he is still a carrier and could infect the Enterprise if he returns.
Meanwhile, the rest of the hiding children, who do not trust these new grups, decide to meddle with their plans. Their leader, a boy named Jahn, steals the landing party's communicators, which renders McCoy's search for a cure nearly impossible without assistance from the Enterprise computers. Miri however, doesn't agree with the other children's mischief and stays near Captain Kirk, on whom she appears to have a crush. However, when Yeoman Rand becomes hysterical over their impending fate and Kirk tries to console her, Miri becomes jealous and runs away to scheme with her friends. The children devise a "foolie" prank and kidnap Rand.
Returning later, Miri is confronted by Kirk, who tells her she and the others will eventually contract the disease just like the grups if they don't help him find a cure. In fact, he grabs Miri's arms and shows her the blue sores that are already forming on her skin.
Miri takes Kirk to the schoolhouse where Rand is held captive. He confronts the children and tries to get it through their heads that none of this is a game. At first the children don't listen and continue to harass him, encouraged by Jahn. They become increasingly menacing until one of them finally beats Kirk nearly senseless with a wrench. Bruised and bloodied, Kirk implores them to think of the youngest onlies, who will be left without resources when the older ones are dead. He warns them that the stores of food and supplies are nearly depleted. He also points out that the children have hurt him and now have blood literally on their hands, exactly like the grups they are afraid of. "I'm a grup," he says, "and I want to help."
Kirk rounds up the children and returns to the hospital, but finds that Spock has previously found that McCoy, unable to accurately test his experimental serum, has injected himself with a full dose and collapsed to the floor. Soon however, his sores fade away. The serum is found to be safe and completely destroys the disease. After curing the landing party and the children, Kirk informs Starfleet
to send teachers and advisers to the duplicate Earth, to help the children start their lives over again.
" and was followed a week later by "The Devil in the Dark". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, the Earth-duplicate planet was updated to appear more realistic.
gave the episode an 'A-' rating, describing using children as the antagonists as one of the script's "smarter twists". Handlen felt that the sense of threat was maintained throughout as although the audience knew the crew wouldn't die, "they don't know that".
.
and Michael J. Pollard
, several of the children on Miri's world were portrayed by relatives of the Trek cast and crew. Among them were William Shatner's daughter Lisabeth, Grace Lee Whitney
's two sons, and Gene Roddenberry's daughters.
Two of the other child actors, Phil and Iona Morris
, later appeared in subsequent Trek shows as well. (They are the children of Mission: Impossible
star Greg Morris
.)
One of the children was played by John Megna
, who also played Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris in To Kill a Mockingbird
in 1962.
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...
, that was first broadcast October 27, 1966, and repeated June 29, 1967. It was written by Adrian Spies
Adrian Spies
Adrian Spies was a screenwriter, active from the 1940s through to the 1980s.He won an Edgar Award for an episode of Studio One in Hollywood and was nominated for an Emmy Award for an episode of Dr. Kildare....
and directed by Vincent McEveety
Vincent McEveety
Vincent Michael McEveety is an American director and producer.- Career :TelevisionVince McEveety has directed numerous Emmy Award winning television series, including The Untouchables, Gunsmoke, six Star Trek , Magnum, P.I., How the...
.
Overview: 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...
discovers an exact duplicate of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, where the only survivors of a deadly plague are some of the planet's children.
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...
2713.5, 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...
, follows an old planetary distress call leading to a planet that looks exactly like Earth in every detail.
Kirk assembles a landing party consisting of himself, Mr. Spock, 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,...
, Yeoman Janice Rand
Janice Rand
Yeoman Janice Rand, played by Grace Lee Whitney, is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series. She subsequently appears in several Star Trek films and in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.-Depiction:...
, and two security personnel, to investigate this remarkable find. Upon their arrival, they find the planet is virtually a duplicate of Earth of the 1960s, but it all seems abandoned. As the team curiously inspects a tricycle, they are attacked by a ragged man who seems infected by a horrible disfiguring mutation, but shows incredible strength. Spock attempts to stun the man with his phaser, but the man drops dead at that point. The security guards then spot another figure running into a building.
The team chases the figure down, discovering that it's a terrified girl, who appears physically normal. She identifies herself as Miri (Kim Darby), and when asked why she ran away from them, she tells them because they are "grups" (a contraction of "grown ups"), and the grups killed and hurt the children before they died. When asked where her family are, Miri tells them that she is an "Onlie", and she and her friends are the "only ones" left as all the adults are dead.
Soon the landing party starts to notice painful blue sores are forming on their bodies; Spock however remains immune. Miri informs them that these are the first sign of the disease, and they will soon become like the other adults. The team searches an abandoned hospital for clues to the mysterious condition. They discover the disease infects only those who have reached puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
. It is an accidental side-effect of an experiment to prolong life; the technique works on children, but when they reach puberty, they enter a short period of violent rage and then die. Shockingly, they learn that the children are over 300 years old, having aged only one month's time every century.
McCoy also discovers that once the disease starts, they only have 7 days to live. Even though Spock seems immune to the disease, he believes he is still a carrier and could infect the Enterprise if he returns.
Meanwhile, the rest of the hiding children, who do not trust these new grups, decide to meddle with their plans. Their leader, a boy named Jahn, steals the landing party's communicators, which renders McCoy's search for a cure nearly impossible without assistance from the Enterprise computers. Miri however, doesn't agree with the other children's mischief and stays near Captain Kirk, on whom she appears to have a crush. However, when Yeoman Rand becomes hysterical over their impending fate and Kirk tries to console her, Miri becomes jealous and runs away to scheme with her friends. The children devise a "foolie" prank and kidnap Rand.
Returning later, Miri is confronted by Kirk, who tells her she and the others will eventually contract the disease just like the grups if they don't help him find a cure. In fact, he grabs Miri's arms and shows her the blue sores that are already forming on her skin.
Miri takes Kirk to the schoolhouse where Rand is held captive. He confronts the children and tries to get it through their heads that none of this is a game. At first the children don't listen and continue to harass him, encouraged by Jahn. They become increasingly menacing until one of them finally beats Kirk nearly senseless with a wrench. Bruised and bloodied, Kirk implores them to think of the youngest onlies, who will be left without resources when the older ones are dead. He warns them that the stores of food and supplies are nearly depleted. He also points out that the children have hurt him and now have blood literally on their hands, exactly like the grups they are afraid of. "I'm a grup," he says, "and I want to help."
Kirk rounds up the children and returns to the hospital, but finds that Spock has previously found that McCoy, unable to accurately test his experimental serum, has injected himself with a full dose and collapsed to the floor. Soon however, his sores fade away. The serum is found to be safe and completely destroys the disease. After curing the landing party and the children, Kirk informs 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...
to send teachers and advisers to the duplicate Earth, to help the children start their lives over again.
40th Anniversary remastering
This episode was remastered in 2006 as part of the 40th anniversary of the Original Series. It was first aired September 16, 2006 on some network affiliate stations directly after "Balance of TerrorBalance of Terror (TOS episode)
"Balance of Terror", written by Paul Schneider and directed by Vincent McEveety, is a first-season episode of the original Star Trek series that first aired on December 15, 1966. It was repeated on August 3, 1967...
" and was followed a week later by "The Devil in the Dark". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, the Earth-duplicate planet was updated to appear more realistic.
Reception
Zack Handlen of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode an 'A-' rating, describing using children as the antagonists as one of the script's "smarter twists". Handlen felt that the sense of threat was maintained throughout as although the audience knew the crew wouldn't die, "they don't know that".
Production
The planetary exteriors were shot on the set used for fellow Desilu series The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
.
Cast
Apart from guest stars Kim DarbyKim Darby
Kim Darby is an American actress perhaps best known for co-starring with John Wayne and country singer/actor Glen Campbell in the 1969 western True Grit.-Early life and film career:...
and Michael J. Pollard
Michael J. Pollard
- Early life :Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.- Career :...
, several of the children on Miri's world were portrayed by relatives of the Trek cast and crew. Among them were William Shatner's daughter Lisabeth, Grace Lee Whitney
Grace Lee Whitney
Grace Lee Whitney, also known as Ruth Whitney and Lee Whitney is an American actress and entertainer. She is best known for playing the role of Janice Rand on the Star Trek television series and subsequent films.-Early life:...
's two sons, and Gene Roddenberry's daughters.
Two of the other child actors, Phil and Iona Morris
Iona Morris
Iona Marie Morris is daughter to actor Greg Morris and older sister to actor Phil Morris. She is primarily an American voice actress but has also performed numerous times on television in speaking roles. She was the original voice of Storm in the X-Men and Spider-Man animated series...
, later appeared in subsequent Trek shows as well. (They are the children of Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
star Greg Morris
Greg Morris
Francis Gregory Alan "Greg" Morris was an American television and movie actor.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Morris began his acting career in the 1960s making guest appearances on many TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey...
.)
One of the children was played by John Megna
John Megna
John Megna was an American actor whose Broadway success at the age of seven in 1960's All the Way Home led to his being cast as Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris, the toothy young summer visitor in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird...
, who also played Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris in To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird (film)
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film adaptation of Harper Lee's novel of the same name directed by Robert Mulligan. It stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
in 1962.