Shore Leave (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"Shore Leave" is a first-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
. It was first broadcast on December 29, 1966, and repeated on June 8, 1967. It is episode #15, production #17, and was written by science-fiction author Theodore Sturgeon
, and directed by Robert Sparr
. In the episode the crew of the Enterprise
visits a bizarre planet of dangerous illusions.
3025.3, the starship
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
, arrives at a planet
in the Omicron Delta system. Scans reveal the planet to be congenial, and Kirk announces shore leave
for all off-duty personnel.
Not long after beaming down, the landing parties discover some strange things are going on. Dr. McCoy
sees a large, anthropomorphic white rabbit
hop past hurriedly, and a moment later Alice
asks McCoy if a rabbit has passed by. Lt. Sulu
is attacked by a katana
-wielding samurai
. Yeoman Tonia Barrows is accosted by Don Juan
.
Kirk beams down to confirm McCoy's seemingly ludicrous report of seeing characters from Alice in Wonderland
. At first, Kirk does not believe the doctor's story, but then he spots large rabbit tracks as proof. Kirk then stumbles upon young Finnegan, a cocky Irish practical joker he knew back in his academy days and a former girlfriend, Ruth, whom he has not seen in years.
Kirk orders a temporary halt to the beaming down of personnel until the landing party can discover what is really happening. At the same time Mr. Spock reports that the planet is emanating a strange force field that seems to be drawing energy from the ship's engines. If the drain continues it could jeopardize the ship. He also reports that the energy patterns suggest some kind of industrial activity.
Spock beams down to gather sensor readings as communications with the ship are nearing impossible. After Yeoman Barrows finishes changing into a medieval dress, a knight
charges her. McCoy steps in front of Barrows to protect her, and is impaled with the lance. Kirk shoots the knight with the pistol he confiscated from Sulu. Kirk and Spock analyze the body of the knight and find out it is not human but similar to the plant life around them and appears to be "manufactured". A Japanese World War II fighter plane then strafes the landing party, and during the commotion, the bodies of Dr. McCoy and the knight mysteriously vanish.
Spock deduces a connection between the visions and the landing party's thoughts just before the visions appear and asks Kirk what was on his mind just before his "vision". Kirk recalls thinking of his academy days, then, as Spock expected, Finnegan reappears. Finnegan taunts the Captain and then runs off, with Kirk on his heels. The chase ends in a ravine where Finnegan and Kirk have a fistfight. Finnegan feigns an injury so that he can catch Kirk off guard and attack and knock him out, and Finnegan then proceeds to taunt the unconscious Kirk. When Kirk wakes up, the fight resumes, and wanting to take revenge for all the torment the older cadet put him through, Kirk fights back and knocks out Finnegan. Spock and Kirk realize that their thoughts are conjuring up their fantasies, but the visions are starting to prove deadly for them. Kirk orders everyone to come to attention and stop thinking about anything.
An elderly man appears and identifies himself as the "Caretaker". Accompanying him is Dr. McCoy, who was revived by the sophisticated machinery below the planet's surface. McCoy smiles and confirms he is all right and shows off the two Rigelian
cabaret girls he conjured up.
The Caretaker informs Kirk that the planet is a sophisticated "amusement park
", but the illusions are not designed to be harmful or to last permanently. He apologizes for the misunderstandings and offers the services of the planet to the Enterprise's weary crew, with the caution that the visitors must choose their amusements with care. Kirk accepts the offer as Ruth appears again, and authorizes the crew to beam down. Spock, however, has had his fill of shore leave, and requests to be returned to the Enterprise.
gave the episode an 'A-' rating, describing the episode as "a lot of fun" and noting "a strong hook to keep the camp from descending into self-parody".
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 was first broadcast on December 29, 1966, and repeated on June 8, 1967. It is episode #15, production #17, and was written by science-fiction author Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
, and directed by Robert Sparr
Robert Sparr
Robert Sparr was an American screenwriter, television director and film director. He died in a plane crash in Colorado while scouting filming locations with fellow Star Trek crew member, cameraman Gerry Finnerman...
. In the episode 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...
visits a bizarre planet of dangerous illusions.
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...
3025.3, 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 a planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
in the Omicron Delta system. Scans reveal the planet to be congenial, and Kirk announces shore leave
Shore leave
Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is culturally infamous for its excess. Sailors without family obligations and with basic lodging needs provided aboard ship may spend their wages for the journey in a brief period of extravagance ashore and return to...
for all off-duty personnel.
Not long after beaming down, the landing parties discover some strange things are going on. 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,...
sees a large, anthropomorphic white rabbit
White Rabbit
The White Rabbit works for the Red Queen, but is also a secret member of the Underland Underground Resistance, and was sent by the Hatter to search for Alice...
hop past hurriedly, and a moment later Alice
Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
asks McCoy if a rabbit has passed by. Lt. Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...
is attacked by a katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
-wielding samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. Yeoman Tonia Barrows is accosted by Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
.
Kirk beams down to confirm McCoy's seemingly ludicrous report of seeing characters from Alice in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
. At first, Kirk does not believe the doctor's story, but then he spots large rabbit tracks as proof. Kirk then stumbles upon young Finnegan, a cocky Irish practical joker he knew back in his academy days and a former girlfriend, Ruth, whom he has not seen in years.
Kirk orders a temporary halt to the beaming down of personnel until the landing party can discover what is really happening. At the same time Mr. Spock reports that the planet is emanating a strange force field that seems to be drawing energy from the ship's engines. If the drain continues it could jeopardize the ship. He also reports that the energy patterns suggest some kind of industrial activity.
Spock beams down to gather sensor readings as communications with the ship are nearing impossible. After Yeoman Barrows finishes changing into a medieval dress, a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
charges her. McCoy steps in front of Barrows to protect her, and is impaled with the lance. Kirk shoots the knight with the pistol he confiscated from Sulu. Kirk and Spock analyze the body of the knight and find out it is not human but similar to the plant life around them and appears to be "manufactured". A Japanese World War II fighter plane then strafes the landing party, and during the commotion, the bodies of Dr. McCoy and the knight mysteriously vanish.
Spock deduces a connection between the visions and the landing party's thoughts just before the visions appear and asks Kirk what was on his mind just before his "vision". Kirk recalls thinking of his academy days, then, as Spock expected, Finnegan reappears. Finnegan taunts the Captain and then runs off, with Kirk on his heels. The chase ends in a ravine where Finnegan and Kirk have a fistfight. Finnegan feigns an injury so that he can catch Kirk off guard and attack and knock him out, and Finnegan then proceeds to taunt the unconscious Kirk. When Kirk wakes up, the fight resumes, and wanting to take revenge for all the torment the older cadet put him through, Kirk fights back and knocks out Finnegan. Spock and Kirk realize that their thoughts are conjuring up their fantasies, but the visions are starting to prove deadly for them. Kirk orders everyone to come to attention and stop thinking about anything.
An elderly man appears and identifies himself as the "Caretaker". Accompanying him is Dr. McCoy, who was revived by the sophisticated machinery below the planet's surface. McCoy smiles and confirms he is all right and shows off the two Rigelian
Rigel in fiction
Rigel , the brightest star in the constellation Orion, is a well-known star in Earth's northern hemisphere night sky and hence a popular science fiction setting or feature.-Literature:...
cabaret girls he conjured up.
The Caretaker informs Kirk that the planet is a sophisticated "amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
", but the illusions are not designed to be harmful or to last permanently. He apologizes for the misunderstandings and offers the services of the planet to the Enterprise's weary crew, with the caution that the visitors must choose their amusements with care. Kirk accepts the offer as Ruth appears again, and authorizes the crew to beam down. Spock, however, has had his fill of shore leave, and requests to be returned to the Enterprise.
40th Anniversary remastering
This episode was re-mastered in 2006 and was first aired May 26, 2007 as part of the remastered 40th Anniversary original series. It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered version of "Patterns of Force" and followed a week later by the remastered version of "Bread and Circuses". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:- The recreation planet has been changed to appear more Earth-like. Not much else was altered.
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 the episode as "a lot of fun" and noting "a strong hook to keep the camp from descending into self-parody".