The Way to Eden

ST episode
name = The Way to Eden


Spock welcomes aboard the bizarre guests.
series = The Original Series
ep_num = 75
prod_num = 075
remas._num = 74
date = February 21, 1969
writer = Arthur Heinemann
story by
Arthur Heinemann
Michael Richards
director = David Alexander
guest = Elizabeth Rogers
Skip Homeier Charles Napier Mary-Linda Rapelye Victor Brandt Deborah Downey Phyllis Douglas Roger Holloway
William Blackburn (actor)
Frank da Vinci
stardate = 5832.3
year = 2269
prev = Requiem for Methuselah
next = The Cloud Minders

"The Way to Eden" is a third season episode of "", and was broadcast February 21, 1969. It is episode #75, production #75, written by Arthur Heinemann, based on a story by Arthur Heinemann and Michael Richards, and directed by David Alexander.

Overview: The "Enterprise" is hijacked by an insane doctor and his fanatical followers in an attempt to find paradise.

Plot

On stardate 5832.3, the USS "Enterprise" is in hot pursuit of the stolen spacecraft "Aurora", which is on an unauthorized heading into the dangerous Romulan Neutral Zone. The "Enterprise" locks onto the ship with a tractor beam, but the "Aurora" tries to flee. With the craft already straining with pushed engines, the vessel begins to break up.

Captain Kirk orders the transporter room to lock on the passengers and beam them aboard immediately. As the "Aurora" explodes, the six humanoid passengers are safely brought aboard the "Enterprise". Kirk heads down to meet with them and is shocked by their wild appearance. The six beings are barefoot, dressed in lavish robes and colorful tunics. Despite their close brush with death, they appear completely calm and relaxed as if nothing has happened.

The group identifies themselves, starting with Tongo Rad (the son of the Catuallan ambassador, and whose presence must be handled carefully, owing to the delicate relationship between the Federation and the people of Catualla), Irina Galliulin (a Starfleet Academy dropout and a former love interest of Mr. Chekov's), Dr. Sevrin (a noted communications and electronics researcher from Tiburon, who specializes in the theories of sonic manipulation), Adam (a popular musician), Mavig (the blonde who later sings with Adam), and another unidentified woman.

The group quickly shows a disrespect for authority and demands to be taken to a planet they call "Eden" (a reference to Garden of Eden). Eden's existence is believed to be a myth however. The group refuses to cooperate with Kirk, calling him "Herbert," an insulting reference to a minor official of the same name, notorious for his rigid and limited patterns of thought.

The group is impressed by Mr. Spock, who understands their philosophy. Spock makes an oval "symbol of peace" hand gesture and simply says, "One." The group responds with the same gesture: "We are one." After asking Spock if he is Herbert, and Spock replies that he is not, Adam declares, "He is not Herbert. We reach!" Having developed a respect for Spock's straightforwardness, the group agrees to go to sick bay for a medical examination. Medical scans reveal the party to be in good health, except for Dr. Sevrin. He's a carrier of the Synthecoccus Novae virus, which has been accidentally created by technological society. The disease is fatal to anyone who hasn't been vaccinated, but he nonetheless insists that the planet of Eden will somehow "cleanse" him, and that his group will build a new civilization, the likes of which the galaxy has never seen before. After interviewing him, Spock concludes that Sevrin is clinically insane.

Kirk orders Sevrin to be quarantined to prevent the virus's spread; however, his group loudly protests the decision, insulting Kirk further with a song. Spock attempts to reason with Sevrin and offers to help him find Eden in exchange for his cooperation, stating that he empathizes with the group: "There is no insanity in what they seek."

Sevrin is taken to a holding cell while his group is allowed to freely walk the "Enterprise". The group however, secretly plans to take over the ship. Adam distracts the crew with a music concert, where even Mr. Spock joins in. Meanwhile, Chekov is alone with Irina, and the two revive their old feelings for each other. While Chekov is distracted, Irina manages to gain access to the ship's navigation computer.

Tongo manages to distract Mr. Sulu with interest in Sulu's botany project, then slips away to free Sevrin. Tongo disables a guard and lets Sevrin out of his cell. The group heads down to auxiliary control and changes the "Enterprise's" course for Eden. Once the crew realize what is happening, Sevrin manages to paralyse them ship-wide with an ultrasonic frequency broadcast through the intercom.

Once the "Enterprise" arrives at Eden, a planet inside Romulan territory, Sevrin and his followers steal the "Galileo II" shuttlecraft and head down to the planet. Kirk manages to reach auxiliary control and deactivates Sevrin's sonic device. He then joins Spock, McCoy, and Chekov and beams down to Eden to fetch the group.

They materialize in the middle of a lush and beautiful garden; a real "Eden" by all outward appearance. Suddenly, Chekov severely burns his hand when he touches a flower and McCoy scans his wound. It is discovered the plant life (even the grass) secretes a powerful acid and the fruit is poisonous. McCoy informs Kirk that their clothing will protect them from the acid for a while. The team soon finds Adam, the only one of the group not barefoot, lying dead on the ground – a half-eaten "apple" in his hand.

Sevrin and the other survivors are then found in the shuttlecraft, all with severe acid burns on their feet. Kirk tries once again to convince them that this "paradise" is completely uninhabitable, but Sevrin refuses to listen and bites into one of the fruits, quickly falling victim to the poisonous bounty as Adam did.

Irina is heartbroken at how things have turned out. Luckily, no Romulans arrive, and everyone returns to the "Enterprise" and quickly heads back to Federation space. Spock advises the group not to give up their search for Eden as he believes they will either find it, or create one for themselves.

40th Anniversary remastering

This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired June 14, 2008 as part of the remastered "Original Series". It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered "The Lights of Zetar" and followed a week later by the remastered "Requiem for Methuselah". 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:

* A close up flyby of a newly designed "Aurora" spacecraft which now appears as a CGI element. Originally, a modified reuse of the Tholian spacecraft model was shown.
* The explosion of the "Aurora" has been changed.
* The planet Eden now appears as a lush and vibrant world with more realistic detail. It has also been given two moons. The CGI shot of the surface also includes a shot of a further-away Galileo after Kirk spots it.
* A new panoramic vista of Eden's surface has been created showing an expanse of forests and sharp-peaked mountains with the moons visible in the sky.

Notes

*Skip Homeier who played Dr. Sevrin appeared earlier in the season two episode "Patterns of Force" as the evil Melakon.
*This episode marks the first mention of Ensign Chekov's full name: Pavel Andreievich Chekov.
*Fans sometimes refer to this episode as the "space-hippies episode".
*Originally, the teleplay was titled "Joanna," and was written by D. C. Fontana, the title character being Dr. McCoy's daughter. Later, she was changed to Irina, and Chekov, instead, was made her foil. [ [http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/joanna.htm Joanna] precursor to The Way to Eden ] The original script, as written by Fontana, would have provided much background on McCoy, including an unsuccessful marriage which led him into Starfleet. Fontana's script was so heavily rewritten that she asked her name to be removed from it and replaced with "Michael Richards", a pseudonym she also used on the episode "That Which Survives". But given Fontana's extensive contributions to Star Trek mythology, and the fact that it provides insight into the McCoy character, many still consider the lost McCoy background story to be canon, even though it never made it to screen. It was later incorporated into the novels "Planet of Judgment" and "Shadows on the Sun". Joanna herself was mentioned in the "".
*In a reference to the Bible, "Adam" is severely punished (or considered dead to God) after eating an "apple" while in (on) "Eden."
*The unidentified brunette woman among the hippies is played by Phyllis Douglas who appeared earlier in the first season episode "The Galileo Seven".
* Uhura does not appear in this episode. Lt. Palmer is the communications officer (one of only two appearances - the other being in "The Doomsday Machine"). .

References

External links

* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/episode/68810.html "The Way to Eden"] at StarTrek.com