After his logical first officer is examined for displaying strange and bizarre behavior, Captain Kirk is informed that Mr. Spock will die unless he returns to his home planet of Vulcan to take part in an ancient mating ritual. Upon their arrival, Kirk and Dr. McCoy accompany their friend to a private ceremony that is presided over by a top Vulcan official, but the proceedings soon take a deadly turn when Spock is forced by his mate to fight another potential suitor to the death -- his friend and commanding officer, James T. Kirk. For loyal fans who helped turn Mr. Spock into the most popular character of the series, "Star Trek" could not have picked a better episode to launch its stellar second season, which rewarded them with their first trip to Vulcan. And more than five decades later, "Amok Time" remains one of the best and most beloved episodes of "Star Trek," thanks to a brilliant screenplay written by Theodore Sturgeon, an epic score composed by Gerald Fried and magnificent performances from the entire cast -- especially Leonard Nimoy, who gives what just may be his greatest performance as Mr. Spock.

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While exploring the planet Pollux IV, the Enterprise is held captive by an alien super-being who claims to be the Greek god Apollo. His demands are that the crew abandon ship, settle on his planet and worship him like their human ancestors did 5,000 years before. Since they are no match for Apollo's mythological powers, Captain Kirk's only hope lies in reasoning with Lt. Carolyn Palamas, the ship's Archaeology and Anthropology officer, who becomes smitten with Apollo after he chooses her to be his mate. In what is perhaps one of "Star Trek'" deepest and most thought-provoking episodes, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" takes the "ancient astronaut" theory and runs with it. The writing and direction are both superb, and the production design, wardrobe and original score are all fantastic. But the key to the success of this episode lies with the magnificent, fiercely-committed and heartbreaking performance of Michael Forest, who portrays Apollo as a charismatic and empathetic, yet ultimately tragic, figure.

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When the Enterprise travels to Capella IV to secure a mining treating for a rare mineral that's essential to supporting life on other planets, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy are taken prisoner when they get caught up in a coup to overthrow the tribal leadership and interrupt the execution of Eleen, the pregnant widow of the assassinated ruler. Making matters worse, the Klingons are also there for the minerals, and for the moment, they have the upper hand. When the Enterprise is lured away by a distress call, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are on their own, but they really have their hands full when they discover that Eleen does not want the unborn child she is carrying. Written by D.C. Fontana, "Friday's Child" is a fast-paced action-adventure that features superb performances, top-notch production values and terrific costume design. And while the whole never really comes together to be greater than the sum of its parts, "Friday's Child" remains a solid and entertaining "Star Trek" episode that effectively balances action, heart and humor.

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We're excited to once again be joined by Ralph Senensky for our deep dive on "Metamorphosis," the second "Star Trek" episode he directed. When the Shuttlecraft Galileo is thrown off course by a powerful field of energy, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and Assistant Commissioner Nancy Hedford are forced to make an emergency landing on a small planet in an asteroid belt. But they are not alone. Also marooned there for many years is a man named Zephram Cochrane, who knows a lot more than he is letting on about why they are really there. But time is running out -- Commissioner Hedford must be taken to the Enterprise to be treated for a rare disease, so she can be cured in time to stop a war on a distant planet. But when Kirk's aggressive tactics to escape wind up aggravating the situation even worse, he is forced to re-think his strategy and try a different approach when the true identity of their captor becomes clear. Over the years, "Metamorphosis" has hardly ever been mentioned as being one of "Star Trek's" best episodes. But it should be, because it's a sensitive, brilliantly-written and beautifully-directed story about love, compassion, communication and tolerance that represents what "Star Trek" is all about. And it's bolstered even further by gorgeous cinematography, a sublime musical score and superb performances from William Shatner and guest star Elinor Donahue. Like a fine wine, "Metamorphosis" has aged extremely well, and it has properly come to be reappraised as one of "Star Trek's" finest hours.

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When one crew member of the Enterprise turns up dead and two others (Scotty and Sulu) go missing, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy beam down to a mysterious and foreboding planet to investigate. There's were they encounter three witches, a black cat, a giant castle and two seemingly-humanoid lifeforms named Korob and Sylvia, who display incredible powers until their true motives (and their true identities) become clear. To this day, "Catspaw" remains the only "Star Trek" episode specifically produced as a holiday special (of course, to coincide with Halloween), but it was actually the first episode to be filmed for "Trek's" landmark second season. Despite the shortcomings of the story written by Robert Bloch, and with far better episodes soon to follow, "Catspaw" remains something of a guilty pleasure for "Star Trek," and it's actually a lot more fun the less you think about it.

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Before we get into our deep dive of Season Two, we wanted to share a special episode of “Enterprise Incidents” that we recorded live in front of an audience at Creation Entertainment’s “55 Year Mission” Celebration of “Star Trek” at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas in August 2021! Throughout the course of our first season, where we re-assessed “Star Trek” as a serialized body of work, we saw The Original Series in a fresh new light and made so many new discoveries — the biggest of which involves the Captain of the Starship Enterprise himself, James T. Kirk. We always thought of Kirk as a bold, brash hero teeming with bravado (which he is), but he had to be a whole lot more than that to make the intelligent, informed and life-saving decisions that he did. So who is James T. Kirk, and how did he get to be this way? Listen to this fun, energetic and revealing live podcast of “Enterprise Incidents” to find out!

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As we wrap up our first season of “Enterprise Incidents,” we look back on all of the big revelations that we discovered about Season One of “Star Trek.” By treating the entire first season as a serialized show (as opposed to the stand-alone episode series that it was produced as), we came to see the original “Star Trek” in a fresh new light. What were the biggest things we learned about Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy? Which supporting characters went up in our re-assessment? Which episodes were a lot better (or worse) than we remembered? Who were our favorite guest stars? Which themes, ideas and metaphors resonated on a deeper level after 55 years? And what were the biggest changes made to “Star Trek” as the brave crew of the Starship Enterprise journeyed into Season Two? Find out here, thanks for listening...and keep going boldly!

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While tracking the progression of mass insanity across the galaxy, the Enterprise arrives at the planet Deneva, where the inhabitants have been infected by invading parasites that control their human hosts with immense pain. If Captain Kirk cannot destroy the parasites and cure the more than one million colonists, he will be forced to make the most difficult command decision of his life in an effort to stop the madness from progressing any further. The landmark first season of "Star Trek" came to a close with "Operation -- Annihilate!", a flawed episode that hardly represents the best of the series, though its depiction of agony certainly one of the most disturbing to endure. But it still has many merits, the biggest of which are the top-notch performances from William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, who continued to strengthen the incredible dynamic between Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

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After an accidental drug overdose induces Dr. McCoy into a wild frenzy, he flees the Enterprise to the desolate planet below, where he jumps through an ancient time portal and alters the course of Earth's history. In order to prevent the Federation from being erased from existence, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock follow the good doctor back in time to Depression-era New York City, where Kirk soon falls in love with a kind-hearted social worker whose very existence holds the key to restoring Earth's proper timeline. If there ever was a "Star Trek" episode that truly qualifies as being the very best of them all, it's "The City on the Edge of Forever." Written by Harlan Ellison (with a big assist from just about every major writer and producer who worked on "Star Trek" at the time), "City" is an epic triumph on every level, and the palpable chemistry between William Shatner and guest star Joan Collins is as good as it gets. No matter how many times you've seen "The City on the Edge of Forever," it still packs a powerful emotional punch, making it not only "Star Trek's" finest hour, but also one of the greatest episodes of dramatic television ever produced.

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When war breaks out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, the Enterprise is sent to Organia to prevent the Klingons from using the strategically-placed planet as a base. But despite Captain Kirk's appeals to the Council, the peace-loving Organians have no intention of letting the Federation plant their flag there either. Tensions mount when the Klingons arrive, until the endless bickering between Kirk and the Klingon Commander, Kor, leads the Organians to put their foot down and stage a galactic intervention. Just as he did with his stellar teleplay for "A Taste of Armageddon," writer-producer Gene Coon disguises his allegory about the pointlessness of war as a provocative, superbly-written and powerfully-acted science fiction action-adventure. But of course, "Errand of Mercy" truly achieves landmark status by being the first "Star Trek" episode to feature the Klingons, and guest star John Colicos gave a magnificent performance that set the standard for every Klingon that followed over the last 55 years.

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