Trekking Through Compliance

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Corbomite Maneuver, which aired on November 10, 1966, Star Date 1512.2.

Novice navigator Lt. Dave Bailey spots a large spinning multi-colored cube floating in space. He advocates attacking it with phasers. Kirk instead orders the ship to back away from the object. The cube pursues them, emitting harmful radiation, and Kirk reluctantly destroys it. Thereafter a gigantic glowing sphere approaches the Enterprise, explaining that the destroyed cube was a border marker and the First Federation will destroy the Enterprise for trespassing into their territory. Kirk tries to bluff Balok, telling him that the Enterprise contains "corbomite", a substance that automatically destroys any attacker. 

Kirk, McCoy, and Bailey form a boarding party to render assistance. They beam over and discover that the "Balok" on their monitor was an effigy. The real Balok, looking like a hyperintelligent human child, enthusiastically welcomes them aboard. He explains that he was merely testing the Enterprise and its crew to discover their true intentions. As Kirk and company relax, Balok expresses a desire to learn more about humans and their culture and suggests they allow a crew member to remain on his ship as an emissary of the Federation. Bailey happily volunteers, and Balok gives them a tour of his ship.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for The Corbomite Maneuver

MissionLogPodcast.com-The Corbomite Maneuver

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode Dagger of the Mind, which aired on November 3, 1966, Star Date 2715.1.

The Enterprise makes a supply run to planet Tantalus V, a colony where the criminally insane are confined for treatment. The facility's director is Dr. Tristan Adams, a psychiatrist famous for advocating more humane treatment of such patients. After the Enterprise delivers supplies and receives cargo from Tantalus, a man emerges from the container taken aboard and assaults a technician. Reaching the bridge, the intruder demands asylum, but Spock subdues him with a Vulcan nerve pinch. In sickbay, the intruder identifies himself as Simon van Gelder, and a computer check reveals that he is not a patient but Dr. Adams' assistant.

On the Enterprise van, Gelder becomes increasingly frantic, warning that the landing party is in danger. Spock learns that the neural neutralizer can empty a mind of thoughts, leaving only an unbearable feeling of loneliness and that Adams has been using it on inmates and staff to regain control of their minds.

Kirk decides to test the neutralizer on himself, with Noel at the controls. Adams appears, overpowers Noel, seizes the controls, increases the neutralizer's intensity, and convinces Kirk that he has been madly in love with Noel for years. Adams inadvertently reactivates the neural neutralizer, emptying his Mind and killing him. On the Enterprise, Kirk is informed that van Gelder has destroyed the neural neutralizer. McCoy is surprised that loneliness could be lethal, but Kirk, after his experience, is not.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for Dagger of the Mind

MissionLogPodcast.com-Dagger of the Mind

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode Miri which aired on October 27, 1966, Star Date 2713.5.

A landing party is attacked by a disfigured man who dies after Kirk strikes him. They discover a preadolescent, Miri, who ran away from them because "grups" kill and maim children before dying. She and her friends are "onlies," the only ones left. The distress call is traced to an automated signal. The landing party, except for Spock, notice purple lesions on their bodies; Miri tells them that these are the first signs of the disease, and they will soon become like the other adults. When the disease begins, its victims have seven days to live. Although Spock is immune, he considers himself a carrier who could infect the Enterprise if he returns.

Back on the Enterprise, after vaccinating everyone and leaving the children in the care of a medical team, Kirk sends for teachers and advisers to help the children improve their lives.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

The story synopsis is from the Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for Miri.

Additional insights from MissionLogPodcast.com-Miri

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode What is little girls made of?, which aired on October 20, 1966, Star Date 2712.4.

After the Enterprise travels to the planet Exo III to investigate the fate of Roger Corby, two security guards, Matthews and Rayburn, are killed after beaming down. It turns out that Corby, known as the Pasteur of archeological medicine, has discovered the remains of an ancient culture. They were using machinery he had found, which creates androids.

Corby begins implementing a dastardly plan by creating an android of Kirk to be taken to Minas 5, where he will start spreading androids throughout the galaxy. However, Corby kills his robot servant, Rok, who has remembered the equation "existence, survival must cancel out programming." This equation led Rok to realize that the same kind of clash between humans and androids which led to his civilization's demise centuries ago was becoming inevitable again and caused him to attempt to kill Corby. Corby then reveals he is an android. Corby destroys the remaining android and himself ridding the universe of Exo III androids for all times.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

The story synopsis comes from the Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for What are little girls made of?

Additional insights from MissionLogPodcast.com episode of What are little girls made of?

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode Mudd's Women, which aired on October 13, 1966, Star Date 1329.1.

Harry Mudd attempts to evade the Enterprise with his small class J cargo ship and leads it into an asteroid field. The Enterprise extends its shields over Harvey's ship, burning out three of its four lithium crystals. The crew of the Enterprise becomes fascinated with the three beautiful women Mudd has been transporting.

As a result of the destruction of three of its lithium crystals, the Enterprise is forced to divert to Rigel 12 to obtain new crystals. Mudd makes his bargain with the lithium miners on the planet. At Mudd's prompting, the miners offer to provide Kirk with lithium only in exchange for Mudd's freedom and the three women. Kirk learns the women's beauty secret: Mudd has been providing them with the Venus drug. Kirk beams down to collect the lithium from Childress while providing Evie with red gelatin she believes to be the Venus drug. Evie believes herself again to be beautiful and unintentionally reveals her natural inner beauty. In the end, Kirk gets his lithium, Evie remains with Childress, and Mudd is taken into custody.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

The story synopsis comes from the Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for Mudd's Women.

Additional insights from the MissionLogPodcast.com episode Mudd's Women

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider The Enemy Within, which aired on October 6, 1966, Star Date 1672.1.

While gathering specimens on planet Alpha 177 (whose night temperature reaches -120 degrees), the transporter malfunctions, stranding the remaining 4-man landing party (including Sulu) on the planet; Kirk beams up. Kirk is split into two alter-egos, the evil one (hostility, lust, violence), which arrives unnoticed a few minutes after the good Kirk (compassion, love, tenderness) after the crew has left the transporter room.

The evil Kirk enters Yeoman Janice Rand's quarters and lies in wait for her. She scratches him when he attacks her. She fights him off, and soon after that, the good Kirk shows signs of losing both his decisiveness and ability to command. This leads to a gut-wrenching scene where Spock and McCoy interview Rand about the attack.

Spock and Scotty rig the transporter to run off the impulse engines and successfully fix the transporter. When the good Kirk tries to bring the evil Kirk to the transporter, he is overpowered. The evil Kirk goes to the bridge and orders the Enterprise to leave orbit, but the good Kirk follows him there. Kirk is eventually returned to normal when the transporter is modified and used to fuse the two parts of himself back together. The landing party is also beamed back up, suffering from frostbite, but nothing worse.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for The Enemy Within

MissionLogPodcast.com-The Enemy Within

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider The Naked Time, which aired on September 29, 1966, Star Date 1704.2.

A landing party from the Enterprise beams aboard Psi 2000, an ancient planet about to break up. They find all six of the crew manning the station dead. However, the circumstances are bizarre since the life support systems have been switched off, and everything in the station is frozen solid.

As Psi 2000 shows a shift in a magnetic field (and mass!), the Enterprise begins a close orbit requiring constant vigilance. Meanwhile, Sulu abandons his post for a jaunt at the gym, believing himself to be a rapier-brandishing French cavalier. Riley takes over the engine room and declares himself Captain. He demands ice cream for the entire crew and begins a ship-wide broadcast of his rendition of classic Irish ballads (his favorite being "Kathleen").

While all this is happening, Nurse Chapel infects Spock and professes to love him. This is extremely difficult for Spock, especially since the infection is causing him to become excessively emotional. Spock then passes the infection on to Kirk, who begins exhibiting paranoia and loss of ability to command. Bones finds the antidote just in time, and Riley is dislodged before the audience's ears are permanently damaged by his wrenching ballads.

After mixing matter and antimatter at a colder than recommended temperature according to an untested intermix formula, the Enterprise is thrown into a time warp which causes the chronometer to run backward. This allows the Enterprise to escape the planet's breakup, returning it 71 hours into the past and, therefore, before any of the events.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for The Naked Time

MissionLogPodcast.com-The Naked Time

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider Where No Man Had Gone Before, which aired on September 22, 1966, Star Date 1312.4. The first Star Trek episode was made (not counting the pilot episode, The Cage), although not the first aired. It differs from subsequent episodes in that there is no “Space, the final frontier” voice-over during the theme song at the beginning.

The Enterprise discovers a 200-year-old ship recorder from the SS Valiant near the galaxy’s edge. Shortly after, the Enterprise passes through an unknown phenomenon that causes major damage and knocks out navigators Gary Mitchell and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (both of whom have high ESP ratings). When Gary recovers, he begins to acquire telepathic and telekinetic powers. Kirk alarmed at the prospect of having his ship taken over by an increasingly powerful and tyrannical Mitchell, is convinced by Spock to maroon Mitchell at the lithium cracking plant of Delta Vega. Dr. Piper has no explanation for what is happening. Gary kills Lee Kelso and escapes from his imprisonment. Kirk follows him and can destroy him with the help of Dr. Dehner, who is also beginning to acquire the power but kills herself in the process.

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for Where No Man Has Gone Before

MissionLogPodcast.com-Where No Man Has Gone Before

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In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider Charlie X, which aired on September 15, 1966, Star Date 1533.6.

The USS Enterprise meets the merchant vessel Antares to take charge of Charlie Evans, the sole survivor of a transport ship that crashed on the planet Thasus. For fourteen years, 17 year old Charlie grew up there alone, stranded in the wreckage, learning how to talk from the ship's computer systems, which remained intact.

Despite his eagerness to please, Charlie becomes obnoxious since his lack of upbringing has left him with no knowledge of social norms or control of his emotions. He latches on to Captain Kirk as a father figure and develops an infatuation with Yeoman Janice Rand. He demonstrates extraordinary powers of telepathy and matter transmutation. When the Antares is nearly out of sensor range, it transmits a message to the Enterprise. The message is cut off before it can convey a warning. Scanners show the Antares has been reduced to debris.

Realizing Charlie's powers are too great to be controlled, Kirk opts to divert from Alpha V so as to at least keep Charlie away from a civilized world, where he would wreak havoc. Charlie discovers Kirk's plans, and takes control of the Enterprise.

A Thasian ship approaches and restores the Enterprise and its crew to their proper forms. The Thasian commander says that his race gave Charlie his powers so he could survive on their world, but these powers (which they can't remove from him) make him too dangerous to live among humans. Charlie begs Kirk to not let the aliens have him, since the Thasians lack any physical form or capacity for love. However, the Thasians reject Kirk's argument that Charlie belongs with his own kind, and with a final echoing wail of "I wanna stay!

Compliance Takeaways:

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for CharlieX

MissionLogPodcast.com-Charlie X

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Since 2017, each summer i have posted the podcast, Trekking Through Compliance. Not only am i a full-fledged Trekkie, there are many of us in the compliance community. To commemorate the 5th anniversary of this series, I have updated each episode with new commentary and insights for the compliance professional and business executive. Each episode is relatively short, coming in at 10 minutes or so. This allows you to get a handle on the storyline and the lessons learned from it. So even if you have listed and re-listened over the past 4 summers, you will learn something new and revisit one of the most significant TV series of all-time. 

In this podcast series I explore compliance, leadership and risk management through the lens of Star Trek-The Original Series in a 79-episode offering. Each podcast reviews the episode creative team, story synopsis and three key lessons learned on compliance, leadership and governance. If you love Star Trek as I do, this is the podcast series for you. I will use two key resources for each offering: (1) Eric's Excruciatingly Detailed Star Trek (TOS) Plot Summaries, which has plot summaries for every episode, and (2) MissionLogPodcast.com, a Rod Roddenberry podcast where Ken Ray and John Champion explore every episode of every Star Trek, the Original Series. Please note that I will use the order of release in this podcast series so the first episode is the premier TV show on September 10, 1966 The Man Trap. This means that both pilots will appear later in the series. Also, the TV premiers are not on the same schedule as the production schedule. So, listen over the next 79 episodes, revisit one of television’s great achievements and learn how you can use Star Trek to improve your corporate compliance program, as well as yourself as a compliance professional. We are going to have some fun. 

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