Season Three

Episode #61
Originally aired September 20, 1968
Written by Lee Cronin
Directed by Marc Daniels

Guest Starring:
Marj Dusay as Kara
James Daris as Primitive
Sheila Leighton as Luma

Star Dates: 5431.4-5432.3 The Eymorgs steal Spock's brain to use as a power source on their planet, and the race is on for the Enterprise to retrieve it before his body dies. The less said about this one the better, though it's surprising that Gene Coon, under the name Lee Cronin, is credited for the teleplay.

Lee Cronin was the pen name of Gene L. Coon.

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Episode #59
Originally aired September 27, 1968
Written by D.C. Fontana
Directed by John Meredyth Lucas

Guest Starring:
Joanne Linville as Romulan commander
Jack Donner as Tal
Richard Compton as Romulan technical officer
Robert Gentile as Romulan technician
Mike Howden as Romulan guard
Gordon Coffey as Romulan soldier

Star Dates: 5027.3 Star Trek meets Mission: Impossible as the Enterprise is sent on a secret mission to penetrate the Romulan Neutral Zone and steal a cloaking device from one of their vessels. Enroute, there is a romantic relationship between Spock and the Romulan commander and Kirk is given the opportunity to put on the pointed ears as he has himself surgically altered to resemble a Romulan.

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Episode #58
Originally aired October 4, 1968
Written by Margaret Armen
Directed by Jud Taylor

Guest Starring:
Sabrina Scharf as Miramanee
Rudy Solari as Salish
Richard Hale as Goro
Naomi Pollack as Indian woman
John Lindesmith as Engineer
Peter Virgo, Jr. as Lumo
Lamont Laird as Indian boy
Sean Morgan as Engineer
Paul Baxley as Kirk's stunt double
Richard Geary as Salish's stunt double

Star Dates: 4842.6-4843.6 When a planet is threatened by an asteroid, a landing party beams down to try and evacuate the population. An accident gives Kirk amnesia and he is eventually found by a tribe of Indians, who look upon him as a god. Referring to himself as Kirok, he takes a bride in Miramanee and is ultimately the victim of the changing mood of the crowd, who realize that he is actually human and not someone to be revered. This episode is marked by a particularly tragic ending in which Miramanee is killed, along with her and Kirk's unborn child.

Beam me back.

Episode #60
Originally aired October 11, 1968
Written by Edward J. Lasko
Directed by Marvin Chomsky

Guest Starring:
Craig Hundley as Tommy Starnes
James Wellman as Professor Starnes
Melvin Belli as Gorgon
Pamelyn Ferdin as Mary Janowski
Caesar Belli as Steve O'Connell
Mark Robert Brown as Don Linden
Brian Tochi as Ray Tsingtao
Lou Elias as First technician
Eddie Paskey as Mr. Leslie
Dick Dial as Technician #2
Jay Jones as Crew stunt double

Star Dates: 5029.5 The Enterprise retrieves a group of orphaned children on Triacus. A short matter of time later, it becomes obvious that they are being manipulated by "Gorgon, the Friendly Angel," who turns out to be something far more sinister. Kirk and company must make the children see him for what he truly is.

Beam me back.

Episode #62
Originally aired October 18, 1968
Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
Directed by Ralph Senensky

Guest Starring:
Diana Muldaur as Dr. Miranda Jones
David Frankham as Laurence Marvick
Robert Balver as Yeoman
Dick Geary, Vince Deadrick, Bill Blackburn as Security guards
Ralph Garrett as Marvick's stunt double
Alan Gibbs as Stunt double

Star Dates: 5630.7 The Medusans are a race of energy patterns deemed so horrifying to look at that they have a tendency to drive humans insane. One of their kind is taken aboard the Enterprise by Dr. Miranda Jones for transport, and amidst insanity and attempted murders, we learn that all things are not as they are initially perceived.

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Episode #56
Originally aired October 25, 1968
Written by Lee Cronin
Directed by Vincent McEveety

Guest Starring:
Ron Soble as Wyatt Earp
Bonnie Beecher as Sylvia
Charles Maxwell as Virgil Earp
Rex Holman as Morgan Earp
Sam Gilman as Doc Holliday
Charles Seel as Ed
Bill Zuckert as Sheriff Johnny Behan
Ed McCready as Barber
Abraham Sofaer as Melkotian voice
Gregg Palmer as Rancher
Richard Anthony as Rider
Gregory Reece, Paul Baxley, Bob Orrison as Men in bar
James Doohan as Melkotian buoy's voice
Mike Minor as Mask

Star Dates: 4385.3 Upon ignoring warnings not to proceed into Melkotian space, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Chekov find themselves on a world surrealistically mirroring the old west, where they are to take part in the famous gunfight at O.K. Corral. They are the Clantons, and if history proceeds the way it's supposed to, they well be killed by the Earps.

This was the first episode produced for the third season for the original Star Trek series. It was filmed under the title "The Last Gunfight," later changed to "Spectre of the Gun" during the editing process. Lee Cronin was the pen name of Gene L. Coon.

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Episode #66
Originally aired November 1, 1968
Written by Jerome Bixby
Directed by Marvin Chomsky

Guest Starring:
Michael Ansara as Kang
Susan Howard as Mara
David L. Ross as Lieutenant Johnson
Mark Tobin as Klingon
Majel Barrett as Computer voice

Star Dates: Armageddon. An energy force that feeds on anger, hatred, and hostility arms both the Klingons and Kirk's people with swords and sets them at each other's throats on board the Enterprise. Kirk and his opponent, Kang, must come to grips with what exactly is putting them through this, and combat it before both sides are slaughtered.

Kang, the Klingon commander, later returned in "Blood Oath"(DS9).

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Episode #65
Originally aired November 8, 1968
Written by Rik Vollaerts
Directed by Tony Leader

Guest Starring:
Kate Woodville as Natira
Byron Morrow as Admiral Westervliet
John Lormer as Old man
James Doohan as Voice of the Oracle

Star Dates: 5476.3-5476.4. What appears to be an asteroid is actually a cleverly disguised vessel that is on a direct course for a federation planet. Kirk and Spock must unlock the secrets of the ship's computers to alter its course and save countless lives. In the meantime, McCoy discovers that he has an incurable disease and, as he falls in love with one of the ship's inhabitants (Yonada), he elects to stay with her until the end. Naturally, they find a cure.

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Episode #64
Originally aired November 15, 1968
Written by Judy Burns and Chet Richards
Directed by Herb Wallerstein

Guest Starring:
Sean Morgan as Lieutenant O'Neil
Barbara Babcock as Tholian's voices

Star Dates: 5693.2 While exploring the remnants of the U.S.S. Defiant, Kirk is accidentally trapped in another dimension. Most of the crew believe him to be dead, though they continue to see his apparition. Meanwhile, Spock works on trying to retrieve him when the Defiant enters our dimension again for a brief period of time. Add the Tholians, who don't want the Enterprise in their territory, to the mix and you've got some genuine suspense in terms of whether or not Spock will succeed.

The original script was an unsolicited submission entitled "The Essence Nothing," which Bob Justman read and recommended to producer Fred Freiburger. It was writer Judy Burn's first professional sale, leading to a lengthy writing career. Burns also teaches scriptwriting at UCLA and other schools and colleges.

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Episode #67
Originally aired November 22, 1968
Written by Meyer Dolinsky
Directed by David Alexander

Guest Starring:
Michael Dunn as Alexander
Liam Sullivan as Parmen
Barbara Babcock as Philana
Ted Scott as Eraclitus
Derek Partridge as Dionyd
Armando Gonzales as Spock's Flamenco dance double
Jay Jones as Kirk's stunt double

Star Dates: 5784.2-5784.3 The Enterprise proceeds to Platonius in response to a distress signal, and what they find are a race of people who have based their society somewhat on ancient Rome. The difference is that they have developed extraordinary telekinetic abilities which they use to control their jester, a dwarf named Alexander.

What the Platonians eventually detail is that they want Dr. McCoy to remain behind to tend to them should they get ill. When Kirk refuses to allow this, these self-acclaimed gods start trying to control them, forcing Kirk, Spock, Uhura and Nurse Chapel into somewhat humiliating positions. Additionally, they were basically the catalyst behind television's first interracial kiss.

Beam me back.

Episode #68
Originally aired November 29, 1968
Teleplay by Arthur Heinemann Story by Lee Cronin
Directed by Jud Taylor

Guess Starring:
Kathie Browne as Deela
Jason Evers as Rael
Erik Holland as Ekor
Geoffrey Binney as Compton
Ed Hice, Richard Geary as Scalosians
Majel Barret as Computer voice

Star Dates: 5710.5-5710.9 After drinking Scalosian water, Kirk's metabolism accelerates to a different plane of existence on a par with the Scalosians themselves. Their race is nearly dead, and they want to use the crew of the Enterprise to repopulate their species. While Kirk does what he can to foil these plans, Spock, on the slower level, works with McCoy on a cure for the effects of the water.

Lee Cronin is the pen name of Gene L. Coon.

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Episode #63
Originally aired December 6, 1968
Written by Joyce Muskat
Directed by John Erman

Guest Starring:
Kathryn Hays as Gem
Alan Bergmann as Lal
Davis Roberts as Dr. Ozaba
Jason Wingreen as Dr. Linke
Willard Sage as Thann
Paul Baxley as McCoy's stunt double
Jay Jones as Kirk's stunt double

Star Dates: 5121.5 A pair of aliens named Lal and Thann (who look like they're related to the Talosians of "The Cage") capture Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and involve them in a series of experiments that include a mute woman named Gem, who has empathic abilities which allow her to absorb the pain and suffering of others. The aliens are doing so in order to determine whether or not Gem's race is worthy of being saved from a forthcoming super nova, or if a neighboring planet is worthier to survive.

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Episode #57
Originally aired December 20, 1968
Written and directed by John Meredyth Lucas

Guest Starring:
France Nuyen as Elaan
Jay Robinson as Petri
Tony Young as Kryton
Lee Duncan as Evans
Victor Brandt as Watson
Dick Durock as Elasian guard #1
Charles Beck as Elasian guard #2
K.L. Smith as Klingon

Star Dates: 4372.5 The Enterprise is told to transport Elaan of Elas to her marriage ceremony at the planet Troyius, which will result in an alliance between the two hostile worlds. It sounds like a simple enough assignment, until one takes into account the fact that the woman has no interest in marriage, the Klingons want to see the alliance fall apart and are doing what they can to make this happen, the Troyius ambassador is murdered and Kirk falls madly in love with Elaan due to the chemical reaction of her tears on his skin.

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Episode #71
Originally aired January 3, 1969
Teleplay by Lee Erwin Story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl
Directed by Herb Wallerstein

Guest Starring:
Steve Ihnat as Garth of Izar
Yvonne Craig as Marta
Richard Geary as Andorian
Gary Downey as Tellarite
Keye Luke as Governor Donald Cory

Star Dates: 5718.3 The inmates have taken over the Elba II asylum, and it is in that situation in which Kirk and Spock are captured by former Starfleet captain Garth, who has acquired the power to change his shape at will. Our heroes do what they must to turn the tables. Basically, that's it.

Beam me back.

Episode #70
Originally aired January 10, 1969
Teleplay by Oliver Crawford
Story by Lee Cronin
Directed by Jud Taylor

Guest Starring:
Frank Gorshin as Bele
Lou Antonio as Lokai
Majel Barrett as Computer voice

Star Dates: 5730.2-5730.7 The Enterprise finds itself int he midst of a chase between an alien law enforcement officer named Bele and his prey Lokai. Half the face of each man is white while the other half is black. The only difference is the side on which the particular color is. Bele reveals that, on their world, Lokai is a criminal and lower life form because his colors are on the wrong side. Ultimately Kirk makes the discovery that the aliens are sole survivors of their homeworld, the population having killed itself.

Beam me back.

Episode #72
Originally aired January 17, 1969
Written by George F. Slavin and Stanley Adams
Directed by Jud Taylor

Guest Starring:
Sharon Acker as Odona
David Hurst as Hodin
Gene Dynarski as Krodak
Richard Deer as Admiral Fitzgerald

Star Dates: 5423.4-5423.8 Kirk attempts to beam himself sown to the planet Gideon, but is shocked to find himself back on the Enterprise, with the difference being that he is the only person on board. This turns out to be the work of the inhabitants, who have created an exact duplicate of the starship (how they pulled this off is anyone's guess) to trick Kirk. It seems that the planet is suffering form overpopulation because the citizens are disease-free. Kirk, though, carries the remnants of a disease that nearly killed him. They want the captain to infect one of their people so that disease, and then death will spread across the planet.

The episode was cowritten by Stanley Adams who played Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble With Tribbles"(TOS)

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Episode #69
Originally aired January 24, 1969
Written by John Meredyth Lucas
Story by D.C. Fontana
Directed by Herb Wallerstein

Guest Starring:
Lee Meriwether as Losira
Arthur Batanides as Lieutenant D'Amato
Naomi Pollack as Lieutenant Rahda
Booker Bradshaw as Dr. M'Benga
Brad Forrest as Ensign Wyatt
Kenneth Washington as John D. Watkins

Stardate Unknown. While exploring unique geological conditions on an unnamed planet, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy confront the holographic image of a woman named Losira. She is actually a warning device left behind by an ancient civilization to repel their enemies, the Kalandans. Her "touch" is death, and it is up to the crew of the Enterprise to shut down the computers that continue to generate her lethal image.

Beam me back.

Episode #73
Originally aired January 31, 1969
Written by Jeremy Tarcher and Shari Lewis
Directed by Herb Kenwith

Guest Starring:
Jan Shutan as Lieutenant Mira Romaine
John Winston as Mr. Kyle
Libby Erwin as Technician
Bud Da Vinci as Crewman
Majel Barrett as Computer voice
Barbara Babcock as Zetar voices

Star Dates: 5725.3-5725.6 At planetoid Memory Alpha, Lieutenant Mira Romaine, who Scotty has fallen in love with, is possessed by the lights of Zetar, a cloud-like being that is actually the collective existence of a now-dead race. Enjoying physical existence again, they decide to keep their human host at the expense of her own life.

Beam me back.

Episode #76
Originally aired February 14, 1969
Written by Jerome Bixby
Directed by Murray Golden

Guest Starring:
James Daly as Flint
Louise Sorel as Rayna Kapec
John Buonomo as Orderly
Phil Adams as Flint's stunt double
Paul Baxley as Kirk's stunt double

Star Dates: 5843.7-5843.8 While searching for a cure to a rare disease, Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to the surface of Holberg 917-G. There they are surprised to find an immortal. Kirk falls in love with Flint's daughter Rayna, and is horrified to learn that she is actually an android, as are all the "people" living there.

Beam me back.

Episode #75
Originally aired February 21, 1969
Written by Arthur Heinemann
Story by Michael Richards and Arthur Heinemann
Directed by David Alexander

Guest Starring:
Skip P. Homeier as Dr. Thomas Sevrin
Charles Napier as Adam
Mary-Linda Rapelye as Irina Galliulin
Victor Brandt as Tongo Rad
Elizabeth Rogers as Lieutenant Palmer
Deborah Downey as Girl #1
Phyllis Douglas as Girl #2

Star Dates: 5832.3-5832.6 A group of space-hippies attempt to take over the Enterprise so that they can be transported to the mythical world of Eden, a realm supposedly of paradise. You haven't lived until you've seen Mr. Spock in a jam session.

An early version of this episode, originally titled "Joanna," written by D.C. Fontana, was a love story between James Kirk and Joanna McCoy, daughter of Dr. Leonard McCoy. In the aired version, the Joanna character became Irina Galliulin, Chekov's love interest.

Michael Richards is the pseudonym of D.C. Fontana.

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Episode #74
Originally aired February 28, 1969
Teleplay by Margaret Armen Story by David Gerrold and Oliver Crawford
Directed by Jud Taylor

Guest Starring:
Jeff Corey as Plasus
Diana Ewing as Droxine
Charlene Polite as Vanna
Kirk Ramone as Cloud Guard #1
Jimmy Fields as Cloud Guard #2
Ed Long as Midro
Fred Williamson as Anka
Garth Pillsbury as Prisoner
Harv Selsby as Security Guard
Walter Scott as Cloud guard
Roger Holloway as Mr. Lemli
Marvin Walters, Lou Elias as Troglytes
Jay Jones as Prisoner #1
Richard Geary as Cloud City sentinel #1
Bob Miles as Cloud City sentinel #2
Paul Baxley as Kirk's stunt double
Ralph Garrett as Troglyte stunt double
Donna Garrett as Vanna's stunt double

Stardate 5818.4-5819.3 The Enterprise arrives at Ardana to obtain zienite, cure for a plague on Merak II. What they find is a divided race, with the elite living in a city in the clouds while the "have-nots" mine the zienite mineral, and they seem quite insane. Kirk realizes that the gas of the mines is causing this madness and he sets about getting both sides to talk out their differences.

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Episode #77
Originally aired March 7, 1969
Written by Arthur Heinemann and Gene Roddenberry
Story by Gene Roddenberry
Directed by Herschel Daugherty

Guest Starring:
Lee Bergere as Abraham Lincoln
Barry Atwater as Surak
Phillip Pine as Colonel Green
Arell Blanton as Lieutenant Dickerson
Carol Daniels Derment as Zora
Robert Herron as Kahless
Nathan Jung as Genghis Kahn
Phil Adams as Kirk's stunt double
Bill Catching as Lincoln's stunt double and Surak's stunt double
Gary Eppers as Surak's stunt double
Jerry Summers as Green's stunt double
Bob Orrison as Spock's stunt double
Troy Melton as Genghis Kahn's stunt double
Bart LaRue as Voice of Yarnek
Janos Prohaska as costumed Yarnek

Stardate 5906.4-5906.5 The ultimate battle between good and evil as Kirk, Spock, President Lincoln and Vulcan pioneer Surak go up against mad scientist Zora, Genghis Khan, murderer Colonel Green, and the Klingon that inspired the Empire, Kahless. The mediator is a rock creature named Yarnek, who is curious as to which side will prove victorious.

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Episode #78
Originally aired March 14, 1969
Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
Directed by Marvin Chomsky

Guest Starring:
Mariette Hartley as Zarabeth
Ian Wolfe as Mr. Atoz
Kermit Murdock as The Prosecutor
Ed Bakey as The First fop
Anna Karen as Woman
Al Cavens as Second fop
Stan Barrett as the Jailer
Johnny Haymer as The Constable

Stardate 5943.7-5943.9 A landing party beams down to Sarpeidon to remove the inhabitants from a forthcoming explosion of their sun. What they find is a massive library, and a librarian named Mr. Atoz (A to Z). Quite by accident, Kirk, Spock and McCoy step through a portal and are transported back in time. Kirk appears at the time of witch-hunts in a Salem-like setting, while Spock and Bones go back much farther to a more savage time where Spock actually falls in love with a woman trapped there, Zarabeth. The trio must make it back to their own time before the sun explodes and they are trapped forever.

Writer Jean Lisette Aroeste was a librarian at UCLA when Robert Justman read an unsolicited screenplay sent to him by her. Her first Star Trek script was "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"(TOS).

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Episode #79
Originally aired June 3, 1969
Written by Arthur Singer
Story by Gene Roddenberry
Directed by Herb Wallerstein

Guest Starring:
Sandra Smith and William Shatner as Dr. Janice Lester
Harry Landers as Dr. Arthur Coleman
Barbara Baldavin as Lisa
David L. Ross as Lieutenant Galloway
John Boyer as Guard
Roger Holloway as Mr. Lemli

Stardate 5928.5 Kirk finds himself the victim of Dr. Janice Lester's hatred. She was once romantically involved with the captain, and has been unable to assume a command of her own. Now she wants revenge and has found it in an alien device which is able to transfer her mind to Kirk's body and vice-versa.

Arthur Singer was the story editor during Star Trek's third season. This was the last episode of the original Star Trek series. Captain Picard's opening log reference to an "archaeological survey on Camus II" in "Legacy"(TNG) was intended as a tribute to this milestone in Star Trek history.

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