The Infinite Vulcan
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 20 October 1973
- ON
- NBC
- STARDATE
- 5554.4
- DIRECTED BY
- Hal Sutherland
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 22002
WRITTEN BYWritten by Walter Koenig
On a world of intelligent plants, Spock is abducted by a giant figure from Earth's dark past, who has very big plans for him.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
The Enterprise surveys Phylos, a planet near the edge of the galaxy, and the landing party discovers that its people are intelligent plants. When Sulu is poisoned by a walking plant called a retlaw, the Phylosians, led by Agmar, cure him. They reveal that their civilisation was almost wiped out by a disease carried by a human visitor, Dr Stavos Keniclius, a scientist from the era of Earth's Eugenics Wars. Spock is then carried off to Keniclius 5, a giant clone of the scientist, who has survived for centuries by cloning himself. Believing the galaxy is still at war, Keniclius plans to impose peace with an army of giant Spocks, and has transferred Spock's mind into an enormous clone, leaving the original close to death. Kirk persuades them that the Federation has already found a better way. The giant Spock mind-melds to save the original, then stays on Phylos with Keniclius to help its people recover.
- 01Walter Koenig became the first Star Trek cast member to write an episode, although budget limits meant Chekov was left out of the animated series.
- 02The poisonous walking plant that attacks Sulu is a “retlaw”: Walter spelled backwards.
- 03Koenig wrote around ten drafts as Gene Roddenberry requested changes, including talking plants to make use of animation. Koenig also asked to voice Keniclius but was not cast.