The Deadly Years
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 8 December 1967
- ON
- NBC
- STARDATE
- 3478.2
- DIRECTED BY
- Joseph Pevney
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 40
WRITTEN BYWritten by David P. Harmon
After a routine visit to a remote research colony, Kirk and his senior officers start ageing at a terrifying rate, just as the Enterprise heads into danger.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
While carrying Commodore Stocker to Starbase 10, the Enterprise stops at Gamma Hydra IV for a routine check on a research colony. The landing party finds the colonists dying of extreme old age. Back aboard, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Lt Galway begin ageing rapidly too; only Chekov, who had a terrible fright on the planet, is unaffected. The cause is radiation from a passing comet. Kirk's memory and judgement begin to fail, and Galway dies. At a competency hearing pressed by Stocker, Kirk is relieved of command. Stocker, a desk officer with no combat experience, takes the ship through the Romulan Neutral Zone as a shortcut and is soon surrounded by Romulan ships. McCoy realises that Chekov's adrenaline protected him and develops a risky treatment, which Kirk survives. Restored to his proper age, Kirk retakes the bridge and bluffs the Romulans with a fake message about the corbomite device, and the Enterprise escapes.
- 01Kirk's age is given as 34, making him a remarkably young starship captain.
- 02The first appearance of the Romulans since their debut in “Balance of Terror”.
- 03DeForest Kelley recalled having three make-up men working on him at once. The costume department made larger uniforms so the cast would seem to shrink with age.