This Side of Paradise

Season 1, Episode 24, Aired
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Episode Summary

The Enterprise crew is trapped in paradise when they come to rescue colonists who have fallen to pacifying alien spores and become infected themselves.
8.4
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • Kirk must deal a mutiny due to a planet's strange spores infecting his crew.

    7.0
    "Good"
    By Celedorian, Nov 22, 2010 Report Abuse
    This episode, with its not-so-hidden message about drug use, has some good acting from Leonard Nimoy (Spock) and the late Jill Ireland (Spock's temporary girlfriend). The episode shares some similarities with "The Naked Time" but in some ways is quite different. What makes the episode work is the emotional side of the debate between happiness and responsibility and how Nimoy and Ireland handle it. On the downside, the episode can be a little slow at times, and while it's an iconic part of the classic Trek series, there's not a lot of action and excitement, leading to some dull times.moreless

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    1 1

  • Free love and flower power!

    8.0
    "Great"
    By AgentAlbertross, Nov 22, 2010 Report Abuse
    Star Trek episodes are clever in that they show thoughts and concepts on current news and media stories through their episodes. I think this one was stating that it was all well having free love and a "brotherhood of man" in the 1960's but if we need drugs(the flowers in this case) to "dig it" then we will get nothing done well apart from creating some musical master pieces maybe!

    On a darker note I'd like to have seen the flowers more developed such as their need to reproduce. What if the spores after a certain period of time started to grow and take over the hosts body and because of their state of mind they wouldn't have cared!moreless

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    1 0

  • Flower Power!

    7.0
    "Good"
    By GeorgeJobson, Nov 22, 2010 Report Abuse
    this epiisode of "Star trek" has the crew visiting a planet to save some colonists, only to be told that the rather be here than on the ship. the find out why, a flower made most of the crew turn against Kirk and stay on the planet. It would have gotton to Kirk, except that Kirk is smarter than most of the people on the enterprise and used ager to get rid of the effect of the planet. the crew under the plant's spell rebelled against the plant and in the end, everybody is back on the enterprise. We see spook falling in love. Yeah, I like to put that thing in.moreless

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    1 1

  • The Enterprise visits a planet where the colonists are presumed to have died from radiation, only to find them alive and well and apparently living an idyllic life after being subjected to the effects of some spores. A pretty average episode in my view...moreless

    7.0
    "Good"
    By Jay-Spacedust, Nov 22, 2010 Report Abuse
    This episode is another case of not being bottom-of-the-barrel, and is quite watchable, but for whatever reason does not really stand out as one of my particular favourites either.

    We have already seen the effects of crewmembers acting out of character earlier in the season in "The Naked Time". Both episodes are watchable, but for whatever reason I'm not usually a fan of whole episodes revolving around cast members acting 'strangely out of character'.

    Leonard Nimoy puts in a reasonable performance as Mr. Spock getting in touch with his human side. Other than one scene in "The Naked Time", this is the first time in the series that we see Spock's human half coming to the fore, but is far from the last time.
    Then there is the classic parting line as Leila asks about Spock's second name, to which he replies "You couldn't pronounce it".

    Much of this episode is unintentionally funny, nothing more so than the scene on the otherwise deserted bridge, where Kirk is suddenly sprayed by one of the spore plants... where the heck did that come from?!

    There are nice little touches of the crew being under the offending spore's influence, such as Doctor McCoy's southern drawl, but for the most part, I only find this episode average, with nothing to overly grab me about it. There is worse in the 'Star Trek' barrel, but it's not one of my particular favourites either.moreless

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    2 1

  • It has a very beautiful plot, and also because Spock reveals he can love! EEE!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By pokeranger15, Nov 22, 2010 Report Abuse
    If the 100 words min didn't exist, I'd probably be keeping this short. Oh well. Here goes.

    My, oh, my, Spock actually can feel love and happiness! I thought he was just a stoic old half-human half-Vulcan, but boy, I was wrong! If I ever find myself in Star Trek, I'd be carrying blackmail with me (hee, hee)!

    The development of each character is important and pivotal to the plotline of each episode. So there I was, sniffling away at the final kiss between Leila and Spock. I hear Cousin Diana wishes she were in Leila's shoes, then she'd be able to plant one on Spock!

    Casey likey:

    * How the flowers were important to the plot. I wanted to pick out one of them and cast a spell over others.

    * Two Casey-likeys now. Well, for the final one...THE KISSES! WHEEEEEE! I loved how Nimoy played Spock's ability to love well. Wonder if the K/S shippers will try to make a fanfic out of it.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • As with many amazing discoveries, no one ever remembers this planet and the spores later. They can heal disease and regrow missing organs. Just beam someone down, let them get healed, beam them back up and get them mad, and voila, one super-healed patient. Edit
    • Where the heck did the plant that sprays Kirk come from? There's a side shot of the navigation station and there's nothing there. Then he sits down, the plant raises itself from somewhere, somehow, and spritzes him. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Frank Overton is billed as Special Guest Star. Edit
    • Jerry Sohl's original script was called "The Way of the Spores" and the central character and love interest for Leila was to be Sulu rather than Spock. The spores, which were to be hidden in a cave, would be agents of intelligence, and would give the recipient telepathic powers. D.C. Fontana rewrote the script to change the love interest to Spock, place the spores throughout the planet's vegetation, and cause the recipient to experience heightened blissful emotions. This then allowed the non-emotional Spock to express full emotion and experience love. Edit
    • Jerry Sohl wrote the story for this episode under the pseudonymn Nathan Butler. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Spock: (to Leila) What you are describing was once known as a "happiness pill." You as a scientist should know that is impossible. Leila: Not here. Edit
    • Kirk: We haven't heard much from you about Omicron Ceti III, Mr. Spock. Spock: I have little to say about it Captain, except that for the first time in my life, I was happy. Edit
    • McCoy: That didn't sound at all like Spock, Jim. Kirk: No, it... I thought you said you might like him if he mellowed a little. McCoy: I didn't say that! Not exactly. Edit

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