"This Side of Paradise" was the 25th episode of Star Trek: The Original Series in the show's first season, first aired on 2 March 1967. The episode was written by Nathan ButlerMA and D.C. Fontana, directed by Ralph SenenskyMA and novelized in Star Trek 5 by James Blish. A remastered version of this episode was aired in syndication, premiering on 28 July 2007.
Summary[]
The Enterprise is sent to investigate the colony of Omicron Ceti III. After three years of exposure to Berthold rays, the colonists are expected to be dead. The crew is surprised to find the colonists alive, happy and in perfect health. They have a perfect world. A world with no hate, violence, death or disease. They are vegetarians, who only farm what they need. It is a true paradise.
The landing party beams to the surface and meets Elias Sandoval, the leader of the group. He introduces them to Leila Kalomi, a beautiful, young botanist who had fallen in love with Spock six years earlier on Earth. She promises to show Spock how they have survived on the planet with Berthold ray exposure and leads him to a secluded section of the planet where one of the plants spray him with their spores. Leila tells Spock that the plant induces feelings of happiness and love. Spock tells Leila that he can love her and decides to stay with her on the planet. He is happy with Leila, watching clouds, hanging from trees...and engaging in other "activities".
Other members of the crew begin to become infected with the spores and some of the plants are beamed aboard the Enterprise where more of the crew are affected.
Captain Kirk, the last to be infected, is affected by the spores. He prepares to beam down, but his desire to remain on the Enterprise is to strong and destroys the spore influence.
Kirk coxes Spock into beaming back to the ship, where he angers Spock into a fist fight. The anger that wells up in Spock causes the spore influence to subside and Spock returns to normal. They then head to the bridge to begin getting the crew back.
Leila contacts the ship and speaks with Spock; she asks to see the ship. Spock beams her up and she quickly learns that he has been cured. Spock tells Leila that he has a responsibility to the ship and to Jim. She tells him that she still loves him after she realizes that she's lost him.
Using a subsonic sound wave, Kirk and Spock bring the rest of the crew and colonists out from the influence. The colonists realize that the spores have made them stagnant and they plan to relocate.
Back on the bridge, McCoy observes that this is the second time man has been kicked out of paradise. "No no Bones, this time we walked out on our own," Kirk muses. Kirk asks Spock what his thoughts were on Omicron Ceti III. Spock responds, "for the first time in my life, I was happy."
References[]
Characters[]
Episode characters[]
- Clifford Brent[1] • Vincent DeSalle • Bill Hadley • Harrison • Leila Kalomi • Rogelio Kelowitz • James T. Kirk • Ryan Leslie • Leonard McCoy • Rick Painter • Elias Sandoval • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • Vinci[2]
- Referenced only
- Montgomery Scott
Novelization characters[]
- Dimont • Timothy Fletcher • Leila Kalomi • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Elias Sandoval • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Referenced only
- Berengaria VII
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
Appendices[]
Related media[]
Adaptations[]
Video releases[]
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous episode: Space Seed |
TOS episode produced | Next episode: The Devil in the Dark |
| Previous episode: A Taste of Armageddon |
TOS episode aired | Next episode: The Devil in the Dark |
| Previous story: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield |
Star Trek 5
|
Next story: Turnabout Intruder |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Seeds of Rage Chapters 1 and 2, Section 1 |
Next Adventure: Sonnet from the Vulcan: Omicron Ceti Three | |
| Previous Adventure: Space Seed |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (2264 to 2270) |
Next Adventure: The Devil in the Dark |
Translations[]
- 1972
- German : Diesseits vom Paradies, translated by Hans Maeter. (Williams)
- 1973
- Turkish : Cennetin Bu Yüzü, translated by Reha Pinar. (Altın Kitaplar)
- 1978
- Italian : L'altra faccia del paradiso, translated by Rosella Sanità. (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore)
- 1978
- Japanese : 二度目のエデン, translated by Hiroshi Saito. (Hayakawa Bunko)
External link[]
- "This Side of Paradise" article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- This Side of Paradise article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- ↑ The character of Clifford Brent was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing an officer's Starfleet uniform, was addressed as Brent in TOS episode: "The Naked Time". The same actor also played the character of Vinci.
- ↑ The character Vinci was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing the same operations division Starfleet uniform, was addressed as Vinci in TOS episode: "The Devil in the Dark". The same actor also played the character of Clifford Brent.