Star Trek (TV Series) The Paradise Syndrome (1968) User Reviews

good story undermined by excessive contrivances

[fabian5 · 8/10 · 4 October 2007]

This episode could have been executed better with a stronger premise and a larger budget. It starkly highlights the extent of NBC's budget cuts on the Star Trek TOS series in season 3. Kirk is missing and presumed lost on a Class M planet after he accidentally falls into an obelisk shaped alien structure. He then suffers from amnesia on the planet which is conveniently populated by native Indians while Spock and McCoy are forced to abandon their search for the captain for 2 full months! and return to the Enterprise to unsuccessfully to divert a giant asteroid from destroying the planet where Kirk was lost. When Kirk regains consciousness and walks out of the alien obelisk, he is seen by Miramanee, a native Indian women who thinks he is a god. Kirk then promptly saves the life a drowning child thus instantly becoming the native Indian's new medicine chief Kirok. This is all far too convenient.

Important scenes are cut to a minimum and feel contrived: the sci-fi portion where the planet's obelisk activates and diverts away the asteroid from hitting the planet lasts only about 6 or 8 seconds. Spock's mind-meld with Kirk, to restore the Captain's memory seems unconvincing: Kirk repeatedly proclaims himself to be Kirok the medicine man throughout the process but then wakes up only to declare that the mindmeld worked and that he has regained his memory. Of course, a different take here is that Kirk was fighting to hold onto his current consciousness of his new life and his love for Miramanee--so perhaps that scene was properly handled after all. When Spock tells McCoy on the Enterprise that the mysterious signs on the obelisk shaped deflector are actually musical notes designed to activate the device, this important scene lasts only about 25-30 seconds with minimum feedback from the doctor. It frankly feels a litttle dull. Spock and McCoy beam down to the Earthlike Class M planet without any warning at precisely the moment that Kirk and Miramanee are being stoned to death at the obelisk by the native Indains for failing to protect their planet. Finally, Kirk's love scenes with his beloved Miramanee are--for this episode--somewhat sappy. No emotional scene of Kirk weeping or saying a final goodbye is shown after Miramanee dies. Instead, Miramanee dies and we quickly move to the closing credits. Frankly, the episode feels rushed and there are a bit too many contrivances for the story to be believable! The alien obelisk also turns about to be a giant asteroid deflector rather than say an alien observatory or outpost and accomplishes the task which the Enterprise couldn't--ie. diverting the approaching asteroid away from the planet. When you get 4 or 5 'convenient' instances like this, the plot progressively becomes less credible.

I still rate the Paradise Syndrome higher than the majority of the seasons 3 shows and I can see why it was one of Shatner's favourites in this season, too. (Shatner, Star Trek Memories, p.273) It was superior to the disastrous next Trek program which followed it--'And the Children shall Lead.' Unfortunately, that isn't saying much here. This episode had great potential and fulfilled most of it but the budget cutbacks hurt its quality somewhat. Still this Margaret Armen script worked well overall.

Kirk gets married

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 28 July 2015]

This episode opens on a planet where Kirk, Spock and McCoy comment on its unlikely similarity with earth. They discover a strange obelisk that appears to have been created by an advanced civilisation; far more advanced that the local population who are reminiscent of Native Americans. They don't have much time on the planet as they must intercept an asteroid which is heading towards the planet; if they fail to deflect it then the planet will be destroyed in two months. Kirk decides to have one last look at the obelisk and as he calls the Enterprise a floor panel opens and he falls into a room full of advanced technology. He triggers something, collapses and loses his memory. Unable to find him Spock and McCoy return to the Enterprise and head to the asteroid. They attempt to destroy it but overload the engines; travelling on impulse power alone they will get to the planet four hours ahead of the asteroid. Meanwhile Kirk emerges from the obelisk and the locals assume he must be the god of the obelisk coming to rescue them; unable to correctly recall his name he ends up called 'Kirok. Not everybody is happy; Salish the Medicine Chief has his title taken from him and given to Kirk; not only has he lost his position he has lost Miramanee, the woman promised to him, as her position means she must marry the Medicine Chief. Kirk and Miramanee grow to love each other and ultimately he learns that she is to bear his child. Shortly afterwards the ground begins to shake and Kirk is expected to enter the Obelisk to save everybody; of course he has no idea what to do and he finds himself being stoned along with Miramanee.

As this episode opens it feels like so many others where the Enterprise finds an Earth-like planet with locals who look human from a specific culture. However once Kirk loses his memory and Spock leaves to try to deflect the asteroid things get much more interesting. Kirk may have lost his memory but his growing relationship with Miramanee is believable, touching and ultimately tragic; the chemistry between William Shatner and Sabrina Scharf is better than most of the alien women Kirk gets involved with; both actors do a fine job. The conflict with Salish may be predicable but it is necessary and leads to the tragic events at the episodes conclusion. Meanwhile, for once, the events on the Enterprise do not go according to plan and we see Spock dealing with the possibility that his choices could have condemned the planet's population and Kirk. Interestingly we learn that the obelisk was built by an alien race that has rescued members of endangered societies and relocated them on suitable planets; explain why so many of the planets the Enterprise has visited have populations that look human. Overall a solid episode; much better than I had expected.

One of the best episodes ever

[Metal_Robots · 8/10 · 30 March 2021]

This episode impressed me a lot. For a start the production and soundtrack was of a higher standard than usual and it felt more like a film than a TV episode.

Also I found some parallels between the purpose of the Obelisk in this episode and the one that appears in the 1951 Arthur C Clark story called 'The Sentinel', and 2001 (which The Sentinel inspired), which I fully appreciated.

The acting is all top notch, especially from Nimoy who portrayed Spock's stressful situation perfectly.

I appreciate the way the writers used this story to explain why there are so many humanoid beings in this galaxy, which is something that the episode of Next Generation called 'The Chase' also did, and I like the simple innocence of Kirk's actions and relationship in the encampment he found himself in.

Very good episode over-all, and one of the best of TOS.

One of the best episodes, for me

[tamarenne · 4 September 2011]

I refuse to get PC about an episode of Star Trek, so I could care less if an Indian played an Indian, etc. Acting is SUPPOSED to be just that, acting. I would rather see a good, trained actor playing an Indian or an Arab or an Englishman than a bad actor of ANY ancestry. It is a long established tradition of the theater, that a truly good actor can play many roles, and should be lauded for it.

Now on to this episode. It's probably my absolute favorite episode from all three seasons. I find it far more compelling than say, City of the Edge of Forever, which many cite as the best episode ever of Star Trek, whilst simultaneously deriding this episode.

I never understood the double standard. As far as City on the Edge of forever, many seem to dig the power of Kirk's relationship with Edith Keller, but I don't see it. I never got the feeling that Kirk knew Edith Keeler very well, and although he may have been smitten with her, she could not have been considered his "mate" by any stretch of the imagination.

Cue The Paradise Syndrome. As one reviewer here noted, the final two minutes of Miramanee's life bring me to tears, and I will forever hold that it is SHE not Edith, who is the love of James Kirk's life. They had lived together for months as man and wife. She had even conceived his child. So, in my book, Kirk WAS married. I wonder why so many who discredit this episode because of its depiction of native Americans are also quick to dismiss this marriage as valid? Some might say it was because Kirk had lost his memory and was not "Kirk" but I don't buy it. He was still himself inside. He still dreamed of the "Lodge in the sky" (how poetic is THAT!) And he remembered enough of his past life to administer CPR. But I digress:

The episode is beautiful, and the fact that Miramanee carried Kirk's baby is a bit shocking even today. Certainly it was powerful stuff back in 1960's television. It was touchingly and sensitively acted by William Shatner, et al. (Shatner was an award winning Shakespearean Actor before Star Trek, many seem to forget that).

One could really feel the power of his attraction, not just to Miramanee, but to the simplicity and purity of living in a pristine world of Pine forests and roaring campfires; to the sound of the owl at night under a blanket of bright stars unassailed by pollution. This is a world we all came from and it still holds power for many of us, this natural humanity as lived by the native Americans of the planet.

The end is a bit of a triple knock out for Kirk, losing wife, child, and a primordial natural existence far from the cares of his first love, The Starship Enterprise. His bitch mistress who cares not whether his personal life is fulfilled, but whose fate is intertwined with his forever.

A beautiful, lyrical episode that touches my heart. And kudos of the wonderful remastering and high quality presentation.

Kirok's Tahiti Syndrome (or: Kirk's Vacation)

[Bogmeister · 6/10 · 13 January 2007]

Behold the god who bleeds! (the one great line). Behold a tribe of re-located American Indians. Behold a planet with the exact same vegetation as Earth. 'What are the odds?' Kirk muses. Is Kirk kidding? I place the odds at billions to one against, but they've already found a planet with the exact same continents as Earth ("Miri") and the 'Roman Empire' planet in "Bread and Circuses." What's the big deal? The odds look pretty good in the Trek galaxy. So now we have a 'Tribal American Indians' planet - but at least with an explanation: apparently some ancient alien race likes to displace doomed cultures from Earth to other planets. Now, in a set of circumstances I calculate as millions to one against (or, in the Trek universe, very likely), Kirk accidentally opens a hidden floor panel on a mysterious obelisk with his communicator, falls inside and gets zapped by amnesia. Spock and the rest of the crew, unable to find him, have to leave the planet to head off an approaching asteroid. The better scenes, as with a couple of other episodes, turn out to be the 'B' storyline on the Enterprise, where Spock really annoys Scotty by placing too much strain on the ship's engines.

With us so far? Kirk now exits the obelisk, gets spotted by a couple of females from the tribe and is assumed to be a visiting godling (the uniform must've given it away). Some tribe members are skeptical, but on a 1 in 10,000 chance (a certainty here), he resuscitates a drowned boy, thereby assuring his super-stud, main man, head honcho, favored status. However, he makes an enemy, the former medicine man (Solari) and that's where the whole bleeding god scene comes in. About two months pass. That's right - 2 whole months for this episode! While Kirk, er, Kirok exults in his new found life of nearly carefree abandon, hugging himself in ecstasy and running around the woods with his new wife(!), the Enterprise retreats before a steadily-closing hunk of rock almost the size of our moon. The theme in this one involves placing Kirk in a scenario completely divorced from his usual duties and watch his 'other' true self emerge - the gentle, unhampered Kirk existing in all of us working stiffs. This all sounds very ambitious for a TV episode, but Shatner's over-emoting, hard-to-buy-into plotting and a slipshod pace does it in, undoing much of the tragic impact at the end. I was more interested in these unknown advanced aliens, who may be the same unseen puppeteers of "Assignment:Earth."

It has a few ropey moments but definitely worth watching

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 1 October 2021]

Captain Kirk visits a paradise-like planet populated by Native Americans.

This is reasonably good episode with a solid sci-fi concept and some decent character moments for Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

The plot is relatively enjoyable if you can get over the premise of the Native American planet. I'm guessing this was a cheap way of placing Kirk in the midst of a different culture. His scenes in a relaxed environment juxtapose well against the stress-ridden, overworked Enterprise crew battling with the planet bound asteroid. The idea regarding the Preservers and their technology is excellent and it is quite an important concept within the Trek universe.

It has to be said that the stereotyping of Native Americans as ignorant savages is as bad as you would expect from 60s television, and there is many a contrived moment as the story unfolds.

Although William Shatner strays over the top in a few scenes, this is generally a good Kirk episode. It is nice to see him away from the stress of command and briefly experience a bit of personal happiness. His romance is up to the usual Star Trek standard, but at least in this episode the falling in love takes place over what feels like a plausible length of time.

Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley are on good form as ever embodying pure logic and humanity as Spock commands the Enterprise and faces a number of difficult decisions.

Scotty is okay but feels a bit more of a caricature here as he continuously reacts humorously to the demands placed on his engines.

It ends on a fairly downbeat note that is quite touching, well acted, but ultimately very convenient for the character of Kirk and his place on the show.

Visually everything works well, particularly the remastered edition with the new asteroid effects. The cinematography is good, along with the general art design.

Among the very best of Season 3

[anderbilt · 10/10 · 18 September 2010]

I have wanted to write about Star Trek on IMDb; it's a series I got hooked on as a kid, mourned when it was canceled, and obsessed on when it rose again in syndication in the 1970's. The problem with doing that is that the episodes have changed over time, and continue to do so; not because of the excellent remastering of the series, but because of the normal human aging process. Most of TOS is pretty good, pretty well conceived human drama and the thing about human drama is what reaches inside of us and evokes a response. As a grade school kid, I was mesmerized by the newness and coolness of it all and loved every episode though the adult story elements sailed past me; as a teen in the 70's I ached to know and latch onto what the group consensus was on the 'cool' episodes and started laughing at the corny costumes and effects; as an adult I crammed TNG, DS9 and Voyager into my head, and then I returned to TOS. As an adult I asked myself what I liked about each story, and on THIS story, the answer was 'the disarray, haste and pressure of life, and breaking what you can never fix.' From the first mention of the Tahiti Syndrome, fate gives Kirk a vacation from cares while the extra pressure on the crew of the Enterprise is crushing, as they try in vain to divert a huge asteroid. As a kid I barely remember watching this one although I know I did; but as an adult, I finally saw the contrasts of simplicity and complexity played out, and understood what Kirok must have felt in his relationship with Miramanee. And this show reached into me and brought forth something I was not expecting. When I watched "The Paradise Syndrome" again as an adult, I had forgotten the death of Miramanee because it did not impress the child at all. But seeing it fresh with adult eyes, three decades between viewings, I felt a solid lump in my throat when McCoy tells Kirk she can't be saved. I have seen a reviewer here trash the death scene as 'syrupy.' That was not my experience. Seeing this scene as an adult for the first time in three decades, everything that followed McCoy's pronouncement was perfectly played by everyone, the production crew, the director, the composer, the orchestra, and most especially by William Shatner. Kirk speaks with tenderness and sadness but also with the distraction of the starship captain, which is an extra layer of sadness in itself as he remembers who and what he is. Yet he carries it inside and lets none of it intrude on her final moment of life, her final moment with her husband. (I need a moment) When she finally is still, when Kirk is still and the music does that subtle swell and break that pinpoints the instant of her crossing into death, it makes me cry like a baby. In fact just writing this has made me cry again. For me, this episode is excellent, and the scene I just described is in my opinion the finest two minutes of Star Trek ever filmed. But that's me. You can certainly be critical of a few earlier moments of overacting or the low-budget guitar track on the mind-meld. You can also think about where the show was trying to go in its third season and wonder whether the fighting between Spock and McCoy could have lead to a permanent split or a somewhat wider gulf between the two of them in the future seasons that didn't happen. Certainly they weren't close at all when they were reunited in The Motion Picture. I don't let any of that intrude on my appreciation and devotion to this fine episode of a fine classic TV series, which is rightfully a cultural icon.

"Behold a god who bleeds"!

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 9 January 2011]

This one doesn't start out like your typical Star Trek episode. Usually you have the Enterprise making it's way through space with some different colored asteroid in view heralding the next adventure. The opening here introduces what looks like another Class-M planet, and Captain Kirk asks, what by this time the viewer must be thinking - "What are the odds of such duplication"? In order to oblige, Gene Roddenberry and writer Margaret Armen finally offered an explanation for the dubious million to one shots that seemed to arrive with incredible regularity on the show. They came up with the idea of The Preservers, ancient beings who passed through the galaxy 'saving' doomed civilizations and then 'seeding' them on planets where conditions for life were much more hospitable. The effect was the appearance of so many humanoid beings that the crew kept running into.

Well, that takes care of that. But now you have to explain Captain Kirk as a Native American Indian, saving the life of a young tribal boy, earning the right to become the Medicine Chief, and marrying the tribal priestess already betrothed to the man Kirk, that is, Kirok replaces. Considering the alien adventures the Captain and crew have already experienced, it's almost comical seeing him in an Indian get-up while frolicking through the forest giving chase to his new 'wife' Miramanee (Sabrina Scharf). Oh, and by the way, Kirk/Kirok has amnesia, so he really doesn't know what he's doing here, except that it's the best he's felt in a long time.

It's the action of Spock aboard the Enterprise that grounds this episode back to Star Trek reality. He has to come up with a way to deflect a moon sized asteroid from obliterating the Indian home planet while pushing the Enterprise to it's physical limits. What's curious is the idea that this story takes place over the course of a couple months, long enough for Kirk to settle down and get to the business of starting a family. Of course it never gets that far as events play out with Miramanee dying, presumably with child in womb, but the odd thing is that that's never mentioned. I guess one is supposed to presume that to be the case, but why not just make it official?

You probably get the idea I didn't think much of this episode, and that would be the case. Somehow the story line is just too disconnected with it's references to the obelisk, musical notes, The Preservers and Native American Indian traditions. And the Tahiti Syndrome. Nor did it help that Kirk went way over the top shouting 'I...am....Kirok!' when he was exposed as the god he never claimed to be. Thank goodness for Vulcan Mind Fusion.

A clever and sweet love story

[offutt · 9/10 · 8 May 2014]

Anybody who thought the end of this episode was sappy has never been in love.

I really admire the way this episode slipped in an explanation for why the galaxy contains so many humanoids. Definitely the best of the 3rd season and one of the best of all the original ST series.

Interesting that IMDb requires reviews be 10 lines. No wonder so many reviews blah blah for so long.

The episode did not explain why the planet looks like the southern California hills, but maybe the same aliens who set up the temple also terra formed the planet? This episode does a good job showing Scotty's devotion to the engines, even as he is asked to put unreasonable demands on them. The episode also explores the McCoy-Spock argument over emotional reactions vs. logical analysis effectively, showing how both approaches in the extreme can lead to incorrect choice.

Chief Kirok Warps the Injuns

[BrandtSponseller · 7/10 · 5 September 2006]

The Paradise Syndrome begins in a surprising way--instead of space or some obviously alien environment, Kirk, Spock and McCoy find themselves in a lush forest reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. It's a remarkably Earth-like planet "half a galaxy away". The planet is sparsely populated by what appear to be American Indians living in a traditional way. But there are bigger problems--a large, Moon-sized asteroid is headed the planet's way, and if the Enterprise crew doesn't quickly get back to the ship and warp to the asteroid's vicinity to knock it off course, there's a good chance it will completely destroy the "Shangri-La". Of course things can't be even that easy. Kirk goes missing in short order, and Spock and McCoy are left with an even bigger dilemma.

Kirk accidentally ended up inside a large, obviously alien obelisk near the Indian encampment. Spock and McCoy decide to head back to the ship before they can find him to take care of the local Armageddon problem. Meanwhile, Kirk gets zapped and loses his memory while fiddling with the mysterious controls inside the obelisk (I guess he set the controls for the heart of amnesia).

Which finally brings us to the home territory for the episode--Kirk adapting to life in the Indian community as they mistake him for a God, and he tries to remember just who he is. There's a slight Return of the Jedi quality to this. The set-up provides a lot of amusing material, although no Ewoks, as we get to see Kirk running around in various Native American getups, and at one later point, even bellowing out his possible Godhood in a last-ditch attempt to not make a complete ass out of himself. Yes, it's ironic, and it's one of the highlights.

Of course, there's a love interest for Kirk, or "Kirok", as he comes to be known in his deified form, and also a jealous party (an "Indian" who looks oddly like Gene Simmons) so that Shatner gets to do a few of his patented moves in a fight sequence, like his chaotic flying sidekick. The corniness and uniqueness (for "Star Trek", at least) factor arrives strongly with some idyllic, maybe even syrupy, romance film moments, and Kirk's love interest becomes probably his most serious yet. Another campy highlight related to this arrives near the end, when imminent doom is at hand, but Kirk just can't stop staring at his loved one in order to try to prevent everyone's deaths.

The few moments aboard the Enterprise are far from the most exciting and suspenseful material in the series, but we do get some classic Spock/McCoy bickering where they both turn out to be right for once, and in an even more unusual moment, Scotty's Chicken-Littlish cries about the engines prove to be on target for once. It's also a heck of a lot of fun to note that the Enterprise apparently rides through space in reverse for two months just before the climax.

This episode has plenty of corniness, as I mention above, and that's usually enough to push "Star Trek" up a notch for me so it gets a higher score. That's one of the things I love about the show, as I keep mentioning in other reviews. But something about The Paradise Syndrome just doesn't flow right, and it's not just the fact that in spite of "Star Trek's" putative policy of promoting multiethnicity, there's not a Native American actor in sight. The problem is rather that The Paradise Syndrome plays as if most involved parties' minds were elsewhere, from the writers to the director to the cast. This is one of the lesser episodes, but even a lesser episode of "Star Trek" is still fun and entertaining.

Ugghh!! The horror of Kirk's overacting!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 8 December 2006]

Kirk and the landing party head to a planet directly in the path of a huge asteroid. It is doomed to strike unless they can do something. They are surprised to see both a thriving tribe of American-style Indians and a huge statue-like device that was obviously put there by some beings of an advanced society. Kirk accidentally activates a door and falls inside the device and suffers amnesia. By the time he is able to leave, the landing party has left in an attempt to avert the catastrophe. And, stumbling outside, he is immediately mistaken by the simple folk as a god!!! This is a pretty popular episode and I seem to be in the distinct minority in not especially liking this one. My biggest problems were the whole idea of finding American Indians on other planets (what's with that?!) and Kirk doing a massive amount of overacting as the god, Kiroc. When he stands on the pedestal and yells "I am,...KIROC!!!!" I can't help but laugh. Subtle this episode isn't nor is it especially good. Plus, all too many times, what happens next is 100% predictable. For example, when he marries a lovely lady, you know she is doomed!

Better than Expected Acting Saves an Unusual Episode!

[mike48128 · 8/10 · 30 September 2014]

This should be just awful. Another Alien Artifact. A backward culture. Hammy acting by Capt. Kirk. But it isn't. Kirk loses his memory (and his way) after being zapped by an alien "asteroid defector" left on a planet populated by "Native American Indians" transplanted there by a benevolent advanced alien race. Of course, they speak English, or do the "Trekies" carry a universal translator somewhere on their utility belt? Kirk takes a fine "holiday" from the rigors of being a Starship Captain. He is called "Kirok". As usual, he "goes where no man has gone before" and gets his beautiful new wife pregnant. The Enterprise can't deflect or destroy a "planet killer" asteroid, because their power supply has gone "flat". A good-looking set and partially-filmed on the backlot instead of totally indoors on a soundstage. Also featuring Capt. Kirk's "usual hand-to-hand combat scene", tumbling down a hill. Of course, Spock returns just in time to use the alien obelisk to deflect the asteroid away from the planet. Kirk's ill-fated wife dies on the primitive planet from her wounds. (Why wasn't she beamed up and treated on-board the ship?) The crippled, impulse-powered Enterprise somehow limps home. It's actually far better than it sounds. It is well-written with relatively decent acting and direction. The "Indian" culture is treated with respect and shows wisdom, not ignorance. (O.K. they are wrong about just one thing: Kirk is not a God.) One of my favorite Season Three episodes.

A Not so Deep Impact...

[Xstal · 6/10 · 16 February 2022]

I wonder what Bruce Willis would have done, in the captains shoes with an asteroid on the run, covered in tassels with a face slightly reddened, hoping a monument can save all from Armageddon.

At least we know why there are so many humanoid occupied planets, but I don't think we learned much more.

Strange premise, strange execution

[chrisbaird-ma · 3/10 · 3 April 2013]

Indians in space! This episode starts with a strange premise: Kirk gets lost among Native American Indians on an alien planet, gets amnesia, and is considered a God. With bad acting thrown in, it just goes downhill from there. The love scenes between Kirk and the Indian girl were just painful to watch; they were classic late 60's/early 70's cheese. People tune into Star Trek to see space ship battles and alien worlds; not to see the hero frolic mindlessly through the meadows with an Indian girl to syrupy flute music. In the beginning, as soon as Kirk encounters the band of male and female Indians, you just know which one Kirk is going to fall in love with: the one with the pretty face and form-fitting outfit. Once they marry, you just know she's going to end up dead so that the show can reset for the next episode. In the end, everything seems to be unraveling when Spock heals Kirk's amnesia with a mind meld (that seems to be a lazy script-writer's solution to everything) and pushes one button to deflect the asteroid: anti-climatic! The whole subplot about deflecting the asteroid and deciphering the obelisk had a lot of potential. If the producers had cut out the love story and Indians, and focused solely on the asteroid and obelisk, it would have been a lot more interesting.

Average

[laurasu555 · 7/10 · 24 July 2019]

Overall a very average episode. Not very exciting, not very memorable, but I've seen worse.

Yet another planet that is exactly like Earth and is also inhabited by humans is, of course, lazy production, but at least this episode offers an interesting explanation as to why there are so many human-like lifeforms scattered across the universe.

I had a good laugh over how in the end, the writers just decided to kill off Kirk's wife even though she didn't seem to suffer from such serious injuries. Because of course, Kirk having a wife and a child on another planet (or would they have taken her onto the ship with them?) would have just complicated things, so it's easier to just get rid of her. And of course, Kirk gets over the loss of his wife quite quickly, as he is as fresh as a cucumber in the next episode and she is never mentioned again.

Dances With Injuns - starring James T. Kirk

[maverick-154 · 26 June 2006]

Kirk, Spock and McCoy investigate another "class M" planet which is directly in the path of a rapidly approaching giant asteroid. The planet and inhabitants will be destroyed if Enterprise does not soon warp out of orbit to rendezvous with it at a distant enough point in space in order to divert it's path enough (with the ship's phasers) to avoid collision with the planet.

They have a short time to investigate before leaving however so decide to look around a bit. It's an idyllic location by a wooded lake in the mountains with a small tribe of 18th century American Indians encamped in teepees by the lake. Kirk is enchanted.

They immediately discover a large, out of place, concrete obelisk with hieroglyphic-looking characters all over it - obviously too advanced to have been built by the Indians. Kirk orders Spock and Bones to look elsewhere while he investigates the obelisk further.

While they're apart Kirk decides to call the Ship as he stands on the base of the structure. Just as the communicator makes it's funny little noise Kirk falls through a trap door inside the structure, pushes the wrong button and gets zapped with amnesia.

Spock, not knowing what has happened to Kirk, decides to warp away to deflect the asteroid, leaving the Capt AWOL since there is no time to spare - with McCoy bitching about the decision, naturally.

The Enterprize eventually fails in deflecting the asteroid and has to rush back to look for Kirk.

In the intervening weeks (apparently - or months?) The amnesiac Kirk joins the Indians, marries and impregnates the tribal princess and plans to live happily ever after. He has great status as a god since they see him emerge from the obelisk - an object of worship. Eventually he disappoints them however showing that he is not really a god and they decide to stone him and his faithful wife.

Just then Spock and McCoy beam back down again and scare them all away. Kirk survives the stoning but Miramani, his Indian wife, does not. Meanwhile Spock figures out that the obelisk is a big asteroid deflecting device, figures out how to get inside and operate the thing...and... presto! Capt found, asteroid deflected, Kirk back to being unattached and another world saved. Gotta love it.

All in all, corny and contrived but enjoyable to watch. The acting was good and the setting was for real for a change. Even the obelisk was convincing looking.

Again, Don't Think Too Much!

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 3 May 2014]

What's interesting to me is that there were too many people involved in this series that said things like, "Imagine that Kirk finds himself on a planet full of American Indians." Don't bother to explain how they evolved or any of that unimportant stuff. Put the planet in danger from an asteroid and stick Kirk on the planet with amnesia. Have him absorbed by the Native American population. Since Kirk has no idea where he is or how he got there and begins to believe the tribe when they tell him he is a god. He is immediately targeted by the medicine man. He hooks up with a beautiful young Indian woman whom he marries. The obelisk where he was when things went awry is the solution to the problem but Kirk can't remember and Spock and McCoy are back on the ship. Kirk is even about to be a daddy. Just how much time transpires here. That's another question. It isn't that this isn't half-way decent storytelling, but what happened to science fiction. The plot is about a guy who has no idea what's going on, who must defend himself against adversaries he does not understand. It is so incredibly contrived as to be laughable. Shatner does his usual overacting thing (which is really true; not a myth) and is able to rant against the gods who have betrayed.

Stay away from the lodge and maiden of your choice.

[copper1963 · 10/10 · 17 October 2006]

The only show from the final season to venture out into the sunlight, this Jud Taylor-directed saga registers highly as one of the best from that third season's roster. It was in the lead-off position and had to come out fast. The budget must have burst a leak at the purse strings and a good deal of cash spilled away. And so the rest of the season had to be sacrificed--like Kirk's wife and child--for the good of this production. Nevertheless, the dollars spent are present on screen, and are well divided between special effects and dramatic elements. The musical score by Gerald Fried is lush, emotional and thunderous, but never sappy. I like how the story unravels over a period of months. The actress who plays Miramanee enjoyed numerous roles of rebellion and angst throughout the Sixties. I have "The Paradise Syndrome" at home in my collection. I think because it poses legitimate questions about Man's place in the cosmos. Pine trees replace ship beams for a greater organic effect. A mammoth asteroid and giant obelisk (covered with ancient writings) produce impressive set pieces, as well as obstacles, for the captain and the rest of the crew to contemplate and decipher. Spock solves the riddle. He always does.

Kirk the God and the Asteroid

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 12 January 2017]

Season 3, episode 3. The Enterprise has approached an unknown planet that is Earth-like. Kirk, Spock and Bones beam down. They have 30 minutes to leave and deflect the asteroid before it hits the planet. They find a strange obelisk of unknown origin then they walk off to look at the inhabitants to find they appear to be like Earth's Native Americans. Kirk goes back to the obelisk before beaming back up and it opens up, he slides down and is struck by what appears to be electricity or lightening. The Enterprise cannot find Kirk, nor can Spock and McCoy. That leaves Spock in command and he orders them to leave the planet and to deflect the asteroid. McCoy protests but Spock reminds him that all will die on the planet including Kirk if they do not deflect the asteroid and they beam back aboard and leave. Kirk arises from the obelisk, not remembering anything and 2 native girls sees him and thinks he's a god. The two girls bring Kirk back to their village and all of them treat him like as a god. Can Spock and crew deflect the asteroid and get back in time to save Kirk? Well we all know that Kirk will be saved - no question about it.

Weak episode, not all that good but it is Star Trek so it's not all that bad either. It's hard for me to rate any episode less than a 7 because I love the crew, the dialogue & relationships between each of them no matter how weak the story is.

7/10

A beautifully written episode

[shakspryn · 8/10 · 15 January 2021]

What makes this episode stand out is the strong love story between Kirk and Miramanee. Sabrina Scharf gives a fine performance, one of her best. Now, it is true, this episode does have one or more corny moments! But to be fair, that is true of most Star Trek episodes. The interplay of Spock and McCoy aboard the ship is particularly good. The design of the alien obelisk is very impressive. A fine episode elevated by an excellent script.

The medicine God Kirko on an idyllic life!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 30 November 2023]

Aiming for save money over a tight budge the writers assemble a plot on planet likewise Earth, the power trio Kirk, Spock and McCoy, they landing down there nearby an alien obelisk surround by a peaceful native tribe extremely similitudes of American natives as Navajo, Cheyenne, Sioux and so on, actually the planet is in danger due an giant asteroid is about to collide against this twin Earth in few hours only, Captain Kirk falls without anyone noticed in underneath of the Obelisk getting amnesia, there's not time to recue him so Spock demands a returning on Enterprise in order to divert the menacing asteroid and just later locate the missing Kirk, under a strong dissent of McCoy.

Meanwhile Spock commands Enterprise's crew toward asteroid, Kirk awakes and was find by a native girl Miramanee (Sabrina Scharf) becomes a medicine God Kirko also living an idyllic life like the title the paradise syndrome implies, sadly the final outcome is far-fetched concerning the asteroid, in the meantime the awaited clash over Spocky and McCoy takes place to amuse the audience.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2023 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

Get Kirk ?

[profh-1 · 4/10 · 7 April 2010]

I just watched one ST episode that I fully intend to never watch again: "The Paradise Syndrome".

I see a woman wrote this one... and I don't think she was thinking logically when she did it. Kirk disappears, McCoy rants about not leaving orbit while he's missing, so he & Spock beam back up, the ship departs-- late-- and they didn't leave one person behind to search for Kirk, not even a medic in case he was hurt?

Kirk can't remember who he is (I hate "amnesia" episodes), but when they decide to make him "Medicine Chief" for saving the child's life, he doesn't object. He doesn't offer to teach the actual Medicine Chief how to do the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation thing so HE would become an even better Medicine Chief. And though he seems surprised when Miramanee announced they're to be married, he doesn't object to that either. (I suspect Rudy Solari's character was really hurt the most when Miramanee didn't answer him when he asked her, "If you did have a choice, would you choose me?" I guess for her, he would have been just following tradition. You'd think she could have found a way to let him down a little easier, wouldn't you?)

Man, those Enterprise engines sure seemed to burn out easily, didn't they? Is this Scotty having a bad run of luck, a writer who hasn't been watching the show enough to pay attention to the ship's "technical" history, or just a writer with a certain "agenda" and they're not gonna let anything stand in the way of telling the story they wanna tell, no matter what? ("Beneath The Planet Of The Apes" feels like it was "written" that way, too... heh)

So Spock fixes Kirk, and Kirk orders Scotty to get out of orbit once they pass the safety point, "The landing party is expendable." WHAT? 4 of the most important people on the ship, and they wouldn't beam them up first? And what about even trying to rescue ALL those other people, the way "The Gatherers" did? What is this, bad fan fiction?

Gotta hand it to those Gatherers. They not only plant these people on a nice planet (albeit one in recurring danger of asteroids, thus requiring an asteroid deflector!), they somehow know, centuries in advance, that Kirk would activate his communicator and say what he did and use it as the audio trigger to open the temple.

Let me not forget to mention Rudy Solari's father, who out of sheer arrogance and stupidity, put all his people and the entire planet in mortal danger, all because he didn't want to tell his son the secret of operating the "temple"-- "too soon"-- and died before he got the chance later on. Stupid, stupid, stupid! (I wonder how he was supposed to get in without Kirk's particular key words? And how odd they had 2 ways in-- the regular way, and the special way, foretold by the prophecy.)

It's so ironic, at the beginning of the story, they didn't want to show themselves to the Indians, and tell them of the danger... yet, if they had, they'd have soon found the Indians knew of the danger, and, what was needed to avert it! "Primitive" culture, eh?

I suppose the cool moment in the entire story was when Kirk tells Spock, "Just-- push the right button." And he does. One button. WOW! And it does what the entire power of The Enterprise was unable to do-- and much better. That's some technology.

The music in this one makes me think someone was watching "This Side Of Paradise" and they wanted to do for Kirk what that episode did for Spock, both story-wise and music-wise. Damn thing, it's so pretty it's almost too painful to sit thru...

Finally... are we really supposed to believe that with all the future medicine on The Enterprise, that McCoy couldn't save a woman from a simple stoning? Get outta here...!

By story's end, I began to wonder if this hadn't started life as a "Bonanza" episode. After all, when one of the Cartright boys falls in love, by the end, the woman always dies!

One of the Best Episodes in Season 3

[csm-78119 · 9/10 · 28 January 2021]

This is a much underrated, almost dreamlike episode. Like all the finest Star Trek episodes this somehow manages to condense a movie length storyline into 50 minutes without feeling rushed or superficial. It has two or three separate themes running alongside each other with the beauty of nature and the simple life shining alongside the benefits of the finest space technology! The passage of time is deftly handled and the story has a good soul. Finally, Sabrina Scharf is perfect as Kirk's beautiful new companion in what seems like a kind of paradise.

Just push the right button.

[thevacinstaller · 7/10 · 4 December 2023]

Oh man, this a real kick to the teeth for Jim Kirk. Losing Miramanee and his unborn child.

There's a tranquil vibe throughout this episode and the mind wonders at the possibilities of a mini series about amnesia Kirk helping the Natives achieve technological advances for 4 or 5 episodes. Maybe I got a soft spot for this stuff because of my memories of watching Dance with Wolves in the theatre with my grandmother (who had me close my eyes during the sex scenes -- by the way).

I got a few laughs out of this episode. The dubbing in of the lines, "This is virtually improbable that a planet like this with exact replica's of native american's could exist..." or the conjuring of a benevolent alien species that would kidnap societies that looks exactly like human beings and seed them around the galaxy for protection and budgetary constraints.

Despite the shoestring budget, I firmly believe I am experiencing the 1960's white man's perspective of what a native american society would be like ----

somebody really wanted the straits to be as dire as possible

[alkor-86425 · 1/10 · 30 August 2020]

Other reviews have pointed out most of this episode's failings, i'll just add that the entire premise makes no sense. Why beam down to this planet if the time window to deflect the asteroid is so narrow? Why not deal with the danger first and visit the planet later? Why take the risk? "Oh yeah, let's travel to this planet to take a five minute stroll on the surface, and then we'll race against time to deflect the asteroid"? Whose galaxy brain idea was this. And also, Spock and Mccoy leaving their captain to potentially die goes against the previously established characterisation for these two.