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Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 79 – Turnabout Intruder

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode Turnabout Intruder, which aired on June 3, 1969, Star Date 5298.5.

After receiving a distress call from a science party on Camus II exploring the ruins of a dead civilization, the Enterprise rushes to assistance. All party members appear dead except the leader Dr. Janice Lester and the medical officer Dr. Arthur Coleman. According to Dr. Coleman, Lester is suffering from some unknown sort of radiation poisoning.

However, when the rest of the Enterprise landing party goes to aid a dying science party member and leaving Kirk and Lester alone, she activates an alien device she has discovered and exchanges bodies with Kirk. Lester is driven by jealousy and a persecution complex and complains to Kirk about the agony of being a woman. Lester-as-Kirk orders everyone to be beamed about and takes over the role of Kirk.

Lester-as-Kirk removes Bones as a chief medical officer and installs Dr. Coleman, a former starship doctor who has been found incompetent by the Starfleet Surgeon General, in his place. Dr. Coleman attempts to prevent Kirk (in Dr. Lester’s body) from interacting with the crew by sedating her, but she escapes to sickbay to talk to Bones and Spock. However, Lester-as-Kirk is also waiting for a physical examination ordered by McCoy. He proceeds to knock Kirk-as-Lester out and orders her to be put in isolation and incommunicado.

Spock suspects something amiss and goes to speak to (the real) Kirk in solitary confinement. At Kirk’s request, Spock does a Vulcan mind probe and discovers the truth. Spock tries to escape with the real Kirk but is stopped by Lester-as-Kirk and security guards. This leads to a court-martial trial for Spock. Spock puts Kirk (in Lester’s body) on the stand and testifies that Kirk’s mind is in her body.

In the meantime, Sulu and Chekov refuse to obey Lester-as-Kirk’s orders, and Kirk and Lester experience a temporary reversion of minds. In fact, to prevent a reversion, Coleman informs Lester-as-Kirk that Lester must be killed. However, Coleman is too late to carry out the task, and Kirk’s and Lester’s minds revert to their appropriate bodies.

Compliance Takeaways:

  1. Who monitors the senior executives?
  2. What happens when you have C-Suite involvement in the bribery scheme?
  3. How can your company make a comeback?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

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Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 78 – All Our Yesterdays

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode All Our Yesterdays which aired on March 14, 1969, Star Date 5943.7

On a mission to evacuate the population of the lone planet Sarpedon before its sun explodes, Spock, Kirk, and McCoy beam down to investigate why sensors indicate no humanoid life remaining on the planet. They discover a “library” staffed by Mr. Atoz (“A to Z”), who tells them to hurry up and pick a destination, and that he himself plans to join his wife and family when the nova comes.

Kirk and then Spock, and McCoy are sent to different places in the past. However, they are all able to return to the library as Mr. Atoz puts in a disk and rushes to join his family before it is too late. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy return to the Enterprise, which warps out of orbit just as the star novas.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     What is targeted training?

2.     What is effective training?

3.     What is your training governance protocol?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 77 – The Savage Curtain

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Savage Curtain, which aired on March 7, 1969, Star Date 5906.4.

While scanning planet Excalbia, Spock detects strange readings which seem to indicate the presence of carbon cycle life forms. The subsequent appearance of Abraham Lincoln on the viewing screen and his transportation to the Enterprise demonstrates that whatever intelligence resides on the planet has the ability to read minds and manipulate matter. Shortly before beaming Lincoln aboard, Spock reports sensors showing an object resembling a living rock with claws at the same position.

On board, Lincoln appears to be human with knowledge of technology from the mid-1800s but is strangely also aware of the Vulcan philosophy. When Kirk accepts Lincoln’s invitation for Spock and him to beam down to a patch of Earth-type environment on the planet, they encounter Surak, the father of Vulcan civilization. A piece of rock suddenly becomes animated and informs them that the planet’s inhabitants are conducting an experiment to discover which of the opposing human philosophies is stronger: good or evil. To carry out their experiment, the rock creatures pit Lincoln, Surak, Kirk, and Spock against Genghis Khan, Colonel Green, Zora, and Kahless the Klingon in a battle to the death.

Green appears to parlay with Surak but sends his associates to sneak up on him. They then attempt to trick Kirk’s party into rescuing him when he (apparently) screams out in pain. Lincoln attempts to sneak into Green’s camp, but this action had been expected. As he discovers that Surak is already dead, Lincoln is speared from behind. Col. Green’s party then attacks Spock and Kirk. Spock kills Col. Green, and the others are forced to flee. The rock creatures discover that evil is defeated when directly confronted by good, and Spock, Kirk, and the Enterprise are released.

Compliance Takeaways:

  1. Executives behaving badly?
  2. Internal control workarounds and overrides.
  3. Who watches the watchers?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 76 – The Cloud Minders

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Cloud Minders, which aired on February 28, 1969, and occurred on Star Date 5818.4

When a botanical plague threatens to destroy all vegetation on the planet Merak II, the Enterprise visits Ardana, the only known source of the xenite mineral needed to halt the plague. Despite High Advisor Plasus’s request that they beam to the cloud city Stratos, Kirk and Spock beam directly down to the xenite mine entrance, where they are lassooed by the xenite miners.

Kirk and Spock are entertained as guests on Stratos until the xenite can be found. Plasus’ daughter Droxine is fascinated with Spock, but the city servant and secret Trogglyte leader Vanna has an interest of a different kind for Kirk: she attempts to take him hostage at mining-implement-point. And his forceful protests prompt Plasus to order their immediate departure from the city.

Back aboard the Enterprise, Kirk learns from McCoy that unprocessed xenite emits an odorless, invisible gas that temporarily diminishes mental ability and heightens emotions. Spock then realizes that the leaders of the disrupters have all been isolated from xenite emissions by their service aboard Stratos. Kirk proposes that the Trogglytes be supplied with xenite masks.

Once the effect of the gas has worn off, Kirk agrees to provide Vanna with masks and help the Trogglytes obtain equality in exchange for the xenite, despite the protests of Plasus. Kirk and Plasus drop charges against each other, and Kirk and Spock return to the Enterprise with xenite in hand.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     What is institutional justice?

2.     What is institutional fairness?

3.     How do you know your discipline is consistent?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 75 – The Way to Eden

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Way To Eden, which aired on February 21, 1969, and occurred on Star Date 5832.3

In its tribute to the Summer of Love and the hippie generation, a group of alternative lifestylers come aboard the Enterprise and bring their message of love and simplicity to the crew of the Enterprise. They manage to shanghai the crew into taking them to the mythical planet of Eden, which it turns out exists. Once there, however, they find the food is poisonous, and the ground is laced with acid.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     What does your ELT do to support compliance?

2.     How do you utilize your ELT in your compliance program?

3.     Do you get the resources you need in budget and headcount from your ELT?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 74 – Requiem for Methuselah

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode Requiem for Methuselah, which aired on February 14, 1969, and occurred on Star Date 5843.7.

The Enterprise lands on a planet which has an immortal who is trying to build the perfect AI companion. He has gone through several models of her. Kirk brings her to the verge of humanity but choosing between Kirk and her creator is too much, and she dies trying to make the final decision.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     Sometimes, a CCO must take a stand and speak the truth to power.

2.     Why is it important to bring investment into your decision-making?

3.     Practice, practice, and more practice. Yet even with practice, things can go awry.

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 73 – The Lights of Zetar

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Lights of Zetar, which aired on January 31, 1969, and occurred on Star Date 5725.3.

On its way to the Memory Alpha planetoid, the storehouse of all Federation’s cultural history and scientific knowledge, sensors detect a strange storm. The storm travels at a speed of Warp 2.6, indicating that it cannot be a natural phenomenon. The storm heads right for the Enterprise, penetrating the shield and attacking different brain centers of different crew members. Lt. Mira Romaine, aboard to oversee transmission of data newly gathered by the Enterprise to Memory Alpha, seems the hardest hit.

The storm then heads for shieldless Memory Alpha, killing all those aboard and burning out the central memory core. Mira beamed and warned everyone to return to the Enterprise because the storm was returning. Scans from the Enterprise confirm this, and the landing party returns to the ship.

To rid Mira of the alien influence before the aliens attack again, Kirk rushes her to a gravity/pressure chamber. The aliens attack too soon, however, and Mira becomes completely possessed. Speaking through Mira, the aliens identify themselves as the last survivors of the planet Zetar. They have had to discard their bodies and have been searching for a millennium for one such as Mira’s in which they can live out their lives. Before Mira’s consciousness can be completely subjugated, Scotty puts her in the pressure chamber. Here, the aliens are killed, and Mira is freed.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     What is your internal reporting mechanism?

2.     Have you trained your middle managers in how to receive reports?

3.     What is your triage protocol?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 72 – That Which Survives

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode That Which Survives, which aired on January 24, 1969, and occurred on Star Date Unknown.

McCoy, Sulu, Kirk, and senior geologist D’Amato beam down to investigate a strange planet the size of the Moon but with the mass of the Earth. The planet has no magnetic field but a well-developed atmosphere and plant life—despite the fact that the planet appears to be only 1000 years old. As the landing party is beaming down, a strange woman appears, says, “wait, you must not go,” and kills the transporter operator.

Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise, Engineer grade 4 John B. Watkins is killed by the woman when he checks the bypass circuit, but not before he warns Scott that a strange woman is aboard. On the Enterprise, the woman rigs the engines to explode by fusing the emergency bypass circuit on the matter/antimatter integrator. The Enterprise begins accelerating out of control, and Spock estimates that the Enterprise will explode in 14.87 minutes, with no way to stop it. Scotty saves the Enterprise from exploding by reversing polarity on the magnetic probe and returning the magnetic flow to normal.

Spock rescues the landing party at this juncture when he beams down and destroys the computer which was projecting the image of the woman Losira. When a recorded tape is automatically played, they find out that the planet they are on is a space outpost built by the Calandans, who were all killed by a disease they created while building the planet. The outpost was left on automatic, with the computer attempting to fend off all explorers but the expected Calandan ship. As Kirk prepares to return to the Enterprise, he comments in response to a statement by Spock that beauty such as Losira’s is transitory, that “beauty survives.”

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     What is your risk tolerance?

2.     How do you manage sales risk?

3.     How does your Board look at risk?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking Through Compliance: Episode 71 – The Mark of Gideon

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Mark of Gideon, which aired on January 17, 1969, and occurred on Star Date 5423.4

In an attempt to establish diplomatic relations with planet Gideon, Kirk beams down to the sensor-shielded planet using coordinates supplied by Gideon ambassador Hodin. When Kirk materializes, he finds himself still on the transporter pad aboard the Enterprise. To his great surprise, he appears to be completely alone, and there is no sign of the crew. After noticing a bruise on his arm, Kirk encounters a girl named Odona.

Kirk begins to suspect that something is very wrong. Hodin explains that the germ-free atmosphere and an increasingly long life span on Gideon have created a vast overpopulation problem and hopes to bring it under control by introducing disease. When Kirk then asks Hodin why the people of Gideon have not practiced birth control, Hodin replies that the people of Gideon believe life is sacred and that the love of life is the greatest gift and that they, therefore, cannot interfere with the creation of life.

By this time, Spock has discovered that the two sets of coordinates he has been provided do not match. After Admiral Fitzgerald continues to refuse to let Spock beam down, Spock disobeys orders and beams down to the first set of coordinates. He locates Kirkhe, and Kirk beams up with Odona to the real Enterprise. McCoy heals Odona, and she is beamed back to Gideon, where her blood can now serve as the source of Vegan choriomeningitis for her people.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     Why is compliance needed at the Board?

2.     How do you promote middle management to senior management?

3.     What is your triage protocol?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha

Categories

Trekking through Compliance: Episode 70 – Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield which aired on January 10, 1969, and occurred on Star Date 5730.0

On its way to decontaminate the planet Arianis, the Enterprise intercepts a shuttlecraft stolen from Starbase 4 together with its pilot. The pilot is an alien who is solid white on his right side and solid black on his left. His name is Lokai, and he claims to be a political refugee from Cheron. Shortly thereafter, another alien is deposited on the bridge of the Enterprise by a spaceship just before it disintegrates. The new alien identifies himself as Bele, a police officer from Cheron who has been tracking Lokai for over 50,000 years. Bele is black on the right and white on the left and is outraged when Kirk sees no difference in them. Bele considers his coloration superior to Lokai and others “his kind.” Lokai and Bele claim to be in the right, but Kirk stays above the argument, offering to drop them off at a Starbase.

Bele attempts to force the Enterprise to Charon but returns control to Kirk when he threatens to self-destruct the Enterprise. After the Enterprise has decontaminated Arianis, Bele deactivates the destruct mode and forces the Enterprise to Cheron. Here, Bele and Lokai discover that all life there has been destroyed by years of racially-motivated fighting. Driven mad by the sight, Lokai and Bele both beam down to the surface, where they will continue to fight each other until one or both are dead.

Compliance Takeaways:

1.     Why is language translation so important for compliance?

2.     What is the role of compliance in creating a safe workspace?

3.     Why should your organization only deal with ethical businesses?

Resources

Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein

MissionLogPodcast.com

Memory Alpha