In this episode of Trekking Through Compliance, we consider the episode The Squire of Gothos, aired on January 12, 1967, Star Date 2124.5.
The Enterprise encounters a rogue planet previously hidden from their sensors. As Sulu attempts to enter a course around the planet, he suddenly vanishes from the bridge, and Kirk vanishes a moment later. The Enterprise then receives a strange message on a viewscreen in blackletter writing: “Greetings and Felicitations!” followed by “Hip hip hoorah. Tallyho!” Spock orders Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy, along with Lt. DeSalle and geophysicist Karl Jaeger, to form a landing party and conduct a search.
The landing party beams down and unexpectedly finds itself in a lush and breathable environment, a medieval castle. They find Captain Kirk and Lt. Sulu immobilized and a humanoid who identifies as “General Trelane, retired.
Trelane suggests that Kirk be prey for a royal hunt, and Kirk agrees in return for the release of his ship. Two beings appear and call out to Trelane, ordering him to “come along” and lecturing him for his misbehavior. He then disappears, and the two beings follow after apologizing to Kirk, who returns to the ship.
Compliance Takeaways:
- What to make when basic science is so wrong (Alternative facts?)
- What happens when everything is ‘too easy’?
- What is country manager risk?
Resources
Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weisstein for The Squire of Gothos
MissionLogPodcast.com-The Squire of Gothos
