Enterprise Incidents with Scott and Steve

While exploring the planet Pollux IV, the Enterprise is held captive by an alien super-being who claims to be the Greek god Apollo. His demands are that the crew abandon ship, settle on his planet and worship him like their human ancestors did 5,000 years before. Since they are no match for Apollo's mythological powers, Captain Kirk's only hope lies in reasoning with Lt. Carolyn Palamas, the ship's Archaeology and Anthropology officer, who becomes smitten with Apollo after he chooses her to be his mate. In what is perhaps one of "Star Trek'" deepest and most thought-provoking episodes, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" takes the "ancient astronaut" theory and runs with it. The writing and direction are both superb, and the production design, wardrobe and original score are all fantastic. But the key to the success of this episode lies with the magnificent, fiercely-committed and heartbreaking performance of Michael Forest, who portrays Apollo as a charismatic and empathetic, yet ultimately tragic, figure.

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We're excited and honored to be joined for our deep dive on "Enterprise Incidents" by Ralph Senensky, who made his "Star Trek" directorial debut with the beloved classic "This Side of Paradise." The Enterprise arrives at Omicron Ceti III, a planet which is being bombarded by deadly Berthold rays, expecting to find no signs of life from the colonists who previously settled there. But to Captain Kirk's surprise, everyone is alive and well -- and extremely happy -- thanks to the euphoric effect of drug-like spores produced by an alien plant. After the colonists refuse to evacuate, the spores quickly spread to infect the crew of the Enterprise, leading them to mutiny as they desert the ship to join the colony. That includes the normally loyal and unemotional Mr. Spock, who defies his friend and commanding officer after falling in love with the colony's botanist, Leila Kalomi. Marooned on the Enterprise, Captain Kirk must figure out a way to neutralize the effect of the spores and return his crew to normalcy -- but how can he counteract paradise? And does he have the right to even try? As written by Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, "This Side of Paradise" was a brilliant and subtle allegory about the drug counterculture of the 1960s, and it has since stood the test of time to triumph as a beautiful, sensitive and deeply moving "Star Trek" masterpiece that features superb performances from William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and exquisite guest star Jill Ireland.
Learn more about Ralph Senensky's incredible body of work through his website: http://ralph-senensky.blogspot.com

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After a cataclysmic disturbance threatens the foundation of civilization, Captain Kirk comes face-to-face with the culprit -- a maniacal lunatic named Lazarus, who will stop at nothing to destroy a duplicate version of himself who exists in a parallel universe. With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, Kirk and Spock must figure out a way to stop the matter and anti-matter versions of Lazarus from coming together, or they will wipe out everything in existence. After producing 20 prior episodes of groundbreaking television, it was only a matter of time until "Star Trek" came up short with a colossal failure. The concept was ambitious, but the episode that came out of it was convoluted, confusing and boring -- and it made absolutely no sense whatsoever. It was a troubled production all around, no doubt hampered by the casting of Robert Brown, who was called in at the 11th hour to replace the episode's original guest star. But true to form for "Star Trek," "The Alternative Factor" does have its merits, and our revealing deep dive conversation about the drama behind the scenes makes for a fascinating episode of "Enterprise Incidents!"

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A freak accident sends the Enterprise hurtling through space and back in time to Earth in the late 1960s, where it is detected and classified by the U.S. military as an Unidentified Flying Object. Complicating matters further, Captain Kirk is forced to beam aboard an Air Force pilot named John Christopher, whose duty it will be to report everything he is now seeing about this vast starship from the future. Kirk and Spock must figure out a way to return the Enterprise to its own time, but not before they must return Captain Christopher to Earth without jeopardizing the history of the future. With the stakes so very high, it's remarkable how much levity is featured in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," the second Original Series teleplay written by Dorothy "D.C." Fontana. The result is "Star Trek's" first full-on comedy, and it's a delightful episode, but the humor never comes at the expense of the quality, the high drama and the superb performances that had come to represent the series at its finest.

You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at:

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Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram

Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

If you're an OG "Star Trek" fan or a member of the Syndication Generation, you know the name Alan Dean Foster. In addition to writing the story for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," he also wrote the 10-volume "Star Trek Log" book series back in the 70s, which adapted (and expanded upon) every episode of "The Animated Series." We're excited and honored to have Foster join us as a special guest for our deep dive of "One of Our Planets is Missing."

While exploring the outer fringes of the galaxy, the Enterprise encounters a giant cloud that has the ability to consume everything in its path. Next on that path is the planet Mantilles, the most remote world in Federation space and inhabited by 82 million people. Compounding the issue is Mr. Spock's discovery that the cloud is an intelligent life form, and destroying it would be a crime against science. With time running out (and in more ways than one), the Enterprise crew must figure out a way to communicate with the cloud and stop its path of destruction, or Captain Kirk will be forced to destroy it. Written by veteran "Star Trek" director Marc Daniels, "One of Our Planets is Missing" is a quintessential "Star Trek" adventure that lives up to the high standards established by "The Original Series." In addition to being a race against time to stop a massive destructive force from posing a threat to the galaxy (like "The Doomsday Machine"), the episode also explores the burden of command on Captain Kirk (like "Balance of Terror") and the importance of communication with a misunderstood antagonist (like "The Devil in the Dark"). And it does all of this in just 24 minutes (and that's with the opening and closing credits). If there's any episode of "The Animated Series" that says what "Star Trek" is all about, it's this one.

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