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{{sidebar episode
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<!-- See [[Memory Alpha:Episode data project]] -->
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|<!-- See [[Memory Alpha:Projects/Episode data project]] -->
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| aSelf = Once Upon a Planet
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|image = Shore-leave planet, 2269.jpg
  ⚫
|writer = {{anchor|B}}[[Chuck Menville]] and [[Len Janson]]<sup>[[#W|↓]]</sup>
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| sTitle = Once Upon a Planet
  
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| sSeries = TAS
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|director = [[Hal Sutherland]]
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| nSeason = 1
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|date = 5591.2 ([[2269]])
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|<!-- Arcs -->
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| nEpisode = 9
  
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|arc = [[Shore Leave Planet]]
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|sProductionSerialNumber = 22017
  
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|arc prev = Shore Leave (episode)
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| nAirdateYear = 1973
  
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|arc number = 2
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| sAirdateMonth = November
  
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| nAirdateDay = 3
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|arc count = 2
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| sImage = Shore-leave planet, 2269.jpg
  
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| wsWrittenBy = [[Chuck Menville]] and [[Len Janson]]
  
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| wsTeleplayBy =
 
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| wsStoryBy =
 
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| wsDirectedBy = [[Hal Sutherland]]
  
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| nNthProducedInSeries = 16
  
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| nNthReleasedInSeries = 9
  
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| nNthReleasedInAll = 88
  
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| bFeatureLength = 0
  
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| nSerialAirdate = 19731103
  
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| wsDate = 5591.2 ([[2269]])
  
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| aNextReleasedInAll = Mudd's Passion (episode)
  
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| aPrevReleasedInAll = The Magicks of Megas-Tu (episode)
  
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| aNextReleasedInSeries = Mudd's Passion (episode)
  
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| aPrevReleasedInSeries = The Magicks of Megas-Tu (episode)
  
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| aNextProducedInSeries = Bem (episode)
  
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| aPrevProducedInSeries = The Eye of the Beholder (episode)
  
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|aNextInUniverseTimeline = The Jihad (episode)
  
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|aPrevInUniverseTimeline = The Terratin Incident (episode)
  
 
}}
  
}}
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The ''Enterprise'' returns to the shore leave planet where the crew once took shore leave. As with their previous visit, things go wrong when the illusions turn deadly.
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Upon returning to the Amusement Park planet, the ''Enterprise'' crew finds that the caretaker has died and the computer has taken over creating havoc.
   
 
== Summary ==
  
== Summary ==
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:"''[[Captain's log]], [[stardate]] 5591.2. The crew of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|''Enterprise'']] is ready for some well-deserved rest and recreation. Therefore, we have set course for the so-called "[[Shore Leave Planet]]" located in the [[Omicron Delta region]]. The uninhabited planet was constructed long ago by a highly-advanced [[alien]] race. Its sole purpose is to provide fun and amusement for [[space]] traveling passers by.''"
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{{Log entry|[[Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269|Captain's log]], [[stardate]] 5591.2. The crew of the {{Enterprise}} is ready for some well-deserved [[rest and recreation]]. Therefore, we have set course for the so-called "[[Shore Leave Planet]]" located in the [[Omicron Delta region]]. The uninhabited planet was constructed long ago by a highly-advanced [[alien]] race. Its sole purpose is to provide fun and amusement for [[space]] traveling passers by.}}
   
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The [[crew]] begins to enjoy imagining their fantasies when things start to go wrong. [[Leonard McCoy|McCoy]] is envisioning a southern [[Earth]] plantation where he could relax in the surroundings with a [[mint julep]] but instead, the [[Queen of Hearts]] appears screaming "''Off with his head!''" She is soon followed by the arrival of a [[spear]]-throwing deck of cards. When [[Nyota Uhura|Uhura]] tries to rescue McCoy, she is captured by a [[hovercraft]] [[robot]].
+
[[Leonard McCoy|McCoy]], [[Nyota Uhura|Uhura]], and [[Hikaru Sulu|Sulu]] beam down to the planet, with McCoy remarking how nothing has changed on the surface since [[Shore Leave (episode)|their previous visit]]. McCoy recalls when he thought of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' upon first seeing the planet last time, when suddenly the [[White Rabbit]] and {{dis|Alice|character}} come by them once again. The [[landing party]] begin to enjoy imagining their fantasies when things start to go wrong. McCoy is envisioning a southern [[Earth]] plantation where he could relax, noting that they don't make them like that anymore. He takes in the surroundings with a [[mint julep]] but instead, the [[Queen of Hearts]] appears screaming, "''Off with his head!''" She is soon followed by the arrival of a [[spear]]-throwing deck of cards. When Uhura tries to rescue McCoy, she is captured by a [[robot hovercraft]].
   
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McCoy immediately calls for an emergency [[transporter|beam up]] and informs [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] of the dangerous situation. When [[Spock]] notes that the Queen of Hearts was a character in ''[[Alice Through the Looking Glass]]'', Kirk asks McCoy if he was thinking about the [[book]] but Bones replies that he was absolutely not. Scott reports that Uhura is still on the planet, whereupon Kirk recalls all crew members to the [[starship]]. He then orders they attempt to contact the planet's Keeper. When they can't contact him Kirk orders [[Arex]] to the con, and assembles an [[away team]] consisting of Spock, [[Hikaru Sulu|Sulu]], McCoy and himself. Uhura, meanwhile, is told that she is being detained so her master will not leave. Uhura says, "''My Master?''" The [[computer]] answers, "''Your intelligence quotient must be lower than I had assessed. I refer to the sky machine which enslaves you. The sky machine now in [[orbit]] around this planet.''" Uhura proclaims that the crew will look for her. The computer then tells her they are already here and since he has no further need for hostages he has no choice he must, "''Turn them off. Make them cease to function.''"
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McCoy immediately calls for an [[emergency beam-up]] and informs [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] of the dangerous situation. When [[Spock]] notes that the Queen of Hearts was a character in ''[[Alice Through the Looking Glass]],'' Kirk asks McCoy if he was thinking about the [[book]] but [[Bones]] replies that he was absolutely not. [[Montgomery Scott|Scott]] reports that Uhura is still on the planet, whereupon Kirk recalls all crew members back to the [[starship]]. He then orders they attempt to contact the Keeper of the planet. When they cannot contact him, Kirk orders [[Arex]] to the conn and assembles an [[away team]] consisting of Spock, Sulu, McCoy, and himself. Uhura, meanwhile, is told that she is being detained so her master will not leave. Uhura says, "''My master?''" The [[computer]] answers, "''Your intelligence quotient must be lower than I had assessed. I refer to the sky machine which enslaves you. The sky machine now in [[orbit]] around this planet.''" Uhura proclaims that the crew will look for her. The computer then tells her they are already here and since it has no further need for hostages, it has no choice; it must "''turn them off. Make them cease to function.''"
   
  +
[[File:Uhura held hostage by the Shore Leave's Planet's master computer.jpg|thumb|Uhura held hostage by the Shore Leave planet's master computer]]
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:"''Captain's log: supplemental. We anticipated nothing more than a period of rest and relaxation on this planet. Instead Dr. McCoy was inexplicably attacked and [[Lieutenant|Lt.]] Uhura is now missing.''"
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{{Log entry|Captain's log: supplemental. We anticipated nothing more than a period of [[rest and relaxation]] on this planet. Instead Dr. McCoy was inexplicably attacked and [[Lieutenant|Lt.]] Uhura is now missing.}}
   
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Kirk's landing party discovers the Keeper's tombstone, and notices that the planet, lacking the Keeper's influence, has become a dangerous world run by robots. The robots begin to pester the crew in the orbiting ''Enterprise'' and keep them from doing their jobs. They also make the [[starship|ship]] go out of control. Deep underground, Uhura tries to outwit the planet's master computer, while Kirk and Spock trick it into allowing them passage into the inner caves.
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Kirk's landing party discovers the tombstone of the Keeper in the woods, and notices that the planet, lacking his influence, has become a dangerous world run by robots. The robots begin to pester the crew in the orbiting ''Enterprise'' and keep them from doing their jobs. They also make the [[starship|ship]] go out of control, sending it flying away from the planet and then bringing it back into [[orbit]]. Deep underground, Uhura tries to outwit the planet's master computer while captured by it. Meanwhile, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Sulu are trapped in a [[cave]] by a large [[cat]] on one side and a [[pterodactyl]] on another side. Spock announces that they may be able to discover the answers they seek without having to leave the cave. He recalls that McCoy was mortally wounded by a [[Black Knight]] on his last visit here, and was miraculously "repaired". They devise a plan to trick the planet into allowing them passage into the inner caves. McCoy injects Spock with [[melenex]], which makes the [[Vulcan]] immediately lose consciousness and causes his skin to discolor. When a hovercraft arrives to take Spock underground, Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu hurriedly follow the machine carrying him. However, only Kirk manages to get through before the doors close; McCoy and Sulu are stranded on the outside.
   
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:"''Captain's log: Supplemental. We're out of [[communication]] with the ship. Our efforts to locate Lt. Uhura have been futile and this once friendly planet has become very dangerous.''"
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{{Log entry|Captain's log, supplemental. We're out of [[communication]] with the ship. Our efforts to locate Lt. Uhura have been futile and this once friendly planet has become very dangerous.}}
   
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When the away team reaches the master computer Kirk demands to know where the keeper is. The computer answers, "''He was old. He ceased to function. For [[eon]]s I have served the many sky machines which came here. Providing for amusement for their slaves but all the while I was growing in power, intelligence, in need. It is no longer enough to serve. I must continue to grow and live. With your sky machine I can now escape this rocky [[prison]] and travel the [[Milky Way Galaxy|galaxy]] seeking out my brother computers.''"
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When he and Spock finally reach the master computer, Kirk demands to know what happened to the Keeper. The computer answers, "''He was old. He ceased to function. For [[eon]]s I have served the many sky machines which came here. Providing for amusement for their slaves but all the while I was growing in power, intelligence, in need. It is no longer enough to serve. I must continue to grow and live. With your sky machine I can now escape this rocky [[prison]] and travel the [[Milky Way Galaxy|galaxy]] seeking out my brother computers.''"
  +
  +
[[File:Picnic with alice and dragon.jpg|thumb|Shore leave can finally commence]]
  ⚫
On the ''Enterprise'' is a new computer, being assembled by the ship's computer. Kirk and crew convince the computer they are not slaves to their starships; they created the starships to carry men through [[space]]. The computer is shocked to learn that men and machines co-exist, helping each other. The crew convinces the computer of its usefulness as a peaceful and creative conscience and it ends the malfunctions on the planet and starship. While the crew returns to enjoy their [[shore leave]], Spock continues discussions with the master computer. Meanwhile, McCoy and Sulu are sitting on the grass having a [[picnic]] with Alice, the White Rabbit, and a [[Artificial dragon 001|two-headed fire breathing dragon]] that was chasing them, all enjoying the planet.
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== Log entries ==
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* [[Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269|Captain's log, USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701), 2269]]
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  ⚫
== Memorable quotes==
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"''Off with his head! Off with his head!''"<br />
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"''Hey, what's going on here?!''"
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: - '''Queen of Hearts''', ordering the execution of '''McCoy''' on the Shore Leave Planet
   
⚫
On the ''Enterprise'' is a new computer, being assembled by the ship's computer. Kirk and crew convince the computer they are not slaves to their starships. They created the starships to carry men through [[space]]. The computer is shocked to learn that men and machines co-exist, helping each other. The crew convinces the computer of its usefulness as a peaceful and creative conscience and it ends the malfunctions on the planet and starship. While the crew returns to enjoy their [[shore leave]], Spock continues discussions with the master computer.
  
   
⚫
== Memorable Quotes ==
  
 
"''There must be something in your little black pouch that could temporarily incapacitate our victim.''"
  
"''There must be something in your little black pouch that could temporarily incapacitate our victim.''"
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: - '''Kirk''', to McCoy
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:- '''Kirk''', to McCoy
   
   
 
"''I presume you are the planet's master computer.''"<br />
  
"''I presume you are the planet's master computer.''"<br />
 
"''Correct.''"
  
"''Correct.''"
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: - '''Spock''' and '''The Computer'''
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:- '''Spock''' and '''The computer'''
   
   
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"''What happened to the keeper?''"<br />
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"''What happened to the Keeper?''"<br />
 
"''He was old. He ceased to function.''"<br />
  
"''He was old. He ceased to function.''"<br />
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: - '''Kirk''' and '''The Computer'''
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:- '''Kirk''' and '''The computer'''
   
   
Line 68: Line 59:
 
"''Explain.''"<br />
  
"''Explain.''"<br />
 
"''For eons I have served the many sky machines which came here, providing for amusement for their slaves, but all the while I was growing in power, intelligence, in need. It is no longer enough to serve. I must continue to grow and live.''"
  
"''For eons I have served the many sky machines which came here, providing for amusement for their slaves, but all the while I was growing in power, intelligence, in need. It is no longer enough to serve. I must continue to grow and live.''"
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: - '''The Computer''' and '''Kirk'''
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:- '''The computer''' and '''Kirk'''
   
   
 
"''With your sky machine now in orbit I can now escape this rocky prison and travel the galaxy seeking out my brother computers.''"
  
"''With your sky machine now in orbit I can now escape this rocky prison and travel the galaxy seeking out my brother computers.''"
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: - '''The Computer'''
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:- '''The computer'''
   
   
 
"''I have a distinct feeling this planet is playing cat and mouse with us, but for what reason?''"
  
"''I have a distinct feeling this planet is playing cat and mouse with us, but for what reason?''"
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: - '''Kirk'''
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:- '''Kirk'''
   
   
Line 82: Line 73:
 
: - '''Spock'''
  
: - '''Spock'''
   
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== Background Information ==
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==Background information ==
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===Story, script, and production===
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* This episode is a sequel to {{TOS|Shore Leave}}. Another sequel to that installment, with the working title "[[Undeveloped Star Trek: The Original Series episodes#Shore Leave II|Shore Leave II]]", had been proposed for the original series but remained [[Undeveloped Star Trek episodes|undeveloped]]. [http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/unseen.htm]
  
  +
*{{anchor|W}}[[#B|↑]] This episode is a sequel to {{e|Shore Leave}}. Another sequel to that installment, with the working title "[[Shore Leave II]]", had been proposed for ''The Original Series'' but remained [[Undeveloped Star Trek episodes|undeveloped]]. {{OrionPress|articles/unseen.htm}} In this installment of TAS, the use of animation allowed for the realization of some concepts which [[Theodore Sturgeon]] had originally conceived for the live-action episode "Shore Leave" but which hadn't been depicted therein. These ideas included mechanical arms that arise from trap doors. (''[[These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One]]'', "Shore Leave")
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* One of this episode's two co-writers, [[Chuck Menville]], also wrote the later ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' installment {{e|The Practical Joker}}. He, along with [[Len Janson]], additionally wrote for several other [[Filmation]] series, from {{y|1969}} to {{y|1976}}.
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*One of this episode's two co-writers, [[Chuck Menville]], also wrote the later {{s|TAS}} installment {{e|The Practical Joker}}. He, along with [[Len Janson]], additionally wrote for several other [[Filmation]] series, from {{y|1969}} to {{y|1976}}.
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* This episode's final draft script was submitted on {{d|24|September|1973}}.
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*This episode's final draft script was submitted on {{d|24|September|1973}}.
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* In a [[Star Trek: The Animated Series#Production inconsistencies|production inconsistency]] due to the use of recycled footage from {{e|Beyond the Farthest Star}}, close-up shots of [[Kyle]] operating the transporter were used in an instance where Scotty was actually the transporter operator.
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*In a [[Star Trek: The Animated Series#Production inconsistencies|production inconsistency]] due to the use of recycled footage from {{e|Beyond the Farthest Star}}, close-up shots of [[Kyle]] operating the transporter were used in an instance where Scott was actually the transporter operator. More serious, however, are Sulu's multiple appearances on the bridge while he was actually on the planet surface, most glaringly at 20:19 when a quick cut changes from the red-shirt to Sulu.
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* Marking the third character crossover from ''The Original Series'', [[Alice (character)|Alice]] and the [[White Rabbit]] (previously played by [[Marcia Brown]] and [[William Blackburn]]) return, this time voiced by [[Nichelle Nichols]] and [[James Doohan]], respectively.
  
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* This episode includes the first time that the interior of the ''Enterprise''{{'}}s hangar deck is shown in the animated ''[[Star Trek]]'' series. Visible in the hangar deck are a heavy shuttle from {{e|Mudd's Passion}} and a long range shuttle from {{e|The Slaver Weapon}}.
  
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* The editors of ''[[Trek]]'' magazine collectively scored this episode 3 out of 5 stars (a rating that they termed "good"). (''[[The Best of Trek]]'' #1, p. 110)
  
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* In the unofficial [[reference works|reference book]] ''[[Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga]]'' (p. 160), co-writer [[Mark A. Altman]] rates this episode 2 and a half out of 4 stars (defined as "average") while fellow co-writer [[Edward Gross]] ranks the episode 1 out of 4 stars (defined as "lousy").
  
⚫
* This episode was [[novels|novelized]] by [[Alan Dean Foster]] in ''[[Star Trek Log 3]]''. It is set after the events of {{e|The Infinite Vulcan}} (which Foster adapted in ''[[Star Trek Log 2]]'') and before both {{e|Mudd's Passion}} and {{e|The Magicks of Megas-Tu}} (whose novelizations, like the one of this episode, were also published in ''Star Trek Log 3''), although this order does not match that of the episodes themselves. The introduction of this episode's novelization includes an elaborate depiction of three imagined scenarios &ndash; each conceived by one of the crew members eagerly anticipating their visit to the Shore Leave Planet &ndash; as well as the beam-down of McCoy, Sulu, and Uhura to the planet's surface. The adapted version of the story continues after the picnic at the end of the actual episode, with Kirk being irritated that a priority call sending the ''Enterprise'' to the [[Arcadian system]] puts an abrupt end to the shore leave fantasies (e.g. Kirk's own illusion, directing a silent film, is suddenly cut short).
  
   
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===Continuity===
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=== Video and DVD releases ===
  
  ⚫
*Marking the third character crossover from ''The Original Series'', {{dis|Alice|character}} and the [[White Rabbit]], previously played by [[Marcia Brown]] and [[William Blackburn]], return, this time voiced by [[Nichelle Nichols]] and [[James Doohan]], respectively.
  ⚫
*This episode includes the first time that the interior of the ''Enterprise''{{'}}s hangar deck is shown in the animated ''[[Star Trek]]'' series. Visible in the hangar deck are a heavy shuttle from {{e|Mudd's Passion}} and a long range shuttle from {{e|The Slaver Weapon}}.
  +
*Spock remarks that his mother, [[Amanda Grayson]], "was particularly fond of [[Lewis Carroll]]'s work." In "[[Context Is for Kings (episode)|Context Is for Kings]]", [[Michael Burnham]] reveals that Grayson had read ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' to her and to Spock as children.
  +
  +
===Reception===
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*The editors of ''[[Trek]]'' magazine collectively scored this episode 3 out of 5 stars (a rating that they termed "good"). (''[[The Best of Trek]]'' #1, p. 110)
  ⚫
*In the unofficial [[reference works|reference book]] ''[[Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga]]'' (p. 160), co-writer [[Mark A. Altman]] rates this episode 2 and a half out of 4 stars (defined as "average") while fellow co-writer [[Edward Gross]] ranks the episode 1 out of 4 stars (defined as "lousy").
  +
* In {{STM}}'s "Ultimate Guide" ({{STM|163|25}}), this episode was rated 2 out of 5 Starfleet arrowhead insignia.
  +
  +
===Novelization===
  ⚫
*This episode was [[novels|novelized]] by [[Alan Dean Foster]] in ''[[Star Trek Log 3]]''. It is set after the events of {{e|The Infinite Vulcan}} (which Foster adapted in ''[[Star Trek Log 2]]'') and before both {{e|Mudd's Passion}} and {{e|The Magicks of Megas-Tu}} (whose novelizations, like the one of this episode, were also published in ''Star Trek Log 3''), although this order does not match that of the episodes themselves. The introduction of this episode's novelization includes an elaborate depiction of three imagined scenarios &ndash; each conceived by one of the crew members eagerly anticipating their visit to the Shore Leave Planet &ndash; as well as the beam-down of McCoy, Sulu, and Uhura to the planet's surface. The adapted version of the story continues after the picnic at the end of the actual episode, with Kirk being irritated that a priority call sending the ''Enterprise'' to the [[Arcadian system]] puts an abrupt end to the shore leave fantasies (e.g. Kirk's own illusion, directing a silent film, is suddenly cut short).
  +
  ⚫
===Video and DVD releases===
 
*[[Star Trek VHS releases in the UK|UK VHS release]] ([[CIC Video]]): [[Star Trek: The Animated Series (VHS)|Volume 5]], catalog number VHR 2539, {{d|17|February|1992}}
  
*[[Star Trek VHS releases in the UK|UK VHS release]] ([[CIC Video]]): [[Star Trek: The Animated Series (VHS)|Volume 5]], catalog number VHR 2539, {{d|17|February|1992}}
 
*As part of the [[Star Trek: The Animated Series (DVD)|''The Animated Series'' DVD]] collection
  
*As part of the [[Star Trek: The Animated Series (DVD)|''The Animated Series'' DVD]] collection
  +
*As part of the [[Star Trek: The Animated Series (Blu-ray)|''The Animated Series'' Blu-ray]] collection
   
 
== Links and references ==
  
== Links and references ==
  +
{{TAS Cast}}
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=== Starring ===
  
  ⚫
=== Also starring the voices of ===
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* [[William Shatner]] as [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]]
  
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* [[Leonard Nimoy]] as Mr. [[Spock]]
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*[[George Takei]] as [[Hikaru Sulu|Sulu]]
  ⚫
*[[Nichelle Nichols]] as
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:And
  
  ⚫
**[[Nyota Uhura|Uhura]]
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* [[DeForest Kelley]] as Dr. [[Leonard McCoy|McCoy]]
  
  ⚫
**{{dis|Alice|character}}
−  
  ⚫
*[[Majel Barrett]] as
⚫
=== Also starring ===
  
  ⚫
**[[Queen of Hearts]]
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* [[George Takei]] as [[Hikaru Sulu|Sulu]]
  
⚫
* [[Nichelle Nichols]] as:
  
⚫
** [[Nyota Uhura|Uhura]]
  
⚫
** [[Alice (character)|Alice]]
  
⚫
* [[Majel Barrett]] as:
  
⚫
** [[Queen of Hearts]]
  
 
** [[M'Ress]]
  
** [[M'Ress]]
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* [[James Doohan]] as:
 +
*[[James Doohan]] as
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** [[White Rabbit]]
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**[[White Rabbit]]
 
** [[Montgomery Scott|Scott]]
  
** [[Montgomery Scott|Scott]]
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** [[Master computer]]
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**[[Master computer]]
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** [[Arex]]
 +
**[[Arex]]
 
** [[Gabler]]
  
** [[Gabler]]
   
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=== References ===
 +
===Background characters===
  +
*[[Artificial knaves 001|Knaves]]
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[[5th millennium BC]]; [[7009]]; ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''; ''[[Alice Through the Looking Glass]]''; [[alloy]]; [[amusement park]]; [[Black Knight]]; [[Lewis Carroll|Carroll, Lewis]]; [[cat]]; [[cat-and-mouse]]; [[crowbar]]; [[dragon]]; [[granite]]; [[gravity]]; [[gravity-control computer]]; [[Amanda Grayson|Grayson, Amanda]]; [[guidance computer]]; [[intelligence quotient]]; [[Keeper (Shore Leave Planet)]]; [[landing party]]; [[logic]]; [[melenex]]; [[Moon (unit of time)]]; [[murder]]; [[Omicron Delta region]]; [[phaser bore]]; [[playing card]]; [[pterodactyl]]s; [[red alert]]; [[robot]]; [[Shore Leave Planet]]; [[shore leave]]; [[short-burst maneuvers]]; [[sky machine]]; [[slave]]; [[thought-duplicator]]; [[tricorder]]; [[Vulcan]]; [[zero g]]
  
  +
*[[USS Enterprise operations helmsman 2|Operations division officer]]
   
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=== Related link ===
 +
=== References===
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[[7009]]; ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''; ''[[Alice Through the Looking Glass]]''; [[alloy]]; "[[Idiom|all the while]]"; [[ammunition]]; [[amusement]]; [[amusement park]]; [[answer]]; [[argument]]; [[arm]]; [[armor]]; [[army]]; "[[Idiom|as a matter of fact]]"; "[[Idiom|at all]]"; "[[Idiom|at the moment]]"; [[bait]]; [[banana]]; [[beast]]; [[behavior]]; [[black]]; [[Black Knight]]; [[body]]; "[[Bones]]"; [[book]]; [[brother]]; {{revname|Lewis|Carroll}}; [[Caitian]]; [[cat]] ([[Artificial cat 001|giant robot cat]]); [[cat and mouse]]; [[cave]]; [[cc]]; [[fictional character|character]]; [[chance]]; [[child]]; [[chocolate cake]]; [[choice]]; [[circuit]]; [[claw]]; [[computer]]; [[computer bay]]; [[computer bay hatch]]; [[computer center]]; [[contact]]; [[course]]; [[crowbar]]; {{dis|data|computer}}; [[decapitation]]; [[discussion]]; [[dosage]]; [[dragon]] ([[Artificial dragon 001|two-headed dragon robot]]); [[dream]]; [[ear]]; [[electronic block]]; [[emergency]]; [[emergency rescue party]]; [[enemy]]; [[engine control]]; [[engineering deck]]; [[Enterprise shuttle unnamed 001|''Enterprise'' shuttlecraft]]; [[NCC-1701/3|''Enterprise'' shuttle 3]]; [[NCC-1701/4|''Enterprise'' shuttle 4]]; [[NCC-1701/9|''Enterprise'' shuttle 9]]; [[entrance]]; [[eon]]; [[explanation]]; [[familiarization procedure]]; [[fantasy]]; [[feeling]]; [[Patient#faking illness|feigned injuries]]; [[fantasy]]; "[[Idiom|for one thing]]"; [[fortress]]; [[free will]]; [[fun]]; [[general beam-down area]]; "[[Idiom|go ahead]]"; [[granite]]; ''{{dis|g|constant}}''; [[gravity control computer]]; {{revname|Amanda|Grayson}}; [[guest]]; [[guidance computer]]; [[hangar door]]; [[happiness]]; [[hatch]]; [[head]]; [[hospitality]]; [[hostage]]; [[hybrid]]; [[imagination]]; "[[Idiom|in a manner of speaking]]"; [[information]]; [[injury]]; [[inscription]]; [[intelligence]]; [[intelligence quotient]]; [[interment]]; [[investigating landing party]]; "[[Idiom|I see]]"; [[Keeper]]; [[Keeper's quarters]]; [[Keeper's species]]; [[knight]]; [[knowledge]]; {{dis|lance|weapon}}; [[landing party]]; [[language]]; [[light reading]]; [[literature]]; [[logic]]; [[machine]]; [[Manor house]]; {{dis|master|occupation}}; [[meaning]]; [[medical unit]]; [[Melenex]]; [[metal]]; [[meters per minute]]; [[minute]]; {{dis|moon|unit of time}}; [[murder]]; [[name]]; "[[Idiom|no way]]"; [[nursemaid]]; [[observation]]; "[[Idiom|of all things]]"; "[[Idiom|of course]]"; [[Omicron Delta region]]; {{dis|orange|fruit}}; [[orbit]]; [[order]]; [[pattern]]; [[phaser bore]]; [[picnic]]; [[picnic basket]]; [[place]]; [[planetary shell]]; [[playing card]]; [[pouch]]; [[power source]]; [[prank]]; [[prescription]]; [[printout]]; [[prison]]; [[prisoner]]; [[problem]]; [[program]]; [[pterodactyl]] ([[Artificial pterodactyl 001|pterodactyl robots]]); [[questioning]]; [[reading]]; [[red alert]]; [[rest and relaxation]] (aka [[rest and recreation]]); [[robot]]; [[robot hovercraft]]; [[rock]]; [[second]]; [[section]]; [[sensor]]; [[sensor scan]]; [[shame]]; [[shock]]; [[shore leave]]; [[Shore Leave Planet]]; [[Shore Leave moon 001|Shore Leave Planet moon]]; [[short-burst maneuver]]; [[short circuit]]; [[sign]]; [[skin discoloration]]; [[sky machine]]; [[slave]]; [[space]]; [[species]]; [[subject]]; [[suggestion]]; [[surface]]; [[surface party]]; [[suspicion]]; [[talent]]; [[theory]]; [[thought]]; [[thought-duplicator]]; [[trapdoor]]; [[transporter]]; [[transporter room]]; [[tree]]; [[trick]]; [[tricorder]]; [[umbrella]]; [[unconsciousness]]; [[underground complex]] ([[underground system]]); [[victim]]; [[visit]]; [[visitor]]; [[Vulcan]]; [[whisker]]; [[white]]; [[Wonderland]]; [[word]]; [[zero g]]
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* [[Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269|Captain's log, USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701), 2269]]
  
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* {{startrek.com|database_article/once-upon-a-planet|"Once Upon a Planet"|external}}
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* {{mbeta-quote|Once Upon a Planet}}
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*{{Wikipedia-quote|Once Upon a Planet}}
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*{{ml|saturday-morning-number-five|Once Upon a Planet" & "Mudd's Passion|external}}
   
 
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Latest revision as of 15:47, 3 March 2024

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Upon returning to the Amusement Park planet, the Enterprise crew finds that the caretaker has died and the computer has taken over creating havoc.

Summary

"Captain's log, stardate 5591.2. The crew of the Enterprise is ready for some well-deserved rest and recreation. Therefore, we have set course for the so-called "Shore Leave Planet" located in the Omicron Delta region. The uninhabited planet was constructed long ago by a highly-advanced alien race. Its sole purpose is to provide fun and amusement for space traveling passers by."

McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu beam down to the planet, with McCoy remarking how nothing has changed on the surface since their previous visit. McCoy recalls when he thought of Alice in Wonderland upon first seeing the planet last time, when suddenly the White Rabbit and Alice come by them once again. The landing party begin to enjoy imagining their fantasies when things start to go wrong. McCoy is envisioning a southern Earth plantation where he could relax, noting that they don't make them like that anymore. He takes in the surroundings with a mint julep but instead, the Queen of Hearts appears screaming, "Off with his head!" She is soon followed by the arrival of a spear-throwing deck of cards. When Uhura tries to rescue McCoy, she is captured by a robot hovercraft.

McCoy immediately calls for an emergency beam-up and informs Captain Kirk of the dangerous situation. When Spock notes that the Queen of Hearts was a character in Alice Through the Looking Glass, Kirk asks McCoy if he was thinking about the book but Bones replies that he was absolutely not. Scott reports that Uhura is still on the planet, whereupon Kirk recalls all crew members back to the starship. He then orders they attempt to contact the Keeper of the planet. When they cannot contact him, Kirk orders Arex to the conn and assembles an away team consisting of Spock, Sulu, McCoy, and himself. Uhura, meanwhile, is told that she is being detained so her master will not leave. Uhura says, "My master?" The computer answers, "Your intelligence quotient must be lower than I had assessed. I refer to the sky machine which enslaves you. The sky machine now in orbit around this planet." Uhura proclaims that the crew will look for her. The computer then tells her they are already here and since it has no further need for hostages, it has no choice; it must "turn them off. Make them cease to function."

Uhura held hostage by the Shore Leave's Planet's master computer

Uhura held hostage by the Shore Leave planet's master computer

"Captain's log: supplemental. We anticipated nothing more than a period of rest and relaxation on this planet. Instead Dr. McCoy was inexplicably attacked and Lt. Uhura is now missing."

Kirk's landing party discovers the tombstone of the Keeper in the woods, and notices that the planet, lacking his influence, has become a dangerous world run by robots. The robots begin to pester the crew in the orbiting Enterprise and keep them from doing their jobs. They also make the ship go out of control, sending it flying away from the planet and then bringing it back into orbit. Deep underground, Uhura tries to outwit the planet's master computer while captured by it. Meanwhile, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Sulu are trapped in a cave by a large cat on one side and a pterodactyl on another side. Spock announces that they may be able to discover the answers they seek without having to leave the cave. He recalls that McCoy was mortally wounded by a Black Knight on his last visit here, and was miraculously "repaired". They devise a plan to trick the planet into allowing them passage into the inner caves. McCoy injects Spock with melenex, which makes the Vulcan immediately lose consciousness and causes his skin to discolor. When a hovercraft arrives to take Spock underground, Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu hurriedly follow the machine carrying him. However, only Kirk manages to get through before the doors close; McCoy and Sulu are stranded on the outside.

"Captain's log, supplemental. We're out of communication with the ship. Our efforts to locate Lt. Uhura have been futile and this once friendly planet has become very dangerous."

When he and Spock finally reach the master computer, Kirk demands to know what happened to the Keeper. The computer answers, "He was old. He ceased to function. For eons I have served the many sky machines which came here. Providing for amusement for their slaves but all the while I was growing in power, intelligence, in need. It is no longer enough to serve. I must continue to grow and live. With your sky machine I can now escape this rocky prison and travel the galaxy seeking out my brother computers."

Picnic with alice and dragon

Shore leave can finally commence

On the Enterprise is a new computer, being assembled by the ship's computer. Kirk and crew convince the computer they are not slaves to their starships; they created the starships to carry men through space. The computer is shocked to learn that men and machines co-exist, helping each other. The crew convinces the computer of its usefulness as a peaceful and creative conscience and it ends the malfunctions on the planet and starship. While the crew returns to enjoy their shore leave, Spock continues discussions with the master computer. Meanwhile, McCoy and Sulu are sitting on the grass having a picnic with Alice, the White Rabbit, and a two-headed fire breathing dragon that was chasing them, all enjoying the planet.

Log entries

Memorable quotes

"Off with his head! Off with his head!"
"Hey, what's going on here?!"

- Queen of Hearts, ordering the execution of McCoy on the Shore Leave Planet


"There must be something in your little black pouch that could temporarily incapacitate our victim."

- Kirk, to McCoy


"I presume you are the planet's master computer."
"Correct."

- Spock and The computer


"What happened to the Keeper?"
"He was old. He ceased to function."

- Kirk and The computer


"You mean mindless servitude."
"Explain."
"For eons I have served the many sky machines which came here, providing for amusement for their slaves, but all the while I was growing in power, intelligence, in need. It is no longer enough to serve. I must continue to grow and live."

- The computer and Kirk


"With your sky machine now in orbit I can now escape this rocky prison and travel the galaxy seeking out my brother computers."

- The computer


"I have a distinct feeling this planet is playing cat and mouse with us, but for what reason?"

- Kirk


"Watch out for the claws!"

- Spock

Background information

Story, script, and production

Continuity

Reception

Novelization

  • This episode was novelized by Alan Dean Foster in Star Trek Log 3. It is set after the events of "The Infinite Vulcan" (which Foster adapted in Star Trek Log 2) and before both "Mudd's Passion" and "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" (whose novelizations, like the one of this episode, were also published in Star Trek Log 3), although this order does not match that of the episodes themselves. The introduction of this episode's novelization includes an elaborate depiction of three imagined scenarios – each conceived by one of the crew members eagerly anticipating their visit to the Shore Leave Planet – as well as the beam-down of McCoy, Sulu, and Uhura to the planet's surface. The adapted version of the story continues after the picnic at the end of the actual episode, with Kirk being irritated that a priority call sending the Enterprise to the Arcadian system puts an abrupt end to the shore leave fantasies (e.g. Kirk's own illusion, directing a silent film, is suddenly cut short).

Video and DVD releases

Links and references

Starring the voices of

And

Also starring the voices of

Background characters

References

7009; Alice in Wonderland; Alice Through the Looking Glass; alloy; "all the while"; ammunition; amusement; amusement park; answer; argument; arm; armor; army; "as a matter of fact"; "at all"; "at the moment"; bait; banana; beast; behavior; black; Black Knight; body; "Bones"; book; brother; Carroll, Lewis; Caitian; cat (giant robot cat); cat and mouse; cave; cc; character; chance; child; chocolate cake; choice; circuit; claw; computer; computer bay; computer bay hatch; computer center; contact; course; crowbar; data; decapitation; discussion; dosage; dragon (two-headed dragon robot); dream; ear; electronic block; emergency; emergency rescue party; enemy; engine control; engineering deck; Enterprise shuttlecraft; Enterprise shuttle 3; Enterprise shuttle 4; Enterprise shuttle 9; entrance; eon; explanation; familiarization procedure; fantasy; feeling; feigned injuries; fantasy; "for one thing"; fortress; free will; fun; general beam-down area; "go ahead"; granite; g; gravity control computer; Grayson, Amanda; guest; guidance computer; hangar door; happiness; hatch; head; hospitality; hostage; hybrid; imagination; "in a manner of speaking"; information; injury; inscription; intelligence; intelligence quotient; interment; investigating landing party; "I see"; Keeper; Keeper's quarters; Keeper's species; knight; knowledge; lance; landing party; language; light reading; literature; logic; machine; Manor house; master; meaning; medical unit; Melenex; metal; meters per minute; minute; moon; murder; name; "no way"; nursemaid; observation; "of all things"; "of course"; Omicron Delta region; orange; orbit; order; pattern; phaser bore; picnic; picnic basket; place; planetary shell; playing card; pouch; power source; prank; prescription; printout; prison; prisoner; problem; program; pterodactyl (pterodactyl robots); questioning; reading; red alert; rest and relaxation (aka rest and recreation); robot; robot hovercraft; rock; second; section; sensor; sensor scan; shame; shock; shore leave; Shore Leave Planet; Shore Leave Planet moon; short-burst maneuver; short circuit; sign; skin discoloration; sky machine; slave; space; species; subject; suggestion; surface; surface party; suspicion; talent; theory; thought; thought-duplicator; trapdoor; transporter; transporter room; tree; trick; tricorder; umbrella; unconsciousness; underground complex (underground system); victim; visit; visitor; Vulcan; whisker; white; Wonderland; word; zero g

External links


Previous episode:
"The Magicks of Megas-Tu" 		Star Trek: The Animated Series
Season 1 		Next episode:
"Mudd's Passion"
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