Whom Gods Destroy (Episode)

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield Star TrekThe Mark of Gideon

Whom Gods Destroy

"Whom Gods Destroy" (TOS 71)

Series	Star Trek
Season	3
Episode	14
Production Number	71
Release Date	3 Jan 1969
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Stardate 5718.3: Kirk is confronted by one of his heroes, now criminally insane.

Captain Kirk takes the Enterprise to Elba II, home of an asylum for the Federation's criminally insane. He has brought a new drug that, when used in conjunction with other treatments, can cure these individuals. Beaming down, Kirk and Spock are met by the colony's governor, Donald Cory — who turns out to be Garth of Izar, a brilliant, former starship captain. Now an inmate of Elba II, Garth used his mysterious shape-changing power to assume Cory's appearance. Imprisoning the real governor, Garth then freed his fellow inmates and took over the asylum.

Now he seeks to gain possession of the Enterprise. His attempts, involving impersonation and the wiles of the Orion inmate Marta, are unsuccessful. In a rage, Garth has Marta dragged into the poisonous atmosphere beyond the asylum's protective dome and killed with a powerful explosive he invented. Mr. Scott, left in command of the Enterprise, cannot penetrate the asylum's forcefield to aid Kirk. But Spock manages to escape his guards — only to discover that Garth has transformed into Kirk's double. The Vulcan correctly deduces which is the impostor, and after control of the asylum is restored to Cory, Garth is treated with the new drug and on his way to recovery.

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