Is There in Truth No Beauty? - Definition and Overview

"Is There in Truth No Beauty?" is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast October 18, 1968. It is episode #62, written by Jean Lissette Aroeste, and directed by Ralph Senensky.

Quick Overview: The Enterprise travels with an alien ambassador, whose appearance causes insanity.

On stardate 5630.7, the USS Enterprise picks up a Medusan ambassador named Kollos. The ambassador belongs to race of energy-based creatures, emotionally beautiful on the inside, yet with an outward appearance so hideous it drives humanoids insane. The Federation seeks a council with the Medusans for a technology trade, especially in the area of improved navigation equipment for all starships.

To transport the alien, it must remain concealed inside a plastic container. Lawrence Marvick, one of the principal designers of the Enterprise is beamed aboard first, then the transporter room is cleared, all except for Mr. Spock, who dons the special visor, since Vulcans can better tolerate the appearance of a Medusan while wearing it, and operates the controls to beam the ambassador and his passenger aboard. Kollos' container materializes along with Dr. Miranda Jones, who is Kollos' beautiful assistant and a gifted young telepath.

The ambassador's party are assigned quarters, and Spock offers Miranda help in carrying the Medusan container to her room. It is already clear, even in Mr. Spock, that he and the young doctor find each other very intriguing. Spock invites her and Marvick to a dinner with Captain Kirk later that evening. Spock leaves and Miranda opens the container to look upon her Medusan companion. The being appears as a wildly strobing array of light and color. Oddly enough, she seems immune to its appearance.

During the dinner, Miranda notices Spock's "Vulcan Idic" ceremonial badge and questions him about it. She concludes that Spock is far more powerful with his telepathic abilities than she could ever have, including being able to better communicate with her Medusan companion. After bringing the Medusan up in conversation, Miranda feels faint, sensing murderous intentions from someone in the room. She asks if she can be excused and quickly leaves. She senses that the murderous desires emanate from Marvick, but she doesn't know his intended target.

Unknown to Miranda, Marvick is secretly in love with her and is extremely jealous of her close relationship with the Medusan, to the point where he plots to kill it. Later that evening, Marvick enters Kollos' room with a phaser, but Kollos senses the intrusion and emerges from his box. Marvick then sees the Medusan and goes insane.

Marvick runs down to engineering and begins to reset the controls of the ship. Suddenly the Enterprise lurches forward to Warp Factor 9, and is sent on an unstable course that takes the ship outside of the galaxy. Marvick is finally apprehended and taken to sickbay where his condition rapidly deteriorates and he dies. Without any navigational references of where they are the Enterprise is lost in space.

Being naturally gifted navigators, the Medusan offers to mind meld with either Mr. Spock, or Miranda, and can use their humanoid body to operate the ship's controls to return it to known space. Miranda, who is extremely jealous of Spock's ability to join with the Medusan, strongly objects when Kirk chooses him over her. She debates the decision but realizes there is no other alternative, since she has no idea how to pilot the ship, but Spock does.

When questioned about her strong attachment toward the alien, she claims it is because Kollos' mind is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen, so serene and pure. At this time, it is also revealed that Miranda is completely blind. The special netting over her dress is actually an sophisticated sensor net which allows her to "see", and remain immune to the presence of the Medusan when out of his container.

Kollos is brought to the bridge, where a special partition is set up to keep him hidden from the bridge crew. Mr. Spock dons the special visors and opens Kollos' container. He mind melds with the creature as everyone curiously watches. Soon, Spock emerges from the partition with a happy smile and warmly greets the crew as Kollos. Miranda's jealousy seems to remain as she impatiently watches Kollos use Spock's body to pilot the Enterprise back into known space.

With the ship safely returned, it is time for Kollos to go back to his box. Spock moves behind the partition, but then Captain Kirk notices Spock's protective goggles are still sitting on the helm console. Kirk tries to stop him, but it is too late. Spock emerges from the partition and madly attacks the crew.

Dr. McCoy manages to sedate Spock and he is rushed to sickbay, while Kirk, knowing Miranda was jealous of Spock, accuses her of telepathically suggesting that Spock forget his visor. McCoy reports Spock is dying, but as an act of good will, Miranda goes to join minds with him, restoring his sanity and saving his life.

Later, Miranda and Kollos arrive at their destination, but before they depart, Captain Kirk offers Miranda a rose. Miranda asks, "I suppose it has thorns." , where Kirk replies, "I never found one that didn't."

Trivia

During the filming of the scene with the Vulcan Idic medallion, new pages of script were suddenly sent down from Gene Roddenberry, who had made good on his threat to the network to no longer personally produce the series over a timeslot dispute. The new dialogue had Spock going on a dissertation about the Idic philosophy, and the actors recognized it as little more than a sales pitch for merchandising the medallion. They rebelled and refused to film it until Roddenberry intervened in person and trimmed it down.

External Links

"Is There in Truth No Beauty? (http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/Is_There_in_Truth_No_Beauty%3F)" article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki