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"Metamorphosis" is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series first broadcast November 10, 1967. It is episode #31, written by Gene L. Coon, and directed by Ralph Senensky.
Quick Overview: A shuttle crew from the Enterprise encounters a castaway and his mysterious alien companion.
On stardate 3219.4, Captain James T. Kirk, along with his first officer Mr. Spock and chief medical officer Dr. McCoy are ferrying Commissioner Nancy Hedford to the starship USS Enterprise aboard the shuttlecraft Galileo. Nancy suffers from Sicuro's disease, and will seek treatment for her illness aboard the Enterprise while the ship takes her to Epsilon Caneris III, where she will join in negotiation talks between the planet's warring factions.
As the shuttle passes near an unexplored system, a strange glob of energy appears and disables the craft's systems. The energy pulls them down to the nearby planet Gamma Canaris N. Once there, the party disembarks and finds a rocky planet with suitable atmospheric conditions to support humanoid life. Kirk tries to contact the Enterprise for assistance, but his signals are being blocked by some unknown phenomena. With no time to waste exploring, Kirk and Spock try to figure out a way to repair the shuttle.
Suddenly a friendly young man appears from no where, and identifies himself as Cochrane. He tells the party he has been marooned on the planet alone for quite some time, and that he's afraid repairing the shuttle is futile. He informs that there is a dampening field in effect that won't allow the shuttlecraft to leave and they are stranded just as he is. Cochrane leads his new guests to his home, a small but cozy little shelter.
Spock and Kirk wonder if this Cochrane is related to Zefram Cochrane, the Alpha Centaurian who developed the first warp drive technology over 100 years ago. When questioned, Cochrane admits he is in fact thee Zefram Cochrane, and tells how when he was 87 years old, he took to space to die alone. When he came to this system his ship was disabled by an asteroid, he would have surely been killed if he was not saved, grabbed last minute by the same energy force which brought Kirk's shuttle down. He calls the being who saved him, "The Companion", a shimmering blob of sparking energy, and says the entity brought the others here to keep him company. Despite being so old, Cochrane appears young, claiming the Companion rejuvenated him.
Nancy soon develops a fever, the first sign her illness is getting worse. McCoy informs the others that without proper medical treatment aboard the Enterprise she may die. Not willing to stay any longer, Kirk orders Spock to try to repair the shuttle, while Dr. McCoy makes Nancy as comfortable as possible.
As Spock performs repairs on the shuttle, the Companion appears, and observes what Spock is doing. Spock tries to touch the entity, but is given an electrical jolt that knocks him back. The Companion then takes the liberty of frying the Galileo's electrical systems, rendering any hope of further repair useless. Spock returns to Cochrane's shelter and informs Captain Kirk of the encounter. Spock believes the creature's electrical attack may give a clue to how to disable it. He then sets to work constructing a device that may "short circuit" the entity.
Once Spock's device is complete, Kirk orders Cochrane to call the Companion. Cochrane is unsure about harming the being, but calls it anyway. When The Companion appears Spock activate his device. The effect seems to cause Cochrane more harm, as he stiffens in pain while the Companion lashes out at its attackers. Cochrane regains his composure and orders the Companion to stop the attack. The creature obeys just before finishing Kirk and Spock off for good.
Kirk decides to communicate directly with the entity and fetches the universal translator, (which translates brainwave emissions into spoken language), from the shuttle. Hoping it will work on the incorporeal creature Kirk begins to talk to it, asking why it is keeping everyone prisoner.
The device works, and the Companion responds, identifying itself as a female of its kind. It explains it is keeping Cochrane on the planet, but not as a prisoner. The creature says it is in love with him, and wants only to care for him (like a "pet") showing him nothing but love and companionship. Cochrane, repulsed by the entity's words, barges off saying he will not be "fodder for any inhuman monster." At the same time, Nancy, in a feverish daze and near death, replies she would give anything to experience another's love, and wonders how Cochrane could just run from it.
Kirk tries to convince the Companion that it is not compatible with Cochrane, and it is not capable of loving a human the way another human can. If the Companion truly loves Cochrane, it would let him go. The Companion however seems to disagree, then suddenly it enters Nancy's body. To everyone's amazement, Nancy rises, fully recovered. The Companion then says it has merged with her, and the two are now one. It is now the only thing keeping Nancy alive, If the Companion leaves her body, she will die. The Companion then restores the shuttlecraft's systems allowing Kirk and the others to leave as they please.
Cochrane then takes Nancy in his arms and decides to remain behind and live with her forever, sealing his vow with a compassionate kiss.
Meanwhile the Enterprise arrives in the system and begins searching the asteroid field for the Galileo, which has claimed the lives of some 7000 bodies already. They soon pick up communications from the Galileo, and are relieved that the Captain is alright and will dock with the ship shortly. Kirk and the others agree to keep their encounter with Cochrane to themselves.
Trivia
Zefram Cochrane returns in the motion picture Star Trek VIII: First Contact, although his personality and appearance are completely different than they were in the original episode. Furthermore, in the film, Cochrane is from Earth instead of Alpha Centauri.
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