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A war between the Klingons and Federation is imminent, and it's up to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to persuade the peaceful, agrarian planet Organia to sign on with the good guys before the Klingons overwhelm the place. What's the rush? Organia is in a strategically valuable position for whichever warring side claims it first. The only problem is, the Organians don't seem to care. Kirk and First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) make an awfully good pitch for Federation protection, but the planet's Council of Elders rejects the offer as a tacit invitation to violence on their world. Worse, the Council takes little heed of a Klingon invasion, insisting there is no problem and earning the enmity of both Kirk and Klingon Commander Kor (John Colicos). Essentially a Cold War satire disguised as a Federation-Klingon showdown in most unusual circumstances, "Errand of Mercy" is the brainchild of producer-writer Gene L. Coon, who makes a wonderfully convincing case for the absurdity of each side's claim to moral superiority. Highlights of the episode include the enigmatic, retiring performances of the Council members, and the Butch-and-Sundance banter between Kirk and Spock as they set about trying to become a two-man Resistance targeting Klingon munitions. The episode is directed by John Newland, best known as the host of the supernatural television series,
One Step Beyond.
--Tom Keogh
From the Back Cover
Kirk and his crew come face to face with the Klingons, and both learn the meaning of war when beings from the planet Organia interfere.
TREK TRIVIA
John Colicos (Commander Kor), the first actor to portray a Klingon, went on to costar in another science fiction series, Battlestar Galactica.
This episode was directed by John Newland, the former host of the series One Step Beyond.
