Post by magicmuggle01 on Oct 3, 2018 10:16:20 GMT
Star Trek: The Original Series (Minus Universe) The Alternative Factor (Episode).
Investigating the cause of a massive, galaxy-wide disruption in space, the Enterprise finds a mad scientist who claims he is being pursued by a hideous being.
Summary
In standard orbit around an iron-silica-type uncharted planet, the USS Enterprise prepares to complete its survey, when the starship is violently rocked twice and everything within sensor range suddenly "blinks", almost as if the universe is on the verge of ceasing to exist. And, in the wake of this, a man appears on the surface of the planet, where moments earlier there was no life.
Act One
Beaming down, Captain Kirk, Spock, and the landing party encounter a man. "You came! Thank the heavens, it's not too late!", he exclaims. Dirty and disheveled, he falls from a rock. The landing party returns to the Enterprise with him, where Kirk learns more news – the strange phenomenon drained the dilithium crystals almost completely. Still worse, Starfleet Command issues a Code Factor 1 message – invasion status. The effect experienced by the Enterprise was also experienced everywhere in the galaxy, and far beyond. Starfleet withdraws all nearby ships – Commodore Barstow informs Kirk that the Enterprise is the bait.
In his quarters, Kirk talks to his "guest" – a man named Lazarus, who is pursuing a "thing," a monster who destroyed his entire civilization. He informs Kirk that he will stop at nothing to destroy it. Beaming back down to the planet, Kirk learns from Spock that there is no other creature here. Spock, accusing Lazarus of lying, states "I fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. I have simply made the logical deduction that you are a liar." Kirk demands the truth – and the universe turns inside out once again. The same "winking" phenomenon occurs again. And Lazarus... first he has a bandaged forehead, and then he doesn't, and then he does again.
Act Two
Strange energy visible on the planet on the viewscreen
Meanwhile, Spock has discovered a source of radiation that is not there – a "rip" in the universe, where regular physical laws do not apply. The key to locating this source seems to be the dilithium crystals – a revelation which excites Lazarus, who demands the impossible: that Kirk give him the crystals.
The captain refuses, but Lazarus overpowers Lieutenant Charlene Masters as well as an engineering officer and steals two dilithium crystals, nevertheless.
Act Three
In the briefing room, Kirk confronts Lazarus, but he denies it, blaming his monster. And the evidence suggests he isn't the thief, for the crystals are not aboard his ship. In Sick Bay, Kirk confronts Lazarus with his lies, and learns that Lazarus distorted a fact: he is a time traveler. The dead world the Enterprise orbits is the distant future of his destroyed homeworld; the place and time he has traveled to in pursuit of the monster. At Dr. McCoy's urging, the crew departs Sick Bay to allow Lazarus to rest and recover from his fall.
Having relocated to the briefing room to consider all of the known evidence, Kirk and Spock conclude that the strange energy must come from a source outside the universe. A source in another, parallel universe. There are two copies of Lazarus, and they are periodically exchanging places through a kind of door – and if they ever exist in the same universe at the same time, everything, everywhere, will be annihilated in a cataclysmic matter/antimatter explosion.
Meanwhile, the alternative Lazarus creates a diversion by starting a fire in main engineering, steals the ship's energy crystals, then beams down. Kirk pursues. As he attempts to enter Lazarus' spaceship, he vanishes, hurled through the corridor into the other universe.
Act Four
Once there, Kirk meets the other but sane Lazarus-B, and learns the truth. Lazarus-B's people discovered how to pass through the negative magnetic corridor that both connects and protects the two universes. When this happened, Lazarus-A couldn't bear the knowledge that he had a duplicate, and resolved to destroy his opposite. He is mad and doesn't care if this causes the destruction of two universes. Lazarus-B and Kirk realize he must be stopped: if Kirk can force Lazarus-A into the corridor, Lazarus-B can hold him there, and Kirk can destroy his spaceship – which will also destroy Lazarus-B's spaceship. Access to the corridor will be sealed forever and both universes will be safe, but the men named Lazarus will be at each others' throats for the remainder of eternity. Kirk goes back through the corridor and fights in hand-to-hand combat forcibly throwing Lazarus-A into the "dimensional door." Kirk heads back to the Enterprise, ordering the Lieutenant Leslie to bring the ship's phasers to target the inter-dimensional ship. The two Lazaruses meet once more and fight as phaser beams vaporize the ship, sealing the two for all of eternity, caught together, between universes. Kirk ruminates on the fact that the two Lazarus are going to be at each other's throats for all time and wonders how it would be. Spock reminds Kirk that the universe is now safe. "For you and me. But, what of Lazarus? What of Lazarus?"
Log entries
"Captain's log, stardate 3087.6. While investigating an uncharted planet, the Enterprise, and at least this entire quadrant of space, has been subjected to violent, unexplained stress and force. Sensors have reported the presence of a Human being on the planet below who might be connected with the phenomenon. With my first officer and a security team, I have set out in search of him."
"Captain's log, stardate 3088.3. We continue to orbit the dead planet, which seems to be the source of the phenomenon which has struck the Enterprise, and all sections of the galaxy, once again. As for Lazarus, the story he tells me about the humanoid continues to trouble me."
"Captain's log, stardate 3088.7. We are no closer to finding an answer to the strange phenomenon than we were at the beginning. Not only have two of my crewmen been attacked, two of our dilithium crystals are missing, and without them, the Enterprise cannot operate at full power. They must be found."
Memorable quotes
"I want facts, not poetry."
- Kirk, after Spock describes the cosmic disturbances as "winking out"
"He's death! Anti-life! He lives to destroy!"
- Lazarus, on his antimatter counterpart
"I told you, it was the thing! All white, black and empty. A terrible emptiness."
"Let's get back to the ship."
"He'll kill us all if we don't kill him first! Kill! Kill! Kill!! Kill!! Kill!!!"
- Lazarus and James T. Kirk
"Are you deaf as well as blind?!"
- Lazarus, to Kirk and company
"I fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. I've simply made the logical deduction that you are a liar."
- Spock, to Lazarus
"Sometimes pain can drive a man harder than pleasure."
- Kirk to McCoy, on an injured Lazarus
"Jim, madness has no purpose or reason. But it may have a goal."
- Spock
"If they meet."
"Annihilation, Jim. Total, complete, absolute annihilation."
- Kirk and Spock, on the two Lazarus counterparts existing in the same universe
"So you're the terrible thing? The murdering monster? The creature?"
"Yes, captain. Or he is. It depends on your point of view, doesn't it?"
- Kirk and the antimatter Lazarus
"You'll be trapped inside that corridor with him forever. At each other's throats throughout time."
"Is it such a large price to pay for the safety of two universes?"
- Kirk and the antimatter Lazarus, on sealing the magnetic corridor
"Captain, the universe is safe."
"For you and me. But what of Lazarus? What of Lazarus?"
- Spock and Kirk
Investigating the cause of a massive, galaxy-wide disruption in space, the Enterprise finds a mad scientist who claims he is being pursued by a hideous being.
Summary
In standard orbit around an iron-silica-type uncharted planet, the USS Enterprise prepares to complete its survey, when the starship is violently rocked twice and everything within sensor range suddenly "blinks", almost as if the universe is on the verge of ceasing to exist. And, in the wake of this, a man appears on the surface of the planet, where moments earlier there was no life.
Act One
Beaming down, Captain Kirk, Spock, and the landing party encounter a man. "You came! Thank the heavens, it's not too late!", he exclaims. Dirty and disheveled, he falls from a rock. The landing party returns to the Enterprise with him, where Kirk learns more news – the strange phenomenon drained the dilithium crystals almost completely. Still worse, Starfleet Command issues a Code Factor 1 message – invasion status. The effect experienced by the Enterprise was also experienced everywhere in the galaxy, and far beyond. Starfleet withdraws all nearby ships – Commodore Barstow informs Kirk that the Enterprise is the bait.
In his quarters, Kirk talks to his "guest" – a man named Lazarus, who is pursuing a "thing," a monster who destroyed his entire civilization. He informs Kirk that he will stop at nothing to destroy it. Beaming back down to the planet, Kirk learns from Spock that there is no other creature here. Spock, accusing Lazarus of lying, states "I fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. I have simply made the logical deduction that you are a liar." Kirk demands the truth – and the universe turns inside out once again. The same "winking" phenomenon occurs again. And Lazarus... first he has a bandaged forehead, and then he doesn't, and then he does again.
Act Two
Strange energy visible on the planet on the viewscreen
Meanwhile, Spock has discovered a source of radiation that is not there – a "rip" in the universe, where regular physical laws do not apply. The key to locating this source seems to be the dilithium crystals – a revelation which excites Lazarus, who demands the impossible: that Kirk give him the crystals.
The captain refuses, but Lazarus overpowers Lieutenant Charlene Masters as well as an engineering officer and steals two dilithium crystals, nevertheless.
Act Three
In the briefing room, Kirk confronts Lazarus, but he denies it, blaming his monster. And the evidence suggests he isn't the thief, for the crystals are not aboard his ship. In Sick Bay, Kirk confronts Lazarus with his lies, and learns that Lazarus distorted a fact: he is a time traveler. The dead world the Enterprise orbits is the distant future of his destroyed homeworld; the place and time he has traveled to in pursuit of the monster. At Dr. McCoy's urging, the crew departs Sick Bay to allow Lazarus to rest and recover from his fall.
Having relocated to the briefing room to consider all of the known evidence, Kirk and Spock conclude that the strange energy must come from a source outside the universe. A source in another, parallel universe. There are two copies of Lazarus, and they are periodically exchanging places through a kind of door – and if they ever exist in the same universe at the same time, everything, everywhere, will be annihilated in a cataclysmic matter/antimatter explosion.
Meanwhile, the alternative Lazarus creates a diversion by starting a fire in main engineering, steals the ship's energy crystals, then beams down. Kirk pursues. As he attempts to enter Lazarus' spaceship, he vanishes, hurled through the corridor into the other universe.
Act Four
Once there, Kirk meets the other but sane Lazarus-B, and learns the truth. Lazarus-B's people discovered how to pass through the negative magnetic corridor that both connects and protects the two universes. When this happened, Lazarus-A couldn't bear the knowledge that he had a duplicate, and resolved to destroy his opposite. He is mad and doesn't care if this causes the destruction of two universes. Lazarus-B and Kirk realize he must be stopped: if Kirk can force Lazarus-A into the corridor, Lazarus-B can hold him there, and Kirk can destroy his spaceship – which will also destroy Lazarus-B's spaceship. Access to the corridor will be sealed forever and both universes will be safe, but the men named Lazarus will be at each others' throats for the remainder of eternity. Kirk goes back through the corridor and fights in hand-to-hand combat forcibly throwing Lazarus-A into the "dimensional door." Kirk heads back to the Enterprise, ordering the Lieutenant Leslie to bring the ship's phasers to target the inter-dimensional ship. The two Lazaruses meet once more and fight as phaser beams vaporize the ship, sealing the two for all of eternity, caught together, between universes. Kirk ruminates on the fact that the two Lazarus are going to be at each other's throats for all time and wonders how it would be. Spock reminds Kirk that the universe is now safe. "For you and me. But, what of Lazarus? What of Lazarus?"
Log entries
"Captain's log, stardate 3087.6. While investigating an uncharted planet, the Enterprise, and at least this entire quadrant of space, has been subjected to violent, unexplained stress and force. Sensors have reported the presence of a Human being on the planet below who might be connected with the phenomenon. With my first officer and a security team, I have set out in search of him."
"Captain's log, stardate 3088.3. We continue to orbit the dead planet, which seems to be the source of the phenomenon which has struck the Enterprise, and all sections of the galaxy, once again. As for Lazarus, the story he tells me about the humanoid continues to trouble me."
"Captain's log, stardate 3088.7. We are no closer to finding an answer to the strange phenomenon than we were at the beginning. Not only have two of my crewmen been attacked, two of our dilithium crystals are missing, and without them, the Enterprise cannot operate at full power. They must be found."
Memorable quotes
"I want facts, not poetry."
- Kirk, after Spock describes the cosmic disturbances as "winking out"
"He's death! Anti-life! He lives to destroy!"
- Lazarus, on his antimatter counterpart
"I told you, it was the thing! All white, black and empty. A terrible emptiness."
"Let's get back to the ship."
"He'll kill us all if we don't kill him first! Kill! Kill! Kill!! Kill!! Kill!!!"
- Lazarus and James T. Kirk
"Are you deaf as well as blind?!"
- Lazarus, to Kirk and company
"I fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. I've simply made the logical deduction that you are a liar."
- Spock, to Lazarus
"Sometimes pain can drive a man harder than pleasure."
- Kirk to McCoy, on an injured Lazarus
"Jim, madness has no purpose or reason. But it may have a goal."
- Spock
"If they meet."
"Annihilation, Jim. Total, complete, absolute annihilation."
- Kirk and Spock, on the two Lazarus counterparts existing in the same universe
"So you're the terrible thing? The murdering monster? The creature?"
"Yes, captain. Or he is. It depends on your point of view, doesn't it?"
- Kirk and the antimatter Lazarus
"You'll be trapped inside that corridor with him forever. At each other's throats throughout time."
"Is it such a large price to pay for the safety of two universes?"
- Kirk and the antimatter Lazarus, on sealing the magnetic corridor
"Captain, the universe is safe."
"For you and me. But what of Lazarus? What of Lazarus?"
- Spock and Kirk
