ST: TOS, S1, E3: Where No Man Has Gone Before

So, this is the pilot with the crew that we know and love. They are still in comfy sweaters, but you know, it's almost there. This piolet also establishes a personal relationship between Kirk and a crew member, this time Operations Officer Mitchell. They've had some adventures together. They've seen things, man. We are also introduced to what I think is Starfleets only recognition of human psychics ever, in Dr. Dehner. There's talk of ESP tests and human psychic potential, but after this episode I don't think it ever appears again, at least not in TNG.

The Enterprise finds a destroyed ship and it's incomplete logs that have some unclear entries on ESP, a wave that hit the ship, and an apparent self destruct order. This is the first mention of a self destruct mechanism, which is interesting. It's just mentioned in passing but seems like a huge deal. Anyway.  The wave clearly affects Mitchell and he is all weak and stuff.

While in sick bay, or maybe they are still calling it the dispensary, Mitchell learns how to do all kinds of things with his mind, like change the readouts on the medical equipment and floating a cup of water across the room so that he can have a drink. During his stay he develops a relationship with Dr. Dehner.

Spock comes across very cold in the episode when he repeatedly tells Kirk that Mitchell is getting too powerful, probably quotes Animal Farm, and that the only course of action is to put Mitchell down. It's logical, cold, terrible and calculated.

It's also right.

My ESP brings all the blonds to the yard.

As Mitchell edges ever nearer his God complex Kirk hems and haws at what to do with his old friend. He can't be detained on the ship. The crews attempts to keep him subdued with a hypospray seem to have diminishing returns. Luckily, after being injected, Mitchell can still stand up on the transporter pad. Kirk decides on exile to a lifeless automated mining planet that sees maintenance only every few decades. I'm sure that wouldn't be an unpleasant surprise for any one who decided to visit it.

Oh, also, Dr. Dehner is also starting to go power mad with psychic power. You know, so there can be a mating pair.

The end is a little foggy, at the moment, but Mitchell, while imprisoned, uses his mind to strangle the technician set to watch him with some wires and escapes some how.

The whole thing cumulates with a fist fight versus Kirk on the planet surface while Dehner watches. I miss Pichard here, because he would never say "I'm the Captain, it's my responsibility." and then run off and fight a mini-god with a phaser rifle and his fists. He'd send Riker, or Yar, or Worf, or Data. Kirk pretty much gets his ass handed to him and only come out on top because Dehner isn't all the way gone and pulls a Vadar before dying. Once again, the crew is helpless against a force and an outside influence has to help them. TOS is scary so far.

Spock was right. When you find a rabid psychic dog, you put it down.