Whom Gods Destroy


Episodio
Serie:	TOS
Temporada:	3
Producción
Nº Producción:	071
Fecha de Emisión:(1)	3 de Enero de 1969
Orden de Emisión:	3x14
Ficción
Año:	2269
Fecha Estelar:	5718.3

Kirk y Spock son tomados prisioneros en un asilo por un antiguo héroe de la Flota Estelar.

Sumario:

Kirk and Spock beam down to the Elba II asylum and are met by Dr. Cory, the governor of the penal colony. He explains that they have just increased the number of inmates by one, and the new inmate is Garth of Izar. Kirk mentions that Garth was a legendary Fleet Captain before going insane, and that his exploits were required reading at the academy.

Dr. Cory leads Kirk and Spock to Garth's holding cell, only to discover the actual Dr. Cory restrained and looking roughed-up. At this point, Garth reveals himself and opens the remaining holding cells, releasing the inmates of Elba II. After placing Kirk and Spock into the holding cell with the real Dr. Cory, it is explained that Garth learned how to morph his cellular structure to look like other people.

Garth morphs into Kirk and visits the transporter room, intent on taking control of the Enterprise and seeking vengeance against his former crewmembers. Scotty, who is in command of the Enterprise, asks "Kirk" for the transport code word: "Queen to Queen's level three," but Garth is unable to respond with the correct counter sign. He tells Scotty that was just a test and then gets very angry, causing him to turn back into his true form.

Realizing that he can't board the Enterprise without the counter sign, Garth returns and invites Kirk and Spock to dinner, but states that governor Cory is not on the guest list. They all proceed to an elaborate feast with the inmates serving as entertainment.

After the feast is over, Garth brings in a rehabilitation chair which he has modified to cause pain. Governor Cory is placed in the chair and tortured for a short while. Kirk refuses to give in, and Garth places him in the chair instead. After another episode of torture, Kirk is placed in a separate room where Marta comes to him and begins to seduce him. She suddenly looses it and tries to stab Kirk, who manages to fight her off. Marta explains that Kirk is "her lover and she must kill him." She is prevented from doing so by Spock, who uses the Vulcan nerve pinch to subdue her.

Spock and Kirk proceed to the transporter room, and Spock attempts to get Kirk to give the countersign. Kirk refuses, and demands that Spock give the countersign. He steps back and draws his phaser instead. At this point, Spock morphs into Garth and reveals it was a trick all along. Kirk's phaser, naturally, is uncharged.

Eventually, the real Spock shows up and Garth morphs into a likeness of Kirk. The two begin fighting while Spock tries to decide which one is the real Captain Kirk and which one is Garth. The fight ends in a tie, and Kirk tells Spock to shoot both of them. Spock then shoots the fake Kirk and allows the security team from the Enterprise to beam down and restore order in the asylum.

Once the inmates have been returned to their holding cells, Garth is placed in the rehabilitation chair (the non-painful version) and returns to a sedated state. As he is being moved from the chair to his cell, he notices Kirk and very calmly asks if they know each other. Kirk tells him that they do not, and Garth is led away.

Notas de Producción:

En el Mundo

Latinoamérica / España: A Quien Destruyen los Dioses
Brasil: Castigo dos Deuses (El Castigo de los Dioses)
Alemania: Wen die Götter zerstören
Italia: Il Sogno di un Folle (El Sueño de una Muchedumbre)
Francia: La Colère des Dieux (La Ira de los Dioses)
Japón: Uchu no Seishin-byouin (Asilo Insano en el Espacio)

Cronología:

Primer Borrador de la Historia de Lee Erwin, remitido a la producción el 18 de Julio de 1968
Segundo Borrador de la Historia, remitido el 26 de Julio de 1968
Adaptación para Televisión, remitido el 16 de Agosto de 1968
Primer Borrador del Guión, Remitido el 5 de Septiembre de 1968
Revisión del Guión, Remitido el 17 de Septiembre de 1968
Comienzo de la Filmación del Episodio, Segunda Mitad de Octubre de 1968

Curiosidades:

El título está tomado de la frase de Eurípides: "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad." ("Destruir a los Dioses es el primer síntoma de la locura").

El traje de Garth es el mismo que utiliza Anton Karidian en "The Conscience of the King"; por otra parte, el ambo del Gobernador Donald Cory es el utilizado por el Doctor Tristan Adams en el episodio "Dagger of the Mind".

El metraje del Enterprise disparando sobre el planeta es el filmado para el episodio "Who Mourns for Adonais?".

Los trajes espaciales fueron vistos previamente en el episodio "The Tholian Web".

La silla de tortura de Garth también fue vista en el episodio "Dagger of the Mind".

La Auto-Coronación de Garth es reminiscente de otra en la historia terrestre: La de Napoleon Bonaparte cuando se encumbró como Emperador de Francia, seguida de la de su consorte Josefina.

En el Reino Unido, la BBC de Londres salteó la emisión de este episodio por su contenido; recién fue emitido por primera vez el 19 de Enero de 1994.

La frase de Spock "¿El Capitán Kirk, Supongo?" es una alusión a la famosa pregunta realizada por el explorador Henry Morton Stanley al Dr. David Livingstone el 10 de Noviembre de 1871 a orillas del Lago Tanganika: "¿El Doctor Livingstone, Supongo?"; también sería motivo del título de un episodio de DS9: "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?"

Errores:

Cuando Kirk se defiende el intento de Marta de apuñalarlo, se ven las manos de William Shatner manchadas del maquillaje de Yvonne Craig

Créditos y Referencias:

Estrellas Invitadas:

Actores:

No Acreditados:

Historia:

Cartografía:

Razas:

Referencias:

William Shakespeare,

Notas al Pie:

(1) Las fechas y orden de emisión corresponden a Estados Unidos

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