In "Operation - Annihilate!", the Enterprise visits a planet known as Deneva which is in the direct path of a spreading virus causing insanity and eventual death in the population. It also just so happens that Kirk's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew reside on Deneva. It turns out that the insanity has already reached the population. Kirk's brother & sister-in-law die; his nephew is hanging on by a thread. The crew discovers that the virus is spread via strange flying manta ray-like creatures that latch onto its victims and sting them. Spock gets bit but due to his Vulcan pedigree is able to mentally fend off the creatures enough to maintain control of himself. After much experimentation, it is discovered that the creatures hate direct sunlight. But it will require a lot of it. Spock is cured but temporarily blinded. The Enterprise uses local satellites to flash the surface with the light, destroying the creatures and putting everything back to normal.
So are we just going to forget about the nephew then? Okay screenwriters... We never see him and Kirk reunited. Instead we end the season with some gentle ribbing. Kirk doesn't even seem affected anymore by his brother's death. It all felt like a very sloppy conclusion. Making Spock blind for 8 seconds didn't really feel necessary either.
Besides this though, it's an okay episode. It's got a decent amount of action but the dialogue and plot is a bit clunky at times. My favorite aspect of it was watching Kirk wrestle with the consideration that he may need to destroy the entire planet (his nephew & Spock included) in order to stop the virus from spreading further. That's a heavy cross to bear and you can feel the relief from Kirk when he doesn't need to exercise this option.
Note: This is kind of in the same category as the Borg since the amoeba-like creatures seem to share a hive-like mind. Just thought that was an interesting tidbit...
So are we just going to forget about the nephew then? Okay screenwriters... We never see him and Kirk reunited. Instead we end the season with some gentle ribbing. Kirk doesn't even seem affected anymore by his brother's death. It all felt like a very sloppy conclusion. Making Spock blind for 8 seconds didn't really feel necessary either.
Besides this though, it's an okay episode. It's got a decent amount of action but the dialogue and plot is a bit clunky at times. My favorite aspect of it was watching Kirk wrestle with the consideration that he may need to destroy the entire planet (his nephew & Spock included) in order to stop the virus from spreading further. That's a heavy cross to bear and you can feel the relief from Kirk when he doesn't need to exercise this option.
Note: This is kind of in the same category as the Borg since the amoeba-like creatures seem to share a hive-like mind. Just thought that was an interesting tidbit...