- Kirk and Spock are taken prisoners by a former starship captain named Garth, who now resides at, and has taken over, a high security asylum for the criminally insane.
- The Enterprise travels to the planet Elba II, home of the last asylum for the criminally insane, to deliver a serum that should cure all of its remaining inmates. Kirk and Spock beam down to the planet's surface where all seems in order, but they soon find the inmates now run the asylum, led by Garth (at one time a starship Captain, whose exploits were required reading at the Academy). Garth, who's learned how to shape-shift, can take on the appearance of anyone, including Kirk or Spock. In the process of learning this ability, he lost his sanity. Garth plans to pose as the Captain, beam up to the Enterprise and take over the ship, but Kirk has a roadblock set up to overcome.—garykmcd
- When the U.S.S. Enterprise delivers medicines to a high security asylum for the criminally insane of various galactic races, a former starship commander inmate, who how calls himself Lord Garth, heads a successful takeover with other patients, who become his humble subjects while the cruel madman seizes Captain Kirk and Mister Spock, who now must fight the tyrannical self-declared Master of the Universe, whose megalomania includes staging his coronation with a human sacrifice.—KGF Vissers
- The Enterprise travels to the planet Elba II (with a poisonous atmosphere), home of the last asylum for the criminally insane, to deliver a serum that should cure all of its remaining inmates. Dr Cory (Keye Luke) is the Governor.
Kirk and Spock beam down to the planet's surface where all seems in order. Marta (Yvonne Craig), an inmate, tries to warn Kirk that Cory is not the real Governor of the facility. They soon find the inmates now run the asylum, led by Garth (Steve Ihnat) (at one time a star-ship Captain, whose exploits were required reading at the Academy). The real Governor Cory is a prisoner of Garth,
Garth, who's learned how to shape-shift (the people of Antos showed him the technique to repair his damaged organs, but Garth improvised to later assume any shape he wanted), can take on the appearance of anyone, including Kirk or Spock. In the process of learning this ability, he lost his sanity. Garth has destroyed the medicine and Kirk and Spock brought with them.
Garth plans to pose as the Captain, beam up to the Enterprise and take over the ship, but Kirk has a roadblock set up to overcome. Scott wont beam anyone aboard till He gets an answer to "queen to Queen's level 3". Scott guesses something is wrong, but cant beam anyone down, as there is a force-field around the asylum. Garth invites Kirk and Spock to dinner, but they wont eat as Cory is not invited. Kirk and Spock plan to distract Garth long enough to disable the force field and beam down a security detail with weapons to take control.
Spock enrages Garth by asking him why he destroyed the peaceful people of Antos IV. His crew refused to obey his orders and thus Garth was declared criminally insane and ordered to the asylum. Garth says he wants to rule the galaxy and tries to recruit Kirk and Spock as future rulers, by his side. Kirk refuses, and Garth reveals that he seeks the answer to the question posed by Scott, to gain access to the Enterprise. When Kirk refuses again, Garth puts him in an mind twister chair to torture him. Marta begs Garth to leave Kirk and promises him to get him the answer from Kirk. Marta tells Kirk she loves him. This was a trick as she finds out that Kirk plans to gain control of the asylum and tries to kill him. She is disarmed by Spock.
Turns out it was Garth in form of Spock. He wanted to manipulate Kirk into thinking his plan was succeeding and to get the code from Kirk to enable beaming aboard the Enterprise. But at the last moment, Kirk senses the issue and tells Scott that Spock will give the code. Garth's plan again fails. Garth is enraged and blows up Marta, using his own developed explosive (which he calls the most powerful explosive in the Universe). The explosion is registered by the Enterprise. Scott decides to cut through the force-field at its weakest point on the far side of the planet. MEanwhile Spock escapes and reaches the control room, where he finds 2 Kirk's. One real, and other Garth in the form of Kirk. Spock forces Garth's hand as he knows that Garth must be using a lot of energy to maintain the image of Kirk and decides to wait. Garth (in Kirk's form) attacks Kirk.. Kirk selflessly asks Spock to shoot them both, as that's the only way to save the Enterprise. Spock shoots the other Kirk and he turns out to be Garth.
McCoy beams down and administers the medicine. Garth recovers and is sane again.
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