Synopsis

Act II: TRIAL

Scene 1—Court Martial

A Conference/Hearing Room on the Enterprise: Spock presents a holovision record of Pike’s early command of the Enterprise.

            Commencing a hearing with Spock, Tor and Kirk try to extract information from Spock about the ship’s locked guidance system. Spock refuses, insisting instead on an immediate court martial trial. Kirk counters that court martial requires a panel of three officers, but Spock points out that Pike—in spite of his injuries—qualifies as a third juror. Kirk tests Pike’s ability to communicate through his brain scan, and determines that the trial can go forward. Spock immediately pleads guilty to charges of kidnapping, mutiny, and treason. Shocked, Commander Tor asks “why?”—and her question gives Spock the latitude to present a wide variety of evidence in support of an answer.

            To explain his actions, Spock introduces a mysterious virtual reality record of Pike’s early command of the Enterprise, with Spock serving as Science Officer. Tor initially disputes the legitimacy of the evidence, but seeing Pike’s acknowledgment that the record seems accurate, she reluctantly agrees to continue.

            As the record resumes, we witness the younger Pike’s crew announcing a distress beacon 18 light years away from Talos IV, at that time a remote and mostly unknown planet. Pike refuses any suggestion they should attempt a rescue, given the low chance of remaining survivors 18 years later. A recent conflict on Rigel 7 left many of the Enterprise injured and the ship damaged, and Pike is impatient with the idea of facing further risk.

 

Scene 2—A Distress Signal

Young Pike’s quarters (early Enterprise) — Conference Room (late Enterprise): Pike reluctantly agrees to rescue survivors of a shipwreck 18 light years away; Kirk attempts to heal his rift with Commodore Tor.

            Pike retreats in anguish to his quarters, and summons ship’s doctor Catherine Boyce to request her medical opinion in support of his decision to ignore the distress signal. Boyce consents, but inquires further into Pike’s state of duress. Pike admits he is shaken by their conflict on Rigel 7, disillusioned, and contemplating resignation. In confidence, he speaks of an unfinished past on Earth—where Vivian, a woman he’d planned to marry, died in an untimely accident. He hints that he might have made different choices that day, possibly preventing her death. In that moment, via intercom, the young Spock announces a continuing beacon from Talos IV, indicating that several crew did survive the crash, and found the planet habitable. Pike reverses his earlier orders, and announces a rescue mission.

            On the contemporary Enterprise, Tor interrupts the court martial hearing once again, this time more forcefully challenging the validity of Spock’s evidence. Pike, via his brain scan, affirms that what they are seeing represents the reality he experienced. Tor is still unconvinced, but finds herself in the minority.

            Agreeing to proceed, Tor nevertheless insists on a court recess. Guards escort Spock to confinement, and others exit, leaving only Kirk and Tor. Wary of tensions between them, Kirk attempts to open conversation with Tor, on their avowedly troubled past work together. As Tor bristles a little at his personal tone, they are interrupted; Uhura pages them with promising news about the ship’s locked autopilot, which could possibly be broken via an interface within a holovision program. The vulnerability seems promising, but she suggests they wait to exploit it until they have a definite plan; Kirk agrees.

            Uhura signs off, leaving Tor and Kirk alone again; she softens a little, but warns Kirk of Federation rules against their relationship. Though she submits to an embrace, she recoils again, urging Kirk that “first, we have these charades to contend with.”

 

Scene 3—Vina: “And I Want”

The bridge of the Enterprise / A Survivors’ Camp on Talos IV: Uhura and Scotty attempt to break Spock’s locked auto-pilot; Pike encounters Vina on Talos IV.

            As Kirk and Tor arrive on the bridge, Uhura demonstrates to Scotty her strategy against Spock’s program: access to the autopilot control appears via a holovision simulation exercise, based on a scenario in Pike’s past. Kirk and Tor quickly realize that the “simulation” is identical to Spock’s evidence, which Uhura is unable to abort or suspend. Realizing all their attempts to intervene against the holovision will fail, Tor calls Spock to the bridge, insisting his presence is necessary to hold him fully accountable for his crimes.

            The younger Pike and Spock, along with Dr. Boyce, arrive on Talos IV to witness a gathering of humans in tattered clothing, singing praise to “Earth, Queen of Planets,” their long lost home. Noticing their visitors, the survivors are overjoyed. During introductions Boyce is alarmed at the perfect health of the humans living so long in these conditions. Pike is struck at the sight of a woman in the distance, Vina, the youngest among them, who, he learns, was only a child when they crashed. Vina is struck, ostensibly at the sight of a man near to her in age—but her emotions are deeper still: she is overwhelmed, and inwardly declares that Pike is “the one promised” to her.

Scene 4—A Trap

Talos IV / the Enterprise: Pike is abducted, and finds himself playing-out an illusory battle on Rigel 7.

            At the others’ suggestion, Pike follows Vina to a nearby cliff, where she demonstrates vents of breathable gas that should explain the survivors’ unusual vitality. But when Pike inhales from one of them, he collapses. Suddenly the castaways vanish, and strange Talosian creatures emerge, pulling Pike’s body into a hidden cavern doorway, which closes instantly. Young Spock and Boyce try in vain to break through the rock with phasers. Spock then alerts the Enterprise that Pike has been abducted, and that the survivors on the surface had been an illusion.

            On the contemporary Enterprise, Uhura interrupts the horrifying scene as it unfolds, announcing an urgent message from Starfleet Command. Starfleet has recognized the Enterprise’s potentially treasonous course toward Talos IV. Finding themselves unable to respond to the message, Kirk asks Pike “is there any way to abandon this charade?” Pike seems to say no, and the holovision returns to reveal the younger Pike, suddenly outdoors, near a battle-torn medieval castle.

            Pike is compelled to defend Vina from a humanoid monster she calls a Kalar. He knows his senses deceive him, but Vina reminds him that the illusion can include real pain. Pike and Vina fight the Kalar together, narrowly defeating him, and they collapse into one another’s arms.

            When they have recovered, Pike asks if Vina is real; she replies “as real as you want me to be.” She pleads with him to try to begin a life with her in her world.

Scene 5—Boyce: “We saw what we wanted to see.”

An underground cage on Talos IV / the Surface of Talos IV: Pike encounters his Talosian captors, his officers and crew discuss the unique challenge of an enemy capable of powerful illusion, Kirk is demoted, and Spock’s trial resumed in earnest.

            Pike awakes to find himself a prisoner in a cage. An unfamiliar species of Talosian captors makes its presence known. Though he cannot see them, he can read their thoughts, and they read his, taking information and registering his base instincts and impulses. Soon he is proclaimed suitable for the “next phase” of an experiment.

            Boyce, young Spock, and an Enterprise engineer are on the planet’s surface, discussing the Talosian illusion and its ramifications; they recognize that their experiences of the band of survivors was drawn from their fantasies. They communicate with lead engineer Montgomery Scott and work to set up a photon canon, in spite of Boyce’s instincts that no amount of firepower can overcome such a pervasive power of illusion.

            As Kirk, Tor, and the elder Pike and Spock watch the photon canon’s immense assault of hot light at the bedrock blocking access to the Talosian world, Uhura interrupts the court again with an urgent message from Starfleet Command. Tor is ordered to place Spock in confinement and strip Kirk of his command. Spock once again refuses Tor’s orders to release the ship from manual control; Tor announces that he must therefore be confined until his trial resumes. As he is taken away by security, he begs Kirk “please… don’t try to stop me. Don’t let her stop me. For Captain Pike’s sake.” Kirk is, for once, unmoved, replying only “Take him out of my sight.”