This is a really nifty episode and the first one that gave Nurse Chapel a chance to develop as a character. An old lover of hers, Roger, was thought to be lost but he suddenly sends a message to the nearby Enterprise! A great coincidence that this particular ship is passing by, huh?! Anyways, they are totally shocked--not only because they thought he was dead but because the planet is a frozen wasteland! Kirk and Chapel transfer down along with some "red shirts" (you know, extras who you KNOW are dead meat--destined to die and die quickly). There, they discover Roger is in an underground city created by another race centuries before--and it made for a lovely home for Roger and his robot helpers that he mostly created. It seems that Roger had stumbled upon technology that made androids that looked 100% human. One robot is an assistant (who is also a red shirt) and the other is an über-sexy nymph that Kirk later seduces (wow--Kirk is so studly that he even gets robots hot!!). The third robot is Ted Cassidy ("Lurch" from the Addams Family TV show) and he was created not by Roger but by the original inhabitants of the planet who were now long gone.
Unfortunately, Roger turns out to have a lot of secrets--one of which he is certifiably insane. He takes Kirk and Chapel prisoner and proceeds to make a perfect copy of Kirk. I'm not really sure why, but I think this was done as an excuse to get Shatner mostly naked (try to control yourself, Trekkie ladies). Where the plot goes from there, you'll just need to see for yourself, but rest assured that there are a lot of entertaining aspects to the show. My favorite of which is "Ruk" (Ted Cassidy)--a truly cool-looking and frightening android who practically steals the show. Also, the episode is well-written and has a lot of nice twists that keep it from being boring.
Unfortunately, Roger turns out to have a lot of secrets--one of which he is certifiably insane. He takes Kirk and Chapel prisoner and proceeds to make a perfect copy of Kirk. I'm not really sure why, but I think this was done as an excuse to get Shatner mostly naked (try to control yourself, Trekkie ladies). Where the plot goes from there, you'll just need to see for yourself, but rest assured that there are a lot of entertaining aspects to the show. My favorite of which is "Ruk" (Ted Cassidy)--a truly cool-looking and frightening android who practically steals the show. Also, the episode is well-written and has a lot of nice twists that keep it from being boring.