The Changeling (episode)

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"The Changeling"
TOS, Episode 2x08 Production number: 60337 First aired: 29 September 1967 Remastered version aired: 2 February 2008
←	38th of 80 produced in TOS	→
←	32nd of 80 released in TOS	→
←	56th of 80 released in TOS Remastered	→
←	32nd of 726 released in all	→

Written By John Meredyth Lucas Directed By Marc Daniels
3541.9 (2267)
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This article is about a TOS episode. You may also be looking for the species, the Changelings.

The Enterprise finds an ancient interstellar probe from Earth, missing for 265 years, which has somehow mutated into a powerful and intelligent machine bent on sterilizing (eliminating all life from) whole planets that do not meet its standards of perfection.

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

The USS Enterprise is en route to the Malurian star system, investigating a distress call. Uhura has received no response to her hails, and Captain Kirk tells her to keep trying. However, Spock's data contains tragic news: although there should be 4 billion Malurians there is no sign of life in the whole system. As the crew speculates about what could have caused the eradication of life in such a short time, a large something comes out of nowhere. Kirk orders red alert, and the object impacts upon the Enterprise's shields.

[edit] Act One

The entire crew is hurled around, and when things stabilize, Scotty reports that the shields will stand only three more such impacts, as they have been reduced by 20%. The Enterprise's shields continue to be battered. Finally, after the shields are completely gone, Kirk orders Lieutenant Uhura to hail the object. The object hears Kirk's name, and it somehow believes that Kirk is its creator. It identifies itself as Nomad, a probe whose mission is to seek out life and sterilize it of imperfections. Kirk has it beamed aboard, if only to prevent it from firing on the ship again.

[edit] Act Two

Once on board, Nomad wastes no time investigating the ship, with only Kirk's orders preventing it from having free rein. Knowing how powerful it is, Kirk orders guards to watch it at all times, but Nomad proves able to evade them. Furthermore, it seem highly logically-minded and gets confused whenever it encounters something illogical; when it hears Uhura singing on the bridge, and goes to investigate, it is unsatisfied with her explanation of the song's function and wipes her memory, requiring her to be reeducated. Scotty, seeing this, attempts to save Uhura from the probe, but is killed by it, only to be revived by it shortly thereafter.

[edit] Act Three

This proves disconcerting to Kirk, who orders Nomad to be guarded and analyzed by Spock. After the analysis, a background check on Nomad in the ship's data banks, and a mind meld, Spock gets enough details about the probe to fill in the blanks; Originally, Nomad was built by Jackson Roykirk for a deep-space extraterrestrial contact mission, but was lost in a meteor shower. During that time, it came into contact with Tan Ru, an alien probe whose mission was to collect and sterilize soil samples, presumably for terraforming missions. The two melded into this new Nomad, combining their technology and missions into one extremely powerful probe bent on sterilizing any imperfect lifeforms it encountered, using its own perceptions of perfection (i.e. itself) as a measuring stick. As such, it destroyed all life in the Malurian star system, but because its original programming was damaged and corrupted in the merger, it erroneously equates Kirk with its creator, not realizing that the two are different people and its creator is, in fact, long dead.

Unfortunately, the mind meld and an unintentional admittance from Kirk confirms to Nomad that its creator is an imperfect biological entity, and with that knowledge, it decides to commandeer the ship and execute its prime function, turning off all life support on the ship. With little time left, Kirk comes to a realization about Nomad and takes a gamble to confront it again.

[edit] Act Four

Through a questioning to Nomad on its prime directive, Kirk confirms his suspicions that it must execute it with no exceptions, and then reveals that he is not Nomad's creator. He explains that Nomad had mistaken himself for Roykirk, the two men's names being similar, and as such Nomad has committed an error; furthermore, it has compounded that error with two more, specifically failing to realize its mistake and failing to execute its prime directive as a result. This causes Nomad to lock up in an irreversible logic loop, its stubborn belief that it is perfect conflicting with the realization that it is in error, and Spock and Kirk manage to get it to the transporter and beam it into space just as it executes its prime function on itself.

[edit] Log entries

"Captain's log, stardate 3541.9. The presence of Nomad aboard my ship has become nightmarish. Now, it apparently means to return to Earth. Once there, it would automatically destroy all life."

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"That unit is defective. Its thinking is chaotic. Absorbing it unsettled me."
"That 'unit' is a woman."
"A mass of conflicting impulses."

- Nomad and Spock

"The unit Spock is another one of your biological units, creator?"
"Yes."
"This one is different; it is well-ordered."

- Nomad and Kirk

"I am Nomad... I am performing... my function... Deep... emptiness... it approaches... Collision... damage... blackness... I am "the other"... I am Tan Ru... Tan Ru... Nomad... Tan Ru... Error... flaw... imperfection... must sterilize... Rebirth... we are complete... much power... Gan-ta-nu... ick-ka... Tan-Ru... The creator instructs... search out... identify... sterilize imperfections... We are Nomad... we are Nomad... we are complete... We are instructed... our purpose is clear... sterilize imperfections... sterilize imperfections... Nomad... sterilize... sterilize... Nomad... sterilize..."
"Spock! SPOCK! Nomad, You are in contact with the unit Spock! STOP! STOP!"
"Acknowledged."
"Spock."
(mumbling) "Amazing..."
"Spock!"
(still mumbling) "Fascinating, captain... the knowledge... the depth..."

- Nomad, Kirk, and Spock, when Spock mind-melded with it

"Congratulations, Captain; a dazzling display of logic."
"Didn't think I had it in me, did you?"
"No, sir."

- Spock and Kirk

"I am the creator?"
"You are the creator."
"You're wrong! Jackson Roykirk, your creator, is dead. You have mistaken me for him – you are in error. You did not discover your mistake – you have made two errors. You are flawed and imperfect. And you have not corrected by sterilization – you have made three errors!"

- Kirk and Nomad

"We've got to get rid of it while it's trying to think."
"Your logic was impeccable, Captain – we are in grave danger."

- Kirk and Spock, after Nomad realizes its error

"Nomad – you are imperfect!"
"Error! Error!"
"Exercise your prime function!"
"Faulty! Faulty! Must sterilize! – STER-I-LIZE!"

- Kirk, delivering the coup de grâce before beaming Nomad out

"...It's 'space-happy!' It thinks I'm its... mother."
"And that is the only thing that has saved us until now."

- Kirk and Spock

[edit] Background Information

This episode later became the inspiration behind the first Star Trek film.
Director Marc Daniels portrays Jackson Roykirk in the photograph, wearing Scotty's dress uniform.
Eddie Paskey is seen in a gold shirt in this episode so he would match the standard stock footage screen shot with George Takei and an extras left shoulder. In a few first season shows, he is seen wearing gold in the hallways during Kirk-to-crew announcements.
Lemli's first name, Roger, is given in this episode. His last name wouldn't be revealed until the following season, in "The Lights of Zetar".
After Nomad explodes, William Shatner quickly raises his hand to the camera as the scene fades away. This outtake was later incorporated into the "second season blooper reel."
Also in the blooper reel: When Shatner tells Nomad that the Enterprise is prepared to beam it aboard, James Doohan says, "But Captain – you forgot all about the environment and all that stuff. Do you want to really do that?" A grinning Doohan steps out of camera frame, leaving a slightly perplexed Shatner behind, bemusedly shaking his head. Doohan did not deliberately ruin the take, however. It was already ruined since Shatner actually did forget to say the dialog concerning the environment.
Stock footage of Nomad exiting the turbolift is used to show him leaving sickbay.
When the two security guards shoot Nomad for not obeying them, the visual effects artists apparently used the doorframe behind the guards as a guideline for the boundary of Nomad's shields. This has the unfortunate effect of making it seem as if the guards' phaser beams are striking the doorframe.
Spock mentions that Nomad's first attack on the Enterprise was the equivalent of 90 photon torpedoes. Surprisingly, this attack only reduced the shields by 20%.
This episode marks one of four times Kirk is able to "discuss a computer to death". This technique is also used in "The Return of the Archons", "I, Mudd", and "The Ultimate Computer".
Even though this episode is stated to take place on stardate 3541.9, the episode list from the official website says it takes place on stardate 3451.9.

[edit] Production timeline

Story outline by John Meredyth Lucas, 15 March 1967
Revised story outline by John Meredyth Lucas, 15 March 1967
First draft script, 1 May 1967
Filmed early to mid-July 1967

[edit] Video and DVD releases

UK VHS release (CIC-Arena Video): catalogue number VHL 2057, April 1983.

This release included "Space Seed" and was originally unrated, as it was released prior to the Video Recordings Act 1984. After 1985, it received a rating of PG.

Original US Betamax release: 1986.
UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 20, catalogue number VHR 2353, release date unknown.
US VHS release: 15 April 1994.
UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.3, 10 March 1997.
Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 19, 13 February 2001.
As part of the TOS Season 2 DVD collection.

[edit] Links and references

[edit] Starring

William Shatner as Captain Kirk

[edit] Also Starring

Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

[edit] Featuring

[edit] With

And:

Vic Perrin as Nomad's voice

[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars

[edit] Timeline

2002: Nomad built
2267: Malurian system destroyed

[edit] External link

The Changeling at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

Previous episode produced: "Wolf in the Fold"	Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2	Next episode produced: "The Apple"
Previous episode aired: "Who Mourns for Adonais?"	Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2	Next episode aired: "Mirror, Mirror"
Previous remastered episode aired: "The Enemy Within"	TOS Remastered	Next remastered episode aired: "The Ultimate Computer"