Star Trek: The Original Series season 3, episode 2, "The Enterprise Incident" starts with Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) questioning Captain Kirk's mental fitness. Indeed, Kirk is irascible, impatient, and irrational. When Captain Kirk illegally diverts the Starship Enterprise into the Romulan Neutral Zone, they're faced with capture or destruction by the enemy aliens. Kirk and Spock are shockingly at odds, and both are "invited" to beam over to the Romulans' starship. Amazingly, it's all a ruse, and Kirk and Spock are revealed to be on a secret mission from Starfleet.
Captain Kirk Acts Insane To Steal A Romulan Cloaking Device In Star Trek’s “The Enterprise Incident”
Kirk Even Becomes A Romulan
Captain Kirk and Spock are spies out to steal the Romulans' cloaking device. But it's how they go about their gambit that makes Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Enterprise Incident" truly shine. Kirk pretends he's deranged and has lost his marbles, and Spock condemns his Captain to the Romulan Commander (Joanne Linville), declaring, "He is not sane." Kirk immediately flies off the handle, threatening to kill Spock. But it's Spock who "kills" Kirk with a "Vulcan Death Grip." Kirk and Spock betraying each other is so luridly over the top, but the Romulans fall for their ruse hook, line, and sinker.
"The Conscience of the King" is an underrated but terrific Star Trek: The Original Series episode that reveals a darker side of Captain James T. Kirk.
Of course, Captain Kirk is neither insane nor dead. Kirk finally reveals his master plan to his baffled crew aboard the USS Enterprise, and takes the next step in his 'Mission: Impossible' scheme by becoming surgically altered to become a Romulan. Back aboard the enemy ship, the Romulan Kirk finagles their cloaking device, and the Starship Enterprise makes its getaway with a hostage: the Romulan Commander herself. Kirk pretending he's crazy and pulling off his heist with Spock is as fun as Star Trek: The Original Series gets.
Spock Pretends To Seduce A Romulan Commander
Spock Can Lie Because, After All, He Is Half-Human
Spock's behavior throughout Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Enterprise Incident" is no less outrageous than Captain Kirk's. Remember that Kirk and Spock were in on it from the start. Yet Spock plays his part and calls out Kirk for acting insane in front of the Romulans and his own crew aboard the USS Enterprise. Spock 'betraying' and 'murdering' Kirk are amazing moments, but those are just some of the Vulcan Science Officer's eyebrow-raising tactics to steal the Romulan cloaking device.
Spock's role in "The Enterprise Incident" is predicated on the belief that Vulcans don't lie. Yet Spock, who is, after all, half-human, lies constantly and expertly throughout his escapade with Kirk. The ultimate victim of Spock's talent for deception is the Romulan Commander, who is genuinely attracted to Spock. Whether or not the Vulcan reciprocates her feelings, Spock never wavers from his part of the plan. Together, Captain Kirk and Spock breach their own rules of conduct and get away with the heist of the 23rd century in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Enterprise Incident."
