We sadly learn of the death of Kirk's brother, wife, and son. They have been victimized by an influx of rubbery creatures that latch on to their victims and do in their central nervous systems. Kirk vows to find a solution to this problem. Spock is investigating the things but fails to check out his surroundings. As he walks under an archway, one of the creatures, previously stuck to a wall, flies through the air and settles on his back. He is immediately overcome with excruciating pain. The crew is able to stun one of the creatures and it is brought to Dr. McCoy for analysis. McCoy tries every kind of approach he can think of from poisons to heat to shooting and stabbing but nothing works. It is when they realize that one of the victims said as he approached the sun that he was free that they try one last thing: light. The remainder of the episode involves their efforts to test their light theory, being stopped short because to do this, you need a host that has been assaulted by this creature. It is the quest for such a host and more tests that make the conclusion quite interesting.
Review of Operation -- Annihilate!
