- Seeking the answer to a century-old mystery, Kirk and crew encounter a vacantly peaceful society under a 6000-year autocratic rule that kills all those it can't absorb.
- The Enterprise travels to Beta III to learn the fate of the U.S.S. Archon, gone missing a century earlier. One member of the landing party disappears, and one returns in a strangely blissful state. Kirk beams down with another landing party; amidst the chaos of "Festival" their hosts asks if they are "Archons." To learn more, Kirk must convince Betan citizens to disobey Landru, the man who has ruled them for 6,000 years - or find those who already resist. But with the Lawgivers everywhere, that task is going to be difficult...—CommanderBalok
- At Beta III, the Enterprise hopes to learn the fate of the U.S.S. Archon, gone missing a century earlier. When one member of a two-man landing party disappears and the other (Sulu) returns in a strangely blissful state, Kirk beams down with a larger party to investigate. They arrive right at the onset of "Festival" - a time of wild abandon in an otherwise vacantly placid society. A few free-minded elders desperately hope Kirk and his party are "Archons" come to help free them from the 6,000-year autocracy of Landru, an all-powerful figure whose robed lawgivers kill all those they can't absorb into their peaceful but mindless society.—statmanjeff (based on CommanderBalok's entry)
- Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to the planet Beta III when one member of a reconnaissance party disappears and the other, Mr. Sulu is beamed up in a strange state of contentment. The citizenry appear calm and respectful except when the Festival begins - where everyone apparently every goes mad and delve into wild abandon and debauchery. By next morning, all is calm again and the elders tell of Landru, who is in control and is the lawgiver. With McCoy absorbed into the local society, Kirk and Spock set out to find just what or who Landru is.—garykmcd
- What happens to the world if people live like saints every hour of the day except "Red Hour?"
During "Red Hour" you can go crazy, and are allowed to tear off other people's clothes and do anything you like, and you may hit them with sticks or kill them. What would happen?
Guess What? The Enterprise will discover it.
First, Sulu and a redshirt are below on the planet, investigating.
Many years before, a ship named Archon visited the planet, but no one returned from the mission. Sulu and the redshirt are about to find out why. They are in danger, trying to beam up as quickly as possible. The redhirt says "There's no time" so he runs off, Sulu has used his communicator and asked for immediate beam-up, but one second before he escapes, there is a lawgiver, who looks like the Future Ghost in Scrooge, who taps him with his staff, which is bamboo and hollow, but with immense power.
Now Sulu is beamed up, and Kirk is in the transporter room with the others, and is amazed, because Sulu has a silly smile on his face like a girl, and looks at the ceiling and says "Peace be to you. brethren" and Kirk looks at him for a long time, and says "take him below."
Now they must find out what the heell went on down there, and rescue the redshirt, and slap Sulu out of it. They beam down and meet Reger, a scared man, like a rabbit. Reger has a daughter who is beautiful and wears a red velvet dress. Kirk says "what happened?" and Reger says "Quiet. Landru will hear you." And Reger looks up at the ceiling, he is scared of Landru, whoever he is. Kirk looks baffled. "Who the hell is Landru."
Wait!! Landru is a "god" from the planet. He invented the "Red Hour." His theory was that if you bottle up your feelings all day, you need The Red Hour to release them. The only trouble is, people get hurt and killed and raped, usually you or someone you love. Reger's daughter, anyone could be.
The crew find out from Reger that there is a resistance to Landru's rule, and they work in threes, but they work in threes, and do not know who each other are. There is an old fogey man who says to Reger "Let your daughter outside during Red Hour. She is young." Reger does not want to let his daughter out into the street. And a redshirt who is attracted to Reger's daughter also says no.
Then, Guess What? Red Hour starts and people get raped and beaten. Kirk has had enough.
He finds the computer lab, but all except he and Spock are absorbed. Kirk is held by two lawgivers and brought into the absorbtion room but the old man working the controls tells the Lawgivers to take a break, that he will see to Kirk's absorption. After the lawgivers leave to go and get Spock, the man at the controls says "Hush, I am with the resistance. I was the third in Reger's team. My name is Marplon." He is still scared of Landru. Kirk says "Where is the damn computer room?" As Spock is brought in by the lawgivers, Kirk hits one and Spock nerve-pinches the other so they are unconscious.
Kirk and Spock are led by a frightened Marplon into the computer room. They see Landru's face on a video on the wall and hear his frightening voice, but WAIT. it is a computer voice. Landru is fake. Kirk says "I am going to pull the plug on him." He explodes a hole in the wall with his phaser, and there is the computer inside the room behind, still talking nonstop. He cannot shoot it, the computer has a self defense screen. But he will outTHINK it.
He says "Landru, you are for the good of the body?" Landru says yes, the good of the body must be preserved. Kirk says "The body is dying. Young girls are being raped and beaten. How is that good for the body?" Landru does not know, and in his confusion, he explodes. Spock says to Kirk "Logical. Flawlessly logical." Now it is time to gather up the crew to go to the ship. Sulu is back to normal, do not worry. Reger's daughter is fine too. Wow.
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