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#80: Star Trek: The Animated Series, season 2, episode 2 "Bem"
Written by David Gerrold, directed by Bill Reed.
Stardate 5537.3 (early 2269)
(Using the novelization Stardate)
"How come we always end up like this?" - Kirk
The Enterprise is sent to observe primitive life on Delta Theta III with an official observer from the planet Pandro; Commander Bem. After months of sitting by and watching the crew work, and despite the dangers involved, Bem insists on joining Captain Kirk and the away team down to the planet. Unfortunately, Commander Scott's coordinates were slightly off, beaming Kirk and Commander Spock directly over a body of water and they both fall in to the waist-deep water. Bem immediately jumps in to offer assistance. While doing so, Bem's lower half separates from the rest of his body under the water, as he is a colony creature, and replaces Kirk and Spock's communicators and phasers with fakes without their knowledge. Moments later Bem runs off, losing the away team in a thicket and getting captured by a local tribe. Kirk and Spock try to rescue Bem then realize their equipment doesn't work and also get captured. Kirk struggles to understand the situation as the Enterprise tracks an unknown energy source on the planet surface.
Originally released: 14 September 1974
"Bem" on Memory Alpha (mirror)
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