"Once Upon a Planet" was the ninth episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series. It was produced in TAS season 1 and debuted on 3 November 1973. The episode was directed by Hal SutherlandMA and written by Len JansonMA and Chuck MenvilleMA. It was the seventh episode to be novelized by Alan Dean Foster, appearing in Star Trek: Log Three in December 1974.
In this sequel to TOS episode: "Shore Leave", the Amusement Park Planet's sentient Master Computer sought a new mission.
Description[]
- The crew of the USS Enterprise returns to a fantasy land planet they once visited for shore leave. But this time the world seems to have lost its charm. This episode is a sequel to the original Star Trek television episode "Shore Leave".
Log entries[]
Episode log entries[]
Captain's log, stardate 5591.2. The crew of the Enterprise is ready for some well-deserved rest and recreation. Therefore we have set course for the so-called "Shore Leave Planet" located in the Omicron Delta region. The uninhabited planet was constructed long ago by a highly advanced alien race. Its sole purpose is to provide fun and amusement for space traveling passers-by.
Captain's log, supplemental. We anticipated nothing more than a period of rest and relaxation on this planet. Instead, Doctor McCoy inexplicably was attacked and Lieutenant Uhura is now missing.
Captain's log, supplemental. We're out of communication with the ship. Our efforts to locate Lieutenant Uhura have been futile, and this once friendly planet has become very dangerous.
Novelization log entries[]
Captain's log, stardate 5510.1. The crew of the Enterprise is ready for some well-deserved rest and recreation. And the sooner the better. Mr. Spock informs me that normal ship efficiency is down twenty-two percent from the standard level — due in part to anticipation of Omicron planetfall.
Having secured the situation on Phylos and submitted the information concerning the mutant clone Stavos Keniclius V and mutant Spock Two – clone of our first officer – to Starfleet sector headquarters, I requested that the crew be granted something special in the way of shore leave. Said request to visit the Omicron region was duly submitted and approved.
Course was set and traced without incident. We are now approaching the so-called 'shore-leave' world. Those studying this log may recall that this particular planet was programmed long ago by some unknown but highly advanced alien race. The extremely complex machinery installed there is designed solely to provide fun and amusement for interstellar passersby. Its extensive mind-reading devices and attendant manufacturing machinery are capable of materializing any fantasy they can pick up. I confess to looking forward to our return to this planet myself.
Captain's log, supplemental. We are out of communications with the ship. In addition, all our efforts so far to locate Lieutenant Uhura have been ... insufficient. This once friendly world, for reasons still known, has turned implacably hostile toward visitors. We would all like to know what has turned its former ambience to anger ... more than anger. But for the moment, our thoughts are concerned foremost with the well-being of our first communications officer.
References[]
Characters[]
Episode characters[]
- Alice • Arex Na Eth • Frank Gabler • James T. Kirk • Shiboline M'Ress • Master Computer • Leonard McCoy • The Playing Cards • Queen of Hearts • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • White Rabbit • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2260s) (helmsman)
- Referenced only
- Black Knight • Lewis Carroll • Amanda Grayson • Keeper
Novelization characters[]
- Alice • Arex Na Eth • Bobynin • Deb Colotti • Davis (lieutenant) • Davis (engineer) • Duchamps • Frank Gabler • Ub Jackson • James T. Kirk • Lily Lancer • Ling • Longey • Shiboline M'Ress • Master Computer • Leonard McCoy • Henry Ndugu • The Playing Cards • Queen of Hearts • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • White Rabbit • unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2260s) (helmsman)
- Referenced only
- Aranius • Bierstadt • Julius Caesar • Lewis Carroll • Sergei Eisenstein • Flavius • Amanda Grayson • D.W. Griffith • Hachida • Hansen • Keeper • Stavos Keniclius 5 • John Kyle • Benjamin Lee • Eric Masefield • McTavish • N'gombi • Maxfield Parrish • Spock 2 • Erich von Stroheim • Mark Twain • Ventrigorix
Starships and vehicles[]
Episode starships and vehicles[]
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/3 (armored lander) • Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/4 (armored lander) • Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/9 (class F shuttlecraft) • unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) shuttlecraft
Novelization starships and vehicles[]
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • Galileo (NCC-1701/1) (class F shuttlecraft)
- Referenced only
- Cairo • unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) shuttlecraft
Locations[]
Episode locations[]
- Omicron Delta region (Amusement Park Planet)
Novelization locations[]
- Omicron region (Amusement Park Planet)
- Referenced only
- Arcadian system • Earth (Paducah, Kentucky • Rome) • Garden of Eden • Phylos • Tsiolkovsky • Vulcan
Races and cultures[]
- Caitian • Human (Belgian • British • Greek • Japanese • Roman • Swedish) • Edosian or Triexian • Vulcan
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Roman Empire • Roman Legion (Twelfth legion • Twentieth legion • Twenty-second legion) • Roman Republic • Starfleet
Science and technology[]
- artificial gravity • artificial gravity compensator • assignment patch • catapult • chronometer • communications • communicator • computer • corpelomine • guidance computer • gun • hand phaser • intercom • lance • robot hovercraft • medicine • medikit • melenex • microtape • phaser bore • robot • sensor • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (2265-2270) • stasis chamber • sword • transporter • tricorder • two-headed robot dragon • uniform • vaccine • viewscreen
Units of measurement[]
Ranks and titles[]
- agronomer • captain • centurion • chief • chief engineer • chief physician • diplomat • doctor • engineer • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • first officer • head medical officer • helmsman • lieutenant • officer • patrician • pilot • poet • rank • science officer • second engineer • senator • slave • Starfleet ranks • subengineer • transporter chief • writer • yeoman
Media[]
- Alice in Wonderland • Alice Through the Looking-Glass • Daisy Bell • Mary Had a Little Lamb • Starfleet Directives
Lifeforms[]
- ant • birch tree • carrot • cat • cypress tree • elephant • fish • flower • grass • honeysuckle • horse • ivy • magnolia tree • oak tree • oriole • pterodactyl • reptile • retlaw plant • Spanish moss • tree • wisteria
Other references[]
- apple • banana • banjo • barbarian • beam • Boolean brandy • botany • bridge • captain's log • captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269 • cave • chocolate • chocolate cake • chocolate raisin pie • duty shift • eight-ball • engineering • fantasy • fire • forest • fried chicken • galaxy • galley • granite • gravestone • gravity • haggis • helmet • IQ • iron • knight • landing party • logic • marshmallow • mountain • neuron • orbit • ore • painting • paleontology • paté de foie gras • picnic • pie • plant • playing card • poem • pool table • rainforest • raisin • rescue party • river • sandwich • shore leave • shore party • shuttle bay • slavery • stone • telepathy • track-and-field • transporter room • universe • valley • water • zero gravity
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
- 2267
- USS Enterprise visited the Amusement Park Planet.
- Between 2267 and 2269
- Keeper died and was buried.
- 2269
- USS Enterprise returned for its second visit to the Amusement Park Planet.
Appendices[]
Background[]
- Spock read Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland stories, and mentioned that his mother Amanda Grayson was fond of them. In DSC episode: "Context Is for Kings", Michael Burnham showed Sylvia Tilly the print edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that Amanda once read to her and Spock.
- Four shuttlecraft were visible in the shuttle bay in this episode, three in the novelization. These vehicles were seen along with others when Harry Mudd sneaked into the hangar deck in TAS episode & Log Three novelization: Mudd's Passion. The one Mudd stole, identified as an armored lander by Arex in that novelization, was of the same configuration as two of the shuttles seen in this story: Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/3 and Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/4. Class F shuttlecraft with these registries saw action earlier in the 2260s in the UK comic strips series.
- Arex Na Eth was in command of the Enterprise while Montgomery Scott was in the transporter room.
- The phaser bore appeared large with grips for each hand. It was tripod-mounted in the novelization.
- Spock reminded McCoy that, when he was mortally wounded during their first visit to the planet, his body was retrieved and brought underground. McCoy could not recall much from the experience.
Novelization[]
- The novelization took place immediately after TAS episode & Log Two novelization: The Infinite Vulcan, with Kirk citing in his log everything that happened after that story.
- There were two characters named Davis: Davis (lieutenant), a woman who supervised the galley menu; and Davis (engineer), a man who helped set up the phaser bore.
- The episode's stardate 5591.2 was amended to 5510.1.
- Ten days were spent on shore leave during their visit.
- Kirk indulged in a fantasy to direct a movie, joined by simulations of classic film directors Sergei Eisenstein, D.W. Griffith, and Erich von Stroheim.
- When Hikaru Sulu wished to see revealed the insides of one of the planet's animatronic robots, the planet ignored that particular request.
- The planet recreated a retlaw plant for Sulu, who savored the memory.
- As the rescue party was being organized, Scott referenced repairs made to the shuttle bay doors from a recent mission. The damage came from forcing the doors closed to prevent saboteur Carter Winston (Vendorian) from escaping the ship in TAS - Log Two novelization: The Survivor.
- Galileo (NCC-1701/1), referenced here as "shuttle number 1", also appeared three times in the UK comic strips series, most prominently in TOS comic: "I, Emperor".
- M'ress had not previously visited the Amusement Park Planet.
- Gabler's title and first name were cited. They were first mentioned in TAS - Log Two novelization: The Survivor.
- The novelization included two engineers who helped Scott set up the phaser bore as well as rescue crewmen aboard the shuttlecraft.
Related stories[]
- TOS episode: "Shore Leave" – Introduction of the Amusement Park Planet, the Keeper and the characters Alice and the White Rabbit.
- TAS episode & Log Two novelization: The Infinite Vulcan – Introduction of Phylos, Stavos Keniclius 5 and Spock 2 as cited in the log, as well as the retlaw plant reimagined by Hikaru Sulu.
- TAS episode & Log Two novelization: The Survivor – Events that brought about prior damage to the shuttle bay doors.
Appendices[]
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous episode: The Eye of the Beholder |
TAS episode produced | Next episode: Bem |
| Previous episode: The Magicks of Megas-Tu |
TAS episode aired | Next episode: Mudd's Passion |
| Previous story: first story |
Log Three
|
Next story: Mudd's Passion |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Infinite Vulcan |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: Mudd's Passion |
| Previous Adventure: The Infinite Vulcan |
Next Adventure: Mudd's Passion | |
Translations[]
- 1993
- German : Es war einmal auf einem Planeten, translated by Hermann Martlreiter. (Goldmann)
- 1995
- Romanian : A fost odată pe o planetă, translated by Max Felix. (Editura Cristian)
External links[]
- "Once Upon a Planet" article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Once Upon a Planet article by Keith R.A. DeCandido at Tor.com.
- Once Upon a Planet discussion at Mission Log Podcast.
- Once Upon a Planet review at TrekToday.
- Once Upon a Planet discussion at the Saturday Morning Trek podcast.