The Changeling (Star Trek)

ST episode
name = The Changeling


Kirk asks Nomad of its "origin".
series = TOS
ep_num = 32
prod_num = 037
remas._num = 56
date = September 29, 1967
writer = John Meredyth Lucas
director = Marc Daniels
guest = Blaisdell Makee
Arnold Lessing Vic Perrin Eddie Paskey William Blackburn (actor) Meade Martin Roger Holloway Frank da Vinci Jay Jones
stardate = 3451.9
year = 2267
prev = Who Mourns for Adonais?
next = Mirror, Mirror

"The Changeling" is a season two episode of "", first broadcast on September 29, 1967 and repeated May 17, 1968. It is episode #32, production #37 and was written by John Meredyth Lucas, and directed by Marc Daniels.

The crew of the USS "Enterprise" deals with an indestructible planet-destroying space probe. The plot contains obvious similarities to the later cite web|url=http://www.reelviews.net/movies/s/st1.html|author=James Berardinelli|title=Review: Star Trek: The Motion Picture|date=1996|accessdate=2008-01-31] . This episode is one of only a handful in the original series that take place entirely aboard the "Enterprise". The others include "Journey to Babel", "The Ultimate Computer", "Charlie X", "Elaan of Troyius", "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?".

Discovery of Nomad

On stardate 3451.9, the starship USS "Enterprise", under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, investigates a distress call from the Malurian star system. Upon arrival, Mr. Spock reports that all life in the system has been destroyed and Malur, a world with a recorded population of 4 billion, is now devoid of life, including the Federation science team that was on the planet.

Suddenly, the "Enterprise"'s shields activate when a meter-long cylindrical object attacks the ship with energy bolts equivalent to the strength of 90 photon torpedoes. Kirk orders a return fire, but the ship's weapon energy is simply absorbed by the object. Kirk then transmits a hail and the object stops firing. Curiously, the object responds and requests in-person communication with the Captain, and allows itself to be beamed aboard the ship.

Once on board, the object identifies itself as a space probe named "Nomad", and oddly refers to Captain Kirk as "the Creator". Checking historical records, Mr. Spock finds information that the "Nomad" space probe was launched from Earth during the early 21st Century; its mission was to explore the galaxy, just like the "Enterprise".

Mistaken identity

Nomad mistakenly believes that Captain Kirk is actually Dr. Jackson Roykirk, the original scientist who created it. Nomad however, corrects Mr. Spock by saying that its mission is to "find and sterilize imperfection". Since Nomad's definition of imperfect includes all living things, it travels from world to world, killing everything. Repulsed by the machine's words, Kirk decides to play along with Nomad's mistake, and tells Nomad not to "sterilize" anything further, which for now, it obeys.

Interaction with Enterprise crew

Nomad has powerful abilities, which the crew discovers when Kirk leaves Nomad to be watched by Lt. Singh. However, Nomad leaves to investigate singing it overhears on the intercom and discovers the source: Lt. Uhura. Nomad asks Uhura about this strange form of communication. When Uhura responds she's singing music, Nomad asks her to "think about music" while it probes her mind, but instead erases her memory. When Mr. Scott tries to intervene, Nomad simply kills him. Spock rebukes Nomad for harming Uhura; Nomad retorts that she is "a mass of conflicting impulses". Kirk is very disgusted over what has just happened, but Nomad offers to "repair the Scott unit", claiming that it was only acting in self-defense. In a display of its powers, Nomad returns Scotty to life. Kirk then orders Nomad to repair Uhura, which it claims it cannot do since it has erased her "knowledge banks". A nurse looks her over. Spock suggests that if there's no damage to her brain, she can be re-educated. There are sufficient tapes in the computer library to do this, and Chapel is assigned to work with Uhura.

Nomad is then escorted to a holding area where Spock attempts to study it further. Spock is not able to learn full details from his scans, and therefore resorts to a mind meld with the machine. (Just how Spock is able to mind meld with a machine is uncertain). Spock discovers that Nomad collided with an alien probe called Tan-Ru, designed to obtain and sterilize soil samples from other planets. The collision severely damaged both probes, and during the accident the programming of both machines somehow combined. Nomad confused Tan-Ru's mission directives, interpreting them to mean "sterilize imperfections". Spock is disturbed by the experience of the 'machine-to-Vulcan' mind meld, so much so that Kirk is forced to pull him away when he starts to exhibit the coldness of Nomad's logic.

Kirk now realizes Nomad is a device completely without conscience that is capable of wiping out entire solar systems in the blink of an eye, and there seems to be no way to stop it. All Kirk can do is wait and once again confines Nomad to the holding area. Nomad however has other plans, and it passes right through the security field, killing two guards who attempt to stop it. Nomad then makes its way to the engine room where it improves the efficiency of the ship's engines 57% by increasing the matter-antimatter reaction rate. Kirk orders Nomad to reverse the changes, as the "Enterprise" cannot handle the stress.

Logic

Kirk confronts Nomad, telling it that its sterilization of biological units is illogical, since the creator is a biological unit. Kirk tries to get the probe to return to the holding cell, but it kills the two security guards sent to escort it. Nomad then heads to sickbay and examines Kirk's medical files. Nurse Chapel is attacked when she tries to stop it. Nomad then decides to shut down all life support systems throughout the ship to destroy the imperfect units that "infest" the "Enterprise".

Kirk again confronts Nomad and questions its logic of destroying imperfect beings. Kirk tells Nomad that Nomad itself has made a mistake, something only an imperfect being can do. He tells Nomad that its creator is Jackson Roykirk, not himself, and that Nomad is in error. Realizing its own imperfections, Nomad is caught in a logic loop, and begins to execute its primary function on itself. The machine begins self-destruction, shaking about in place instead of steadily hovering, its simulated voice rising in pitch. The ultra-logical Mr. Spock, who has been watching this confrontation, compliments Kirk, saying: "Your logic is impeccable, Captain. We are in grave danger." At the last moment, Kirk has Nomad rushed to the transporter room and beamed into space. Seconds after transport an explosion is detected near the "Enterprise" and Nomad is no more.

=40th Anniversary remastering=This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired February 2, 2008 as part of the remastered "Original Series". It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered "The Enemy Within" and followed a week later by the remastered "The Ultimate Computer". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS "Enterprise" that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:
* Nomad's bolts have been changed to green instead of blue and given a shimmering effect. Likewise the "Enterprise" torpedo fire was redone in CGI.
* Just before Nomad explodes, a small white dot is seen moving through space.
* The destruction of Nomad has been made more dramatic with a cleaned up flash of light followed by an expanding dispersion of energy.

=Notes=

*The title of the episode is referenced in the story James Kirk tells to Spock about a Changeling left in the place of a human baby. Though the Changeling took on the role of the human child, it neither resembled the child, nor was it prone to behave as the human child would have.
*The photo of Jackson Roykirk, the creator of Nomad displayed onscreen was actually Star Trek director Marc Daniels.Fact|date=June 2008
*A Malurian (one of the species which Nomad exterminates at the beginning of this episode) appears in the "" episode "Civilization".
*This episode is parodied in one the host segments of the "MST3K" episode "Laserblast", where the crew encounter a Nomad like probe named "Monad", apparently with the same directives, which they dispose of merely by throwing it out of an airlock.
* In the second season "seaQuest DSV" episode "Dream Weaver", a monument to the "Nomad Probe" was seen outside an unnamed university.

=References=

=External links=
* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/episode/68734.html "The Changeling"] at StarTrek.com
* [http://trekmovie.com/2008/02/04/the-changeling-remastered-screenshots-video-mini-review/ Review of "The Changeling" 40th Anniversary re-master at TrekMovie.com]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708454/ The Changeling] at IMDB