

(written from a Production point of view Real World article

The Omega Glory redirects here; for the unseen namesake prop book, please see The Omega Glory (book).

The Enterprise discovers the derelict starship Exeter drifting in space, its entire crew killed by an unknown plague and her captain missing.

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Summary

Teaser

The USS Enterprise discovers the starship USS Exeter in orbit upon arriving at the planet Omega IV. When Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Lieutenant Galloway beam over to the empty ship's engineering section to investigate, they discover the ship to be seemingly abandoned… only Starfleet uniforms; and some crystals remain.

Act One

Kirk uses the ship's intercom to raise anyone on board the ship. Spock hails Kirk and reports the same thing as in engineering, while Galloway reports all four of the Exeter's shuttlecraft are on board, proving the crew didn't leave that way. McCoy and Kirk then head to the Exeter's bridge and then order both men to meet them there.

"Captain's log. Aboard the USS Exeter, commanded by Ron Tracey, one of the most experienced captains in Starfleet. What could have happened to him, and the over 400 men and women who were on this ship?"

Arriving at the Exeter's bridge, McCoy's analysis finds the crystals to be what was left of the crew with all the water removed. A tape left by the Exeter's ship's surgeon, Carter, reveals the crew was killed by a virus which was brought up to the ship by the landing party; only Captain Ronald Tracey remained alive by staying on the planet's surface.

(Log entry made by medical officer of the USS Exeter) "If you've come aboard this ship… you're dead men! Don't go back to your own ship. You have one chance. Get down there. Get down there fast. Captain Tracey is…"

Kirk orders the landing party to beam down to the planet at once, and gazes down at the floor at the remains of the ship's surgeon.

Once on the planet, they interrupt some natives about to behead another, and Captain Tracey, apparently in charge, calms them down and welcomes them. Captain Tracey has been living among the Kohms, an iron-age people engaged in a war with the Yangs, a seemingly primitive, savage and fierce tribal culture – one of whose leaders has just been taken captive. He informs them there is a natural immunity offered by the planet's environment – they will stay alive only as long as they remain on Omega IV.

The landing party sets up in a building to contact the Enterprise, for McCoy to confirm the disease and Kirk to record a log entry. Kirk is disappointed that Tracey has apparently used Federation technology to assist the Kohms in their fight. Because of this, he has become something of a leader of the group, which is a clear violation of Starfleet's Prime Directive of non-interference with developing civilizations.

"Captain's log, supplemental. The Enterprise has left the Exeter and has moved into close planet orbit. Although it appears the infection may strand us here the rest of our lives, I face an even more difficult problem – a growing belief that Captain Tracey has been interfering with the evolution of life on this planet. It seems impossible. A starship captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive."

McCoy notes the similarity of the infection to some inflicted during biological warfare experiments on Earth in the 1990s. Suddenly, Spock and Galloway return, with Galloway critically injured from a Yang ambush. Spock confirms the viciousness of the Yangs, and that they are preparing to attack, however, Spock also finds an empty phaser pack, confirming he is using his technology to help the Kohms. Before Kirk can contact the Enterprise, Tracey enters and prevents him. When Galloway attempts to reach for his phaser, Tracey kills him.

Act Two

The landing party is disarmed and Tracey makes Sulu think the landing party is indisposed. Tracey explains to Kirk alone that the Kohm people have no record of any kind of disease but possess extremely long lifespans, for example, his guard Wu is over 400 Earth years old, his father over 1,000 years. He wishes to use the resources of the Enterprise to isolate the cause for this "super-immunity", cure themselves and share it for a profit. To do this, he must keep the Yangs at bay, and asks for Kirk's help.

Kirk instead tries to escape unsuccessfully, and is thrown into a cell with the savage and his woman from before, while Tracey plans to attack the Yangs. After a fierce fight, however, Kirk comes to realize that the Yangs worship concepts such as freedom and bear remarkable similarities to the native peoples of North America – the "North American Natives" – and helps the Yang prisoners escape. However, the male prisoner knocks Kirk unconscious with an iron bar while he and his female partner escape.

Act Three

Seven hours and eight minutes later, Kirk awakens and together he and Spock (who is in the next cell) get the keys to escape their cells.

Spock and Kirk subdue the guard. Kirk tells Spock to repair the transmitter, while he confers with McCoy, who has been conducting medical research under guard. McCoy informs them that both the super-immunity enjoyed by the Omega IV inhabitants, and the plague which killed the Exeter's crew are the results of biological warfare similar to experiments researched by Earth in the late twentieth century, in the 1990s. The plague still exists, but after this war, the planet's ecosystem developed powerful immunizing agents, essentially due to natural evolution. McCoy discovers that the longer a person stays on the planet, the more well-established the immunity; tragically, if the Exeter landing party had stayed on the planet just a few hours longer, no one would have died. But contrary to Tracey's belief, these immunizing agents do not act as a "Fountain of youth"; the inhabitants' lifespans are a by-product of evolution, and the most the agents might do for the rest of the Federation would be to "cure the common cold."

Spock informs Kirk that the transmitter is now partially fixed. Since they are now cured of the plague, Kirk tells Spock to signal the Enterprise to beam them up. Just as Spock is about to do so, the console is destroyed by a phaser blast, injuring him. Tracey stumbles into the room, trembling, and recounts how his Kohm force was routed by the Yangs, despite the thousands of Yangs that Tracey and his allies killed with their phasers. Tracey assumes that Kirk freed the Yang prisoner to warn the others of the attack. Kirk demands that Spock be beamed up to the Enterprise for medical attention. When Tracey objects that they are still infected, McCoy tells him that they are now immune from the virus and can leave the planet at any time. Excitedly, Tracey interprets this to mean McCoy has isolated the "serum" he is seeking, but Kirk and McCoy furiously inform him that there is no serum, that the Yangs' longevity is the natural result of evolution, and there is nothing that Tracey can "extract" that will excuse the atrocities he has committed.

On being told that he has thrown away his crew, his career, and his honor for nothing, Tracey seems to lose what remains of his sanity. Focusing on the impending Yang attack, Tracey marches Kirk outside and tells him to call the Enterprise with his communicator and have it beam down more phasers. Kirk obligingly relays the request to Lieutenant Sulu, who says that he cannot do that without verification. Staring down the muzzle of Tracey's phaser, Kirk carefully says that the landing party is in danger. Sulu says that, if that is the case, then teams of armed volunteers are ready to beam down – which is the last thing Tracey wants. Kirk says the danger to the landing party is not imminent, and tells Sulu not to beam anyone else down, before flipping his communicator shut.

Just as Tracey begins to understand that he is stymied, Kirk tries to overpower him, and the two men fight, only for them both to be taken prisoner by the Yangs. Kirk and Spock eventually realize that Omega IV's culture was an extremely close parallel of Earth's ("Yangs" is a mispronunciation of "Yankees", while "Kohms" originally were "Communists") except the Omegans fought the war Earth managed to avoid, and the Kohms took over the planet. The Yangs have been fighting to regain their land ever since; this is confirmed when the victorious Yangs bring in their battle standard – an ancient, tattered "stars and stripes" US flag.

Act Four

The Yang prisoner is Cloud William , their chief , and the "holy words" (which only a chief may speak) are a badly slurred version of the Pledge of Allegiance . Kirk interprets the Pledge and speaks the words himself, and begins to explain where he is from, but Tracey picks up on the theme and tries to turn the Yangs against Kirk by declaring he was "cast out of heaven" – pointing to Spock's appearance as similar to the appearance of the servant of "the evil one". To test Kirk, Cloud William reads from the "greatest of holies" and challenges Kirk to translate or else Spock is killed. Unable to initially translate, Kirk counters that their sacred legends promise that good is stronger than evil, and fights Tracey man-to-man to prove it.

While the fight takes place, Spock uses his telepathic abilities to get Cloud William's mate, Sirah to use one of the communicators, after which a landing party of volunteers from the Enterprise, led by Lieutenant Sulu, beams down armed with phasers to take control of the situation. Fortunately, Kirk wins the fight with Tracey anyway. Seeing these events, Cloud William believes Kirk to be God's servant. Kirk informs the Yangs that the "holy words" were not merely written for chiefs, but for everyone, even the Kohms. He reads the "greatest of holies" – the preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America, and tells Cloud William the words must apply to everyone or they are meaningless. Cloud William does not understand the meaning behind Kirk's words, but promises that he will obey the "holy words." When Spock asks Kirk if his actions do not also violate the Prime Directive, Kirk explains he was simply explaining the meaning of what they were fighting for… as all the Yangs read the Constitution. Before leaving Omega IV, Kirk glances at the torn and tattered US flag.

Memorable quotes

"If you've come aboard this ship, you're dead men."

- Carter, chief medical officer of the Exeter in a recorded message



"A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive."

- Excerpt from Kirk's log entry, on Tracey's actions



"Keep trying, captain. Their behavior is highly illogical."

"No point in repeating that it's illogical, Spock. I'm – quite aware of it."

- Spock and Kirk



"Pity you can't teach me that."

"I have tried, captain."

- Kirk and Spock, on the Vulcan nerve pinch



"No native to this planet has ever had any trace of any kind of disease. How long would a man live if all disease were erased, Jim? Wu!" (Wu enters) "Tell Captain Kirk your age."

"Age? Well, I have seen 42 years of the red bird. My eldest brother is…"

"Their year of the red bird comes once every 11 years, which he's seen 42 times. Multiply it. Wu is 462 years old. His father is well over a thousand. Interested, Jim?"

- Ronald Tracey and Wu



"Freedom? Freedom? That is a worship word. Yang worship. You will not speak it."

- Cloud William, after he hears Kirk say "freedom"



"Who knows? It might one day cure the common cold, but lengthen lives? Poppycock! I can do more for you if you just eat right and exercise regularly."

- McCoy, on why the Kohms' "super-immunity" has nothing to do with their longevity



"They sacrificed hundreds just to draw us out in the open. And then they came, and they came. We drained four of our phasers, and they still came. We killed thousands and they still came!"

- Tracey, on slaughtering the Yangs



"There's no serum! There are no miracles! There's no immortality here! All this is for nothing!"

- Kirk to Tracey, on the search for Human longevity



"Ay plegli ianectu flaggen, tupep like for stahn –"

"And to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

- Cloud William and Kirk, both reciting the Pledge of Allegiance



"Spock, I've found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful."

- McCoy, as Kirk and Tracey prepare to duel



"What are you doing?"

"I'm making a suggestion."

- McCoy and Spock, as Spock uses his mental powers on Sirah



"They must apply to everyone or they mean nothing!"

- Kirk to Cloud William, on the Holy Words



"Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words."

- Kirk, before departing Omega IV

Background information

Story and script

Reception

According to author Daniel Leonard Bernardi, " Like the Federation, the Comms have full command of the English language (although they speak with a homogenized 'Asian' accent). The beginning of the episode thus shows that those with white skin can be uncivilized savages and those with yellow skin can be civilized and rational […] This would be counter to the hegemonic representation of Asians in the United States media; that diverse collective of peoples are consistently constructed in film and television as a menacing 'yellow horde'. " Bernardi goes on to say: " 'The Omega Glory' is not, however, a counter-hegemonic episode. In fact, the episode not only reveals an unwillingness to be critical of the hegemony of racist representations, but also systematically participates in the stereotyping of Asians. As the story progresses, the Yangs are constructed as noble savages; their cause to annihilate the Comms is established as justified. The Comms, on the other hand, are constructed as brutal and oppressive; their drive to suppress the Yangs is established as totalitarian. This more hegemonic articulation of race is made evident when Kirk and Spock realize the extent to which the Yangs and Comms parallel Earth's civilizations. In this light, the Yangs are no longer savages, but noble warriors fighting for a just and honorable cause. They want to regain the land they lost in a war with the Asiatics. " ( Star Trek and History: Race-ing Toward a White Future , pp. 57-58)

" Bernardi goes on to say: " " ( , pp. 57-58) In 2017, this episode was rated by ScreenRant as the 8th worst episode of the Star Trek franchise up to that time. In 2018, Comic Book Resources (CBR) included this episode on a ranking of episodes they stated were "So Bad They Must Be Seen".

as the 8th worst episode of the franchise up to that time. In 2018, Comic Book Resources (CBR) included this episode on a ranking of episodes they stated were "So Bad They Must Be Seen". In 2017, "Den of Geek" ranked this episode as the 5th worst Star Trek episode of the original series.

Continuity

Production

Syndication cuts

The episode contains one of the more significant syndication cuts which effectively alters the plot, depending upon which version of the episode is viewed. In the syndicated version, Tracey returns in a dazed hysteria from the Kohm battle, learns from Kirk that there is no serum, and then orders, "Outside, or I'll burn down both your friends." In this context, Tracey appears to be a man at his wit's end, crazed from the Kohm battle, and he is taking Kirk outside to murder him in cold blood.

In the original unsyndicated version, a much more complicated motive arises from Tracey removing Kirk. Once outside, Tracey appears to calm down. He explains that he must have more phasers and asks Kirk to help him. Kirk then says everyone can simply beam up, but Tracey will not go, fully aware he would face criminal charges. He then pleads with Kirk, offering to join forces with him, and asks, "If I put a weapon in your hand, you'll fight, won't you?" He then gives Kirk his communicator and lets Kirk contact his ship to ask for phasers. When Sulu refuses to beam down weapons, Tracey comments that Kirk has a well trained crew. Kirk then attacks Tracey, seemingly as a last ditch attempt to take him into custody and beam off the planet, rather than in fear of his life which is the implication of the syndicated version. (The Star Trek Compendium)

The following additional scenes were also typically cut from the syndicated broadcast:

Extended walk of Spock to the Exeter science station, in order to replay the ship's log.

science station, in order to replay the ship's log. More drama and extended reactions just prior to the introduction of the American flag.

Preparation for the fight between Kirk and Tracey, with Cloud William sticking the knife into the floor, then explaining the rules of the fight.

Cast and characters

Production timeline

Remastered information

The remastered version of "The Omega Glory" aired in many North American markets during the weekend of 30 June 2007. The episode included dramatic new effects shots of the Enterprise and the Exeter in orbit of a more Earth-like, computer-generated Omega IV. Among the fine details inserted into the show, a small glimpse of the Exeter appears on the Enterprise viewscreen as it approaches the planet at the start of the episode.

Apocrypha

In the novel Forged in Fire Sulu's presence in the landing party which rescued Kirk, Spock and McCoy would turn out to be fortuitous – having assisted Kang, Kor, and Koloth in their hunt for The Albino, disobeying orders from Starfleet Command in doing so, Sulu is also infected with the blood oath-spawning genetic virus (actually a retrovirus, which is why it was the children of the Klingons who were killed), but because bacteriological elements from Omega IV, to which Sulu had become immune, were a key component of the virus, it did not affect him as intended.

Sulu's presence in the landing party which rescued Kirk, Spock and McCoy would turn out to be fortuitous – having assisted Kang, Kor, and Koloth in their hunt for The Albino, disobeying orders from Starfleet Command in doing so, Sulu is also infected with the blood oath-spawning genetic virus (actually a retrovirus, which is why it was the children of the Klingons who were killed), but because bacteriological elements from Omega IV, to which Sulu had become immune, were a key component of the virus, it did not affect him as intended. Another novel, Forgotten History, stated an investigation revealed that the Enterprise logs and scans indicated the American artifacts "were far too intact to be thousands of years old; given the primitive conditions in which the Yang tribe had kept them, they couldn’t have dated back much more than a century.” Moreover, it was discovered that the Yangs had never stated that the "holy" artifacts were ancient and this was a conclusion Kirk had jumped to. It was eventually concluded that in the 2140s a Earth Cargo Service freighter, the ECS Philadelphia had discovered the planet and noting the similarities between Yang beliefs and American ideals and left behind American paraphernalia to inspire the Yangs in their fight for freedom.

Video and DVD releases

Starring

Also starring

And

Guest star

Morgan Woodward as Captain Tracey

Also starring

Uncredited co-stars

References

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Other references



