A Taste of Armageddon
Eminiar VII is a planet engaged in a war, but one without armies or bombs, fought instead through computers. Kirk must remind them of the horrors of war in order to reach peace.
At last, a truly alien culture. Not alien because they appear different from humans, but because they think differently. Mea was raised to believe her duty is to be disintegrated if the culture is to survive. Because so many feel this way, the war continues. It's a relief that the use of computers is revealed early on, because "It's a computer!" wouldn't be a great ending. Kirk has a typically bravado solution to the planet's problem, and seeing it unfold is exciting. The discussions with Anon 7? Not so much. Kirk's truer to form when holding the Council at phaser point. The theme of sanitized warfare is as relevant as ever, with the American public shown bombings without bodies, the interiors of tanks without their effects on the landscape. Fox's presence is unnecessary: another nagging Starfleet official. Surely the Enterprise has diplomats in its ranks? At least Scotty's protests are amusing. Meanwhile, Spock learns how to mind-probe through walls and makes a cute variation on the nerve pinch with his "multi-legged creature." It would be interesting to check back on planets like this and see how they get along after Kirk's gentle influence . . .
Spock Saves the Day: Spock helps the away party escape captivity, confronts numerous guards, shorts out two disintegration machines, and figures out how to disable the main computer.
Oops: Another case of "showing up to late to be useful," though Kirk gives him some computers to analyze. How sweet.
Developments: Nimoy wasn't happy with the mind-reading scene, but it doesn't seem out of line with what's already been established. After all, he makes a simple suggestion to open the door and doesn't reach deep into the guy's mind. (Touch would be required for that.) This technique returns in The Omega Glory.