Enterprise visits an idyllic planet, where McCoy encounters a large white rabbit that is "very late". And shortly afterwards, a little girl who is following him. McCoy isn't becoming insane; it soon becomes apparent that thinking about a thing will cause it to materialize, as everyone encounters people and things from their past or their fantasies. But something on the planet's surface is draining power from Enterprise . And then McCoy, convinced that what he sees is a harmless illusion, confronts a charging knight - and dies, pierced through the heart! What kind of odd world is this, and how can the ship and crew escape it?
Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.
Complete story — includes the ending
Captain Kirk orders shore leave for the Enterprise crew on a seemingly uninhabited planet in the Omicron Delta system. The landing parties begin to see strange sights, such as a White Rabbit a la " Alice in Wonderland ", Don Juan, and a sword-wielding samurai. Also, Kirk sees (and fights) an image of Finnegan, a rival from his Starfleet Academy days. Spock discovers that the planet seems to be drawing a large amount of energy from the ship's engines, placing the Enterprise in danger.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Star Trek: The Original Series season 1. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license