Star Trek: The Original Series/Recap/S2/E11 Friday's Child

After viewing some footage and receiving a briefing on the people of Capella IV, Kirk, Spock, Bones and a Red Shirt with the shortest career ever beam down to negotiate with the locals. It seems the Klingons have gotten there first and the Capellans seem to have more of a report with them than they could ever have with Starfleet. Bones has been well versed in Capellian etiquette, but thing still manage to go to Hell when Kirk saves High Teer Akaar's wife from being murdered. (There is a strict taboo against men touching unrelated women on this planet.) Kras the Klingon capitalizes on this, turning the rest of the Capellans against Kirk and co. Meanwhile, a Klingon ship is playing a Cat-And-Mouse game with the Enterprise.

Kirk, Bones and Spock escape into the wilderness with Eleen, the High Teer's wife (now widow) who is about to give birth any minute. After the baby is delivered, Eleen knocks out Bones and returns to the Capellans, telling them the Enterprise landing party and the baby are all dead. Her people take her at her word, but Kras demands proof. Kirk and Spock are forced to attack him with handmade bows and arrows, having surrendered their weapons. Maab decides that this is all his own fault and demands that Kras kills him. Kras is all too eager to comply and is soon killed himself. The baby is named Leonard James Akaar and pronounced the new Teer. Kirk and party succeed in arranging diplomatic relations with the people of Capella IV.

Tropes for this episode include:


 * Babies Make Everything Better: Aw, nothing like a newborn baby to make everyone forget the three brutal murders that just happened!
 * Baby Talk: Bones makes some "oochi-boochie-goochie!" noises for little Leonard James. Spock is completely mystified.
 * Big Damn Heroes: The day is saved by Scotty and a team of Redshirts.
 * Blatant Lies: Kras tells Kirk he just wants peace all the while trying to stab him.
 * Death Seeker: Maat's demand to be killed by Kras has shades of Ritual Suicide.
 * Crowning Moment of Funny: "I'm a doctor, not an escalator!"
 * Hey It's That Guy: Catwoman is Eleen. Captain Greer of The Mod Squad is Kras.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Capellans. The Klingons paint themselves this way.
 * Improvised Weapon: Kirk and Spock make primitive bows and arrows out of wood they find in the wild.
 * Madness Mantra: Bones tries to help Eleen through the labor by repeating "The child is mine." She insists on "The child is yours." (Very complicated....)
 * May-December Romance: Akaar praises Eleen for giving an old man such as him a child.
 * Pregnant Badass: Eleen has her moments. She's able to go rock climbing while in labor and Bones is more tired than she is after the delivery.
 * Schmuck Bait: Scotty thinks it a bit odd that a distress call would specifically ask for the Enterprise.
 * Strange Salute: The typical Capella greeting is holding one's fist over one's heart.
 * Three Month Old Newborn Little Leonard James.
 * We Could Have Avoided All This: Or at least some of it if they had brought along Uhura, Rand or even Chapel. Any female crewmember could help them get around the "don't touch women" taboo. Instead, they brought a very trigger-happy Redshirt.
 * Would Hit a Girl: After Eleen bitch slaps him twice, Bones returns with a slap of his own. He later calls it a "right cross". While it wasn't that violent, it did garner some respect from his hither-too reluctant patient.