TheEnterprise finds an ancient interstellar probe from Earth, missing for 265 years, which has somehow mutated into a powerful and intelligent machine sterilizing entire populations that do not meet its standards of perfection.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

TheUSSEnterprise isen route to theMalurian star system, investigating adistress call.Lieutenant Uhura has received no response tohails on any frequency, even afterCaptain Kirk reminds her of a Federation science team transmitter fromDoctor Manway. However,Spock's sensor data contains tragic news: although there should be over four billion Malurians there are absolutely no readings of life anywhere in the system. As Kirk and Spock speculate about what could have caused the eradication of life in such a short time, a large bolt of energy comes out of nowhere. Kirk ordersred alert, and the object violently impacts upon theEnterprise'sshields.

Act One[]

The entirecrew is hurled around, and when things stabilize, Kirk orders Uhura to inform Starfleet of the apparent disappearance and the attack.Spock reports that the shields will stand only three more such impacts, as they have been reduced by 20%. TheEnterprise's shields continue to be battered by repeated attacks. Finally, after the shields are completely gone and aphoton torpedo in response has been completely absorbed, Kirk orders Uhura tohail the very small object Spock has identified as the source of attack. The object stops its assault and tries to respond to the hail with an old-style binary code. The crew has some difficulty translating, but eventually succeeds. The object identifies itself asNomad, and its mission as "non-hostile."

As it is only a fraction over onemeter in length Kirk has it beamed aboard, if only to prevent it from firing on the ship again. It introduces itself and Kirk remembers the launch of a probe namedNomad in the early2000s, and Spock says it was reported destroyed with no more in the series.

Later it is revealed that the object had stopped its assault when it heard Kirk'sname, somehow believing that Kirk is its creator.

Act Two[]

Nomad wastes no time investigating the ship, with only Kirk's orders preventing it from having free rein. Knowing how powerful it is, and that it stated it was programmed to destroy "biological infestation," Kirk orders two security guards to watch it at all times, butNomad is able to evade them. Furthermore, it seems highlylogically-minded and gets confused whenever it encounters something illogical; when it hears Uhura singing "Beyond Antares" on thebridge from theauxiliary control room, it leaves LieutenantSingh, who was watching it, and goes to investigate.

Meanwhile, Kirk and Spock check the computer onNomad's creation and launch. Originally,Nomad was built byJackson Roykirk for a deep-space extraterrestrial contact mission early in the21st century, in the year2002, but was lost in a meteor shower, where it was presumed destroyed. Somehow, it got a directive to kill, and must have killed the Malurians.

Nomad arrives on the bridge to question Uhura about the song. She attempts to explain it, butNomad does not understand what music is.Nomad tries "probing" Uhura's mind to find the information, and wipes her memory in the process.Scott sees this and attempts to save Uhura from the probe, butNomad retaliates violently. A blast of energy throws Scott aside, and he crashes to the floor near theviewscreen. Upon Dr.McCoy's examination of Scott, he declares him dead, to Kirk's shock.

Act Three[]

Just after Scott's death,Nomad asks Kirk if he wishes to have theEnterprise'schief engineer "repaired". Kirk immediately replies in the affirmative, although McCoy tells him that Scott must be revived soon. Spock has detailed files on Humanphysiology brought up at hisstation, whichNomad scans. McCoy then leadsNomad tosickbay, where the probe instantly revives Scott, who is baffled as to why everyone is looking down at him on abio-bed. Kirk also ordersNomad to help Uhura, but Nomad says it is not possible. McCoy andNurse Chapel proceed to re-educate her using the computer.

This event proves disconcerting to Kirk, who then ordersNomad to be guarded and analyzed by Spock. After the analysis and a background check onNomad in the ship's data banks, Spock gets enough details through amind meld with the probe to fill in the blanks. After the meteor collision,Nomad was disoriented and wandered through space until coming into contact withTan Ru, an alien probe whose mission was to collect and sterilizesoil samples, presumably as a prelude to colonization. The two melded into this newNomad, combining their technology and missions into one extremely powerful probe bent on sterilizing any imperfectlifeforms it encountered, using its own perceptions of perfection (i.e. itself) as a measuring stick. As such, it destroyed all life in the Malurian star system but because its original programming was damaged and corrupted in the merger, it erroneously equates Kirk with its creator, not realizing that the two are different people and its creator has been, in fact, dead for centuries.

While Kirk and Spock are gone,Nomad leaves the confined area, killing two security officers in the process, and decides to improve the efficiency of engineering, taking theEnterprise eventually towarp 10 in the process. Kirk arrives and forces it to stop. Unfortunately, the mind meld and an unintentional admission from Kirk confirm toNomad that its creator is an imperfect biological entity, and with that knowledge, it leaves on Kirk's order to contemplate the new data with two security officers. They deduce it will not obey for long and will eventually sterilize Earth.

Act Four[]

En route,Nomad escapes, killing the two guards, and goes to sickbay to scan Kirk's personnel file. McCoy finds Nurse Chapel has been attacked and signals Kirk and Spock to come to sickbay. They realizeNomad is gathering the information they feared. Furthermore, Scott informs them from the bridge thatNomad has turned off alllife support on the ship.

With little time left, Kirk comes to recognizeNomad's refabricated mission and takes a gamble to confront it again before it returns to Earth to "sterilize"the planet's population. Through questioningNomad on its prime directive inengineering, Kirk confirms his suspicion that it must execute it with no exceptions, and then reveals that he indeed is notNomad's creator. He explains thatNomad had mistaken him for Roykirk who is long dead, the two men's names being similar, and as suchNomad has committed an error; furthermore, it has compounded that error with two more, specifically failing to realize its mistake and failing to immediately execute its prime directive as a result. This causesNomad to lock up in an irreversible logic loop, its stubborn belief that it is perfect conflicting with the realization that it is in error. Capitalizing on the weakenedNomad, Spock and Kirk manage to get it to thetransporter room withanti-gravs and have Scott beam it out into space just as it executes its prime function on itself. The explosion is detected near theEnterprise andNomad is no more.

Later, on the bridge, Spock commends Kirk on his dazzling display oflogic that allowed them to defeatNomad. McCoy enters through theturbolift and reports that Uhura is now reading at a college level and should be able to return to duty within the week. Spock laments the loss ofNomad, noting that it was a "remarkable instrument." Kirk jokingly wonders what Spock is so upset about, given that the machine considered Kirk to be its "mother". "You saw what it did for Scott. What a doctor it would have made. My son, the doctor. Kind of gets you right here, doesn't it?" Kirk says while pointing to hisheart.

Log entries[]

Captain's log, USSEnterprise (NCC-1701), 2267

Memorable quotes[]

"This is one of your units, creator?"
"Yes, he is."
"It functions irrationally."
"Sometimes."

-Nomad andKirk, on the "unit" McCoy

"My function is to probe for biological infestations, to destroy that which is not perfect. I am Nomad."

-Nomad, explaining its directive

"It would seem that Nomad is now seeking out perfect life-forms, perfection being measured by its own relentless logic."
"If what you say is true, then we have taken aboard our vessel a device which sooner or later must destroy us."

-Spock andKirk, realizing the dangerNomad poses to them

"That unit is defective. Its thinking is chaotic. Absorbing it unsettled me."
"That unit is a woman."
"A mass of conflicting impulses."

-Nomad andSpock, on the "unit" Uhura

"Does the creator wish me to repair the unit?"

-Nomad, asking Kirk if he should "repair" Scott

"A man is not just a biological unit that you can patch together."

-McCoy, afterNomad heals Scott

"This unit is different. It is well-ordered."

-Nomad, on the "unit" Spock

"The creation of perfection is no error."

-Nomad, refuting Kirk's claim that its creation was an error

"You are the Creator."
"You're wrong! Jackson Roykirk, your creator, is dead! You have mistaken me for him, you are in error! You did not discover your mistake, you have made two errors. You are flawed and imperfect. And you have not corrected by sterilization, you have made three errors!"

-Nomad, sent into a logic feedback loop byKirk

"My congratulations, captain. A dazzling display of logic."
"You didn't think I had it in me, did you, Spock?"
"No, sir."

-Spock andKirk, onNomad'sinduced self-destruction by Kirk

"It's not easy to lose a bright and promising son… my son – the doctor."

-Kirk, whose "son – the doctor" – brought Scott back to life, aboutNomad

Background information[]

Production timeline[]

File:TOS 2-08 The Changeling script story outline 03-15-67.pdf

Open PDF file "TOS 2-08 The Changeling script story outline 03-15-67"

Nomad being placed on the transporter — *Nomad* being placed on the transporter

Kirk and Nomad on the bridge — Kirk andNomad on the bridge

Kirk, Spock, and Nomad — Kirk, Spock, andNomad

Story outline byJohn Meredyth Lucas:15 March 1967
Revised story outline:16 March 1967
First draft teleplay:7 April 1967
Second draft teleplay: late-April 1967
Staff rewrite:1 May 1967
Final draft teleplay byD.C. Fontana:29 May 1967
Revised final draft byGene L. Coon:29 June 1967
Additional page revisions:30 June 1967,5 July 1967,11 July 1967
Filmed:6 July1967 –14 July1967
- Day 1 –6 July 1967, Thursday –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Bridge
- Day 2 –7 July 1967, Friday –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Bridge
- Day 3 –10 July 1967, Monday –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Transporter room,Auxiliary control center
- Day 4 –11 July 1967, Tuesday –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Engineering,Corridors
- Day 5 –12 July 1967, Wednesday –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Sickbay
- Day 6 –13 July 1967, Thursday –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Brig,Briefing room
- Day 7 –14 July 1967, Friday (Half Day) –Desilu Stage 9: Int.Briefing room
- Additional filming (Pickup shots) –21 July 1967, Friday –Desilu Stage 9
Original airdate:29 September 1967
Rerun airdate:17 May 1968
First UK airdate:25 May 1970
Although never credited, this episode – which depicted an Earth-launched space probe that acquires almost unimaginable powers in the course of the search for its "Creator" – became the inspiration behind thefirstStar Trek film. (It also inspiredThe Questor Tapes, a1974 series pilot written byGene Roddenberry andGene L. Coon which also featured a robot with a damaged memory who searched for its creator.) For this reason, some fans have appended toStar Trek: The Motion Picture the pun subtitle "WhereNomad Has Gone Before." (Star Trek: The Original Series 365, p. 188)

Cast and characters[]

DirectorMarc Daniels portraysJackson Roykirk in the photograph, wearing Scott'sdress uniform.
Eddie Paskey is seen in a gold shirt in this episode so he would match the standard stock footage screen shot with George Takei and an extra's left shoulder. In "The Corbomite Maneuver" he is seen wearing gold in the corridor during Kirk-to-crew announcements (the same shot was recycled in many episodes, including "The Menagerie, Part I" and "Assignment: Earth"). Paskey also appears in a red technician's jumpsuit in themain engineering scenes.
Lemli's first name, Roger, is given in this episode. His last name wasn't revealed until the following season, in "The Lights of Zetar".
In conventions,Nichelle Nichols frequently tells a story of getting into a dispute with director Marc Daniels over the filming of this episode. As it had already been established that Uhura's first language was Swahili, Nichols believed that, after her mind was erased, Uhura would revert to her first language. However, as Nichols herself did not speak Swahili, Daniels wanted Uhura to just speak English. Nichols refused to, telling Daniels, "Nichelle Nichols doesn't speak Swahili, but Uhura does!" Gene Roddenberry was eventually brought in to settle the dispute, and he sided with Nichols. A linguist specializing in Swahili was then brought in to write the few lines of Swahili that are spoken in the episode.
For someone who had every single one of her memories erased, Uhura recovers in a remarkably short time. In fact, by the time of her next appearance, ("Mirror, Mirror"), Uhura has apparently re-gained all of her faculties. It is possible thatNomad did not fully erase her memories, merely "locked" them away, and it was possible, with time, for her to retrieve them.
AfterNomad explodes, William Shatner quickly raises his hand to the camera as the scene fades away. An outtake of this scene is incorporated into theblooper reel of the show's second season: At one point, Shatner turns to the camera and declares, "Listen, about that bacon – no, really!" and then appears to swallow something, presumably medication for an upset stomach. His comment follows an earlier outtake that shows him sitting in the captain's chair on the bridge and confiding, "No, listen, that bacon is really bad… it just stays with you all day."
Also in the blooper reel: When Shatner tellsNomad that theEnterprise is prepared to beam it aboard, James Doohan says, "But, captain – you forgot all about the environment and all that stuff. Do you want to really do that?" A grinning Doohan steps out of camera frame, leaving a slightly perplexed Shatner behind, bemusedly shaking his head. Doohan did not deliberately ruin the take, however. It was already ruined since Shatner actually forget to say the dialogue concerning the environment.

Continuity[]

William Blackburn appears in three different uniform colors in this episode: his usual gold (asHadley), a blue uniform in a corridor scene, and in a red technician's jumpsuit in main engineering.
Footage ofNomad exiting the turbolift is recycled to show it leaving sickbay.
When the two security guards shootNomad for not obeying them, the visual effects artists apparently used the door frame behind the guards as a guideline for the boundary ofNomad's shields. This has the unfortunate effect of making it seem as if the guards' phaser beams are striking the door frame.
Spock mentions thatNomad's first attack on theEnterprise was the equivalent of ninetyphoton torpedoes. Surprisingly, this attack only reduced the shields by 20%. This seems even stranger a few moments later, whenNomad absorbs the energy of a single photon torpedo and Kirk wonders how anything could "absorb so much energy – and survive".
Surprisingly, too, Uhura is re-educated within a matter of days, presumably with all her memories intact. Possibly her memories were not truly erased, analogous to how a computer file's index entry can be overwritten but the data itself can still be recovered. Exabytes of data would take a while to restore but would not take nearly as long as learning from a zero start-point.
This episode marks one of four times Kirk is able to "talk a computer to death". This technique is also used in "The Return of the Archons", "I, Mudd", and "The Ultimate Computer", and was similarly done to a robot in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
Even though this episode is stated to take place on stardate 3541.9, the episode list from the official website says it takes place on stardate 3451.9.

Video and DVD releases[]

RCA CED Videodisc with Space Seed 1981
UK VHS release (CIC-Arena Video): catalog number VHL 2057,April 1983

This release included "Space Seed" and was originally unrated, as it was released prior to theVideo Recordings Act 1984. After1985, it received a rating of PG.

Original US Betamax release:1986
UK VHS release (two-episode tapes,CIC Video):Volume 20, catalog number VHR 2353,release date unknown
US VHS release:15 April 1994
UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.3,10 March 1997
Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 19,13 February 2001
As part of theTOS Season 2 DVD collection

Apocrypha[]

Tokyopop'sStar Trek: The Manga:Kakan ni Shinkou had a story titled "Communications Breakdown", set after the episode. The story starts with acaptain's log mentioning that it's been twelve days since the encounter withNomad.