Summary
- Captain's log, stardate 3198.4
- We have reached Organia and established standard orbit. No signs of hostile activities in this area.
- Captain's log, stardate 3201.7
- Mr Spock and I are trapped on the planet Organia, which is in the process of being occupied by the forces of the Klingon Empire. The Organians have provided us with native clothing in the hopes that we may be taken for Organians.
On stardate 3198.4, relations between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire have reached the breaking point, and recent negotiations have collapsed. The :USS Enterprise has been sent to the world of Organia, a non-aligned planet near the Klingon border, in fear that the Klingons will try to annex it.
As the Enterprise approaches Organia, it is attacked by a Klingon vessel, which it destroys. Kirk warns the Organians of the Klingons, but the Organians are completely unconcerned. Instead, they insist that it is the Enterprise and her crew which are in danger. A Klingon fleet appears, forcing the Enterprise to withdraw, and stranding Kirk and Spock on the surface.
The Klingons seize control of the planet without resistance from the Organians, and install the ranking Klingon officer, Kor as the military governor of Organia. The Organians disguise Kirk and Spock, but refuse to do more to resist the occupation. The two start guerrilla operations of their own, over the objections of the Organians.
When the Klingons confront the Organian ruling council and threaten to torture Kirk and Spock as suspected insurgents, the Organians reveal Kirk and Spock's true identities and allow them to be arrested. After preliminary interrogations, the Klingons imprison the two of them in a dungeon. Shortly thereafter, the Organians effortlessly free the pair and hide them in the council chamber.
While Kirk and Spock try to figure out the natives' contradictory actions, Kor retaliates for the escape by ordering mass executions. Still, the Organians continue to protect the two, but remain otherwise unperturbed by the Klingons' actions, leaving the Federation officers and the Klingons alike baffled and frustrated.
As Federation and Klingon fleets converge on the system, threatening to turn it into a war-zone, Kirk and Spock execute a daring raid on the Klingon headquarters in hopes of rousing the population into resistance. They prove surprisingly successful, capturing Kor and preparing to make a last stand while the fleets ready to clash.
At that point, the Organians reveal their true nature. They instantly incapacitate both sides, not only around the planet, but everywhere. They are not primitive humanoids, but highly advanced and extremely powerful energy beings, so far beyond the Klingons and the Federation that they were never threatened by either side. The Organians force the humans and Klingons to make a truce, the Organian Peace Treaty. Both sides protest, but the Organians predict the two rivals will get along far better in the future than they presently imagine.
Back on the Enterprise, Kirk admits his embarrassment at his own initial disappointment with the forcible ending of the war and the imposed peace treaty.
References
Characters
Episode characters
- Ayelborne • Clifford Brent (?) • Claymare • Daval • Harrison • James T. Kirk/Baroner • Kered • Kor, son of Rynar • Ryan Leslie • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Trefayne • Nyota Uhura • unnamed 2260s USS Enterprise personnel (USS Enterprise personnel)
Novelization characters
Starships and vehicles
Locations
Races and cultures
States and organizations
Appendices
Related stories
- TOS comic: "Against Their Nature" - Tells Errand of Mercy from the Klingons point of view.
- Ayelborne, Claymare, and Trefayne return in the TOS comics: "Deadly Allies", "Errand of War", "Deadly Allies".
Background
- The first Klingon attack on the Enterprise was originally conducted by an unseen Klingon ship, the 2007 remastered edition of the episode adds a D7 class vessel as the opponent. The comic "Against Their Nature" establishes this ship is in fact a smaller D7 like scout vessel named the IKS Vortha.
Images
Video releases
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous episode: The Devil in the Dark |
TOS episode produced | Next episode: The City on the Edge of Forever |
| Previous episode: The Devil in the Dark |
TOS episode aired | Next episode: The Alternative Factor |
| Previous story: Tomorrow is Yesterday |
Star Trek 2
|
Next story: Court Martial |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Devil in the Dark |
Next Adventure: The City on the Edge of Forever | |
| Previous Adventure: Errand of Fury: Book 3 |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (2264 to 2270) |
Next Adventure: Against Their Nature |
External link
- "Errand of Mercy" article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.