Director: Robert Gist
Writers: Oliver Crawford and S. Bar-David
Story By: Oliver Crawford

Captain Kirk: William Shatner
Science Officer, First Officer, Cmdr. Spock: Leonard Nimoy
Dr. Leonard "Bones" Mc Coy: DeForest Kelly
Lt. Sulu: George Takei
Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott: James Doohan
Lieutenant Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Don Marshall Lt. Boma
High Commissioner Ferris: John Crawford
Lt. Gaetano: Peter Marko
Yeoman Mears: Phyllis Douglas
Lieutenant Latimer: Reese Vaughn
Lt. Commander Kelowitz: Grant Woods
Creature: Buck Maffei
Transporter Chief: David L. Ross

Stardate 2821.5

Makus III is plague-ridden and the Enterprise is on her way to bring there medical supplies. They pass a huge quarsarlike formation, Murasaki 312, and fulfill their duty to inspect phenomenas like that. A shuttle, the Galileo, with Spock, Scott, McCoy and 4 crewmen leave to study Murasaki 312. Suddenly the shuttle is pulled off course and cannot be found by the mother-ship. Spock manages to land the shuttle on Taurus II, a foggy, harsh and rocky planet, but the shuttle gets damaged. Cheking the shuttle status, Scotty finds out that, should they succeed in making the engines to work again, the remaing fuel will not be enough to reach orbit, unless some weight is dircharged. After taking out all the expendable equipment, there are still about 150 exceeding kilos - the equivalent of two men. Icily, Spock states that they must leave somebody behind. The Enterprise cannot find their people and go for a search which is objected by High Commissioner whose main and urgent aim it is to bring the vaccine to Makus III. 

On Taurus III the giant ape-kind people attack the landing party. Spock sends two men to find out about them. One is immediately killed. Spock does not find the behavior of the species logical. "What makes you think they would be logical?" Scotty asks him. While Spock and Scotty try to repair the shuttle to be able to leave the planet soon, Lt. Boma demands that Spock stops his repairs in order to bury the dead man. Spock's logic do not permit him to allow a break in the repairs, which earns him his men anger and mistrust. 

The situation becomes worse and worse. In the attempt to repair the shuttle, Spock and Scott lose what fuel was left. The second man, sent to explore the ground, is found dead by Spock himself and the crewmen's anger mounts. The natives continue their attacks, every time with more fury. Finally Spock comes to respect, if not to understand, the men's needs to bury their fellow men. He even risks his life and waves the others to leave him back when he is trapped under one of the rocks the giants threw, but they ignore the gesture and help him out and back into the shuttle. 

Scotty has installed all their phasers as power source – enough to reach the orbit. Still there is no chance to be found by the Enterprise. High Commissioner Ferris had forced Kirk to leave for Makus III and all Kirk can do is to order that the area behind them is monitored as best as possible. By now the Galileo manages to stay in an unsteady orbit around the planet. Spock answers the question about what will happen by stating that – when the energy reserves are used up – the shuttle will burn when entering the planet’s atmosphere. Thinking again Spock ignites the remaining fuel. All fuel burns in a tremendous flare ... which is detected by the Enterprise. Kirk orders the immediate beaming up of the people inside and the Galileo disintegrates in the planet's atmosphere. All are beamed safely on board. In spite of Kirk's attempt to talk Spock into admitting his action was a desperate one, Spock insists that it was a logical Vulcan approach to their problem.