10 Star Trek Episodes Based On Real-Life Events
8. A Private Little War
This episode of Star Trek The Original Series is probably most well-known for the introduction of the Mugatu, the white Gorilla-like alien with the large horn on its head. Shown recently in the trailer for Lower Decks' second season, this alien is one of the iconic villains of Star Trek's early years.
The episode itself centres on the struggle between the Hill People and the Villagers, two native groups on the planet of Neural. Captain Kirk had previously visited the world, befriending a local man named Tyree. When Kirk returns to the world with McCoy and Spock, they are all shocked with Spock is shot, the bullet coming from a weapon that these people shouldn't have any access to.
The episode then shows the Klingons and the Federation arming two sides of this conflict, inspired directly by the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1968, the war showed no signs of abating, which led to the story here. At the episode's end, Kirk orders Scotty to begin producing one hundred flintlock rifles to send down to Tyree and his people, thus continuing the conflict in direct opposition to the Prime Directive. When Scotty questions this order, Kirk retorts that they are supplying 'serpents to the Garden of Eden.'