Star Trek: 10 Terrible Scenes That Ruined Episodes
9. Spock Jokes About Assault - The Enemy Within
Richard Matheson penned the script for this first season episode of The Original Series. You know the story - Captain Kirk, after experiencing a transporter malfunction, is split into two halves - one good, and one evil. Oh, and there's a cute little dog in an alien costume. What's not to love?
This episode contains the scene wherein Yeoman Janice Rand is assaulted by this evil version of Kirk. The scene itself is handled well, though the final scene of the episode upends any good will.
The… impostor had some… interesting qualities, wouldn't you say, Yeoman?
Spock's final lines, to an already traumatised Rand, stink of cruelty. Who on earth decided that this was an appropriate sign-off for the episode, or for anyone to say to someone who had just been assaulted? Grace Lee Whitney recounted in her autobiography that she wasn't sure who had actually written that line, but that it ensured that the episode ended on a sour note.