"The Empath" Trivia Quiz

Answer: To evacuate a research station

A research crew has been stationed on Minara II to observe the planet's star as it approaches supernova. The Enterprise has arrived to evacuate the researchers before the planet becomes uninhabitable. For once, it's not a bogus distress call.

Answer: The station has been abandoned for some time

Upon entering the research station, the landing party finds it to be abandoned. It appears the station's instruments have not been used for some time as dust has accumulated everywhere. The research scientists are nowhere to be found. At this point, if you bail out you can save yourself fifty or so minutes of boredom.

Answer: A solar storm is approaching the planet

The planet's star is approaching supernova and throws off a massive solar flare. The Enterprise will not be able to withstand the cosmic rays heading towards the planet. Kirk orders Mr. Scott to move the ship to a safe distance while the landing party remains below. Sure, leave the senior staff behind with no security detail.

Answer: Dr. McCoy

After viewing a log tape showing the research scientists have disappeared, the landing party is suddenly transported to a chamber deep beneath the planet's surface. After a few boring minutes of walking around in the dark, they come upon a chamber where they find a woman lying alone on a platform. Dr. McCoy determines the woman has no vocal chords and probably comes from a race of mutes.

He names her "Gem" for some reason or another, like he just found a stray puppy.

Answer: Gem heals a cut on Kirk's head

Two aliens appear and identify themselves as Vians. They place the landing party in a force field while they check on Gem and then they leave. Captain Kirk sustained a cut on his forehead just before being transported from the research station. When Gem sees this, she reaches out and touches his wound.

The cut disappears from Kirk's head and temporarily appears in the same spot on Gem's head. They all make their way to another chamber where they discover the dead bodies of the research scientists.

Answer: Nitrogen bubbles in his blood, commonly referred to as "The Bends"

The landing party finds an escape route to the planet surface. They think they see Scotty and a search party there to rescue them but it is all an illusion courtesy of the Vians. The Vians have been observing their will to survive. The Vians make Kirk run in slow motion for some stupid reason, dragging this scene out far longer than it needs to be. Everyone is transported back below the surface and the Vians proceed to beat the heck out of Kirk.

When they are done, McCoy finds Kirk to have a common decompression syndrome known as "The Bends".

There's really no significance to that as far as the story goes.

Answer: "I'm a doctor, not a coal miner"

The Vians return and tell Kirk he must choose which of his crew will be their next test subject. After they leave, Kirk needs to rest while Spock tries to figure a way out. McCoy starts getting a little stir crazy from being trapped under ground for so long, leading him to make the "coal miner" reference. Both Spock and McCoy volunteer to go with the Vians, but Kirk insists he will make the decision after he takes a little nap.

Answer: He tranquilizes them both

McCoy sneaks up on Kirk and shoots him up with some of the good stuff, knocking him out cold. Spock assumes command while Kirk snoozes and says he will go with the Vians. Guess what? McCoy sneaks up on Spock and takes him out as well. When Kirk asks Spock why he let McCoy go with the Vians, he says he was also convinced by "the good doctor's hypo".

Answer: To determine if Gem's species is worthy of saving.

Spock fiddles around with a confiscated Vian device and figures out how to use it to transport himself and Kirk to the Vian's lab. They find McCoy near death after being tortured by the Vians. The Vians place a force field around Kirk and Spock while they observe Gem's attempt to heal McCoy, but McCoy won't let her finish.

The Vians finally explain they need to see Gem's willingness to sacrifice herself to be worthy of saving her species from the impending supernova. They are not concerned with how many others they kill in the process. That makes a lot of sense.

Answer: "A pearl of great value"

After escaping the force field, Kirk scolds the Vians for their lack of emotions and compassion, blah, blah, blah. Now they realize they have been really bad boys and they heal McCoy themselves. They take off with Gem and we never really know if they will save her species or not. Back on the Enterprise, Kirk tells the story of their encounter with Gem and Scotty comments that she sounds like "a pearl of great value".

The phrase comes from the story of the merchant, a biblical reference.