Guest stars:

Morgan Woodward         Captain Ron Tracey, experienced star fleet Captain of the Exeter (also played Simon Van Gelder in Dagger of the Mind)

Roy Jensen              Cloud William, chief of the Yang tribes
Irene Kelley            Sirah, wife of Cloud William
David L. Ross           Lt.Galloway, expendable redshirt, killed by Tracy
Eddie Paskey            Lt.Leslie
Ed McReady              Carter (?)
Lloyd Kino              Wu, com leader
Morgan Farley           Scholar

Crew Appearances:
Kirk, Spock, Mccoy
Sulu
Uhura
No Chekov or Scott
 
Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam aboard the Exeter, in orbit around Omega IV. There, they discover her crew reduced to a crystallized powder caused by a deadly virus to which Kirk and the others have now been exposed. On the planet, they learn Exeter's Captain Tracey has violated the prime directive, meddling in the natives' affairs because he thinks the planet's atmosphere grants immortality. Tracey's power-hungry. Kirk and crew have to stop him and allow the reestablishment of freedom and equality.

Omega 4: Earthlike in more ways than one. with natural immunity to deadly diseases brought about by the planets past biological warfare period.

Mentions historical note: Earth had experimented with Biological warfare in the 1990's (how prophetic)

Uss Exeter: patroling in the area of Omega 4 6 months ago, not damaged but the crew has been reduced to dust, due to an unknown illness taken to the ship from Omega 4.

Spock uses the neck pinch
Spock uses a form of telepathy to make a suggestion to Sirah to bring him a communicator and save the day.

Themes: Power hungry people will go to any lengths to become rich and famous
Yankees win over the communists on distant parallet development planets.

Freedom, equality for all, justice, and democracy are values in the galaxy.