The Lorelei Signal ( episode ) The " Enterprise " is drawn to a planet populated solely by women who dominate the male crew members ' s minds to the point where Uhura must assume command to rescue them . Summary . The " Enterprise " arrives in the region where the series of ships have all disappeared , moments before the next time period occurs . Captain Kirk orders Uhura to take the ship to yellow alert in preparation of the unknown . At the moment they were preparing for , Uhura receives a strong subspace radio signal , which appears , to her , to sound more like music than a message . Spock , however , notes that the ship is being probe d and that its source originates from a star system located twenty light year s distant . Kirk notes that it must be a very powerful signal to be able to reach them from that far away . Spock further identifies the source as the Taurean system , a small star at the extreme edge of their sector . The male bridge crew , including Kirk , Spock , and Scott all feel as if the signal is calling them . Uhura notes no resemblance in the message to a summons that the male members are sensing . Kirk notes Uhura ' s opinion and has Lieutenant Arex continue to proceed the " Enterprise " to the Taurean system at warp 7 . " En route " , Uhura summons Nurse Chapel to the bridge to observe the male reaction to the message the " Enterprise " is receiving . Moments later , the male crew members begin to experience audio - visual suggestion , or dimensional visions , created by the probe . Spock receives a suggestion that likens the signal to a Vulcan marriage drum ; Kirk receives one of a beautiful woman holding a flower ; Dr . McCoy receives one consisting of magnolia s in blossom . Both Uhura and Chapel note no visions to Kirk , who then requests Dr . McCoy to report to the bridge to make a medical scan . Uhura and Chapel analyze the probe data the " Enterprise " had been receiving , noting that their figures do not match up with Spock ' s , counting at least three sensor readings that are off . On the planet ' s surface , the scouting party , consisting of Kirk , Spock , McCoy , and Lieutenant Carver , encounter a series of structures of fantastic architecture built by an incredibly advanced race . Carver offers to take tricorder readings , but Kirk assigns the task instead to Spock . McCoy notes that there is something compelling about their location , and Kirk agrees . Spock observes that the urgency of their feeling suggests visual compulsion , and advises remaining at a distance until he can determine the extent of its influence . Kirk disregards Spock ' s comment , noting that they do not seem to be in immediate danger , and the group enters the main complex . Inside , they discover a great hall lined with several female statues , where several blond females greet them . Theela , the " Head Female , " welcomes the scouting party , fully aware of each male ' s identity – as it was revealed to them by their opto - aud . Spock scans the females and observes that they are indeed humanoid , with many internal differences including endocrinology variations , noting that their bodies appear to function on an unusual psychokinesis - level . Theela reveals the tonally - controlled opto - aud to the scouting party , noting that it will reveal whatever it is asked . She explains that they are honored that the " Enterprise " was able to answer their call as she invites the crew to a feast they have prepared for their guests . The male scouting party members sit on pillows as they observe some of the most beautiful women in the galaxy perform various forms of entertainment . McCoy is curious where the men are , and is told that they occupy another compound . Suddenly all the males experience fatigue and nearly faint , so the females take them to the slumber chambers to rest . McCoy states that it is probably their nectar , which he says is as potent as Saurian brandy . After some time , the landing party is revived . Each is wearing a headband and they all appear to have greatly aged . Back aboard the " Enterprise " , Chapel and Uhura coordinate with the ship ' s female science teams to determine an answer to what is going on . Chapel requests the computer to make a summation of medical , biological , and astrophysical scans . The computer determines that the probe from the planet ' s surface is very inimical to humanoid males . Exposure causes increasing weakness , possibly to point of death . Uhura assumes command of the " Enterprise " and calls security officer Davison , ordering her to assemble an all - woman security detail on all transporters immediately . Chapel asks Uhura what she is doing , and Uhura tells her she is taking command of the " Enterprise " . On the second planet , the headbands of the landing party are now glowing , as they approach Theela and request to return to their ship so that they may resume their duties . But she will not allow them to return , noting that " all " the men on the " Enterprise " are needed ( she does not specify for what ) and will soon be joining the alien women . Meanwhile , back on the bridge of the " Enterprise " , Scott sits in the captain ' s chair singing a Welsh ballad . Uhura and Chapel enter the bridge . Uhura informs Scott she has taken command of the " Enterprise " and assigns Nurse Chapel as chief medical officer . On the surface , the landing party , in an aged and weakened state , discovers that they have been left alone . Discovering that he still has his medikit , McCoy attempts to find something to alleviate their condition . He determines a hypospray of cortropine , a strong stimulant , could help . Upon taking their injections , they move about and discover that they are locked in their room . The lock is magnetic , but Spock is able to disrupt its field with the scanner of the medical tricorder . They escape the compound , only to be pursued by the females of the planet . They climb into a giant urn and successfully elude their pursuers . Hiding in the urn , the men determine that the headbands they are wearing glow intensely when the women are nearby , and diminish when the women are not present . Spock theorizes that they may be polarized conductors , which transfer the men ' s vital energy , or life forces , to the bodies of the women . Spock observes that since the men arrived and acquired the headbands , the women have gone from being listless to more energetic and vital , while the men have aged rapidly , nearly ten years per day . McCoy surmises they will be dead in four days . Because of his Vulcan physiology and longer lifespan , Spock volunteers to return to the temple to find the communicator s so that they can contact the ship . Spock returns to the temple and locates the opto - aud , which he uses to request the location of their equipment . It is revealed to him that they are located under Theela ' s throne , where he finds them and is able to contact the " Enterprise . " Suddenly he is discovered and re - captured , but not before he is able to alert the " Enterprise " to send down an all - female security squad . Lieutenant Uhura , Nurse Chapel , and their female security detachment transport down and , as were the men , they are immediately greeted by Theela – but this time , her attitude is hostile . Uhura demands the return of Captain Kirk , but Theela demands that they leave . The alien women approach , and are immediately stunned by the female security officers . Uhura orders the group to search the temple in parties of two . Spock senses Chapel and directs them to his location , where they locate the now extremely aged Vulcan lying in bed . They transport back to the " Enterprise " . Meanwhile , outside , a thunderstorm approaches . Kirk , McCoy and Carver attempt to escape , but they are all trapped in the giant urn as it begins to fill quickly with rainwater . In sickbay , Nurse Chapel removes the headband from Spock . He orders them to have a female engineer redirect all the " Enterprise " s available energy – everything except minimum life - support – into its deflector shields to block the probe coming from the planet ' s surface . Uhura returns to the surface and threatens to destroy the temple unless Captain Kirk and his men are released . Theela and surrender and use the opto - aud to explain to Uhura their situation . The opto - aud reveals both sexes of the race from which they are descended , and Theela explains that they came to this planet when their homeworld began to die . They built the temple and all surrounding it , but they did not know that surface radiation which the planet emitted drained humanoid energy . The women ' s bodies developed a glandular secretion that enabled them to survive and to manipulate certain areas of the male ' s brains to influence their emotional senses , ultimately draining the men . This caused them to weaken and die . To survive the females must revitalize every 27 years . They are eternal prisoners because they neither age nor die , nor can they bear children . Uhura still demands to know the location of the men and the opto - aud is asked to reveal their location . It shows them floating in water ; however , Theela reveals that the closest body of water is many cusec s from the temple . Uhura realizes it is not a body of water but a pool or tub , and it dawns upon Theela that they must be located in the urn in the garden . Uhura and one of her security officers locate the urn and destroy it with their phaser s , on setting one , releasing the water and the trapped crew members . They are quickly returned to the sickbay of the " Enterprise " . Chapel tries everything she knows in her attempt to reverse the aging process , but she fails . Spock suggests that the transporter is the key to their age restoration , because it holds the molecular pattern of their original bodies when they beamed down . Although feasible , this procedure has never been attempted before . Spock states that the odds are against them , 99 . 7 to 1 . If it fails , their patterns will break up and scatter in space . Scott , who , despite still having a severe headache he and the other men still all have , is no longer affected by the alien probe . He transports the four aged crewmen to the planet ' s surface and prepares to transport them back aboard upon reprogramming the transporter . Despite a brief scare , their transport - transformation is successful . Back in the temple on the planet , Theela destroys the opto - aud , the probe that lured men to their planet , with a phaser , as part of a prearranged agreement . Uhura explains that a crew of women will bring a ship back to transport the alien women to the first suitable planet , where , according to Dr . McCoy , their physiology will return to normal within a few months , ultimately offering them a better future than immortality . Memorable quotes . " " It seems to be calling us . " " " " I want you to observe the men here . It seemed to start when we picked up that signal , but it ' s gotten worse . " " " " What are you doing ? " " " " Taking command of this ship ! " " " " We must go . " " " " Obstruct them ! " " " " Fascinating , like a Vulcan marriage drum . I am experiencing audio - visual suggestion , captain . " " " " So am I . " " " " Fantastic architecture . Only an incredibly advanced race could have built it . " " " " They are here . Aah . . . such wondrous ones . " " " " Release Captain Kirk and his men , or we will destroy your temple ! " " " " Did it work ? " " " " You ' re more handsome than ever . " " Background information . Apocrypha . The aging effect of the Taurean planet ' s surface radiation on the men who transport to the surface , accelerated though it is by the " focusing headbands , " is so similar to that which the surface radiation of Gamma Hydra IV had on all who transported down except for Pavel Chekov , his bloodstream awash in adrenalin ( which insulated him from it ) from his terror at seeing a dead man in that in the now - apocryphal " Star Trek Maps , " the depiction of the Taurean system , like that of the Gamma Hydra system , actually included orbits of comets both systems had apparently captured . Moreover , the Gamma Hydra and Taurean systems were both shown to be near Algeron Treaty Neutral Zone space , but the apparent connections of these two systems to Romulan Star Empire history , to date , have not been canonically explored . Links and references . References . 2119 ; astrophysics ; " Bones " ; ; cortropine ; cusec ; drowning ; Earth ; euphoria ; Federation ; glandular secretion ; Klingon Empire ; lock ; logic ; magnolia ; medikit ; Milky Way Galaxy ; nectar ; opto - aud ; type 2 phaser ; psychokinesis ; Romulan Star Empire ; Saurian brandy ; slumber chamber ; speaker ; star year ; swimming pool ; Taurean headband ; Taurean system ; Taurean system planet II ; Theela ' s homeworld ; Theela ' s species ; transporter ; tub ; urn ; Vulcan marriage drum ; Welsh ; yellow alert ; " Yr Hufen Melyn " Unreferenced material . Trask , Helen