The Lights of Zetar ( episode ) At planetoid Memory Alpha , an " Enterprise " crew member ' s body is taken over by mysterious energy lifeforms . Summary . Teaser . While the ferries Lieutenant Mira Romaine to Memory Alpha , a planetoid that serves as the central library of the Federation , Scott and Romaine spend a good deal of time together working in engineering and Scott seems to be falling in love with her . On the bridge , Spock detects an apparent storm from his station , approaching the ship at warp factor 2 . 6 , and concludes that it cannot be a natural phenomenon . After Kirk orders yellow alert , the storm bypasses the shields and penetrates the " Enterprise " . Soon after , the crew loses their voice . Act One . The phenomenon backs off , and the crew is normal again . Romaine , however , faints after making some strange inaudible sounds , and is taken to sickbay . Dr . McCoy examines the lieutenant , but Romaine minimizes the event to the point of being uncooperative . Dr . McCoy insists that Romaine was the most affected of the crew of 430 and he wants to know why . Scott attributes it being her first deep space mission , and coaxes Romaine to cooperate more fully but Romaine fears her assignment is at risk . Lieutenant Sulu projects the storm ' s course as heading for Memory Alpha , which was built without defensive shield s in view of its academic purpose . The " Enterprise " cannot contact Memory Alpha to warn it , nor reach Memory Alpha until the storm has come and gone . Kirk assembles a landing party . Upon beaming over to Memory Alpha , they learn the generator is inoperative and all the staff are dead . Act Two . The landing party finds one person alive - - a female who is making the same garbled sounds Romaine made during the initial " attack " on the bridge . She soon dies , of " " severe brain hemorrhaging due to distortion of all neural systems , dissolution of autonomic nervous system " " , according to McCoy . The other Memory Alpha personnel have each had a different brain center destroyed . Kirk asks Sulu to have Romaine beamed down for questioning . Romaine , however , interrupts the dialogue , seeing that the staff is dead , to urge the crew to get back to the " Enterprise " , as she is sure the storm is returning . When Sulu soon reports the same thing , Kirk orders the landing party back to the ship . Lieutenant Kyle has a tough time trying to complete the transport of Romaine , though , as it is interfered with but eventually completed by Scott . Romaine tells Scott she saw the dead workers on Memory Alpha , " " in their exact positions " . " Scott ascribes it simply to " space " and tells Romaine not to report it unless " " you want to spend the rest of the trip in sickbay . " " As the storm closes in on the " Enterprise " , Ensign Chekov cannot evade it . Spock reports ten distinct lifeforms in the cloud and doubts that the ship can adequately be shielded against it . The cloud approaches the ship . Since Spock has reported that the entity may be alive , Kirk believes he can reason with it through communication . He has Uhura open hailing frequencies and tie in the universal translator . He announces that the crew of the " Enterprise " mean it no harm and asks that the " storm " cease its approach as physical contact with their form of life is fatal . The cloud passes the " Enterprise " s starboard side and positions itself directly in front of the ship . Act Three . It is increasing its approach . Kirk says that " " perhaps it understands another kind of language . " " He orders the ship be put on red alert and for phaser s to be fired , first a warning shot , then a shot directly into the cloud . As Sulu reports that the direct shot has slowed the cloud , Kirk orders phaser crews to fire again . In engineering , Romaine has become affected by the phenomenon again in agony , comforted by Scott . Scott reports by intercom that the damage to the cloud seems to be killing Romaine as well , so Kirk calls off the attack . Kirk orders key personnel to the briefing room . There , Kirk searches for personal data on Romaine from Starfleet that might relate to the attacking cloud . McCoy reports that two hyperencephalogram s show that Romaine ' s brain wave patterns have been altered since the encounter . Spock thinks McCoy has presented the wrong tape , but his concern shows that the hyperencephalogram now matches the ship ' s tracking of the cloud . Her mind is joining that of the attacker . Scott now discloses that Romaine has been seeing future events . Kirk asks Romaine to describe each event . She describes the effects that have occurred , and one that has not occurred : Scott dying . Sulu reports from the bridge that attempting to escape at warp factor 8 is useless . Kirk asks Romaine not to resist but to let the aliens operate through her , hoping to control that moment to save the ship . Finally , he orders the medical lab to prepare antigrav units . As they make their way to the lab , the lights appear in a corridor , heading toward Romaine . Act Four . The lights swarm on Romaine and enter her body . Scott despairs that Romaine is lost , and McCoy believes there is no way to force the lights out without killing her . Romaine is determined to retain her identity , but begins speaking for the aliens , which Spock encourages . The alien reports through Romaine that they are from Zetar , a planet where all humanoid life was destroyed . They are the will of the last hundred from Zetar , who have searched for a millennium " " for one through whom we can see and speak and hear and live out our lives . " " Kirk insists that Romaine ' s body " " has its own life to lead . " " The aliens say they regret the killing they have done , but intend to survive . Scott insists to Kirk that Romaine cannot hurt him and carries her to the pressure chamber . The aliens attack Scott – as Romaine foresaw – but the attack is ultimately not fatal . Chamber pressure is increased , despite the risk of killing Romaine . The aliens are successfully driven out of her body . " " Now , we have all the time in the world , " " Scott beams . The Zetarians did not further attack the " Enterprise " . In sickbay , Kirk asks McCoy and Spock for estimates on the incident ' s long - term impact on her . Spock thinks the episode should strengthen her . Kirk orders a return to Memory Alpha to let Romaine begin her assignment . Kirk believes they may have an " Enterprise " first , " " with Scott , McCoy , and Spock , for once , in complete agreement . Kirk laughs at this . Memorable quotes . " " I didn ' t think Mister Scott would go for the brainy type . " " " " I don ' t think he ' s even noticed she has a brain . " " " " With a bedside manner like that , Scotty , you ' re in the wrong business . " " " " Is the doctor there with you , or will I find him in engineering ? " " " " Doctor McCoy can no more cure it than he can a cold . " " " " I ' d rather die than hurt you . I ' d rather die ! " " " " Somehow , I find transporting into the darkness unnerving . " " " " Mira will not kill me . " " " " Reduce the pressure very , very gradually , Spock . " " " " We may tax Mister Scott ' s patience , Doctor . " " " " Now we have all the time in the world . " " " " Humans do claim a great deal for that particular emotion . " " " " Mister Scott , how ' s Lieutenant Romaine ? " " " " Beautiful , Captain . " " " " Well , this is an " Enterprise " first . Doctor McCoy , Mister Spock and Engineer Scott find themselves in complete agreement . Can I stand the strain ? " " Background information . Remastered information . " The Lights of Zetar " was the seventy - second episode of the remastered version of " The Original Series " to air . It premiered in syndication on the weekend of and aside from the standard CGI replacement footage of the " Enterprise " , this episode most notably featured new effects shots of the Zetarian s and Memory Alpha , which included the appearance of the library complex , where none had appeared before . According to Michael Okuda : " " Based on the size and spacing of the windows , I ' d estimate that each of the domes must be similar to the . " " Also , " " if you look very closely at the far left dome , you might notice a small blue patch on the top of the dome . That ' s the Memory Alpha emblem . " " Links and references . References . accent ; Andorian ; anti - grav test unit ; autonomic nervous system ; ; bedside manner ; biography ; " Bones " ; brain ; brain circuitry pattern ( BCP ) ; brain hemorrhage ; brain wave pattern ; briefing room ; central brain ; common cold ; condition yellow ; deep space assignment ; emergency manual monitor ; empathy ; fainting ; Federation ; fingerprint ; general quarters ; hyperencephalogram ; impulse tracking ; intruder alert ; library ; logic ; love ; Martian Colony 3 ; medical lab ; Memory Alpha ; memory core ; Milky Way Galaxy ; neural system ; pathology ; phaser ; phaser tracking control s ; planetoid ; power generator ; precognition ; pressure chamber ; psychological profile ; psychosomatic illness ; red alert ; researcher ; ; ; scholar ; scientist ; Security Condition Three ; ; space sickness ; specialist ; speed of light ; starbase ; Starfleet preliminary examination s ; Steinman analysis ; telepathy ; Tellarite ; universal translator ; voice analysis ; Zetar ; Zetarian s