What is This Thing Called Spock ? " The planet Taragon had been colonised for over twenty years , and careful preparation had been made to exploit its valuable mineral resources . Perhaps not careful enough , though . Possibly a mine shaft had touched unexpected pockets of gas or a drilling rig had sunk too far . But the result was catastrophic . . . " Summary . Disaster strikes the mining colony on planet Taragon . A mining accident triggers a chain reaction resulting in volcanic eruptions and planet - wide upheaval . Emergency teams encounter an enormous organic mass emerging from the depths . Immediately after , the colonists riot in the streets , causing the governor s to lock themselves in safe locations and send out a distress call . The starship " Enterprise " receives the transmission , and Captain Kirk and Mr . Spock beam down to investigate . After being briefed on the situation , the two men go out into the wilderness and split up to search for answers . The ground beneath Spock erupts with tendrils and envelops him , despite his firing a phaser . Some distance away , Kirk attempts to contact Spock , who is not responding to communicator hails . Kirk happens upon Spock in a clearing , who turns and quickly fires a phaser at his captain . Kirk manages to elude Spock and hides behind a plant , but sees Spock again in another area . Leaping out of hiding , Kirk punches Spock , knocking him unconscious , only to see three more Spocks arrive , all firing phasers . Running away from his pursuers , Kirk falls down a gully , seeing three more Spocks . Lying on the ground , he realizes that the Spocks cannot see him ; they only react to sound . Beaming back to the " Enterprise " , Kirk goes to the bridge , and Scotty reports that Spock is waiting for him in the micro - library . The real Spock explains that he was drawn into a brain - like mass that duplicated him . Reasoning quickly on events , he beamed back to the ship to study his data . The intelligence they encountered has normally lived beneath the surface of Taragon , and has the ability to absorb and reproduce matter to learn about it . Since Spock and the colonists reacted in a hostile manner , that is the way the duplicates behaved . The intelligence assumed that this was the way they normally acted . Spock has Kirk accompany him back down to Taragon , and sits , while writing on a PADD , on a rock . Tendril - masses of cells coalesce around him . After some time , a visibly nervous Kirk sees the cells dissipate , leaving an unharmed Spock behind . The Vulcan reports success , reporting that he has established a telepathic bond with the intelligence . Since it absorbed him while he wrote , it learned his language . In its natural form , the underground is its native habitat , and it wants assurance that it will not be harmed further by mining . Captain Kirk negotiates a peace between the intelligence and the colonists , with a plan to work together in the future . As the " Enterprise " departs , Kirk quips that they now have a place to go for spare parts , but Spock replies that they would be faulty , as he has seen enough faults in himself this mission . Memorable quotes . " " What do you make of it , Mr . Spock ? " " " " Mining explosions and natural disasters are not uncommon on uncharted planets . Nor is the appearance of alien life forms ! " " " " Only one thing in my favour . . . they all seem to be terrible shots ! " " " " By learning our language from what I wrote , it can now communicate with us by telepathy ! " " Background information . Common motifs . There are a number of elements in this story echoed in other stories :