Our Dearest Blood " The battle on Rigel VII ! " Summary . Captain Christopher Pike , Yeoman Dermot Cusack , and Chief Medical Officer Phillip Boyce stand on a balcony observing the Rigellian Festival of Light commenting on its immense scale and realizing the fact that they are the first off - worlders in a thousand years to witness it and live to tell . The citizens of Rigel IV have instituted reforms moving them away from isolationism . Pike asks Cusack if all is prepared for a ceremony finalizing the entry of Rigel IV to the Federation , to which Cusask answers in the affirmative . Rigellian Minister Etashnan appears and Pike introduces him to Dr . Boyce . The Minister explains that the Festival is merely for show and that since their contact with the Federation they have sought to purge their societal barbaric traits Talza , the minister ' s aide , interrupts explaining the role of the Kaylar in the martial society of Rigel IV . Pike comments on the reality of their weapons , however Talza explains that this is the last festival in which the specially bred Kaylar warriors will participate . Talza offers to give Pike a tour of the fortress where the ceremony is to take place , an action which Dr . Boyce and Cusack agree will benefit Pike . Pike agrees and Cusack goes about seeing to shore leave for the crew . On the " Enterprise " , Number One and Spock begin beam ing down the crew for shore leave – Mohindas and Nano are among the selected , Tyler is not . Spock wishes to remain aboard , but Number One suggests the ship can function without him . Spock puzzles at the comment , to which Nano and Mohindas attempt to explain that Number One was merely " teasing " him . Meanwhile , Talza and Pike discuss the enormity of the situation , Tazla making some comments about the cultural importance the Kaylar and how far the society had come . Pike compares the situation to Human history which he describes as having to put aside " warlike " habits . They then arrive at the Zemtar fortress . Talza explains that the fortress was the traditional barracks of the Kaylar and that the ceremony held there would be symbolic in showing the rejection of barbarism . As they discuss this , a shadowy figures makes its way behind them in the darkness . In another part of the settlement , Yeoman Cusack mixes a drink he calls the " Kaylar Kalamity . " Spock misinterprets one of Cusack ' s vernacular expressions , to which Cusack responds with only an encouragement for Spock to join in the merrymaking . Carlotti notices that Dr . Boyce is not engaged in party and seeks him out . She finds him alone on the balcony seemingly resisting internal voices . Boyce tells her that he is just " getting fresh air " and plays it off commenting they join the festivities before Cusack consumes all the spirits . At the fortress , Pike gets impatient that the tour is taking longer than he anticipated and attempts to contact Cusack , only to discover that his communicator is not working . A Kaylar warrior then appears in an attack stance . Number One and Engineer Grace stand in Observation Lounge discussing the emptiness of the ship . Grace finds the silence " uneasy . " Tyler then reports that all communications seems to be jammed and that even transporter beams cannot get through . Number One heads to the bridge to check on the situation . Back on Rigel IV the party continues as Cusack notices that his communicator is not functioning . The Kaylar warriors in the bar suddenly place their drinks down on the bar as Mohindas notices that her communicator too is dead . Unnoticed by the " Enterprise " crew , the Kaylar warriors reach for their weapons . When a crewman amicably asks one of the warriors as to the communicator ' s lack of function he is slashed by a bladed weapon . To the horror of all , the tavern erupts into a fighting free for all with the Kaylars viciously attacking " Enterprise " crewmen . Nano manages to hold off a few with his pyrotechnics and Spock uses his superior strength to do the same , but the group is overwhelmed and Cusack orders a withdrawal . Pike , still at the fortress , has troubles of his own fighting off the Kaylar . He orders Talza to run away , she does so a little too obligingly . The now injured crewmen on the surface take refuge in a cellar while the Kaylar search the streets for them . Two of them had been killed in the attack and were left in the tavern , Cusack speculates that it is the Rigellians that are blocking the frequencies . Nano reports that he has recalibrated his communicator to home in on the source of the disruption , but that its range is severely limited . Cusack elects to leave Dr . Boyce in charge and attempt to deal with the jamming . Nano ' s communicator leads Cusack to the Rigellian parliament building where he locates the device and disables it just as Pike , in the Zemtar fortress , defeats the Kaylar . Just as Cusack contacts the " Enterprise " , he is stabbed in the back by Talza . Pike , pinned by the corpse of the Kaylar he has impaled on a lance , notices a group of Kaylar entering the fortress . The warriors are felled by energy beams in a timely fashion by Tyler and a security team from " Enterprise " . The entire attack had been a " set up " by Rigellian extremist traditionalists in league with the Kaylar . The result was two dead and seven wounded . Rigel ' s petition to the Federation will be denied . As a wounded Pike enters the parliamentary chambers he is warned off by Number One , but is too late . Dr . Boyce indicates that there was nothing more he could do . Cusack was dead . Talza spouts off a rant , to which Pike orders her removed . Pike falls to his knees and holds his head , distraught over Cusack ' s death .