Where No Man Has Gone Before ( episode ) An encounter at the limits of our galaxy begins to change Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell and threatens the future of the " Enterprise " and the Human race itself . ( " Second pilot " ) Summary . Teaser . In the briefing lounge , Captain James T . Kirk and Vulcan science officer Lieutenant Commander Spock are playing three - dimensional chess . Spock warns the captain that he ' s about to checkmate him on his next move , but the captain is preoccupied with awaiting the bridge ' s update on the unexplained Earth - vessel distress signal . The captain notes that Spock plays a very " irritating game of chess " , to which Spock responds with " " Irritating ? Ah yes , one of your Earth emotion s . " " Captain Kirk makes a move that surprises Spock , and smiles , to which Spock simply turns to look at him . " " Certain you don ' t know what irritation is ? " " Kirk says wryly . As Spock begins to state that despite the fact that one of his ancestors married a Human female , Kirk interrupts him and jokingly chides him , saying it must be terrible to have bad blood like that . Just afterward then , a call comes over the comm . Navigator Lieutenant Lee Kelso informs the captain that the object is now within tractor beam range , and that it is only about a meter in diameter , too small to be a vessel or an escape pod . Kirk tells him to lock on to it , and the two of them head out . In the transporter room , Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott is fine - tuning the transporter , preparing to beam the object aboard . Kirk gives the order , and Scott transports the device into the transporter chamber . The captain immediately recognizes it as an old - style ship recorder , one that would be ejected in the event of an emergency . Spock agrees , but states that , based on the level of damage the object seems to have sustained , something must have destroyed the ship . Scott tries to feed the tapes into the computer , when the marker begins transmitting a signal . Captain Kirk orders red alert , and the crew go to their stations . Act One . Throughout the ship , the crew is reporting to their emergency stations . Kirk and Spock enter a turbolift to go to the bridge , and Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell enters just as the doors are closing . Kirk and Mitchell joke about Kelso sounding nervous , and Spock ' s chess skills , showing that they ' re comfortable being around each other even in times of red alert . The three officers enter the bridge , Mitchell taking his station as Spock scans for the message . As they approach the edge of the galaxy , Kirk orders all stop . Captain Kirk announces ship - wide that what they picked up was a disaster recorder launched from the two hundred years prior . Department head s report to the bridge as ordered , and Captain Kirk is given introductions . , whom he mistakenly addresses as Jones , is his new yeoman . Astro - sciences physicist Sulu reports ready , engineering officer Scott reports ready as always , and Chief Medical Officer Doctor Mark Piper introduces the " Enterprise " s new psychiatrist , Dr . Elizabeth Dehner , who came aboard the vessel back at the Aldebaron colony to study the long - term effects of space travel on the crew . Spock points out he ' s been able to get a signal from the recorder , as Mitchell tries to flirt with Dr . Dehner , who rebuffs him only to overhear him call her a " walking freezer unit " . Spock interprets the " Valiant " s message : that they had encountered a magnetic storm and were pulled out of the galaxy , and that the crew accessed computer records on " ESP " in Human s , frantic to find information about it . The captain asks Dr . Dehner her opinion , and she mistakes the question as asking whether she " has " ESP . She reports that there are some Humans who can see the future , but it is never very powerful . Spock goes on to explain that several crewmen had died aboard the " Valiant " , which had suffered severe damage . The " Valiant " crew continued researching ESP , until it seems the captain ordered a self - destruct . As future vessels will someday be coming out this far into space , Captain Kirk decides to go ahead anyway and engages warp factor 1 . The crew reacts with mixed emotions as the " Enterprise " heads out of the galaxy . The ship encounters a strange field and Spock orders a full array of scans – deflector s indicating something in front of them while sensors say there ' s nothing . Smith and Mitchell hold hands to comfort each other as the ship enters the field . Flashes of light fill the bridge and electric discharges penetrate the hull , causing several consoles to explode . Kirk orders Mitchell to reverse course , but , before he can carry out the order , Dr . Dehner and he are struck by a mysterious electric charge which drops them to the deck . With no one in control of the " Enterprise " , Spock dashes over to the helm console and steers the starship clear of the energy field . Taking damage reports , Spock informs Kirk that main power is out , the " Enterprise " is on emergency power cells , and nine crewmen are dead . Captain Kirk tends to Dehner and Mitchell , only to find that while Mitchell feels a little weak , his eyes are glowing an eerie silver . . . Act Two . Captain Kirk , while supervising repairs being made to the bridge , proceeds to the science station where he finds Spock reviewing medical records of the dead crew members , and the crew members who survived but seem to have been affected in some way . Specifically , Spock is looking at ESP ratings of Dr . Dehner and Gary Mitchell . Both of the officers had high scores on ESP tests given by Starfleet Medical , Mitchell ' s having ultimately read as the highest in the crew . Dr . Dehner approaches Captain Kirk and provides an autopsy report of the nine dead crew members . She mentions that in all cases , there was damage to a specific region of the brain . Kirk shares the fact that all of the dead crew members , as well as Dehner and Mitchell , had high ESP ratings . Spock also mentions that the captain of the " Valiant " was frantically searching through their records for information on ESP . Spock then reports that the " Valiant " s captain seems to have given a self - destruct order . Dehner defends those with ESP , stating that the ability is not harmful . Spock , however , reminds the doctor that there are the more extreme ( and dangerous ) abilities of ESP , such as the ability to see through solid objects or cause spontaneous combustion . In sickbay , Mitchell is reading text on a viewer , trying to pass the time . Kirk enters the room , and Mitchell greets him by name without actually looking to see who it is . Kirk and Mitchell talk about some past experiences ; it is obvious they have known each other well for many years . Mitchell mentions that he feels better now than he ' s ever felt in his life , and he ' s catching up on his reading , including Spinoza , which surprises Kirk . Mitchell finds Spinoza simple , almost childish , to him . The two continue to reminisce about their days at Starfleet Academy and Gary says that he " aimed that little blonde lab technician " at Jim . Kirk replies , " " You planned that ? ! ? I almost married her . " " Kirk informs Mitchell that he ' s assigned Dr . Dehner to work with him . Mitchell doesn ' t seem happy , since Mitchell and Dehner have already gotten off to a tense start . As Kirk moves to leave , Mitchell , in an echoing voice , says , " " Didn ' t I say you ' d better be good to me ? " " , prompting Kirk to pause and eye him with uncertainty . Once Kirk leaves the room , Mitchell continues reading books on the viewer , at a steadily - increasing rate that soon far exceeds normal pace . Kirk enters the bridge to find Spock monitoring Mitchell ' s viewer . Kirk assigns 24 - hour security to keep an eye on Mitchell . Kirk approaches the science station viewer to look closely at Mitchell , and Mitchell looks directly at the security camera , seemingly aware that Kirk is watching him . Dr . Dehner enters sickbay and acknowledges the fact that she realizes that Mitchell doesn ' t like her very well . He apologizes to her for calling her a " walking freezer unit . " She asks him how he feels . Mitchell jokingly says that everyone thinks that he should have a fever or something and proceeds to change the vital signs monitor in sickbay with his mind . Then , he makes the readings show that he is dead . All indicators fall to zero , to Dr . Dehner ' s surprise and horror . Moments later , Mitchell awakens , and starts telling Dr . Dehner of some of his other abilities , like being able to read quickly , going through half of the " Enterprise " s database in less than a day . Dr . Dehner decides to test his memory , and shows Mitchell the title of a record tape , asking him to recite what ' s on page 387 . Mitchell recites , " " My love has wings , slender feathered things with grace and upswept curve and tapered tip " " from the poem " Nightingale Woman " , written by Tarbolde on the Canopus planet back in 1996 . Mitchell wonders out loud why she happened to choose that particular poem , which is considered to be one of the most passionate poems written in recent centuries . He then pulls Dehner close to him , and asks her how she feels . Her reply , that she only fell and that nothing else happened , is seemingly disbelieved by Mitchell , but the conversation is cut short by the arrival of Lieutenant Kelso , awkwardly entering at a time which might have seemed like an intimate moment . Mitchell smiles and invites him in , joking that his eyes are merely lit up " due to the lovely doctor . " Kelso reports that the main engines are in bad shape . Mitchell warns Kelso to check the starboard impulse engine packs , which Kelso jokingly dismisses . Mitchell snaps ( once again in his " booming " voice ) that he isn ' t joking , and that if they activate those engines that the entire impulse deck will explode . Kelso leaves sickbay and Mitchell tells Dehner that he could see the image of the impulse packs in Kelso ' s mind and that he is a fool not to have seen it . In the briefing room , Kelso shows Kirk the burned out impulse circuit , which he had checked on Mitchell ' s recommendation , noting with puzzlement that their condition was exactly as Mitchell described . Dr . Dehner enters late , says she got held up observing Mitchell , and attempts to defend him in the face of Spock ' s and Kirk ' s seemingly cold assessment of him . She reports her observations of Mitchell ' s ability to control certain autonomic reflexes and increased memory . Scott reports that bridge controls had started changing on their own about an hour prior , and Spock adds that each time it happened , Mitchell could be seen smiling on the surveillance monitors set up in sickbay . Kirk is annoyed that Dehner hadn ' t reported Mitchell ' s new powers earlier , but she argues that no one has been hurt , furthermore saying that someone like Mitchell , with such powers , could give rise to " a new and better kind of Human being . " Following an awkward silence , Sulu adds that the growth of Mitchell ' s abilities is a geometric progression , meaning they would increase at an exponential rate . Spock concludes that Mitchell would become uncontrollably powerful within a month . Kirk tells those present to not discuss their findings openly before dismissing them . After the others have left the briefing room , Spock advises taking the " Enterprise " to the planet Delta Vega , only a few light days away , where they can adapt the lithium cracking station ' s power packs to try to repair its damaged systems , and also strand Mitchell there . Kirk strongly disagrees with the plan , stating Delta Vega is uninhabited and automated , and ore ships only visit every 20 years . Spock informs Kirk the only other choice he has is to kill Mitchell before he overpowers the entire crew . Kirk tries appealing to Spock ' s conscience , saying Mitchell is his long time friend , but Spock merely reminds him that the captain of the " Valiant " probably had a similar dilemma about his afflicted crew members but made his decision to self - destruct too late . Kirk reluctantly orders the " Enterprise " course set for Delta Vega . Act Three . In sickbay , Mitchell ' s telekinetic power continues to grow . Feeling thirsty , he moves a plastic cup below a faucet and dispenses water from it with his mind . Kirk , Spock , and Dr . Dehner enter to see Mitchell ' s levitate the filled cup towards his outstretched hand . Mitchell senses worry in Kirk and Spock ' s continued urging for the captain to kill him while he still can . Mitchell quickly subdues both Kirk and Spock with an electric shock and informs them he knows the " Enterprise " is orbiting Delta Vega but won ' t allow them to force him down there . As he postures about what kind of a world he can use , Kirk and Spock jump him and hold him down long enough for Dr . Dehner to tranquilize him . In the transporter room , preparing to beam down , Mitchell regains consciousness and proclaims " " Soon I ' ll squash you like insects ! " " before being sedated again . After transporting down , Mitchell is confined to a holding cell as Lieutenant Kelso and the engineering team begin to salvage the needed components from the outpost to restore the " Enterprise " engines to full capacity . As Mitchell regains consciousness , he reminds Kirk of how he saved his life on the planet Dimorus , taking poisonous darts meant for the captain and nearly dying from it . He wonders why Kirk should fear him now . Kirk retorts that Mitchell has been testing his ability to take over the " Enterprise " and reminds him of the threat he made in the transporter room to squash the crew like insects . Mitchell defends himself by pointing out that he was drugged at the time , then snaps back that mankind cannot survive if a true race of Espers like himself is born , and attempts to escape the force field of the cell . Kirk pleads with him to stop , but , Mitchell refuses and is jolted back , draining the light in the eyes . Gary pleads out to " " Jim . . . " " , but , it doesn ' t last and the maniacal power that has now totally consumed Mitchell returns and he sneers that he ' ll " " just keep getting stronger . " " Back on board the " Enterprise " , the repairs are nearly complete as Scott beams a phaser rifle down to Spock . Kirk is angered by Spock ' s callousness towards Gary , but , Spock retorts that he ' s just being logical and he believes that the crew will be lucky just to repair the " Enterprise " and get away from Mitchell in time . Kirk , finally seeing Spock ' s viewpoint , instructs Kelso to wire a destruct switch to the power bins of the outpost , an explosion that will destroy the entire valley and hopefully kill Mitchell , and orders him to hit the button if Mitchell escapes . Act Four . As the landing party prepares to return to the " Enterprise " , Dehner , completely transfixed on Mitchell , announces she ' s remaining on Delta Vega with him . At the same time , Mitchell uses his powers to ( remotely ) strangle Lieutenant Kelso with a cable . As Kirk orders Dehner to return to the ship , Mitchell turns to the captain and taunts him that Kirk should have killed him while he still had the chance . With that , he shocks both Kirk and Spock and easily eliminates the force field holding him . Dehner takes no action to stop him , and he slowly walks her over to a mirror , where she can now see the light in her own eyes . A short time later , Dr . Piper revives Captain Kirk and informs him that Kelso is dead and that Mitchell and Dr . Dehner have left the facility . Kirk advises Piper not to revive Spock until after he ' s left as Kirk now blames himself for not listening to the Vulcan ' s warning . Taking Spock ' s phaser rifle , Kirk orders that Piper and Spock return to the " Enterprise " and to give him twelve hours to signal the ship . Failing that , Kirk recommends that the " Enterprise " proceed at maximum warp to the nearest starbase with his recommendation that the entire planet be subjected to a lethal concentration of neutron radiation . When Piper begins to protest , Kirk firmly tells the doctor it is an order and leaves . In an open valley , Mitchell uses his powers to create food and water for himself and Dehner . He begins to sense Kirk approaching them , as does Dehner . Mitchell invites Dehner to talk to the captain and begin to realize just how unimportant Humans are compared to what they ( Mitchell and Dehner ) have become . Dehner appears before Kirk and advises the captain to retreat while he still can . Kirk appeals to what ' s left of Dehner ' s Humanity and her profession as a psychiatrist and asks her what she believes will become of Mitchell if his power is allowed to continue to grow . Dehner begins to see the wisdom of Kirk ' s words , but , before she can decide anything , Mitchell appears before both of them . Kirk opens fire with his phaser rifle , but , it has no effect on Mitchell who easily casts the weapon aside . Taunting Kirk , Mitchell creates a grave for his " old friend " , saying he deserves a decent burial , at the very least . Completely convinced of his power and his superiority , with absolute power corrupting absolutely , Mitchell uses his powers to force Kirk to pray to him as a god and for an easy death . Dehner , now realizing that Mitchell is inhuman and becoming more and more dangerous , helps Kirk by blasting Mitchell with some of her power , stunning him . Mitchell turns away from Kirk and counters Dehner ' s attack , however , the battle drains both of them and they both collapse , Dehner ' s attack being sufficiently powerful enough to weaken Mitchell who temporarily loses his powers . Imploring Kirk to hurry , the captain begins to attack his former friend , pummeling him to the ground . With a heavy rock raised high and preparing for the death blow , Kirk begs Gary to forgive him for what he must do . However , the captain ' s hesitation is enough for Mitchell to regain his powers and easily tosses Kirk away . With Kirk no longer able to cope with Mitchell ' s physical strength , he dives at him , sending both into the open grave . Kirk , scrambling to the discarded phaser rifle , is able to blast the rock face above Mitchell , sending him into the grave and entombing him , thus ending Mitchell ' s threat forever . Kirk , with his uniform torn and beaten and battered , walks over to Dehner and kneels beside her . She apologizes to the captain for her actions , but offers that the captain had no idea what it was like to be almost a god , before finally dying herself . Silently mourning Dehner ' s sacrifice , Kirk opens his communicator and hails the " Enterprise " . Back on the " Enterprise " , Kirk , sitting in his chair with a bandaged hand , laments to Spock that he wants Mitchell ' s service record to end with dignity as he didn ' t ask for what happened to him . Spock admits he felt for Mitchell as well . With a smirk , Kirk remarks that maybe there ' s hope for Spock after all , as the " Enterprise " continues to journey where no man has gone before . Memorable quotes . " " Have I ever mentioned you play a very irritating game of chess , Mister Spock ? " " " " Irritating ? Ah , yes . One of your Earth emotions . " " " " Terrible , having bad blood like that . " " " " The first thing I ever heard from upperclassmen was : Watch out for Lieutenant Kirk . In his class , you either think or sink . " " " " My love has wings . Slender , feathered things with grace in upswept curve and tapered tip . " " " " Don ' t you understand ? A mutated superior man could also be a wonderful thing ! " " " " Will you try for one moment to feel ? At least act like you ' ve got a heart . " " " " The captain of the " Valiant " probably thought the same thing . And he waited too long to make his decision . " " " " If you were in my position , what would you do ? " " " " Probably what Mr . Spock is thinking now : kill me , while you can . " " " " You fools ! Soon I ' ll squash you like insects ! " " " " There ' s not a soul on this planet but us ? " " " " Nobody but us chickens , Doctor . " " " " My friend , James Kirk . " " " " In the sickbay , you said if you were in my place you ' d kill a mutant like yourself . " " " " Why don ' t you kill me then ? Mr . Spock is right and you ' re a fool if you can ' t see it . " " " " Man cannot survive if a race of true espers is born . " " " " Doctor Dehner feels he isn ' t that dangerous ! What makes you right and a trained psychiatrist wrong ? " " " " Because she feels . I don ' t . All I know is logic . " " " " If Mitchell gets out , at your discretion , Lee , if sitting here makes you think you ' re the chance , I want you to hit that button . " " " " You should ' ve killed me while you could , James . Command and compassion are a fool ' s mixture . " " " " Above all else , a god needs compassion ! MITCHELL ! ! " " " " What do you know about gods ? " " " " Then let ' s talk about Humans ! About our frailties ! " " " What ' s " your prognosis , doctor ? ! " " " " Morals are for men , not gods . " " " " Time to pray , captain . Pray to me . " " " " To you ? Not to both of you ? " " " " Pray that you die easily ! " " " " There ' ll only be one of you in the end . One jealous god . If all this makes a god , or is it making you something else ? " " " " Do you like what you see ? Absolute power corrupting absolutely ? " " " " For a moment , James . . . but your moment is fading . " " " " I ' m sorry . You can ' t know what it ' s like to be almost a god . " " " " He didn ' t ask for what happened to him . " " " " I felt for him , too . " " " " I believe there ' s some hope for you after all , Mister Spock . " " Links and references . References . 1996 ; 21st century ; 22nd century ; 2065 ; 2242 ; 2244 ; 2250 ; 2260s ; 2265 ; 203 - R ; Aldebaron colony ; astrosciences ; autonomic reflex ; autopsy report ; battery ; blindness ; blonde ; Blonde lab technician ; brain ; briefing lounge ; Bridge Engineering ; call letters ; Canopus Planet ; checkmate ; chicken ; coffee ; coffee break ; dart ; deflector ; Delta Vega ; Delta - Vega Station ; Deneb IV ; department head ; diameter ; Dimorus ; disaster recorder ; dispensary ; distress signal ; Earth ; Earth base ; electricity ; emergency condition three ; emergency power ; emotion ; energy ; engineering ; " Enterprise " casualties ; esper ; " " ; extrasensory perception ( aka ESP ) ; eye ; faucet ; fever ; fire ; fire alert ; fission chamber ; freezer unit ; fuel bin ; galactic barrier ; Galactic Mining Company ; galaxy ; god ; glove ; ; gravitation ; gravity control ; helmsman ; Human ; impulse deck ; impulse engine ; impulse pack ; initials ; insect ; intercraft ; Jones ; Kaferian apple ; lab technician ; landing party ; lifeboat ; lead ; life sciences ; light day ; light year ; lithium ; lithium cracking station ; logic ; magnetic space storm ; marooning ; mathematics ; materializer ; memory bank ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; millionaire ; monitor screen ; monster ; mutant ; neural circuit ; neutron radiation ; " Nightingale Woman " ; Officers ' Quarters ; ore ship ; patient ; penny ; personnel file ; phaser ; phaser rifle ; pill ; points ; Pointed Peaks ; poison ; power cell ; power pack ; prayer ; psionic energy ; psychiatry ; radiation ; rodent ; Sarek ; science officer ; sensor beam ; service record ; shaving ; ship ' s library ; shock ; sonnet ; space warp ; Spinoza ; spontaneous combustion ; standard orbit ; stardate ; Starfleet Academy ; strangulation ; tape ; Tau Ceti III ; Tarbolde ; telekinesis ; three - dimensional chess ; tractor beam ; type 3 phaser ; transporter ; ; SS Valiant personnel ; valley ; Vulcan ; ( planet ) ; white mice ; wristwatch ; yeoman ; zipper Personnel file references . Aperception quotient ; card ; College of Medical Sciences ; ; Delman ; Deneb IV inhabitants ; Duke - Heidelburg quotient ; Eldman ; esper rating ; General knowledge quotient ; generation ; grade school ; guessing game ; magic ; magician ; metaphysics ; Mitchell ' s ancestors ; PhD ; secondary school ; spiritual reading ; thesis ; Tri - Planetary Academy ; vocational training Unused references . 4 - 0