The episode "Miri" (from 1966) wasn't so much entertaining as it was scary. We can all remember certain entertainment offerings from our youth that scared us. We might keep a light on in the bedroom at night! I have read that Laurel and Hardy's (of all people) "Babes in Toyland" had such an element.
There is symbolism in "Miri" that rather hits you over the head. The Starship Enterprise comes upon a planet that seems a replica of Earth. There is no suggestion about how this duplication happened. So, why include this plot element? I think the idea was to show how the story line was relevant to what happens on Earth. It has to do with how we raise our kids. We in the here and now, it is suggested, are not adequately sensitive to the needs of our kids when they reach adolescence. In effect these kids can become "monsters."
Let's weigh this as background as we examine "Miri." The Enterprise answers an old distress signal. Here's this planet that looks just like Earth. The surface has ruins of a society that is long gone, having vanished in the equivalent to Earth year 1960. The planet's natives once conducted experiments to prolong life. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature, eh? (Remember that PSA from the 1960s?)
The experiments result in the creation of a deadly virus. The virus kills adults by rapid aging and madness. But with children, the virus slowed the aging process greatly. So they'd spend centuries in prepubescence. One wonders how the children could adequately care for themselves. Suspend disbelief, please.
The Enterprise sends a landing party. They are examining some rubble when an odd disfigured man assaults them. This man has reached the point where adulthood is going to kill him. I did not find this scene to be particularly scary. But this type of thing happens again later in the episode with an afflicted female. That scene scared me greatly. It happens indoors. Her face looks devilish. There are children present who scatter immediately, knowing full well what's going on. The disfigured screaming woman jumps on Captain Kirk's back. Kirk applies his phaser which is on a non-kill setting, but she dies anyway. The seizure is fatal in all instances.
An older boy named "Jahn" steals the landing party's communicators. The children are mistrustful of any adult as they remember the ugly way the planet's older citizens died. The children apply the word "grups" for grown-ups. I thought it was spooky.
Dr. McCoy feels pressure to find a vaccine to cure the deadly virus. But he needs access to the Enterprise's computers. An older girl named "Miri" becomes central to what happens. She is nearing adulthood and finds she has a crush on Captain Kirk. She notices that Kirk has closeness with "Yeoman Rand" of the landing party. She becomes emotionally conflicted. McCoy and Spock make progress toward a vaccine but they cannot be certain, as they have lost access to the ship's computer. Is it a cure or a poison?
The kids who are 300 years old (!) are warned that food in the town is running out. (Of course, we must wonder how the food had been preserved that long!)
McCoy collapses after injecting the experimental serum. His sores which were a symptom of the virus, subside. We see a happy ending where word is sent for the Federation to send teachers and advisers for the kids. I love the line from Dr. McCoy, offered in levity, that some "truant officers" be available too. As with much notable fiction, there are plausibility issues in this story. Good fiction keeps these issues from being an impediment. "Miri" is a gripping episode, the eighth of the series to be filmed.
Meet actress Grace Lee Whitney
"Yeoman Rand" was part of the standard Star Trek cast early-on. Then she disappeared. All fans of the series noticed that. It was a little upsetting. Where did she go? The character was played by Grace Lee Whitney, a singer as well as actress. "Yeoman Rand" was the personal assistant to Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Whitney recalled going on amphetamines to try to stay thin, in order to fit into her assigned costume. She appeared in eight of the first 13 Star Trek episodes. She was then released from contract.
Some sexism can be alleged. The people overseeing the show wanted Captain Kirk to have a variety of romantic interests. They didn't want him fixated on "Yeoman Rand" indefinitely. Whitney was told this directly. She was one of two blonde women in the cast, and the third female was African-Amercan Nichelle Nichols. Whitney recalled: "Nichelle was a more important character and couldn't be written out. Everything's political in America. One of the blondes had to go. The other one was engaged to the boss, so guess who went?"
Whitney did not take it well. She consumed alcohol to cope, she recalled. There is a happy ending: She would later return to the Star Trek franchise. Fans had been asking about her at conventions. She reprised the role of "Janice Rand."
Meet actor Michael John Pollard
The actor who played "Jahn" in "Miri" is notable. It's a face you cannot forget. Even though he was a prolific actor, I only remember him from two roles: in "Miri" and in the Warren Beatty/Faye Dunaway version of "Bonnie and Clyde." This actor's name: Michael John Pollard. He played "C.W. Moss" in 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde." He received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. The role led to his joke candidacy in 1968 for U.S. president.
His very short stature had him playing child roles well into his 20s, an example being the "Miri" episode. This quality also had him in the recurring role as the diminutive trans-dimensional imp "Mister Mxyzptik" in the "Superboy" TV series. Another exhibit was in "Lost in Space" as the nameless Peter Pan-like boy who lives in the dimension behind all mirrors.
Assimilate the message
Watch enough cable TV and you'll see "Miri" again, I assure you. The episode makes us think about our own condition as human beings today - this is a hallmark of all great science fiction. It makes us think how we handle or fail to handle our adolescent youth. These kids come upon issues like sex that can confuse them and plant seeds of anxiety. They can become "monsters" as they grapple and as they try to fend off distractions. Maybe I'm revealing a little something about my own background. Perhaps. Young people today are given pills (behavior meds) when in many cases they could do better with intensive counseling, IMHO. Their parents can seem oddly oblivious.
"Miri" is a wakeup call to parents. Find out about the issues in your child's life. Don't you remember these issues from when you were young?
Kudos: The "Miri" script was written by Adrian Spies. The director was Vincent McEveely.
Just leave out the baked beans
Would you believe that the precursor TV show to Star Trek was "Wagon Train?" I found Wagon Train to be boring, basically a bunch of guys wearing cowboy hats talking to each other.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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