Synopsis: The Enterprise is directed to a long dead planet, where alien beings want to borrow the bodies of three crewmembers.
“Return to Tomorrow” is a physical manifestation of the depth psychological term, inflation.
The Enterprise is summoned to a planet by a god-like alien intelligence. A being with a mind so powerful that it could destroy the ship with a single thought. In fact, the aliens are now comprised of pure energy, where they once had human bodies. The initial alien encountered, Sargon, tells the landing party “one day our minds became so powerful we dared think of ourselves as gods.” He also tells them that 500,000 years ago, when the planet died and he and a sampling of the brightest minds were encased in a chamber over 100 miles within the planet, while others of their race colonized our galaxy and that the crew from the Enterprise could very well be the descendants of those space voyagers. Sargon states: “6,000 centuries ago they went out in the galaxy” spreading their seed much as the Federation is doing today. Dr. Ann Mulhall, an astrobiologist summoned to join the landing party, assures Sargon that human life evolved independently, while Mr. Spock indicates that such a visitation on Vulcan would explain some of that planet’s prehistory.
It is that action, to “think of ourselves as gods” that is at the heart of the Depth Psychological term inflation. Inflation is when we identify too closely with God or a god. In monotheistic terms, it can mean that one believes that one is god-like – all powerful or infallible. In a polytheistic sense, more in line with Archetypal Psychological concepts, it can mean being possessed by a particular god – such as all powerful as if Zeus, warlike as Ares, or trickster-ish as if Hermes. While ongoing inflation is not considered positive, inflation in smaller doses is normal. For instance, another attribute of Hermes is that of quick insight and communication. And while too much Hermes can be an issue, identifying with the ability to have a sudden insight can give an individual enough of an impulse to act on it. For example, an individual starting to write a novel has to think that one has something to share with the world, or the story would never be written.
But in “Return to Tomorrow” we see the negative aspects of possession literally embodied, as the three god-like aliens – Sargon, Henoch, and Thalassa – inhabit the bodies of Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Mulhall. And while their technological knowledge and intellect is far advanced over that of the crew of the Enterprise, when they inhabit the bodies of the crew members, the physical abilities that were lacking when they were only energy, makes them too powerful to exist among humans. Sargon and Thalassa come to understand this, and happily face eternity together in some sort of alien non-physical oblivion. Henoch becomes too identified with being a god, and for his hubris, Sargon must destroy him. This is the same type of hubris that allowed the Olympians to overthrow the Titans in classical mythology.
Original post created 27 February 2021
mydailysoultrek 