Synopsis: The U.S.S. Enterprise rescues the landing party and colonist from Parnassus Beta captured by the Gorn, while avoiding an invasion by triggering a Gorn hibernation cycle.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of what happens when the conscious ego is in the grips of what Carl (C. G.) Jung called a feeling-toned complex, in this case the savior complex.
“Hegemony, Part II” opens with the U.S.S. Enterprise being fired upon by the Gorn, who have captured the landing party comprised of Lt. La’An Noonien-Singh, Dr. Joseph M’Benga, Lt. George Samuel (Sam) Kirk, and Lt. Erica Ortega, as well as the colonists from planet Parnassus Beta. Captain Christopher Pike decides to rescue them and at the same time stop a potential Gorn invasion. In Sickbay, Nurse Christine Chapel vows to save Captain Marie Batel, while Batel tells Chapel to kill her if the Gorn embryos inside her begin to hatch. On a Gorn destroyer, Noonien-Singh regains consciousness and finds herself in a Gorn sac. Noonien-Singh fights her way out of the sac, then revives M’Benga, Kirk, and Ortega. They decide to steal a small Gorn ship, and Noonien-Singh, stating that she will save all the colonists, locates transport codes that will free them. The landing party is attacked by Gorn and Ortega is injured, yet she insists that she is the one who will fly the small Gorn vessel to safety. She is successful. On the Enterprise, a plot is devised to trigger a Gorn hibernation cycle, which is also successful. In Sickbay, using Illyrian blood donated by Commander Una Chin-Riley, Batel regains consciousness and begins her healing process.
In this episode, the unstoppable drive of Pike and the crew of the Enterprise to rescue the landing party and the colonists can be seen as an indication of a complex, in this case a savior complex. This is also seen in Chapel’s determination to save Batel, and Batel’s fortitude to ask Chapel to kill her if the Gorn embryos inside her endanger the Enterprise crew. And it is illustrated on the Gorn destroyer as well, with Noonien-Singh’s resolve to save all the colonist and Ortega’s tenacity to fly the landing party home in spite of her injuries.
Jung wrote that one can understand oneself to be in the throes of a feeling-toned complex when one cannot help but act in a certain way. In a very real way, this impulse to be of selfless service is the reason many of the crew joined Starfleet, as its stated mission, “is to maintain life and the safety of Federation planets” (Spinrad & Daniels, 1967, 19:12).That this is what society considers a positive thing makes us understand that a complex is not necessarily negative, but is an opportunity for self-knowledge. If we acknowledge and integrate the unconscious material contained in the complex into our conscious ego, then the ego is made stronger and the psyche more whole.
Reference:
Spinrad, N. (Writer), & Daniels, M. (Director). (1967, October 20). The doomsday machine (Season 2, Episode 6) [TV series episode; the complete series remastered with special features on DVD]. In G. Roddenberry (Executive Producer), Star trek: The original series. CBS DVD.
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