Synopsis: In order to prepare for a diplomatic mission, Captain Pike and the Alpha Shift crew take shore leave on a planet with an unusual atmosphere.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of Carl (C.G.) Jung’s concept of a complex, one way in which unconscious material comes to the awareness of the conscious ego, so that psychic healing can occur.
In “Human Best Friend,” the U.S.S. Enterprise was enroute to the Rodaxian System, where Captain Christopher Pike was to negotiate a peace treaty to end a civil war. The Rodaxians were very particular in how they are to be addressed, and Pike and the crew needed to be fresh in order for the mission to be successful. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Number One) told Pike that the Alpha Shift needed a break while Lt. Erica Ortegas and Lt. Montgomery (Scotty) Scott recorded dueling log entries. Number One suggested shore leave on the planet Cesnar, which had an intoxicating atmosphere that gave individuals just what they needed in order to relax.
On Cesnar, Ortegas and Scotty were given a letter to give to Pike by Dendru, the individual in charge of the planet. Dendru also warned them that negative emotions were able to change how the atmosphere affected them. Ortegas and Scotty went to look for Pike. They found Lt. Spock, who told Ortegas that she had been fighting a dragon. Next, the two located Ensign Nyota Uhura. Uhura was having a party in her room, but Pike was not there. Ortegas and Scotty then went to a bar where Number One was singing Klingon power ballads and where Dr. Joseph M’Benga was the bartender. Finally, they found Pike at a tattoo salon. They gave the letter to Pike, which indicated that the Rodaxians would be arriving in two hours. Ortegas and Scotty went to find the shuttle and were kidnapped. Dendru appeared and told Ortegas and Scotty that he was doing what they had told him to do, to keep them away from the shuttle, even if he had to tie them up. Dendru told them that one can always find something to be angry about, or one can figure out what is really making one angry.
The Alpha Shift returned to Enterprise, and the Rodaxians arrived. Later, Ortegas admitted to Scotty that she was angry at him because she worried that she was not good enough, and that Scotty’s accusing her of that set her off. Scotty admitted to Ortegas that he crashed seven shuttles and was envious of pilots. They found a bomb hidden on the shuttle. The bomb was safely detonated outside of Enterprise and created a fireworks show that enthralled the Rodaxians.
In this episode, the anger that Ortegas and Scotty had for each other can be analogized to what Jung called a feeling toned complex. One way that an individual can become aware of a complex is by realizing that they have been projecting it onto another. When Ortegas admitted to Scotty that she was angry with him, it was a reaction to him saying something she felt about herself. This can be compared to when an individual realizes that they are projecting their complex onto another. The same can be said about Scotty realizing that he was angry with Ortegas because she was a good pilot, which reminded him that he was not. When Ortegas and Scotty understood what they were doing, and started helping each other, this can be compared to when an individual’s complex, through projection, is brought to the attention of the conscious ego. The ego can then acknowledge and integrate the complex into itself, making it stronger and the psyche more whole.
