When the Enterprise rescues a ship from near destruction, they bring on board the mysterious Belis. Part of an alien race, Belis has the ability to project his thoughts and will upon people–and that includes Spock.
By saving Belis, Kirk and company may have inadvertently started a war between two neighboring planets. Belis was sentenced to death as part of a peace agreement between the two people. But when Belis is returned, he begins to take over the will of the people slowly as the other side escalates toward full-scale war.
Added to the dilemma is that Spock may or may not be under the influence of Belis.
The dilemma of what to do about Belis and how the Prime Directive applies to the situation makes for the kind of moral quandary novel that “Star Trek” does so well. The ethical considerations for Kirk of whether or not the greater good needs to be served over the rights of an individual is a fascinating dilemma.
That said, a solution to the problem comes out of left field a bit, thus negating some of the ethical dilemma and giving our heroes an easy way out.
