Airdate: September 22, 1973
7 of 22 produced
3 of 22 aired
Synopsis
"Captain's log, stardate 5371.3. A huge cosmic cloud has been reported moving into the outer fringe of our galaxy. Nothing like it has ever been seen before. Starfleet Command has sent the USS Enterprise to investigate, as we are the only vessel in the vicinity of the phenomenon. Our present position is in the Pallas 14 system, which contains Mantilles, the most remote inhabited planet in the entire Federation." Mantilles is put into mortal danger by a planet-eating cloud, which may or may not be intelligent. The Enterprise rushes in, and discovers that the cloud is indeed sentient, and appears to be a giant space-borne organism with a brain, a digestive system, and antibodies. Spock initiates a mind-meld with the being in order to ascertain its level of intelligence. At the last moment, he convinces the creature to return from whence it came and to spare inhabited planets from its hunger.
She who smelt it dealt it, Enterprise!
