THE CLOUD-MINDERS TO: THE REVIEW
STAR TREK, The Original TV Series

GUEST STARS...
Jeff Corey, Fred Williamson

PLOT SUMMARY...
The Enterprise arrives at the planet Ardana, which has a cool floating city, racial conflict, and unhappy miners below.

QUICK SCAN...
This episode features an alien planet undergoing an interesting class struggle, between the rich folks up in the clouds and the poor folk below working the mines. A matte painting depicting Stratos, the floating city, is quite good. Jeff Corey ("Beneath the Planet of the Apes") is excellent as the ruler of Stratos. Spock gets a rare opportunity to flirt with a beautiful alien woman, played by Diana Ewing.

SYNOPSIS...
Kirk and gang show up on the planet Ardana's floating city of Stratos to pick up a shipment of zeinite which is needed on another planet. The shipment turns out to be delayed.

While investigating the problem, Kirk learns that the people of the planet are divided into two groups. The elite live on the floating city. The underclass, considered ignorant, live on the surface and mine zeinite. Kirk tries to solve the conflict. Kirk beams Plasus and himself down into the mine.

Kirk convinces Plasus, the leader of Ardana that the zeinite gas effects the mine workers, turning them into mindless savages. Gas masks are given to the mine workers. The planet's race problems solved, Kirk gets his zeinite which is much needed on another planet.

BEST BETS: Balance of Terror, Patterns of Force

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