Well, not Scotty, but Jimmy Doohan does appear briefly in this well-done episode as the father of a little girl whose irresponsible use of the town's secret technology sets off the chain of events which entrap the reporter Phillip Redfield in the clutches of the isolated town of Peaceful Valley. The townies have technological gadgets which are the gift of an alien scientist who visited the town long ago and are being held in secret trust until humanity is ready for them because their unlimited potential for benefit is seen as overbalanced by their potential for harm and destruction.
Thus, the town fathers must figure out what to do about Redfield, who confronts them with the idea that they are as bad or worse than those they criticize as "not ready" by placing themselves above the rest of humanity, treating them as inferior masses who must suffer and die because they don't deserve better. He even calls one of them Adolf Hitler, perhaps an even more pressing insult in 1963 than today with the end of WWII less than twenty years past, in response what he regards as their heartless, elitist argumentation.
It appears, in retrospect, that the "technology" had to have directly influenced the technology of the Star Trek universe only a few years later, but I'll reveal no more than that here. As with a lot of television drama of that era, the acting is a bit wooden and some thematic elements are a little heavy handed and dated, but it's all consistent with the style of the time, it's not nearly as burdensome to the story as it could have been and, I think, the freshness of the story manages to hold up against all.
Credit must given for a surprise ending that works: 1) Redfield adds depth to his character by considering the consequences of his actions as he attempts to escape the town with the technology and 2) just when you think the town fathers are indeed as bad as, if not worse than, Adolf Hitler, they... act surprisingly. The script manages to finesse the ending very nicely. A similar ending today might fail as a hokey cop out, but it manages to appear fresh and imaginative in this old story.
Thus, the town fathers must figure out what to do about Redfield, who confronts them with the idea that they are as bad or worse than those they criticize as "not ready" by placing themselves above the rest of humanity, treating them as inferior masses who must suffer and die because they don't deserve better. He even calls one of them Adolf Hitler, perhaps an even more pressing insult in 1963 than today with the end of WWII less than twenty years past, in response what he regards as their heartless, elitist argumentation.
It appears, in retrospect, that the "technology" had to have directly influenced the technology of the Star Trek universe only a few years later, but I'll reveal no more than that here. As with a lot of television drama of that era, the acting is a bit wooden and some thematic elements are a little heavy handed and dated, but it's all consistent with the style of the time, it's not nearly as burdensome to the story as it could have been and, I think, the freshness of the story manages to hold up against all.
Credit must given for a surprise ending that works: 1) Redfield adds depth to his character by considering the consequences of his actions as he attempts to escape the town with the technology and 2) just when you think the town fathers are indeed as bad as, if not worse than, Adolf Hitler, they... act surprisingly. The script manages to finesse the ending very nicely. A similar ending today might fail as a hokey cop out, but it manages to appear fresh and imaginative in this old story.