The Magicks of Megas-Tu

*** (3 stars out of 5)

If "The Infinite Vulcan" was weird, "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" is completely off the rails. But it expresses itself well and I guess I've realized the spirit in which it was intended: a rainbow coalition inspiring kids to worship the beast.

Researching whether the center of the galaxy is making more matter in 'the creation point', the ship is caught in a whirlwind. Instead of the land of oz, they are delivered to a planet resembling a peppermint. And instead of Lincoln on the screen, it's Satan. And he's a hugger!

Lucien was hoping 'lovely primitive humans' would come looking for him. This world, Megas-Tu, is in a universe which operates... by magic.

It's the counterpart to 'Who Mourns For Adonais?' This time, it's the Devil hoping to "rollick" with humans again. Nobody seems eager to take him up on it...

In a trice, Mr. Spock is drawing pentagrams and using magick to make concerned parents' groups write letters.

The Megans, fiercely angry at human intrusion, tear the Enterprise in twain and put the crew in stocks in Salem, Massachusetts, 1691. The prosecutor is the wizard Asmodeus. His ilk are disgruntled since being burned as witches and have never gone exploring again.

Lucien alone finds humans kindred spirits because of their questioning and togetherness. For taking their side, he is sentenced to isolation in limbo. Kirk speaks up in the goat-man's defence. Asmodeus asks if he would still defend Lucien by his Earth name: the tempter Lucifer?

Kirk says being a living thing is all he needs to defend someone. He is not much troubled by old legends. (A different captain, perhaps, from the man who 'found the One God sufficient'?)

But, perhaps, a more tolerant one?

My perspective has skewed again completely. I used to say this was the among the worst of the series, what with all the crazy blasphemy and cultural insensitivity to wiccans. But for its day, and for what it's trying to say about respecting people, not judging books by their covers and also not burning the books or the people, I gotta give it 3 drinks with the devil out of 5.