******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!******

An ancient Earth space probe, radically upgraded and repurposed by alien technology, now seeks to eliminate Earth’s ‘infestation’ of irrational ‘biological units.’ What sounds like the short synopsis of 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (ST: TMP) also happens to be the plot of a 1967 episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) called “The Changeling,” Unlike V’ger, however, Nomad wasn’t hoping to physically ‘join’ with its unknown creator. Finding its creator was not Nomad’s quest. In fact, Nomad had mistaken Captain Kirk for its long-dead creator, Jackson Roykirk. 

Nomad wasn’t seeking to evolve our grow.  Nomad already believed itself to be “perfect” and that the entire universe needed to be rid of “imperfections,” particularly flawed ‘biological units,’ wherever they may be found. V’ger’s homicidal rampage across the galaxy was more or less accidental; only attacking those it perceived as a threat, mistakenly or not (the Klingons, the Epsilon 9 space station).  Nomad, on the other hand, is actively destroying everything that fails to measure up to its own skewed standards of ‘perfection.’ 

This classic episode was written by TOS’ then-new coproducer John Meredyth Lucas (who replaced the nearly-irreplaceable coproducer/writer Gene L. Coon), and was directed by frequent series director Marc Daniels (“Space Seed”). Let’s run a full analysis on the mechanism, and see what makes Nomad tick…

“The Changeling.”

The episode opens aboard the starship USS Enterprise, with Captain Kirk (William Shatner) asking comms officer Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) if there’s been any response from Dr. Manway, leader of a Federation science team observing the Malurian civilization.  Uhura says there’s been no response on any frequency.  Science officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has a grim answer; long range sensors indicate the entire Malurian star system is now lifeless. 

Before they can fully evaluate this stunning and inexplicable news, helmsman Sulu (George Takei) reports an incoming bolt of energy, traveling at approximately “warp 15,” according to Spock. The Enterprise absorbs the impact, which is equal to 90 photon torpedoes (!?!), and another bolt is fired. Spock reports they can withstand three more such attacks before their shields are obliterated. 

Note: This was before the Star Trek warp scale had been recalibrated for “The Next Generation” and its 24th century spinoffs, where warp 10 is now considered to be “infinite velocity”; touching every point in the universe at once (see, or rather don’t see Star Trek: Voyager; “Threshold”). And anyone else notice how much better the shields seemed to be in TOS’ day?  They could absorb several blasts equalling 360 photon torpedoes!  These days, one or two photon torpedoes seem to leave a pretty big dent. 

The Enterprise reels from these attacks, as Uhura and Spock try to make contact with their attacker. Spock identifies it as a 500 kg cylindrical object just over one meter long.  Establishing crude binary communication, Uhura then receives an obsolete interplanetary code.  After Spock’s computer overloads from their attacker’s high data extraction rate, verbal contact is made. Then a voice tells them, “USS Enterprise, this is Nomad.  My mission is non-hostile. Can you leave your ship?”  Kirk replies they can’t beam board Nomad’s ship because of its small size, but Nomad doesn’t understand.  Kirk tells Nomad they’re prepared to beam it aboard the Enterprise, and Nomad accepts. Over the objections of chief engineer Scott (James Doohan), Kirk reasons that once aboard, Nomad will be unable to fire at them.

Note: Nomad’s confusion (“Non-sequitur, your facts are uncoordinated”) over Kirk’s refusal to beam aboard Nomad’s “ship” because of their size differential is chilling in hindsight, when you realize Nomad was not inviting them ‘aboard’; it was asking them to vacate the Enterprise in order to destroy them and save their ship.  This is another similarity to ST: TMP; both V’ger and Nomad sought to ‘free’ Enterprise from its imperfect, ‘parasitical’ crew. 

The small cylindrical object is beamed into the transporter room, and Spock finds something curiously familiar about it, while McCoy and Scotty correctly guess it’s not a spaceship, but a self-contained machine, which Nomad confirms.  Asking about their ‘point of origin,’ Kirk tells Nomad they’re from the United Federation of Planets, but Nomad means their literal point of departure.  Kirk offers to bring Nomad a star chart of the Sol system, but Nomad states that it has “the capability of movement within (this) ship.”  Kirk tells Scotty to expedite repairs on the warp drive, while asking Spock and McCoy to accompany “us” (he and Nomad).

Note: Shatner and the entire cast give very effective reactions to the Nomad prop, which is little more than a box on guide wires with flashing Christmas lights inside, but it’s the actors’ reactions and nervous glances which really sell the prop as the episode’s antagonist. Bear in mind actor Vic Perrin (“The Outer Limits”) didn’t add his considerable voice talent to Nomad until after shooting wrapped; it was no doubt an anonymous script person reading Nomad’s lines to the cast on set.

Nomad follows Kirk, Spock and McCoy to the ship’s auxiliary control room, which is manned by Lt. Singh (Blaisdel Makee).  Spock pulls up chart 14-A; the star map of the Sol System. Nomad reacts with recognition, telling the captain he is “the Kirk, the creator.” When Kirk asks why Nomad believes he is “the creator,” Spock interrupts—telling Nomad “the creator was simply testing your memory banks.”  Nomad admits “there was much damage in the accident.”  Realizing Spock has stumbled onto something, Kirk leaves a nervous Lt. Singh in charge of Nomad, while he confers with Spock and McCoy…

Note: I’m assuming that Lt. Singh bears no relation to the 20th century augment tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh; unlike La’an Noonien Singh from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW).  Singh is an extremely common last name in North India, and would be no more conspicuous than Smith would be in the UK, Australia or North America.

Beginning a conversation that continues into the briefing room, Kirk what’s on Spock’s mind. Spock surmises the presumed-destroyed Nomad probe was heavily damaged in a meteor collision, and has now mistaken Kirk for its creator, Jackson Roykirk—a brilliant, erratic 21st century scientist who dreamed of creating a perfect, thinking machine capable of independent logic; a dream he’d realized with this interstellar probe. Nomad was originally launched in 2002 to “seek out new life forms,” as McCoy recalls. Spock counters that somehow Nomad’s benign programming has been changed to seek out “perfect life forms,” with perfection measured by its own logic. Spock then gets a call from Lt. Singh that Nomad has left auxiliary control. Kirk immediately puts out an alert on all decks to report on Nomad’s location.

Note: The image of Jackson Roykirk on the briefing room monitor is none other than director Marc Daniels, who directed some of the series’ most popular episodes, including “The Menagerie,” “Space Seed,” “The Doomsday Machine,” “Mirror, Mirror” and the craptacular “Spock’s Brain” (his last assignment with the series). Going where the work was, Daniels would work on anything from action-adventure series (“Kung Fu”) or sitcoms (he directed 86 episodes of TV’s “Alice,” the spinoff sitcom based on Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”).  He also directed 1974’s “Planet Earth,” the second of Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry‘s failed Dylan Hunt sci-fi pilots. Daniels was also credited with the casting of Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz in the legendary sitcom, “I Love Lucy,” whose star (and Desilu cofounder) Lucille Ball would be partly credited with saving Star Trek from the TV-pilot junk heap after “The Cage” was rejected by NBC. The Pittsburgh native passed away at age 77 in 1989. 

Nomad is lured to the bridge after hearing Uhura sing through the ship’s intercom. As Scotty quietly reports Nomad’s position, Nomad violates Uhura’s space, and she immediately stops singing. The probe asks what is the meaning of her singing?  Uhura admits she simply felt like music. Her answer prompts the literal-minded Nomad to scan and erase her memories in search of its answer.  Scotty gallantly rushes to Uhura’s defense—only to be zapped by Nomad’s energy beam and killed.  After a catatonic Uhura and Scotty’s corpse are both taken to sickbay, Nomad realizes Scotty’s death has upset its ‘creator,’ so it offers to “repair the unit.” After giving Nomad flash-fed data on human anatomy as well as Scotty’s hyper-encephalogram, Kirk, McCoy and Spock accompany the machine to sickbay. 

In sickbay, McCoy and Chapel monitors Scotty’s vital signs, as Nomad works its wireless mojo over his corpse. Suddenly, a heartbeat appears on the overhead monitor and Scotty awakens, asking, “What are the lot of you starin’ at me for?” Even McCoy is impressed by Nomad’s medical prowess. ‘Creator’-Kirk then directs Nomad to ‘repair’ the catatonic Uhura as well, but Nomad can’t, since Uhura’s memories have been erased.  However, with no brain damage, McCoy offers to reeducate her as quickly as possible. Before exiting, McCoy turns once more to lash out at Nomad, before Spock interrupts—fearing the unpredictable Nomad might kill the doctor, as well.  Acting on Spock’s subtle suggestion, Kirk orders Nomad to allow security guards to escort it to a ‘waiting area’ (the top-security cell of the ship’s brig), where Spock can safely examine Nomad in detail.

Note: Even before Spock’s legendary death-and-resurrection in “The Wrath of Khan” and “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock,” Star Trek had a long history with killing and resurrecting main characters.  McCoy was famously killed in “Shore Leave” only to be repaired by that planet’s advanced machines. Sulu’s heart nearly stopped in “City on the Edge of Forever,” before he was brought around with ‘a few drops of cordriazine.’ Chekov was gunned down by the illusion of Morgan Earp in “Spectre of the Gun,” only to be revived after the facade of 1885 Tombstone, Arizona was dropped.  To quote Spock in “The Apple” (an episode where he was nearly killed twice), “No one ever said that Starfleet duty was particularly safe.”

There are two scenes in the episode chronicling Uhura’s rehabilitation after her traumatic mind-wipe by Nomad. Apparently, only information gleaned during her formal education was eliminated, since we see Uhura still speaking in her native Swahili. Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) acts as Uhura’s teacher, beginning with a first grade reader on Uhura’s sickbay monitor. Chapel tells McCoy that Uhura seems to have an aptitude for mathematics.  Despite Chapel’s own concerns, McCoy is optimistic that their patient can be reeducated. We then see Uhura struggle with the word ‘blue,’ which she innocently mispronounces as “blooey?”

Note: The scenes of Uhura’s reeducation under Nurse Chapel’s guidance are great showcases for both Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett. I never saw these scenes until I purchased the episode on video back in the early 1980s, since they were often cut for syndicated broadcasts by local TV stations. However, as much as I enjoy them, Uhura’s mind-wipe really makes no sense. How did Nomad wipe Uhura’s “knowledge banks clean” without eliminating her childhood memories of speaking Swahili? Human memories are not linear chronological files; they’re complex neural, chemical and bioelectrical links; often with deep-seated triggers. At any rate, Uhura’s memory loss does explain how this former linguistics prodigy (according to the Kelvinverse and SNW versions of the character) somehow lost her ability to speak Klingon in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” even though she’s seen speaking it fluently in “Star Trek Into Darkness” and SNW (both of which take place prior to this episode).

In the brig, Spock is frustrated by limited information he’s been able to get from scanning Nomad, even with its cooperation. With Kirk’s reluctant consent, Spock initiates the Vulcan mind-meld, despite the risk. Pressing his hands against the machine, Spock enters Nomad’s mind.  Reliving the probe’s earlier mission of seeking new life, Nomad-Spock speaks softly and slowly; “I am Nomad, I am performing my function.”  Nomad-Spock then recalls the collision with a meteor that left itself badly damaged.  Nomad-Spock’s voice then becomes stronger, as it says, “I am the other! I am Tan-Ru.” Tan-Ru was a powerful alien probe sent to “sterilize soil samples from other planets” as a prelude to colonization. It found the damaged Nomad, and they became one.  Their directives intertwined upon their merger, and they now seek to “sterilize” imperfect life forms.  Locked into Nomad’s powerful mind, Spock loses himself, as he repeats, “Nomad! Sterilize! Nomad! Sterilize!” Kirk once again uses his clout as Nomad’s ‘creator’ to order it to break contact.  Nomad complies, and Kirk rushes the traumatized Vulcan out of the brig…

Note: Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015) gives a magnificent performance during this scene, bringing great depth and even pathos to what is essentially a prop. It’s clear why Nimoy was nominated for three Emmy Awards for this work in the series. 

Once in the corridor, the brig’s forcefield is reestablished, and Kirk takes Spock out of Nomad’s range (whatever that is). The emotionally drained Vulcan relates Nomad’s story, as gained from the mind-meld, which confirms Kirk’s suspicions. Recalling an ancient Earth legend, Kirk says Nomad is a “changeling” that assumed the damaged Earth probe’s identity, but has gone “space happy”—mistaking himfor its creator, Jackson Roykirk. Spock points out that case of mistaken identity is the only thing keeping them alive. A plan comes to Kirk’s mind…

Note: Spock would be similarly traumatized by his mind-meld with the powerful artificial intelligence of V’ger in ST:TMP as well. The only issues I have with this mind-meld are the still-nagging unanswered questions; why would the aliens that built Tan-Ru send such a fantastically powerful probe just to sterilize soil samples?  It’s like equipping a Mars rover with warp drive; it makes no sense. And just why did Tan-Ru merge with the damaged Nomad anyway, let alone corrupt its own mission with that of its foundling?  Was there an attraction between the two AIs? We never get these answers, sadly, but oh well. Sometimes story’s just gotta story…

After Kirk and Spock leave, Nomad becomes tired of playing the waiting game, so it neutralizes the forcefield surrounding its cell and simply exits into the adjacent corridor.  The two security guards—aka redshirts—fire their phasers at Nomad only to be zapped out of existence with two beams from the irate probe.  Nomad then heads toward the engineering section…

Note: We all knew those poor redshirts guarding Nomad’s security cell were goners, right?

In engineering, Nomad is met by Scotty, who advises it to leave his engines alone.  Nomad suggests the “primitive matter-antimatter propulsion system” has an inefficiency in the antimatter input valve and should be repaired. It does so. Soon, the Enterprise jumps to warp eight, nine, and ten, topping out at over warp eleven. Kirk and Spock realize what’s going on and enter engineering.  Still exerting whatever influence he has as Nomad’s ‘creator,’ Kirk orders Nomad to undo his modifications, as the stress will destroy the Enterprise. Nomad complies. Nomad  then comments on the inefficiency of Kirk’s other biological units, and Kirk has had enough; he tells Nomad, “I’m a biological unit, and I created you!”  Even as the words exit his mouth, Kirk realizes he’s made a grave mistake. Confused by Kirk’s “non-sequitur” admission, Nomad states it has much to reconsider before returning to “launch point” (Earth), and must reevaluate.  Nomad then purposefully exits engineering.  Alone with the captain, Spock tells Kirk in so many words that he may have just signed their death warrants by admitting he was a biological unit. Nomad now plans on returning to Earth to sterilize the planet from its infestation of imperfect biological units…

Note: This is Kirk’s biggest blunder in this episode.  Fortunately, he redeems it later with arguably the best of his computer-destroying triumphs (see: Landru, Vaal, M-5, etc). Nomad’s goal of sterilizing Earth is more or less the same as V’ger’s in ST:TMP; another similarity between the two stories.

As Kirk puts a full security alert on Nomad (leading to the vaporized deaths of two more security guards), he hears McCoy urgently summoning him to sickbay.  Spock and McCoy find the sickbay doors locked.  Nomad then opens them shortly afterward, and floats off—ignoring Kirk’s repeated commands to stop. Kirk and Spock enter sickbay to find McCoy tending a semiconscious Nurse Chapel, who was stunned after trying to stop Nomad from accessing Kirk’s medical files; where it confirmed its ‘creator’ was a flawed biological unit. Kirk’s only hold over Nomad is gone. In sickbay, Kirk gets a call from Scotty; life support systems are out all over the ship, manual override is blocked, and the source is in engineering (wonder who that could be…?). Going on the offensive, Kirk orders Scotty and Spock to get some anti-gravs ((heavy lifting devices used to cheat gravity) and meet him in engineering…

Note: There is a slight continuity error when Nomad exits sickbay; instead of seeing it leave sickbay, we see a blown-up shot of it exiting the turbolift set (with the turbolift interior visible behind it). I’m guessing the editor lacked a shot of Nomad exiting with sickbay visible in the background, so he used a reframed shot of Nomad exiting the turbolift as coverage.  To be honest, I never even noticed the mistake until I saw the episode on DVD years later.  Also of note, it was very considerate of Nomad to only stun Nurse Chapel instead of vaporize her, as it did the poor redshirts. I’m assuming it’s because she was unarmed and posed no physical threat.

Kirk enters engineering to find the entire engine room crew unconscious. He asks Nomad to stop, but it ignores him. As Kirk heads off to reinitiate the life-support system, Nomad orders him to stop—and a stunned Kirk faces the machine. Kirk asks why it no longer obeys its ‘creator’ and Nomad says it’s because the creator is a flawed biological unit. Nomad is conflicted, however, when Kirk asks how a flawed human created such a perfect thing as itself. Kirk then goes on the attack in what is his greatest computer self-destruction speech of them all:

KIRK: You must sterilize in case of error? 
NOMAD: Error is inconsistent with my prime functions. Sterilization is correction. 
KIRK: Everything that is in error must be sterilized. 
NOMAD: There are no exceptions. 
KIRK: Nomad, I made an error in creating you. 
NOMAD: The creation of perfection is no error. 
KIRK: I did not create perfection. I created error. 
NOMAD: Your data is faulty. I am Nomad. I am perfect. 
KIRK: I am the Kirk, the creator? 
NOMAD: You are the Creator. 
KIRK: You are wrong! Jackson Roykirk, your creator, is dead. You have mistaken me for him. You are in error. You did not discover your mistake. You have made two errors. You are flawed and imperfect. And you have not corrected by sterilization, you have made three errors! 
NOMAD: Error. Error. Error. Examine…

As Nomad loses its marbles trying to reconcile its own existence with Kirk’s ironclad logical argument, its voice rises to a shrieking, incessant stream of self-incrimination: “Error, error…” it continuously repeats, its voice growing more shrill with each word. Spock and Scotty then attach their antigravs onto either side of the distracted robot, in order to move its 500 kilogram mass to the transporter room…

Rushing the paralyzed Nomad into the transporter room, Kirk orders Scotty to set the controls for deep space, while Spock stands by at a monitor.  To ensure its self-destruction, Kirk reminds the wildly neurotic robot that it’s flawed, imperfect, and needs to exercise its prime directive at once. Nomad’s final words are an almost indecipherably high-pitched “Faulty! Faulty! Must analyze! Analyyyyyyze!!” With that, Scotty beams the ill-tempered automaton into oblivion.  Kirk then rushes over to Spock’s monitor, and together they watch as Nomad blows itself to space dust…

Note: According to “The Star Trek Compendium” (a wonderful book) written by the late Allan Asherman (1947-2023), the original version of John Meredyth Lucas’ script had Kirk destroying Nomad (originally called “Altair”) by flooding it with all human literature, which the machine couldn’t grasp, and which caused it to self-destruct.  This was a bit too close to how Kirk and his crew rendered Mudd’s androids catatonic by using irrational pantomime in the comedy episode “I, Mudd.”  Personally, I prefer televised ending of “The Changeling,” as it turns Nomad’s own relentless logic against it, and it gives Kirk a much-needed win after his earlier mistake. 

After their victory over the infernal Nomad, we see Spock congratulating Kirk on his “dazzling display of logic,” of which he was unsure his captain was capable (ouch!). McCoy then comes onto the bridge to tell everyone that Uhura is up to college level, and should be back on the job within a week (wouldn’t she have to go to the Academy again?). Spock quietly laments the great ‘loss’ of Nomad’s technical skills, though Kirk is glad the machine is atomized. Kirk then jokes about losing “a bright and promising son,” since Nomad mistook Kirk for its creator.  Taking his bad joke an unnecessary step further, Kirk adds, “what a doctor it would’ve made.  My son, the doctor.  Kinda gets you right there, doesn’t it?”

The End.

Note: Perhaps the biggest flaw of this episode (and arguably much of Star Trek TOS) is the impulse to tack a joke onto very somber stories (“Patterns of Force,” “The Ultimate Computer,” etc.) Did Kirk just forget that Uhura was nearly-lobotomized, and that the Malurian race was exterminated, not to mention that four security guards under his command were killed?  Given the high casualty rate of this episode, Kirk’s levity seems really out of place. Viewing Star Trek as a whole, Kirk’s joke about losing “my son, the doctor” might also come back to haunt him after the events of “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.”

“I must reevaluate…”

Despite the plot holes cited throughout the above synopsis, “The Changeling” is one of TOS’ most effective “bottle stories”; those episodes which were consciously designed as seasonal budget savers by using existing sets and a minimum of guest talent.  While very talky, “The Changeling” is never boring. Director Marc Daniels’ use of the gray-walled Enterprise sets (drained of their usual colored gel lighting) adds to the feeling of being trapped within its claustrophobic walls, as a powerful, unpredictable murder-machine roams free.  The image of the floating Nomad (suspended from more-or-less hidden wires) is ominous, as the inscrutable robot casually defies gravity and floats at will within the ship’s decks. 

Guest actor Vic Perrin (1916-1989), best known as “the Control Voice” of “The Outer Limits” (1963-4) gives an outstanding vocal performance as Nomad.  Though playing a machine, Perrin never resorts to a cliched, robotic monotone. Instead, he adds enough inflection and unpredictability to his harsh line readings to make Nomad a complex villain (unlike the more robotic-sounding “M-5” of “The Ultimate Computer”), even if the character’s outward appearance is little more than a hovering metal cylinder filled with Christmas lights. Perrin played other roles in Star Trek TOS. Perrin was the voice of the Metron in “Arena” as well as the (onscreen) leader of the Halkan Council in “Mirror, Mirror.” 

While Kirk, Spock and McCoy are all invaluable here, the episode also showcases the underused series regulars, too. In perhaps one of her best roles in the series, Uhura sings “Beyond Antares” once again (she first sang it in “Conscience of the King”), only to be nearly lobotomized by Nomad, leaving her a Swahili-speaking amnesiac (who’s somehow declared fit for duty in a matter of weeks). Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) plays the character’s amnesia and reeducation with a childlike innocence that shows a vulnerable new side to the veteran communications officer. Majel Barrett (1932-2008) as Nurse Christine Chapel also gets to act as Uhura’s instructor and mentor, spotlighting her own character as well.  It’s a nice episode for both characters.

And, of course, James Doohan’s (1920-2005) Scotty gets a heroic death scene and subsequent resurrection, as he tries to stop Nomad from erasing Uhura’s memories. Even guest character “Lt. Singh” (Blaisdel Makee, who also played “Lt. Spinelli” in “Space Seed”) gets a moment to interact with Nomad at his post in the auxiliary control room, though the negligent Singh takes his eye off the murderous probe just long enough for it to wander off.  Only Sulu (George Takei) is shortchanged among the onscreen series’ regulars, while Walter Koenig’s Chekov is absent entirely. 

While it doesn’t feature any exotic aliens or exotic planets, this ‘bottle episode’ tells a dark and fascinating story with little more than the standing sets of the Enterprise interiors and a floating prop on wires.  While superficially similar to “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” “The Changeling” tells its story with less excesses and more humanity. I remember tape recording this episode onto an audiocassette as a kid (VCRs weren’t affordable in those days) and I would repeatedly listen to it, almost like a radio play. Even without video, it was very effective. Nomad was even more disturbing as a disembodied voice, and the mind-meld scene with Spock was downright hypnotic.

For those Trek fans who haven’t seen “The Changeling” in awhile? Yes, the episode is “flawed…and imperfect,” but it’s very entertaining, and gives viewers a chance to see most of the series regulars doing what they do best.

Where to Watch

All episodes of “Star Trek: The Original Series” are available to stream on Paramount+ (for now), and can also be digitally purchased on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, YouTube Premium and other streaming platforms.  The series is also available (both in original and remastered editions) on DVD and on Blu-Ray from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other sellers (prices vary).