Court Martial

      After an ion storm accident kills one of Kirk's men, records officer Lieutenant Commander Finney , Kirk finds himself under investigation. It seems that no one can figure out if Kirk jettisoned the pods before or after he called for a red alert. If he called for them after Finney's death was not Kirk's fault, they were called before than it was too early and entirely Kirk's fault. Kirk docks at Starbase 11 to get things sorted out and is interrogated by Commodore Stone.
     After Spock brings Kirk and Stone some imperative information pertaining to the jettisoned pods it begins to look like Kirk became nervous and pressed the button even though Spock and Kirk know this is untrue.
    Kirk and Bones then go to a restaurant to get a drink and Kirk is bombarded by former classmates from his starfleet who think he killed Finney. After himself for awhile Kirk gets fed up and leaves and Bones meets an old flame of Kirks, yet another blonde, Areel Shaw. This of course triggers a great Bones quote, "All my old friends look like Doctors, all his old friends look like you."

    When Kirk actually gets a chance to talk to Areel he learns that its a case of "Kirk vs. Computer" and unless his lawyer is really good he hasn't got a shot...especially since the prosecuting lawyer is none other than Areel herself. It is obvious Areel feels bad about this and tells Kirk she asked a lawyer friend of hers to help him.
   Kirk retreats to his quarters where instead of finding peace and solitude he finds a quirky old man buried in piles and piles of books that are littered around his room. After talking to the quirky man for a while he realizes this is the lawyer Areel hired, Samuel T. Cogley, and lucky for Kirk this man puts his trust in books and not in computers.

         
     The trial starts and Commodore Stone is the judge. Areel puts Spock, Bones, and another crewman on the stand and even though they all try to defend Kirk the evidence still seems to point that Kirk pushed the button too early. Even Cogley begins to believe that Kirk is guilty. It isn't until Spock plays a  game of chess does anyone start to figure things out. See, Spock programmed the computer himself so when Spock plays he should either lose or it should come out Stalemate, but he beats the computer five times. This means someone messed with the ships computer possibly to frame Kirk. Cogley begins to suspect that Finney never actually died and goes about proving it using the Enterprise.
     After evacuating most of the crew, Spock plays the heartbeats of everyone on board the Enterprise to Stone and the jury. Bones uses a tool like a microphone to cancel out the sound of everyone in the room, but one heartbeat remains, Finneys/
    Kirk goes hunting for him, Finney basically confesses to it all, Kirk's stunt double and Finney get into it, Kirk wins, then fixes the computer so that the power works again and they can put the crew back on the ship. Kirk is no longer under question and everything is A-Ok once again.
     Later Areel asks if it's ok to kiss him and Kirk basically tells her to do it and find out.

 

 Which makes the ending sooo funny. Kirk sits in his little captains chair, eyed by Spock and Bones, and says "She's a good lawyer." To which they all agree in that kind of "Yeeeeah, that's why you were kissing her," way.