EPISODE GUIDE SEASON TWO

Science Fiction USA 1964-1968
110 X 52 minute episodes
B/W-1st season/Color - 2nd-4th seasons
On ABC/Irwin Allen Production
First telecast: September 14, 1964
Last telecast: September 15, 1968

CAST:

Admiral Harriman Nelson................................................................ Richard Basehart
Commander/Captain Lee Crane.................................................... David Hedison
Lt. Commander Chip Morton........................................................... Robert Dowdell
Chief Curley Jones (1964-5)............................................................ Henry Kulky
Chief Sharkey (1965-8)..................................................................... Terry Becker
Kowalski............................................................................................... Del Monroe
Patterson.............................................................................................. Paul Trinka
Stu Riley (1965-7)............................................................................... Allan Hunt
Sparks................................................................................................... Arch Whiting
Doctor.................................................................................................... Richard Bull
Lt. O'Brien (Recurring role, 1964-5)................................................. Derrik Lewis
Clark/Benson (Recurring role, 1964-7)........................................... Paul Carr
Doctor (Recurring role, 1965-6)........................................................ Wayne Heffley

SEASON TWO - 26 EPISODES

EPISODE 33 - "Jonah and the Whale" (Sunday, September 19, 1965)

Writer: Shimon Wincelberg
Director: Sobey Martin
Music: Jerry Goldsmith

Guest Stars:

Katya Markhova: Gia Scala
Helmsman: Robert Pane
Crewman: Pat Culliton

Russian scientist, Katya Markhova, insists on descending the diving bell to try to salvage a wrecked sea lab, even though the area is full of migrating whales, and her colleague has already been killed. Rather than risk another man's life, Nelson goes with her himself. When a gigantic whale swallows the bell, the pair is trapped while Captain Crane leads a rescue mission into the creature's innards.

Footage from the inside of the whale was re-used in the Season 3 episode "No Escape from Death" to represent the inside of a giant jellyfish.
This Season 2 opener unveiled new uniforms for the crew, a redesigned Seaview, and a couple of new crewmembers -- Stu Riley (Allan Hunt) and Chief Sharkey (Terry Becker) -- as well as being the first episode to be broadcast in color.
The diving bell has its own call sign, 'Apple 1'.
This episode features new theme music by Jerry Goldsmith. After this one episode however, the old familiar theme by Paul Sawtell was reprised.

EPISODE 34 - "Time Bomb" (September 26, 1965)

Writers: William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Sobey Martin
Music: Leith Stevens

Guest Stars:

Katie: Susan Flannery
Litchka: Ina Balin
Admiral Johnson: John Zaremba
Li Tung: Richard Loo

Nelson liases with a beautiful and talented Russian agent to investigate a suspect nuclear plant inside the Soviet Union. However, agents of another power have had him injected with a substance which will cause an explosion if he comes into contact with radiation. Can Captain Crane and the resourceful Katie stop him in time?

Another episode in which Captain Crane must contemplate killing his best friend.
Susan Flannery also played the part of the Admiral's sister in "The Traitor".
John Zaremba played Dr. Selby in "Eleven Days to Zero" and took the regular part of Ray in The Time Tunnel.

EPISODE 35 - "... And Five of Us Are Left" (October 3, 1965)

Writer: Robert Vincent Wright
Director: Harry Harris
Music: Lenny Hayton

Guest Stars:

Wilson: John Anderson
Frank Werdn: Robert Doyle
Hill: Ed McCready
Ryan: Phillip Pine
Brenda: Francoise Ruggieri
Nakamura: Teru Shimada
Johnson: Kent Taylor

Off the coast of Hawaii, a fisherman picks up a message in a bottle. Seaview is then off on a rescue mission: to locate the survivors of the Tetra -- a US Navy sub thought to have been lost with all hands 28 years earlier during World War II. This is a wonderful story about courage, patience in adversity, redemption, friendship and forgiveness.

John Anderson also appears in Season 1's "Cradle of the Deep".
Francoise Ruggieri also appears in "The Machines Strike Back".

EPISODE 36 - "The Cyborg" (October 10, 1965)

Writers: William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Leo Penn

Guest Stars:

Tabor Ulrich: Victor Buono
Gundi: Brooke Bundy
Tish Sweetly: Nancy Hsueh
Cyborg voices: Fred Crane
Technician: Tom Curtis
Sailor: Stanley Schneider
Reporter: Nicholas Colasanto

Nelson visits the cybernetics laboratory of the obese Dr. Ulrich, where he is forced to make an involuntary donation to a "Memory Bank." As his cyborg double returns to Seaview to carry out Ulrich's plans, Nelson needs the help of pretty female cyborg, Gundi, to escape and save the world from nuclear war.

There are interesting parallels between this episode and Star Trek's "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" But the Voyage episode preceded Star Trek's by a year.
Yet another instance of Captain Crane taking a shot at the Admiral -- at least the body of the Admiral. And the Admiral/cyborg shoots Crane as well.

EPISODE 37 - "Escape From Venice" (October 17, 1965)

Writer: Charles Bennett
Director: Alex March
Music: Nelson Riddle

Guest Stars:

Count Ferdi Staglione: Renzo Cesana
Lola Hale: Danica D'Hondt
Bellini: Vincent Gardenia
Julietta: Delphi Lawrence
Antonio (Waiter): Tommy Nello
Cropuier: Freddie Roberto
Alicia: Rachel Romen
Betty: Margot Stevenson
First Gondolier: Ken Tilles

"Lah-la-laaaaah, la-lah, la-lah, la-laaaaah ..."

A smiling, happy and relaxed Lee Crane, looking oh so dashing in a white tux, steps into a Venetian gondola with a very pretty girl. But romance is the last thing on the couple's mind. Crane has gone undercover in Venice to pick up a secret code from another agent -- the seemingly innocent girl in the white veil. However, unbeknownst to Crane and Alicia, the enemy is on to them. The girl is viciously murdered, Crane is severely wounded, framed for the murder, and is now a hunted man. Now the only person on earth who knows the code, Crane must stay alive long enough for Nelson to effect a rescue.

The coded tune, which Crane risks his life to learn and remember, has at least 4 different versions. (Remarkable, considering the fact that each note is supposedly of vital importance to the security of the United States!) There are:
Alicia was one of the few strong, capable, brave women to have appeared on Voyage. She died valiantly, doing her duty for her country.
One of the moustached bad guys hanging around Nelson in Venice was an oft-seen Seaview crewman named "Phil".
The name of the hotel where Admiral Nelson, Sharkey and Riley were encamped was called The Dandelo -- which happens to have been the name of Dr. Andre's cat in The Fly. (Dr. Andre was of course played by David (Al) Hedison in the original 1958 film classic.)

EPISODE 38 - "The Left-Handed Man" (October 24, 1965)

Writer: William Welch
Director: Jerry Hopper
Music: Leith Stevens

Guest Stars:

George Penfield: Regis Toomey
Noah Grafton: Cyril Delevanti
Left-handed man: Charles Dierkop
Tippy Penfield: Barbara Bouchet
Angie: Judy Lang
Cabrillo: Michael Barrier

A young woman, Tippy Penfield, approaches Nelson and enlists his help in preventing her father from being appointed Defense Secretary. All is not as it seems, however, and the sinister Left-Handed Man is stalking them both with deadly darts from the gun built into his arm.

EPISODE 39 - "The Deadliest Game" (October 31, 1965)

Writer: Rik Vollaerts
Director: Sobey Martin

Guest Stars:

General Hobson: Lloyd Bochner
President: Robert F. Simon
Dr. Lydia Parrish: Audrey Dalton
General Reed Michaels: Robert Cornthwaite

Captain Crane is giving a tour of an undersea bomb shelter to the President of the United States. Suddenly, the nuclear reactor begins running wild. Is this the work of saboteurs? Should the United States fire at the most likely enemy? Can Nelson solve the mystery before it's too late?

One of the few episodes in which an exact date is named: July 14, 1978
Lloyd Bochner also appears in Season One's "The Fear Makers".

EPISODE 40 - "Leviathan" (November 7, 1965)

Writer: William Welch
Director: Harry Harris
Music: Alexander Courage

Guest Stars:

Cara: Karen Steele
Dr. Anthony Sterling: Liam Sullivan

Dr. Anthony Sterling discovers an underwater fissure and wants Admiral Nelson's submarine to further his research. Nelson resists -- he has other commitments -- then winds up heading the Seaview for Sterling's sealab. Little does the Admiral know he and his crew will become part of an experiment. Like most other scientists our gallant crew comes into contact with, Dr. Sterling goes slightly bananas, and in the end, will pay for his unethical behavior.

In this episode, we learn that the flight jackets worn on the Flying Sub double as life preservers.

EPISODE 41 - The Peacemaker" (November 14, 1965)

Writer: William Reed Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Sobey Martin

Guest Stars:

Everett Lang: John Cassavetes
Su Yin: Irene Tsu
Policeman: Lloyd Kino
Admiral Bill Conners: Whit Bissell
Premier: Dale Ishimoto
Hansen: Walter Woolf King
Scientist: George Zaima

A brilliant American scientist, who long ago had defected to an enemy power behind the "Bamboo Curtain", wants to come home. He is the man responsible for the development of the "proton" bomb. In order to keep the balance of power, the United States must have the weapon. So, Crane risks his life to rescue the traitorous and self-aggrandizing Everett Lang. Lang's ulterior motive is to force a disarmament -- otherwise, he will explode the proton bomb and quite probably destroy the world.

The year mentioned in this episode is 1978.
Whit Bissell starred as Lt. General Heywood Kirk in Time Tunnel.

EPISODE 42 - "The Silent Saboteurs" (November 28, 1965, pre-empted from November 21st)

Writer: Sidney Marshall
Director: Sobey Martin
Music: Lenny Hayton

Guest Stars:

Moana: Pilar Seurat
Li Cheng: George Takei
Halden: Bert Freed
Lago: Alex D'arcy

A space probe returning from Venus is destroyed by a mysterious force field. Crane must do his best to find the weapon before yet another probe is shot down. The Captain must deal with agents, counter agents, the vicissitudes of the jungle, and other assorted difficulties to complete his mission. The question is, will he succeed in time?

This is another episode in which we are given an approximate date: the year is 1976.
Yes, that is Mr. Sulu from Star Trek. But remember, the Enterprise did not begin its five-year mission until September 1966 -- reckoning by old earth time, of course!

EPISODE 43 - "The X Factor" (December 5, 1965)

Writer: William Welch
Director: Leonard Horn
Music: Leith Stevens

Guest Stars:

Alexander Korby: John McGiver
Dr. Liscomb: George Tyne
Henderson the Henchman: Jan Merlin
Captain Shire: Bill Hudson

"Such a tragic accident, and so unnecessary. If only you'd kept your nose out of my business." Korby to Nelson

A scientist who carries a vital secret in his head is kidnapped from outside the Nelson Institute. Tipped off by a radio message, Nelson works with Captain Shire of ONI to rescue him. On their way to investigate a secretive toy company that may be a cover for a spy ring, they find themselves involved in a deadly chase, and Nelson faces the same waxy fate as the kidnapped Dr. Liscomb.

The whole sequence with the limousine and the helicopter was lifted straight from the color pilot episode, "Eleven Days to Zero", in which Bill Hudson (Shire) played the doomed Captain Phillips.
Jan Merlin, who played the villainous henchman Henderson, also appeared as assassin Victor Vail in "No Way Out", and as a Nazi in "Death from the Past".

EPISODE 44 - "The Machines Strike Back" (December 12, 1965)

Writers: John and Ward Hawkins
Director: Nathan Juran

Guest Stars:

Admiral Alex Halder: Roger C. Carmel
Captain Verna Trober: Francoise Ruggieri
Admiral Johnson: John Gallaudet
Senator Kimberly: Bert Remsen

A drone sub runs amok and fires three missiles at New York. Yikes! Seaview is able to take out 2 of the missiles. Luckily, the third bird falls in a forest and not Manhattan Isle. Nelson must find the cause for the machine's errant behavior. To do so, he calls upon the man who helped develop the system. Too late does Nelson discover that his colleague is actually responsible for the incident.

Francoise Ruggieri also appears in "...And Five of Us Are Left".

EPISODE 45 - "The Monster From Outer Space" (December 19, 1965)

Writers: William Reed Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: James Clark

Guest Stars:

Doctor: Wayne Heffley
Space Center Technician: Lee Delano
Flight Director: Preston Hanson
Naval Commander: Hal Torey

Seaview is ordered to retrieve an unmanned Saturn probe. Despite the administration of a painstaking decontamination procedure to remove any possible alien organisms from the probe, an alien entity still manages cling to the casing. Soon, the entire crew is taken over -- except for Nelson and Sharkey, who were off-ship when the creature first emerged.

Once again, Captain Crane is "ordered" to kill Admiral Nelson. He does try awfully hard to avoid it. On the other hand, once Crane gives in to the alien, he does his best to carry out his new orders!

EPISODE 46 - "Terror on Dinosaur Island" (December 26, 1965)

Writer: William Welch
Director: Leonard Horn

Guest Star:

Benson: Paul Carr

Nelson and Sharkey crash the Flying Sub on an uncharted island inhabited by huge and ferocious dinosaurs. As they struggle to stay alive and make contact with Seaview, Crane leads a shore party to the rescue. Unfortunately, the party includes Crewman Benson, who has a deadly grudge against the Captain.

Paul Carr (Benson) also played Crewman Clark in various Season 1 episodes, notably "Doomsday", "Hail to the Chief", "Cradle of the Deep", and, (via re-used footage) "No Escape from Death".
The "dinosaur" footage was recycled from Irwin Allen's movie, The Lost World, and was also used in "Turn Back the Clock" and "Night of Terror".
This episode marks the start of the odd friendship between Nelson and Sharkey.

EPISODE 47 - "Killers of the Deep" (January 2, 1966)

Writers: William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Harry Harris

Guest Stars:

Fraser: Patrick Wayne
Captain Tomas Ruiz: Michael Ansara
Manolo: James Frawley
Captain Lawrence: John Newton
Bosun's Mate: Bruce Mars
Sonar Men: Dallas Mitchell (destroyer), Gus Trikonis (sub)

Defense missiles are disappearing from their underwater silos. While investigating in the Flying Sub, Nelson and Crane are shot down by a mysterious sub. Nelson is rescued by a U.S. destroyer and soon finds himself commanding it in a battle against the sub. Unbeknownst to him, Crane is a prisoner aboard the sub.

Given the earlier revelation in "Leviathan" that flight jackets double as life preservers, it's interesting that the Admiral takes his off before the ditching the Flying Sub!
The footage of the enemy sub, and much of the plot, for this episode are taken from the Twentieth Century-Fox movie, The Enemy Below -- which co-starred a young David Hedison!
Michael Ansara also appeared in the 1961 Voyage movie and in the Season 1 episode "Hot Line".

EPISODE 48 - "Deadly Creature Below!" (January 9, 1966)

Writers: William Reed Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Sobey Martin

Guest Stars:

Francis J. Dobbs: Nehemiah Persoff
Joe Hawkins: Paul Comi
Doctor: Wayne Heffley

Two escaped convicts are rescued at sea by the Seaview. Unwilling to go where the sub will take them, they plot to steal the Flying Sub. Nelson dutifully risks his ship to save the two ungrateful criminals from death at the "hands" of a horrible sea-creature.

EPISODE 49 - "The Phantom Strikes" (January 16, 1966)

Writer: William Welch
Director: Sutton Roley
Music: Lenny Hayton, Herman Stein

Guest Star:

Gerhardt Krueger: Alfred Ryder

"'We, therefore, commit his body to the deep, looking to the general Resurrection on the last day, and to the life of the world to come...'" Captain Crane

In the Central Pacific, the Seaview comes upon the battered hulk of a German WWI U-boat, the U-444. Soon after that, a mysterious passenger is taken aboard Seaview. Captain Crane doesn't trust the enigmatic man with the German accent; neither does he believe his story of shipwreck. Admiral Nelson, too, is disturbed by Krueger's presence, and the entire crew is on edge. One minute the man in black is in his cabin; the next minute, he's seen in the corridor. One minute he's locked in irons; the next minute he's free. The Flying Sub is damaged; and Seaview seems to be sailing in circles. Fed up, Crane wants Krueger off his ship. Finally, Krueger tells Nelson who he really is and what he really wants. It is a meeting Harriman Nelson will long live to regret.

Alfred Ryder appears in the sequel to this episode, "The Return of the Phantom", and also, in Season 3's "The Heat Monster" -- with a decidedly different accent!
For this episode, director Sutton Roley took away the "starboard" control panel. Shooting into the room while moving the camera aft, the director gave the audience a new and interesting view of the Control Room.
Notice the lighting effect when Krueger is seen for the first time through the deck hatch.
This is one of many episodes in which Admiral Nelson tries to shoot his best friend and surrogate son, Lee Crane. He manages to resist doing the deed, but he scares the Captain out of his wits!
When Patterson and Riley shoot at Krueger, you can see patched up bullet holes in the door before they fire their weapons.

EPISODE 50 - "The Sky's on Fire" (January 23, 1966)

Writer: William Welch, from a screenplay by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett
Director: Gerald Mayer

Guest Stars:

Weber: David J. Stewart
Carleton: Robert H. Harris
McHenry: Frank Martin

When the Van Allen Belt catches fire and threatens to incinerate the Southern Hemisphere, Nelson has a plan to put out the flames using a missile. However, he finds himself saddled with a U.N. committee whose permission he needs to carry out the plan. One of the committee members is terminally indecisive, and another will stop at nothing to prevent the missile being launched. The tension -- and the body count -- mount as Seaview approaches the launch site.

This episode is based on the 1961 Voyage movie, but the plot is somewhat different.

EPISODE 51 - "Graveyard of Fear" (January 30, 1966)

Writer: Robert Vincent Wright
Director: Justus Addiss

Guest Stars:

Dr. Crandall Ames: Robert Loggia
Karyl: Marian Moses

Imagine this: a scientist who's lost his objectivity, runs amok, and puts the Seaview and her Captain at great risk -- all for the love of a beautiful young woman who won't leave her cabin! But is she a beautiful young woman? What is the terrible secret that brings these two people to ruin?

EPISODE 52 - "The Shape of Doom" (February 6, 1966)

Writer: William Welch
Director: Nathan Juran

Guest Star:

Dr. Alex Holden: Kevin Hagen

"You've seen what a mad whale can do. I assure you a mad scientist can be far more destructive." Dr. Holden to Admiral Nelson

A deranged scientist and his test subject, a gigantic whale, disrupt plans to blast a new Panama Canal using a nuclear charge lowered from Seaview. When the whale swallows the bomb, Nelson and the crew must find a way to save the situation -- and the President -- and Dr. Holden is no help at all!

This episode makes creative use of stock footage, notably from "The Ghost of Moby Dick" and "Jonah and the Whale", but also the footage of flooding compartments from "Terror on Dinosaur Island", which was itself partly recycled from the Season 1 episode "Submarine Sunk Here". Notice the crewman in a Season 1 uniform, apparently slipped in to cover the joins!
Speaking of stock footage, Chief Sharkey does not appear in this episode except in a few brief stock shots -- the actor was unwell.
The nuclear device was first seen as the test hull in the Season 1 episode "The Condemned".
Guest Star Kevin Hagen, better known for his recurring role as Inspector Kobek in Land of the Giants, also appears in the Season 4 episode "Attack!"

EPISODE 53 - "Dead Men's Doubloons" (February 13, 1966)

Writer: Sidney Marshall
Director: Sutton Roley

Guest Stars:

Captain Brent: Albert Salmi
Sebastian: Allen Jaffe
Admiral Howard: Robert Brubaker
Sailor: Stan Kamber
Pirate: Bob Swimmer

A pirate's curse ... The Flying Sub attacked by a square-rigger ... Captain Crane surrounded by blood-thirsty pirates on the Isle of Death ... Do the Captain's eyes deceive him? Or has a pirate actually come back from the grave?

The year in this episode is given as 1978.
Usually in Voyage, pirates, ghosts and monsters are the real thing. In this episode, the reverse is true; however, one's belief is suspended for quite some time.

EPISODE 54 - "The Death Ship" (February 20, 1966)

Writers: William Reed Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Abe Biberman

Guest Stars:

Stroller: Lew Gallo
Tracy: Elizabeth Perry
Ava: June Vincent
Klaus: Ivan Triesault
Chandler: David Sheiner
Dr. Frank Templeton: Harry Davis
Carter: Herbert Voland
Rourke: Ed Connelly
Operator: Al Shelley
Agent: Russ Elliot
Chairman: Alan Baker

Whenever Seaview is running with less than a full crew, disaster is sure to follow. Nelson and Crane, and various non-crew specialists, are out to test a new automated system. So why are people suddenly being killed ... one by one ... who is the murderer ... and who is next to die?

This exciting episode is a well-done take-off of ...And Then There Were None.
This is one of the many episodes in which Captain Crane suffers a concussion.
Turns out a woman, "Ava", was one of the designers of Seaview. Admiral Nelson was surely a man ahead of his time!
Lew Gallo also appears in Season 3's "Deadly Waters".

EPISODE 55 - "The Monster's Web" (February 27, 1966)

Writers: Al Gail and Peter Packer
Director: Justus Addiss

Guest Stars:

Captain Gantt: Peter Mark Richman
Balter: Barry Coe

Oh what a tangled web we weave ... Captain Gantt is experimenting on a new fuel when his sub runs into a gigantic spider web. Enter Seaview, whose mission is to recover the unstable, highly toxic fuel from the wrecked sub. As the mission proceeds, Admiral Nelson is gravely injured, Gantt turns into a nice guy, and Riley helps save the day.

The absence of Richard Basehart (due to illness) in this, and the next two episodes ("The Menfish" and "The Mechanical Man"), is disturbing in the extreme, and certainly makes one's heart grow fonder for the actor.
Peter Mark Richman also appears in Season 4's "Secret of the Deep".

EPISODE 56 - "The Menfish" (March 6, 1966)

Writers: William Reed Woodfield and Allan Balter
Director: Tom Giles

Guest Stars:

Admiral Park: Gary Merrill
Dr. Borgman: John Dehner
Hansjurg: Victor Lundin
Doctor: Wayne Heffley
Johnson: Roy Jenson

While Admiral Nelson is "away" in Washington, his old friend, Admiral Park, takes Nelson's place on Seaview for the duration of this mission. The competent Admiral Park, clearly a man of integrity, discovers that Dr. Borgman's experiments are not what they have been purported to be: the doctor is working to create a creature that is part man, part fish. To achieve his evil ends he will stop at nothing.

Richard Basehart did not appear in this episode, as he was still unwell.
Victor Lundin also appears in Season 4's "The Lobster Man".

EPISODE 57 - "The Mechanical Man" (March 13, 1966)

Writers: John and Ward Hawkins
Director: Sobey Martin

Guest Stars:

Omir: James Darren
Paul: Arthur O'Connell
Jensen: Seymour Cassel
Van Druten: Cec Linder
Vendon: Robert Riordon

Peter Omir has discovered a new and powerful element, which lies deep under the earth: Subterranium 116. More machine than man, Omir possesses super-human powers. The unethical Omir is willing to risk environmental catastrophe in order to get his hands on more of this dangerous element. Captain Crane does his level best to keep the situation stable, but he is no match for the super-human madman.

This was the third and final episode in which Richard Basehart did not appear due to illness.
The year of this mission is given as 1978.
James Darren appears as Tony Newman in Time Tunnel.

EPISODE 58 - "The Return of the Phantom" (March 20, 1966)

Writer: William Welch
Director Sutton Roley

Guest Stars:

Gerhardt Krueger: Alfred Ryder
Lani/Maria: Vitina Marcus

"Lee Crane is no longer Lee Crane." Admiral Nelson to Lt. Commander Morton

Although buried at sea, the ghost of Captain Gerhardt Krueger is back -- and he most definitely wants the body of Captain Lee Crane. As before, he demands that Admiral Nelson shoot the Captain, but Nelson refuses. Krueger displays his formidable powers, sending Seaview to the sea floor, and cutting off the sub's air supply. Although warned repeatedly by Krueger's ill-fated lover, Lani, that he must close his mind against the madman's thoughts, Nelson agrees to shoot Crane in order to save the other 124 men aboard Seaview. And so, like a man in a dream, he makes his way to the Control Room. His hand shaking, Nelson slowly takes aim and fires his weapon. As he's falling, Crane lifts his eyes to look at the shooter. The last thing he sees before slipping into unconsciousness is a sight too incredible to believe. The crew thinks Nelson has gone insane. Can the Admiral convince Morton that he is in his right mind? Will he be able to save his friend from the diabolical plans of Gerhardt Krueger?

The beginning of this episode completely negates the ending of "The Phantom Strikes".
This was the only episode in which the non-smoking Captain Crane is seen smoking -- but where did he get those cigarettes?
The anguish on Nelson's face as he's preparing to shoot an unsuspecting Crane is almost too painful to watch. This is the second time Nelson has put a bullet into the body of Crane. (The first incident occurred in "The Cyborg".)
A chilling effect is the sight of Krueger's black spirit taking possession of Crane's body, by literally melting into it.
Once Krueger takes possession of Crane's mortally wounded body, the bleeding stops -- as if the body has gone into a state of suspended animation.
When Krueger's spirit leaves Crane's body temporarily, to search for Lani's spirit, Crane comes to and seems to feel all the pain of the injury -- one must presume the internal bleeding has resumed again, too, and that Crane's body is once again moving closer to death.
Crane is clearly aware of everything Krueger has done while in possession of his body, and the Captain is thoroughly mortified -- as evidenced by his fervent apology to Maria: "I ... I didn't mean to hurt you. Believe me. I didn't mean to hurt you!"
Nelson threatens to shoot Crane again(!) on the island -- as a last resort -- to rid his friend's body of Krueger's spirit.
In an earlier draft of the script, Maria was supposed to have been the illegitimate daughter of Lani and Krueger -- only Krueger didn't know it. And Lani was as evil as Krueger.
Notice how effective director Sutton Roley's low camera angles are after Krueger takes possession of Crane -- and note the subtle change in Hedison's make-up.
Hedison worked extremely hard to mimic Alfred Ryder's accent, intonation and timbre.
David Hedison has named this episode his all-time Voyage favorite.
Messrs. Basehart, Hedison and Ryder should have been nominated for Emmy's for their superb performances in this frightening but thrilling episode.

Episode Guide
Season 1 Synopses
Season 3 Synopses
Season 4 Synopses

Synopses courtesy of Rachel Howe and Alison Passarelli.

EPISODE GUIDE SEASON TWO

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