Kirk, Spock, and Bones are in the shuttlecraft Galileo transporting a Federation diplomat, Nancy Hedford (the lovely Elinor Donahue of 'Father Knows Best' fame). She is supposed to negotiate peace between two cultures, but has fallen gravely ill, and *then* the Galileo gets mysteriously taken to a planetoid with just two occupants. The first is a human, Zefram Cochrane (Glenn Corbett, "The Crimson Kimono") who has been marooned on this rock for an *extremely* long time, and the second is an alien entity known only as The Companion, who is very fond of Cochrane and has not only kept him alive, but restored to him his youth. Hedford doesn't have long, so Kirk & company are facing a real time limit.
This is a sweet, sensitive episode that does well by focusing on its unconventional love story. And it *is* a classic love story, although Kirk struggles to make himself understood to The Companion. He tries his best to make it see things his way, that humans *need* challenges in their lives in order to grow & learn, and that, ultimately, love is an emotion that sometimes requires sacrifices.
While 'Metamorphosis' didn't work out to my *complete* satisfaction in the end, it really is touching & poignant the way that it depicts this relationship between Cochrane & The Companion (although he briefly reacts strongly when it is revealed that The Companion is female).
Donahue is effective all the way through, with her misery about her situation being understandable. Corbett is highly engaging as a character who became an icon in 'Star Trek' lore; the character appeared 29 years later in the 'Next Generation' feature "First Contact" where he was played by James Cromwell.
All in all, this was a trek well worth taking.
Eight out of 10.
