I feel like the entire Mines of Moria segment in The Lord of the Rings could be adapted as a Star Trek episode story. Either singular or made up of multiple parts.
One way it could be adapted would be an archeological expedition gone awry. Getting chased into some underground ruins by some alien monster and getting trapped inside after the entrance collapses. A strange anomaly hangs over the mountains and caves where these ruins were hewn into. This would prevent the away team from taking the easy way out by simply beaming out via transporter as well as cutting off communications to the ship. As was the case with the fellowship, they're forced to go deeper in hopes of finding another opening to escape through. It's logical that such a civilization would build multiple entrances in case one collapsed or in an emergency that requires an evacuation of the underground city. However, it would take a couple days for them to get to one of these entrances as some passageways have collapsed and they would have to carefully navigate through some of the more hazardous parts of these ruins.
They would encounter the mummified/skeletal remains of previous expeditions to these ruins. some going as far back as the 22nd Century. Doesn't help with the fact that they were all killed by whatever is lurking in the darkness. Only stirring up fears of the team suffering a similar fate to these unfortunate souls. Though they would follow the breadcrumb trails left behind by these doomed expeditions, which had gotten further and further into the caves until they reach the site of where most recent expedition met their demise, which happens to be near an exit. This serves as the "Balin's Tomb" point of the journey. Especially when they learn that one of the members of the expedition was a family member of one of the crew or a respectable archeologist/explorer that disappeared in a previous expedition to the site, the one that ended up killing him.
Over the course of the journey up to that point, they would slowly become wary of a dark presence in these ruins. Getting the feeling that someone or something is watching them and whatever they are, they want them dead. The logs of these other expeditions slowly confirming their fears, but never able to describing what it was as they we're killed before they could even see and describe it.
I can actually see a redshirt in the group committing this same blunder pippin made. dropping something into a hole in the ground and getting the attention of the nocturnal creatures inhabiting the ruins. Having been attracted to the noise.
The "Goblins" and "Trolls" in this situation could be primitive creatures similar to the ones found on Taurus II. They aren't the original occupants of these ruins however, and they merely moved in after the previous civilization died out.
At this point, you can already guess what the rest of the journey looks like. Even though the team is equipped with Phasers, they're overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the creatures and are forced to flee before being cornered. Then the creatures are scared away by the arrival of a much larger and much more dangerous being. Not unlike the Balrog, The creature would give chase and the team would be pursued through the remained of the ruins. The know that they're leading to an exit as small cracks of light could be seen. signs that this part of the underground ruins are getting closer to the surface. They still try to use their phasers against it, but it only stuns the beast for a short time. giving them enough time to let them make some distance between the team and the monster.
They would get outside the boundaries of the anomaly and communications with the ship is restored. In desperation and panic, the order to beam them up is made. However, like Gandalf, one of the members of the away team sacrifices himself so that the transporter would have enough time to beam them entirely back. Using his Phaser to cut a rock from the cave roof so that the bridge that he and whatever that creature is would collapse into a bottomless pit and take both of them down with it.
That's at least one way such a story could be told.
One way it could be adapted would be an archeological expedition gone awry. Getting chased into some underground ruins by some alien monster and getting trapped inside after the entrance collapses. A strange anomaly hangs over the mountains and caves where these ruins were hewn into. This would prevent the away team from taking the easy way out by simply beaming out via transporter as well as cutting off communications to the ship. As was the case with the fellowship, they're forced to go deeper in hopes of finding another opening to escape through. It's logical that such a civilization would build multiple entrances in case one collapsed or in an emergency that requires an evacuation of the underground city. However, it would take a couple days for them to get to one of these entrances as some passageways have collapsed and they would have to carefully navigate through some of the more hazardous parts of these ruins.
They would encounter the mummified/skeletal remains of previous expeditions to these ruins. some going as far back as the 22nd Century. Doesn't help with the fact that they were all killed by whatever is lurking in the darkness. Only stirring up fears of the team suffering a similar fate to these unfortunate souls. Though they would follow the breadcrumb trails left behind by these doomed expeditions, which had gotten further and further into the caves until they reach the site of where most recent expedition met their demise, which happens to be near an exit. This serves as the "Balin's Tomb" point of the journey. Especially when they learn that one of the members of the expedition was a family member of one of the crew or a respectable archeologist/explorer that disappeared in a previous expedition to the site, the one that ended up killing him.
Over the course of the journey up to that point, they would slowly become wary of a dark presence in these ruins. Getting the feeling that someone or something is watching them and whatever they are, they want them dead. The logs of these other expeditions slowly confirming their fears, but never able to describing what it was as they we're killed before they could even see and describe it.
I can actually see a redshirt in the group committing this same blunder pippin made. dropping something into a hole in the ground and getting the attention of the nocturnal creatures inhabiting the ruins. Having been attracted to the noise.
The "Goblins" and "Trolls" in this situation could be primitive creatures similar to the ones found on Taurus II. They aren't the original occupants of these ruins however, and they merely moved in after the previous civilization died out.
At this point, you can already guess what the rest of the journey looks like. Even though the team is equipped with Phasers, they're overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the creatures and are forced to flee before being cornered. Then the creatures are scared away by the arrival of a much larger and much more dangerous being. Not unlike the Balrog, The creature would give chase and the team would be pursued through the remained of the ruins. The know that they're leading to an exit as small cracks of light could be seen. signs that this part of the underground ruins are getting closer to the surface. They still try to use their phasers against it, but it only stuns the beast for a short time. giving them enough time to let them make some distance between the team and the monster.
They would get outside the boundaries of the anomaly and communications with the ship is restored. In desperation and panic, the order to beam them up is made. However, like Gandalf, one of the members of the away team sacrifices himself so that the transporter would have enough time to beam them entirely back. Using his Phaser to cut a rock from the cave roof so that the bridge that he and whatever that creature is would collapse into a bottomless pit and take both of them down with it.
That's at least one way such a story could be told.
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