Obsession Question

In Obsession, the cloud creature is said to leave a scent. When it is predatory, it leaves a sickly sweet scent. Later, when the creature attempts to feed on Spock and is forced to retreat from the ship, Kirk notes the scent is different, and that it leaves him with an impression in his mind that the creature is returning "home."

Is the scent supposed to be a unique and alien form of communication?

 

Well, the dialogue - which is fantastic - leaves that to the imagination of the viewer. Over the years and many, many rewatches (this one is in my top 10, maybe top 5), I've come to conclude that the creature has a vulnerability in that it gives off odors that somehow trigger reactions in certain other species; some, but not all humans, and perhaps some, but definitely not all Vulcans. Kirk is sensitive to it - as none of the other crew members seem to be - and that not only helps him deduce what the creature's doing; it also links him to it, heightening his desire to destroy it.

I've even toyed with the idea over the years that the creature was hunting Kirk - perhaps realizing that he was a threat to it - and that encountering it on Argus X (the initial planet) was not a coincidence.

 

Well, that would certainly add a different twist to this episode...!

 

Not sure about hunting Kirk, but when the two came into close proximity at Argus, it knew the one who had escaped and possibly hurt it was close by!
JB

 

Leaving something to the imagination always serves art well. I agree with what you have come up with. I especially like the idea about hunting Kirk.

This is one of my favorite episodes as well. Off point I do always get a little chuckle about Garrovick being posted to the ship and Kirk finding out about it on the bridge during a crisis. One would think he would know about officers when they are posted to his ship (like if you are a legacy). Of course Kirk was pretty busy around this time with planet killers and mirror universes so perhaps it slipped by him. In any case not important and I love the episode.

I always felt The Enterprise Incident invites a little imaginative speculation. I like to believe the Romulan Commander was known to Federation Intelligence and she was part of a political/military faction that favored detente with the Klingons and the splitting of the Federation by pursuing reunification/conquest of Vulcan (as later was suggested on TNG). Therefore Starfleet felt there was a good chance she would take the Spock bait.

Of course the Enterprise Incident is a weaker story than Obsession and I probably just feel a need to make more excuses for its weaknesses. I love 'em both though.

 

The Gaseous Cloud is my hero

 

Just how intelligent was the creature was a major concern to Spock. Why would Spock be not concerned if it was low intelligent vs. very concerned if it was intelligent. I can see killing a mindless beast over killing an intelligent alien life form, but Spock feels the opposite. Yes the creature needs hemoglobin to live. So do we. They could provide an alternate blood source (i.e. cows, sheep, pigs, etc.). If it equally needs the thrill of the hunt then provide a video game or something else. It could be tamed if an animal, or made an ally if intelligent (example: Horta).

 

The Gaseous Cloud who went for Kirk and Garovick
That Gaseous Cloud
One of my favourite Trek "baddies", a better actor than the aforementioned Garovick

 

Ahhh, very nice, I wasn't aware of him
So why did they give him a name, assuming he's supposed to be the same dude ?

 

I find it interesting that when it attacks a group, it always leave one person alive.

 

I'm not sure he's supposed to be the same dude at all! More like Trelane with a gaseous body if I remember right

 

WELLLLSHIEEEEEEEEE!!

 

Maybe it can only absorb so much hemoglobin per feeding. "Burp, I'm full." Its metabolism may be fast, so, after a few hours, it's ready to feed again. The Farragut may have encountered it when it was young, smaller and hungrier. Now it is older and larger, perhaps it can't absorb too much more (close to a critical mass), that is why it wants to spawn. Another option is that the Farragut disaster took a long time to kill 200 crew. Captain Garrovick may have made bad decisions that contributed to the loss of life, like continuing to go after it piece-meal out of revenge for killing the first few crew members.

 

I see from your spelling that you've been to enough conventions.

 

I was thinking something similar and maybe the glucose in the blood is like a by-product that it excretes, which makes the sweet smell. I don't know how a cloud can get "full" but, hey, why let that matter. Spock could explain it.

 

Literally? I won't be buying you any beers any time soon then!
JB

 

I should imagine the cloud has been existing off of the blood of cattle like creatures living on worlds outside the Federation, because there have been no reports as far as we know of any attacks upon human populated planets and that would have alerted Kirk and crew of the cloud's position in the galaxy and it becoming a target for destruction!
JB

 

Maybe it can go extremely long periods of time without taking blood. It's such an alien form of life that maybe it only binges every 11 years or so...