Name That STAR TREK Episode...

3) A cornelian dilemma.

 

I'm feeling The Omega Glory?
1. Parellel histories to Earth's Yankees vs. Communists. (and still the battle continues...)
2. KIRK: That's a very interesting theory. The yellow civilization is almost destroyed, the white civilization is destroyed.
3. Tracy's conflict with bettering humanity with longer lives versus his oath to the prime directive.

 

Edplebnista... not good!

 

4) (Theft and) curiosity killed the cat.

 

Must be "City on the Edge of Forever"

1. The stolen clothing fits Spock and Kirk quite well.
2. The rice-picking comment
3. The Guardian itself could be described as cornelian due to it's gem-like ornamentation and the fact that it is a doorway or portal that can be jumped through. A dilemma is created by the Guardian.
4. That would obviously be the milk drinking thief.

 

You got it with a commentary though:

3 A cornelian dilemma means having to choose between duty and your heart's desire, with a great loss in both cases. It comes from Pierre Corneille (Who wrote plays kinda like Shakespeare but in French and was famous for putting his protagonists in such situations).

4 He really shouldn't have stolen that phaser...

 

Ah, I was not familiar with "Cornelian dilemma". I should have googled it. But fortunately I fooled myself with another interpretation.

I'll post a clue later. Need to give it some thought.

 

Clue # 1 The good doctor is always prepared to cure any problem with his hypo, potions or pills. Who knew he carried something to help improve vision?

 

Clue #2 We can clarify further by noting that the good doctor did not provide a hypo or a potion. To the person who requested it, the Doc provided a pill. To clarify yet further, the pill was not a capsule, but it was the more basic tablet form of a chemical composition.

 

Clue # 3 Karl Kraus said something that, loosely translated, means “An artist is someone who can make a riddle out of an answer.”. Well, I am no artist, but maybe I have done that anyway. He also said, “Science is spectral analysis, while art is light synthesis.”. So, how can I be artful enough to illuminate the answer without being so scientific as to characterize it explicitly? While I ponder that question, I'll note that the receiver of the tablet used it in accordance with recommended instructions, and as expected (by some of them at least), it affected everyone present.

 

McCoy was some kind of a wizard... I mean, he could grow a kidney with a pill... Even in the Star Trek universe that's way beyond what any other doctor could do.

 

McCoy gave Kirk a tablet in The Trouble with Tribbles. But I don't think it's that.

 

You are correct on both counts. McCoy gave Kirk a tablet for his Tribble-related headache, and it's not that. That's a clever way to be correct twice while being wrong once. Really, that's a decent answer because a person with a cured headache might see better in some sense, and a Captain with a relieved headache might affect other people positively.

Clue # 4 By the way, the pill is not to be swallowed. A good thing too because it was big enough to be at least a little bit uncomfortable to swallow without water.

 

Friday's Child! McCoy gives Kirk a magnesite nitron tablet from his medicine kit. Kirk strikes it with his knife and voila - there is light in the cave.

 

Very good RubySlippers. You have solved the riddle! Your turn.

I think most of the clues are self explanatory. But a few comments can be made

1. This clue has a bit of misdirection by leading one to think McCoy is curing a disease or ailment, but the wording is "cure any problem" which involves an alternate definition of "cure".

2. A daring clue to be very explicit in the hope that the misdirection was sufficient.

3. Aside from the basic information added by this clue, a lot of useless comments are made to slip in "illumination" and "light" without being too obvious. Basically, trying to get the subconscious mind to find the answer.

4. This is giving away that it is not an oral medicine and then the allusion to there not being enough water, as Kirk and Spock discussed their need for both water and weapons.

 

Clever and thoughtful clues, Steven, thank you. I'll start a new game soon.

 

You tought that Cornelian meant carnelian?

 

Oh, basically yes. Since I was not familiar with "Cornelian dilemma", and then the cornelian not being capitalized made me think is was the variant spelling of carnelian. But, I feel good that I learned something new. It was a very good clue, but unfortunately a miss for me.

 

New Game ~
Clue 1: Investigating the fascinatingly impossible is what we do.

 

"RETURN TO TOMORROW"?

"Risk is our business" speech.