"Down for the Count":
Boy, this grew in the telling. Now it's more of a treatment than a pitch. Here goes:
Enterprise is swept away by a disembodied Voice to an uncharted star system where there are three other alien ships. The Voice tells them that the contest has begun and there can be but one victor! Soon, two of the aliens are firing at each other and the third one is moving in on the Enterprise. Kirk sends a signal that he doesn't intend to fight for anyone's amusement, but his hails go unanswered and he has to order return fire. In the exchange of fire, the navigation console explores, sending Chekov across the bridge and facedown on the steps! One of the first two ships is destroyed, but Spock announces that sensors and scanners detect no debris from it. Sulu reports that the Enterprise's location has changed--the ship being back at its initial position when it arrived in this system, as have the two other survivors. Kirk calls McCoy for a casualty report and he says he was just about to call the bridge, all the injured crewman are nowhere to be found. We see where Chekov laid, and he's disappeared.
Another Voice sounds in the bridge telling Kirk that his hesitation almost cost him his shot at victory. Kirk argues that he wants nothing to do with a contest and demands to know what happened to his crewmen, but the Voice just tells him that the next round will not be as easy. Kirk orders that the Enterprise evade all attacks and make every effort to escape the area. One of the other ships seems to have the same idea, but as the fleeing ship reaches a certain perimeter, it is reflected back towards the opponents. The third ship gives chase to the fleeing alien and opens fire, destroying it, but once again, leaving no debris.
The ships are again placed back to the starting positions and the Voice again chides Kirk for not fighting. It tells us that they expected more from such a skilled commander and powerful starship and he will lose the grand prize if he doesn't fight. The next round begins and Spock's scans of the enemy reveal that they are heavily damaged and it would be well within the abilities of the Enterprise to finish it off. But Kirk refuses. He announces loudly to the Voice that he won't destroy for their entertainment -- that humanity only fights as a last resort for a desperate cause. He hails the enemy and asks them to stand down, claiming that he won't fight them over nothing. He orders Sulu to lower the shields and power off the phasers. For a tense moment, the crew wonders If the enemy will agree with Kirk's plea, but then Sulu yells, "They're firing!" and the bridge is rocked in explosions throwing everyone around and fading to white. The light fades and everyone is back at their stations, even Chekov, who seems confused. The Voice informs them that in spite of their disappointing performance, they did achieve second place status and are now free to go, restored to their original conditions. The ship is even back on it's original course and speed. Chekov asks what happened and Kirk says, "A boxing match, Mister Chekov. But I'm not sure if we won or lost."
Next episode: "Momento Mori"
--Alex