Wolf in the Fold Question

[Methuselah Flint]

Hi all!

Like all eps, I've watched this countless times...but I was wandering something today. Scotty truthfully says he didn't black out on the third murder and did not kill the third victim. However:

Does the entity inhabit Scotty to kill the first two women?

OR

Does the entity (in Hengist's body) kill one or both of the first two?

OR

Does the entity somehow kill the women without using a physical body?

Also - if it had to be in physical form to kill - who killed the final victim if not Scotty?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Timo]

The likeliest scenario is that Scotty stabbed the first two women, whilst McCoy stabbed the third. That is, these characters had the best physical opportunity (they were the closest to the victim physically), which is the only thing that matters in these crimes where "motive" is not applicable.

But somebody had to deliver the knife to Scotty for the first two crimes. This was likely to have been Hengist - so why not use Hengist for the crimes as well? Making Scotty black out would be merely to make him look more like a prime suspect, a definite plus for the entity if it wanted to remain in the body of Hengist and perhaps conduct further crimes on the planet.

This assumes the entity can vary its methods, which is not a bad assumption at all. And it seems that the entity departing Hengist leaves the poor man dead and limp - which might be inconvenient at the times of the crimes. Although one could assume that if anybody on that planet can arrange for a bit of privacy for going limp, it would be Hengist!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[ZapBrannigan]

If they had security cameras on Argelius, Scotty would be toast. Nobody would listen to stories about alien possession.

 

[Timo]

Then again, the entity probably strives to promote ambiguity in order to spread terror. If in Hengist, it would make damn sure that no evidence would stick to any particular suspect - videos would suddenly display signs of "tampering", say.

Blaming Scotty was the ideal solution, really: Starfleet would be guaranteed to bust out their own, and doubt would linger, and when the murder spree resumed, it would be doubly as horrid, just as in every horror movie where the evil is supposedly already caught...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Nobody would listen to stories about alien possession.

I think they would.

They managed to conclusively prove the existence of Redjac, and also the fact that Redjac can move from body to body. So even if Scotty's body committed the murders (as would seem to be the case, since his fingerprints were on the murder weapon), Redjac was in control, so Scotty was not responsible.

What I want to know is, what about Hengist? Was he an innocent victim who was also possessed by Redjac at some times, but not others? Or, as I've seen suggested here, was Hengist dead the whole time? Redjac can reanimate the dead, and we see it move from Hengist's body to someone else's - at which point Hengist slumps over dead.

 

[Commishsleer]

I never thought Scotty committed the murders or McCoy. I thought Hengist just planted evidence. But maybe he did possess their bodies.
But I'm not sure if the entity could jump bodies that easily without destroying the original host so you'd think the Hengist body would have died while the entity possessed Scotty.

 

[johnnybear]

It's one of those things that you can't make a definite answer to! If you look at Scotty before the credits in the alleyway he does look somewhat guilty! A bit disorientated and later on the evidence would imply that Hengist's spirit had taken his body over in order to murder the dancing girl! But afterwards Scotty is sure that he didn't murder Lt.Karen Tracey (Ron's daughter or niece?) so maybe it's up to you as the viewer or Hengist could change into a mistlike entity when needed so he could experience the absolute terror of his victims before killing them!
JB

 

[FormerLurker]

My headcanon says Hengist didn't do anything except die when Redjac climbed into his head and pushed him aside. Redjac could read all his memories, and impersonate him for years until he was caught out by our stalwart heroes.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ If Hengist died as soon as Redjac possessed him, why didn't Scotty do the same?

 

[Methuselah Flint]

In order for the blame to be firmly placed onto Scotty. Hengist was Redjac's host body - Scotty was a temporary instrument, if indeed he was taken over.

 

[Samuel]

It would make sense though for Redjac to make Scotty his new host body given the mobility of Starfleet personnel. It had the potential to give Redjac a new hunting ground whenever Scotty beamed down.

 

[FormerLurker]

That assumes that Redjac was

1) no longer interested in killing on the planet in question
2) satisfied with abandoning Hengist as a host form, and most importantly
3) more interested in killing than in instilling terror.

As Redjac had just begun his killing spree, clearly none of the above apply. Using Scotty as a stooge was merely part of Redjac's game, one he had been using for centuries. It's entirely possible that each of Redjac's campaigns of terror were orchestrated with multiple host assassins, and that none of them were ever aware that they had done any of the killing, unless Redjac wanted them to.

Remember, Redjac's greatest desire is to instill fear. Redjac may even feed on it, like the entity from Day of the Dove. One random killing won't do that, but many will.

 

[johnnybear]

Was Hengist even a real person? Or was he a corporeal entity made up by Redjac's will? McCoy does say that Hengist is dead, Jim, on the Enterprise though, so maybe he was a human being that Redjac took over years before and continued to use!
JB

 

[Phaser Two]

I don't think Scotty killed anyone and I've never heard of anyone thinking McCoy killed Sybo (Jaris' wife, the third victim). Spock mentions a hypnotic screen that blinds all but the victim to the presence of the killer and Scotty's description of Redjac's form during Sybo's murder dovetails with that somewhat. I think it's relatively clear from the dialogue and the filmed action that Redjac, in Hengist's body, killed Kara, Lt. Tracy, and Sybo. It framed Scotty for the first two murders by causing him to black out (Scotty may have been more susceptible due to recent head trauma) and placing the knife in his hand. However, in an act of desperation likely caused by Sybo's unanticipated ability to sense its presence, it killed her without framing Scotty as neatly.

 

[Timo]

Yet the remarkable thing about the killing of Sybo is the absence of any "psychic shroud" - even Scotty is not blinded this time around. So the stabbing would require the murderer letting go of the hands he or she is gripping, and then reaching over to Sybo to do the stabbing, without non-blinded people noticing.

The simple way to accomplish that is if the murderer only ever lets go of one hand - that of the victim. Which means it's either McCoy's right hand doing the stabbing, or Morla's left. And McCoy is the one with a free stool right next to him, a place where the knife could have been hidden (by Hengist most probably - he certainly had the opportunity).

As for Redjac wanting to remain on Argelius after four murders, none of its earlier sprees were particularly long; the Heliopolis series of ten murders seems to be the longest. If terror indeed is preferable to actual death, then stopping is probably more efficient than continuing... Although I'd think the sharp and direct terror of the victims is what's in demand here, keeping a whole city in fear for decades through the committing of just half a dozen slayings produces more of the delicious emotion overall.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Herbert]

Was Hengist even a real person? Or was he a corporeal entity made up by Redjac's will? McCoy does say that Hengist is dead, Jim, on the Enterprise though, so maybe he was a human being that Redjac took over years before and continued to use!
JB

That sounds reasonable. It's also possible that Redjac possessing a body doesn't kill the host right away but happens eventually. That would help explain why Scotty (or Jaris) didn't die when he took over his body to commit the murders. However, we don't really know the full extent of Redjac's powers so who knows.

 

[Herbert]

Yet the remarkable thing about the killing of Sybo is the absence of any "psychic shroud" - even Scotty is not blinded this time around. So the stabbing would require the murderer letting go of the hands he or she is gripping, and then reaching over to Sybo to do the stabbing, without non-blinded people noticing.

The simple way to accomplish that is if the murderer only ever lets go of one hand - that of the victim. Which means it's either McCoy's right hand doing the stabbing, or Morla's left. And McCoy is the one with a free stool right next to him, a place where the knife could have been hidden (by Hengist most probably - he certainly had the opportunity).

Wait a minute. When Sybo is killed, doesn't Scotty say that he tried to get over to where she was but there was "something" (Redjac?) in his way? And then later, when Scotty is in the truth chair, he says he did not kill Sybo and it registers as him telling the truth.
It sounds like in this one instance, Redjac in an undefined form and not possessing anyone, kills Sybo.

 

[Timo]

Wait a minute. When Sybo is killed, doesn't Scotty say that he tried to get over to where she was but there was "something" (Redjac?) in his way? And then later, when Scotty is in the truth chair, he says he did not kill Sybo and it registers as him telling the truth.

But nobody asks McCoy...

Not that this would be in any way relevant, though: the stabbers wouldn't even know they are guilty.

It sounds like in this one instance, Redjac in an undefined form and not possessing anyone, kills Sybo.

Possibly. But why would this one instance be different from the rest? The "stinking draught of a slaughterhouse" could have been there every time, protecting the stabber from bystanders.

(Scotty's testimonial is odd in any case. He says the circle was broken when the lights went out, and that's apparently a non-lie, so there would be a chance for somebody to leap to do the stabbing - but not from the other side of the table. Yet how does Scotty define his positioning? "Near the head of the table" - which was round!)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Herbert]

It sounds like you're trying to come up with stuff that wasn't even in the episode, or maybe trying to refute what actually happened in the episode. Not sure where you're coming from.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Was Hengist even a real person? Or was he a corporeal entity made up by Redjac's will? McCoy does say that Hengist is dead, Jim, on the Enterprise though, so maybe he was a human being that Redjac took over years before and continued to use!
JB

Hengist was resurrected to be the voice of Piglet in Winnie the Pooh.