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Captain Kirk and the Enterprise become unwitting parties to the quest for a legendary, utopian planet in this episode from the third season of the well-known science fiction series. When the starship Aurora is stolen, the Enterprise is ordered to capture the hijackers. When the ensuing chase drives the Aurora to the point of collapse, Captain Kirk must rescue the thieves by beaming them aboard the Enterprise before their starship self-destructs. Unexpectedly, Kirk finds that the group is not a band of hardened criminals but an idealistic collective bearing a striking resemblance to 1960s hippies. Due to the seemingly nonviolent nature of the group, which includes a famed scientist and the son of an important Federation official, Kirk is lenient, treating them more as guests than prisoners. This proves to be a mistake when the group seizes control of the Enterprise, hoping to use the starship to find the planet of Eden which they believe holds an ideal paradise worthy of its name.