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Capt. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise discover a planet that seems like an absolute paradise, but proves to be something more sinister, in this episode of the original Star Trek television series. A primitive but happy civilization flourishes on the planet, free from worries about survival or work. However, the planet's inhabitants survive only because they are ruled and supported by a gigantic supercomputer known as Vaal, left over from the civilization's glory days. Having regressed to a pre-technological state, the civilization now worships the computer as a deity. Unfortunately, Vaal is far from a benign god, and, detecting the Enterprise in its orbit, begins to drain the starship's power for its own purposes. Kirk must grapple with the subsequent moral dilemma, as it becomes increasingly clear that he must destroy the computer in order to free his ship. Yet he is reluctant to do so, because this course of action could have potentially devastating effects on the planet's inhabitants, who are entirely dependent on Vaal and seem unable to function or survive without the computer's guidance.