I love summer – long days, family trips, the beach, cookouts, and summer fruit. I also like summer novels and summer blockbuster movies (typically less serious and more entertaining than usual)! This month I plan to look at movies that feature plants. Even if you don't like the movies (they are frequently sci fi or fantasty), I’m hoping you’ll enjoy seeing plants as movie stars!
First up is "This Side of Paradise," from the original Star Trek series (season 1, episode 24). The Enterprise crew lands on Omicron Ceti III to rescue anyone who has survived exposure to deadly Berthold rays. They are surprised to find the colonists alive. They soon learn that spores from a native pink flower—which gives the recipient a sense of well-being and the desire to remain on the planet—have kept them alive. The ship’s crew succumbs to the spores, throwing off their inhibitions and responsibilities. Even the logical Spock is infected; he frolics and openly admits his love for the colony’s botanist. Luckily Captain Kirk is able to figure out a solution, and rescue the colonists and his crew. |
| "Happiness plant" that emits mood-altering spores (Photo from the Star Trek web site) |
The botany of the pink-flowered plant is a little mysterious, but the episode aired in 1967 during the hippie heyday. I suppose a corollary would be the cannabis plant, hallucinogenic mushrooms, or wine from fermented grapes. Here is a quick synopsis from YouTube (or you can see the full episode on the Star Trek website: https://www.startrek.com/videos/episode-preview-this-side-of-paradise:
No comments:
Post a Comment