“What Are Little Girls Made Of?” is another episode dedicated primarily to the exploration of the human condition. There is the typical sci-fi fare of androids and mad scientists, but these are merely the window dressings framing a view of emotion and individuality. In some respects, this episode is a combination of themes explored in episodes such as “The Enemy Within” and “The Naked Time” – a study in how we deal with the full measure of emotions, and how our identity is a culmination of not just our thoughts, but our feelings as well.

The episode begins with the Enterprise searching for Dr. Korby – a brilliant scientist who has gone missing. Adding to the emotional urgency of the search is Nurse Chapel who, it is revealed, was Dr. Korby’s fiancé. Approaching the planet where Dr. Korby was last known to be, the Enterprise receives a strange message from the scientist himself, asking Captain Kirk to come down to the planet – alone. When Kirk tells Dr. Korby that Nurse Chapel is onboard the Enterprise, the scientist hesitates, briefly, then sounds quite pleased that she will be joining Kirk. Once on the planet, after an awkward meeting with Dr. Korby’s assistant (not to mention the rapid demise of two red-shirts) the sense that something is not quite right quickly deepens.

Dr. Korby, who was once considered a medical genius, is desperately defensive about a great discovery he has made. In addition to his assistant, Kirk and Chapel are introduced to two others, the beautiful young Andrea, and the giant, almost monstrous Ruk. Nurse Chapel is instantly jealous of Andrea, and Kirk is instantly wary of Ruk. But the dynamics between these characters are minor compared to the underlying story: Everyone on the planet, except for Kirk and Chapel of course, is an android.

Dr. Korby explains that, while investigating the planet, he discovered a technology left behind by its previous inhabitants (who constructed Ruk) that allows people to duplicate themselves in android form. The duplicate is precise in almost every way – except that emotions have been removed. As Dr. Korby explains, those emotions, which include jealousy, anger, hatred, and so forth, are harmful to society. And to demonstrate the benefits of this, Dr. Korby forcibly duplicates Kirk, showing the Captain a supposedly “superior” self.

Coming on the heels of the duplicate Kirk in “The Enemy Within,” the duplicate subplot in this episode loses its impact. But it’s also a relatively minor point to the overall message of the story. That point, revealed primarily through the dialogue, is that the in order to get rid of the emotions Dr. Korby dislikes, he also had to get rid of love, passion, and even something as simple as the joy of eating a fine meal. As the real Kirk explains, “they are two sides of the same coin.”

The sad irony is that Dr. Korby, in his thirst to do good for humanity, has robbed himself of his own humanity – he, too, is an android. And without the compassion and love that humans feel, Dr. Korby has become a monster, threatening the very independence of humanity by planning to replace all of humanity with androids – slowly and surreptiously.

There is a fatal flaw in his plans, however. Symbolized by Andrea, the androids themselves, which have been programmed with freedom of thought, begin to develop emotions of their own. His own experiment becomes tainted. Ruk is destroyed and in the end, Andrea gives in to her emotions, kissing Dr. Korby – just before using a phaser to destroy them both, leaving Kirk and Chapel aghast, but relieved. In other words, to refer to the title of the episode, girls – and people – are made of their feelings and freedom of thought.

“What Are Little Girls Made Of?” is a classic sci-fi story in the sense that it’s sci-fi trappings are merely the vehicle for a close introspection of the human condition. And on that score, the episode is a resounding success. But the duplicate Kirk, and the red-shirt deaths, just don’t play particularly well. And the overall plot, though quickly paced, doesn’t seamlessly support the theme.

Filed under: Original Series