Published Sep 3, 2026, 11:04 PM EDT
Lloyd 'Happy Trails' Farley: the man, the myth, the legend. What can be said about this amazing - and humble - man that hasn't been said before? Or, more accurately, what can be said in public? Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lloyd is a master of puns and a humorist, who has authored one pun book to date - Pun and Grimeish Mint - and is working on a second. His time with Collider has allowed Lloyd's passion for writing to explode, with nearly 1,000 articles to his name that have been published on the site, with his favorite articles being the ones that allow for his sense of humor to shine. Lloyd also holds fast to the belief that all of life's problems can be answered by The Simpsons, Star Wars, and/or The Lion King. You can read more about Lloyd on his website, or follow his Facebook page and join the Llama Llegion. Happy trails!
One of the reasons Star Trek: The Original Series is still revered today, 60 years after its premiere with "The Man Trap" on September 8, 1966, is its broad range of storylines. Episodes range from the comedy of "The Trouble with Tribbles" to the tragedy of "The City on the Edge of Forever," and all points in between. As such, there's a little something for everyone, an episode that one favors well above any other. Even the actors themselves have confessed to having favorites, and Leonard Nimoy's personal favorite, "This Side of Paradise," is one of the series' best episodes all around. And the reason why, as Spock would say, is logical.
In the First Season of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series,’ the Enterprise Finds Trouble on “This Side of Paradise”
The USS Enterprise enters orbit above Omicron Ceti III, dispatched on a recovery mission to bring home the bodies of Federation colonists who fell victim to lethal Berthold rays, known to kill in less than a week, that bathe the planet. An away team consisting of Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Spock (Nimoy), and others beam down to the surface, only to find the colonists alive and well after three years. They're greeted by Elias Sandoval (Frank Overton) and Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland), a botanist who fell for Spock after meeting him six years prior.
McCoy examines the colonists one by one, finding no disease or injury. Healthy or not, Kirk insists on evacuating the colonists for their safety, which Sandoval objects to. Meanwhile, Leila offers to show Spock how the colonists have survived, leading him to a field of flowers, which expel spores that cover him. The spores have an immediate effect on Spock, causing him to lose his inhibitions. He laughs, swings on tree branches, and professes his love for Leila. With the two caught up in their romance, Spock dismisses Kirk's orders. In fact, everyone dismisses Kirk's orders, with the entire landing party, and soon those aboard the Enterprise, having been exposed to the spores as well.
Kirk beams back to the now-abandoned ship, with the crew on the planet. He is alone, with the communications sabotaged by Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), when he, too, is exposed to the spores. Now as blissful as the rest of his crew, Kirk tries to return, but is angered when he realizes that he's stuck. The extreme emotional response makes the effect of the spores disappear, and Kirk makes a plan to "fix" Spock by inciting his rage with a torrent of derogatory remarks. The plan works, with Spock coming to his senses before beating Kirk within inches of his life. Leila is then beamed aboard, and her heartbreak over Spock, no longer under the influence of the spores, frees her. After broadcasting an infuriating frequency through the communicators, both the crew and colonists are freed as well, and the colonists are evacuated.
The Unsurprising Reason 'Star Trek: The Original Series' Episode "This Side of Paradise" Is Nimoy's Favorite
You read that correctly: Spock, the logical Vulcan with the emotional output of a rock, laughs, smiles, plays, and lays the mack down with Leila. Yes, other episodes in the series have seen Spock express emotions, like the extreme emotions associated with pon farr in "Amok Time," or "Plato's Stepchildren," where he's seen laughing and crying. But the former is an uncontrollable condition tied to Vulcan mating, while the latter is triggered against his will by the telekinetic abilities of the Platonians.
What "This Side of Paradise" allows is a rare opportunity for Nimoy to show a playful, human side of Spock, without having to convey some inner struggle to stay in control. And that is exactly why Nimoy likes it, saying (per H&I):
“This is a very special episode for me, for obvious reasons, and particularly because, where Spock was so totally adult in most of his attitudes and reactions throughout the series, this episode provided a chance to expose the complete child within. We saw him loving, picnicking, romping, and literally swinging playfully in the trees. It was a total exposure of internal Spock that so many people have always suspected was there.”
The episode itself has some standout moments: the shock on Kirk's face when Spock, and the rest of the crew, blatantly dismiss his commands; a playful Bones calling Kirk "Jimmy boy"; and the feel of an old Western saloon brawl as the agitating frequency drives the crew and colonists to infuriation. On a deeper level, the episode explores the idea that passivity and contentment stymie ambition and discovery, in a way that, like most Star Trek episodes, subtly hides behind the story being played out on the screen.
It ends, though, on a poignant moment that says more about Spock than at any other time. After Kirk asks Spock about his experience, Spock replies, "I have little to say about it, Captain, except that for the first time in my life ... I was happy." The realization that Spock has never known happiness and has effectively rejected it once again hits hard, a sacrifice he makes to follow his Vulcan heritage by denying himself his own humanity. As illogical as that might be.
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