episode #81 - The Flaming Planet

episode #81 / Air Date: 2/21/68 (episode #22 of 3rd season)
written by Barney Slater; Directed by Don Richardson

This episode sort of meanders through two different plots - the Jupiter 2 is in space again and encounters more of those radiation bands which look like sparkling curtains. Smith has some kind of weird plant on board and Will warns him to get rid of it before they encounter... radiation. Soon the plant is man-shaped and man-sized, looking to Smith as its mother. The troubles begin when it grows much more, clogging up some vents.
The 2nd plot begins when the group arrives at a planet; Don & Smith go to the surface in the escape pod and encounter the sole survivor of a war, an elderly alien named Sobram (Abraham Sofaer). Things get a mite confusing as Sobram reveals that he wants someone to take over for him in running the planet and Don volunteers. But, it turns out that Sobram just wants to play one last war game or something . Smith's plant creature now plays a role in this. BoG's Score: 5 out of 10
Lost in Trivia: Star Trek TOS actor alert - Sofaer appeared as the ghostly Tholian in Charlie X