that Odona, his daughter, is suffering from Vegan choriomeningitis, having been infected with Kirk's blood, which carries the virus. Hodin's plan is to infect the Gideon population with the virus, shortening their immense lifespans and relieving the population problem. Kirk is to supply the virus, while Odona's death is to serve as an inspiration for future volunteers. Questioned about alternatives, Hodin explains that the Gideon people's regenerative abilities would foil sterilization attempts, and that other methods of birth control would never be accepted. Having realized that Hodin has deceived him, Spock goes against Starfleet orders and beams down to Kirk's original coordinates. Once there, he finds the false Enterprise that was built to confuse Kirk. He soon reaches Kirk and Odona, and asks Hodin not to interfere as he, Spock, is in enough trouble already. Kirk, Spock, and Odona return to the real Enterprise, where Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy treats Odona's condition. Odona now plans to return to Gideon to supply the virus herself. Kirk forgives her for her deception. Production and reception In 2017, Den of Geek ranked "The Mark of Gideon" as the 14th "best worst" Star Trek episode of the original series. Releases This episode was released in Japan on December 21, 1993 as part of the complete season 3 LaserDisc set, Star Trek: Original Series log.3. A trailer for this and the other episodes was also included, and the episode had English and Japanese audio tracks. The cover script was スター・トレック TVサードシーズン This episode was included in TOS Season 3 remastered DVD box set, with the remastered version of this episode. References External links "The Mark of Gideon" Review of the remastered version at TrekMovie.com The Mark of Gideon story outline dated July 12, 1968; Report and analysis by Dave Eversole Star Trek: The Original Series (season 3) episodes Overpopulation fiction 1969 American television episodes Television episodes directed by Jud Taylor