all attempts at contact. Stocker, having no field command experience and paralyzed with indecision, considers surrendering, but is reminded that Romulans do not take prisoners. In sickbay, Spock announces that the drug is ready, warning that it may kill as well as cure. Kirk insists on taking the first injection. The drug reverses the aging effect, and Kirk races to the bridge to relieve Stocker. Kirk bluffs the Romulans by sending a message to Starfleet Command, deliberately using the broken code, warning that Enterprise will self-destruct using the "corbomite device", which will also destroy any nearby ships. The Romulans move to a safe distance, giving Enterprise room to make a surprise escape. Production and reception DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) said of the make-up used in this episode, "I only worked half days on that show because I was in makeup the other half. I'd sit in the chair for a while, then I'd take a break, go to the john, come back and they'd work some more. It was a tremendous makeup effort. There were three makeup men working on me all the time, on my hands and on my face. Leonard [Nimoy] was lucky on that show. He was blessed by the fact that Vulcans don't age as fast as humans." Critic Darren Mooney notes that the aging in the episode focuses on the negative, physical process, and none of the grace and enjoyment of life's accomplishments. Part of this focus on the physical aspects of aging came from associate producer Robert Justman's notes to producer Gene Coon where he details the steps of Kirk's aging. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B−" rating, noting the focus on the physical aspects of aging, saying, "Nobody learns a valuable lesson about how getting old is just a natural part of life." Sequel An episode of the Star Trek: New Voyages series, created by fans of the series, called "To Serve All My Days" is a sequel to this episode. The screenplay was written by D. C. Fontana and stars Walter Koenig as a rapidly aging Chekov. References External links "The Deadly Years" Remastered version at TrekMovie.com Star Trek: The Original Series (season 2) episodes 1967 American television episodes Films scored by Sol Kaplan Television episodes directed by Joseph Pevney Television episodes written by David P. Harmon