Ep 213 The Dorian Secret, April 16, 1981

Director: Jack Arnold

Writer(s): Stephen McPherson

Guest Star(s):
Asteria Elifa .... Devon Ericson
Joham .... Keith Atkinson
Darel .... Lachelle Chamberlain
Demeter .... William Kirby Cullen
Koldar .... Walker Edmiston
Syla .... Brandy Rubin
Cleis .... Michele Marsh
Saurus .... Denny Miller
Rand .... Stuart Nisbet
Chronos .... Eldon Quick
Kally .... Jackie Russell
Lieutenant Parsons (Ensign) .... Dennis Haysbert
Complete list of Cast and Crew:

At the Omega Solaris Space Terminal, Elifa is running away from a group of Dorian Security Men. She gets her mask ripped off and runs into Bucks arms as he is the last one to board the shuttle. Buck kicks (assaults) the Dorian men (couldn't they be police officers?) to allow Elifa onto the shuttle. Buck and Hawk have been transporting survivors of the volcanic eruptions on Avernus to the Searcher. The Space Terminal was acting as a temporary evacuation center. From the Searcher, the survivors will be taken to a colony on the planet Ceneus. The Shuttle docks with the Searcher and everyone disembarks and enters room A6. Wilma goes up to the pregnant couple, Darel and Joham to see if they need anything. It's always nice to have a Colonel acting as a stewardess. Elifa decides to walk about the ship on A Deck, passes door A7, and ends up in a room where she can look out the window. But instead of looking at the stars, she is looking at her own reflection. She seems disgusted by her own appearance.

The Searcher suddenly comes to a complete halt. On the bridges Vid-Screen they see a Dorian ship. It must have a cloaking devise, because the Searcher was unable to detect the ship. Asimov orders the defense shields on, but they are not operating. Koldar, from the Dorian ship contacts the Searcher and demands the return of the Dorian woman, Asteria. Only when she is handed over will he release the Searcher. Asimov informs Koldar that he is violating Interstellar Navigation Law. Buck indicates that the Dorians will have to take their complaints up with the Interplanetary Courts. Undeterred, Koldar begins his torture. First Phase is thermal intervention. The Dorian's are raising the ships temperature to scale plus 7.5. Then, just like that, Koldar drops the temperature in the ship to scale minus 3.8 and dropping. The passengers don't take likely to this new change of captivity. They demand to know who this Dorian woman is that Koldar seeks.

Heat is now at scale plus 9. Unfortunately, Dr. Goodfellow believes that their bodies cannot sustain at temperature 8.2 for very long. Goodfellow instructs Crichton to provide a Vector Analysis of relevant temperature data. If the temperature is maintained, all the people on the ship will reach a metabolic stasis by 1600 hours (4:00pm), less than eight hours from now. This would put the current time somewhere after 8:00am. Temperature switches from heat to freeze. Hawk enters the passengers room and indicates that they have thermal blankets in the Ships Stores if any of them require one to keep warm. This is just a diversion for Hawk to remove Elifa from the group. Least temporarily. While this move seemed smart, it was suspicious all the same. Hawk brings Elifa into Bucks room, so he can figure out why Koldar wants her. Temperature switches from freeze to heat.

Elifa tells her story. Two days ago she went to see Chosan at the escarpment in the hills where they first met. When she arrived, he had already been terribly hurt. As he approached Elifa, he lost his footing and fell off the escarpment. She ran for help at the same time Chosan's body was discovered by others. Elifa became their prime suspect in Chosan's murder. Chronos, back in room A6, plans on weeding out the Dorian woman by her reaction to his reflective fan. Buck intends to get Koldar to listen to him regarding Elifa's innocence. Why are the passengers watching what is going on between Koldar and the bridge? Seems like a private matter, and only upsetting the passengers more. "Prepare for docking amidships" Koldar's ship docks with the Searcher for Buck to board. Demeter greets Buck at the door and takes him to see the evidence that they have against Elifa. A recording was taken by a security ship on a routine patrol showing Chosan falling off the cliff and Elifa standing there, almost as if she pushed him. Or was she trying to keep him from falling? Demeter seems to know more than he is letting on...

The Searcher hits heat scale plus 10. The passengers have identified Elifa as the Dorian woman and take a vote on weather they will hand her over to the Dorian's themselves to save their own lives. Wilma and Hawk run down to the passengers room to save Elifa. Why are they the only ones who can handle these kinds of situations? I mean, doesn't the ship have security? The majority of the passengers vote Elifa off the ship. Saurus is trying to save her but Chronos bashes him over the head with something, knocking him out. Wilma and Hawk are too late. Did the survivors of Avernus make the right choice in turning the suspect over to the authorities, who had taken asylum on the Searcher? Buck finally takes an audience with Koldar, who feels confident that Buck will see his justice as fair. Buck thinks that because Koldar's own son was the victim in this case that he could not be impartial when it comes to Elifa's trial. Koldar sentences Elifa to death. Buck insists that she be executed right now, hoping that Demeter will speak up and not allow her to be killed. All the passengers watching are horrified that they are going to witness her death. Koldar turns off the vid-screen so the men and women on the Searcher wouldn't watch the blood shed. Just when we think that Elifa will be hacked to death, Demeter finally speaks up and admits to fighting with his brother prior to his fall, vindicating Elifa of the murder.

Demeter rips off his mask and vows to never wear a mask again. Koldar orders all his men to remove their masks, revealing the Dorian secrete. When everyone looks alike, it does help to have something that distinguishes yourself from someone else. Buck brings Elifa back onto the Searcher for some reason, and admonishes the passengers for their actions. Rand still feels that they did the right thing. Buck forewarns them about the choices they will make in the future when they arrive on their new planet. He hopes that they learn something from this encounter.

The end

Facts learned in this episode:

Admiral Asimov: First name is Ephraim. 

Asteria Elifa: Accused of murdering her lover, Chosan. 

Darel: Pregnant, Married to Joham

Joham: Married to Darel

Saurus: Flys fighters out of Rigel and Clomax 4

Chronos: Prestidigitation is his newest interest. Gambles.
Rand: Hot headed
Slya: Traveling with Cleis
Cleis: Traveling with Slya. Left their home on Avernus yesterday

Koldar: Supreme Leader of the Dorians. Son's are Chosan and Demeter. Feared by his crew and children.

Dorians: From Cygnius. In centuries past tens of thousands of Dorian's committed suicide because of their mutanticy. They now wear masks to hide their mutations and save their race from extinction. The masts are never to be removed in front of others. There are no mirrors or reflecting surfaces allowed. Thus became the ol' saying "Dark as a Dorian secret". Their secrete is that they all look alike. It has been this way since the neutrino wars with Rigel.

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References to the 20th Century that the 25th does't get: 
Favorite quotes: 
Easter Eggs:
Deaths: 0
Searcher's Mission: To find the lost tribes of Earth
Miniatures: (1) Searcher (1) Shuttle (1) Omega Solaris Space Station (1) Dorian Ship