Frightmare At 35,000 Feet
Classic roles of William Shatner from "The Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" meet in this dream-sequence crossover tale, which also pays homage to the movie "Airplane" and the series, "Battlestar Galactica."
Frightmare at 35,000 Feet
The co-pilot was beginning to question the competency of his superior officer aboard Flight 571 when the captain began ranting about robots stealing his luggage as he ran naked down the center aisle of the plane.
The flight attendants were otherwise occupied as William Shatner was on board, and was raving about a hairy humanoid figure on the wing of the plane.
"There's...some...thing...out there...on the wing!," maintained Shatner with great sincerity, his unique phrasing, and a wild-eyed expression.
The co-pilot pulled a flight attendant away from Shatner. "I think we've got to make an emergency landing, and get the Captain to a hospital," he told her.
"A hospital?," she asked, concerned. "What is it?"
"It's a large building with many beds," explained the co-pilot. "But that's not important right now."
The flight attendant rolled her eyes at the co-pilot. "Well, you're flight certified," she said in exasperation. "Why don't you land the plane?"
The co-pilot regarded the flight attendant seriously. "Have you looked outside of the window?," he asked.
The flight attendant did so, and observed Cylon fighters gathering in attack formation a short distance from the plane. "This is crazy!," she said. "None of this makes sense!"
"Exactly!," agreed the co-pilot. "And when life itself seems insane, perhaps too much sanity is madness!- -And maddest of all, to see life as it is rather than as it should be!- -Suspend your disbelief!," he admonished her.
"So what do we need?," asked the flight attendant.
"We don't need a co-pilot in this situation," he said evenly. "We need a Starfleet Captain!- -Get me William Shatner!"
The flight attendant nodded and walked with the co-pilot to where Shatner was raving. "James Tiberius Kirk?," the co-pilot said to Shatner.
The countenance of William Shatner underwent a complete transformation. "Yes?," he turned and answered calmly.
"You're needed on the bridge, Captain," advised the co-pilot.
"I'm on my way," assured Shatner, sprinting down the center aisle as klaxon horns sounded and Flight 571 itself seemed to morph and re-mold itself around them into the configuration of the Starship Enterprise. Reaching the cockpit, they found it greatly expanded and reconfigured into the bridge of the Enterprise. Kirk barked orders which were instantly obeyed, sending ship phasers lancing into Cylon fighters with deadly effect. Greatly outclassed, the Cylons retreated.
"The Cylons are falling back, Sir," reported Lieutenant Sulu, alert at the helm.
Kirk nodded. "They had no real stomach for a fight," he commented, turning to regard Dr. Leonard McCoy administering antipsychotic drugs to the naked displaced captain of what was earlier Flight 571.
"Heading, Captain?," asked Lt. Sulu.
Kirk smiled slightly. "Out there," he gestured with a slight wave of his hand.
"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a zookeeper!," complained McCoy as he regarded the large simian-like creature which had been retrieved from the hull of former Flight 571...