The crew send a team to investigate a planet that the computer failed to scan properly. Soon they're flying wildly but seem oblivious of the danger and then communication is lost. It turns out they've been seduced by "The Guardian". Exactly what the Guardian is isn't really explained, but suffice to say it's a metaphorical representation for the seductive power of free love, cults and drugs. The Guardian keeps its victims frozen in time, symbolizing how peoples' lives go "on hold" when seduced by these vices. Even the alien "trees" on the planet are shaped like giant poppy plants. The Guardian's representative is a gorgeous, sexy woman who upon first meeting the captain, kisses him sensually. The crew who fall under the Guardian's spell are basically turned into drooling vegetables.
Only the captain resists the Guardian's spell and must single-handedly save the rest of the crew. To avoid spoilers, I'll leave it at that.
The moral seems to be that pain. suffering and death, while undesirable, are an inevitable part of what it means to be human, and that people must learn to live, cope and exceed it, not run from it, as drugs and cults promise. The storyline is likely a reaction to the free love, cult and commune movements of the 50s - 70s.
Only the captain resists the Guardian's spell and must single-handedly save the rest of the crew. To avoid spoilers, I'll leave it at that.
The moral seems to be that pain. suffering and death, while undesirable, are an inevitable part of what it means to be human, and that people must learn to live, cope and exceed it, not run from it, as drugs and cults promise. The storyline is likely a reaction to the free love, cult and commune movements of the 50s - 70s.