Trivia / Star Trek S1 E26 "Errand of Mercy"

• Actor-Inspired Element: John Colicos was the person who gave the Klingons their dark-skinned, mustached look. He said he was going for the "Genghis Khan" look — out of the actor's admiration for Genghis Khan and not out of any racial stereotyping as so many uncharitably assume. (The script describes the Klingons only as "Oriental, hard-faced".) Makeup artist Fred Phillips agreed on it, and conceived the Klingons in this fashion. And in spite of the considerable evolution of Klingon makeup, Colicos retained some essential features of his original appearance when he portrayed Kor in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
• Deleted Scene: The Organian elders discuss the situation between the Federation and the Klingons. Ayelborne worries that the conflict might evolve into a full spread war, while Claymare expresses his curiosity in observing "such creatures" and their behavior, which he considers to be a rare chance.
• Prop Recycling: The Klingon disruptor pistols are modified Eminian disruptors from "A Taste of Armageddon".
• Recycled Set:
  • The set where Kirk and Spock shoot the two Klingons is the same set used in "The Cage" where Captain Pike kills the giant warrior with a spear.
  • The entrance of the Klingon headquarters is the same building as the main gate to the Organian village, filmed from a longer distance and different angles.
• Sequel Escalation:
  • The Organians figure prominently in the very first Star Trek novel (Spock Must Die! by James Blish) in which they use their immense power to put the Klingons in hibernation for a thousand years.
  • Many of the early computer-based games consisted of the premise: "The Organian Peace Treaty has broken down..."

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