The Enterprise responds to a distress call, finding only a trap set by a small group of aliens from the Andromeda galaxy who are assessing the potential of the Federation's home galaxy for colonization. The aliens successfully take over the ship, reducing all aboard except for Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty to dehydrated cubes so the ship's supply of food and oxygen can be used by the hijackers and Kirk's command crew for the staggering 300-year return to Andromeda. The aliens, having assumed human form, also gain attributes such as emotions, which may be just the weakness Kirk and the others need to attack to regain control of the Enterprise.
