During a mission, the Enterprise encountered an immense, highly sophisticated space vessel, the Fesarius, and its commander, Balok. Balok's appearance eventually yielded to Spock's determined efforts: a bluish, cat-eyedalien in an eerily-lit control center that wavered and rippled.
Balok condemned the crew as warlike because they had been forced to destroy a marker buoy. In fact, he had forced their hand, goading and threatening them with the device. Then, he advised the crew that they and their vessel, "obviously the product of a primitive and savage civilization," were to be destroyed.
