[DISCUSSION] Loose threads: The Earth duplicate planet from TOS episode Miri
Season 1 episode 8 (IMDB), episode 9 (Paramount), or episode 11 (Memory Alpha). Anyway, we get a complete copy of Earth, the failed longevity experiment, bonk bonk, and Kirk wrenching a kid off a desktop. Beyond that, no explanation surrounding AN EXACT COPY OF EARTH! Zero, zip, zilch, nada.
Side query: What's considered the "official" episode breakdown?
I think it's a huge missed opportunity to have the TOS randomness never come up again. Imagine like a DS9 episode, heavy with political intrigue and the looming threat of the Dominion War, then one day here comes the official delegate from Gangster World to formalize relations with Bajor.
Right? There's definitely a limit to that sort of thinking à la Willy Wonka's backstory, but to introduce such a massively unexplained idea is infuriating.
If you've never seen TAS, you should check that out too, it gets even wilder with that stuff. There's an episode that leaves a 50' tall clone of Spock just kicking around the galaxy, and another episode where the crew meets actual Satan and he turns out to be a pretty nice guy.