The Crystalline Entity was responsible for thousands of deaths on Star Trek, and the episode writers took inspiration from Moby-Dick on how to defeat it.
The late, great Teri Garr put her foot down on Star Trek: The Original Series when creator Gene Roddenberry let his sexist tendencies get the best of him.
It's impossible to think about Star Trek without Spock, but studio executives were afraid of something truly absurd and almost changed the iconic character.