A Giant Amoeba Is Set To Destroy The Galaxy In "The Immunity Syndrome"

The Good: Decent character development, Nice acting, Original plot
The Bad: Absurdity of the plot, predictability, Campy effects
The Basics: Once one understands that the viewer is a giant space amoeba and accepts how brilliant and absurd the idea is, "The Immunity Syndrome" holds itself together with character work.


Star Trek succeeds and makes viewers cringe in some cases for the same reason; it was a true original and as such some of its originality just did not work. Love it as fans might, some of the ideas are just so cool and original and completely absurd as to make the show an overall mixed bag of quality and crap. I write this as a fan, but as an objective viewer as well. "The Immunity Syndrome," one of the first episodes of Star Trek I ever saw is a show with such an original idea it's hard not to be impressed with it, even when it's absurd.

The USS Enterprise is cruising through space when Spock suddenly stands up straight and declares that he has felt an entire ship of Vulcans die in space somewhere nearby. The Enterprise is soon en route to find the USS Intrepid and its dead crew and it finds . . . a mysterious black spot in space. Penetrating the spot, in the interest of scientific endeavor, the Enterprise begins to experience massive power drains. Following the power drain from source (the Enterprise) to destination, the crew finds themselves at the mercy of a giant amoeba.

No, I'm not kidding. At the center of the spatial anomaly is a massive single-celled lifeform that is draining both the ship's energy and the crew's lifeforce. I bet you didn't see that coming! Yes, it's terribly original to have a gigantic amoeba out in space absorbing energy with the deadly countdowns of: 1. the ship only has so much energy before the crew is completely absorbed, and 2. the deadly space amoeba (I'm going to try to write that as many times this review because it makes me crack up each time) is reproducing! Then, there will be two deadly space amoebas in the galaxy absorbing all sorts of energy!

First off, the practical storytelling element, which is the big negative against "The Immunity Syndrome." The U.S.S. Enterprise is constantly exploring strange new worlds and meeting intriguing new villains and creatures. Most of them are very cool, some of them are downright menacing. There are some things from a basic storytelling perspective the viewer pretty much knows as a given. We know that the Enterprise and its crew are not going to be killed in the pilot episode, so any menace there is generally theatrical rather than realistic and material. Similarly, when important characters go, we want it to be for something worthwhile, something impressive. So, as far as "The Immunity Syndrome" goes, we know the Enterprise is not going to be killed by the giant space amoeba. Not going to happen. It's going to be something big, menacing, terrible, but not the Good Idea Of The Week. It's going to be Klingons, Romulans, an advanced alien force, it's never going to be a navigational accident where Sulu accidentally steers the ship into an oncoming asteroid and it's not going to be the giant space amoeba. Please, there's only so much a viewer can be expected to swallow about the giant space amoeba.

The thing is, "The Immunity Syndrome" does a decent job of keeping the suspense high because the average viewer figures out early on that no matter how bad the menace is of the giant space amoeba, the ship and some of its crew is going to manage to survive somehow. The nice thing about this episode is that it keeps the menace to the ship high while making it critical for one character. Either McCoy or Spock is set to pilot a shuttlecraft into the amoeba to drop an antimatter charge at the nucleus to kill the beast, but which one will go and will that person survive?

By limiting it to a character story where two scientists are pitted against one another and focusing on their drive to learn, understand and save the galaxy, the episode retains a brilliant sense of urgency that a number of the episodes do not necessarily possess. Could Spock die at the . . . umm, plasma of the giant space amoeba? It killed other Vulcans. Will Dr. McCoy perish because he's not as strong as Spock? It's about time something took out that grumpy old man and it does offer something heroic for him to die for . . .

My point here is that if anyone were to die in this episode and go out saving the galaxy for a scientific cause, McCoy and Spock are the logical choices and it actually succeeds in keeping the viewer engaged, believing that either of them could realistically bite the dust this episode. Too bad it wasn't Star Trek Deep Space Nine; there was a show that had the courage to kill main characters, maim secondary ones and truly twist the series. Then again, it's serialized. So, we have a pretty good idea how this episode is going to go.

Yeah, it looks like a bad day in the Star Trek neighborhood for giant space amoebas. But, it's going to be a good episode for Our Heroes as they prove their worth.

What works here and keeps the episode worthwhile, outside the uniqueness of the villain, is the character work. Once the Giant Space Amoeba (should that be capitalized?) is identified, the episode largely becomes a character study among the big three on Star Trek. Captain Kirk is put in the unenviable position of having to decide which of his two best officers and best friends he might have to sacrifice to save the universe from the absurd Giant Space Amoeba! Kirk has a tough choice and it is carried out like a difficult choice. He wrestles with the decision, he agonizes, he makes a choice and it involves the real possibility that he could lose one of his most valuable companions.

While Kirk is making his decision, Spock and McCoy are not inert. They are sparring, studying the adversary and doing their thing, preparing for the possibility that Kirk will select them and the end of their life is imminent. It's compelling. Leonard Nimoy does an excellent job as Spock, preparing for the greatest and deadliest test of his career.

What is almost - almost - too much is the counterperformance by DeForest Kelley, as Dr. McCoy. Kelley often plays McCoy as angry and irritable and in "The Immunity Syndrome," he almost takes that over-the-top. Fortunately, it's tempered by moments where Kelley must play McCoy with deep humanity. It's those performances that save the episode from the pure camp of the giant space amoeba.

In the end, this is a solid hour of television for anyone who likes science fiction and a decent character study. And if you're a sucker for camp done well, "The Immunity Syndrome" is a winner, too.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

6/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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Star Trek's Meet The Parents Is The Superior Drama Of "Journey To Babel!"

The Good: Political plot elements, Most acting, Character elements!
The Bad: Some of the political elements.
The Basics: When Spock's parents arrive aboard the Enterprise, the crew finds themselves entangled in both personal and political conflicts in a wonderful episode of Star Trek!


Perhaps the best recommendation for a novel may come from the fact one remembers it long after they have read it. With Star Trek novels, the franchise is pretty well packed. The field has over two hundred books and many of them do not hold up well over multiple readings and, well, they're based on material from a television so, so there's a lot mixing together in the old noggin'. So it says something distinctive about the novel Federation by masters of linking all things Trek Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens that years after reading it one of the things I recall enjoying was the level of detail in the novel, specifically setting it so soon after the episode "Journey To Babel" that Captain Kirk is partially incapacitated still. It's genius that element of attention and understanding of the Star Trek universe.

"Journey To Babel" is one of the Star Trek episodes that works quite well on two different levels. There is the literal aspect to the story involving politics and the conflicts that surround Federation ambassadors over the issue of admitting more members to the Federation. There is also the fan level, which is a simple visceral level of entertainment that comes from the silly glee of meeting Spock's family!

The U.S.S. Enterprise is stuck ferrying diplomats to an important conference on the planet codenamed Babel. The issue before the various representatives of Federation planets is whether or not to admit the planet Coridan to the Federation. There are strategic reasons to have the planet admitted and one of the last representatives to be picked up by the Enterprise is the Vulcan ambassador and his wife. The Vulcan Ambassador to the Federation is Sarek, Spock's estranged father. While McCoy delights in meeting Spock's parents, Spock is anything but happy.

The situation turns from simply uncomfortable to outright tense when the Tellarite ambassador, Gav, is killed and when Kirk informs Sarek, the elder Vulcan has a heart attack. Sarek may easily be saved with a medical procedure that McCoy may perform, but he needs blood to do it and Sarek has a very rare blood type. Spock is able to perform a transfusion for his father, but when Kirk's investigation into Gav's murder gets him too close to the source, an attempt is made on his life. With Kirk incapacitated and the Enterprise pursued by a stealthy alien vessel, Spock places duty over family and refuses to relinquish command to save his father's life!

"Journey To Babel" is a wonderfully adult episode that succeeds at being both a political drama and a great family drama. There are comedic elements and despite my title, the episode is nothing like the terrible Meet The Parents. Instead, most of the comedy comes early in the episode - this is very much focused on the political and medical decisions that are central to the episode - and it comes from Dr. McCoy's eagerness to meet Spock's parents and learn all he can about Spock's childhood. As well, we discover that he cannot do the Vulcan hand salute in the episode and his commentary on it is quite amusing.

But despite having aliens that are blue skinned (Andorians) or look like pigs (Tellarites) and the sophisticated race creation of dipping a little person into gold paint (I kid not!) that makes "Journey To Babel" visually an episode that might entertain children, this is solidly an adult episode after the first act. The political elements overwhelm the episode and this is a story where the Enterprise is the victim of political espionage, as opposed to our people enacting military or political machinations! It makes for a wonderful mystery laced with intrigue and a great deal of violence.

What isn't political is a family story and there is something reassuring about watching Star Trek tackle the divide between fathers and sons. Spock and Sarek have serious differences and the idea of the heroes of Star Trek having less-than-smooth relationships with their parents is something not frequently tackled in the series. Indeed, there's usually only one character per series in the franchise that seems to have a rocky relationship with their parents and the only time father-son issues are so directly tackled again is in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Icarus Factor" where Riker's estranged father returns. But those type of conflicts are very real and they make the fantastic universe of Star Trek that much more real and intimate to the viewer as we are able to empathize with Spock over his difficulties with relating to his parents.

But this is not a frivolous bit of plot conflict, either. Sarek's disappointment in Spock and their resulting estrangement powerfully characterizes Sarek as a man of ridiculously high standards for his son. After all, by the time fans come to this episode, Spock has saved the Enterprise and the lives aboard it several times. He is cunning, heroic, and highly ethical; if he can't make the pop proud, there's something wrong with the dad! But it's exactly that type of insinuative characterization that instantly makes Sarek one of the most memorable characters to ever appear on Star Trek.

It is refreshing to see an episode where the introduction of someone as important as Sarek does not waste the character; he is a vital character and the episode is one that feels consequential (though it is never directly followed up on in Star Trek). Instead, this is not a gratuitous "here are Spock's parents" type episode, they are vital and scenes like Amanda exploding at Spock wonderfully keep the tension from the political plotline high and consistent in the parallel family plotline.

This is a wonderful episode for fleshing out the character of Spock. Where the earlier episode "Amok Time" (click here for my review!) explored the extremity of what could happen if Spock were not logical and methodical like the Spock we know and love, "Journey To Babel" is one of the few episodes where Spock is characterized by who he is rather than by the exceptions to his personality. Here, Spock is a loyal officer and we see the depth of his commitment. Spock once chose StarFleet over the life his father wanted for him, effectively choosing Starfleet over family. Here he - and his father who disapproved of that decision - exhibits the consequences of that choice and he forces himself to live with that decision, even though it could cost his father his life. That is integrity and it works perfectly for Spock!

"Journey To Babel" is characterized by some all around wonderful acting. In fact, one of the few detractions of the episode comes in some of the least significant characters. Some of the guest actors are a little hammy and play their ambassador characters so vastly away from being remotely diplomatic that they are not at all believable. Even Jane Wyatt, who plays Spock's mother Amanda, appears a little melodramatic in a few of her scenes. The result is just enough to keep the episode from true perfection.

Mark Lenard, here in his second appearance on Star Trek, plays Sarek and he is the embodiment of the principles Vulcans are characterized as having. He is efficient, taciturn and completely logical. The result is a character that works beautifully as a believable character who could hold a grudge for decades! Lenard brings a strong sense of dignity and performance through rigid posture and unemotional body language to characterize Sarek and he does it masterfully.

The main cast of Star Trek shines in this episode, with William Shatner embodying the heroic Kirk, despite some pretty serious wounds - which Shatner plays with convincing winces. DeForest Kelley is great switching from the delighted and mocking McCoy into the efficient Doctor, a change that occurs with Kelley's strong ability to emote with his eyes, going from anger to delight in a blink.

But this is another episode that reinforces the idea of Leonard Nimoy, acting genius. Here he actually embodies perfect stoicism and unflinching logic as Spock. Playing off Lenard and Wyatt, Nimoy is given the opportunity to stand beside performers of - at least - equal caliber and he holds his own with strength and the consistency of performance that Star Trek scripts rarely demand of Nimoy. Here Nimoy creates a very realistic character conflict without presenting an even remotely conflicted performance!

"Journey To Babel" is a very memorable episode and it remains one of the best political and family dramas Star Trek ever produced, and it remains easily accessible to fans of either of those type stories. In other words, it is not just science fiction fans who will enjoy this episode! It's a worthwhile addition to the collection of anyone who likes great drama and political stories!

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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The Trouble With "The Trouble With Tribbles" Reviews!

The Good: Good political story, Generally decent acting, Interesting use of characters, Fun plot
The Bad: Use of Klingons as punchlines, Too much 4th wall-type humor
The Basics: A fun episode, "The Trouble With Tribbles" holds up less well when one looks closely at it, especially with its use of humor that is uncharacteristic of Star Trek.


One of the things about Star Trek that not everyone knows is that there are broadcast versions and syndication versions of each episode. What is the difference? Eight minutes (at least)! When Star Trek originally aired, there were less commercials in an hour of television programming. So an hour show like Star Trek took fifty-one minutes of the hour with only nine minutes of commercials. Now television shows air anywhere between forty-two and forty-four minutes of program for an hour timeslot. That's pretty terrible, in my book, but in some cases, it makes a huge difference as far as the program goes. So, for example, in Star Trek episode "The Paradise Syndrome," the remastered version that aired in syndication had to edit out the entire subplot involving Kirk's wife getting pregnant.

I mention this at the beginning to my review of "The Trouble With Tribbles" because after years of attending conventions and speaking with people about "that episode with the fur balls," something became quite clear to me. This episode, generally considered one of the top ten episodes of Star Trek of all time, suffers seriously in its syndication version. In order to edit this particular episode for time, the Tribbles are emphasized and the political issues are truncated, in effect de-emphasizing the political plotline through editing. Yet, anyone who watches this episode on video, DVD or when it originally aired is much more likely to describe this episode as a clearly political episode with comedic moments, as opposed to a comedy bogged down with a political subplot.

The Enterprise is summoned to space station K-7 under the pretense that there is an emergency only to learn that the administrator of the station has overreacted and simply wants a shipment of highly important grain, quadro-triticale, guarded. This upsets Captain Kirk, but he understands the importance of the quadro-triticale to the Federation in developing a colony on Sherman's Planet. So, in addition to guarding the station, Kirk allows Enterprise crewmembers to go to K-7 for shore leave. Uhura meets up with a trader named Cyrano Jones, a petty smuggler who is distributing small, sentient furballs named Tribbles. The Tribbles, absent any predators, multiply ferociously. Soon, the Enterprise is overrun with them and Kirk has to deal with an infestation on his ship as well as keeping his crew and the crew of a newly-arrived Klingon vessel from coming to blows.

Of course, the Klingon potential menace plot and the Tribble plot come to interrelate and the way they do actually makes decent use of the bothersome Tribbles. I say "bothersome Tribbles" because the Tribbles are something of an inconvenience that works well as far as the plot goes, but they are an organism riddled with problems. Dr. McCoy characterizes the fast-multiplying furballs as "born pregnant," which is actually an intriguing idea. But how Cyrano Jones managed to get to K-7 with only a few Tribbles seems strange.

The Tribbles overrun the flagship of the Federation in less than a week and space station K-7 in about the same amount of time. Cyrano Jones is a petty smuggler, small time. He'd have - if other pirates in the Star Trek universe are any indication - a small shuttle or very small ship at best. And it's wouldn't be a state-of-the-art thing, either, it would go fairly slow. My point here is that in order to believe the ridiculous Tribble reproductive ability, Cyrano Jones (nor any other smuggler) would never be able to export them without having to slaughter most of them.

This little nit-pick is relevant for a couple of reasons, but most notably because the incredible Tribble reproductive machine and consumptive ability becomes a critical plot point in the episode and in order to make the Tribbles plausible, serious suspension of disbelief is needed and it forces the episode to rely more heavily on the comedic sensibility than most episodes of Star Trek do. The Tribble plotline is a ridiculous comedic bit that plays on the idea that people like small, cute furry things (this is actually addressed in the episode).

But the bulk of the episode is actually focused on the Federation/Klingon relations. Following the events of the first season episode "Errand Of Mercy" (click here for that review!), peace has broken out between the Klingons and the Federation. Up until this episode - this is only the third episode the Klingons actually appear in! - that has been ignored, but here the Organian Peace Treaty is in effect. As a result, the Federation and Klingons may compete for disputed planets by developing them. Sherman's Planet, referenced frequently in this episode, is a strategic gem that both the Federation and Klingons want and the Klingons are ahead in the development race.

Kirk's adversary in the episode, Koloth, is serious and determined to bring victory to the Klingon Empire. While his first officer and most of the Klingons may appear like buffoons, Koloth is steely and efficient. It is Koloth that inspires the administrator of K-7, Mr. Lurry, and his Federation project representative, Nilz Barris, to be so on edge. More than the Tribbles, Kirk's time is spent negotiating with the station administrator and his assistants. Barris and his assistant Arne Darvin are as much thorns in Kirk's side as Koloth, but most of Kirk's time is spent dealing with the Klingon problem until the Tribbles overrun the Enterprise.

The problem with "The Trouble With Tribbles" (other than the Klingons not looking anything like Klingons!) is that the Klingons are treated as a punchline. They are a ridiculous villain here who are petty, avaricious and generic. They are bland and just obnoxious individuals as opposed to representing any genuine sense of an alien culture. Here, they're just guys with goatees in different uniforms and they are made dull because the episode relies so heavily on humor.

Because it is belabored so much, the episode becomes a weird exploration of how two powers that would otherwise be at war manage to compete when war is not an option. It's an intriguing episode in that regard. And Koloth has many worthwhile leadership characteristics that make him an interesting adversary for Kirk. It's too bad there was less with Cyrano Jones and even more with the Klingons. On the subject of Cyrano Jones, he is essentially a remolded Harry Mudd and we ought to be thankful that writer David Gerrold did not simply reuse Mudd.

While guarding the grain, the episode degenerates into something of a farce with Kirk confronting Koloth and being insulted by him, Scotty getting into a brawl with the Klingon first officer, and everyone mooning over the Tribbles. The latter part certainly informs the viewers about character traits we never knew our heroes possessed, but it does not necessarily do them justice. After all, if "The Trouble With Tribbles" is any indication, get a cute enough entity and the Enterprise crew can easily be incapacitated!

What is bothersome about this type of Star Trek comedy is that it is far less structurally comedic and more contrived. Instead of being put into a humorous situation, which political brinkmanship and espionage hardly qualifies as, the episode forces humor from unlikely sources, like the futility of a human punching a giant Klingon in the stomach to no effect before being thrown away by the same Klingon. Or the simple, stupid humor of burying Captain Kirk in a mountain of puff balls. It's almost a screwball comedy and the political and humor elements often work incongruently with one another.

"The Trouble With Tribbles" works as much as it does because the actors force the characters to play along. William Shatner plays Kirk as harried until he just starts to laugh along with the situation and delight in catching the Klingons acting up. Recurring guest stars like Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig have the opportunity to get some screen time and actually show their characters playing, which they seem to delight in.

"The Trouble With Tribbles" attempts to be a political story that plays as a comedy and it is more accessible to those who like screwball comedy than political thrillers, though it's also likely to seem not quite funny enough to straight-out humor fans. Perhaps the reason "The Trouble With Tribbles" is so popular with fans is because it is unlike anything else in the series; most of the comedic attempts fail so dramatically. This one works better than most, it just feels less like the Star Trek we are accustomed to.

"The Trouble With Tribbles" has a sequel, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Trials And Tribble-ations." The Klingon captain Koloth recurs in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Blood Oath."

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

7.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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Stereotypes About Aging Ring Through "The Deadly Years"

The Good: Interesting concept, Decent - if stereotypical - acting
The Bad: Plot is weak, Premise is shaky, Obvious sense of tension
The Basics: With terrible special effects and a silly plot, the command crew of the Enterprise is subjected to rapid aging with little to engage the viewer.


Star Trek started a few trends that were shaky science fiction plots that its spin-off shows tried to emulate. Indeed, both "Unnatural Selection" from Star Trek The Next Generation's second season and "Distant Voices" from Star Trek Deep Space Nine's third season could trace their origins to the second season episode of Star Trek, "The Deadly Years." In this classic episode of the original series, the viewer is treated to the geriatric incarnations of the primary cast of Star Trek as they encounter a deadly disease.

The U.S.S. Enterprise journeys to a colony world where the inhabitants have all died of old age. They find a pair of survivors on the planet, two people who claim to be in their late twenties, but look like they are in their nineties. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov and Yeoman C'mon She'll Be Dead By Act Three, beam back to the Enterprise where they begin to age rapidly. Chekov, however, does not age and the rapid aging slows down to accommodate a plot-convenient takeover of the Enterprise by the ambitious Commodore Stocker, who is just so eager to get to his new Starbase that he'll sacrifice the starship Enterprise to the Romulans to get there. As Kirk's condition worsens, Stocker decides that the best way to help the rapidly aging members of the command staff is to take a shortcut through the Romulan Neutral Zone, which leaves the ship in a bad place indeed.

Where to start on this one? The Deadly Years seems like it ought to be a decent outing, but almost everything in the episode serves the plot . . . and poorly. Instead of being truly insightful on what makes age or even what makes an individual, this episode is simply a cheap excuse for the special effects department to load up the primary characters of Star Trek with latex and make them look older. It's a special effects episode and it is ultimately a silly one at that.

First off, everything here serves the plot. All of the factors that make this episode anything are from the concept of the radiation that causes rapid aging. But this is an inconsistent thing and it works poorly in this narrative. The aging happens gradually, then it speeds up enough to incapacitate Captain Kirk, then it stops long enough for the hearing, then it moves forward until Stocker moves the ship into Romulan space and it's pretty much done. Even reading that description is silly.

This episode offers no real insight into the characters or into the aging process. Instead, McCoy develops an accent, Scotty becomes comatose and Kirk becomes forgetful. This is more generic than geriatric. I'm not saying necessarily that they ought to have dealt with Scotty's incontinence issues, McCoy's senility and public use of obscenities, and Kirk's impotence, but it couldn't have been any worse than the lame way this episode deals with the aging process. This is a parody of aging, something barely more sophisticated than having the afflicted members of the crew walking around with pants up to their armpits.

Outside that, the guest acting is fairly banal. Sarah Marhall, who plays Dr. Janice Wallace, is bland and seems rather simple. Commodore Stocker is a flat character and the actor portraying him is equally uninspired and flat, providing nothing to the role but a deep, commanding voice. He does not have the bearing of a leader and the character seems more silly than well-conceived. Underused is Beverly Washburn who played Lt. Galway, but the part was designed to be short, sweet and generally unmemorable. Washburn fulfills the scripted role.

Far more problematic are the central characters. Kirk and Spock do not feel like our familiar characters here. There is a conflict between them about Kirk relinquishing command, with Spock advocating that measure and it simply seems forced. Kirk's resistance seems more irrational and ridiculous than a function of aging and the entire hearing to relieve Kirk of command just fills time while the viewer waits for something interesting to happen.

It's funny, because watching the episode is nowhere near as unenjoyable as I'm making it sound. Rationally, this is a pretty terrible episode. Logically, the plot is stale, the characters are flat and clunky (the aged McCoy shines as the only one who is even remotely worthwhile and interesting in his geriatric form), and the make-up to create the older crewmembers is mostly just silly-looking. But what makes the piece bearable is the acting of the primaries.

Leonard Nimoy is not given much to work with here. He plays Spock quieter, softer, when the aging affliction hits him. DeForest Kelley, however, plays McCoy as flamboyant and enthusiastic, throwing subtle body language into the part, like a tremor to his hand and a looseness to his jaw when he's not speaking. Kelley becomes a master of body language in "The Deadly Years" and he steals every scene he is in. Hands down.

But it is William Shatner, as Captain Kirk, who once again pulls the episode out of the muck. Like Kelley, he uses body language to convince the audience that the implausible is occurring. Shatner does his best with what he is given as Kirk, but it's a terrible role. Shatner at least seems to give it his best and it is sufficient to make the viewer say "Shatner did well."

Alas, it's not enough to overcome the cripplingly bad plot or the overall predictability of the episode. This is surprisingly average (bordering on bad).

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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If Your God Were A Paper Mache Lizard, You Too Would Avoid "The Apple"

The Good: Not a bad concept/theme
The Bad: Lame acting, Little character development, Overall bland and silly
The Basics: In an all-around disappointing episode, the concept of liberation from god and machines is gutted by terrible acting and cheap plot devices.


When I first reviewed "The Apple" for the site I used to write for, it was when Paramount/CBS was upgrading the original Star Trek with new digital effects. I called the effort to court new viewers desperate, insulting and somewhat stupid. After all, some episodes cannot be made much better just by changing the special effects. "The Apple" is one such episode.

The U.S.S. Enterprise journeys to a planet where the landing party suddenly finds itself besieged by problems. Plants fire poison needles, killing one red shirt, rocks explode when stepped on or thrown killing another red shirt, lightning takes out another red shirt and the Enterprise begins to experience a massive power drain. Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Chekov and Yeoman Landon soon discover the problem. It's the dimwitted Children of Vaal, worshipers of a giant, shielded lizard structure called Vaal. McCoy theorizes that Vaal has protected the tribe and stunted their evolution for quite some time, which is all the information Kirk needs to meddle and set his mind to destroying the structure and the limitations on the culture.

"The Apple" has one truly good idea, which is the idea of a god limiting the development of a people and the need to liberate enslaved individuals from any force - even a quasi-deity - that would keep them stunted. It's a noble idea and Gene Roddenberry and company - in this case writer Max Ehrlich and director Joseph Pevney - try to fill the concept up with all sorts of bells and whistles, but it's just lame. To enhance a story of an overbearing god figure, we have cheesy poison flowers, mediocre lightning and exploding foam rocks. It's just silly.

Moreover, it's established almost immediately that Vaal is not a god, but rather a machine. Sure, the Children of Vaal think it's a god, but they are established pretty early on as being complete morons. Yes, Vaal keeps them ignorant and uncurious, simple and about as dumb as posts. Only their leader, who has radio antennae embedded in his neck, seems to have any potential to be more.

This is one of those episodes of Star Trek that one wishes they could simply write "It's bad, it's real bad" and have people believe them. It's almost too stupid to write about. The good idea is just that, it's poorly executed and worked around in a completely uninspired way. It's like the cast and crew knew it was bad and they limp through the episode.

There is a body count of four red shirts this episode, but it's hard to care about any of them because they do not last long. Moreover, the artificially large landing party at the beginning presages something bad for the red shirts. This is a pretty classic conceit; if you're going to kill off a bunch of people, you need to start with more people. It's just too obvious and disappointing for how it is executed.

Nothing, though, is more insulting than Kirk's treatment of Scotty in "The Apple." Scotty, left in charge of the Enterprise while its power is drained by Vaal seeks several different ways to free the ship from the alien machine's grasp. Scotty tries a number of things and fails. Poor Scotty. The thing is, he tries and tries and tries some more. Kirk's solution? He fires him. I kid you not, at the midpoint of the episode, Kirk says "You're fired." By this point, Star Trek was pretty well established as a socialist-military system. Captain Kirk cannot truly fire Scotty, if for no other reason than it leaves no one clearly in command of the Enterprise. But it's silly and stupid and almost all of the orders Kirk barks at Scotty - which the engineer meekly takes - are poorly written, terribly delivered and make for one of the silliest episodes of all time.

Part of the problem is the acting. The extras who play the Children of Vaal are convincingly dim and that act gets old real quick. They perform their parts - asking the Enterprise crew about sex, kissing and other things Vaal has kept them ignorant of - as if they truly were dim, and that's all that ultimately made me knock this episode up as high as I did.

Conversely, the main crew is simply terrible, as are all of the guest performances from Enterprise red shirts. It's just a series of flat performances, Shatner's hammy overacting while informing the Children of Vaal about the workings of men and women and Nimoy being forced to play Spock as ridiculously bashful. The performances oscillate between bland and silly and completely hammy and over-the-top (like when Shatner as Kirk has the surviving members fall in line to give orders and be authoritarian). There's not a performance any of the main cast ought to be proud of in this outing.

In short, this is the Enterprise crew wasting an hour of your time fighting a giant, paper mache lizard head in the jungle and it's hard to get excited about that, no matter how decent the portrayal of ignorance might be.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

3/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, be sure to visit my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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Belaboring Toward Jack The Ripper; Evaluating "Wolf In The Fold"

The Good: Moments of acting, Good concept
The Bad: A lot of terrible acting, SLOW, Little real character development
The Basics: When Scotty is wounded and potentially becomes a murderer, the viewer must sit through a long wait of misdirection until Jack the Ripper suddenly becomes the culprit.


Star Trek attracted a fine number of actors, writers and directors to the show that worked well for the episodic series. It allowed Star Trek to push in several different directions, including straight science fiction, political commentary, humor and horror over the course of any of the seasons. Respected horror writer Robert Bloch wrote three episodes of Star Trek, the last of which was the second season episode "Wolf In The Fold." He ought to have stuck with his first Star Trek outing and then called it quits; "Wolf In The Fold," like the prior outing - "Catspaw" - is a bit of a dud. Unfortunately for this episode, it does not even have the camp factor going for it.

Scotty, having been hit on the head prior to arriving at the planet Argelius II, is enjoying the native sights of an ally planet where the Enterprise has arrived for shore leave. Watching a bellydancer gets Scotty all hot and bothered and he leaves the cafe with her, only to be found a short time later standing over her dead body with a bloody knife in his hand. Things look bad for Scotty, who the local administrator wants to extradite for justice and who does not remember killing anyone. Unfortunately, during a seance-like telepathic attempt to discover who the murderer is, Scotty apparently kills her. Of course, it's not Scotty doing the killing, it's Jack the Ripper.

No kidding. In the Star Trek universe, Jack the Ripper is an energy creature who feeds off fear and violence to women. That's Robert Bloch for you. He's a horror writer, so naturally, the unresolved murders in London now happen across the galaxy because Jack the Ripper was always an alien life form.

Now, I'm not mocking that idea. The idea that humanity's evil is actually caused by a nebulous red cloud that travels the galaxy preying upon various aliens by causing violence to women is remarkably clever. The idea is interesting, it's not entirely unfrightening, and it's - at its worst - something different.

The problem here is the execution of the idea. The idea is basically an epiphany, an "ah-ha" moment that the episode hinges on to keep the viewer interested, engaged and coming back to rewatch the episode. In this way, "Wolf In The Fold" is an absolute failure. Bloch and director Joseph Pevney create a story hinging on a pretty simple reveal, but they never build enough story up around it. In short, it's not much of a murder mystery from the beginning.

Despite having a backstory of a head injury, it's never terribly likely that Scotty has become a killer, so when the evidence keeps stacking up pointing toward him, the viewer becomes more and more unconvinced of the idea that Scotty is the culprit. It's like Scotty is such an incredible red herring that the writer and director have to keep pointing to him and the viewer never truly believes that Scotty could be the killer. Either way, the idea that the true culprit is a spiritual Jack the Ripper comes out of the ether pretty surprisingly.

"Wolf In The Fold" suffers from what I'm beginning to call House, M.D. syndrome. For those who have not seen it, House, M.D. is a series that presents medical mysteries each week. The reason to watch the show is not figure out the mystery because unless the viewer is a medical genius, they will never get the correct answer to the problem at the beginning. Seriously, the show is about the process of finding more clues to make a better diagnosis than the original stab in the dark. As a result, House, M.D. becomes a story where the viewer is TOLD everything. The viewer sits, watches and the doctors tell the viewer what is going on, what it all means and why things work the way they work. But it's not much of a mystery because the clues are never truly all available for the viewer to figure it out like a mystery from early in the episode. Instead, the viewer is on a ride that keeps twisting and turning and while one might take sides with one doctor's determinations at various points, the truth, the answer comes out of the dark, suddenly and definitively. This episode is structured the same way with Scotty being blamed, a few other suspects brought in, emphasis on Scotty, emphasis on Scotty, emphasis on Scotty, BAM! Jack the Ripper. There's no way to sit down, watch the episode as a horror episode or murder mystery and come up with the right answer using any of the rational, reasonable clues given to the viewer.

And it's not terrible scary. I mean, for a horror episode, the idea that it's Jack the Ripper's disembodied alien form killing Argelius II's citizens comes up pretty late. Which means, most of the episode, the viewer is looking at a somewhat bewildered Scotty and saying, "He's the killer? I could take him!" Jack the Ripper is supposed to inspire fear in women, Scotty just doesn't do it. The average woman would watch "Wolf In The Fold," see Scotty as the main suspect and say, "I wish I was there, I'd mace his ass!"

So, it's not much of a mystery, it's not much of a horror, and it's also not much of a character study. We learn nothing new about Scotty, Kirk acts like he always does, Spock acts like he always does, and McCoy acts like he always does. This could have been a big Scotty episode - a lot of people forget that Star Trek was not an ensemble cast, but rather dominated by Kirk, Spock and McCoy - but instead, everything we see about Scotty - other than him proclaiming his innocence in a kind of broken puppy way - is exactly what we already know about Scotty with nothing new to say "This character grew and learned this episode" or "Wow, now I know something about Scotty I did not know before!"

In order to make this unsuccessful episode work, the producers are forced to stretch the thin plot out for a much greater time than is believable and worthwhile for the idea. The only thing that makes it viewable at all is James Doohan's acting. Doohan is not given a lot of airtime in Star Trek and "Wolf In The Fold," while it might not be a character building episode, gives Doohan a chance to stretch his acting muscles. He plays bewildered, lost and hurt and he does it very well, with a slump in his body language. He connotes confusion, hurt and loss with his eyes wonderfully.

But it's not enough to come back to the episode. And in the big picture of the Star Trek pantheon, "Wolf In The Fold" is a failure because it makes Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home seem even more silly by comparison. After all, why is Scotty's relatively minor head injury treated as such a big deal when McCoy has a little handheld device that can completely fix brain damage?

Either way, this question is asking too much of the series, much the way "Wolf In The Fold" asks too much of the viewer to come back to.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

3/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page for organized listings!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.




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Love And Armed Conflict For Spock In "Amok Time," A Perfect Star Trek Episode!

The Good: Acting, Interesting character development, Music, Most of the story
The Bad: Minutiae, it's close enough to perfect!
The Basics: When Spock begins to go crazy on the crew of the Enterprise, he reluctantly reveals that he must return home to mate . . . and marry!


Vulcans; they look human but with pointed ears and arched eyebrows. We know very little about them; our experiences have been filtered through the lens of a half-Vulcan, an outsider named Spock. Star Trek fans wanted to know more about the Vulcans and the producers of Star Trek provided with "Amok Time," one of the few episodes of Star Trek that was so well-done and vital that it has become enshrined in pop culture imagination. It is ironic that for all of the episodes with strong social messages or allegories to problems of the day, it is "Amok Time," one of the most self-referential episode of the series, that can be recognized so easily when it is alluded to.

But there is good reason; this is a wonderful hour of television. And, it's all about sex! Well, sex and violence. I guess Theodore Sturgeon knew what he was doing when he penned "Amok Time!"

Mr. Spock, half-Vulcan first officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, has been exhibiting asocial behavior and after days of seeming irritable, he explodes with a violent outburst. Shocked at the behavior of his normally stoic Science Officer and friend, Captain Kirk tries to understand why Spock is acting up but Spock simply informs him that he needs to get to Vulcan. Happy to oblige, Kirk has the Enterprise head toward Vulcan, when StarFleet orders the Enterprise to a different sector for a ceremonial position at an inauguration. After a back and forth of course changes between Vulcan and the other place, Dr. McCoy reveals that a medical workup on Spock shows that his metabolism has been significantly and negatively altered and that unless Spock returns to Vulcan, he will die. Faced with the possibility of Spock dying from the changes to his body, Kirk disobeys StarFleet's orders and redirects the ship to Vulcan, where it seems Spock is to be married off!

"Amok Time" is the episode that introduced to the collective unconscious the idea of Pon farr, the Vulcan mating cycle, which occurs every seven years. The idea was so clever, intriguing and unique that to this day, it is referenced in television shows that make pop culture references, like The Simpsons and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The episode is so well constructed with its mating drive that turns into a marriage ceremony/fight to the death, that elements throughout the episode are alluded to in many things that instantly clue the viewer into the savvy of the person using it. So, for example, in the second season of Family Guy in the episode "Peter Peter Caviar Eater," Stewie has two butlers fight to the death and the fight scene from Spock's wedding ceremony is recreated, along with the highly recognizable and memorable musical score for the scene. It's hilarious and it works for those of us who get the allusion because the Kirk/Spock fight to the death scene is so memorable and powerfully done. This becomes a can't miss episode of Star Trek, not just for fans of the series, but for anyone who loves popular culture!

But the reason the episode has resonated so well into popular culture in general is easy to see: despite the somewhat simple plot, which has to delay the arrival at Vulcan for several acts, this is one of the best acted character studies to come out of Star Trek and it works beautifully to establish an alien culture and breathe new life into the stoic and somewhat monolithic Vulcan people. The writing is tight, the acting is wonderful and it has character elements that are intriguingly explored.

The episode is very tightly focused on Spock and for the first time in the series, the viewer is given a compelling reason why Spock chose his Vulcan heritage over his human one. Because of the flat-out psychosis of the Vulcan mating drive, Spock was pretty much doomed to go through Pon farr (though he'd hoped he would be spared it) so it makes sense that he would hedge his bets and side with his Vulcan side in order to best prepared for it when it came. Watching the logic, reason and facade of emotional control stripped away from Spock until he is a brutal, predatory killer is difficult to watch, but it makes us appreciate the depth of his control in every episode that follows!

Captain Kirk illustrates, possibly for the first time in the series, just how far he is willing to go for Mr. Spock. In "The Devil In The Dark" we see Spock set aside his strong moral reservations about hunting down the Horta in order to be a good officer and show his faith in Kirk, but "Amok Time" might be the first time Kirk illustrates a reciprocation that puts his career in jeopardy, a theme that will continue through the last of the Star Trek films. Captain Kirk becomes a better and more reasonable commander through his emotional and professional dependence on Spock and this episode plays that out by illustrating that Kirk knows he is not on his mission alone.

And while Dr. McCoy is presented in a very humane light in "Amok Time," it is surprising how much character work is done with the Vulcan characters who appear only in this episode! T'Pring, Spock's betrothed, delivers some of the best lines of the episode, lines that reveal a character full of cunning, guile and a surprisingly rich backstory. Even T'Pau, the Vulcan matriarch who presides over Spock's wedding is given such a backstory as to eliminate the menace to Kirk for his disobeying orders. It's incredible how much the viewer comes to know about these guest characters based on so little airtime, but "Amok Time" truly packs in the character work and information! And they are all compelling and understandable, which makes the episode of a higher caliber than most.

As well, all of the actors bring their a-game to the episode, including the guest cast. While Lawrence Montaigne and Arleen Martel might seem stiff as Stonn and T'Pring, this works to realistically portray a stoic, unemotional person and their performance is actually quite deep. Indeed, it is in the face of their performances, as well as Celia Lovsky's T'Pau, that the viewer comes to realize just how much Leonard Nimoy emotes as Spock! Sure, he has very restrained body language, but compared to these three, he might as well be flailing his arms in distress every time he arches his eyebrow, so unsubtle his mannerisms now seem!

William Shatner delivers one of his best performances as Captain Kirk in "Amok Time." No trace of hammy or camp acting, Shatner delivers a performance that illustrates Kirk's compassion, humanity and kindness without ever losing his authoritarian edge. Instead, he seems remarkably well-rounded and Shatner transfers effortlessly between the compassionate and military Kirk without it ever seeming unnatural or out of character.

It is Leonard Nimoy who provides the killer performance in "Amok Time," though! Nimoy is able to play his full range, from emotionally controlled to angry to illustrating a sense of wrestling with powerful, conflicting emotions to a scene where he is able to convince the viewers that he is in an absolute bloodlust. The true acting gem from Nimoy comes at the climax of the episode and that Nimoy is able to make Spock's display of unbridled joy still seem in-character, like Spock, illustrates his timeless genius. That Nimoy did not win any acting awards for "Amok Time" is a crime against theatrics!

What the episode also does with incredible proficiency is establish a very real sense of mood. "Amok Time" has a unique score that utilizes a very tribal sound to ratchet up the tension in the fight sequences and anyone who sees the episode will be able to recognize the music from it. It's rare that a television score can so deeply embed itself in the collective unconscious, but this music does . . . brilliantly.

What is so impressive about "Amok Time" is that while it truly is an episode that is all about fleshing out the Star Trek universe with a character study of one of its most beloved characters, it is so accessible to a general audience. Everything a viewer needs to know about the characters and culture are contained within the episode, making it remarkably easy to get into for people who are not necessarily fans of Star Trek or science fiction. The truth is, anyone who likes a good character study will enjoy "Amok Time," so fans of drama in general ought not to be nervous about approaching this episode. It is solidly entertaining and fun. It lives up to its hype, even after forty years.

Perhaps that means it hasn't been hyped enough!

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

10/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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A Quiet Winner For Star Trek Comes With "Friday's Child."

The Good: Excellent acting, Character development, Plot
The Bad: Moments of hokey definition of the Capellans
The Basics: With its strength of character over strength of arms, "Friday's Child" succeeds at being an engaging political thriller for Star Trek.


Star Trek had some real winners as far as television goes and it's unfortunate when some of their better ideas were robbed of perfection by silly technical glitches or ideas. "Friday's Child" is one such episode. Appearing in the second season of Star Trek, this work has much to recommend it, but it is robbed of perfection. Why? The alien race that the Enterprise encounters this week is supposed to be primitive and the way that is expressed is through somewhat broken English. Understanding the Star Trek universe (with its translation devices) makes this just silly and cheap as opposed to actually defining the culture. I mention this at the top because the rest of my review is bound to be glowing and I felt a certain need to explain - up front - why "Friday's Child" is not a perfect episode.

The U.S.S. Enterprise returns to Capella IV, a world Dr. McCoy once visited, to discover that the Klingons have arrived on the planet and are negotiating with the leaders there for rights to the planet. The leader, Akaar, is soon assassinated by the pro-Klingon warlord Maab. Maab and his Klingon lackey Kras chase Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Akaar's pregnant wife Eleen off into the hills, where Kirk must work to protect Eleen and the baby, lest the Federation lose its foothold on Capella. As they work on the surface, the Enterprise, under Scotty's control, is lured away, leaving Kirk and company stranded.

What does "Friday's Child" do well? First off, it establishes a culture that is remarkably distinct for an hour of television. The Capellans are a warrior race, driven by honor, deadly when provoked and clever. They care about family and have a generally strong monarchy (called the High Teer) that flows from father to son, unless the entire line is wiped out (which is what Maab seeks to do by killing Akaar and hunting Eleen). The Capellans are an intriguing race that is both reasonable and barbaric, honorable and filled with subterfuge. In short, it's easy to see why the established races like the Federation and the Klingons (this is only the second episode that Klingons are in) are interested in them.

But more than establishing a culture, "Friday's Child" establishes characters. Eleen is a remarkably sympathetic (if not empathetic character). As the widow of the slain leader, she is hunted by the new ruler and this leads her to hate the baby she is carrying. That's a compelling character twist and it works well on the realism front. After all, losing her husband is bad, but when she becomes the object of a planetwide hunt simply because she is carrying a baby that threatens the new ruler, she naturally loathes it. It's brilliant and it's a character construction we virtually never see on television or in the movies today. It's surprising when a story from 1967 is still cutting edge today.

And while Maab is pretty much a generic villain, Kras continues to evolve the Klingons some. Kras helps to define the Klingons (in Star Trek, NOT Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond) as untrustworthy, conniving and dishonorable. He is a player, using political subterfuge to advance the goals of the Klingon Empire. And while the make-up is not impressive or interesting (a Starlog comic once referred to Kras as "Uncle Bob"), the character of the Klingon here is intriguing and fun to rewatch.

More than the guest characters, "Friday's Child" gives the viewers the chance to see the star characters growing and stretching out. Sure, Spock is as clever as he usually is, Scotty is gullible and easily drawn away and becomes the cavalry returning in the nick of time and Chekov spouts something about Russia, but Kirk and McCoy actually develop some in this episode.

Captain Kirk shows some real depth in "Friday's Child" by being both diplomat and soldier. Unlike the argument that "Star Trek" is about a group of explorers, "Friday's Child" seems to acknowledge that StarFleet is the Federations military (and exploratory) wing. Kirk is responsible here for a tactical situation that forces him to engage the responsibilities he has as a soldier. While I'm not advocating that, it is a nice episode to cite to those who want to argue that Gene Roddenberry's vision is pacifistic and noble (my argument is that Roddenberry's vision might be pacifistic and noble, but it is not realized until Star Trek The Next Generation). Kirk embodies a sense of balance between peaceful intentions and militaristic necessities. In short, Kirk is the type of hero willing to fight for a cause, not simply die for one or let others be killed for one.

But this is ultimately a strong McCoy episode. The viewer is treated to Dr. McCoy doing what he does best, saving a life. In this case, McCoy is both a cultural reference - having visited Capella before and befriended Akaar - and a useful medical specialist, as he works to keep Eleen and her baby safe and healthy. While McCoy's actions might be questionable, they are certainly in a spirit of feminism. It's actually somewhat a relief (even as the pacifist that I am) to see McCoy, when smacked by the haughty Eleen, smack her back. McCoy puts up with nothing and despite his "convincing" of Eleen through reciprocated violence, he establishes himself as a forthright and caring doctor.

Much of the episode, then, rests on the acting of DeForest Kelley and he delivers. Kelley plays off guest actress Julie Newmar perfectly and she manages to get around her broken English lines with surprising grace. Kelley plays McCoy as alternatively hotheaded and deeply empathic, resonating caring and life-giving. He embodies the best of what a doctor could be in this role, in this episode. Moreover, Kelley has the chance to present information in a Spock-like exposition, without seeming at all derivative or even expository. That's quality acting!

Ultimately, "Friday's Child" is something of a political thriller/chase with two sides battling for reasonable negotiating control over a sovereign world. It's enjoyable, tense and holds up well over many rewatchings. Great for fans of science fiction or political drama.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, please check out the organized list on my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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Fans Won A Second Season Of Star Trek To Start With "Catspaw?!"

The Good: The actors manage to take it seriously
The Bad: Terrible plot, No real character development, Horrible effects, Some campy acting
The Basics: Star Trek attempts a Halloween episode with lame, sadly lame, results.


As many people know - in the general populace as well as in science fiction fandom - Star Trek was never NBC's flagship series. Always on the verge of cancellation, Star Trek relied on its fans to support it and keep it going. After the first season concluded, it looked as though Star Trek might be sunk, but a writing campaign convinced the network to renew it. I wonder how many fans wanted their letters back when "Catspaw," the first second-season episode produced, aired.

Star Trek did not do many tie-in episodes with holidays. There was, for example, no Star Trek Christmas Special nor an easter event, nor a Passover sader, nor even a Valentine's episode. And yet, when "Catspaw" aired, it was pretty solidly a Halloween episode and to this day, that may be its albatross.

The U.S.S. Enterprise is in orbit around Pyris VII, a lifeless planet where Kirk has lost a landing party consisting of Sulu, Scotty and another officer. Crewman Jackson is beamed up to the Enterprise where he promptly dies and an alien voice speaks through him, warning Kirk and his crew to stay away. Unphased, Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down where they are warned away by three witches, whom they ignore. The trio discovers a castle and they enter to meet sorcerer Korob and his black cat/woman companion Sylvia. They reveal that they've turned Scotty and Sulu into zombies and they proceed to imprison the three officers. Sylvia and Korob bribe, threaten and attempt to seduce Kirk into leaving, even trapping the Enterprise and using voodoo magic on it. When Kirk rejects Sylvia's advances and realizes the source of Sylvia and Korob's power, Sylvia gets angry and threatens to kill them all.

This is a pretty obvious Halloween themed episode and it does very little in the larger canon of Star Trek, save make our heroes seem ridiculous and silly. After all, the images Sylvia and Korob use to attempt to frighten Kirk and his people away supposedly come from deep inside the fears of the officers present. That Kirk, McCoy, Sulu and/or Scotty might on some level be afraid of mythical creatures and Halloween-type settings is beyond ridiculous, it's just dumb.

Indeed, it is tiring to try to even describe the plot because it is so repetitive and simple. Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to try to find missing officers and run into lame attempts to scare them. Of course, most of us know this is not going to be Star Trek's finest hour from the teaser. When Jackson beams aboard and begins to speak from the dead, the voice has to be one of the most hokey disembodied voices of all time! It's silly and beneath Star Trek, yet they went with it anyway! It's a ridiculous audio effect and the melodrama starts the episode out on the wrong foot.

Star Trek frequently explores such abstract ideas as fear throughout the course of the franchise. The original series would tackle it only a few episodes later with "Wolf In The Fold" and Star Trek: Voyager personified fear as a psychotic clown in "The Thaw." Episodes where such abstracts are tackled work to varying degrees, but neither "Catspaw" nor either of the other two yield good results. The reason for this is because it's hard to make a story where the point is to explore a fundamental emotion either universal or in a way that it may be broadcast on television. The unfortunate aspect of "Catspaw" is that it chooses some of the most ridiculous methods to explore fear, opting for things no reasonable adult would actually be afraid of.

Similarly, "Catspaw" holds up poorly in the larger franchise because Korob tries to bribe Captain Kirk with, no joke, plates of gems. Kirk acknowledges that these are all easily replicated, which nicely establishes Star Trek as something of a collective or socialist economic model without any currency. It also means, though, that when anyone from the Federation encounters anything like wealth, it ought not to be tempting (because even the trappings of wealth may be replicated). Here it just seems silly because the plates of jewels are so obviously glass baubles (like the type one buys by the pound at craft stores!).

And yet, the principle actors play along. Recurring guest stars George Takei and James Doohan do their best at not looking like they were offended to be asked to play completely mindless and they trudge through the parts without any affect. This is also the debut of Walter Koenig as Ensign Chekov, an eager character who bounces from the Navigation station to the Science console throughout the episode. He is characterized as young, eager and Russian such that his pride in Russia overcomes the facts (Russians, in his view, did everything first and better). Chekov begins the series somewhat ridiculously with a giant head of hair and an accent must make all true Russians shudder.

But this is an episode devoid of any real character development. We learn nothing new about any of the principle characters and we do not see them act or react in any way that is significantly different from how we've seen them act before. Kirk seduces a woman, McCoy acts crotchety, Spock walks around with the affect that he is better than both while claiming to not understand it all.

The principle actors are not stretched in any way, save that they have to work to maintain a straight face in the face of overwhelming ridiculousness. Guest actress Antoinette Bower is roped into playing Sylvia and one wonders how Star Trek managed to attract such decent performers to play such ridiculous roles. She is joined by Theo Marcuse as Korob and the two have no real chemistry on screen. Indeed, Marcuse plays Korob as over-the-top and laughable.

The only thing more silly than his performance is the special effect of the Sylvia in cat form. Yes, to pull off this feat of special effects, the director used footage of a black house cat shot very close up. Set in frames opposite life-sized characters, the cat looks immense, but it's a truly poor fit and looks more disturbing in a laughable way than genuinely frightening.

I don't know who would enjoy this episode of Star Trek, because as a fan of the series, I know I did not. There are better Halloween specials out there as well, so even Halloween enthusiasts are unlikely to be wowed in any way by this one. Avoid it! After all, Kirk and company did not and they got stuck in a ridiculous setting, heed my warning and you won't have to witness the same!

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

2/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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Star Trek's Most Overrated Masterpiece Is "The City On The Edge Of Forever."

The Good: Decent idea, Interesting dilemma, Great acting, Nice effects/costumes, etc.
The Bad: Plot-heavy, Character arcs underdeveloped
The Basics: What many fans see as Star Trek's crowning achievement, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" has something to offer anyone who likes decent television!


Long before there was any debate over which captain was better, Kirk or Picard, the geek world was lit with a firefight over what episode of Star Trek was the best. I'm a geek and I have no problem acknowledging that there was a time people would come to blows over this hot button issue. Interestingly, there was a pretty strong victor in this debate and it was "The City On The Edge Of Forever." There are legions of fans who would argue to the death that "The City On The Edge Of Forever" is the best hour of Star Trek and the pinnacle of the Star Trek franchise. As one who would argue that "A Piece Of The Action" is a stronger episode of Star Trek and that the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Duet" is the peak of the franchise - actually I think it's the high-water mark of television drama - I get yelled at by geeks a lot. But despite all its supposed greatness, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" has some flaws, which an objective reviewer ought to be fearless in exploring.

The U.S.S. Enterprise takes up orbit around a planet that is sending out intense shockwaves and in the process, a console explodes, wounding Sulu. Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge to medicate him and accidentally overdoses on an experimental painkiller. Deranged, McCoy flees the ship and beams down to the planet. In pursuing him, Kirk awakens the Guardian Of Forever, a sentient device that has the ability to replay time events like we would watch a video. In his deranged state, McCoy leaps through the portal and into Earth's past. Almost immediately, the Enterprise ceases to exist and Spock and Kirk determine that whatever McCoy did in Earth's past, it so radically altered the timeline so that the Federation never came into existence! Stranded in time, protected only be being on this mysterious planet, Kirk and Spock decide the only way to save the future is to return to the past and prevent McCoy from altering history.

Passing through the Guardian Of Forever, the two officers arrive in the 1930s in New York City to realize they have little idea how to pursue McCoy. They soon find a social worker named Edith Keeler who gives both Kirk and Spock a job at the local soup kitchen. Spock uses their money, after Kirk pays their rent and gets groceries, to buy equipment to jerry-rig his tricorder so it might function and process scans Spock took from the Guardian to help figure out precisely what McCoy did to alter the timeline. When Spock figures out the general idea of how McCoy altered all history, it has heartbreaking consequences for Captain Kirk and he must put the future of the Federation above the dictates of his heart and find McCoy and stop him at all costs.

"The City On The Edge Of Forever" is only the second real time-travel episode Star Trek attempted (there was a third, but the time-travel elements are more a plot escape than a use of time travel to explore time and the nature of events) and it has much that is praiseworthy. In modern times, two historical events dominate time-travel plots and theories: one being attempting to explore what would have happened if the Confederacy had won the American Civil War. This episode glimpses the other question (which I shall not ruin by revealing!) and the answer that writer Harlan Ellison came up with is chilling.

It is worth noting that Harlan Ellison, a supposed master of science fiction, wrote the original script for "The City On The Edge Of Forever" before it was heavily rewritten by staff writers and Gene Roddenberry. He was furious about the rewrites and I get where he's coming from; I loathe the idea of other people rewriting my things. Having met Mr. Ellison at a convention (don't even try to get anything from Star Trek signed by him, he'll swear at you!) I think he pretty much mortgaged his ability to complain through two actions: he put his name on it and he's accepted any award he could that the episode has won. You can't kvetch about how it's not your work AND still take credit for it. Ellison's script was good science fiction, but it didn't ring true as a Star Trek episode (the characters didn't sound like the Star Trek characters). The Ellison/Roddenberry version that aired is a good combination of Ellison's strong science fiction vision and Roddenberry's narrative voice. And the episode largely works.

The problems with "The City On The Edge Of Forever" can be nailed down to two things: the plot exposition and the failure to develop the relationships. The plot exposition may be something of a necessary evil, but it does not hold up well on multiple viewings. How many times in the episode do Kirk or Spock say "McCoy altered the future, we have to find McCoy before he can change history?" It's a lot of times. Many, many times in the episode the viewer is reminded that McCoy messed things up and Kirk and Spock must do anything to prevent him from altering history. And we're told several times that our heroes have no genuine idea about when McCoy actually appeared in the past. We get it! And yet, they keep telling us, as if if they do not tell us every three minutes we'd forget. The costumes are pretty much a dead giveaway!

The second problem is a little harder for me to swallow in retrospect. Kirk and Edith Keeler develop a romantic relationship . . . sort of. "The City On The Edge Of Forever" takes its sweet time in developing and as a result, it takes a bit of time before Kirk and Spock journey back in time and longer before they meet Keeler and then she's talking and then *poof* suddenly Kirk is in love. It's pretty obvious what the producers of the show wanted, but the problem is the execution. There is not enough time in the episode spent actually building a relationship between Kirk and Keeler to be believable, especially for the depth of emotion it is connoted Kirk feels for her. In other words, in order to accommodate the slow pace at the beginning, the last act forces the viewer to suspend their disbelief over how quickly and how deeply Kirk has developed feelings for Edith Keeler. I suppose most fans are able to do that easier than I am, but the truth is, there simply is not enough time spent between Kirk and Keeler before Kirk reveals the depths of his feelings for her to Spock. It ends up as a troubling oversight.

That said, it is easy to see why "The City On The Edge Of Forever" is so popular; one of our heroes is almost critically wounded and in that state he does something so tremendous as to change the existence of the Federation! McCoy is a brilliant choice to end up as the turning point for history's motion because one wants to believe that he would try to do the right thing in any circumstance, but it's impossible to deny that he is a passionate character. Either deranged or when he comes down from that, McCoy has the potential to make good mistakes with the best of intentions.

Spock is more compassionate in "The City On The Edge Of Forever" than we see him in many outings and Kirk is a strange combination of determined and laid back. He talks frequently about his mission, but takes time to do such things as go out on a date with Edith Keeler. Edith Keeler, for her part, is a wonderful character who has the potential to be genuine and well-rounded. She gets the short end of the stick in the episode as we are treated to glimpses of her personality, but not the fullest understanding of it. She is presented as an idealist and a kindhearted person and the episode works to make her likable. It is easy to see why Captain Kirk would be distracted by her and even fall in love.

Keeler is played by Joan Collins and she is one of the biggest guest stars Star Trek ever landed. Collins is good, no doubt about it, though some of her appeal is cheated through the use of fuzzy lenswork to make her look younger and more starry-eyed. Collins essentially plays a period character and she does it with an ease that seems to come naturally to her. She delivers her monologue exceptionally well and in her other scenes she easily establishes one of the most memorable guest characters in the Star Trek franchise.

William Shatner gives one of his sterling performances as Captain Kirk. Kirk is a man out of time in this episode and as a result, Shatner plays him with a more whimsical quality in many moments. The result is a Captain Kirk who for the first time in the series seems like he could be a viable partner to the woman he is with. Shatner has decent on-screen chemistry with Collins and as a result, the viewer comes away from each of their scenes feeling that the implied and building relationship truly could be something.

But the acting award for the episode has to go to DeForest Kelley. Kelley is essentially a supporting player in the first season and often it seemed like the producers were unsure how they wanted to use Kelley or McCoy. As a result, McCoy and Kirk have more of a sparring relationship than McCoy and Spock in the early episodes. In the mid-first season episodes, the Doctor is a more subtle character, generally being less in-your-face, giving Kelley more of a subdued role to play. Not here. Here Kelley must play manic, wounded and outright crazy. Many of his scenes are difficult to watch because Kelley so convincingly throws himself into the role and so effectively portrays a wounded McCoy. Kelley is brilliant as the sweaty, barely-coherant McCoy and it's a shame he was not recognized for his performance here.

"The City On The Edge Of Forever" may be preoccupied with making sense of itself, but it's a worthwhile journey. The episode is funny, heartwrenching and comes together very well. Science fiction fans will enjoy the attention to detail and the science fiction themes, while fans of drama will like the pace and tension throughout the episode. This episode is also rather accessible to fans of romance stories as love motivates many of the actions at the key points in the episode. And for those who let themselves get emotionally invested in a work so short, it has the potential to be a serious tear-jerker. It is worth the attention of anyone who likes television that is well above average.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the premiere season by clicking here!
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8.5/10

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© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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