Jerome Wetzel's Star Trek Reviews

Ep. 28 The City on the Edge of Forever

2008-01-31T18:59:00.001-05:00

After McCoy accidentally injects himself, he escapes to a strange planet and flees back in time to 1930's Earth through the Guardian of Forever. In the past, he saves a woman named Edith Keeler, destroying history. Kirk and Spock are mercifully protected from the time ripple by their nearness to the Guardian, and so follow him. Kirk falls in love with Edith, but allows her to die to fix history.

Arguably the best episode of the series, it does have all the most important recurring characters, even if they are barely used. It is written by a genius of the science fiction world, and has a very compelling, human story to it. It won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1968, fully deserved. It also won the Writer's Guild of America Award. The only slightly cheesy part was Edith's death. I love it, and I dare anyone to watch it and not. I won't write a big long review on this one because most people have seen it, and I'd honestly rather let it speak for itself. WATCH IT!!!

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
John Winston as Kyle
Michael Barrier as DeSalle
David L. Ross as Galloway

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Joan Collins as Edith Keeler

Quote:
"I think I like this century. Simple. Easier to manage. I think we're not going to have any difficulty explaining... "
"...you were saying you'd have no trouble explaining it."
"My friend is obviously Chinese. I see you've noticed the ears. They're actually easy to explain."
"Perhaps the unfortunate accident I has a child..."
"The unfortunate accident he had as a child. He caught his head in a mechanical rice picker." ~ Kirk and Spock

Ep. 27 Errand of Mercy

2008-01-30T20:33:00.000-05:00

Kirk goes to meet with the Klingons at Organia, to try to avoid war. The Enterprise wants to protect the planet, but it turns out they don't need protection, nor do they want it. Kirk gets frustrated, not understanding what is going on, at first, and he and Spock have to play along as locals during a Klingon occupation, but their hosts are unhappy with their use of violence. Of course their cover is soon blown, and Kor intends to torture and kill the crewmen. But the Organians are highly advanced, not defenseless, and 'help' Kirk and Kor form a peace treaty, however temporary.

This episode had the first appearance of the Klingons, who began looking dramatically different in the late 1970's when the movie series began, and never changed back. The cosmetic differences were never fully explained, but it was acknowledged that they were present, and it is not discussed with outsiders. Several Klingons from this series were later in Deep Space 9, including Kor, but with the later makeup. One book theorized a rebellion of society and that plastic surgery was involved, but this explanation was not considered canon. This episode was very much a Kirk and Spock episode, leaving the rest of the supporting characters out for the hour. They have good chemistry, though, so it was a good episode, with only a few problems. Such as Kirk and Spock talking openly on the street of their ranks and their mission, and that made no sense to me while in disguise. Surely some of the Klingons standing mere feet away would overhear them. And automatic doors on a supposedly base society? Really? The extreme heat tactic was cheesy. But this episode set the stage for forty years of Star Trek history and did it quite effectively. Excellent episode.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
John Colicos as Kor
Jon Abbott as Ayelborne

Quote:
"In the future, you and the Klingons will become fast friends." ~ Ayelborne

Ep. 26 The Devil in the Dark

2008-01-30T16:28:00.000-05:00

A monster is killing off miners, and the Enterprise is sent to investigate. Scanners pick up no life forms. It turns out to be a silicon-based life form, which the ship doesn't suspect or scan for. The Horta, as it calls itself, is just trying to protect its eggs. There was no malice, and Kirk and crew were able to arrange peace between the creature and the miners.

This episode began without the crew, which was unusual. I find it odd that the miners forgive the Horta for the murders so easily, and the Horta to forgive the miners killing her children, but am heartened by the much more positive than expected ending. The creature itself was very hokey, but considering when the episode was made, that can be overlooked. The concept was ahead of the technology available to bring it to life, and how can you fault Star Trek for trying to make it work anyway? It was a good episode, with some interesting ideas.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
Eddie Paskey as Leslie

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Ken Lynch as Vanderberg
Brad Weston as Ed Appel

Quote:
"Please stay out of trouble, Mr. Spock."
"That is always my intention, Captain." ~ Kirk and Spock

Ep. 25 This Side of Paradise

2008-01-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

The Enterprise arrives at a colony expecting the inhabitants to be dead, but instead, they seem quite healthy, although without any animals. Beginning with Spock, the crew soon becomes infected with spores that thrive on the planet's deadly rays, and keep the people healthy. Kirk is strangely unaffected. Kirk realizes that it is because he was angry, angers the others, and of course, all ends happily solved.

I think it would have been more effective to have the love story involve any other crewmen but Spock, but perhaps that's just my opinion. Spock's smile, to me, was not definitive proof of something wrong, since early episodes did tend to let emotion through before it was decided by Roddenberry that Vulcan's didn't allow emotion. This episode did have most of the very minor recurring characters, which was cool. I don't understand how Kirk says he can keep the ship in orbit for months when other episodes, it was mere hours without control. Could it be a power issue? He's smart enough to set a bunch of automatic stuff? Possibly, but seems thin. It was pretty good, but not fantastic, though the Kirk / Spock fight in the transporter room was some great acting. Quick random fact, the shot of Kirk alone on the bridge was used for The Next Generation episode "Relics".

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Michael Barrier as DeSalle
Eddie Paskey as Leslie
Grant Woods as Kelowitz

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Jill Ireland as Leila Kalomi
Frank Overton as Elias Sandoval

Quote:
"No, I don't think so."
"You don't think so what?"
"I don't think so, sir." ~ Spock and a very angry Kirk.

Ep. 24 Space Seed

2008-01-27T18:10:00.000-05:00

The Enterprise finds a sleeper ship, S.S. Botany Bay, from Earth, circa 1990's, containing a race of genetic supermen who are woken up. One of them, Khan tried to take over and destroy the ship. He had help in the form of the ship's historian, with whom he falls in love. After capturing the bridge crew especially, and suffocating Kirk until the crew fall in line, but none do. Khan is eventually defeated because McGivers betrays him, but he forgives her. Khan, who had once ruled about a quarter of the planet Earth, would always be dangerous, so Kirk maroons him and his people a planet, including the historian, after dropping all charges against them. The arrangement suits Khan, having a planet to tame, and they part on amicable terms.

A sequel to this episode was made in the form of a movie, Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan, arguably the best of all the Star Trek movies. While this episode states that the ship came from the Eugenics Wars, Earth's last world war, though later episodes would establish that World War III happened in the mid twenty-first century, decades after the Eugenics Wars. One must assume that perhaps Spock meant that the Eugenics Wars led to the world war. Further confusing the matter, Kirk says that Khan has been asleep for two hundred years, though later dates mentioned would suggest that it has been about three hundred years since the 1990's when this series takes place. On an interesting note, the Eugenics Wars took place about the same time as Desert Storm, and there are two novels that tie together global events of that era, written just a few years ago, that show how a global war could happen without the general population knowing. Very good books. I digress, this was a really cool episode. It was an action sci-fi adventure, and I was very pleased with not only it, but especially the movie sequel. Ricardo is a superior actor. It is interesting how Kirk and Khan both respect each other greatly, even while hating each other. A must watch episode for any Star Trek fan.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Ricardo Montalban as Khan
Madlyn Rhue as Lt. Marla McGivers
Mark Tobin as Joaquin

Quote:
"It would be most effective if you would cut the cartoid artery, just under the left ear." ~ McCoy to Khan as the latter holds a knife to the doctor's throat.

Ep. 23 A Taste of Armageddon

2008-01-27T17:16:00.000-05:00

The Enterprise goes on a diplomatic mission, but is warned away from the planet. Kirk, Spock, and a small landing party beam down anyway, and are told that the Enterprise has been destroyed in their war, fought on computers, and the crew must report to disintegration chambers to die. Kirk refuses, and is locked up. The planet first tries using Kirk's voice to get the crew down, then fires on the ship, then tries to trick the ship into lowering its shields. None of that works, of course, thanks to Scotty, though the ambassador does manage to beam down. On the planet, Kirk escapes, then is recaptured, before freeing himself and destroying the war computer, making the other planet in the battle think that the first one would begin attacking for real, escalating the war.

This was a fantastic episode, don't get me wrong. It was an intriguing, dramatic story with some great acting. Removing the horror of war, war wages indefinitely. Cool concept, beautifully executed. That being said, this episode had more plot holes than just about any other I have seen. Another starship went missing, as one did in the last episode, and the Enterprise finally goes to investigate, though that is not their primary mission. Does Starfleet not care about their missing ships? A century later there was a massive hunt for Voyager, but in this time, they only have a ship check it out if they happen to be in the area? Really? What was up with Spock using telepathy through a wall to convince a guard to come inside? He never did that again that I can remember! That is one handy skill. How come he didn't reuse it? I also don't understand why Spock and Kirk attacked the disintegration chamber instead of sending the security guard they had with them. Why else would security go if not to engage in offensive or defensive procedures? And since when can the Enterprise not use full phaser power with the shields up? That seriously hinders their ability to fight. Weird. Then Fox left the bridge after giving a few orders, in the middle of the crisis. That made no sense. And why did Kirk set out through the base by himself instead of taking Spock and the security guards with him? Not that I have only complaints. Kudos to Scotty, however, figuring out the plan and thwarting it. That was by far the coolest thing he has done so far in the series. Yay for Bones for backing him up. It was thrilling to see the ship without the two main characters still functioning heroically with the third and fourth in command in charge. And overall, as I said before, fantastic episode.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Sean Kenney as DePaul
David L. Ross as Lt. Galloway

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Gene Lyons as Ambassador Fox
David Opatoshu as Anan 7
Barbara Babcock as Mea 3

Quote:
"Sir, there is a multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder." ~ Spock, distracting the guard

Ep. 22 Return of the Archons

2008-01-23T18:35:00.000-05:00

The Enterprise investigates a planet where the starship Archon was last heard from, a century ago. They find a society that worships a computer named 'Landru', based on a leader that died 6,000 years ago. When the townspeople realize that Kirk and the others aren't 'of the body', they ask them if they are Archons. The computer wants to destroy the ship and assimilate its crew to protect its so called perfect society, but of course our guys don't buy it. The computer has the society attack, as they did when the Archon crew showed up before. It's almost like an early type of Borg, but not quite. Sulu, McCoy, and others are brain washed and join 'the body'. Kirk out logics the computer and destroys it, of course. Lindstrom and a team stay behind to help the new society exist without the computer control.

First of all, did it really take a century to send a rescue group? Secondly, when Sulu called for an emergency transport, they sure took their sweet time beaming him up. Third, how is their host who helps them escape not obeying the computer? He is surely of the body, is he not? And if not, how does he survive in the society? I know Reger tried to explain it away, but I didn't buy it. And why was Kirk the one who out smarted the computer, instead of the more obvious choice of Spock? This episode was too far fetched, even for me. I'm sorry, but it ranks on the low end of the spectrum in terms of story quality.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Eddie Paskey as Leslie

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Harry Townes as Reger
Charles Macaulay as Landru
Torin Thatcher as Marphon
Christopher Held as Lindstrom

Quote:
"You'd make a splendid computer, Mr. Spock."
"That is very kind of you, Captain." ~ Kirk & Spock

Ep. 21 Tomorrow is Yesterday

2008-01-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Enterprise gets thrown back in time quite violently by a black star, ending up in the 1960's. They are spotted by the United States Air Force's John Christopher, the pilot up observing the apparent UFO. He is rescued by transporter when the Enterprise locks onto his ship with a tractor beam and accidentally destroys it. Spock realizes that they have to return Christopher because his son, which has yet to be conceived, will be an important man. While covering up their presence, Kirk and Sulu break into an Air Force base to erase tapes of the Enterprise and doctor the wreckage of the jet, another 1960's officer gets beamed up, and Kirk gets captured. Spock and Sulu rescue him, then they slingshot around the sun to fix everything.

Not only is this the first real Star Trek time travel episode (other than that re-live a few days thing), but it actually deals with the realities of time travel by showing how something done can affect the future. It is definitely weird that the Enterprise was traveling within the atmosphere, and the view from the screen doesn't seem to match the shot we saw of it in the sky. Despite this episode being a full two years before the first moon landing, they correctly identified the events at the late 1960's, and that there would be three astronauts. Kudos to their continuity experts. Was the Enterprise really afraid of the jet's missiles, though? I love that the computer malfunctioned and became sultry. Why did they give Christopher a Lieutenant's uniform? There were no civilian clothes aboard? Kirk's fight in the photo room was the funniest, and most unnecessary, fight ever. They sling shoted the sun to travel back, which they do again later in the series. I am confused on how taking Christopher back in time erased his memory, but whatever. This was Mr. Kyle's first episode, who would actually become a true recurring character, appearing many more times. This was a very amusing episode. It really kept my attention.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
John Winston as Mr. Kyle

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Roger Perry as Captain John Christopher
Ed Peck as Colonel Fellini
Hal Lynch as air police sergeant

Quote:
"Now you're sounding like Spock."
"Well, if you're going to get nasty, I'm going to leave." ~ Kirk and McCoy

Ep. 20 The Alternative Factor

2008-01-21T14:12:00.000-05:00

After reality blinks out for a moment, a life form suddenly appears on a planet below. The blink is felt throughout the galaxy, and Starfleet, fearing invasion from an alternate dimension, assigns Kirk to figure it out. The life form, Lazarus, says that he is trying to stop an evil man that destroyed his whole civilization. After each blink, you never know which Lazarus you will get, as the evil man keeps switching places with him. When Kirk slips into the other universe, it appears that the good Lazarus is actually bad and vice versa. Kirk and the good Lazarus plan to trap the bad one, leaving both Lazaruses forever locked in combat outside time and space. It works, of course.

This was one of the first episodes I ever saw, and I never liked this episode much. I now think perhaps it was because it was badly edited to fit a contemporary television hour. Yes, Lazarus's starship looks like the old, saucer UFO, which is a bit silly. The special effects of the blinks are also a bit weird, and that may also have contributed to my negative reaction. But the drama is real, and the acting, as usual, is superior, which is why this show has sustained an unparalleled following over forty years after its original airing. Even Brown, cast in a hurry after the originally cast actor, John Barrymore Jr., didn't show, did a decent job. It was unprofessional of McCoy to refer to a perfectly nice security guard as 'that muscle man' in front of his face. I thought McCoy was nicer than that.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Eddie Paskey as Leslie

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Robert Brown as Lazarus
Janet MacLachlan as Lt. Masters
Richard Derr as Commodore Barstow

Quote:
"Bones, if I had time I'd... laugh." ~ Kirk, at McCoy's apparent joke, which he did not find funny

Ep. 19 Arena

2008-01-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the landing party find a destroyed outpost, and are almost immediately attacked. The alien ship flees, and the landing party beams up and gives chase, discovering that the outpost was a trap, with the goal being to destroy the Enterprise. A mysterious Metron stops both ships cold, deciding to pit the enemy captains in a hand to hand battle to the death instead of allowing the ships to fight in their space. The winner of the battle gets to leave, the loser's ship is destroyed. Once the Gorn talks to Kirk, it is realized that the outpost may have been Gorn territory first, and perhaps Starfleet was in the wrong this time, humanizing the reptilian monster. Eventually, with the crew watching, Kirk makes gun powder, shoots diamonds, and defeats the Gorn, but refuses to kill him, convincing the Metrons to let both ships go, noble to a fault.

This episode established that you can't beam through shields. I was very disappointed that the Gorn's ship was never shown. I'm sure it was for budget reasons, but the Enterprise fought it, for goodness sake! It is episodes like this when you can see why Kirk became the youngest captain in the fleet. He's smart, he's tough, and he always beats the odds. Is that the crippled Captain Pike on the bridge? It is! How did he get better and become a Lieutenant? Is it a conspiracy? The Gorn captain is a memorable character, despite not talking, and that also takes skill, especially because the costume was a bit cheesy. The look on his face (sort of) as the boulder rolled towards him was great. I liked this episode, really. A simple battle of wits and strength testing the hero, Kirk.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grant Woods as Kelowitz
Sean Kenney as Lt. DePaul

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Bobby Clark and Gary Combs as the Gorn
Ted Cassidy as the Gorn voice

Quote:
"We'll either catch them or we'll blow up, Captain." ~ Scotty

Ep. 18 The Squire of Gothos

2008-01-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

Kirk and Sulu disappear off the bridge, and then the Enterprise receives an old style message. It is Trelane! McCoy leads a rescue party unto the inhospitable planet below, which isn't inhospitable anymore. Trelane delights in having guests, wanting to hear about military campaigns from centuries ago, and makes them his own toys. After the crew escapes, Trelane brings them back twice, even hunting Kirk to murder him for sport, until his parents show up to punish him, a clever ending.

In future books, Trelane was (in books, not canon) described as a Q, a valid assumption based on the powers he demonstrates. DeSalle was a navigator in this episode, but would later be an engineer. I do think Kirk made a mistake by not warping out the second he got back on board early in the episode, and then explaining himself later. Of course Trelane got them again when they stayed in orbit for a few minutes. Bones must have been very hungry, eating when no one else did at Trelane's estate. The machine that Trelane used works very much like a holodeck in later Star Treks, which I thought interesting, and I'm not sure why he had it, as he clearly had powers without it. Kudos to Shatner for oogling the yeoman in the old fashioned dress very convincingly. And could Kirk really break a sword with his bare hands? One can only assume that it wasn't a real sword like his other food and such. Overall, this is one of the most fun episodes of the series, made fantastic by the very talented William Campbell, who was also Koloth, a Klingon, in "The Trouble With Tribbles" and the Deep Space 9 episodes "Blood Oath" and "Trials and Tribbleations".

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty / the voice of Trelane's father
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Michael Barrier as Lt. DeSalle

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
William Campbell as Trelane
Richard Carlyle as Lt. Karl Jaeger
Venita Wolf as Yeoman Teresa Ross
Barbara Babcock as the voice of Trelane's mother

Quote:
"There's still not enough sport in just killing me with a sword."
"I know. That'll be quite dull." ~ Kirk and Trelane

Ep. 17 Shore Leave

2008-01-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

Sulu, McCoy, and others are investigating a planet for shore leave, when a white rabbit appears. After Kirk, and then Spock, beam down, they discover that many things imagined come to life. Believing that none of it is real, McCoy lets a knight kill him, and soon after, Martine also dies. Of course, none of it is real, and McCoy and Martine are just fine.

It was a fun episode, a good break after the seriousness of the past three episodes, where Kirk and Spock both had to stand trial. I wish that Kirk and Spock had shown more grief at McCoy's death, but other than that, this episode wasn't all that cheesy, despite the material. Well, and that you could see the chain around the tiger's neck. Not that all cheese is bad, but this one had the potential to be terrible. Luckily, it wasn't. It instead sparked the imagination, and made me wonder why none of them imagined great sexual fantasies, as I would have. Oh, well. Perhaps if it was ever redone for HBO... :) I would love to go there. I'd imagine... Oh, crap! The Stay-puff Marshmellow Man!

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
George Takei as Sulu
Barbara Baldavin as Martine

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Emily Banks as Yeoman Tonia Barrows
Oliver McGowan as Caretaker
Perry Lopez as Lt. Esteban Rodriguez
Bruce Mars as Finnegan
Shirley Bonne as Ruth

Quote:
"Dear girl, I am a doctor. When I peek, it's in the line of duty." ~ McCoy to Barrows, while she is changing

Ep. 16 The Menagerie Parts I & II

2008-01-19T22:56:00.000-05:00

Spock kidnaps his former captain, Pike, who has been seriously wounded, and hijacks the Enterprise to take Pike to Talos IV, an act that will condemn Spock to death. Kirk and Commodore Mendez chase Spock down, and he is forced to slow to pick them up or let them die when their shuttle runs out of power. Spock saves them and surrenders to McCoy for the charge of mutiny, triggering his court martial, but leaves the Enterprise on his automatic program to continue to Talos IV. During Spock's trial he plays a mysterious tape from an unknown source on Talos, showing Pike's mission to the planet years ago, which included a younger Spock serving on the ship. During that mission, Pike was captured as a mate for another human, Vina, by a superior species. They could make Vina look any way they want, and make Pike's fantasies comes true. When it is discovered where the evidence is coming from, Kirk is relieved of command and both Spock and Kirk face the death penalty. Spock is trying to return Pike now that he is an invalid so he can live out the rest of days in happiness. It turned out that Mendez was never on board, and the court martial was merely a distraction until Pike was able to get to the planet, so it all ended happily, without Spock being punished, and Pike living out a fantasy life.

This was the only two part episode of the original series, though it is only listed by one episode number in the episode guide because that was how it was budgeted, due to use of old footage. It is a little odd because Kirk was just tried for court martial in the last episode, and tampered records were involved again. But this episode was so different that it can be forgiven. Not many shows make two completely different pilots, but only Star Trek continued the original pilot canon, in large part because much footage from the original pilot was used in this two parter so that the studio didn't feel that it had thrown away money on the original episode. It was a good thing that Chapel wasn't in this episode because she was playing Number One on Pike's ship and the computer voice, and having a third character might have been chaos. It is interesting that Pike only had about two hundred crew on the Enterprise in his day, when Kirk had over twice that many on the same ship a few years later. It is also weird when Spock smiles, Roddenberry not having decided that Vulcans would not show emotion when he made the original pilot. It was also a bit odd that the fake Mendez was never swayed in Spock's guilt, while the real Mendez, seeing the evidence, absolved Spock. I just wonder if the Pike / Vina happy ending was pre-filmed, or if they tried to recreate it for this episode. It had to have been pre-filmed, as Jeffrey Hunter wasn't available to play Pike again. Whatever. It was good.

Despite some glaring differences, I love the original pilot, and this was a very clever way to use it in the series. When "The Menagerie" was first aired, no one had seen the original pilot, so this would have been very interesting, finding out more of Spock's history. Both hours were compelling, and it was a successful experiment. It is no wonder that many choose this episode as one of the best, and it was released at select movie theaters last year. The framing story was engaging, and the idea of living in an illusion is intriguing.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Hagan Beggs as Mr. Hansen

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Malachi Throne as Commodore Jose Mendez
Sean Kenney as Captain Christopher Pike (injured)
Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike (evidence footage)
Susan Oliver as Vina
Meg Wyllie as The Keeper
Majel Barrett (credited M. Leigh Hudec) as Number One
John Hoyt as Dr. Phillip Boyce
Peter Duryea as Jose Tyler
Laurel Goodwin as Yeoman Colt

Quote:
"Mr. Spock is, um, under arrest. Is confinement to quarters enough?"
"Adequate, Doctor." ~ McCoy and Spock

Ep. 15 Court Martial

2008-01-19T14:55:00.000-05:00

Kirk is put on trial for the death of his old friend Lt. Com. Finney during an ion storm. It was the first time a Starfleet captain ever stood trial. Records and video logs indicate that Kirk lied about the death, but Spock discovers that Finney faked his death and framed Kirk because Kirk once reported him for an error and lost a promotion.

love that Spock figured it out because he could beat the computer at chess. Kirk is anti-book in this episode, though he would later collect old relics, including books, later in his career. Spock refers to himself as half Vulcanian, not Vulcan, as he is called after this episode. Spock and McCoy did a good job defending Kirk on the stand, but it didn't seem like a real, formal court room. It was an interesting episode, even though most of the recurring cast took the week off. I find flaw in the way the trail itself played out, but it was well acted and dramatic enough to hold my interest. The oddest part was the captain's log while Kirk was saving the ship, where he said with luck, he would have time to save the ship. So he stopped to record the log during a time crunch instead of just saving the ship and recording it after? This oddity happens throughout the original series.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Hagan Beggs as Mr. Hansen

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Percy Rodriguez as Commodore Stone
Elisha Cook as Samuel T. Cogley
Joan Marshall as Lt. Areel Shaw
Richard Webb as Ben Finney
Alice Rawlings as Jamie Finney

Quote:
"All of my old friends look like doctors. All of his look like you." ~ McCoy to Areel Shaw, referring to Kirk's tendency to know beautiful women

Ep. 14 The Galileo Seven

2008-01-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and four others crash in a shuttle. Kirk, Sulu, Uhura, and the others search for them without sensors and a two day time limit before the Enterprise has to depart to deliver emergency medical supplies.

This was the first episode to feature the shuttle craft, which was an expensive effect to make, leading to the creation of the transporter as a budget saving story telling device. The transporter does look bigger inside than outside to me, which is weird. It was great to have Scotty and Sulu back after weeks without them. It was Spock's first chance to try command, and there were issues about his cold logic. It really played up his alieness more than anything else so far that happened in the series, and he learned that logic isn't always what is needed. I liked this episode because of the human drama. It also illustrated the friendship between the senior crew members. While Scotty and McCoy may not have agreed with Spock's every decision, they did defend him against Boma's protests. I do wonder at Kirk's smile at the end, though, when he heard that five persons were rescued. For all he knew, the two that perished were his best friends, Spock and McCoy.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grant Woods as Lt. Com. Kelowitz

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Don Marshall as Lt. Boma
John Crawford as Commissioner Ferris
Peter Marko as Lt. Gaetano

Quote:
"You're not going to admit, that for the first time in your life, you committed a purely human emotional act."
"No sir."
"Mr. Spock, you're a stubborn man."
"Yes, sir." ~ Kirk and Spock

Ep. 13 The Conscience of the King

2008-01-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

Kirk's old friend Leighton tricks Kirk into changing his course because he suspects that an actor in a traveling troupe is the infamous Kodos the Executioner, whom they both suffered under twenty years ago. When Leighton is found dead, Kirk takes his suspicions seriously, while falling for Kodos's gorgeous daughter.

It was fun that Riley was featured again, as one of the other survivors of Kodos's massacre, though weird that with 4,000 survivors of the colony, only nine would be alive who saw Kodos, and two would be on the Enterprise. I am glad Spock figured things out, but I though it odd that McCoy only thought that Kirk changed plans for a girl. The best part about the episode was that Shakespeare had made it to the 23rd century, though, which would be brought up again in Star Trek VI. And Uhura sang again. Though it appeared at first to be a simple mystery, there was an intriguing twist or two. Less action, more philosophical. Good episode. This, sadly, was Rand's last appearance.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand
Bruce Hyde as Riley
Eddie Paskey as Leslie

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Arnold Moss as Anton Karidian / Kodos
Barbara Anderson as Lenore Karidian
William Sargent as Dr. Thomas Leighton

Quote:
"Leave? But I only just got here?"
"Me, too."
"But you don't want to overstay your welcome, right?" ~ Lenore and Kirk

Ep. 12 Miri

2008-01-17T17:56:00.000-05:00

The crew finds a duplicate Earth, circa 1960-ish, although everyone appeared to have died off then, which was about three hundred years ago in the time line. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Rand, and their red shirts find a society of children, onlies, afraid of adults, grups, who died off. But how are there still children 300 years later? Because they only age a month every century! Of course the landing party gets sick, and begins to die, too. It was ok.

It was a message episode, about what violence does to us, and what danger lies in playing with science we don't understand. I did think it creepy when Kirk hit on Miri, or so it seemed when he told her she was 'very pretty' and he liked her name. Yes, she was over 300 years old, but physically she was ten. I don't think they intended it to be sexual, but that's how it came across to me, and it turned my stomach. And I still miss Scotty and Sulu.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand
Jim Goodwin as Farrell
David L. Ross as Lt. Galloway

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Kim Darby as Miri
Michael J. Pollard as Jahn

Quote:
"Back on the ship I used to try to get you to look at my legs. Captain, look at my legs." ~ Rand

Ep. 11 Dagger of the Mind

2008-01-17T16:48:00.000-05:00

An apparent insane, violent prisoner named Van Gelder escapes in a box (yes, I know how cheesy it sounds) from a prison onto the Enterprise, but claims he was a doctor at the place, which Dr. Adams readily admits when Kirk returns him. Upon investigating, Kirk gets brainwashed.

I had a real problem with Kirk and Helen testing the machine out on him. Of course Dr. Adams was going to catch them and hurt Kirk! Plus, they saw what happened to Van Gelder. Why play with that? I didn't like Helen much, anyway. Apart from that, it was a fairly boring episode. Nothing extraordinary to report. And I continued to miss the supporting cast. Hope they come back soon.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Morgan Woodward as Dr. Simon Van Gelder
James Gregory as Dr. Tristam Adams
Marianne Hill as Dr. Helen Noel

Quote:
"Interesting. You Earth people glorify organized violence for forty centuries, but you imprison those who employ it privately." ~ Spock to McCoy

Ep. 10 What Are Little Girls Made Of?

2008-01-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Kirk and Chapel go to meet Chapel's fiance, a man named Roger Korby, who captures them and makes a duplicate android of Kirk. Of course, it is discovered that Korby himself, and all of his companions, are also androids.

To be honest, this wasn't my favorite episode. There were some glaring plot holes, at least the way I saw it. For instance, how did Spock know so easily that the android wasn't Kirk, just by one insult? And if Kirk's brain were truly doubled, as Korby said, Kirk chanting the insult during the doubling wouldn't have fooled the android. He would have known what Kirk was doing. It was interesting that William Shatner's then-enormous ego was sated by having two Kirks AGAIN. This was only the ninth episode of Kirk's show, and it was the second he was doubled. I also found in unbelievable how Kirk out-witted the androids, causing them to kill themselves. I certainly didn't see the logic in that, and it just didn't make sense to me. Another inconsistency was the security guard waiting several seconds before pulling his phaser when startled, and even then not pulling it urgently. I didn't even hear a sound from him until he plunged to his death. Shouldn't a trained Starfleet office react quicker, and fight off an attacker? He had just pulled his phaser, albeit very late. He should have been on his guard. I also was amused that in Chapel's second episode of the series, she was featured. Must pay off to sleep with, then marry, the show's creator. I did miss the rest of the supporting cast. Uhura had very little to do, and even McCoy was left out completely. It wasn't a terrible hour of television, it just wasn't one of Star Trek's best.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Majel Barrett as Chapel

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Michael Strong as Dr. Richard Korby
Harry Basch as Dr. Brown
Sherry Jackson as Andrea
Ted Cassidy as Ruk

Quote:
"Mind your own business, Mr. Spock. I'm sick of your half breed interference." ~ Kirk, trying to give his android double a 'tell'

Ep. 9 Balance of Terror

2008-01-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

"Balance of Terror" opened with the first Star Trek wedding. Two officers walked down the aisle to "Here Comes the Bride", until, as would become tradition on Star Trek, an emergency interrupts. The red alert klaxon blares. As it would become a running gag on all incarnations of the show, it's fun to see the first instance. And, of course, one of the couple died shortly before the ending credits. Tears. The rest of the episode was a very serious game of cat and mouse between the crew and the previously unseen by humans Romulans.

It is reminiscent of a number of movies, most involving submarines, where enemy commanders hunt in the dark for a hidden enemy. It also invokes the Cold War, with a long stand off between two powerful enemies. It was a drama-packed, great episode. I did find some bizarre occurrences, though. For instance, everyone knew they were at the Neutral Zone, and so should have familiarized themselves with human-Romulan relations. Yet Spock gave everyone on the ship a lesson over the intercom. Of course Spock (or in The Next Generation Data, etc.) had to give this lesson to the viewer, but the whole crew? Really? If anything, just telling Kirk would have sufficed, though the elementary info he gave should have already been known by the entire crew, especially Kirk. Also, the Enterprise was able to outrun an energy weapon? Really? Just how fast can it go? And lastly, was there enough reaction shot to Mark Lenard's reveal? Yes, I know the crew sees for the first time that Romulans look like Vulcans, but it still felt a bit much. I like to pretend that maybe they all noticed the striking similarity to the Romulan commander and photos they had seen of Spock's father, as they were the same actor, but I doubt it, as Spock's father had yet to appear on the series, and it wasn't mentioned. Still, it was a fun time.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney as Rand
Barbara Baldavin as Ensign Angela Martine

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Mark Lenard as Romulan Commander
John Warburton as Centurion
Paul Comi as Lieutenant Stiles
Stephen Mines as Lieutenant Robert Tomlinson

Quote:
"I hope we won't need your services, Bones."
"Amen to that." ~ Kirk and McCoy

Ep. 8 Charlie X

2008-01-14T23:58:00.000-05:00

The crew take on a young man by the name of Charlie. Soon after he arrives, the ship that transferred him is mysteriously destroyed. Then crew men go missing, and Charlie ends up hijacking the ship with his mind. It's every teen boy's dream, to have ultimate power, but of course, he is not yet mature enough to wield it.

Interesting concept, executed in an interesting way. Notice I don't use the word great or fantastic, but overall, it was a decent episode. Not the top of the list, not the bottom. A memorable scene was Spock and Uhura's duet in the rec room. It was cheesy, but did allow for some crew bonding time, including with Rand, who was very much a featured player in this episode. It makes me wonder how she may have grown had she stayed on the show, and not been kicked off because of her personal issues. This one did have kind of a deus ex machina at the end, but it was necessary to end it well. Both this episode and "Where No Man Has Gone Before", which aired only a few episodes earlier, had similar issues, with Kirk and crew having to defeat a human with super powers, who could fight with their mind. At least this episode ended it a little more believably.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney as Rand

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Robert Walker Jr. as Charles Evans
Patricia McNutty as Yeoman Tina Lawton

Quote:
"If I had the whole universe, I'd give it to you." ~ Charlie to Rand

Ep. 7 The Naked Time

2008-01-13T19:01:00.000-05:00

The crewmen are struck by a disease that makes them drop their inhibitions, then not care and die.

It was Chapel's first appearance, who would be a major recurring character, and even appear in the movies. This episode also introduced the tricorder, a staple of Star Trek technology in every incarnation. The Next Generation had a sequel to this episode. Riley took over the ship and almost destroyed it, but in a twist, he did not die, and came back for at least one more episode and several books. It was a mostly fun episode with an undertone of danger. It did allow Sulu, Chapel, Spock, and others to really stretch their role, and Kirk almost seemed secondary, until he finally caught the disease. This episode was pretty cool, despite the corny ending where they discover time travel and get to live a few days over.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney as Rand
Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel
Bruce Hyde as Kevin Riley

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Stewart Moss as Joe Tormolen

Quote:
"And as for my anatomy being different from yours, I am delighted." ~ Spock

Ep. 6 The Man Trap

2008-01-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

While visiting the planet to drop off supplies where McCoy's ex-girlfriend lives, the crew encounters a vampire who can change appearance and feed on salt.

This episode was cheesy from the outset. From the moment Kirk picked flowers for McCoy to give to his old girlfriend, to McCoy tasting the white substance to see if it was salt instead of scanning it, to the way Dr. Crater walked calmly away while avoiding Kirk and Spock, who were searching for him, to Rand munching on Sulu’s lunch while she carried him a tray, to the screaming flower hand puppet. It doesn’t make the episode less enjoyable, but this episode is a prime example of why the original series is now often considered a bit basic. It was also nice because McCoy and Kirk’s friendship was well established, and McCoy really felt like a principal player, which of course he would be soon enough. The only thing that seems off is how close Kirk and Spock and Kirk and McCoy are, when they don’t talk about a history together so one can only assume that they only met a short time ago from being assigned on the ship. It was cool to see Sulu in the botany lab, reminding us of what he did before he became helmsman. Sulu and Uhura also delivered fantastic performances, cementing their eventual permanence in the cast as well, when the series gave way to films. Also, best fight scene ever in the doctor's quarters, in a corny way.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney as Rand

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Jeanne Bal as Nancy
Alfred Ryder as Professor Crater
Bruce Watson as Green

Quote:
"He's not trying to kill us, he's trying to frighten us, and he's doing a pretty good job." ~ Kirk

Ep. 5 The Enemy Within

2008-01-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

Kirk is split in half by the transporter! Yes, yes, I know that transporter accidents happen on Star Trek all the time, but this was the first one. An 'evil', extra-overacting Kirk is on board. He beats up a technician and tries to rape his yeoman! The 'good' Kirk gradually begins to lose his confidence and slip.

This is what I don't get. The 'evil' Kirk doesn't get more ruthless. He begins evil and stays evil. Why did the 'good' Kirk seem fine, then begin to slip up? If they truly are different aspects of the same man, shouldn't the 'good' Kirk appear weak and indecisive from the beginning? That being said, it was still an intriguing episode that kept me hooked. Having Sulu trapped on the planet was a great hook to build the mounting tension. Uhura sat this one out. Though future episodes would be similar to this plot, this one was first, so it deserves the credit.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Grace Lee Whitney as Rand
Jim Goodwin as Farrell

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
None

Quote:
"Do you think you can find a long rope somewhere and lower us down a pot of coffee?" ~ Sulu

Ep. 4 Mudd's Women

2008-01-04T17:06:00.001-05:00

A small ship tries to avoid the Enterprise, and upon saving the crew, Kirk and company meet Mudd and his three strangely alluring women. Kirk holds a trial to see who his new passengers are, and it soon becomes obvious that Harry is a con man who has pills that make the women desirable to all men they meet.

This episode was a morality play, as most of the original ones were. It was about beauty only being skin deep, and doubly that attitude makes a person beautiful, more than natural looks. It was entertaining, and a new twist on an old tale. Of course Kirk lost the girl because his first and only love was the Enterprise. I liked the way no one in the crew was fooled, and they had to figure things out without help or giant leaps of logic. This episode was extremely well written. This was the first episode where Kirk showed his womenizing skills, winning over one of the girls. It was Harry Mudd's first appearance was in this episode, one of the most popular guest characters in the series. Farrell, like Leslie before him, was introduced as navigator, and would only appear in a handful of episodes before Chekov formally assumed the post in Season 2. Uhura was still in her gold uniform.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Jim Goodwin as Lt. John Farrell

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Roger C. Carmel as Harcourt Fenton Mudd
Gene Dynarski as Ben Childress
Karen Steele as Eve

Quote:
"Ooo, the sound of male ego. Travel halfway across the galaxy, and it's still the same." ~ Eve

Ep. 3 The Corbomite Maneuver

2008-01-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

This episode was where the Enterprise was blocked in space first by a probe, and later by a ship. They are told that they will be destroyed. Kirk tells the alien Balok that the ship contains corbomite, a destructive element that will destroy Balok himself if he attacks Kirk. In the end, Balok is a peaceful alien who was simply testing them, and they become fast friends.

This is one of my favorite episodes because it is brilliantly written. Despite taking place almost completely on the bridge, it doesn't get boring. The drama is compelling, even without seeing the enemy alien until the end. And, of course, it is wonderfully acted. A great episode that could have been dull, pulled off fantastically. It also introducing Dr. McCoy, Uhura, and Yeoman Rand, who were important recurring characters. Sulu was on the bridge, and everyone finally had the right color shirt on, except Uhura, who was in gold, for some reason. My criticism is that Bailey, painted as a younger version of Kirk, leaves at the end of the episode. This marks two episodes in a row that interesting bridge crew members are taken off the show the same episode they are introduced. It also doesn't bode well for any future navigators, as the first two we see only last one episode a piece.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
DeForrest Kelley as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
James Doohan as Scotty
George Takei as Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Rand

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Anthony Call as Lt. David Bailey
Clint Howard as Balok

Quote:
"Has it occurred to you that there's a certain inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about?"
"It gives me emotional security." ~ Spock and Kirk

Ep. 2 Where No Man Has Gone Before

2008-01-02T14:47:00.001-05:00

Although officially listed as Episode 2, this was considered the pilot of the original series, as Episode 1 featured a different crew. This marked the first appearance of Sulu and Scotty, although both were in different colored shirts than they wore for the rest of the series. Sulu actually had a different job, as a department head. It was also Lt. Leslie's first appearance, though he only ended up doing a handful of others credited, which I'll mention, and plenty of others not credited. I won't worry about recurring extras, but this series had its share. Dr. Boyce is CMO instead of McCoy, and Kirk's Yeoman is Smith, not Rand. The plot concerns Kirk's best friend and navigator, Gary Mitchell, given god-like powers, and Kirk is forced to kill him. I can see why this episode, along with a few others, sold the series.

It is intense, personal drama. Kirk has to face the difficult decision of whether to kill Gary or not. My only real criticism is that Kirk actually fistfights the god Mitchell, and catches him by surprise at least twice. This despite the fact that Gary can read minds and has extraordinary powers. I was also sad that Lt. Kelso was killed so soon, as he seemed like an interesting character. And Alden and Boyce disappeared without a trace after this episode. Still, it was a good episode, for a pilot. I wish Spock were in his customary blue shirt, though.

RECURRING CHARACTERS:
James Doohan as Lt. Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
George Takei as Lt. Hikaru Sulu
Eddie Paskey as Mr. Leslie

NOTABLE GUEST STARS:
Gary Lockwood as Gary Mitchell
Paul Carr as Lt. Lee Kelso
Sally Kellerman as Dr. Elizabeth Dehner
Paul Fix as Dr. Mark Piper
Andrea Dromm as Yeoman Smith

Quote:
"Morals are for men, not gods." ~ Mitchell to Dehner

Season One - January 2008

2008-01-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

The first season of Star Trek, this season ran during the 1966 to 1967 season. These episodes are reviewed in official numbered order, as on the DVDs, not by original air date order. Contrary to popular belief, the show began with only two stars, although a third was added in the second year. McCoy was in most of the season, and ingrained himself as one of the three leading men. There were twenty-eight one hour episodes, including "The Corbomite Maneuver", "Mudd's Women", "The Menagerie" (the series' only two parter), "Space Seed", and "The City on the Edge of Forever", some of the best episodes. Gene Roddenberry created the show, wrote many of the stories, and supervised every script through production. Many of the recurring characters, who would become the stars of the movies, were introduced including Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura, as well as Chapel. The captain also had Yeoman Rand as his aide, who was intended to be up with the major recurring characters, but would not be seen again after this season until the movies due to personal issues or budget reasons, depending on your source. A series of actors filled in the navigator chair, which would not find a permanent host until the second season. A number of crewmen such as Riley, Farrell, and Leslie were recurring in this season, but never seen again after, which was a bit sad. This season also had music and plays on the ship, which later disappeared as well.

STARRING:
William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy as Spock