THE PLOT
Exploring a planet endangered by an asteroid, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy make two discoveries: a population made up of transplanted Native American tribes, and an obelisk that was clearly left by a civilization far more advanced than the one actually living on the planet. Before they can investigate further, however, Kirk inadverdantly activates the obelisk and disappears. With a vanishing window of opportunity for the Enterprise to deflect the asteroid, Spock and McCoy must leave immediately - leaving Kirk behind.
The Enterprise races to the deflection point, but burns out its power to the point where it cannot deflect the asteroid, and must return to the planet on impulse power - a 2 month long journey. Meanwhile, Kirk stumbles out of the obelisk, with no memory. Observed by two Native American priestesses, Kirk is taken for a god and married to the high priestess. But he wins the emnity of the tribe's medicine chief, who is determined to prove that this interloper is no god!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Ham: "I... AM... KEERRRROOOCK!" The one bit of the episode I actually remembered was Kirk screaming this over and over as the wind machine blew around him. This and other moments (Kirk spreading his arms and grinning as he voice overs how much he's at peace) seem finely calculated to indulge Shatner's hammy qualities, and there is plenty of prime pork and bacon for all. Capt. Beefcake also gets to run around shirtless with high priestess Miramanee... which, since Shatner has put on noticeable weight since Season One, may not really be all that advisable at this point. He isn't quite Denny Crane size yet, but fleshiness and fat wrinkles are definitely starting to creep in.
This is not to say that Shatner's performance is bad. It's over-the-top, but he does seem engaged, and it's rather nice to see Kirk carefree and happy for the bulk of the episode's run. If not for the climax, the events of this episode could have been said to give Kirk an ideal vacation. Even so, he isn't fully free of responsibilities. It takes him very little time to assume a leadership role, and he is seen planning methods of irrigation and food preservation for the village. In any society, Kirk's essential character means that the natural leader in him will come out.
Spock: Mindful of priorities, he abandons the search for Kirk to take the last chance available to deflect the asteroid. He uses every means at his disposal to accomplish this. When he fails, he studies the images of the obelisk, certain that this holds the answer, and hits upon sufficient clues to save the day once he reunites with Kirk. Vulcan Voodoo comes into play when he uses the mind-meld to restore Kirk's memories.
Dr. McCoy: McCoy is torn between friendship for Kirk and responsibilities, giving DeForest Kelly a very strong episode. He flares up at Spock several times during the episode: when Spock abandons the search for Kirk, when Spock pushes the Enterprise too far to try to deflect the asteroid. Given time to reflect, though, he does offer Spock something of an apology, accepting that Spock's "calculated risks" were proper, and acknowledging that "Jim would've done the same." He recognizes that even though Spock won't show it outwardly, the Vulcan is feeling guilt over the results of his decisions, and tries to enforce rest on Spock.
Hot Space Babe of the Week: Sabrina Scharf is Miramanee, the priestess who first sees Kirk come out of the "temple" and proclaims him as a god to the tribe. Inevitably, she falls in love with Kirk. What makes this episode different is that she actually marries Kirk and, late in the episode, tells him, "I bear your child." At this point, every viewer had to see the vultures circling over her head. Scharf's acting is quite adequate. She is also extremely appealing, beautiful in a very natural, even wholesome way. It's not exactly deep characterization, but Miramanee is extremely likable, which gives the ending more impact than it probably should have.
Villain of the Week: Rudy Solari is Salish, the medicine chief who loses both his bride and his status thanks to Kirk's arrival. Hardly surprising that he despises Kirk to such an extent. He is pretty much the typical villainous priest (see anything from Dr. Who's The Aztecs to Road to El Dorado for similar roles), more plot device than rounded character, though the actor does well with what he's given.
THOUGHTS
By all rights, The Paradise Syndrome should be truly godawful. Nevermind that the Enterprise could avoid a lot of trouble by deflecting the asteroid first, then going back to investigate the planet (the logical course, but if they did that, then there'd be no episode). A "Native Americans... in Space!" plot treated in a formulaic manner, with the tribe both idealized "children of nature" who need a White Man to show them such basics as irrigation(!), and also as "savages" who are eager to stone people to death, there is plenty to dislike and/or poke fun at here. And that's even before Shatner cries out, "I AM KEERRROOOCK!" This really should be one of the worst of the series.
So why isn't it?
Some of it can probably be credited to director Jud Taylor. Taylor coaxes fine performances from the guest cast and the regulars. Nimoy and Kelly are on particularly good form, but even Shatner - though he does get hammy - gives a rounded, thoughtful performance. Kirk may bellow at the sky, but he's also as human and sympathetic as we've probably seen him since The City on the Edge of Forever. Taylor knows when to use abrupt cuts, and when to hold shots and let them linger on something as simple as a ceremonial robe or an actor's face.
The script also manages to make the most of a potentially hackneyed situation. A ticking clock is established early on. Even though it will take two months for the asteroid to reach the planet, Spock gives both McCoy and us a clear, easy-to-follow explanation as to why it is vital that Enterprise deflect the asteroid NOW. Each cutaway to the Enterprise raises the stakes. The deflection fails; the ship is out of power; the ship will return to the planet only a few hours ahead of the asteroid. Even once that is established, we see character beats: Spock drives himself to exhaustion trying to decipher the runes on the obeliks, while McCoy attempts to pierce the Vulcan's emotionless exterior to let Spock forgive himself.
Exploring a planet endangered by an asteroid, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy make two discoveries: a population made up of transplanted Native American tribes, and an obelisk that was clearly left by a civilization far more advanced than the one actually living on the planet. Before they can investigate further, however, Kirk inadverdantly activates the obelisk and disappears. With a vanishing window of opportunity for the Enterprise to deflect the asteroid, Spock and McCoy must leave immediately - leaving Kirk behind.
The Enterprise races to the deflection point, but burns out its power to the point where it cannot deflect the asteroid, and must return to the planet on impulse power - a 2 month long journey. Meanwhile, Kirk stumbles out of the obelisk, with no memory. Observed by two Native American priestesses, Kirk is taken for a god and married to the high priestess. But he wins the emnity of the tribe's medicine chief, who is determined to prove that this interloper is no god!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Ham: "I... AM... KEERRRROOOCK!" The one bit of the episode I actually remembered was Kirk screaming this over and over as the wind machine blew around him. This and other moments (Kirk spreading his arms and grinning as he voice overs how much he's at peace) seem finely calculated to indulge Shatner's hammy qualities, and there is plenty of prime pork and bacon for all. Capt. Beefcake also gets to run around shirtless with high priestess Miramanee... which, since Shatner has put on noticeable weight since Season One, may not really be all that advisable at this point. He isn't quite Denny Crane size yet, but fleshiness and fat wrinkles are definitely starting to creep in.
This is not to say that Shatner's performance is bad. It's over-the-top, but he does seem engaged, and it's rather nice to see Kirk carefree and happy for the bulk of the episode's run. If not for the climax, the events of this episode could have been said to give Kirk an ideal vacation. Even so, he isn't fully free of responsibilities. It takes him very little time to assume a leadership role, and he is seen planning methods of irrigation and food preservation for the village. In any society, Kirk's essential character means that the natural leader in him will come out.
Spock: Mindful of priorities, he abandons the search for Kirk to take the last chance available to deflect the asteroid. He uses every means at his disposal to accomplish this. When he fails, he studies the images of the obelisk, certain that this holds the answer, and hits upon sufficient clues to save the day once he reunites with Kirk. Vulcan Voodoo comes into play when he uses the mind-meld to restore Kirk's memories.
Dr. McCoy: McCoy is torn between friendship for Kirk and responsibilities, giving DeForest Kelly a very strong episode. He flares up at Spock several times during the episode: when Spock abandons the search for Kirk, when Spock pushes the Enterprise too far to try to deflect the asteroid. Given time to reflect, though, he does offer Spock something of an apology, accepting that Spock's "calculated risks" were proper, and acknowledging that "Jim would've done the same." He recognizes that even though Spock won't show it outwardly, the Vulcan is feeling guilt over the results of his decisions, and tries to enforce rest on Spock.
Hot Space Babe of the Week: Sabrina Scharf is Miramanee, the priestess who first sees Kirk come out of the "temple" and proclaims him as a god to the tribe. Inevitably, she falls in love with Kirk. What makes this episode different is that she actually marries Kirk and, late in the episode, tells him, "I bear your child." At this point, every viewer had to see the vultures circling over her head. Scharf's acting is quite adequate. She is also extremely appealing, beautiful in a very natural, even wholesome way. It's not exactly deep characterization, but Miramanee is extremely likable, which gives the ending more impact than it probably should have.
Villain of the Week: Rudy Solari is Salish, the medicine chief who loses both his bride and his status thanks to Kirk's arrival. Hardly surprising that he despises Kirk to such an extent. He is pretty much the typical villainous priest (see anything from Dr. Who's The Aztecs to Road to El Dorado for similar roles), more plot device than rounded character, though the actor does well with what he's given.
THOUGHTS
By all rights, The Paradise Syndrome should be truly godawful. Nevermind that the Enterprise could avoid a lot of trouble by deflecting the asteroid first, then going back to investigate the planet (the logical course, but if they did that, then there'd be no episode). A "Native Americans... in Space!" plot treated in a formulaic manner, with the tribe both idealized "children of nature" who need a White Man to show them such basics as irrigation(!), and also as "savages" who are eager to stone people to death, there is plenty to dislike and/or poke fun at here. And that's even before Shatner cries out, "I AM KEERRROOOCK!" This really should be one of the worst of the series.
So why isn't it?
Some of it can probably be credited to director Jud Taylor. Taylor coaxes fine performances from the guest cast and the regulars. Nimoy and Kelly are on particularly good form, but even Shatner - though he does get hammy - gives a rounded, thoughtful performance. Kirk may bellow at the sky, but he's also as human and sympathetic as we've probably seen him since The City on the Edge of Forever. Taylor knows when to use abrupt cuts, and when to hold shots and let them linger on something as simple as a ceremonial robe or an actor's face.
The script also manages to make the most of a potentially hackneyed situation. A ticking clock is established early on. Even though it will take two months for the asteroid to reach the planet, Spock gives both McCoy and us a clear, easy-to-follow explanation as to why it is vital that Enterprise deflect the asteroid NOW. Each cutaway to the Enterprise raises the stakes. The deflection fails; the ship is out of power; the ship will return to the planet only a few hours ahead of the asteroid. Even once that is established, we see character beats: Spock drives himself to exhaustion trying to decipher the runes on the obeliks, while McCoy attempts to pierce the Vulcan's emotionless exterior to let Spock forgive himself.
Compare with The Gamesters of Triskelion, another episode structured around Kirk separated from Enterprise (and from the same writer, no less). In that episode, the cuts back to Spock and McCoy just more or less repeated the same scene ad nauseum. Here, each cut back to Enterprise gives us something new - and more to the point, something interesting.
The heart of the episode, however, lies in the scenes between Kirk and Miramanee. Though Miramanee is a fairly thin character, Scharf is extraordinarily appealing, and she and Shatner play well off each other. As a couple, they feel convincing in this setting, even though it's clear that had Miramanee lived, the relationship could not have survived Kirk's returning memory. There's an easy, carefree sensuality to the scenes of the two of them "at play in the fields of the Lord," if you will, that is effortlessly enjoyable.
My brain may say that this episode should suck. But a story's success lies not with what it's about, but how it's about that. Margaret Armen's script brings life, compassion, and intelligent story structure that rises above the hackneyed nature of the story, and Jud Taylor's direction complements it superbly. By all rights, this should be bad. But it isn't; in fact, it's probably the best of the third season so far.
Rating: 8/10.
Previous Episode: Elaan of Troyius
Next Episode: The Enterprise Incident
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