#59 (3-2): The Enterprise Incident

THE PLOT

With no explanation, Capt. Kirk orders the Enterprise across the Neutral Zone into Romulan space. The ship is almost immediately intercepted by three Romulan vessels, now utilizing the more efficient and deadly Klingon design. Kirk and Spock beam aboard to speak with the Romulan commander (Joanne Linville) - to whom Spock confirms that the Enterprise was not acting on orders from Starfleet, but on the irrational orders of Kirk himself.

The commander prepares to turn over control of Enterprise to Spock, to have the ship piloted back to the Romulan home world as her prize. She also has designs on an even more intriguing prize: Spock's loyalty. Which appears tested to its limit when an enraged Kirk assaults him, leading him to instinctively use the Vulcan Death Grip - killing him!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Ham: The first half of the episode makes good use of Shatner's sometimes, ah, enthusiastic acting style. Shatner clearly enjoys playing Kirk as Capt. Queeg, ordering his ship on a self-destructive course, then ranting gloriously and leaving no scenery unchewed. Once the truth of what is going on is made clear, the second half sees him return to his usual, naturalistically decisive command role. Spock is quite right in his ending observation, by the way: the Vulcan/Romulan ears do not suit Kirk.

Spock: Leonard Nimoy regularly has excelled at the job of playing Spock as outwardly unemotional while at the same time letting us know what he feels underneath that shell. Here, he raises his game. While Kirk appears unhinged during the early part of the episode, the script and Nimoy must convey Spock as being within character even as he betrays the captain. It's a difficult balance, one both actor and script pull off well enough. Not well enough to actually fool us, but enough to make a first-time viewer wonder exactly what is going on. Nimoy is even better in the second half, showing Spock genuinely tempted by the commander's various offers, and ultimately regretful as he places his duty once again above his personal desires.

Hot Space Babe of the Week: The scenes between the commander (Joanne Linville) and Spock are easily the episode's most interesting. As she gradually drops her guard, she becomes in many ways the most sympathetic character in the piece. Kirk and Spock are engaged in an espionage mission, actively violating the Romulans' sovereign rights (albeit with good reason). The commander isn't so much the villain as the victim of their machinations. The complex relationship between her and Spock is so fascinating to watch, that I wish there had been further appearances by this character.


THOUGHTS

Season Three is the lousy season, right? By reputation, this was the season when the series took a nosedive in quality, leaving many of its cast and crew actively relieved when the show was canceled.

Four episodes in - one sixth of the way through the season - I have yet to see any sign of this. There has been one so-so but entertaining episode, with good, solid episodes on either side of it.  With The Enterprise Incident, Season Three gets its first "great" episode, easily in the Top 20 of the series' total offerings. Yes yes, I know Spock's Brain is on the horizon. Then again, Season Two had The Apple. As of this point, I honestly don't think Season Three is particularly worse than Season Two.

It is somewhat amusing to reflect that, a full year before joining the regular cast of Mission: Impossible, Leonard Nimoy essentially made a Mission: Impossible episode here. This is the classic M:I formula. The team infiltrate an enemy stronghold, pretend to double-cross each other, then use their enemies' lusts and greeds against them while stealing some secret or other and then making good their escape. The Enterprise Incident benefits from a very tight script, with D. C. Fontana applying both sound structure and her always-superb sense of the characters to really sell this episode.

Given the superb quality of the two TOS Romulan stories, one wonders why the far less interesting Klingons became the series' default villains. The difference in quality between the Romulan shows and the Klingon ones would have had me think that they should have become the iconic baddies. Then again, I suppose mass audiences prefer villains who are "just evil" over villains who are often sympathetic, and who perhaps bring out our heroes' less sympathetic qualities.

Any review of this episode needs to observe that this is the main source of the "Vulcans do not lie" nonsense. This always seemed nonsensical, as any group with such a high level of diplomatic influence (or military, for that matter) must surely be capable of engaging in deception. It's doubly nonsensical when one looks to its application here.  The "can't lie" claim is made in the midst of an episode in which Spock is deceiving the Romulan commander through the entire show, and tells at least two direct lies (that Captain Kirk crossed the Neutral Zone motivated solely by a "craving for glory," and that Kirk is insane) within the first twenty minutes!

Decades later, Enterprise would attempt to reconcile cases in which Vulcans lied with the statement that they don't lie. That this was part of a particularly good Season Four 3-parter made it easy enough to take... but honestly, they needn't have bothered. Any viewing of this episode clearly shows that the Romulan Commander's belief that Vulcans cannot lie is a mistaken one that Spock encourages for the sake of his mission.


Rating: 9/10. A very good episode.

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#44 (2-10): Journey to Babel

THE PLOT

While ferrying diplomats from several races to a conference, Kirk and McCoy are startled to discover that the Vulcan ambassador, Sarek (Mark Lenard), is actually Spock's father. Spock has been estranged from his father since joining Starfleet, a decision his father did not approve of, and it is clear that neither Spock nor Sarek has any intention of attempting to mend fences between them.

Before this can turn into a bad Next Generation episode, Kirk observes a confrontation between Sarek and a Tellarite ambassador, who is strongly opposed to the idea of the Federation admitting a new planet. Shortly afterward, the Tellarite is murdered. All evidence points to Sarek as the murderer, which leads to the revelation that Sarek is suffering from a heart condition. His condition requires surgery and a blood donor. Spock is the only possible candidate.

But when the Enterprise comes under attack from a mysterious ship and Kirk is incapacitated, Spock insists that his responsibilities to the ship will not allow him to assist with the surgery - even if it means that his father will die!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: When he learns of the situation between Spock and Sarek, he does speak in Spock's support. He doesn't meddle in a touchy-feely, Next Generation style way, but he does make it clear to both Sarek and Amanda how valuable Spock has been.  This earns him Amanda's appreciation and a degree of respect from Sarek. After battling with the actual murderer, he feigns recovery from his injuries in order to get Spock to submit to the surgery, not willing to allow Spock's logic and sense of duty to stop him from saving his own father. He also - despite those injuries - keeps control of himself and his ship, using his tactical instincts to outwit a technologically-superior opponent.

Mr. Spock: Obviously, this is a massive Spock episode. We meet his parents here, both of whom would become major recurring characters in the film series a couple of decades later. Spock's relationships with both his father and his mother are firmly established along lines that have remained consistent ever since (even in the newest film), and feel entirely authentic. It helps that Nimoy and Mark Lenard actually seem as though they could be father and son, with Lenard adopting much of Nimoy's bearing and delivery style as Spock to convey Spock's father. Nimoy remains extremely adept at giving us a sense of the emotions Spock feels against his will without actually showing Spock being emotional.  Scenes in which he just stands there, forcing himself not to react, are strikingly powerful.

Dr. McCoy: He is particularly strong when simply being the ship's doctor, striving both to save Sarek's life and to get Spock to agree to help in saving Sarek's life. He also shows concerns at Kirk's injuries, extracting a promise from Kirk that the captain will not be able to fulfill before allowing him to put on his charade of well-being. DeForest Kelly has a unique gift for acting without appearing to actually act, which keeps McCoy feeling authentic. Plus, he finally gets the last word.

Sarek: Mark Lenard's first appearance as Sarek, and he's already fully in command of the role. He brings a palpable sense of dignity, tinged with a certain weariness, and it's easy to see why this one appearance made enough of an impression for the makers of the film series to bring him back in the 1980's. He and Nimoy play particularly well off each other, playing scenes in which what isn't said often comes across more strongly than what actually is spoken. I'm actually a bit surprised that the television series never brought him back - though the slashed budget for Season Three may well have had something to do with that.


THOUGHTS

A major episode for the character of Spock, and an important episode in terms of continuity. If you were to boil classic Star Trek down to ten must-see episodes... You'd have a very hard time doing so, given how many excellent episodes there are, but this would certainly be one of the ten, for continuity reasons alone.

All the better, then, that this is an excellent episode. Much of the credit goes to the cast. The regulars are all on excellent form, and are matched by a strong guest cast. In an episode that, by its very nature, is a spotlight for Spock, both Kirk and McCoy also get excellent material. D. C. Fontana, who has previously shown herself to be adept with both character and plot, expertly juggles both. Her story develops the regulars, provides authentic-feeling guest characters, and does so without sacrificing either pace or suspense.

The makeup for the alien races apparently made this shipbound episode an expensive one, but the expense paid off. It's worth noting that, when the Andorians appeared on Enterprise decades later, their makeup was only very slightly tweaked.  The look and design remained pretty much the same as here. The reason's easy enough - They got it right the first time, and there was no need to change them.

It all ends with a genuinely amusing tag scene, one of only a handful of "comedy tags" that doesn't fall flat.  I have some reservations about the abruptness with which the episode cuts to the assault on Kirk midway through. That aside, this is a terrific episode.


Rating: 9/10.

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#25 (1-24): This Side of Paradise.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise is on a particularly grim mission this time: to catalog the destruction of an Earth colony by deadly solar radiation. However, much to the landing party's surprise, the colonists are alive and well - and in perfect physical health! In fact, Dr. McCoy is startled to find, the colonists are actually in better health than they were when they left, with all physical imperfections healed.

One of the colonists, Leila (Jill Ireland), a previous acquaintance of Spock's, promises to show the first officer the colony's secret. She does - leading him directly to a plant which infects him with alien spores! Spock immediately transforms into a very emotional man.  He laughs freely, ignoring communications from Kirk while declaring his love for Leila. As the spores spread amongst the entire crew, Kirk soon finds himself the only officer not affected. Alone, abandoned by his entire crew, he must find a way to overcome the spores' influence before it's too late!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: As in The Naked Time, we see that Kirk's love of his ship and his iron will can combine to overcome alien influences. Once again, we also see that - contrary to the character's reputation - Kirk is actually a stickler for duty and orders. He insists that the colony must be returned home, to the point of threatening force when the colonists balk. When his crew opposes him, he will not bend. By 30 minutes in, all seems lost for him. The image of the captain sitting alone on the bridge, recording a log entry, at his most hopeless moment is a striking one, and Shatner's performance is very strong throughout.

Spock: This is one of the defining "Spock" episodes. Once he is under the influence of the spores, Spock's emotional, human side comes out. We see him revel in the freedom to laugh and play, to enjoy a beautiful woman, to do and express all the things that his Vulcan control never lets him do. The end - when inevitably, the spores are overcome and Spock's control reasserts itself - strikes a tragic note. It seems clear enough that his feelings for Leila, his appreciation of beauty, his reveling in laughter... These were not created by the spores.  They have been in Spock all along. This is the side of himself that he constantly suppresses.  This taste of paradise, snatched from him by duty, seems likely to haunt him for probably the rest of his life.

Dr. McCoy: DeForest Kelly has great fun playing McCoy under the influence. He lets McCoy's hint of a Southern accent blossom into a full-blooded drawl.  His barely-coherent communicator conversation with Kirk is a comic joy. It may be a touch hammy - but it's good ham, and great fun to watch.

Hot Space Babe of the Week: Jill Ireland invests her usual beauty and touch of class to Leila, Spock's old flame. She and Nimoy display good screen chemistry, and she puts across the character's sense of longing in her scenes with Spock. When she comes face-to-face with the Strict Vulcan Control Spock at the end, after all they have enjoyed throughout the episode, it is impossible not to feel a keen sympathy for both characters.


THOUGHTS

To be honest, this was not an episode I was looking forward to. I recalled this as "one of the boring ones," which as a child viewer it probably was. Watching as an adult, I find it one of the stronger episodes.

All the main actors bring their "A" games, and the exterior filming opens up this sometimes claustrophobic series nicely. There is an enjoyable parallel between the spores in this episode and the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a clear inspiration. Writer D. C. Fontana again shows her understanding of the series' regulars, deftly presenting a Kirk who is a touch more vulnerable and a Spock whose strict self-control - which he sees as his salvation - may actually be his tragedy. At this point, I think Fontana, even more than Roddenberry, is the strongest character writer on this series.


Rating: 8/10.

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