#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.

Previous Episode: The Paradise Syndrome
Next Episode: And the Children Shall Lead

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#40 (2-12): The Deadly Years

THE PLOT

A visit to a colony of scientists takes an unexpected turn. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov, and a pretty young lieutenant beam down to find no signs of life. Chekov is terrified when he discovers dead bodies in one building. McCoy determines that the colonists all died of old age... which should be utterly impossible, since none of them were over thirty.  I would say that a colony of scientists - not traditionally a young man's field, at least not in the highest ranks of science - all being under 30 is, if not impossible, then at least unlikely, but whatever. Two survivors are found - a couple who should also be in their twenties, but appear to be quite elderly.

The survivors are beamed up with the landing party, only to die in sickbay soon after. Kirk decides to stay in orbit until his crew can solve the mystery, against the wishes of Commodore Stocker (Charles Drake), who is en route to Starbase 10. Before much progress can be made, McCoy discovers signs of rapid aging among all members of the landing party. All except Chekov, who appears to be mysteriously immune. If the crew cannot reverse the effects, then Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty will all soon die of old age!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: The opening and particularly the closing show us the typically assured, confident, commanding captain. But as the aging affects Kirk, we also get to see a less flattering side to his character. The same edge that makes Kirk an effective commander makes him short-tempered and paranoid as the rapid aging sets in. In the late 1960's, the word "Alzheimer's" did not exist, its symptoms being simply folded into the term "senility." But the aging Kirk shows many of the effects of Alzheimer's disease. He's initially forgetful, then irritable when questioned. He becomes confused and angry, lashing out mindlessly at his friends and undermining his own authority when called upon to give testimony at a competency hearing. It cuts off before Kirk loses his own identity or is reduced to crying out incoherently, and of course it's all reversed by the end. But it's still somewhat chilling to see Kirk reduced to a shadow of himself, and Shatner is very good throughout.

Mr. Spock: Spock ages more slowly than the humans, and so the effects are initially less noticeable. Still, even before the gray powder comes out for his hair, we see Leonard Nimoy altering the pace of his walk and even the pitch of his voice, to let us know that Spock is feeling the effects. Nimoy gets some excellent scenes opposite Shatner in which Spock endures Kirk's irrational ire, first at the captain's perception that Spock has betrayed him to steal his command, then at Kirk's more well-founded fears that Spock isn't taking command and is instead allowing Commodore Stocker to run the ship.

Dr. McCoy: Despite the stress of the aging on his own body, he works tirelessly to try to find the answer. The way in which McCoy and Spock complement each other is shown yet again as Spock comes up with a theory about radiation from a passing comet, which McCoy is able to confirm. Oddly, despite being significantly older than Kirk, McCoy is less affected by the aging.

Chekov: Gets a reasonable role in this episode. As the only member of the landing party not affected, he spends a lot of time being used as a "lab rat" in sickbay, and gets some amusing lines about the blood and fluid samples being taken from him. He obviously is not thrilled with Stocker's command of the ship, particularly when Stocker freezes during a Romulan attack.

Hot Space Babe of the Week: Sarah Marshall is Janet Wallace, an old flame of Kirk's. Yes, another one. From the background we receive, it seems that Janet was more instrumental in calling off their affair than Kirk was. The man she ended up marrying was much older, something Kirk references when Janet becomes noticeably friendlier to him after he begins aging. She works closely with McCoy, and is instrumental in finding a cure for the aging in time for Kirk to swoop in and save the ship from Stocker's incompetence at the finale. I'm not usually one to comment on such things, but her costume is genuinely atrocious. Her performance is also weak, and I'm glad that this is the only time she appears.

Annoying Space Bureaucrat of the Week: Charles Drake is Commodore Stocker, the latest irritating bureaucrat to be a passenger on the Enterprise. Stocker is obsessive about reaching his new post at Starbase 10, almost comically so. It's as if he's afraid if he doesn't get there in record time Starfleet will reconsider and give the job to someone else. Given what we see of him, I can't say that I'd blame them. Though his relieving Kirk of command actually is reasonable under the circumstances, the writers make sure that he looks like an ass while doing so anyway. Then he violates treaty, provoking the Romulans, in order to try to save a little time - and panics when the Romulans attack (as of course they would). Drake does a solid acting job, but I wish Stocker was a little less cartoonish. Stocker is incompetent because the script requires it - a failing in the script, in my opinion.


ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Redshirt count: One. Lt. Galway (Beverly Washburn) ages to death just as the other landing party members are starting to really be affected by the aging. It's a disturbing death, given her incoherent shrieking just before she collapses.


THOUGHTS

Though a step down from episodes such as Mirror, Mirror, Amok Time, and The Doomsday Machine, this is another solid episode in a rather good run. It's interesting, and disturbing, to see our regulars brought low by something as simple as old age. Having Kirk be the most affected raises the dramatic stakes considerably.  Spock is too devoted to duty to bend the rules, thus leaving the way clear for Stocker to put the ship in jeopardy. It is also dramatically effective to see the always confident Kirk so reduced as he is here, and the senility gives Shatner something new to play in a role where he's already sometimes falling back a bit too often on the same few acting tricks.

The rapid-aging disease is an enjoyable MacGuffin, as long as you don't think about it too hard. I do wish the script laid out some rules for the disease. Why is the oldest member of the landing party (McCoy) the least affected of the humans, while the youngest (Galway) is the first to die? Well, obviously it's because we need McCoy to be compus-mentus in order for him to hit upon the solution, while Galway dies because she's an expendable guest character. But it doesn't actually make any sense. One could speculate that the faster metabolism of the younger crew members makes them actually react more to the aging... but then Scotty (the second oldest of the landing party) stumbles in, looking half-dead already, which kills off that theory. The disease, like the warp engines, moves at the speed of plot.

In addition, I didn't really believe that the crew would stand by while Stocker ordered them into the Neutral Zone. Wouldn't such a suicidal (not to mention illegal) act be grounds to remove him from command? Would Stocker himself have risen to the position he holds by being that level of stupid? Even a career paper-pusher would know better than to pilot a ship into the equivalent of a minefield that he knows about. Stocker does this amazingly stupid thing, and the crew lets him do it, simply because the ship needs to be in jeopardy for the climax to work. I can put my brain on hold and accept it... but why should I have to put my brain on hold? Most TOS scripts have managed to be entertaining without that kind of idiot plotting, which makes me a shade less forgiving of it here.

Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Mirror, Mirror
Next Episode: I, Mudd

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#9 (1-14): Balance of Terror

A Romulan captain (Mark Lenard) is caught in
a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the Enterprise.

Original Air Date: Dec. 15, 1966. Written by: Paul Schneider. Directed by: Vincent McEveety.


THE PLOT

Several Earth Outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone are attacked and destroyed, with the Enterprise the only ship in the area ("drink"). Tracking the attacking ship, Kirk begins a careful strategic game of cat-and-mouse with the Romulan vessel.

As Spock notes, he cannot afford to allow the Romulan ship to get back across the Neutral Zone. Such would be seen as a sign of weakness and might potentially invite a larger scale attack. Thus, Kirk and the Romulan captain (Mark Lenard) plan moves and countermoves. If Kirk wins the engagement, the peace will be maintained; if the Romulans win, then a second Earth-Romulan War might well be the result!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: This is probably the most intellectual outing for Kirk yet, and I think it's also William Shatner's sharpest performance to date. Kirk isn't making instinctive last-minute gambles, as in Charlie X and Corbomite Manuever. Here, he is planning and strategizing like a master chess player. He puts the Enterprise on a parallel course with the Romulans, counting on the Romulans reading the Enterprise as an echo. A combination of luck and tactics reveals the weakness in the Romulan weaponry, which Kirk exploits. He has no patience for useless emotionalism or bigotry among his crew members, and he clamps down hard on crew member Stiles (guest star Paul Corni) when both emerge.

Spock: Reacts to Stiles' bigotry largely by ignoring it, even going so far as to agree with Stiles (while ignoring Stiles' implied insult against him) that attacking the Romulan vessel is the only logical course. Recognizes that if the Romulans are related to the Vulcans, then any display of weakness would be fatal.

Villain of the Week: Mark Lenard brings typical dignity and intelligence to the role of the Romulan captain. He's not exactly the "villain," being portrayed in sympathetic terms. He is not happy about his mission, seeing it as politically motivated. He respects Kirk's tactical intelligence, and he sadly observes that in another time and place, the two captains might have been friends. He is nevertheless devoted to his duty. Even though he doesn't agree with his mission, he will do everything in his power to complete it. With he and Kirk frequently anticipating each other's moves, the battle is a near-run race.


THOUGHTS

Famously an adaptation of the classic World War II submarine movie, The Enemy Below, this is also a key episode for Star Trek's mythology. It introduces the Romulans, the Earth/Romulan War, the Neutral Zone, and the Romulans' relationship with the Vulcans. In the scenes on the Romulan ship, we get a clear impression of Romulan society - a peculiar hybrid of the Roman Empire and Stalinist Russia that is ruled over by a Praetor, in which ambitious Senators launch missions for purely political gain, and in which spies (read: Soviet political officers) are assigned to war ships to keep an eye on potentially troublesome military officers. It is a testament to writer Paul Schneider's script that, despite relatively little screen time, and despite this being only one of two TOS episodes in which they properly appear, the Romulans are so vividly created that they ended up becoming a major part of Trek lore.

Beyond its importance to the franchise, Balance of Terror is a flat-out excellent episode. It is action-heavy, with a more militaristic portrayal of life on the Enterprise than has been seen since... well, probably since The Corbomite Maneuver. It is a shame that this properly military portrayal of the Enterprise was not to last, since I think it's well-suited to Shatner's acting strengths.

The script is tightly structured, and the moves of both Kirk and the Romulans are made clear at every stage. This isn't a Nelson-style "get in close and hammer the enemy" engagement. This is a carefully thought-out games of wits with lives as the currency. It has also hardly aged a day, despite a few ropey effects (notably a video effect mapping the Neutral Zone, which looks hilariously tacky).

The best episode of the series yet... though when it opened with a wedding, was there any real doubt as to what would happen to that young couple by the end?


Rating: 10/10

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