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| Kirk matches wits with Trelane (William Campbell), a powerful alien who sees war as a game. |
Original Air Date: Jan. 12, 1967. Written by: Paul Schneider. Directed by: Don McDougall.
THE PLOT
Kirk and Sulu are abruptly snatched away to the surface of a rogue planet by the apparently omnipotent Trelane (William Campbell). Trelane has studied Earth and has become obsessed with war, though the distance from Earth has left him centuries behind, leading him to believe that Earth society is still as it was in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Kirk first attempts to reason with the alien. When that fails, he determines to escape.
He notes several errors in Trelane's recreations of Earth settings, which shows that their "host" is fallible and relying on a machine to aid him. After destroying Trelane's equipment, Kirk returns to Enterprise to make good his escape. But it turns out that Trelane is more powerful than anticipated... and now the self-styled "Squire of Gothos" is furious at Capt. Kirk!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Kirk: It's clear from the outset that Kirk is less powerful than Trelane. But he trusts his wits, his instincts, and his officers, and he exploits every advantage he is given. He tries reasoning with Trelane. When that doesn't work, he plays along, using his own observations to decide on a course of action. Even when apparently cornered, with Trelane sentencing him to death, he continues to exploit every advantage and technicality. Yes, a deux ex machina is employed at the end - but not until Kirk has figured out Trelane's true nature on his own.
Spock: Though decidedly in a supporting role, he still reasons out several key elements, notably why Trelane's food and wine are so poor. Trelane has based his recreations purely on observation. "He knows all of the Earth forms, but none of their substance." These observations are key to Kirk figuring out his plan of action.
Villain of the Week: William Campbell has a field day as Trelane, the outwardly amiable and high spirited superbeing. He is outgoing and gregarious, but he has a simplistic view of war as something exciting and glorious. He essentially desires to "play war," seeing Kirk and his crew as little more than toys to use in his game. Campbell's performance is almost childlike in the way he veers wildly between moods, from gleeful to petulant to wrathful, and both role and performance are the clear inspiration for the character of Q in the Next Generation series, 20 years later.
THOUGHTS
Another episode dealing with the creation of false, yet substantial images, there are some definite similarities between The Squire of Gothos and Shore Leave, which makes it seem odd that they came so close together in production. Once again, Kirk and his crew encounter superior technology and members of a superior race. Once again, things from Earth history are recreated for their benefit, and once again these very settings are used to create jeopardy. In a lot of respects, this episode is like Shore Leave with a more traditional Trek story structure (and villain).
I don't think it's as good. While watching it, I kept having a vague sense that there's just not enough story to fill 50 minutes. Kirk's "escape" and then return to the planet is pure padding, burning up screen time while accomplishing nothing narratively.
Also, despite the clear superiority of Trelane's powers, there's little tension. His capricious nature should make him potentially terrifying... but the script never really pulls out the stops. If Trelane were to kill a couple of crew members the way a child might use a magnifying glass to fry insects, that would raise the stakes considerably. As it stands, he just manufactures a few illusions and rants a bit. Campbell's performance keeps it enjoyable, but there's no real sense of threat.
I still enjoyed The Squire of Gothos. It's entertaining even with the padding, and it's generally well-directed. Kirk's final confrontation with Trelane results in a particularly good scene, as Kirk first slaps and then scolds the superbeing, and the ending revelation is well-prepared.
But I can't help but feel that, even though I'd rate this as a good episode, it could have been a better one.
Rating: 7/10.
Previous Episode: Shore Leave
Next Episode: Arena
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