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If you haven't read the introduction to see how and why I went about creating the episode guide for The Original Series, you may wish to do so now.

Amok Time -- Air date: 9/16/1967. Written by Theodore Sturgeon. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

Season two kicks off with an episode that can best be described as, well, fun. Spock finds himself at the mercy of the Pon Farr, the intense Vulcan mating cycle that clouds his logic and causes him to lose control of his emotions, eventually requiring him to return home and take a wife. Failure to do so would cause a chemical imbalance that could kill him. Interestingly, Spock is completely non-forthcoming about this problem--it's such an illogical and shameful dilemma that Vulcans cannot bring themselves to openly discuss. "Amok Time" is the type of episode that is a success of attitude and character, and came at a time during the series where the characters were well defined. The plot isn't much to speak of, but it serves its purpose--although the rules of Spock's chemical-emotional overload seem a little bit arbitrary. (How could he be distracted by Kirk's death enough to overcome unconditional biological functions?) A visit to Vulcan, a big fight between Kirk and Spock, and McCoy rigging the game with a clever ploy--it's irresistible stuff. And who could forget the classic moment when Spock finds himself overjoyed to realize that he hadn't actually killed Kirk as he had thought?

Rating:

Who Mourns for Adonais? -- Air date: 9/22/1967. Written by Gilbert Ralston. Directed by Marc Daniels.

The Enterprise is grabbed by a giant "hand" in space and rendered immobile, at which point an entity claiming to be the Greek god Apollo invites Kirk to come down to his planet. Kirk accepts this invitation, lest his ship remain stuck in space for all eternity, and beams down with a landing party. Apollo informs Kirk that he and his crew will become his "children," living on this planet where he can take care of them. When Kirk resists, Apollo's wrath ensues. The premise for this episode is a tad silly, yet somewhat interesting: What if the Greek gods were actually alien beings with powers that gave them god-like status in the human eye? Unfortunately, this bright idea can't save a story overwrought with half-baked exposition and a general tendency for dramatic excess. Scotty's hot-headedness is way overdone, making him look like an idiot. Meanwhile, Shatner's "urgent" performance goes overboard; Apollo's powerful bag-o-tricks turns old very fast; and the love story between Apollo and Lt. Palamas (Leslie Parrish) is just plain bland. Michael Forest as Apollo also chews too much scenery; with that posturing voice, he seems like he belongs in a Shakespeare-in-the-park festival. And the episode grows tiresome with repetitive scenes and dialog. The ending sends the show off nicely with a statement mourning Apollo's plight, which is one of obsolescence, but it can't make up for a lackluster hour.

Rating:

The Changeling -- Air date: 9/29/1967. Written by John Meredyth Lucas. Directed by Marc Daniels.

The crew encounters Nomad, a computerized Earth probe that somehow merged with an alien probe and subsequently launched a mission to "sterilize" (read: destroy) anything that is "imperfect." Nomad has already killed millions. Fortunately, Nomad mistakes Kirk for its creator, a scientist who died hundreds of years ago. This gives Kirk just enough perceived authority over the machine to keep it from destroying the Enterprise and its crew. Nomad and the mystery behind its existence is neat in story terms, and it being on the verge of destroying everything keeps us mindful of the danger. A scene where Spock mind melds with Nomad is interesting (even though I wondered how he could read the thoughts of a computer). But the episode suffers from a few too many unproductive gimmicks: Scotty dying and then undying; Uhura's mind being wiped of all information; and, of course, the cliche where Kirk Outsmarts the Computer [TM] yet again--although this time it seems a little more plausible than in previous episodes. Unfortunately, the ridiculously implausible idea of Uhura's wiped mind being retrained with basic education (she is reading sentences on the level of "See the dog run" at one point in the episode) is more than just a little absurd. The fact that she's on the bridge the next week as if nothing happened is just plain silly.

Rating:

Mirror, Mirror -- Air date: 10/6/1967. Written by Jerome Bixby. Directed by Marc Daniels.

The embodiment of straightforward, downright entertaining TOS is supplied in "Mirror, Mirror," a high-concept outing in which Kirk, Bones, Scotty, and Uhura are beamed into a parallel universe where Starfleet is a barbaric organization in which murder is a common way of advancing in the ranks. The mirror versions of the Enterprise characters are delightfully devious, especially a seriously deceitful Sulu. But what most shines in this episode is the brilliant way it envisions the mirror version of Spock. Aside from looking ultra-cool with a goatee, mirror-Spock's temperament is very much like that of the regular Spock. The way his intelligence and logic allow him to bring a calculated approach to volatile situations makes him every bit as fearsome as any other Starfleet barbarian ... yet he's a man who can be reasoned with when the situation warrants it. Meanwhile, Kirk's approach to his end of the situation shows his ability to venture forward with prudent caution and a clever choice of words--although he gets to work his usual charms on the "captain's woman," Lt. Marlena Moreau (Barbara Luna). The ending highlights Kirk's adamant nature in trying to set things right by human standards--even when he's not in his own universe! Add that to a show where Scotty and Uhura are also effectively used, and you've got a classic.

Rating:

The Apple -- Air date: 10/13/1967. Written by Max Ehrlich. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

While scouting what seems to be a planet of "paradise," the landing party encounters trouble that results in several of Kirk's men (read: red-shirts) being killed. The party subsequently stumbles upon a primitive but peaceful civilization that lives to serve Vaal, a machine worshiped by the planet's inhabitants as a god. Where did Vaal come from and why was he put there? Beats me. "The Apple" doesn't seem to know or care, either. This is a lackluster analysis of a stagnant, naive society whose existence is dictated by a machine. For once, however, Kirk doesn't make this machine blow up by offering it a circular argument; instead he has Scotty open fire on Vaal with the phasers. The only real aspect of any real interest in "The Apple" is the wonderful (but regrettably brief) Spock/McCoy debate on the Prime Directive, proving that Trekkian polemics can be interesting. Other than those few short scenes, the episode is basically a bore. Everything from the ship being put in routine jeopardy to a half-baked theme about physical love, "The Apple" just doesn't work.

Rating:

The Doomsday Machine -- Air date: 10/20/1967. Written by Norman Spinrad. Directed by Marc Daniels.

The Enterprise's sister ship, the USS Constellation, is found severely damaged and adrift in space. The ship's captain, Commodore Matthew Decker (William Windom) is the only person left of his crew, the remainder of which had been beamed down to a nearby planet for safety. Unfortunately, nothing is safe from the unstoppable device roaming the region, which destroys entire planets, consumes the debris, and then moves on to the next planet. The death of Decker's crew has sent him into an insane obsession to destroy the device, even if it means suicide. "The Doomsday Machine" sets the standard for all-out TOS tactical space action, with flawless pacing, a terrific score by Sol Kaplan, and lots of boldness. With Kirk and Scotty trying to make repairs to the Constellation, we have a great conflict aboard the Enterprise, where Decker takes command of the ship while Spock and McCoy are initially powerless to stop him from launching a suicide mission. Spock's calm but firm action in the face of this adversity is an absolute joy to watch unfold. Keeping in tune with the series' social commentary is the low-key allegory on nuclear weapons--which is implicitly present, but never threatens to eclipse the story.

Rating:

Catspaw -- Air date: 10/27/1967. Written by Robert Bloch. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to a planet to investigate the death of a crewman scout who beamed up from the planet, well, dead. What they find is literally a Halloween setting, complete with a ghostly greeting that seems to be straight out of a haunted house parody. Kirk & Co. subsequently locate the missing men from the first landing party--Scotty and Sulu in a catatonic state, under the command of two aliens with a great power of illusion, who have created the whole Halloween setting as a way of learning about humans. The aliens, Korob (Theo Marcuse) and Sylvia (Antoinette Bower), slowly become at odds with each other, as Sylvia finds herself attracted to the sensations and experiences of humans--manifested, of course, through her physical attraction to Kirk. Meanwhile, the most wooden lieutenant in Starfleet (Michael Barrier) has command of the Enterprise, preventing the ship scenes from being particularly interesting. "Catspaw" is a primarily gag-driven episode, with a hit-and-miss track record. Kirk's encounters with Sylvia are moderately interesting. But the episode is fundamentally formulaic, and lives and dies on each piece of its fragmented puzzle. As a lightweight adventure, it's okay; just don't look for much substance.

Rating:

I, Mudd -- Air date: 11/3/1967. Written by Stephen Kandel. Directed by Marc Daniels.

An android commandeers the Enterprise, taking it to a planet inhabited by androids--which is also where the devious Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) now resides. Prohibited from leaving the planet by the androids unless he finds them new subjects to observe, Mudd intends Kirk and his crew to replace him. Unfortunately for Mudd, the androids decide to still prohibit him from leaving, finally forcing Kirk and Mudd to team up in an attempt to escape. "I, Mudd" is a lighthearted comic romp featuring the lively scoundrel in a far more entertaining episode than "Mudd's Women" from season one. Mudd and Kirk's verbal jousts are right on target; Mudd's handy-to-muzzle "wife android" is a funny gag; and an ending where Kirk & Co. engage in ultra-bizarro behavior to overload the androids with illogical slapstick and circular reasoning is amusing through its desire to go for broke. Goofy, yes; believable, not really--but I laughed, and that's the only test probably required in this case.

Rating:

Metamorphosis -- Air date: 11/10/1967. Written by Gene L. Coon. Directed by Ralph Senensky.

A shuttle carrying Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Federation representative Nancy Hedford (Elinor Donahue) is pulled toward a small celestial body by a mysterious entity. Upon landing on the planetoid, the shuttle passengers discover Zefram Cochrane (Glenn Corbett), the inventor of warp drive, who had been presumed dead two centuries earlier. He had somehow been revitalized and kept in an eternal state of youth by the entity, known as the Companion (voice supplied by the frequently utilized Majel Barrett). The episode is another analysis of life, discovery, and understanding in the tradition the classic-themed "The Devil in the Dark." The Companion and Cochrane have an interesting, affectionate relationship that might best be described as mutual co-dependence. Strangely, the episode's most interesting (and in some ways puzzling) notion is Cochrane's reaction when he learns the Companion is actually female. In fact, this reaction prompts us to rethink how love is defined, and even how gender might be defined. Since this lifeform is so utterly different from a human, how does the gender issue even apply? Is Cochrane or any human's love dependent upon the need for another human form? In "Metamorphosis," Cochrane can't come to terms with the Companion's love for him until it merges into one with the body of the dying Nancy Hedford. "Metamorphosis" doesn't know all the answers, but it certainly poses some intelligent and probing questions.

Rating:

Journey to Babel -- Air date: 11/17/1967. Written by D.C. Fontana. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

Spock's parents, Vulcan ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard) and his wife Amanda (Jane Wyatt), board the Enterprise for transport to a conference for Federation consulates. But trouble arises when a heated argument between Sarek and a Tellarite representative forms the basis for the suspicion of Sarek when the Tellarite later turns up dead--by way of an ancient Vulcan method. Meanwhile, the episode scrutinizes Spock and some of his life's choices, which has formed the uneasy rift between him and his father. There are a lot of good uses of characters in "Journey to Babel," which has a plot that seems to go in every direction at once, yet still makes plenty of sense. In addition to the murder mystery, there's a medical emergency when Sarek suffers a heart attack and the only chance for his survival is an experimental surgery requiring a blood transfusion from Spock. Meanwhile, Kirk ends up in sickbay after being attacked by an Andorian. This puts Spock in command, who is forced to delay the transfusion because he must be on the bridge as an alien ship pursues the Enterprise with less-than-friendly intentions. Kirk slyly being a trouper and coming to the bridge to allow Spock to attend to his father is a humorous and very Kirk-like endeavor--especially after the crisis breaks out and Kirk finds he can't go back to sickbay. The murder mystery angle is maybe a bit unnecessary (Sarek is of course absolved), although it connects with the espionage angle involving the alien ship. "Journey to Babel" probably has just a little too much plot, but fortunately this doesn't get in the way of seeing how Spock addresses his duty, his family, and the uneasy balance between his humanity and Vulcan rationality.

Rating:

Friday's Child -- Air date: 12/1/1967. Written by D.C. Fontana. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

Just how much treachery and deception can fit into a single hour of Trek? That seems to be the most useful question to ask of "Friday's Child," an episode full of double-crosses and marginally clever traps and tricks. The plot involves Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (and a soon-to-be-dead red-shirt) beaming down to Capella IV to negotiate a deal for minerals with the warlike tribes living there. The Klingons, however, are also there to negotiate, and the treachery between the Klingons and the Capellas--and even a struggle within the Cappella tribes' own hierarchy--quickly becomes a free-for-all. The landing party escapes imprisonment, but not before the show begins suffering from the fact it seems D.C. Fontana kept randomly inserting "[FIGHT SCENE]" into the script. Meanwhile on the Enterprise, Scotty chases a distress signal from a freighter. The signal turns out to be a Klingon forgery intended to lure the Enterprise away from Capella so the Klingons can thwart the landing party and plunder the minerals, but Scotty discovers the trick in time. The editing technique with the cross-cutting storylines is rather annoying, switching back and forth so frequently that it's hard to care much about either storyline. The episode benefits from some great lines and sarcastic looks from Mr. Spock, and also some chemistry between McCoy and the pregnant Eleen (Julie Newmar), but it's not enough to save an hour so lacking in direction that it becomes a disjointed sum of its parts. What a shame to waste such effective outdoor photography.

Rating:

The Deadly Years -- Air date: 12/8/1967. Written by David P. Harmon. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

While investigating a colony along the Romulan neutral zone, a strange disease infects Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, and Lt. Galway (Gee, who's gonna die?), causing them to rapidly age. Now the race is on to find a cure before the aforementioned crew members all grow old and die. Despite some great makeup effects to make the characters look old, and some standout performances to go along with it, "The Deadly Years" suffers from a total lack of direction and urgency. The episode's main thrust becomes an analysis on Kirk's unwillingness to give up command of his ship when his mental capacity is challenged. But why on Earth, with time to solve the problem so scarce, would Spock allow Commodore Stocker (George Drake) to conduct a competency hearing for Kirk when Spock could simply assume command as an alternative? This competency hearing idea is a sorely misguided attempt at providing "courtroom drama" a la "Court Martial," forcing us to sit through an interminable scene where Kirk is proven incapable of commanding the Enterprise, as characters rehash examples that we witnessed in earlier scenes. Meanwhile, the race to find a cure is curiously suspended until the hearing is over. This subsequently puts Stocker, the most inept commander of all time, in charge of the Enterprise, which he quickly and ineptly pilots into the middle of a Romulan attack. After Bones comes up with a cure (with an all-too-obvious realization), Kirk saves the day in a nice command sequence. But just how is it curing the disease also reverses the permanent effects of aging?

Rating:

Obsession -- Air date: 12/15/1967. Written by Art Wallace. Directed by Ralph Senensky.

Kirk becomes convinced that a gaseous cloud that is killing his landing-party crewmen is an intelligent creature--and the same intelligent creature that killed 200 crew members aboard the USS Farragut, on which Kirk served 11 years earlier. "Obsession" is perfectly titled, showing Kirk at the mercy of his past when he makes the questionable decision of keeping the Enterprise in planetary orbit to search for this creature even while a vital rendezvous with the USS Yorktown has been requested. There's obviously a lot of guilt residing in Kirk's memory of the encounter 11 years ago--which is nicely demonstrated when he levies harsh discipline upon Ensign Garrovick (Stephen Brooks) for hesitating to fire phasers upon seeing the creature. Meanwhile, McCoy and Spock confront the captain for his unexplained decisions in a powerfully executed scene that exemplifies just how well the "big three" work together when the dialog is sharp and performances on target. The plot is tight, the use of all the characters is effective, and the punchy finale and exciting Sol Kaplan score sends the show out just right. But it's the study of Kirk's feelings of that terrible encounter long ago that sets "Obsession" well above average.

Rating:

Wolf in the Fold -- Air date: 12/22/1967. Written by Robert Bloch. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

In a Trek murder mystery of galactic proportions, a series of killings on the hedonistic world Argelius II puts Scotty in the middle when he becomes the prime suspect. Worse yet, he can't even remember if he was responsible for the killings or not--he suffers from blackouts and memory loss at the instant of two of the three killings. As for the third murder ... he's certain it wasn't him--and had noticed a strange presence in the room after, as they say, the lights went out. The search for the truth eventually heads back to the Enterprise, where effective use of lie-detector equipment and extensive computer databases eventually leads to the uncovering of another suspect: the Argelian administrator Hengist (John Fledler). This episode makes for a solid, interesting murder investigation with a few neat twists--including the revelation that the murderer is an alien entity that has jumped from body to body and planet to planet for centuries in its quest to feed upon other people's terror. At one point, the story explains, this presence even manifested itself as Earth's Jack the Ripper. Although the plot is a little on the fantastic side, and Scotty's blackouts are never explained, the story pulls itself together nicely as Kirk and Spock find the vital clues in the database. I must admit, however, that the light-and-chummy ending seems a little out of place in an episode where confronting "ultimate evil" is a major theme.

Rating:

The Trouble With Tribbles -- Air date: 12/29/1967. Written by David Gerrold. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

They sometimes say comedy is harder to pull off than drama, and if that's the case, this episode shows a cast and crew at the top of their form. But what can I say about "The Trouble With Tribbles" that hasn't been said over and over? It's a classic, it's hilarious, it's got unforgettable scenes. There is of course the great western-inspired bar brawl sequence that goes all out. And the scene where Kirk opens the door and thousands of tribbles fall down on him. And a light plot that knows better than to make any real threats. And classic confrontations with the Klingons, including a Klingon officer setting off Scotty by telling him the Enterprise is a garbage scow. But it's the cast interaction here that shows itself as really coming together. It occurred to me after again watching "The Trouble With Tribbles" that the natural chemistry evident in the original Trek cast is truly something special that hasn't been truly matched since. Whether it's Kirk demanding "Who threw the first punch?" or the ending sequence where Kirk gets the runaround when trying to find out where all the tribbles went, the dialog and delivery is at top-notch sharpness. "Tribbles" is perhaps the best, most enjoyable comic piece the franchise has ever put out.

Rating:

The Gamesters of Triskelion -- Air date: 1/5/1968. Written by Margaret Armen. Directed by Gene Nelson.

Kirk, Uhura, and Chekov are kidnapped from the ship and taken to the planet Triskelion, where they are forced to become slaves and engage in arena fights with other captives, much to the amusement of the mysterious "gamesters" who place wagers on the outcomes. "The Gamesters of Triskelion" is the type of Star Trek episode that does nothing for me. Full of the recognizable TOS clichés (prolonged, stylized fight scenes; Kirk getting the girl; a superior lifeform that ultimately forms the basis of the story's moral message; a subplot where Spock pits logic against Bones' emotional outbursts; and so on), the episode exploits for cheap entertainment (and plenty of fight "action") the issue of "slavery" in an overly broad manner as a way to hold up Kirk as the savior of the collective captives. This is the sort of arrogant episode that seems to herald itself as important and profound, but too much is made of too little on the screen. The "superior lifeforms" are implausibly hokey in design and especially in ideology. The use of Spock versus Bones doesn't work either: McCoy is far too quick to challenge Spock for no good reason--and the friction feels entirely illogical and forced as a result. A dull, heavy-handed hour with an ending that clunks with a thud to the floor.

Rating:

A Piece of the Action -- Air date: 1/12/1968. Teleplay by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon. Story by David P. Harmon. Directed by James Komack.

A Prime Directive issue becomes a lively comic piece when the landing party beams down to a planet to correct the social damage inflicted upon the culture, which is based on the Chicago gangsters of the 1920s because of a single book left behind by a Federation starship a century before. Unfortunately, after beaming down, Kirk & Co. constantly find themselves on the business end of several machine guns, in the middle of the war between leading gangsters Bela Oxmyx (Anthony Caruso) and Jojo Krako (Victor Tayback), who both want a supply of Kirk's "heaters" (phasers). The running gag of Kirk and Spock getting guns pulled on them proves quite amusing; every time it looks like they've gained the upper hand, ka-chack--two more goons with guns. Meanwhile, we get to see Kirk and Spock in gangster suits, a hilarious game of "Fizzbin," Spock saying "Check!", and Kirk in full role-playing mode, chewing the scenery in some genuinely funny scenes as he tries to work out everybody's piece of the action. It's an enjoyable gem with sharp dialog and good timing, as well as an undercurrent that still manages to say something relevant about intervening in other societies.

Rating:

The Immunity Syndrome -- Air date: 1/19/1968. Written by Robert Sabaroff. Directed by Joseph Pevney.

The high-concept description would read simply: "Giant amoeba in space!", which pretty much sums it up. Hoping not to become the victims of an 11,000-mile-long single-celled organism as did the Vulcan starship Intrepid, the Enterprise crew attempts to figure out how to escape the organism's dark, mysterious void before being sucked into the protoplasm. Dare I ask just where an 11,000-mile-long space amoeba came from? I don't think I will. Anyway, "The Immunity Syndrome" is well-executed starship-based entertainment. The core of the episode resides in Kirk being forced to choose between sending either Spock or Bones on a suicide shuttlecraft mission to study the organism from the inside, in the hopes of finding a way to destroy it. The engaging rivalry between Spock and McCoy, who both want to go on the mission, is particularly interesting ... it's an episode like this (in which, for example, Bones can't bring himself to wish Spock luck until after he has left the room), that makes the Spock/McCoy relationship so memorable. As always, Sol Kaplan's score makes a big difference in selling the excitement, and Spock's sarcastic edge ("Thank you, Captain McCoy.") boosts the episode on the "pure enjoyment" scale. It's not particularly meaningful, but who said all Trek had to be meaningful?

Rating:

A Private Little War -- Air date: 2/2/1968. Teleplay by Gene Roddenberry. Story by Jud Crucis. Directed by Marc Daniels.

A lot of good work is evident in "A Private Little War," in which a primitive world on which Kirk once studied has experienced a sudden, unnatural advancement in technology. One side has received firearms which they can't possibly have built. A closer survey reveals that the Klingons have delivered weapons to a set of villagers who have opened attack on their neighbors. Kirk comes to the conclusion that arming the other side with equal weaponry may be the only choice to save them from annihilation. Meanwhile, Kirk finds himself under the spell of Nona (Nancy Kovak), who saved Kirk's life and now hopes he will repay her by arming the village with superior weapons. This episode sometimes serves as an explicit Vietnam commentary, going so far as to mention the war specifically when Kirk and McCoy discuss the morality of Kirk's plan for armament. Meanwhile, Spock's life hangs in the balance aboard the Enterprise after having been shot on the planet surface. There are a lot of pieces to this episode--perhaps too many (Nona's bizarre spell coming across as the most unnecessary). The episode sometimes lacks focus, but the implications of the ending are too interesting to be ignored. The eruption of violence provides an indictment of an entire situation that has lost control, where placing blame is merely pointless. Even so, Kirk's actions lack personal consequences and the ending wraps too quickly. The underlying meaning contains intelligence, but the story's pursuit of its questions is shaky.

Rating:

Return to Tomorrow -- Air date: 2/9/1968. Written by John Kingsbridge. Directed by Ralph Senensky.

An alien being named Sargon--who exists as pure energy without a form--invites a small team to beam down to a planet that had been destroyed half a million years earlier. Sargon asks Kirk to volunteer his own and two of his crew members' bodies (Spock and Dr. Mulhall, played by Diana Muldaur), so Sargon, his wife, and an old enemy turned friend (or so we think) can create robot bodies and spread their awesome knowledge to the rest of the galaxy. The episode does a great job of being intriguing until the final act degenerates into a mindless muddle. The plot, initially compelling and with rigid rules, throws all the rules out the window in an inane, arbitrary ending sequence that borders on incoherence. That's too bad, because the aliens' quest is an interesting, often poignant one--as they find their newfound human sensations almost too appealing to relinquish. The villain of the story inhabits Spock's body, giving Nimoy an interesting break from the norm. There's also a speech in the episode that seems to epitomize Trek's sense of adventure, but it's so overplayed with dramatics and Shatner's scenery chewing that it comes off looking self-important and silly. It practically forms the model for every Shatner impression (particularly Kevin Pollack's) that has since been performed. I got a chuckle out of it, although I wasn't supposed to.

Rating:

Patterns of Force -- Air date: 2/16/1968. Written by John Meredyth Lucas. Directed by Vincent McEveety.

Sometimes you have to grant a story a few points and look at the bigger picture. "Patterns of Force"--in which Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to a planet that has modeled itself after Nazi Germany because Starfleet officer John Gill (David Brian) has violated the Prime Directive and intervened--is such an episode. Here's a show where the outcome of an entire planet rests on Kirk and Spock sneaking around a Nazi base and outmaneuvering the bad guys by using some of the oldest tricks in the book of spy movies. The literal use of the Nazis seems a little on the excessive side; I find it hard to swallow that Gill would incorporate the hatred and racism of Nazism (and even so specifically their symbols) in his attempt to create this "efficient" state. Nevertheless, "Patterns" works reasonably as a plot-heavy episode with the underlying cautionary tale of interference and the subsequent need for action, both in opposing evil and in setting mistakes right. As conveyed, it's not incredibly deep, but it's workable.

Rating:

By Any Other Name -- Air date: 2/23/1968. Teleplay by D.C. Fontana and Jerome Bixby. Story by Jerome Bixby. Directed by Marc Daniels.

"By Any Other Name" has a similar theme as "Return to Tomorrow," and is probably more campy throughout. However, it's also more effective overall, because it picks a tone and sticks with it, rather than throwing the book out the window when the end rolls around. The theme is "alien lifeform takes human form and is intrigued by human sensation." Once all but four Enterprise crew members (Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty) are temporarily disabled, this leaves our four heroes with the task of undermining the Kelvans, each with a special trick suited to their personality. Kirk distracts the female Kelvan with the wonders of love. Bones injects his subject with a drug that makes him irritable. Scotty gets his subject drunk through a sequence of amusing drinking scenes. Meanwhile, the leader of the Kelvans watches all his people fall apart while Kirk wooing the female sends him into a rage of jealousy. This is all fairly silly, but the episode knows it's silly. Marc Daniels applies a deft light touch to the material that balances the threat with a keen sense of humor that constantly reminds us not to take any of it too seriously. The end result is surprisingly likable and entertaining--probably better than it has any right to be.

Rating:

The Omega Glory -- Air date: 3/1/1968. Written by Gene Roddenberry. Directed by Vincent McEveety.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a doomed red-shirt beam down to investigate a Prime Directive issue when they believe Captain Tracey (Morgan Woodward) has used his phaser to help a group of people called the "Kohms" in their slaughter of the barbaric "Yangs." Potentially interesting, "The Omega Glory" quickly degenerates into wretched excess, the first of many problems being the extreme to which the insane Tracey takes his treachery against Kirk, even when the rationale for it disappears. This episode is one of the most colossally huge messes I've ever seen on Trek. This is a plot that prompts one to start scanning the screen for the kitchen sink, and specializes in out-and-out incoherence. The attempt to politicize the material proves inept--the Yangs (Yankees) versus the Kohms (Communists) requires a leap of credulous faith I'm not willing to take. The "parallel Earth" arguments are dubious, to say the least, but when it goes so far as to use the American flag and the Constitution as symbols of an alien ideology gone wrong, it becomes preposterously overly patriotic--especially through Kirk's final speech. All meaning is lost in a sea of seemingly random ideas posing as allegory, none of which is slightly believable on one very important level--the story's surface. Gene Roddenberry may be known for many things, but one would hope he's not known for writing "The Omega Glory."

Rating:

The Ultimate Computer -- Air date: 3/8/1968. Teleplay by D.C. Fontana. Story by Laurence N. Wolfe Directed by John Meredyth Lucas.

Starfleet informs Kirk that the Enterprise is to serve as test subject for the new M-5, a groundbreaking advancement in computer technology, designed to make command decisions faster than captains and reduce the number of people required to run a starship. An astute allegory for contemporary automation at the expense of "the little guy," this episode's first few acts are superb, as Kirk finds himself debating whether he's selfish for wanting to keep his job at the expense of technological progress, or if it's a matter of actual danger or principle. A wonderfully acerbic debate between Spock and McCoy about the role of computers is also well conceived, ending in Spock's well-put notion to Kirk, "...but I have no desire to serve under them." Following the M-5's initial success, the scene where another captain calls Kirk "Captain Dunsel" is the episode's best-played and simultaneously funny and painful moment. (In a word, ouch.) Once M-5 runs out of control and hijacks the Enterprise--resisting attempts to be shut down in acts of self-preservation (including murder and eventually full-fledged attacks on other Federation starships), the episode turns to an frightening analysis of M-5's creator, Dr. Richard Daystrom (William Marshall), a man obsessed with outdoing his prior successes, who has created a monster that he has come to regard as a child. Though it pushes a little hard toward the end (Shatner and Marshall going a bit overboard), the story is a compelling one.

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Bread and Circuses -- Air date: 3/15/1968. Written by Gene Roddenberry & Gene L. Coon. Directed by Ralph Senensky.

Looking for the missing crew of a freighter commanded by Captain Merik (William Smithers), the Enterprise landing party beams down to investigate a civilization that is best described as a "20th century Rome." Once there, Kirk, Spock, and Bones are caught and imprisoned, and scheduled to face death if Kirk doesn't agree to turn over the rest of the Enterprise crew for use in their televised, deadly arena games. "Bread and Circuses" is a well-executed but completely by-the-numbers episode of TOS. The show engages most every TOS cliché in the book, including Kirk getting a babe, the Prime Directive being assessed, a planet that is Yet Another Parallel Earth [TM], and the holding of The Big Three hostage, where they must use resourcefulness to escape their impending doom. Most interesting is the good work between Spock and Bones, which wants to ask the question of just which of their personal feelings their acerbic banter arises from. Rhodes Reason makes a good antagonist as Flavius, but given the setting of a conveniently parallel Earth (an overused premise, to be sure) the whole setup is strikingly underutilized beyond its most obvious action sequences.

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Assignment: Earth -- Air date: 3/29/1968. Teleplay by Art Wallace. Story by Gene Roddenberry and Art Wallace. Directed by Marc Daniels.

The Enterprise travels back in time to Earth, 1968, to witness a historic nuclear crisis unfold. But once there, they encounter the mysterious Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) beaming in from another planet, and Kirk must decide whether his presence is a proper aspect of history or an alien threat. Meanwhile, Mr. Seven escapes his holding cell and begins conducting his undercover operation on Earth, centering on the scheduled launch of a nuclear device into orbit. The time-travel motivation is dubious (why in the world would Starfleet risk timeline contamination to research history?), but the story has some good ideas. Unfortunately, the execution is off-kilter, with so much cross-cutting and off-pacing that the show turns choppy. Also, the episode comes across like the spin-off pilot show that it was intended as; at times it's more interested in providing a backdrop to a series that would never come to be than it is in making its story the priority. Robert Lansing is on target as Mr. Seven, but Teri Garr is too annoying and unfunny as his secretary. The plot is reasonably good, but the bottom line is that I felt more like I was watching a good marketing ploy than I was watching good science fiction.

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