Star Trek: The Original Series
"Court Martial"
Air date: 2/2/1967
Teleplay by Don M. Mankiewicz and Steven W. Carabatsos
Story by Don M. Mankiewicz
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
In an episode of Trek courtroom drama, Kirk is accused of negligence in the death of Lt. Cmdr. Ben Finney and subsequently burdened with becoming the first Starfleet captain to face a court-martial proceeding.
This episode is a bit of a mixed bag, benefiting from some very nicely staged and acted courtroom scenes, including the use of Elisha Cook Jr. as Kirk's interesting defense lawyer Samuel T. Cogley. Watching Kirk in 100 percent "Kirk mode" (as only Shatner could play him) is entertaining, as he demands the court martial when Commodore Stone (Percy Rodriguez) recommends Kirk resign his commission to avoid bringing humiliation upon himself and the uniform. Working against the episode is the concept of why this court martial is taking place in the first place. I find it a little hard to believe that the death of an officer in this particular instance would be so much different in presumed fault than the average "red-shirt" death—at least not to the degree of perjury accusations.
I also find it hard to believe that the excessively crazy Finney (an over-the-top Richard Webb), as it turns out, staged his own death and rigged the whole episode to gain some sort of elaborate revenge upon Kirk. Too bad—it's an enjoyable view; it just doesn't bear much motivational scrutiny.
Previous episode: Tomorrow Is Yesterday
Next episode: The Return of the Archons
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61 comments on this post
Tue, Jul 24, 2012, 1:31am (UTC -5)
Both Spock and McCoy are known to criticize Kirk's decisions frequently, but when someone else tries, they close ranks and step in front of him. That's because they have earned the right, both as proven senior officers and proven friends, to hold mirrors up to Kirk--precisely BECAUSE they respect him so much. They aren't about to let others, even an impersonal system, get away with it.
However, I didn't quite get why Spock beating the computer at chess was the golden piece of evidence. How did it indicate that the computer's program banks were tampered with? Did Finney stop to alter the chess program when he altered the tapes?
Wed, Mar 19, 2014, 9:53am (UTC -5)
Thu, Apr 3, 2014, 10:14pm (UTC -5)
3+ STARS 4 me
Mon, Sep 8, 2014, 11:36pm (UTC -5)
There was a structure behind it all, and we got a brief glimpse at that.
Mon, Dec 1, 2014, 11:01am (UTC -5)
I also enjoyed the fact that the "white noise maker/silencer" is just a microphone. :p Also, that the heartbeats are amplified, but no other bodily organ/process is. We should be hearing a deafening whirr of the computer's instruments, and loud burbles of gas moving through several colons. :D
80 years later on the Enterprise D, all they'd have had to do was ask the computer, "Where is Lt. Cmdr. Finney?" or that didn't work, scan the ship for life signs and pinpoint his location that way.
And you've got a point, Jammer, about why in the heck this particular officer death would be suspect at all. I guess it's because it happened on-ship, not on an alien world or due to any alien/viral influence, and because the computer logs quickly put Kirk's remembrance of the situation into question.
Tue, Aug 16, 2016, 9:47am (UTC -5)
Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 11:41pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Feb 6, 2017, 3:44pm (UTC -5)
It's an interesting episode but where it mostly falters for me is the lack of rigor around the trial -- I can see lawyers shaking their heads at it. The heartbeats thing is a bit ridiculous, surely nobody can hide aboard the Enterprise. The decaying orbit part where the Commodore says he won't beam off the ship because the trial is ongoing makes no sense -- Finney's already been found, so Kirk's innocent.
Finney's gone bananas -- he's suicidal hiding aboard the Enterprise after he means for it to be destroyed and thus truly exact revenge against Kirk. But in the end he tells Kirk how to undo his sabotage because Kirk tells him his daughter is on board (without proof - we didn't actually see her on board).
Anyhow, too many inconsistencies that ruin an excellent premise (won't be the first time for a Trek TOS episode).
Overall for me 2.5/4 stars -- good, creative idea but a few holes in the plot.
Mon, Feb 6, 2017, 5:28pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Feb 15, 2017, 8:18pm (UTC -5)
.......the actor that played Finney turns up in the noir classic "Out of the Past"......
.......Joan Marshall was lovely.......in a brief (and great) hollywood season, she with Hal Ashby were noted L.A. demimondains.......her fictionalized personal life formed the basis of the script for "Shampoo".......which reputedly pissed her off.......
Don't get me started on Elisha Cook.......love that guy.......
Top rating
Tue, Mar 7, 2017, 2:23pm (UTC -5)
Kirk's old "buddies" clearly resent the meteoric rise of their 35 year-old classmate.
Favorite lines: Dr. McCoy to Areel Shaw: "All of my old friends look like doctors. All of his look like you"
The death of a crewman not at the hands of the enemy would probably automatically require a review.
The Enterprise log extract was worth many listens on my open reel tape deck.
Certainly Ben Finney had to have everything prepared well ahead of his Ion Pod duty and would have very little ability to finesse the computer logs afterward. A well-thought out plot has a way of holding a tightly-wound obsessive together. Finney's substitute files might have dated from month's before and include Spock's old programming. Spock's chess test was improbable but entertaining. So was the "White Sound Device" and — The idea that a starship that was being repaired at the Starbase would be in a decaying orbit and out of reach of the space station was both outrageous and nearly unnoticed by a 12 year old me.
Mon, Aug 21, 2017, 8:19pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 10:53am (UTC -5)
Victor, that's the warp core lock nut hexagonal calibtration device :-)
Sun, Oct 1, 2017, 8:53pm (UTC -5)
Elisha Cook is always great and his eccentric Luddite lawyer is fun to watch. The dramatic conflict of Kirk doubling down against the computer record is fun to watch as the case builds against him. The sudden appearance after the tense heartbeat scene of Finney, crazed with jealousy, is riveting to watch with Richard Webb's full-bore scenery chewing. The ex-flame prosecuting Kirk is a strong character whose sense of fairness toward a former boyfriend surpasses personal considerations, making her little kiss with Kirk at the very end especially delightful when the camera cuts back from their soft-focus closeup to reveal the amused reaction of Uhura and the others. And I love the way McCoy and Spock circle the wagons around Kirk in the trial scenes.
I do think TNG, as it often did with TOS episodes in its first two seasons, cribbed from this one when it staged the brilliant "Measure of a Man" in Season 2 -- the JAG lawyer ex-girlfriend of Picard (rather strange for his character as opposed to Kirk) and man versus machine theme in "Measure" found their inspiration in this one. While "Measure" is probably a better episode because it is deeper, meriting four stars for its philosophical exploration of what makes a person a person, "Court Martial" is still a richly satisfying character study. I love the chess scene with Spock, the sharply drawn characters, and the very 1960s effort (albeit done better on "Ultimate Computer," I think) to defend human rights against mechanization adds a shade of thoughtfulness to this one.
As for the accidental death of Lt. Commander Finney raising eyebrows, it didn't shock me. First of all, he's a high-ranking officer on the ship, unlike a security guard killed in action by hostiles. Second of all, and more importantly, let's remember that his death appears to be a routine matter (Kirk and Stone begin the episode mourning his death while filling out paperwork, but without any hint of a court martial) until the computer contradicts Kirk. The court martial occurs not because a man died, but because of the suspicion that his CO is lying to cover up a big mistake, and that's always a big deal in the military. In a lot of ways, this plot is similar to the movie "A Few Good Men," where the questionable circumstances surrounding a soldier's death (and the issue is that Finney should not have died in such a situation had Kirk been acting correctly) cause trial proceedings: "Did you order the Code Red?!"
So yeah, I like this one too, and I think Jammer is a bit too hard on it. I especially like how it gives us a darker look at Starfleet: People still get jealous and seek revenge in the 23rd century, still hold grudges, and still lose their marbles in the encounter of human nature with incredible (especially in the future) stressors. The tragedy of Finney, who never moves past his mistake and is tellingly wearing captain's braids in his final showdown with Kirk, rings true to me -- there are many people like him.
Sun, Oct 1, 2017, 9:16pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Nov 1, 2017, 6:08am (UTC -5)
Ironically, TNG's great courtroom episode (Measure of a Man), put forth a message opposite to TOS' "Court Martial". While TOS finds man triumphing against machine, TNG essentially gives them civil rights.
Mon, Dec 11, 2017, 4:35am (UTC -5)
Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 5:31pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Mar 24, 2018, 2:52pm (UTC -5)
Mon, May 7, 2018, 9:11pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Aug 3, 2018, 1:58pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 7:58pm (UTC -5)
Arithmetic was apparently not the writer's strong suit.
Wed, Apr 3, 2019, 8:33pm (UTC -5)
So far, it's been more fun than I thought it would be, though I have gone from being retired to recently re-entering the workforce, so I have lot less time I'm afraid my comments are likely to be a lot more perfunctory - for that reason, and also because . . . it's TOS.
I liked this one. The mandatory "sexy lady who's into Kirk" did make an appearance, but she was interesting and intelligent and a lawyer! Yay!
The plot moved along at a good pace and held my interest. Of course I knew that Jim wasn't guilty, but I thought the mystery was handled well.
I wonder what Ben's plan was for after Jim was convicted? Sneak off the Enterprise and begin a new career?
Anyhow, a good ep.
Sun, Apr 7, 2019, 8:16am (UTC -5)
Well, we'll never learn what exactly an 'ion pod' is and does, and why the third button from the top on the captain's chair just casually ejects a - hilariously specific - part of the ship, potentially killing the person in there. However, I agree with Trekfan that this is actually a good thing, having us accept the futuristic technology as a plot device and getting on with the story.
What about Jamie though? Not only is she conveniently present on the ship in the end as someone wrote above, but why is she on that starbase in the first place? Also, Cogley seems to get his initial suspicion from her reaction, so is she in on the thing? I don't get it.
Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 5:35pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Oct 30, 2019, 8:01am (UTC -5)
Wed, Nov 13, 2019, 5:59am (UTC -5)
PS. That giant wrench in the end was hilarious.
Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 11:42am (UTC -5)
I love how Kirk commands a room no matter where it is. When he walked into the bar on the star base and didn't shrink away even when things got uncomfortable, that set Kirk apart from other starship captains. I think that's a testament to the character but also the actor. Not everyone can pull that off.
And when Kirk initially recounted to Portmaster Stone what happened on the bridge, did anyone else notice that he showed a command presence even when he's just answering questions? That's pure Shatner!
Wed, Apr 29, 2020, 10:00am (UTC -5)
It's "Courts-Martial"
Wed, Apr 29, 2020, 7:52pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 10:18am (UTC -5)
One shining point that deserves praise comes from Samuel T. Cogley's main argument. His speech about a person's rights to face their accuser was spot on. The position has become more relevant in modern times since today we have similar computerized accusers like red light cameras which are hotly contested on the same grounds presented for the Computer in this episode. Still, I could do without the rambling name dropping of Moses and Aristotle at the trial (without even quoting them).
Jason R. wrote:
"I am shocked no lawyer has commented on the ludicrousness of an old romantic flame being selected as the prosecutor and not stepping down. Sliiiiiight conflict of interest!!"
Yes, that part's nutty and I'll add that it's dubious Kirk would take the stand at a trial for his own criminal negligence. I know it doesn't make for good tv, but shouldn't the defense attorney be saying what Kirk said? DS9 at least gave a nod to a Fifth Amendment-like law in its courtroom episode (Worf was just a Gomer and waived his rights).
All-in-all, the basic structure of this show is sound and as someone mentioned above "The Measure of a Man" riffs on some of the same character beats. I'll give this 2 stars for that and the intriguing legal argument.
Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 10:30am (UTC -5)
Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 11:49am (UTC -5)
But I never really stop being distracted by elements of the trial that seem strange, as Chrome mentions, nor the way in which the camera angle of the internal recording changes dramatically from moment to moment in the playback for the court, nor the way in which Kirk suggests that they will enhance the audio recorder "on the order of one to the fourth power," nor the whole premise that the audio recorder can hear everything on the ship but only is playing back heartbeats and not the loud dialogue the characters are engaging in, and so on. This stuff I just mentioned is all material that genuinely does not matter for the episode's big ideas; to enjoy this episode I should become the ship's audio sensor and automatically, without explanation, filter out all the noise but the beating, passionate heart of the show. I'm better at that now and the episode does have an impressive heart, but I still find the other noises very distracting.
Sun, Jul 19, 2020, 3:20am (UTC -5)
Wed, Oct 7, 2020, 2:40pm (UTC -5)
Anyhow, on it’s own this is an alright episode but I really enjoy it in context, particularly in light of Data and the Doctor. For me, as a biology graduate and someone interested in philosophy, the idea that a robot of any sort is life, let alone a sentient person is profoundly unsatisfactory, they are well designed copies — my sister in law is allergic is shellfish and so when I had them over for dinner the other day used surimi, imitation crab. I think that if I hadn’t prepared it and didn’t t know the truth I would think that it was real, does that mean that surimi *is* crab?
Wed, Nov 18, 2020, 11:50pm (UTC -5)
This WAS an enjoyable episode! I too liked how Spock and Bones defended Kirk.
@Strider: Yes, Spock and Bones criticize Kirk frequently, but they never accused him of vindictiveness (to the point of murder), or of panic.
Was this Jimmy Doohan's day off? Why wasn't he the one to fix the engines at the end? (Well, I guess all of Engineering was beamed away, but still!)
I just wish there was a scene of Kirk's old academy classmates apologising for the cold reception they gave him earlier!
Sat, Nov 21, 2020, 5:26am (UTC -5)
Star Trek season 1 episode 20
"All of my old friends look like doctors. All of his look like you.”
- Bones
3 stars (out of 4)
“Court Martial” is the ur-text for all great Star Trek courtroom dramas over the next half century. From the most famous, “Measure of a Man” in which the JAG officer is Picard’s old flame and there is even a bar scene reminiscent of this week’s episode, to the extradition of Jadzia in “Dax”, to the asylum hearing for the Q known as Quinn conducted by Captain Janeway in “Death Wish", to half-a-dozen more - not least of which is my favorite Star Trek episode of all time, “The Drumhead”. They all start here.
Today the world is awash in legal dramas, from Law & Order, to the nightly news. And it’s been that way for a while. I remember being riveted in college by the impeachment hearings that were taking place in parallel with the last season of DS9.
I see a few people objecting to the form of the proceedings. It’s a TV show - medical research that would ordinarily take a year or more is wrapped up in a single episode; various legal proceedings that would ordinarily take place over 3 or 4 years, are handled - as they are on Law & Order - in under 30 minutes. No one wants to watch armies of lawyers pour over hundreds of thousands of records for months on end. I mean, if you do, you can watch “Michael Clayton”. It did very well at the oscars. George Clooney at his peak.
So what make’s the Star Trek genre of courtroom dramas unique? Here’s what the great orator Samuel T. Cogley, second only to Cato (I kid, or do I?) had to say:
COGLEY: Now I've got something human to talk about. Rights, sir, human rights. The Bible, the Code of Hammurabi and of Justinian, Magna Carta, the Constitution of the United States, Fundamental Declarations of the Martian colonies, the Statutes of Alpha Three. Gentlemen, these documents all speak of rights. Rights of the accused to a trial by his peers, to be represented by counsel, the rights of cross-examination, but most importantly, the right to be confronted by the witnesses against him, a right to which my client has been denied.
Star Trek, from the very beginning, treats your day in court as a right. It is not something to be avoided. It is something to be embraced. When, a few weeks ago, Spock needed some way to distract the Captain on the journey to Talos, he chose to undergo a Court Martial. When Commodore Stone offers to make a deal with Kirk so Kirk can avoid the ignominy of being the first Starship captain ever to face Court Martial, Kirk utters those iconic lines:
STONE: It's in the transcript, and computer transcripts don't lie. I'm telling you, Captain, either you accept a permanent ground assignment, or the whole disciplinary weight of Starfleet command is going to land right on your neck.
KIRK: So that's the way we do it now? Sweep it under the rug, and me along with it? Not on your life. I intend to fight.
STONE: Then you draw a general court.
KIRK: Draw it? I demand it. And right now, Commodore Stone. Right now.
Draw it? I demand it! I jumped out of my seat cheering for Kirk when I watched the episode last night.
Watch the scene yourself.
https://youtu.be/uM2u1L-F7D8
Tell me that doesn’t raise the hairs on the back of your neck?!
In Star Trek, there is an abiding faith in the process.
That faith begins with “Court Martial,” and over the decades, we see that faith kept time and time again.
When Wesley’s classmate dies in an accident in “First Duty,” the whole crew jumps at the chance for an inquiry - surely the truth will come out. And it does. And truth and justice prevail.
When Bashir is found to be a genetic augment, Sisko goes to Rear Admiral Bennett, the Judge Advocate General, and Admiral Bennett comes up with a very fair solution that allows Bashir to continue to serve in Star Fleet. Truth and Justice prevail.
Again and again and again, for more than 50 years, Star Trek has stood by the principles of due process, open justice, and transparency. Adversarial yes - but undertaken by all sides in good faith and with honor.
Yes honor.
Even when the Klingons send a lawyer to seek the extradition of Worf in "Rules of Engagement”, at a time when the klingons and the Federation are no longer allies, even then, the Klingons have absolute faith in the fairness of Federation Justice.
Because Star Fleet does its best to come to the right answer no matter the cost.
Picard makes the decision to give away the grandson of a Starfleet Admiral to an alien race in the highly under-rated episode “Suddenly Human", because justice demands it. Imagine the career consequences of that kind of decision - against the brass - in a system that didn’t put paramount importance on justice?
The bright and shiny future of Star Trek is not aspirational just because of faster than light travel, or holodecks, or transporters, or replicators. Not merely because poverty has been eliminated, or that men satisfy ambition through constructive service instead of divisive competition. The bedrock of that society - the system that resolves disputes and secures the rights of individuals, including the rights of Starship Captains like Kirk in “Court Martial” or Picard in “Drumhead", that legal system in Star Trek… works.
Isn’t that amazing!
Tue, Dec 1, 2020, 7:11pm (UTC -5)
Because, of course, the two are mutually exclusive.
Ah, the 1960s!
Sun, Dec 13, 2020, 3:59pm (UTC -5)
So many headaches.
* McCoy’s dramatic microphone thing, then Spock doing the transporter room guy. All with Kirk directing. In a court proceeding, I would suspect they were pulling shenanigans. This is a ridiculously melodramatic sequence.
* They’re endangering the ship for this stunt? And, there are orbits that require no power. We use them for things like the moon and satellites.
* Kirk’s lawyer Cogley vanishes in the final act.
* Cogley’s book rant. Moses wrote in books did he? (Though kind of acceptable as the guy being eccentric)
* Finney's plan is ridiculous, and he seems far too deranged to pull it off.
* And, yes, 1^4==1
I think it’s a borderline failed episode. But it does do a lot of world building.
Sun, Dec 13, 2020, 4:10pm (UTC -5)
It kind of seems like too many cooks, and that they were worried the court stuff would be too boring. Hence, the ship falling out of orbit microphone thing, and especially the fist fight.
Sat, Feb 20, 2021, 8:19am (UTC -5)
1) The prosecutor was a lover of Kirk!!! Clear conflict of interests!
2) The daughter of Finney reaction at first changes because of letters she found??? What??
3) Finney could altered through the computer the record tape???
4) The attorney Cogley is the best? His performance really is very poor and at the end he vanished
5) The way of founding by the heartbets Finney is ridiculous
6) What advantage could have Finney to make all this mess?
Fri, Mar 5, 2021, 2:24am (UTC -5)
Fri, Mar 19, 2021, 3:33am (UTC -5)
I was still ‘with it’ at the great scene where McCoy wields a microphone (!) to hide the heartbeat of those present, b from then on it descended into farce, and I was left feeling that a good ending would have sealed a great episode, but that’s not what we got.
Just one more note: Spock beating the computer at chess was a good scene, but how did it fit with the storyline? Are we to assume that Finney was inspired to interfere with Spock’s programming, and to what purpose?
Should have been 3 stars but less than 2 I’m afraid 😟
Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 7:33pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 11:33pm (UTC -5)
I will add that TOS reruns were shown in our student union on Friday nights in the late 70's, with jam packed attendance by all of us law students. The 3 year series reruns helped us all survive to graduation.
Sun, Jan 30, 2022, 12:30pm (UTC -5)
The fact that Bones even answered astounded me, even when I first watched this ( age 11).
However, I am aware that the necessities of an hour long sci fi episode (and the time in which it was created and aired) are bound to have these kinds of absurdities.
Still, I'd give the episode at least more star more.
Tue, Feb 8, 2022, 6:18pm (UTC -5)
I'm also curious what Finney's plan was here; Kirk loses his command, then what. Is he going to hide in engineering for the rest of his life? Was he going to sneak off the ship without being seen somehow, a seemingly impossible feat, and then go into hiding on some uninhabited planet, abandoning his daughter, all to get back at Kirk? Granted this episode wasn't as goofy as Spock's Brain but it was still pretty ridiculous and definitely one of my least favorites.
Wed, Feb 9, 2022, 12:11am (UTC -5)
The Finney part was not TOS' finest hour certainly.
Sadly, the Scotch tape affixed labels on the yellow alert and eject pod switches inspired no confidence and stand as pathetic testimony to the limits of ST budgets in the early days. ...something in the low two figures for many episodes.
However, IMO:
Samuel T. Cogley's speech about the computer as damning witness and the level of the machine being raised above that of humanity was prescient and not to be missed.
Fri, Apr 29, 2022, 4:19pm (UTC -5)
That, right there, is one of the major points of “Court Martial,” and it’s appropriately chilling. The brass hats in charge are all too quick to believe their lying eyes--as Kirk’s own attorney, Samuel “No Questions” Cogley puts it, “Computers don’t lie,” even when they do. It would have been nice if Starfleet had an investigative team that could have discovered Finney’s deception themselves before they even brought Kirk to trial in the first place, rather than have this fall on the shoulders of Kirk’s lawyer and crew. I know, that would have complicated the story and the “stars” of it had to be featured prominently. But really, the lack of inquisitive zeal that is shown here, just to hang Kirk as quickly as possible, seems to be an accidental indictment of Starfleet that paints it as being full of the sort of corrupt government actors that do things like this all the time to political adversaries and whistleblowers, or to accused criminals just to get a quick conviction. Kirk is expendable, essentially. He can just as soon be replaced by another Captain, so for God’s sake let’s just lock him away with all deliberate expediency lest our benevolent organization be rocked by a scandal in the next day’s press. Like I said--it’s chilling. Also, it’s often a pointed truth that in some governments, a military court is indeed subject to an entirely different rulebook considering that they are exclusively trying defendants who have already signed some of their rights away (sometimes it isn’t even their choice to join).
Oh yeah, and apparently in the Star Trek universe, it isn’t necessary for a prosecutor to recuse themselves from a case on account of having fucked the defendant in the past. I’m not judging here; this is just an observation.
This particular courtroom drama is, by design, dryly procedural and no different than what we’d see in a TV show or movie set in the present day (though maybe with significantly less theatrics and speeches), with standard arguments, witness statements and cross examinations (or lack thereof in the case of Samuel “No Questions” Cogley, Esq.). What sets it up as being uniquely Star Trek is adversarial computers and high-tech shenanigans on the part of the true culprit.
“Court Martial” brings up a great point about humanity being at technology’s mercy, almost caught in a vice grip. Consider Exhibit A, Cogley’s stacks of law books that he swears by. My son’s friend who was watching with us, being the Zoomer born with a silver smartphone in his mouth that he is (and as my own kids are as well), made an absolutely awesome comment -- “Kirk’s right, books take up space. There’s no difference between printed books and having them all just on the computer.”
There is a whopping big difference, kiddo. On the surface, he and Kirk are correct. Think of the space you can save by having an entire library accessible on your computer. But we all know the rub here. A plain old book with printed words can’t be changed by an outside force. It can’t be amended or otherwise altered after it’s printed--a new edition would have to be printed and the old one would still remain. Not true of an “e-book.” I know this example is extreme, but e-books can be updated instantly, or simply deleted from a service. Forget the licensing issues; I’m talking about censorship. If a powerful corporation that provides e-books decides that one of those books is “offensive” or “not sufficiently Woke,” or else decides that the author of a book should be “canceled” because of some Twitter snafu, they can jettison a title as if it never existed. By contrast, the information contained in a physical tome of paper pages and hardcover binding is permanent. It can be wrong or misleading, sure. But it can’t be denied, ignored or altered by a corporation, totalitarian government or radical squad of politicians. That’s why they’re actively burned in the dystopian future world of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury--my favorite book of all time and required reading for my kids (if it wasn’t on the school reading list I’d prescribe it myself). I’m going off on a tangent here, but I think man’s relationship with technology is a worthy theme in science fiction, and “Court Martial” reminds us that machines shouldn't always be trusted.
Ironically, in this case, it’s not the fault of the computer itself. It’s been reprogrammed by Finney, a bad actor in more ways than one (not to pick on Richard Webb here but his performance was indeed dreadful). Most technology starts out as beneficial and even neutral. It’s we humans who hack it. It’s we humans that reprogram it for our questionable ends, and it’s we humans who create malicious software and steal trade secrets. The burden of managing and protecting all of our cool new toys is great. Thankfully there are men like Spock, McCoy and Samuel “No Questions” Cogley who strive to keep us all honest.
“Court Martial” could have easily been boring (my son was nervous about just that possibility upon learning that this was a “courtroom episode,” though I try to give the genre the benefit of the doubt as there are lots of gems out there), but it held my attention. Jammer is right, by the way--The Finney Saga of the last act, once his jig was up, was loathsomely underwhelming (though the fight was good for some laughs--it would have been even funnier had it happened in open court). At least the central investigation was interesting and it left us with a lot to consider.
Best Line --
Kirk: “You have to be either an obsessive crackpot who’s escaped from his keeper or Samuel T. Cogley, attorney-at-law.”
Cogley: “Right on both counts.”
My Grade: C+
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 7:23am (UTC -5)
"Court Martial” brings up a great point about humanity being at technology’s mercy, almost caught in a vice grip. Consider Exhibit A, Cogley’s stacks of law books that he swears by. My son’s friend who was watching with us, being the Zoomer born with a silver smartphone in his mouth that he is (and as my own kids are as well), made an absolutely awesome comment -- “Kirk’s right, books take up space. There’s no difference between printed books and having them all just on the computer.”
I really enjoyed reading your post on Court Martial.
But: The "experience" of reading words on a physical page is actually different than reading digital copies onscreen. Books have properties such as fragrance and texture which can influence cognition. The text itself is completely trustworthy, if the edition of that book is the authoritative text. That level of version-quality cannot be guaranteed in every "text" that floats around in a digital world. The ability to digitally manipulate photographs is just too great nowadays, and OCR is far from perfect.
This does not mean that "No questions" Cogley is more broadly credible.
If I remember correctly, he says "I may be getting ready to be ready" and he just up and disappears from the episode! Left on the Editing Room floor perhaps?
Mon, May 9, 2022, 4:31pm (UTC -5)
Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts. I didn't think about the literal "fragrance" of books being part of the experience, but that's a great observation. Another point in favor of real books and against the e-books that I can file away.
Wed, Nov 16, 2022, 11:42pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 11:50am (UTC -5)
"Kirk literally beamed two red shirts into space in season 3, but he is being court martialed here?!?!"
LOL! Well for one thing, this is a season one episode and season three hadn't happened yet, so that's hardly the fault of this episode, but let's let that go. Your comment made my eyes bug out. Kirk actually beams two redshirts out into space in an upcoming show?! I've been jokingly advocating that form of execution/removal of villain threats since "Where No Man Has Gone Before," so that's amazing that it's actually put to use. Maybe the redshirts deserved it? I'm not at Season Three yet so I haven't seen it. But eventually I'll get to it.
Thu, Dec 8, 2022, 7:39pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Dec 8, 2022, 8:41pm (UTC -5)
That's 18 episodes, and again, that's just off the top of my head.
Out of 80 episodes, that's almost a quarter of them being based on somebody having something not right in their head.
The 23rd century brain is apparently a fragile thing.
Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 7:46pm (UTC -5)
(19) "Operation—Annihilate!"
Lots, lots of madness.
Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 10:12pm (UTC -5)
Also thanks to Rahul for adding some entries.
Here is my updated list of TOS episodes with a major part of the premise involving a person not being in their right mind:
In no particular order:
(1) Court Martial Off
(2) Dagger of the Mind
(3) Whom Gods Destroy
(4) Where No Man Has Gone Before
(5) Turnabout Intruder
(6) The Naked Time
(7) Amok Time
(8) Is There in Truth No Beauty?
(9) Charlie X
(10) The Squire of Gothos
(11) What Are LIttle Girls Made Of?
(12) The Enemy Within
(13) This Side of Paradise
(14) The Return of the Archons
(15) The Paradise Syndrome
(16) Spock's Brain
(17) The Cage
(18) The Menagerie
(19)Operation—Annihilate!
(20) The City on the Edge of Forever (The whole thing begins because of McCoy's temporary insanity.)
(21)The Doomsday Machine (Decker's suicidal mania)
(22)The Ultimate Computer (Daystrom's insanity is passed on the his computer)
(23)The Tholian Web
(24)The Way to Eden (Sevrin's insanity)
(25)The Conscience of the King (Rahul points out Lenore's murderous insanity, but perhaps Kodos the Executioner is also as much mad as evil?)
Wed, Dec 21, 2022, 6:54pm (UTC -5)
I still think the premise of being out of one's mind or not being oneself is too broad given that a great variety of stories have been told using this device and it's kind of a staple in sci-fi (especially classic sci-fi which TOS exemplified). So I think your list needs more rigour/specificity applied to make some kind of meaningful conclusion. In the extreme, it's like asking what percentage of episodes was there conflict between 2 people?
I would also suspect any other Trek series would have a fair number of episodes that fall into your very broad categorization, though I also suspect TOS may have the highest percentage -- but I don't think that's saying anything noteworthy, just that TOS was more classic sci-fi than any other series.
But what I did enlighten to in putting together my list is that I never really thought of actual medical insanity as being a TOS trope, but it does seem like it was.
Wed, Dec 21, 2022, 7:03pm (UTC -5)
No, I joke :)
Sat, Dec 24, 2022, 11:11pm (UTC -5)
Goofy smiles and idiotic smiles are definitely important Trek tropes!
Sun, Dec 25, 2022, 9:33am (UTC -5)
I do think being "out of one's mind" is not nearly as standard a device in storytelling as a whole as it seems to be in Trek at least in TOS. Not by any means a rare one, but not on the order TOS displays.
At any rate, now that I've started my list, I feel compelled to go on. Perhaps I am possessed by an alien influence that forces me to do it. :)
The updated list, in no particular order:
(1) Court Martial Off
(2) Dagger of the Mind
(3) Whom Gods Destroy
(4) Where No Man Has Gone Before
(5) Turnabout Intruder
(6) The Naked Time
(7) Amok Time
(8) Is There in Truth No Beauty?
(9) Charlie X
(10) The Squire of Gothos
(11) What Are LIttle Girls Made Of?
(12) The Enemy Within
(13) This Side of Paradise
(14) The Return of the Archons
(15) The Paradise Syndrome
(16) Spock's Brain
(17) The Cage
(18) The Menagerie
(19)Operation—Annihilate!
(20) The City on the Edge of Forever (The whole thing begins because of McCoy's temporary insanity.)
(21)The Doomsday Machine (Decker's suicidal mania)
(22)The Ultimate Computer (Daystrom's insanity is passed on the his computer)
(23)The Tholian Web
(24)The Way to Eden (Sevrin's insanity)
(25)The Conscience of the King (Rahul points out Lenore's murderous insanity, but perhaps Kodos the Executioner is also as much mad as evil?)
(26)And the Children Shall Lead (How could I forget that one?)
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