Star Trek: The Original Series, Season Three

As a lighter subject, I’ve been watching all of the original Star Trek episodes from the sixties in order. Here are some comments on each one, and hopefully when I’m done I’ll have generated myself a decent top ten episodes list.

Spock’s Brain

= 4 stars

This episode crosses the line into ridiculousness that’s actually entertaining. Spock’s brain is stolen by aliens to act as a sys admin for their advanced society. Highlights are the beautiful but dumb aliens, Spock under remote control, and McCoy’s brain surgery.

Beautiful female alien (check)
Medical ailment (check)
Naive alien race (check)

The Enterprise Incident

= 3 stars

Fairly good as it reintroduces the Romulans. The first half confounds as Kirk leads the Enterprise to certain doom. Spock gets a bit of romantic interest, amid a good amount of double-crossing and trickery.

Beautiful female alien (check)
Romulans (check)

The Paradise Syndrome

= 1

Kirk loses his memory and shacks up with a tribe of Native American-esque aliens. As ridiculous as it sounds.

Ripping off history (check)
Kirk romance (check)
Beautiful female alien (check)
Medical ailment (check)
Naive alien race (check)
Crew on planet can’t communicate with Enterprise (check)

And the Children Shall Lead

= 1

Silly acting, plot holes; just tedious. A group of kids manipulated by an alien take control of the Enterprise.

Enterprise taken over (check)

Is There in Truth No Beauty?

= 3 stars

A bit too heady for my taste, but features some strong ideas and performances, notably an alien made of pure energy and an odd love triangle.

Cute actress (check)
Vulcan Mind Meld (check)

Spectre of the Gun

= 2 stars

Aliens create an illusion of a gun fight at the O.K. Corral. Takes too long to work up to the expected conclusion.

Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)
Vulcan mind meld (check)
Historical references (check)
Cute actress (check)

Day of the Dove

= 4 stars

A hate-loving alien brings Klingons to the Enterprise and a battle with swords ensues. Rather hokey, but enjoyable especially since every regular crew member gets to do a bit of over-acting.

Medical malady (check)
Enterprise taken over (check)
Cute actress (check)
Seemingly omnipotent alien with a weakness (check)

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

= 2 stars

McCoy has a terminal illness. The Enterprise encounters an asteroid with a colony living within, controlled by a computer that is guiding them to a new life. Kirk and Spock have to set things right. Good idea, but a bit soggy on the execution, and the whole McCoy romantic subplot is quite difficult to buy.

Medical malady (check)
Cute actress (check)
Naive alien race (check)

The Tholian Web

= 4 stars

The Enterprise gets stuck in some funky pseudo-space. Kirk is presumed dead, and the Tholians weave a space-net. Some nice Spock/McCoy banter in the captain’s absence.

Plato’s Stepchildren

= 4 stars

Dr. McCoy is summoned to care for a telekentically enhanced being, who has become drunk with power. Great physical acting with Bones, Spock, and Kirk manipulated to do things against their will for the amusement of others.

Wink of an Eye

= 5 stars

The Enterprise encounters an alien race that moves at a higher speed and are therefore invisible to the crew. Great concept and it’s neat to see Spock figure out the puzzle and put things right.

Cute actress (check)
Kirk romance (check)
Enterprise taken over (check)
Medical malady (check)

The Empath

= 2 stars

Tragically too similar to The Cage.

Spock Pinch (check)
Cute alien female (check)

Elaan of Troyius

= 2 stars

Foul-tempered alien woman makes life hard for everyone.

Klingons (check)
Beautiful alien woman (check)
Kirk romance (check)
Medical ailment (check)

Whom Gods Destroy

= 3 stars

Spock and Kirk beam down to an inmate-run insane asylum. Best part happens in the last five minutes where their leader shape-shifts into a mirror image of Kirk. But there’s a lot of boring pomposity, dancing, and Spock pinches to wait through first.

Alien woman (check)
Spock pinch (check)
Crew can’t communicate with the Enterprise (check)
Kirk romance (check)

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

= 5 stars

The epitome of Trek that addresses social issues, by way of two alien entities with slightly different facial features, and for that reaason they are mortal enemies. Great acting.

Enterprise taken over (check)

The Mark of Gideon

= 2 stars

Overpopulated planet tricks Kirk on a replica of the Enterprise with a beautful woman. Boring.

Cute actress (check)
Can’t communicate with the Enterprise (check)
Kirk romance (check)
Medical malady (check)

That Which Survives

= 5 stars

Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu are trapped on an artificial planet while the Enterprise fights off a female alien invader. Two puzzles going on in parallel. Best part features Spock prodding Scotty in a Jeffries tube.
Cute actress (check)
Crew on planet can’t communicate with Enterprise (check)

The Lights of Zetar

= 2 stars

Scotty’s girlfriend is possessed by aliens. We’ve gone here before.

Cute actress (check)

Requiem for Methuselah

= 4 stars

Enterprise encounters an immortal alien who has built an android companion. Kirk complicates things. The last line puts the episode into the recommended category.

Cute actress (check)
Crew can’t contact enterprise (check)
medical malady (check)

The Way to Eden

= 1

A group of interstellar hippies take over the Enterprise. Spock gets to jam. Probably the worst Star Trek episode ever.

Cute actress (check)
Enterprise taken over (check)

The Cloudminders

= 2 stars

Planet stratified into upper class and lower class, literally illustrated by an elite that lives in the clouds and trogdolytes mining in the caves. The point is ham-fistedly told building up to the Kirk double-shoulder chop technique.

Cute actress (check)
Medical malady (check)
Naive alien society (check)

The Savage Curtain

= 2 stars

Basically a rehash of Arena except with Abraham Lincoln and Ghengis Khan. Utterly pointless as the alien race controlling the showdown basically loses interest and returns everything back to normal.

Omnipotent alien race (check)
Crew can’t communicate with Enterprise (check)

All Our Yesterdays

= 3 stars

An average episode, based around time travel on a planet whose sun is about to go nova. Spock experiences a rare bout of emotion as he almost chooses to stay in a frozen cave with a lonely woman.

Cute actress (check)
Crew can’t communicate with Enterprise (check)
Historical references (check)
Spock romance (check)

Turnabout Intruder

= 3 stars

Starts out cheesy with Kirk having a freaky friday, but features some amusing acting as Shatner plays an insane woman in Kirk’s body. A bit of mutiny, confused crew members, and sexist stereotyping.