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The Enterprise arrives at a distant research outpost to find all the adults dead and their children eerily cheerful. No sooner are they aboard the ship than the children begin taking over, using strange powers bestowed on them by a malevolent "friendly angel." The kids make for an engagingly creepy episode as they alter the crew's perceptions to play on their worst fears, all with angelic smiles on their faces. Kirk's stiff-necked nature is well played against the manic playfulness of the kids, and legendary attorney Melvin Belli (who enjoyed a moderately busy acting career in the late '60s) does an interesting turn as the smooth-talking angel. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Season three was off to a strong start
Incredibly, the second of the 'children' episodes is even darker than the first (Miri). This atmospheric episode is shrouded in a sense of mystery and dread. I would go so far as to call the episode courageous in it's depiction of evil and willingness to give the children complicity in the adults' deaths. Each individual's insecurities and fears are exploited by the Gorgon, and at the height of the episode Kirk has lost control both of his ship and his entire sense of reality.
While some of the effects are quite gimmicky (the knives), others are effective in their simplicity (such as the summoning of the Gorgon). Overall I found this to be an effective, eerie and surreal episode, although some may dislike the fact that there is no simple moral. The cold finality of much of the death (such as being beamed into deep space) may also upset some. The conclusions/ means of dealing with the Gorgon were also admittedly weak.
Tidbits: It would be interesting to know how attourney Melvin Belli ended up in this role.

One of the Best Episodes Ever
Possibly the most intelligent and daring episode (no babes, no explosions) of all three seasons. It is quintessential Star Trek; searing social commentary disguised as 'entertainment', which still "goes over the head" of most viewers, even today. Written by Edward Lakso (whose credits include Mission Impossible, Wild Wild West, Rockford Files, Barnaby Jones, Air Wolf), the plot describes the rise and fall of the Nazi Youth movement, where impressionable teens were encouraged to denounce their parents, swear allegiance to a charismatic govt official and propel his rise to power. Apparently Lakso had been observing China... because when this episode aired in 1968, Mao Tse-tung's Cultural Revolution was two years old, unleashing the identical, devastating, social anarchy. It was if an "angel of evil" (named 'Chaos' in this episode) had hibernated after WWII, only to re-appear and initiate the same cycle of destruction, in a different country. In true Biblical, Greek, or Star Wars mythological style, Kirk is forced to confront and subdue his own "beast within" before tackling the external enemy, and exposing the 'beautiful' angel for what he is; ugly naked Greed, exploiting innocent minds with the complicity of the "silent majority". If this episode makes you uncomfortable, don't blame it on the primitive production values; look inside yourself and think.

This one gets my vote for Worst Star Trek Episode
I think I actually sat through "And the Children Shall lead" them ONCE in all the years I have been watching Star Trek. The Enterprise responds to a distress call from a scientific expedition on Triacus where they are shocked to find not only that all the adults have killed themselves but that their children do not seem to care. It turns out the children are enthralled to Gorgon, a sort of demon entity that lives on the planet. Lawyer Melvin Belli portrays the evil Gorgon is one of those horrendous casting decisions that get made from time to time. Anyhow, now Grogon wants to find a planet with millions of people he can make suffer and to distract the Enterprise crew he has them each imagine their worst fears coming true, which is really the only decent sequence in the show (e.g., Kirk worries about losing his ability to command). If I bothered to put one together, this episode would be in my Bottom 10 episodes of Star Trek. Actually, I think it is the worst of the bunch, mainly because Belli makes the most unthreatening evil etity you have ever seen while the children do not even come close to "Children of the Damned" status.

Not one of the better episodes
Captain Kirk and the crew beam to a planet and find many adults dead, but all the children are lively and running around and playing like nothing ever happened. Kirk decides to take them onboard the Enterprise, but he might regret it because soon the children will be taking orders from their 'friendly angel' and then they will make some of the Enterprise crew see things such as knives and swords flying at the ship, by pumping their fists.

Plotwise, "And The Children Shall Lead" is one of the worst episodes of Star Trek - The Original Series. It doesn't have much of anything else working for it either, it's not exciting and it's not even all that interesting. I give the episode two stars instead of just one because it had a good ending even if it was a not so good episode. I don't recommend getting "And The Children Shall Lead" unless you're a major Star Trek fanatic and you absolutely have to have all the episodes in your collection because it's far from being one of the best episodes.

This episode gets a D grade and is ranked 77th out of 80
When the U.S.S. Enterprise finds that all the adults in the Starnes expedition to Triacus have killed themselves, they beam to the planet's surface to investigate. The children, however, are alive and well and strangely oblivious to their parents' fates. They are beamed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise while Kirk searches for an answer to the strange occurrences. The children summon their "friendly angel" Gorgan, who tells them to take the U.S.S. Enterprise to a planet he can control. By garbling Kirk's words and deceiving Spock, the children are able to take control of the starship. Finally, seeing Kirk's anxiety at the loss of his ship, Spock realizes that something is wrong and helps the Captain regain control. Kirk shows the children tricorder tapes of their parents... and their graves, demonstrating to them that Gorgan is not a "friendly angel" but an evil force. The loss of his believers renders Gorgan impotent and he fades into oblivion. ... Read more

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"Miri," one of the most popular episodes of the original Star Trek series, featured a couple of soon-to-be-semi-icons from two very different kinds of films from the late 1960s: Michael J. Pollard (who would appear in Bonnie and Clyde) and Kim Darby (John Wayne's costar in True Grit). The intriguing story concerns a race of children on an Earth-like planet who are in fact 300 years old, kept pristine in the summer of their lives by a disease that also causes madness and death with the onset of adulthood. The Enterprise's landing party, including Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), are instantly contaminated and forced to remain on the planet until McCoy can find an antidote. In the meantime, Darby's character, Miri, falls for Kirk and becomes jealous of his attentions toward anyone else. Easily one of Star Trek's strongest shows, "Miri" is a must-see for Trekkers and Trekkies. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

This episode gets a C+ grade and is ranked 48th out of 80
The U.S.S. Enterprise answers an old distress signal to find an unnamed planet that is almost an exact duplicate of Earth in the 1960s. A landing party beams down and discovers that 300 years before, the natives of the planet had conducted experiments to prolong life, but had, instead, created a deadly virus. The virus had killed all adults by rapid aging and madness. In children, the virus slowed the natural aging process greatly, providing centuries of prepubescence. There are no adults on the planet, only children, and they survive the best that they can without adults to aid them.

Strong episode
One of the most disturbing of the 1st season shows, Miri concerns a fatal fungus-like disease that strikes only adults. This cautionary tale about possible unforseen consequences of biological engineering should not fall on deaf ears today. The early parts of the episode wield a claustrophobic suspense more akin to a sci-fi/horror movie. The kids are quite chilling as well in the extent to which they have gone wild, and in their capacity for denial in the face of trauma. Kim Darby's performance also boosts the show, injecting an element of hope and a bridge between the 'young' and the 'old.' The taboo subject of adolescent female sexuality is handled gracefully and respectfully. The solution found to the illness is a bit anti climactic, but Star Trek certainly saw worse. At least here McCoy is allowed to shine; by the 3rd season all to often only Kirk, and Kirk alone, was allowed to be hero.

The episode is certainly not without its faults though. Several questions are left unadressed, including the discovery of another earth. The landing party is impossibly obtuse in putting the pieces together behind the illness. You can also feel the production team's uncertainty about whether Yeoman Rand and Kirk should be romantically involved. It seems to me they made the right choice in dispatching her after the next episode. She certainly is not a strong character here. Kirk is also gruffer and more bureaucratic in these early episodes. His snub of Rand ant the end of this show is particularly harsh.

The Enterprise finds a planet that looks like Earth but...
In "Miri" the Enterprise discovers a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy that looks exactly like Earth and a city inhabited only by children. This is the first of the many "parallel Earth" episodes in the show's history. It seems that 300 years ago on this planet there was an outbreak of a disease that kills children when they reach puberty. At that point they age really fast and go insane, but since the disease also slows down the aging process for these children big time, the planet is still inhabited. Kim Darby turns in a nice performance in the title role as the young girl who is about to turn into a woman and die. Miri develops a big time crush for Kirk and becomes dangerously jealous of Yeoman Rand. Of course, the entire away team comes down with the dreaded disease and McCoy has to come up with an antidote before they all drop dead. Unfortunately, the children do not trust the "grups," and sabotage McCoy's efforts forcing a confrontation between Kirk and the children. Just think of this as a twisted version of Peter Pan by way of the Omega Man. The fact that this planet looks just like Earth was a way of using Hollywood sets in a space opera, instead of finding futuristic looking shopping malls or whatever. But surely the plot of "Miri" did not need that particular set up. Michael J. Pollard, about to bust loose on the big screen in "Bonnie & Clyde," is Miri's very creepy male counterpart. Watching him in this episode still makes me wiggy. I also want to mention that I think this was clearly Grace Lee Whitney's finest performance as Janice Rand, helped by the fact that this is about the only episode where she has anything significant to do. Usually she just gives Kirk his log book or something to drink. Of course, she had to leave the show so that Kirk was free to chase another female guest star every other week. Trivia Note: The little blonde girl Kirk grabs during the big confrontation is, I believe, one of his daughters. Hard to believe Bill is now 70 years old.

Miri
While reviews of this Star Trek episode are usually negative and while it is a sad example, it has to be taken with on it's own terms. It is certainly one of the least viewable and unenjoyable, though the potential was there. The budget was not. I find it unfair that so many harsh words were said of Grace Whitney. Anyone who has done any genuine research into the history of the series will know she was not dropped because of poor acting ability, her appearance or any of the other harsh and sometimes cruel stories that have been circulating over the years. It was partially a production decision on behalf of the network and because of some very difficult personal problems in her life. It would have been interesting to see her character develop, but dreadful writing and sad circumstances prevented that from ever happening. With that said, this episode is a sad reflection on a very interesting idea gone completely wrong. As with "Plato's StepChildren", this episode is among the worst in being overdone in terms of acting and production. Definitely stay away if you are not a Trekkie and try to bear with it if you are. Worth wondering what it would be like if it were interpreted differently. Like a Ken Russel nightmare. Suprising it was ever released at all, but despite horrid production, a very interesting story line.

An Episode That the Series Could Have Done Without
There are some good ideas and concepts within this episode, but they are drowned out by the annoying chants of too many children.

Yoeman Janice Rand has a decent role in the story. Unfortunately, it was probably this episode that helped the producers to decide to writer her out of the show. ... Read more

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The popular and sexy "Mudd's Women" introduces the character of interstellar huckster and fugitive Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel, later to return in another classic episode, "I, Mudd"). The Enterprise beams aboard Harry and three beautiful and scantily clad women whom the con man is carrying as cargo. The transport damages the starship, forcing Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to take a detour to a mining world for a supply of dilithium crystals. Harry uses the women as bait to get the miners to help him flee from the authorities--but a revelation about his liberal use of an attraction-enhancement drug adds a twist to things. This clever and novel installment in the series grafted the unlikely element of a petty, colorful crook onto a science fiction show, an obvious forerunner of Deep Space Nine's inclusion of Quark among its own major characters. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Mudds women: Stardate 1329.1 Classic Trek at it's best.
The U.S.S Enterprise NCC 1701 pursues a Class J cargo ship which is not responding to hails. After the cargo ship pushes her engines to far and breaks down in an asteroid field, Captain Krik rescues Harry Mudd, a space trader who specialises in wives. But in capturing Harry Mudd the Enterprise is crippled and on auxilary power must get new dilithium crystals from mining planet Rigel 12. However after Harry Mudd is arrested by Captain James T Kirk, for various criminal charges, Harry has other plans for the crew of the Enterprise. A very good episode by Gene Roddenberry which gives us plenty of humour from the cast of Star Trek and some classical moments of the original series. We also see Harry Mudd again in another episode later in the series.

This episode gets a C grade and is ranked 52nd out of 80
The U.S.S. Enterprise pursues an unknown ship into an asteroid belt to save its crew before it's destroyed. The four people aboard are beamed on to the U.S.S. Enterprise; former nemesis, Harry Mudd and three beautiful, sultry women: Ruth Bonaventure, Eve McHuron and Magda Kovas. Mudd was transporting the three women to Ophiuchus VI to marry settlers there. The U.S.S. Enterprise computers reveal that Mudd has been charged with a number of infractions of the law. In pursuit of Mudd's ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise has burned out it's dilithium crystals, which power the starship's engines, and Kirk orders them to proceed as quickly as possible to the nearest dilithium mining planet. That planet is Rigel XII, which is inhabited by only three miners. Mudd manages to contact Ben Childress, the head miner, and make a deal with him. Mudd promises to deliver the three beautiful women to the lonely miners in exchange for dilithium crystals and their help in escaping Kirk. Upon reaching the planet, Eve tries to escape, having fallen for Kirk and not wanting to marry one of the miners, but Ben Childress brings her back. They discover that the women are using an extremely illegal Venus drug to make them beautiful and without they become quite plain. By the time the fraud is discovered, Magda and Ruth are already married to the miners, to the satisfaction of all parties involved. Eve, who realizes that Kirk is married to his career and to his starship, settles for marrying Ben. Kirk gets the crystals he needs for the U.S.S. Enterprise and Harry Mudd, on whom he has filed criminal charges.

That's not me Crew...That's me Cargo!
The Enterprise encounters space pirate Harry Mudd for the first time, and his "cargo" is a bevvy of beautiful women. Harry's always looking for a good deal, and if he can marry off his ladies to the lonely miners of Rigel 12, he figures he'll make a good haul. But, as Kirk discovers, the ladies looks are deceiving, and the artful Roger (the great Roger C. Carmel as Mudd) will have a lot of 'splainin to do about Mudd's Women.

Despite the obvious pre-feminist and somewhat sexist attitude toward the women in this episode from '66, it is still enjoyable and I love it when Eve dresses down Childress about the pots and pans ("Why don't you hang them outside and let the sand blast them clean?").

"This is me cargo."
Even in the far reaches of space, one must be careful not to be victimized by the con-man. And since the Ferengi would not make their presence known for another century in the Star Trek universe, Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) gladly took advantage of any profitable venture that presented itself. If there still were snake oil men in the 23rd century, Mudd was their poster boy.

The U.S.S. Enterprise saves the crew of an unknown ship from destruction. The doomed ship's survivors beam aboard and are revealed to be Harry Mudd and three beautiful women: Ruth Bonaventure (Maggie Thrett), Eve McHuron (Karen Steele) and Magda Kovacs (Susan Denberg). Mudd tells Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) that he was taking the women to Ophiuchus VI to be brides for the settlers there. However, the Enterprise heads to Rigel XII instead to replace their burned-out lithium crystals. Once there, Mudd's women are exposed as frauds - their outward beauty was the result of an illegal drug.

Well, Star Trek hit a bump in the road with "Mudd's Women." The only redeeming aspect of this episode is its biting commentary on manufactured beauty. Aside from that, it is boring, slow, and tedious. The character of Harry Mudd would fare better when he returned later in the series but his initial outing is nothing memorable. He is fondly remembered today only because of his subsequent appearance in "I, Mudd." If "Mudd's Women" was Mudd's sole appearance in the series then he would now only be an answer to a second-tier Star Trek trivia question.

Not pretty, but pretty muddy
Mudd's Women-This episode, in which we meet Mudd and his three sirens, has never really worked for me. For one thing, it moves like molasses. The 'inquest' scene, for example, in which the women seduce the crew, in addition to being ineffective is at least twice as long as it need have been. Other evidence of low production values at this point in the show include the cheesy music and use of the (grossly) soft lens in the scenes with Mudd's Women. Other problems include the hopeless moralizing and cornball twist at the close of the episode. While it's true that later shows could be too cold, it's also true that first season episodes were often smarmily warm and cloyingly sincere.

The episode is not without it's pluses. It does explore some of the contradictions surrounding perceptions of beauty and the objectification of women, and I suppose makes a statement about drug use. They also did a nice job making the women look ugly (although in my opinion--probably by design--they weren't too eautiful to begin with). ... Read more

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In this taut, exciting episode, the Enterprise trespasses Melkotian space and is punished in a unique fashion. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Scotty (James Doohan), and Chekov (Walter Koenig) are all transported to the planet's eerie surface, where they are trapped in a re-creation of 1881 Tombstone and mistaken for the Clanton brothers, doomed principals in the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral.

Despite their efforts to avoid trouble, Kirk and company can't seem to avoid their fateful duel with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday (Sam Gilman). When Chekov is shot dead by Morgan Earp (Rex Holman), the danger is all too clear. The strange Twilight Zone look and atmosphere of this episode--tumbleweeds and Old West facades popping up in a black void--grips one's imagination and doesn't let go until the very end. Fans of Captain Kirk's street-fighting style will especially enjoy the thrilling climax. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Surreal set & excellent performances make it one of the best
A major question that will have to be addressed when humans meet new species will be convincing them that our intentions are indeed peaceful. If the creatures can read our historical records and perhaps our minds, they will find ample evidence that we are not to be trusted. Our history is replete with the callous destruction of each other as well as any species deemed unworthy. Our minds are full of irrational fears, prejudices and impulses to destroy that which we don't immediately understand.
In this episode, the Enterprise is given specific orders to make contact with the Melkotians. As they approach Melkotian space, they encounter a buoy, which issues a warning, telling them that they are not welcome and to immediately leave the area. After noting the warning, they move onward to the Melkotian planet. Once arriving, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov beam down to the planet, only to find themselves in a fog, which parts to reveal a facsimile of a frontier town.
This is the backdrop to a reenactment of the famous gunfight at the OK corral in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881. In that fight, the Clanton gang fought it out with the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. Kirk's party is forced to assume the role of the Clanton gang, which lost the fight. Only one member of the Clanton gang survived the battle, the person whose role is being filled by Chekov.
Despite everything they do to avoid it, the "Clanton gang" is clearly being forced into a fight that they feel they cannot win. However, when Chekov is "killed" by Morgan Earp, Kirk and company realize that the results are not pre-ordained. However, when they try to build a device to render the Earp gang unconscious, Spock realizes that there is a solution that does not involve killing the members of the Earp gang. He understands that what they are doing is not real, so if they truly believe that the bullets from the Earp gang are not real, then they will not be harmed. They manage to win the fight without "killing", which impresses the Melkotians, and they allow the Enterprise to continue and make contact.
This episode is superb, both in the premises of the story and the execution. The choice of a scenario from Earth's violent past (and Kirk's mind) is an excellent test of the true nature of the humans who desire the contact. All of the members of the Earp gang play their roles very well. Their muted, yet clearly violent hostility towards the "Clantons" is very well done. I consider it some of the best acting by guest stars in the series. The surreal aspects of the set and the other supporting members of the episode all combine to create just the right atmosphere for a test of what the human species really is capable of doing and avoiding. It is one of the better episodes in the original series.

Welcome to season three
Spectre of the Gun was the first third season episode to be produced, and one need watch no more than the teaser to sense that the show would have a very different feel during the 1968-1969 season. First off, those shiny, synthetic-looking uniforms that replaced the corderoys of the first two seasons. A minor point, yes, but perhaps a metaphor for other changes. The third season shows have a slick quality about them, an emphasis of style over substance. There is a sense that everyone is somehow in the know, no longer willing to invest themselves in the simple morality tales so common in the first season. This process was certainly well underway by the midpoint of season 2, when we began to see action (and high camp in the seminal case of I, Mudd) episodes that were light, devoid of moralizing, and somewhat tongue in cheek. By the third season, it could no longer be reigned in. Gone was the moral foundation of the show, but also gone was the feeling that the actors were having fun. What's left is highly formalized episodes.

It should be added though that stylistically season was 3 was by far the most developed season. Musically, scores became more florid and psychadelic, unusual camera angles and cuts became more common, and character' actions became less predictable. I for one enjoy the fluidity, trippyness, and dark tone of the third season. I know I'm in the minority (to say the least) here though.

But this is supposed to be a review of Spectre of the Gun, in which the crew are forced to participate in the events leading up to the gunfight at the OK Corral. Overall this is a pretty good episode, with more action than most 3rd season shows. Better though is the fact that this episode is very atmospheric, with a stong score, wind, and effects contributing to the sense of unreality and futility. But this too is an illusion. We end with the positive message that the crew were tested, and found worthy, for not killing. They are not judged on the basis of wanting to kill, but rather for not killing (although upon scrutiny even this worthiness is undermined somewhat by the fact that at that point the crew knows the Earps are unreal).

This episode doesn't hammer the moral theme as earlier seasons did. Surprising is the extent to which the crew must focus on their own survival, even to the extent of accepting demeaning abuse the Earps.

This episode has it's flaws though. Most notably, only Kirk seems phases by Chekov's death; of course the others were no doubt constrained by the new production team.

Galactic Cowboy
The Earps VS. Kirk's crew

In this one we get one of those surreal budget crunched episodes. That's one where the producers can't afford any lavish sets and costumes so the script has to center on something cheap to produce. The story is about Kirk and co. being taken to another dimension to fight the Earps. It's all an illusion by some other worldly being who wants to study humanity. How many times have we seen that plot? It's a good episode and we get to see Kirk in a moment where he's thinking "What if their guns aren't an illusion?" .
For all it's worth, it's better than most of the third season material. At least we get to see a few moments of drama and dialogue between the crew. Kirk is in top form in this one. We get to see him handle his command knowledge in a cowboy western environment.

Howdy Pardner!!!
Get a load of this one. The show was so broke, that the sets were 2x4 fronts. They weren't even cardboard buildings, just rickety boards nailed together. So hokey that it must be seen to be believed. If you believe the bullets aren't real you won't be harmed? I believe this hammer won't hurt when I bang it on my thumb...............OUCH!!!!!!!!

The Earps and Doc Holliday coming gunning for Kirk's crew
DeForrest Kelly played Morgan Earp in the 1957 film, "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," so there is an interesting bit of irony to "Spectre of the Gun." The Enterprise ignores the warnings of a Melkotian space buoy and orbits the planet. Apparently he has orders to establish contact at all costs. Well, the costs might be pretty high because the Melkotians order the execution of the landing party, taking the infamous gunfight at the O.K. corral from Kirk's mind as the setting for their deaths. Of course, the Enterprise officers are the Clayton gang and they are about to be gunned down by the Earps and their pal Doc Holliday. There is a very nice sense of "unreality" to the entire affair, somehow reminiscent of the dream ballet from "Oklahoma." Ironically, the Earps are portrayed rather accurately as the pistol-whipping thugs they were in Tombstone way back when. Again, there is a weakness in the premise, what with Kirk being order to force contact with the Melkotians, which is not exactly enlightened behavior on the part of the good guys (think Commodore Perry being ordered to "open" Japan). But strange situation is played out well and the best part of this episode is that it is Spock who effectively saves the day. "Specter of the Gun" ends up being an above average episode of Star Trek. ... Read more

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As if guided by the frugal wisdom of schlockmeister producer-director Roger Corman, Trek creator Gene Roddenberry found a clever way of using, instead of losing, extensive and costly footage from the then-unseen, discarded Star Trek pilot, "The Cage." Roddenberry's solution was to integrate pieces of "The Cage" into a whole new story context, and the fascinating and surprisingly moving result was the two-part drama "The Menagerie." First, a bit of background: "The Cage" starred film actor Jeffrey Hunter (King of Kings, The Searchers) as Christopher Pike, the original captain of the Enterprise. Among Hunter's costars was Leonard Nimoy as Science Officer Spock, who eventually carried over, of course, into the reconfigured series starring William Shatner. Rather than write off "The Cage," Roddenberry conceived of a story line in which Captain Pike would reappear on the show in a badly disfigured, paralyzed, and mute form--the result of a terrible accident in which the character saved a number of lives but took a pounding in the process. In "The Menagerie," Spock hijacks the Enterprise to transport Pike to a secret destination. During court-martial proceedings for this crime, Spock's defense is presented via archival footage of an old, pre-Kirk mission aboard the Enterprise. That footage, of course, is a reedited "Cage." A must-see for Star Trek fans, "The Menagerie" is a stellar example of Roddenberry thinking on his feet. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

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The original Star Trek pilot incorporated into the series
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the two-part story of "The Menagrie" is that Gene Roddenberry found a way to incorporate "The Cage," the original Star Trek pilot that was deemed "too cerebral" by the network into the series. Within that context the framing story of Spock hijacking the Enterprise in order to bring the ship's former captain, Christopher Pike, back to the forbidden planet of Talos IV, works quite well, once you get past the idea of Spock "as he was then," that emotional alien who yells "The Women!" when the female officers suddenly disappear. It is only when they have to come up with commercial breaks in the new show to accommodate the commercial breaks of the old pilot, that things get a bit strained. The idea that Spock's past and current captains have to sit in judgment of him during the court-martial certain puts Kirk in an interesting position, especially since all he really does for most of these two episodes is watch the original pilot along with the rest of us. I always liked the twist on the original ending, that whereas in "The Cage" the Talosians give Vina the illusion that Pike is still with her, in "The Menagerie" it is Pike who is given the illusion of health. Jeffrey Hunter's take on a starship captain is also worth preserving as well, and it is nice that a few Star Trek novels have flesh out his captaincy a bit. It is also fascinating to compare the tinkering Roddenberry did with the crew in retooling the series, giving us something else to debate eternally. Yes, I also have a slight preference for the original version of the pilot rather than this cut and paste effort, but there is value to the framing device, which amply proves Spock's loyalty to his captains, whatever Starfleet regulations and logic might dictate. Finally, it was nice of them to put both parts of "The Menagerie" on a single videotape.

Is Mr. Spock a Traitor?
That's the question in this well done episode that uses footage from Gene Roddenberry's first Star Trek pilot (The Cage). Spock hijacks the Enterprise and takes it to planet Talos IV, an act which is punishable by death, Why is Spock taking Captain Christopher Pike to that planet? Is his friendship with Jim Kirk over, or being honored in some strange way? What are the images of the Enterprise's first voyage to that planet coming from? What strange secreats to the Talosians hold for Captain Pike? Watch and find out.Written by Gene Roddenberry, Part 1 of the story was directed by Marc Daniels. Part 2 was directed by Robert Butler. Music Composed and Conducted by Alexander Courage.

Watch the Cage first
This two part episode based on pilot #1, in which Spock is in the hot seat, is difficult to evaluate separately from 'The Cage.' Overall, the team did a good job of generating an episode 'without' another episode. On the other hand, the main thing going for the episode is The Cage. And it is better just to watch The Cage as it was intended, without all the artificial breaks. As noted by another reviewer, it isn't just the breaks in The Cage that are awkward; the need for breaks in The Menagerie also made for some awkward moments. So ultimately this episode was a clever way of presenting 'The Cage', and not a lot more. The two exceptions: 1) it is interesting to see the extent of Spock's loyalty, and 2) the return of Pike to Talos IV was a nice touch. (2.5 stars for the Menagerie components alone, 3.5 overall)

pike is looking ugly
this is one of the best original series episodes.it shows scenes from "the cage" star treks unscreened pilot episode which starred jeffery hunter as captain christopher pike.this is very much a spock episode showing how much he cares about his captains.the injured pike is played by another actor [not jeffery hunter].it took about 6 hours to apply the makeup the actor wore.i myself think that the crew of pikes enterprise would make a good crew.but no bones.

Dance Vina Dance!!!!
Everyone thinks the 'big' scene is Mr. Spock smiling and grinning stupidly at some vibrating cardboard flowers, but they are wrong.

Susan Oliver as Vina, oh how beatiful she is. I have always been infatuated with green skinned slave girls anyway. I've made several bids for them, but always fall short cash wise (maybe a dylithium mine would help). Wathing Susan dance half-naked in her green body paint is much too seductive for 1960s and is possibly why the series was not picked up. I can see the producers now thinking "What the hell bloody show are you perverts trying to make? This is 1964 for crying out loud! Slave women who dance for their owners? Barbarians!"

Well I sit and watch Sweet Vina dance and dance and dance. I never get tired of her. If I was Pike I would have told Spock to fly off without me. I would have made sure the aliens kept her as the 'Green Illusion' and supplied them with a whole herd of slaves to do their manual labor. Sure when you saw her in her real state she was pretty messed up, but no worse than my ex-wife when she woke up with a hangover Sunday morning. I'm glad Pike finally got to be with her. Too bad it took for him to be as messed up as Vina for them to finally be together. Rock on Captain Pike! Even with lights to say 'yes' or 'no', you could still kick Pricard's butt. ... Read more

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Teleplay writer Oliver Crawford says "The Galileo Seven" was inspired by his viewing of a 1939 film called Five Came Back. (A catty footnote: David Gerrold, scribe of the famous "Trouble with Tribbles" episode, called "The Galileo Seven" a rip-off of the Jimmy Stewart film The Flight of the Phoenix. Meow.) Five Came Back concerned a plane crash in the Andes and the survivors who faced the constant threat of surrounding headhunters. Crawford toyed with the idea and came up with a story line in which Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and a couple of other crew members crash on the surface of a hostile planet during a shuttle mission. With communication between the small craft and the Enterprise disrupted by quasar activity, Spock and the others must defend themselves against a formidable threat with only primitive, handmade weapons. That's the scenario, but the real drama is in the rising conflict between the half-Vulcan Spock's coldly logical approach to survival and the passions of his human crew, who soon come to regard him as a hateful, unfeeling monster. This is an interesting episode, both as a taut action piece and, somewhat indirectly, as a portrait of intolerance (specifically, an intolerance of individual differences) developing under stress. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (9)

And then there were...
This episode, in which a shuttlecraft is forced to land on a planet with giant bear/ape-like creatures, was an average offering by first season standards. The episode has just sufficient action and substantial suspense, and explores the circumstances under which even otherwise well-behaved crews may be led to (?) mutiny. As others have noted, this episode, one of the few in which Kirk has a secondary role, was seminal to Spock's development. Unfortunately, the logic vs. emotion arguments are talky and overdone, to the extent that they-and the participants-become tedious. The creatures also looked pretty silly, but as I've said before I try not to hold Star Trek to a high standard when it comes to such things; the effects weren't bad enough to totally compromise the 'primal fear' element so central to this (and few other) episodes.

Also tedious was the dour Starfleet official. Scotty is in some ways the only member of the landing party presented particularily positively. He stays out of the bickering until he feels that a line has been crossed, at which point he speaks out very strongly. Both he and Spock come up with key solutions to the dilemma faced by the landing party. Also present here are the Trek ideals of loyalty and sacrifice for comerades, as well as unconditional respect for other life forms.

Silly irrational humans
Spock here. What a bunch of kooks I work with. They don't follow orders, we have no phasers becasue Scotty drained them to use for our damaged shuttle, and to top it off that damn doctor. We're being attacked by giant apes, and instead of working to get the ship ready, we have to have a funeral for one of our own. They had better start listening to me, or those giant apes will eat us all. Silly humans, why do I put up with this?

Spock learns about the limits of logic in a crisis situation
Spock faces the burdens of command in "The Galileo Seven," when the Enterprise's First Officer is in command of a shuttle mission gone horribly awry. The Galileo is investigating a space anomaly when it loses sensors and crashes on an unknown planet with Spock, McCoy, Scott and four crew members (totaling seven). Meanwhile, the Enterprise has been ordered to delivery badly needed emergency medical supplies to Markus Three, which means Kirk cannot spend much time looking for the missing shuttle. Back on the planet, Spock discovers the place is inhabited by savage giants who are no more impressed with Vulcan logic than the damaged shuttlecraft. The best parts of this episode have to do with the confrontations between Spock and McCoy, who do not have Kirk acting as a buffer this time around, so they get in each other's faces while Scotty tries to work another miracle on the damaged engines. "The Galileo Seven" is one of the better first season episodes of Star Trek and also pretty much proves once and for all which of Kirk's senior officers is the most stubborn (hint, he has pointed ears).

Good, scary show
This Star Trek episode was written with a lot of action and this show had a lot of frightening times in it. This show is where the Enterprise is delivering medicine to a planet, but stop to investigate the Murasaki 312. Since it's off course, Spock and some crewman take a shuttle to investigate, but a shockwave hits the shuttle, and it impacts on a world with hostile ape-like creatures. Do they survive and escape? You'll have to find that answer on this exciting episode. Enjoy!

Spock in Command
Spock learns that there is more to commanding a ship than following the logical procedure.

This episode has lots action, suspense, and interpersonal tension both between Spock and his crew and between Kirk and his temporary commander. Thought provoking and exciting, this is definitely a vital part of any serious Star trek collection.

This episode is the first (and one of the few) episodes to use a shuttle craft. ... Read more

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While exploring an uncharted region of the galaxy, the Enterprise encounters a cube-shaped alien probe (a predecessor of Borg vessels?) that Kirk promptly destroys. That action brings the wrath of a spaceship called the Fesarius, which locks the Enterprise in a tractor beam from which it can't escape. The show is perhaps best known for something of a surprise ending when the "captain" of the Fesarius (played by Clint Howard, brother of Ron and child star of TV's Gentle Ben) is revealed. Directed by Joseph Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (15)

This should have been the real Star Trek pilot episode
I always thought "The Corbomite Manuever" should have been the Star Trek pilot episode, because the story deals with the risk of exploring space and encountering new races. The Enterprise is out mapping a region of space when it encounters a cube that blocks their path. When the cube starts emitting radiation, Kirk destroys it with phasers. Then the biggest spherical spacecraft you have ever seen arrives upon the scene and the Enterprise receives a message from Commander Balok that they will be destroyed for violating the territory of the First Federation. What is nice about this episode is not only that Kirk uses his brains rather than his fists to solve the problem but that his relationship with Lt. Bailey speaks to the crux of the show's five-year mission. Compare this with the Kirk-Mitchell relationship in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and you can see that the lesson Kirk teaches Bailey about not being afraid of the great unknown is more central to the show's dynamic. Plus, the dynamic between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is starting to develop and you have to love the twist when we get to look behind the curtain at Balok. "The Corbomite Maneuver" is one of the best of the early Star Trek episodes.

The first real episode
After two pilot episodes, here is the first real episode of the Star Trek series. All the familiar elements are here (although Uhura wears a gold uniform instead of what would later become her familiar, red one). Sulu's at the helm, McCoy's in sick bay, and Uhura's opening hailing frequencies like only she can.

Kirk is in rare form here. In STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, it is taken for granted that Kirk is a miracle-worker who refuses to admit defeat no matter how dire the circumstances. This episode goes a long, long way towards developing that part of Kirk's character. This is Kirk at the top of his game and it's a lot of fun to watch.

A tremendous amount of tension is effectively built in the episode as Kirk tries to think his way out of a no-win scenario and the story approaches its climax. Unfortunately, that tension is inexcusably tossed aside in favor of a cute ending that is too eager to wrap everything up in the allowed time.

POKER EVERYONE!
One of the better episodes. As I look at this episode retrospectively (I saw it during the first run in the 60's), they - Kirk and Balok - are BOTH playing poker. Watch and see.

Funny, I still memember the older daughter of my baby sitter moving away from the TV screen as the scary Balok made his fierce appearance. (She was moving toward me, but I was too young to take advantage.)

"Not chess, Spock. Poker. You know the game?"
Yep, this is the episode that featured that rubber alien that often was the last image you saw during that slide show that accompanied the end credits. This was also the episode that featured that giant beehive in space. And who can forget Tranya? Aaahhh . . . delicious and invigorating Tranya. Yet, despite these dubious distinctions, "The Corbomite Maneuver" is actually a half-way decent episode.

The U.S.S. Enterprise encounters a strange cube in space and destroys it in order to pass. The cube's destruction attracts the attention of the I.S.S. Fesarius. Upon making contact with the gigantic ship, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is confronted by a threatening alien who calls himself Balok. Balok threatens the Enterprise with destruction for its hostile actions. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kirk bluffs his way to victory by telling the Fesarius that the destruction of his ship will guarantee Balok's end also. Soon Balok's true identity is revealed to Kirk when he beams over to the Fesarius. It turns out he really is only a child-sized humanoid (Clint Howard) and that the threatening alien seen on the viewscreen was a mock-up. An exchange program is suggested to Kirk and Lt. Bailey (Anthony Call) is chosen to be the lucky crew member who will get to spend the foreseeable future hunched over within the corridors of the Fesarius.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is the ultimate bipolar Star Trek episode. It starts off with the Enterprise in dire peril and ends up with Kirk attending a cocktail party trading laughs with the being who had earlier threatened him. And the strange thing is that it works! There is true suspense in the confrontation scenes. There is true gumption in Kirk's gambling. And there is true amusement in seeing a young Clint Howard guffaw it up while serving drinks. How can you not like an episode that gets goofier and goofier as it goes along? "The Corbomite Maneuver" is not one of the deeper episodes of the original series' run, but it is one of the more amusing ones. Another round of Tranya bartender!

Early early Trek
The Corbomite Manuever-This episode, in which Kirk bluffs a frightening looking alien only to ultimately find out the joke is on him, was the fist produced in season one. The plot is pretty spare, and the episode has a far slower feel than later shows. Part of this can be explained by the fact that everything was new to us (the transporter scenes for example are slow), but there also seems to be a conscious effort to keep things simple for dramatic purposes.

This episode does a nice job of demonstrating that the crew will encounter plenty of unknowns, many of them frightening. Kirk also proves himself to be courageous, resourceful, and ultimately compassionate. The episode also has a nice twist at the end, although the execution (particularly the dubbing) is less than perfect. Also somewhat unusual is the unambiguously happy ending; Most first season episodes had bittersweet and/or preachy endings. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Another Great Trek Outing
As a kid, this one and "Doomsday Machine" always made me giddy with excitement. They both feature Sol Kaplan's thumping, nail-biting score, and the special FX were outstanding, even by today's standards.

Star Trek has always been ignored by the Hollywood elite, as a sort of Red-Headed Stepchild; nevertheless, no other show in history did so much to further it's genre, and Trek's overall consistency in quality and storyline have made it a pop phenomenon. This episode contains all that made Star Trek great: Terrific acting and writing, intense drama, spectacular FX, and the wonderful "feel" that only Star Trek could produce. It also has a heaping helping of Star Trek's wonderful and quirky humor.

We begin with Spock nearly passing out with pain due to the mental cries of over 400 dying Vulcans, light years away, "astonished" as to the reason for their death. The episode quickly moves along, showing a tired crew fighting for their lives as duty impels them to explore and ultimately meet head-on with one of Sci-Fi's most amazing baddies: A huge space germ -the cause of the death of the USS Intrepid and it's Vulcan crew, and the demise of several nearby star systems.

Of course, the crew of the Enterprise always prevail at the last second.... but what a ride!

A "must have" for all home TV Sci-Fi lovers.

Maybe it's not it, it's me?
The giant amoeba episode has just never won me over for some reason. While the hook is probably slightly more intriguing than, say, Obsession's, this is really a 'face value' episode. It doesn't pack any subtle messages. If the episode were more engaging, I'd say no problem, but unfortunately this one is pretty dull. McCoy fans will appreciate his prominent role in this one though.

Underappreciated Star Trek Episode
I think "The Immunity Syndrome" is one of Star Trek's best episodes, even though it's always overlooked. The special effects in this episode are top-notch, and hold up extremely well even today, and the buildup of tension in the episode is perfectly paced. But what really makes this episode special is the dialogue between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Spock and McCoy fight for a chance to die studying the creature, leading to some of the most touching lines between the two. My favorite Spock line of all time comes at the end of the show--"Why thank you, CAPTAIN McCoy."

The Enterprise takes on the biggest amoeba in the universe
While "The Immunity Syndrome" does not offer anyone acting like Ahab (a frequent occurrence on Star Trek) we do have a giant amoeba playing the symbolic part of the great white whale. The Enterprise encounters a massive area of darkness and discovers the giant single-cell organism inside. When the always-curious Spock investigates in a shuttlecraft, he ends up inside and discovers the creature is about to reproduce. Since one of these things is a threat to the galaxy, two would probably be a lot worse, so Kirk takes the Enterprise inside the amoeba (I mean, come on, that is obviously what they have blown up here, an amoeba) in an effort to save the universe. The magnified amoeba is certainly interesting looking, but the tension in this episode is equally artificial. But it sure is amazing what you can find out there in deep space. "The Immunity Syndrome" is, at best, an average Star Trek effort.

The Best Effects ever on Star Trek
Special effects and a good story are the highlights of this episode as the Enterprise crew race to destroy an amomba like creature before it destroys the galaxy. Some great Spock/Bones remarks here as well. It's almost like they are both competing with one another to be Jim Kirk's best friend. ... Read more

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Written by Robert Bloch (author of the novel Psycho, the basis of Hitchcock's film), "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" finds Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) beaming down to planet Exo III, where Christine is to be reunited with her fiancé, Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Strong). The meeting is less than joyful, however, when it becomes clear that Korby has been developing androids that he intends to spread throughout the galaxy--using the Enterprise as his delivery vehicle. This was certainly the first significant performance for Majel Barrett in the Trek family; longtime fans know she went on to play Lwaxana Troi on The Next Generation (and Mrs. Gene Roddenberry in real life). An entertaining episode all around, with the notion of an android Kirk somehow amusing. (Maybe it was the android who sang on that notorious Shatner album.) Fans of '60s TV will also enjoy the performance of Ted Cassidy (the original Lurch from TV's The Addams Family) as the giant android, Ruk. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (16)

An influential Star Trek keystone
Seminal first season episode of ST:TOS and one of the series best efforts. A science fiction staple, androids make their initial appearance here before becoming a cardinal feature of the Star Trek universe. The story develops nicely, beginning as a bit of a mystery, then injecting equal doses of intrigue and suspense before we get any substantial clues to help us.

The Star Trek production team did an excellent job in creating the massive but agile android Ruk, effectively played by Ted Cassidy. He tosses Kirk around effortlessly; speaks in a deep resonating voice - "More complex...Much superior!" and "Existence...survival must cancel out programming!"; his complexion is dark gray, and he has sharp angular bones that shape his face which are shadowed for effect. He makes one of Star Trek's most formidable foes. They also did an incredible job of seamlessly connecting the two shots of the real Kirk and the android Kirk at the dinner table. It is exceptionable special effects work for 1966.

Beyond that are the discussion of ethics between Kirk and Dr. Korby and then Korby's final passionate effusion of pathos that surface at the conclusion. Kirk strategically uses both Ruk and Andrea as tools to purpose his escape. He first confuses Andrea by attempting to evoke a sense of romance in her which proves too abstract for her programming to comprehend. Then he convinces Ruk that Korby is no different than the creators that Ruk and the previous android population had done away with. Kirk's cryptic message to Spock is also a humorous treat for Trek fans.

One odd thing to note about this episode is the slightly risque clothing that Andrea wears. She seems quite scantily clad in comparison to the men who are fully dressed with only head and hands exposed.

This episode gets a C+ grade and is ranked 45th out of 80
The U.S.S. Enterprise arrives in orbit around Exo III, to search for exobiologist Dr. Roger Korby. When Kirk asks Spock if Korby could possibly still be alive, Spock glances at Christine, then quietly shuts off his monitor. Christine Chapel, McCoy's chief nurse, is Korby's fiancee. Chapel had signed on with the U.S.S. Enterprise in the hope of finding him. Korby is known as the "Pasteur of archeological medicine." At Dr. Korby's request, only Kirk and a very excited Christine Chapel beam down to the planet. They find the doctor living in an underground cavern built by what is known as, "The Old Ones," the extinct natives of Exo III. He tells them that he discovered the caverns while suffering from severe frostbite, five years before. Using equipment left behind by these now-dead beings, Korby has learned how to construct androids who look and act like humans. His android companions, Ruk and Andrea, amaze Kirk and Chapel with their realness. Although, Korby explains, Ruk existed long before he, himself, arrived, a product of "The Old Ones." Christine recognizes Dr. Brown, Korby's aide, but is mystified by his failure to recognize her. The reason for his behavior becomes clear when they discovered that he, too, is a sophisticated android. Korby's plan is to slowly replace key people in the Federation with androids, integrating the machines into other worlds. Taking Kirk prisoner, Korby creates a perfect duplicate of the Captain, which fools even Nurse Chapel. During the duplication process, however, Kirk plants false memories and ideas in his double's brain which makes Spock realize that something is very wrong. Korby, convinced that his android will fool the U.S.S. Enterprise crew and allow him to take over the starship, has the double beamed aboard. The false Kirk is to look over their proposed route and pick a likely planet on which to begin colonization. Spock immediately becomes suspicious of his captain until finally, after spewing an ethnic slur at the first officer, Spock is certain that this is not Capt. Kirk. He orders a landing party to meet him in the transporter room after the Captain has beamed down to the planet. Meanwhile, on Exo III, Christine Chapel realizes that somehow Roger Korby has changed; he's no longer the wonderful man she'd fallen in love with. He's become somehow distant and unfeeling... though he obviously still has a great fondness for his fiancee. Separated from Christine, Kirk is being guarded by Ruk. The Captain convinces the hulking android that Korby is a threat to his continued existence and must be destroyed. Ruk attacks Korby and is eliminated. It is discovered, to Christine's horror, that Korby has housed his essence inside an android body. Kirk convinces the doctor that he's become more machine than human. In front of his horrified fiancee, Korby grabs Andrea and fires a phaser blast that kills them both. Spock arrives with a landing party to find only Kirk and Christine remaining. Chapel announces that she would like to stay with the U.S.S. Enterprise to complete her tour.

"Have you ever been engaged, Mr. Spock?"
Despite an intriguing premise that has been explored often in the realm of science-fiction, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" is one of those Star Trek episodes that just does not work. It moves at a snails-pace, the androids aren't really memorable, and the spin table technology left behind by "The Old Ones" is kind of silly. Yet, Sherry Jackson's outfit comes close to saving the day. It is so attention-grabbing that it almost manages to keep you distracted long enough to forget about the episode's shortcomings. If there ever was an Emmy awarded for "Outstanding Supporting Performance By A Garment In A Television Series" then Jackson's attire must have walked away with the statue for this outing. Impressive work indeed.

The U.S.S. Enterprise arrives at Exo III in search of exobiologist Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Strong) who is the fiancé of Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett). Both Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Chapel beam down to the planet where they find Korby and the technology he has discovered that enables him to construct androids. They are introduced to the androids Ruk (Ted Cassidy) and Andrea (Jackson) and amazed by how lifelike they both appear. However, matters become dire when Kirk is taken prisoner and an android duplicate of him is constructed. It turns out Korby himself is an android and has devised a plan to infiltrate the Federation with androids of his creation. However, the real Kirk manages to stop Korby before the plan is put into motion.

People typically only remember two things from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" - the freaky-looking android Ruk and Sherry Jackson's outfit. There's basically nothing else to write home about. Chapel's character wasn't developed much over the run of the series so it was nice to see her grab some of the spotlight here. Too bad her big opportunity came in an episode that has pretty much been forgotten. And to support my point that this episode has been condemned to limbo, I ask if you have ever heard anyone bring up "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" in any conversation dealing with the best episodes of the original series? I thought not. By the way, did I remember to mention Sherry Jackson's outfit?

Best for Andrea
What Are Little Girls Made of?-The first of the android episodes, in which the landing party end up deep inside an icy planet, is a solid episode. As in Charlie X, we see the question of what it means to be human explored, as well as the human quest for immortality and god-like power. While the episode is thoughtful enough in these regards, less convincing are the motives behind the plan Korby hatches. Additionally, the surprise doesn't really come as a surprise at all. Still, overall an offbeat and forgotten episode with enough action to suffice. This episode can't exactly be punished for employing themes what would be beaten to death, since it is one of the first shows to employ them.

Excellent Story
The Enterprise orbits around Planet Exo III to try and find Dr. Roger Korby "The Pasteur of Archeological Medicine." Korby was also the fiance' of Enterprise Nurse Christine Chapel. When Korby is discovered alive, Kirk and Nurse Chapel beam down to meet him, but are unaware of Korby's true motives.They later discover that Korby's assistant, Brown, who met them at the entrance to the caverns, is an android, as are Andrea, a stunning beauty and Ruk,a hulking giant who kills the two security officers Kirk had beamed down, Kirk & Christine find Korby, but discover that he is somehow different. Kirk is captured by Ruk and, to Christine's horror, is locked down naked on a giant turn table and is about to be duplicated into an android himself, but not before the resourceful captain plants an ethnic slur during the duplicating process into his double's mind to warn Spock. A truly great episode, with the erie and dark caverns of Exo III to scare the daylights out of you, not to mention Ted Casiday in the scary make-up and deep sinister voice as Ruk. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Too often overlooked
This underrated 'cold war' episode featuring a gorilla-unicorn, is another taught thriller from the second season. In addition to the non-stop action (shootings, Mugatu bites, Klingon intrigue, etc.) we have a well-reasoned ethical debate about the dual perils of intervention and non-intervention by a superpower. Kirk even acknowledges some ambivalence about the arming of the Hill people (think Vietnam) at the end of the show. Other pluses in this episode are the culture of the planet, as well as Nona. Her healing scene with Shatner is pretty racy, even by today's standards.

Inspiring
I loved the episode so much when I first saw it six years ago,that it inspired me to begin an original serial using a Nona type character as the lead, and Tyree's people as my character's adopted people. Some reading this would say "so what?" but others would say that if an episode that has such good writing can inspire a budding writer, it's gotta be good! As to the Viet Nam parallel that people are referring to, I see the episode as just good story telling on it's own merit.

Maintaining a Balance of Power on a primitive planet
... "A Private Little War" is one of the most thoughtful Star Trek episodes dealing with the problematic Prime Directive, although Kirk has an easy out since the Klingons are already interfering. Obviously there are some parallels to Vietnam, but the episode can clearly stand on its own. Unfortunately, Star Trek never did really work out all the implications of the Prime Directive, even after trying for four different series. Still, there is an inherent sense of sadness to what has happened to the people on this planet that gives this episode an undeniable resonance. But the monster would be more believable if it was not this giant WHITE thing running around the jungle.

Boldly going....to Vietnam?
The crew of the Enterprise visits an idyllic, pre-industrialized world inhabited by the docile hill-people and the greedy villagers. Not incorporated into the Federation of Planets, this pre-techno world is supposed to be free of any interference by either the Federation or the Klingon empire. Nevertheless, on a routine survey, the villagers attack the hill people with crude rifles - though that requires technology beyond them. With Mr. Spock severely injured, Kirk stays behind looking for evidence that the Klingons are illegally supplying technology that will allow the villagers to conquer the planet and rule it for the Klingons. Reuniting with the Hill People, among whom Kirk once lived, Kirk hooks up with their leader, Tyree and his wife, the bewitching Nona. Sneaking into the Villagers' stronghold, Kirk finds evidence of non-indigenous technology (carbon-free metal tools are a big tip-off). Though implicating the Klingons, Kirk now faces an even bigger quandry - allow the rapacious villagers to conquer the planet, or give the hill-people the means to fight back. Either alternative gurantees bloodshed, with the decision coming down to ensuring either the genocide of the hill people or a ceaseless and bloody war with the villagers. Dr. McCoy, who stayed planetside with Kirk, provides the perfect moral foil for Kirk who is defiantly pro-defense.

I must have seen this episode a hundred times as a kid, never knowing that it was obviously a take on the war in Vietnam which had already escalated by then. The weird part is how this film makes as the enemies, the urbanized and technologically advanced villagers, which is more analogous to the Southern Vietnamese regime. Like the very best sci-fi, when it must be topical, the script is dignified enough to explore both sides. It's a weak episode of Trek, suffering because the comedy team of Bones and Spock spends much of the time apart (with Spock stuck on the Enterprise, recuperating from the attack in the beginning of the episode). The script tries juicing things up with the wicked-hot Nona and an attack by the "Mugato", a sort of white, horned gorilla with poison fangs, that both seem to distract from the message of the show (which may have been the biggest reason for putting them there - the guys who write for Trek were brave, but to a fault). A flawed but still important episode.

Horn + white ape suit = alien
I once overlooked this episode and it took me a number of years to realize just how good it is. Along with Friday's Child, the Cloud Minders and Operation:Annihilate, this is one of the most underated episodes of the series. Yes, the Mugato looked like it would put a gleem in Irwin Allen's eye and the Natives wear third rate poofy wigs, but the story is just terrific. They took a foreign intervention story and stuck it out on a primitve planet plus Kirk fights a healer's influence and Spock fights off a possibly fatal attack. This episode is well written and carried out in fine fashion. ... Read more

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The delightful episode "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is a time-travel story with an infectious blend of suspense and humor. After dropping into a black hole, the Enterprise ends up orbiting the Earth in the late 1960s and is spotted by U.S. Air Force captain Christopher (Roger Perry), who happens to be flying by in his jet. Inadvertently giving poor Christopher an unwanted glimpse into the future, and wrecking his jet with an overpowering tractor beam, Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), not having a good day, beams him aboard the Federation starship. The collision of sensibilities and reference points between characters born several centuries apart has a fresh, urgent tone that subsequent Star Trek series have never captured (though Deep Space Nine came close with its dazzling episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"). The problem, of course, is what to do about Christopher now that he knows what he knows, and history demands that he stay put in his own world: the pilot's unborn son, it seems, will one day make a space flight of historic importance. Terrifically entertaining and something of a precedent-setter for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (the theatrical feature set in contemporary San Francisco), "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is Trek at its best. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Back to the past
The first of the contemporary earth episodes is a solid offering about a USAF pilot who ends up aboard the Enterprise. One might be forgiven for not realizing they were watching Star Trek here; the Enterprise doesn't show up until the end of this unusual teaser. This episode explores the trappings of time travel, with every effort the crew makes at not altering the future invariably leading to more modification of the future. If the questions of logic posed by the above aren't taken to seriously (they shouldn't be, in my opinion) this episode is watchable enough. The strongest aspects of this show are the humor behind the cultural (temporal?) differences and a fallible Kirk. In truth though, not that much happens here, and the contemporary Earth idea isn't too interesting 36 years later after the fact.

Star Trek's first (and funniest) Time Travel episode
For the first time the Enterprise goes back in time in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," thrown back while trying to break free of the gravitational pull of a black hole. The Enterprise ends up in the late 1960's (neat coincidence, huh?) over the United States, where a jet fighter is scrambled to check out the giant blip on the radar. Worried about nuclear missiles, Kirk uses the tractor beam to stop the aircraft, which then falls apart. The Enterprise rescues the pilot, Captain John Christopher, who finds everything (including Spock) a little hard to believe. Then Kirk discovers he is between a rock and a hard place: they cannot let Christopher return with his knowledge of the future but the officer has to return because his son, who is not yet been conceived, is going to be a famous space explorer. If this does not give Kirk a headache, then just think about the old kill a butterfly and cause monsoons in China theory of causality. There are some nice moments in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," having to do with the sudden confrontation of the past and the future, the best of which (Kirk being interrogated by the Military Police and noting wryly that the lengthy prison sentence he is being threatened with would be "just about right" for getting him back to his own time) will pop up again in the movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." I have to admit, I like a time travel episode where the entire fate of the universe does not hang in the balance, as in "The City on the Edge of Forever."

Bad Day for Kirk--Good Episode for Fans
When I first saw this episode so many years ago, I was afraid they had replaced Star Trek with some show about the air force. What a classic teaser! What a relief to see the Enterprise make it's surprise appearance!

We don't get to see the Enterprise at its best in this episode, which is what makes it so fun. Kirk makes one blunder after another. The computer has had a recent unfortunate personality transplant. Even Spock overlooks a very important facet in his calculations. As the episode progresses, the situation just gets worse for our heroes. It's very enjoyable watching Kirk squirm under interrogation.

The resolution didn't come across as very believable, but I'm no time travel expert, so what do I know? I just accept it and applaud.

And, of course, the "chicken soup" scene is a classic Star Trek instant.

Tomorrow Is Yesterday
In "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," the Enterprise finds itself in the 20th century, not far above the surface of the earth. It is spotted by a pilot of the United States Air Force and is believed to be a U.F.O. Scared of being shot down and possibly destroyed, Captain Kirk decides to beam the pilot onboard. If Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew don't watch out, they might change the course of history.

I thought "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" was a pretty good episode about time travel. At times in the episode, the Enterprise will travel back in time, making the clock onboard the Enterprise counts backward. I thought that was one of the best things about the episode. "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" isn't one of the best episodes of Star Trek The Original Series, but it isn't a bad one either. If you like The Original Series of Star Trek, I recommend getting "Tomorrow Is Yesterday."

Time Travel on Star Trek.
Captain James T. Kirk must find a way to get his ship and crew home after they are transported back in time after pulling away from the gravity of a black star. Problem is they must also return an air force pilot, they beamed onboard, and he must have no memory of ever meeting people from the future, other wise history will be forever altered.Written by D.C. Fontana.Directed by Michael O'Herlihy.Music Composed and Conducted by Alexander Courage. ... Read more

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It's the supporting players who provide the most watchable performances in the 1969 "Whom Gods Destroy," one of the best episodes from Star Trek's final season on NBC. Running an errand to the planet Elba II, an inhospitable place housing a remote hospital for the hopelessly insane, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discover that a longtime patient and Starfleet icon, Captain Garth (Steve Ihnat), has overtaken the facility. Suffering delusions of absolute power, Garth declares himself master of the universe, though his mastery fails to lure the rest of the Enterprise crew into a trap.

With Kirk and Spock subdued prisoners of the brutal Garth, the story opens to Ihnat's flamboyant yet sympathetic performance. You can see behind the character's crazy veneer to the bold starship commander whose exploits fired Kirk's imagination as a cadet. Equally good is Yvonne Craig as Garth's would-be queen, the very sexy Marta, a compulsive killer whose seductive dances, wayward intelligence, and exotic, green skin make her one of the most striking females from the original series. Newbie Trekkers will be happy to know that the story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl clarifies a couple of biographical points about Kirk and Spock, including the captain's own reference to his Starfleet career track before becoming an explorer. -