TOS - 1.06 - The Naked Time

When the Enterprise attempts to collect a science party from Psi 2000 they find that all of the scientists have died under mysterious circumstances. Reckless behaviour from crewman of the week Tormolen unwittingly brings an infection back to the ship which makes affected individuals act as if they are intoxicated. As such, the episode is very much a bottle show in the same mould as "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (which previously featured Enterprise crew members being affected in the same way as a previously ill-fated group of people and then trying to avoid the sane fate).

The episode surprised me in the great restraint that it showed in not immediately infecting the regular crew members, with only Sulu being affected initially. This leads to probably the most  memorable element of the episode in which he runs around the ship with a bare chest and a sword. Instead, the  threat first comes from guest crew members, which at least introduces an element of unpredictably. It is only towards the climax that we get first Spock and then Kirk infected. Leonard Nimoy in particular must have loved the opportunity that this gave him to emote and show Spock's normal internal struggles. The effect on Kirk is less marked (seemingly just bringing to the surface a desire for Yeoman Rand), which is probably understandable given that we have only recently seen a different side to the captain in "The Enemy Within". We get tantalised with the potential for a full-on fist fight between Kirk and Spock as a result of their irrational behaviour, but this doesn't actually happen.

I understand that "The Naked Time" is one of the most celebrated episodes from the Original Series, but I struggle to see what the fuss is about. I think the main issue that I had is one of tone - there are elements of the intoxicated crew members that are played very broadly, particularly Sulu's exploits and the Irish affectations of Riley. However, these don't then sit well against the race against time to save the Enterprise as it spirals into Psi 2000 as a result of Riley shutting down the engines - there is virtually zero tension, especially compared with the similar situation in "The Corbomite Maneuver".

That said, there are still some effective character moments such as when the tension causes Kirk and Uhara snap at each other before they each then apologise. Tormolen gets some thought provoking dialogue concerning whether man should be exploring the stars, although this is undermined by the fact that he must be utterly stupid to remove his containment suit glove in order to touch an alien rock, and thus cause the whole crisis in the first place.

This episode introduces another regular member of the Enterprise crew, namely Nurse Christine Chappel (although her surname is not mentioned on-screen here). She is played by Majel Barrett, the girlfriend of Gene Roddenberry who had played Number One in "The Cage" but had not made it into the series proper in that role. Barrett looks very different here, having bleached her hair, presumably in an attempt to fool the network. Nurse Chapel is affected by the infection which leads her to profess her love for Spock. This seems a little odd, coming so closely after Uhura's attempts to flirt with the Vulcan in the previous episode, but I understand that Chappel's affection for Spock will be a key part of her character from here.

Spock and Scotty are ultimately able to save the Enterprise by doing something clever to the engines of the starship. This has the unexpected side effect of resulting in the ship travelling back in time, with Spock implying that this is something that can be reproduced. Kirk is remarkably non-plussed at the revelation that his science officer has invented a time machine! The captain simply notes that this might be useful in the future, no doubt mirroring the attitude of the series writers. This is a quite remarkable way of ending the episode, introducing to the series such a major element as time travel but throwing it away in the last five minutes with no guarantee that this will be followed up at all. This does at least shows how television storytelling has changed over the years - my subsequent reading up on the background of the episode does suggest that it was originally intended that the time travel here would have led directly into "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" with the Enterprise thrown back to the 1960s, but such serialisation was too much of a constraint at the time. This is of course very different to the shows of today, including Discovery which very used this very approach when the eponymous ship there was thrown into the Mirror Universe towards the end of the first series.

Planetary Gazetteer

Psi 2000: An ice planet which is in the process of disintegrating and whose destruction is to be recorded by the Enterprise. It has been home by a science party that all perished after contracting the alien infection.

Starship Spotting

This episode reveals that the Enterprise's engines are powered by the mutual annihilation of matter and anti-matter - a somewhat more futuristic source than the simple use of lithium crystals as explained previously in "Mudd's Women".

General Observations

• The only Stardate given in a log entry is 1704.2. The remastered version on the Blu-ray introduces a chronometer at the end of the episode shows that the Stardate at this point is 1705.0. The Enterprise then travels back in time by 71 hours to Stardate 1702.0. 
• We meet a number of new Enterprise crew members during the episode - Lt Joe Tormolen (who brings the disease up to the ship), Lt Kevin Thomas Riley (the latest navigator who is Irish) and Harrison (who works in the biopsy lab). The crewman played by regular supporting artist Frank Da Vinci is also named as Lt Brent
• It is explicitly specified that Spock has green blood, confirming what appears to be shown by his injuries in "The Man Trap". He has virtually no blood pressure and a pulse rate of 242. Assuming that this is beats per minute then this is significantly greater than humans where the normal resting rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. This is interesting since we later learn that Vulcans are very long lived species which would tend to imply that they should have much slower pulse rates than humans.
• Although not named on screen, this episode features the first appearance of what appears to be a food replicator. This is in the recreation room where we see the 3D chess set (used by Kirk and Spock in "Where No Man Has Gone Before") and two crew members playing what appears to be 3D draughts. 
• Another phrase that would become a Star Trek cliche is uttered for the first time in this episode when Scotty tells Kirk that he "can't change the laws of physics". Ironically, this is exactly what happens when he does achieve the impossible, and invents time travel to boot.
• Okay, so what does the title mean? Yes, there is some time travel (although it is basically irrelevant to the main plot) but aside from that I can't see any connection.
• Janice Rand is again the subject of male interest. As well as Kirk's apparent desire for his "beautiful yeoman", another intoxicated crewman appears to be harassing her. At least the introduction of Nurse Chappel provides another target for the attention of Riley, although he is comparatively chivalrous in his courting of Christine and this scene does at least have a purpose in the plot since it leads to Chappel's infection. 
• Sulu's swordsmanship comes from the fact that he fences as a hobby. His interest in botany is also mentioned, consistent with what we saw him doing in "The Man Trap".
• Unconvincing special effect of the week - the dead woman who is examined by Spock on Psi 2000 is clearly a shop window mannequin!

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TOS - 1.05 - The Man Trap

"The Man Trap" was the first episode of Star Trek to be transmitted, and it is easy to see why it was chosen to introduce the public to such an unusual new show  - it has an intriguing mystery and a dangerous alien monster, as well as giving each of the crew members something interesting to do (well, apart from Scotty, who doesn't appear).

The episode involves the Enterprise crew arriving on planet M-113 to conduct a routine medical inspection on Robert and Nancy Crater, who have been conducting a multi-year archaeological survey. This supposedly simple mission is initially complicated by the fact that Nancy Crater is an old girlfriend of McCoy. However, that is only the start of the issues for the Enterprise crew since, like Vina in "The Cage" and the eponymous "Mudd's Women", Nancy Crater is yet another female character who is not what she first appears. She is in fact the last survivor of a race of indigenous creatures who can alter the perception of those around her (she is referred to in dialogue as a shape shifter but it is a lot more complicated than that according to her first scene where she appears differently to each person). Rather more seriously, she requires salt to survive. M-113 appears to have exhausted its supply (it is not made explicit, but this is presumably why the race is dying out) and so she takes to leeching it out of people.

This synopsis does make "The Man Trap" sound like a simple "monster of the week" type runaround. However, the script does initially attempt to portray the salt vampire as not necessarily evil, only killing to survive. Crater explains that it is intelligent and, after it killed his wife, he forgave it and accepted its companionship, providing it with salt from his supplies. Unfortunately, thus subtlety is not maintained until the end - the creature ultimately kills Crater (suggesting that he was wrong to trust it) and then attacks Kirk before it is ultimately shot down by McCoy who has finally recovered his composure

The episode is an interesting one for McCoy. After "The Enemy Within" had established McCoy as the emotional counterbalance to Spock, we here see his emotions getting the better of him as he is seduced by the apparent return of Nancy into his life. This is even to the extent that Kirk gets somewhat angry with him.

Aside from the main plot, there's a wonderfully meta moment in which Uhura complains about the repetitive nature of her job, no doubt echoing the limited nature of what Nichelle Nichols has to work with at the communications console. This develops into a bizarre moment in which Uhura attempts to flirt with Spock, although this does at least provide some precedent for the Spock-Uhura relationship that would be developed in the Kelvin-verse movies.

Planetary Gazetteer

M-113: The planet on which Robert Crater has been conducting an archaeological mission and where he meets the salt vampire. Somewhat oddly, the planet is referred to as "M One Hundred Thirteen" rather than "M One Hundred and Thirteen" or "M One One Three".

Vulcan: Spock's home planet is named explicitly for the first time (although he was said to be a Vulcanian in "Mudd's Women"). It does not have any moons.

Wrigley's Pleasure Planet: Somewhere that has been visited by Crewman Darnell and where a met a woman whose image his displayed to him when he meets what is supposedly Nancy Crater.

Caran IV: Location of a starship base which is expecting a delivery of supplies from the Enterprise. The commanding officer of this facility is Space Commander Jose Dominguez.

General Observations

• This episode pretty much introduces the "red shirt" trope in which regular characters beam down to a planet with a crewman that we have never seen before and who is then killed. In fact, we get this multiple times with Crewmen Darnell, Sturgeon, Barnhart and Green - although none of them are actually wearing red uniforms. 
• Sulu is seen working in the botany laboratory rather than at his usual helm position (some commentators suggest that this is his hobby). 
• McCoy says "He's dead, Jim" for the first time in this episode (he almost said it in "The Enemy Within but it was "It's dead, Jim" there).
• McCoy's first name of Leonard is given for the first time. It is also revealed that Nancy used to call him "Plum"!
• It is mentioned that buffalo are now extinct on Earth (like the passenger pigeon, which was already extinct at the point at which the episode was made).
• There's some horrible sexism when two anonymous crew members leer over Janice Rand in a brief scene that is completely irrelevant to the main plot.
• Uhura appears in her regular red uniform for the first time after being in gold for her previous appearances. It is revealed that she speaks Swahili.
• Sulu mentions "the Great Bird of the Galaxy"; there is no explanation as to what this is, but it will soon become a nickname for Gene Roddenberry.
• It isn't very clear on screen, the wounds that Spock has after he has been attacked by the creature establish that he has green blood.
• Unconvincing special effect of the week - an alien plant (named as Beauregard by Janice Rand) which is very obviously a hand puppet since it looks remarkably like a pink glove!

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TOS - 1.04 - The Enemy Within

The concept of the transporter was of course created by Gene Roddenberry as a means of enabling crew members to move between the Enterprise and the planet of the week without the need for the expense and story-telling constraints associated with them having to use a shuttle in every episode – it was just a narrative shortcut. When Roddenberry approached Richard Matheson about writing for Star Trek, the legendary science fiction author and screenwriter very cleverly identified the potential to use the transporter as a more fundamental story-telling device, and combined with an idea that he had about putting “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” into a science fiction context. Thus came about “The Enemy Within” in which a transporter accident creates an evil duplicate of Kirk.

William Shatner clearly has great fun in his portrayal of Evil Kirk, all snarls and screams and sweat. But this doesn’t stop the episode treating Evil Kirk entirely seriously with his attempted rape of Janice Rand in a scene that is shocking even today. The attack and its immediate consequences are treated seriously although this is undermined somewhat in Spock’s comments to Rand at the end of the episode he which he suggests that she might have liked the imposter, which are somewhat offensive even for a Vulcan!

The idea of an evil duplicate of the main character would have been a fairly tired trope even in 1966, so it is the credit of the episode that it actually digs deeper than this. It is established fairly early on that there are two Kirks (thus avoiding the cliché of the main character being blamed for the crimes of the imposter), and instead reveals that Evil Kirk has taken all of the captain’s negative impulses, leaving a Good Kirk who is indecisive and unsure since it is the combination of both positive and negative characteristics that make an effective commanding officer. Shatner’s portrayal of this version of Kirk is less showy than the shouty doppelganger but no less effective.

Any episode featuring doubles of the main characters inevitably introduces technical challenges. The two Kirks are generally achieved here through the use of a body double, who unfortunately doesn’t look that much like William Shatner when viewed from behind. Given the technical challenges, it is unsurprising that there is limited use of split screen technology to show both Kirk’s clearly in the same shot but these are well used and helped by very precise editing, especially when Good Kirk reaches out and holds the hand of his evil double.

The episode features a subplot in which a landing party is marooned on a desolate planet with the transporter being and the need for them to be recovered before nightfall when temperatures fall to inhospitable levels. Matheson was apparently not keen on this element, believing it took away from Kirk’s battle with himself, but I found it very successful in providing a context for Good Kirk needing to make a command decision, not to mention the urgency placing more pressure on the captain. The scenes on the planet also provide a good opportunity to showcase Mr Sulu, whose constant joking under pressure highlighted a characteristic that I would not have previously associated with the character.

Ultimately, Spock and Scotty do something unspecified but clever to the transporter in order to fix the problem. However, it is entirely correct that this is not the focus for the climax, which instead depends on Good Kirk having to make a decision as to whether to risk using the transporter given that the first test resulted in the death of the strange dog-like creature that had been afflicted in the same way as Kirk. In these scenes, we see the duality of Kirk being also reflected in the conflict between the logic of Spock and the emotion of McCoy, which is established here as they provide conflicting advice to the captain but will soon become one of the defining features of the show.

Planetary Gazetteer

Alfa 177: A planet where the Enterprise is conducting a specimen gathering mission. Alfa 177 does not seem to have any humanoid inhabitants but it is home to a strange dog-like creature [represented by a small uncomfortable looking dog in a fur coat with a plastic horn attached]. It appears to be comfortable for the Enterprise crew to work on the planet during the day, but the temperature drops to 120 below zero at night.

Starship Spotting

The subplot about the landing party being marooned due to the failure of the transporter does highlight Starfleet’s very poor planning in terms of having no back-up system for recovering crew members from a planet. In the future, we will see various Enterprises and other starships carrying shuttles, but this does not appear to be the case yet.

General Observations

• This episode takes place between Stardates 1672.1 and 1673.9.
• Spock provides one  of the log entries during the episode, the first time that someone other than Kirk is heard to do this. Curiously, he describes himself here as “Second Officer”, where I was under the impression that he was the Enterprise’s First Officer (i.e. second in command).
• Spock uses the Vulcan nerve pinch for the first time when he disables Evil Kirk. This was developed by Nimoy in conjunction with director Leo Penn when the actor objected to the script directing that Spock just hits Kirk over the head.
• McCoy gives a version of another of his famous catchphrases when he says “It’s dead, Jim”, here referring to the strange dog-like creature from Alfa 177 after it fails to survive the test of the repaired transporter.
• Jim Goodwin reappears as Farrell, the Enterprise navigator from “Mudd’s Women”. Edward Madden, who here plays Geological Technician Fisher, had previously played a geologist in “The Cage” so it is reasonable to assume that this is the same character. However, Nichelle Nichols is absent from the episode.
• For much of the episode, Good Kirk wears an alternative uniform in the form of a green wrap around tunic which is convenient in allowing the viewer to differentiate him from Evil Kirk who retains his standard gold shirt.
• Evil Kirk likes drinking Saurian brandy, the first reference to an alcoholic beverage that will be mentioned in many subsequent episodes across the different Star Trek shows.

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TOS - 1.03 - Mudd's Women

There have been various moments within the first few episodes of Star Trek in which the series has displayed a somewhat chauvinistic attitude towards its few female characters. And then we come to "Mudd's Women" - blimey - they were only just been warming up...

The episode involves the Enterprise intercepting an unregistered vessel being operated by interstellar rogue Harcourt Fenton Mudd. The ship's cargo consists of Eve, Magda and Ruth - three beautiful and scantily clad women who have a strange hypnotic effect on the male members of the crew who all seem to fall in love with them. We are clearly supposed to find humour in the reactions of the Enterprise crew, but the effect is now somewhat uncomfortable - the women are in no way empowered by what is happening and they are objectified by direction that favours them with soft focus close-ups and an emphasis on their bodies. Of the three women, only Eve is given any character, with her discomfort at Mudd's scheming, but, even then, her ambition appears to amount to becoming a wife who will "cook and sew and cry and need".

We find out that Mudd has been providing the women with a "Venus Drug" which enhances their beauty (and presumably also gives them their alluring effect, although this is never made explicit). This is revealed in a scene in which we see the women with their natural appearances and where Magda and Ruth in particular are made up to be elderly and obviously hideous. This made me expect that it would to be explained that they had been victim of some accident or incident like Vina in "The Cage", but no - they are just normal women who are not stunning super models and so want to beautiful in order to attract a husband. To the episode's credit, it does attempt to provide some moral commentary in its closing scene when Eve becomes beautiful once more by taking what she thinks is the real drug but is actually a placebo. However, Kirk's explanation that beauty comes from self-confidence is made laughable by the extreme nature of Eve's transformation, complete with swish new hair-do and make-up. This leads to chief miner Childress deciding her does want Eve after all and a supposedly happy ending for Eve, as chief miner Childress decides that he does want her as a wife after all. Hey, he wasn't interested in her for her ability to help him, but she can still look pretty, so that's okay isn't it? At least Eve gets some closure - we learn absolutely nothing about what happens to Magda and Ruth.

The treatment of Magda, Ruth and Eve within the episode is not helped by the fact that their screen time is compromised by the script being much more interested in Harry Mudd. I'm unclear as to whether we are supposed to view Mudd as a likeable rogue, or whether he is actually a more dangerous character who uses charm to disarm his opponents. I had first come across Mudd when he was recreated in the first season of Discovery, which very much went for the second of these interpretations. Unfortunately, Roger C Carmel's very broad performance in "Mudd's Women" leaves  little scope for subtlety. I was somewhat dismayed when he retained his cod-Irish accent throughout - I was hoping at first that this was simply an affectation that was part of his initial attempt to persuade Kirk that he was Captain Leo Walsh. However, I guess he must have proved popular in order to warrant return appearances in Series 2 and the Animated Series.

Although Magda, Ruth and Eve seem to be willing participants in Mudd's scheme, there is no getting away from the fact that this is an episode about a practice that could be viewed as people trafficking or even prostitution, especially given the fact that there is no way that Harry Mudd is taking part for altruistic purposes. There is certainly the potential for a series such as Star Trek to treat a subject matter like this that remains relevant even today, but I think it requires a somewhat more nuanced approach than that used by "Mudd's Women"...

Planetary Gazetteer

Rigel XII: The location of a lithium mining operation visited by the Enterprise. This is an inhospitable planet that suffers frequent gales and electrical storms. It is presumably in the same star system as Rigel VII, which was the location of Pike's defeat as mentioned in "The Cage".

Ophicus III: The location of the colony to which Mudd is transporting Eve, Magda and Ruth.

Starship Spotting

The Enterprise is powered here by lithium crystals, rather than dilithium as later episodes. This is at least consistent with "Where No Man Has Gone Before" in which Delta-Vega was a lithium cracking station, suggesting that this very world element is important in the world of Star Trek. Amusingly, the Enterprise has a battery back-up for use when the lithium crystals fail. Scotty also claims that the Enterprise has a weight of "almost a million gross tons".

Mudd's vessel is identified as a Class J cargo ship.

General Observations

• The episode takes place between Stardates 1328.8 and 1330.1. These Stardates are lower than those given in "The Corbomite Manoeuver", showing that there was no attempt to progress the Stardates logically even when the episodes are considered in the order in which they were made.
• The captain of the Enterprise is referred as James T Kirk for the first time, a change from James R Kirk as seen on the gravestone created for him in "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
• Spock's species is identified for the very first time when Harry Mudd recognises him as a "Vulcanian". It is confirmed that Spock is suppressing his emotions, rather than not actually having any as might be implied from earlier episodes. It is also mentioned that his anatomy is somewhat different from that of a human.
• Grace Lee Whitney doesn't appear as Yeoman Rand in the episode, apparently as a budget saving measure. 
• Majel Barrett provides the voice of the Enterprise computer for the first time - a role that she would continue to provide for many years into the future. Barrett was the girlfriend of Gene Roddenberry and had played Number One in "The Cage" but had not made it into the series proper.
• The Enterprise has another navigator, Lt John Farrell, following on from Gary Mitchell and Dave Bailey in the preceding episodes.
• Harry Mudd has a criminal record for smuggling, transporting stolen goods and purchase of a space vessel with counterfeit currency. He was sentenced to psychiatric treatment, but the effectiveness of this is disputed. This all comes from the "Future Space Police", a wonderfully bizarre title for an organisation in a series that is already set in the future.

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TOS - 1.02 - The Corbomite Maneuver

“The Corbomite Maneuver” was the first regular episode of Star Trek to go into production, although this ended up being almost 12 months after “Where No Man Had Gone Before” had been completed. It clearly marks the next stage in the development of the show, principally with the introduction of DeForest Kelley as Dr McCoy. The benefits of having a younger doctor than the previous episodes are already clear and we see McCoy as one character who is able to challenge Kirk, although I find it surprising to see this escalate into a full scale argument which was unexpected given the more chummy relationship that I had been expecting based on the characters as I remembered them from the movies. McCoy’s faith in people rather than technology and machines is established here - this clearly sets him up for conflict with Spock, although the two characters don’t actually share any scenes together here.

This episode also introduces Nichelle Nichols as Uhura plus Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Janice Rand (although this character isn’t named on screen here). There are shades of Captain Pike when Kirk expresses displeasure at being assigned a female yeoman.. Aside from this attitude not exactly being progressive, it is surprising since every yeoman we have seen has been female, including Yeoman Smith who served under Kirk in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. Rand's duties here actually make her  like the captain's steward bringing him food and refreshments (and a deleted scene apparently showed her sorting out Kirk's uniform for him!). This contrasts with the US Navy (which was Gene Roddenberry's model for Starfleet), where a yeoman is actually an enlisted service member who performs administrative or clerical work.

Other changes for the episode include Mr Sulu now taking up his familiar role as helmsman (apparently in order to make the racial diversity of the crew more visible given that he would only have appeared sporadically as the head of astroscience as he was in "Where No Man Has Gone Before") and the introduction of the classic uniforms with black collars, red tunics replacing tan for the operations division (making the show more colourful for those with new colour televisions) and mini-dresses for the women. Interestingly, Uuara is in gold here rather than the red uniform that would become standard for her.

For most of its duration, “The Corbomite Maneuver” is highly effective. We truly get the sense that the Enterprise is operating in the unknown when it comes up against a technologically superior foe who claims that the ship is trespassing in its space. As the first bottle episode, set almost entirely on board the Enterprise, it works well in introducing the full crew and their relationships, especially as tension rises as we count down towards the Enterprise’s destruction. The sense of unease is amplified when Spock is able to show us the apparent form of Balok, the opposing ship captain, and the view screen reveals a very disturbing figure who would go on to be immortalised within the end credits and no doubt act as a continued source of nightmares for small children (especially since it is much clearer there since there is no distortion as in the episode proper). Credit for much of the episode’s success must therefore go to director Joseph Sargent (who would go on to direct movies including “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and…erm…”Jaws: The Revenge”), who is still able to make it look interesting despite the fact that almost everything takes place solely on the Enterprise. There is one shot in particular that works really well as we follow Kirk from the lift on to the bridge and we see that set from a very different angle.

The episode is another good showcase for Kirk who must use unconventional means to defeat Balok with his bluff that the Enterprise contains “corbomite”, a material that would lead to mutual destruction if Balok were to attempt to attack (this means that, amusingly, the episode is named after something that doesn’t even exist within the fictional Star Trek universe). We also see that Kirk is fallible with the subplot involving Lt Bailey, the navigator of the Enterprise, who Kirk seems to have promoted too quickly. Bailey’s behaviour provides an effective contrast to the professionalism of the rest of the crew as we follow his descent from questioning orders to subordination and ultimately a full breakdown (which unfortunately isn’t that convincingly portrayed by Anthony Call). Bailey is only referred to by his surname on screen, but I note that the end credits give him the wonderfully incongruous first name of Dave.

Unfortunately, the least successful part of the episode is its climax when Kirk, McCoy and Bailey transport over to the enemy ship in a display of compassion in response to a distress signal and it is revealed that the disturbing Balok alien is merely a puppet. This type of “Wizard of Oz” reveal is by itself quite clever (and did fool me over 50 years later), as well as having the additional benefit of providing an in-built response to anyone claiming that the alien doesn’t look real. Unfortunately, the real Balok is revealed to be seven year old Clint Howard with a bald cap and false eyebrows, dubbed by a much older actor. Balok’s motivations aren’t also that clear – it appears that everything is a trick to see if the Enterprise crew are worthy of first contact, but it does seem to be a somewhat convoluted and sadistic way of operating especially since, as Kirk points out, Balok has already conducted a thorough scan of the starship. However, I can kind of see what the episode is trying to get at; we are already seeing the ideals of Star Trek on display as it takes an episode that could, in lesser hands, just be about two ships shooting at each other and turns this into a display of the benefits of humanity. It also cleverly combines this resolution of the Bailey subplot as the humbled navigator volunteers to spend some time with Balok in order to show him the reality of our species, not just the best of it.

Planetary Gazetteer

No planets are visited or even mentioned – we learn nothing about Balok’s origin than the fact that he is part of something called the “First Federation”. The planet on which the Enterprise crew was apparently to be interred was named as Carpi in early versions of the script, but this never made it to the screen.

Starship Spotting

The Enterprise’s phasers are used to free it from Balok’s warning buoy. These are operated here by phaser crews rather than directly from the bridge. Kirk refers to the Enterprise is said to be a “United Earth Ship”, making it clear that the United Federation of Planets has not yet been invented by the programme makers. 

Balok’s ship is called the Fesarius. It is a vast sphere that is approximately one mile in diameter, but its crew consists only of its commander. The geometrical nature of the Fesarius and Balok’s warning buoy are very reminiscent of the design choices used much later by the Borg.

General Observations

• The episode starts on Stardate 1512.2, with further log entries on 1513.8 (said to be 18 hours later), 1514.0 and 1514.1.
• Spock being half-human is introduced in this episode when it is made explicit that his mother is from Earth. This follows the vague reference in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” to him having an ancestor who is an Earth woman.
• McCoy uses an embryonic version of his famous catchphrase (“I’m a doctor not a INSERT RANDOM PROFESSION HERE”) early in his first episode when he says “What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?”
• After Shatner’s ripped shirt in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, we get him fully stripped to the waist here while undertaking McCoy’s physical tests so there is at least some equal opportunity exploitation to balance against the very short mini-dresses worn by the female crew members.
• Given that this is supposed to Balok’s first contact with humanity, it is somewhat odd that he is familiar with “The Strange Case of Jekyl and Hyde” when he uses this as a basis for comparing his relationship with his puppet form.
• When the Enterprise is facing apparent destruction at the hands of Balok, Kirk gives a lovely speech to the crew that further highlights the themes of the episode and of Star Trek as a series: “Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien lifeforms. You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.”
• Although the first regular episode to be filmed, “The Corbomite Maneuver” would be transmitted as the tenth episode. This was later than originally intended due to the time taken to complete the extensive optical effects. This is certainly an example of where the production order it not ideal in terms of variety of episodes, given that “The Corbomite Maneuver” and “Where No Man Have Gone Before” are both set predominately on board the Enterprise.

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TOS - 1.01 - Where No Man Has Gone Before

Whilst “The Cage” was not by itself sufficient to convince NBC to commission a full series of Star Trek, it showed enough potential for the network to commission a second pilot. The most obvious change this time round is the introduction of William Shatner as Kirk. This was something actually forced on the show – whilst Jeffrey Hunter would have been under contract for any series that followed “The Cage” this did not apply for a second pilot episode and Hunter’s wife had declared that a little science fiction show was beneath her movie star husband – but it has a huge benefits. Shatner’s Kirk is a charismatic and dynamic figure right from the very first scenes and this makes him a far more engaging and entertaining lead than the more introspective Captain Pike. It is interesting that Gene Roddenberry decided that Shatner was to play a new character, rather than simply recasting and retooling Captain Pike, but this would ultimately allow him to exploit footage from “The Cage” at a later date.

There is a single character returning from “The Cage”, namely Mr Spock. However, this was only as a result of Roddenberry fighting to retain him in the face of objections from the network. Whilst Spock’s look is still developing (his classic hairstyle is in place but his eyebrows are more severely slanted than in later episodes), he has now become the logical figure that we expect and this lack of emotions is mentioned as being representative of his species (which is still not yet named). However, Spock’s backstory isn’t quite in the form that will later be established – he mentions that an “ancestor” married a human female, rather than this actually being his mother. The chemistry between Leonard Nimoy and Shatner is already clear, and their bantering over the 3D chess at the start of the episode is great fun.

This second pilot introduces two more crew members who would become part of the regular crew – James Doohan as Mr Scott (identified already here as the head of engineering) and George Takei as Sulu (who appears only briefly and the head of astroscience rather than the helmsman of the Enterprise). But there is still no Dr McCoy – the medical officer here is Dr Piper (played by Paul Fix), who is very much in the mould of Dr Boyce from “The Cage” and therefore someone who seems far too old for exciting adventures in space.

Whereas “The Cage” featured the Enterprise exploring a strange new world and encountering a new life-form, “Where No One Has Gone Before” introduces another form of storyline that will become typical – danger posed to the crew from some outside influence. We meet a guest crew character of the week in the form of Lt Cdr Gary Mitchell, a close friend of Kirk who he has known from the Academy and who he had requested being posted to his first command. Over the course of the episode, Mitchell is affected by a mysterious outside force which gives him immense telepathic and telekinetic powers, driving him mad in the process. As Mitchell’s powers develop, Kirk must grapple with a dilemma as how to deal with his old friend. This storyline is effective in introducing Spock’s lack of emotions, as he dispassionately advises that the only solution is to kill Mitchell before he becomes unstoppable. Understandably, Kirk is reluctant to do this but he is ultimately forced to do so as the real Mitchell is lost completely. The climax of the episode is a somewhat brutal fight between Kirk and Mitchell, leading to Kirk suffering injuries (complete with very red blood) and the first of what I think will be many ripped shirts.

Mitchell is played by Gary Lockwood who had starred in The Lieutenant, the show that Roddenberry had created and produced immediately before Star Trek. He would very shortly go on to play one of the ill-fated astronauts in "2001: A Space Odyssey". Lockwood is excellent here in showing Mitchell’s descent from likeable friend to arrogant god-like being. This is aided by the silver contact lenses that mark his transformation and which gives him a sufficiently creepy look.

The other main guest star is Sally Kellerman as Dr Elizabeth Dehner, a psychiatrist who has just transferred to the Enterprise in order to study the effect of long term space flight on the crew. Dr Dehner is portrayed as a strong and capable character, although she is the subject of some creepy behaviour from Mitchell, and not just after his transformation. Late in the episode, it is revealed that Dehner is developing the same powers as Mitchell, although this apparent plot twist isn’t that surprising since we saw her affected by the mysterious force exactly like Mitchell was. This development proves to be convenient since Kirk is able to convince her to help him against Mitchell, thus giving him the upper hand and with the effect that Kirk has to use both brain and brawn in order to defeat the threat.

Whilst “Where No One Has Gone Before” was successful in convincing NBC to commission a full series of Star Trek, it was actually broadcast third. It is easy to see why it was not used to introduce the series to the public since it is very contained, featuring only the Enterprise crew and with the threat coming from within as a result of an unexplained phenomenon. However, if it is not shown as the first episode then it must be a little disconcerting with Mitchell suddenly appearing as an important crew member with a close relationship with Kirk, not to mention the sudden change in ship’s doctor.

All in all, I found this an episode that was entertaining in its own right, as well as finding it fascinating how we have a few more elements now starting to move into place but this is not quite yet the Star Trek that will become so famous and renowned.

Planetary Gazetteer

Aldebaron: Location of a colony that the Enterprise has visited prior to the episode and where Dr Dehner was posted prior to transferring to the Enterprise.

Canopus: Home of Tarbolde, an author who wrote a passionate love sonnet called “Nightingale Women” in 1996. 

Deneb IV: Where Gary Mitchell had previously undertaken ESP testing

Delta-Vega: An uninhabited planet that is slightly smaller than Earth and which is the location of an unmanned lithium cracking station. The Enterprise crew use the natural minerals from there in order to repair the starship’s warp engines and where Kirk plans to maroon Gary Mitchell.

Dimorus: Home of a species of rodent-like creatures which can fire deadly poison darts. On a previous mission, Gary Mitchell took one of these that was intended for Kirk, but he was able to recover.

Starship Spotting

“Where No Man Has Gone Before” establishes that the Enterprise has impulse engines in addition to its main warp. It is not explicitly stated that this is sub-lightspeed but this is implied since this means that it will take the ship a very long time to reach anywhere other than the nearby planet of Delta-Vega.

The SS Valiant was a starship which disappeared 200 years prior to episode. The Enterprise recovers its data recorder which reveals that the captain chose to destroy the vessel in order to protect it from the actions of a crew member who was changed in the same way as Gary Mitchell.

General Observations

• This episode introduces the concept of the Stardate, with the events taking place between Stardates 1312.4 and 1313.8. We also see Stardates used for the birth records of Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner on their records - Mitchell was born on 1087.7 and is 23 at the time that the episode takes place, whereas Dehner was born on 1089.5 and is 21. Unfortunately, this doesn’t allow us to calculate how Stardates equate to years since there isn’t a linear relationship between the Stardates as given and the passage of time, suggesting that Stardates are a lot more complicated than that.
• Mitchell creates a gravestone for Kirk that is labelled “James R Kirk” rather than “James T Kirk” as would become famous. I’ll have to keep an eye out for when the “T” is first used, presumably in a script that forgot about this episode. Reading on line, it is interesting seeing the various theories that attempt to explain this change – most of them seem to revolve around Mitchell being wrong, which seems a bit odd given his close friendship with Kirk and the fact that his a god-like being with immense telepathic powers at this point. The gravestone is also engraved with Stardates “C1227.1 to 1313.7”. The apparent death date here is consistent with the Stardates used in Kirk’s log, but the first date looks very odd for a birthdate as would be usual on a gravestone, given the birth Stardates for Mitchell and Dehner. I’ve seen some speculation on-line that this could be the date at which Kirk took command of the Enterprise, which looks feasible in terms of the time elapsed but it would be an odd thing to put on a gravestone.
• “Where No Man Has Gone Before” uses the same basic crew uniforms as “The Cage”, so there are no red shirts and the women wear trousers. Spock wears a gold tunic rather than the blue one from “The Cage” (and which he would become his standard outfit subsequently), and Mr Scott is in tan (rather than red as later). Sulu is in blue (rather than his later gold) due to him being a science officer here.
• The Enterprise suffers extensive casualties during the episode – Lt Lee Kelso (the first named crew member to be killed, at least when watching in production order), Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner, plus nine unidentified crew members who are killed when the Enterprise is damaged by the strange power field that affects Mitchell.
• The episode of course shares its title with one of the phrases within Kirk’s opening narration, but the script writer Samuel Peeples has said that this episode title actually came first. It is interesting that the phrase refers here to a metaphysical state rather than a geographical destination. And of course, it is not strictly accurate that "no man" has been there before since a crew member from the SS Valiant was affected in the same way as Gary Mitchell.

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TOS - Pilot Episode - The Cage

Where else to start other than back at the very beginning and "The Cage", Gene Rodenberry's original pilot for Star Trek. Reading up on the episode, my understanding is that “The Cage” has traditionally fallen into something of a grey area in terms of Star Trek canon due to elements of it being repurposed within “The Menagerie” in a manner that is not entirely consistent with the original episode. This probably explains why it is hidden away as an extra on the Series 3 Blu-ray set, rather than at the start of Series 1 as I had expected. However, the status of the episode does seem to have been clarified recently with “If Memory Serves”, the second season episode of Discovery which is a clear sequel. to "The Cage".

As a pilot episode, “The Cage” does establish the basic format of Star Trek but so much of it is very different from the show that will follow. Most obviously, the crew of the Enterprise is almost completely different and is led by Captain Christopher Pike, a character who has been revived in recent times in the JJ Abrams movies as well as Discovery. Pike is here played by Jeffrey Hunter, who was a well-known film star at the time and who had appeared in iconic western "The Searchers". Unfortunately, Hunter’s Pike isn’t that interesting, especially for this viewer who is coming to the character after growing to really like Anson Mount’s charismatic interpretation across 14 episodes of Discovery. The failure of “The Cage” to engage me with the character is surprising since the episode is very much all about Pike, attempting to show him developing and changing in what is actually a very modern way.

Pike starts the episode in a very melancholy mood after a disastrous incident on Rigel VII in which three crew members have been killed and others injured. Feeling responsible for these losses, the captain is very much questioning his role and considering retirement. The Enterprise is transporting the injured to the Vega Colony when it is diverted to the Talos system in response to a distress signal from the SS Columbia which disappeared 18 years previously. However, it turns out that this a trap and Pike is captured by the Talosians, the survivors of a genocidal war who have immense mental powers and the ability to change how people see reality. The Talosian race is dying so they are trying to find candidates to repopulate the planet. They use their powers to test Pike and manipulate him into making a new life for himself there with Vina, a young woman who was the only survivor from the Columbia. However, the effect of this is to resolve Pike’s uncertainties and, by the time that he escapes Talos IV, he has accepted his responsibilities on the Enterprise. With this focus on character development, it is easy to believe Roddenberry's comments that network executives thought that the episode was “too cerebral”.

The fact that “The Cage” is so interested in Pike means that we don’t learn much around most of the rest of the Enterprise crew, most of whom are not even named on-screen. There is one familiar face who is introduced here at the start, namely Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock. However, this is a version of Spock who is very different from the character who would become iconic with Nimoy smiling and delivering lines in a casual and emotional manner. Nimoy’s make-up is also different from later episodes, but the familiar pointy ears are established. There is no background given here to this odd looking character who appears to be the only non-human on the Enterprise.

Despite this atypical version of Spock, “The Cage” does establish the Enterprise having a first officer who operates totally on logic, but here it is human female lieutenant known only as Number One. Well, the script makes a point of her being somewhat emotionless but she really just seems to be professional in a similar manner to her male colleagues. Interestingly, the Talosians suggest that this demeanour is a front that she puts on in order to hide her true feelings for Pike, which makes one wonder whether this is something that might have been explored had both characters survived to the series proper. Number One is played by Majel Barrett, who was Gene Roddenberry’s girlfriend at the time. Barrett would of course go on to marry Roddenberry and appear as other characters across the history of Star Trek.

The main guest star for the episode is Susan Oliver as Vina. It’s actually a peach of a role for the actress who gets to portray multiple versions of the character, notably as a green skinned Orion slave girl (which, in a sign of my TOS ignorance, was something I was surprised to see established here right at the start). However, it is a sign of the attitudes of the time that these roles encompass a range of female stereotypes - damsel in distress, homemaker and beautiful temptress. It is only at the end when Vina gets some depth in a twist that must have been quite shocking at the time when her deformed real form is revealed. This revelation is doubly effective since it gives some depth to the Talosians – they cannot be completely evil since the tried their best to fix her injuries and they also give her a happy ending with her own version of Pike.

At first sight, "The Cage" does appear progressive in terms of its gender politics with it having a female first officer. However, the attitudes of the male characters do betray the period in which it was made. Pike in particular is uncomfortable with the presence on the bridge of Colt, his new female yeoman (he's apparently okay with Number One being there since she is "different").

Moving away from the characters, one thing that is striking about “The Cage” is how well many of its production values stand up after almost 65 years. The studio-bound surface of Talos IV is convincing, helped by an impressive matte painting. The make-up for the Talosians works really well, especially with the pulsing brain effect that is used occasionally. The less successful elements are those which are less important and appear only fleetingly, particularly the bizarre bird-man who is Pike’s fellow captive and the creature who, to this Doctor Who fan, resembles the Taran Wood Beast. It is also a bit odd that the warrior from Rigel VII whom Pike fights in the episodes major action set piece seems to resemble a Viking or Saxon rather than anything at all alien.

All in all, I found “The Cage” an enjoyable start to the journey. I was aware that it was going to be different, but it was surprising quite how interested in was in its characters. It is easy to see why, despite this version of the show not being accepted, Roddenberry was given an opportunity to refine the format and try again…

Planetary Gazetteer

Talos IV: The main setting for the episode. It is not named as such, but is the fourth of eleven planets in the Talos system. It is referred to as an "M-class" planet, meaning that it has an oxygen atmosphere. This a designation that would endure throughout both the original and subsequent series. Talos IV is a barren planet, although it is home to strange singing blue plants as well as the underground dwelling Talosians.

Orion: Homeworld of a species of green humanoids with at least the females trafficked as slaves and seen as "animal women" even by humans, an attitude that is somewhat at odds with the ideals so often linked with Star Trek.

Rigel VII: Presumably the seventh planet in the Rigel system, this was the location where Pike's crew were ambushed by native warriors (referred to in supporting materials as the Kalar), leading to three deaths and a number of injuries. We see a partial recreation of this incident as one of the illusions conjured up by the Talosians.

The Vega Colony: The location to which the Enterprise is transiting when it receives the apparent distress signal from the SS Columbia. We never see this, nor find out anything about it, but it is presumably a human colony that is relatively close to both Rigel VII and Talos IV.

Starship Spotting

"The Cage" introduces us to the USS Enterprise (registration number NCC-1701). It is established here, right at the start, that "USS" stands for "United Space Ship". However, it is at this stage propelled by "hyperdrive" at a speed of "Timewarp Factor 7", so the underpinning terminology has still to evolve. It is mentioned that the "time barrier" has been broken in the 18 years since the SS Columbia disappeared, leading to starships like the Enterprise now being much faster. This doesn't quite fit with what we learn about the developmnt of warp drive subsequently.

The Enterprise has a crew of 203 plus the captain. Only Pike and Spock are explicitly named on-screen, but the script and other background material names other key crew members as Dr Boyce (referred to as "Phil" by Pike), Lt José Tyler and Yeoman Colt. Number One operates the helm, as well as being first officer.

Random Observations

• The episode doesn't feature any Captain's Log, and therefore there is no Stardate. There is no indication as when the series is set, other than some unspecified point in the future.
• The Enterprise crew uniforms are similar in form to the series proper, although lacking black collars. Pike wears yellow with Spock and Boyce in blue (in common with the branch colour schemes that will become familiar), but there are not yet any Red Shirts. The female crew members wear trousers rather than the mini-dresses of the series to come. The landing party members wear jackets over the uniform when beaming down to Talos IV, an addition that would be lost after this episode.
• Christopher Pike was born in Mojave [in the south-west USA]. By this point, it is no longer a desert and has been terraformed into lush woodland.

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