Tomorrow is Yesterday

(by Collin R. Skocik, adapted for this article) At first you think Star Trek has been pre-empted. You expected to see the starship Enterprise flying through space and hear a captain’s log, and here instead you’re seeing some show about an Air Force base. Then, as you see Air Force officers talking about a UFO …

Arena

(by Collin R. Skocik) I said in yesterday’s review that never again does Kirk treat an alien with the disrespect and hostility with which he treated Trelane. Well, the very next episode makes a liar out of me. Though in this case he has pretty good reason. The Enterprise finds the Earth colony on Cestus …

The Squire of Gothos

(by Collin R. Skocik) The Enterprise is menaced by a powerful but playful alien called Trelane, who employs his cosmic powers to force Kirk into playing a series of childish games. “The Squire of Gothos” explores the fact that as we contact extraterrestrial intelligence, we will encounter creatures far in advance of us, and creatures …

The Galileo Seven

(by Collin R. Skocik) Up to now, Captain Kirk has utterly dominated Star Trek. Now, for the first time, he steps into the background and Spock is the star. Investigating a quasar-like phenomenon called Murasaki 312, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and four redshirts set off aboard the shuttlecraft Galileo and are thrown off course, crashing on …

Shore Leave

(by Collin R. Skocik, adapted for this article) This crew has been through a lot! If anyone deserves a rest, it’s the crew of the starship Enterprise. In the aftermath of the battle with the Romulans, the Enterprise travels to a planet in the Omicron Delta region for shore leave. Evidently they rendezvoused with another …

Balance of Terror

(by Collin R. Skocik) One of Star Trek’s most popular episodes, “Balance of Terror” introduces the Romulans, descendants of a Vulcan colony established back when the Vulcans were warlike and emotional. The Romulans will not only menace the Enterprise for the remainder of the original series, but will continue to be a threat in Star …

The Conscience of the King

(by Collin R. Skocik) Anton Karidian. A reclusive Shakespearean actor, head of the Traveling Company of Players who travel from star to star, preserving the tradition of live theater. But Captain Kirk has reason to suspect that Karidian is actually Kodos the Executioner, former governor of the Earth colony on Tarsus IV, who twenty years …

The Menagerie, Part 2

(by Collin R. Skocik) Mr. Spock’s court-martial continues, and with it the visual images from the forbidden planet Talos IV detailing the story of the Enterprise’s mission there thirteen years ago. Captain Christopher Pike was captured by the Talosians, super-intelligent, telepathic beings capable of creating illusions through the sheer force of their thoughts. Under their …

The Menagerie, Part 1

(by Collin R. Skocik) The Star Trek universe suddenly gets a lot bigger in this episode. The Enterprise travels to Starbase 11—the first time we’ve seen a command base. There, we meet Fleet Captain Christopher Pike, who commanded the Enterprise before Kirk. Spock had served with Captain Pike for eleven years. Now, disfigured by exposure …

The Corbomite Maneuver

(by Collin R. Skocik) A straightforward tale of first contact, “The Corbomite Maneuver” proves that less is more. There’s nothing particularly complicated or profound about this story, but with its suspense, excitement, and sense of wonder, it’s Star Trek at its best. While starmapping an unexplored region of space, the Enterpriseis intercepted by a mysterious …