Stardate: 3045.6
Quick Summary: When the Enterprise arrives at the Sestus 3 outpost, they find it destroyed by aliens who then flee. Kirk vows to make a showing of strength to prevent them from reporting that the sector is vulnerable to invasion, so he pursues them through space. Suddenly, both the alien ship and the Enterprise are stopped in their tracks, held paralyzed by the Metrons, an advanced species disgusted with the violence ensuing. As punishment, they send both Kirk and the alien captain, Agorn, down to a planet to fight mano-a-mano, weaponless, to the death. Kirk prevails through ingenuity, constructing a gunpowder-based projectile from surrounding minerals on the ground, but once victorious, refrains from killing Agorn, winning the respect of the Metrons.
Review: This episode is fantastic. The first half is permeated with mysteriousness; the second half defined by an epic battle. The larger theme... just how enlightened are humans in the 23rd century regarding violence, really?
This also happens to be the classic episode referenced in the film, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Kirk has his dramatic Emmy moment, looking down at the ground and speaking in monologue, "An incredible fortune in stones, yet I would trade them all for a hand phaser". This is outright delicious.
The greatest moment of all is when Agorn, the reptile alien, is first unveiled. My reaction was to get all riled up and adrenalized and think, "HECK YEAH!". Kirk notes that he must fight his instinct and remember that, despite appearances, this is still an intelligent, highly advanced creature. Uh huh. Clearly, he is simply justifying a horrendously bad costume that barely lets the actor inside of it move around. But this awful lizard costume really is emblematic of people's love for Star Trek: The Original Series. Some folks might turn off the TV as soon as Agorn appears, laughing at its ridiculousness, while others, like me, also laugh, but find it part of the charm of the series. I want more of this!
Review: 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment