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| Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is trapped in a parallel universe with another Mister Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in MIRROR, MIRROR-a classic episode of STAR TREK's second season. All images: CBS PARAMOUNT. |
It may be hard to believe now, but by the three quarters point of its first season transmission run, Gene Rodenberry’s imaginative, bold and colourful new STAR TREK series, starring William Shatner as the brave Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as his loyal Vulcan Science Officer, Mister Spock, was in ratings trouble, and, as well as having a costly production budget with very little recompense from future and current advertisers (apart from being a great showpoint for people to buy new RCA full colour TVs), it was facing the chop by its network screeners at NBC Television. Fortunately, thanks to a brilliant letter writing campaign organized by a core group of prestigious science fiction writers, including Isaac Asimov and Harlan Ellison (who had also been writing that premiere years later to be award winning episode CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER (but that’s an altogether different and even more complex piece of history for another time!)), plus Roddenberry secretly operating from behind the scenes with the shows very loyal and diverse viewing fan base, a decision was eventually made to reverse any idea of cancellation for one further season (originally planned at sixteen episodes but eventually making its way to a full run of twenty-six). Fans would rejoice with the news of STAR TREK’s return, which was planned to air on US TV for the fall schedules of 1967.
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| The majestic U.S.S. Enterprise continues its incredible journeys through space... |
The first season of TREK had hit a truly confident stride creatively by the end of its first season, what with the combined talents of Executive Producer/Creator Roddenberry, Line Producer Robert Justman, Story Editor Dorothy (D.C.) Fontana and main Producer/script writer Gene L. Coon, all working brilliantly and tirelessly in crafting a unique series, and the opportunities to develop the series further, to increase the characterization and do more ambitious overall storytelling saw them into the start of the season with a galvanized and buoyant enthusiasm. The shows stars, too, were also happy to be back for Year Two: Shatner as Kirk had finally found the career-making role he was born for, and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, despite future typecasting worries, had soon proved to be the iconic figure of the series whose fan mail was rapidly increasing each week, and either rivaling or surpassing Shatner’s at varying points (and soon creating a behind the scenes rivalry between the pair that would increase as the show continued into its eventual third year). Having been another factor to the series success, the much admired DeForest Kelly, in his semi-regular role as that “old country doctor”, Leonard McCoy, had also proved himself popular, not just with the series loyal viewership but with Shatner and Nimoy, recognizing that a unique character triad had been borne in their inter-actions on-screen- Kirk the heart, Spock the brain and McCoy the soul-and it was soon beneficial to the show and to the main actors to have McCoy be in the series full time and receive a third billing main titles cast credit in the series revised titles- a move the actors vigorously pushed for and which the Producers willingly agreed with.  |
| A classic 1967 posed image featuring Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, DeForest Kelly as McCoy, Leonard Nimoy as Spock and William Shatner as Kirk. |
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| James Doohan returns as the ultimate miracle worker, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott |
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| DeForest Kelly gets a greater stake in the drama this season as Dr. Leonard McCoy. |
As Year Two began to take shape, all of the supporting cast were promised their own episodes in the spotlight, with Roddenberry also deciding that a new BEATLES inspired type young character was also needed for the series so as to appeal to that specific section of the devoted audience, especially young girls who needed someone to have a crush on and identify with. Enter: Walter Koenig as the youthful new Bridge officer Ensign Pavel Chekov, a creative move which also soon appeased Russian critics of the show, who, the previous season, had been making their voices heard that, being a multi-cultural ship, the Enterprise should have a Russian officer within its crew, what with the country’s inherent interest and pioneering talents in modern space exploration. Gene Roddenberry had effectively killed two birds with one stone in a positive way and, mining it for some fun humour, he and the writers would make sure that Chekov’s youthfully superior character always compared any new or exciting discovery made by the Enterprise crew to something already pioneered by his Russian comrades! |
| With his Beatles hair-do, newcomer Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov, alongside George Takei as Hikaru Sulu |
Working as navigator on the starship, Chekov as a character and Koenig as an actor soon proved a welcome and enthusiastic new addition to the series, though at first his presence on the bridge miffed actor George Takei, playing Helmsman Hikaru Sulu alongside him, the actor worried that the newcomer was going to steal all his best dialogue (what there was of it in the series!) and grab the limelight. Fortunately, this was not to happen, and the pair quickly became a fine sometimes comedy double act on screen, and the best of pals off of it very quickly. Takei would go on to congratulate Koenig for later having some fine episodes to have fun in (like THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES, I,MUDD and THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION- shows originally written to incorporate Sulu quite heavily, but then had to be re-worked for Chekov when Takei was caught in an extended period of filming on John Wayne’s mammoth war movie THE GREEN BERETS (unlike today's series filming, during the original series pretty much all of the supporting cast were not on fixed contracts for the entire series, so they had to get work in between episodes when and wherever they could). |
| Costume designer William Ware Theiss's incredible and risque costumes, made on a limited budget, continue to break the sixties TV barriers, as shown by Angelique Pettyjohn as Shahna in THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION. |
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| Aliens galore are a highlight of JOURNEY TO BABEL. |
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| Stories set on alien worlds continue in such episodes as METAMORPHOSIS. |
On the production side of things, this time around many of the shows episodes were helmed by a rota of three to four directors, most notably Joseph Pevney, Marc Daniels, Vincent McEveety and Ralph Senensky, with the first two helming the vast majority of the series most memorable installments that year. The attempts to get more sci-fi writers working on the show continued, though it wasn’t always an easy process transferring big concepts to the screen with limited budgets, with contributions from acclaimed horror novelist Robert Bloch, Jerome Bixby and Norman Spinrad, whilst returning to the series after his success with the fantasy orientated episode SHORE LEAVE came Theodore Sturgeon, who would go on to pen the classic tale AMOK TIME -a prime episode hit with audiences for the next forty years plus, and skillfully developing Mister Spock and the concept of Vulcan society.  |
| Vulcan madness! Mister Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in the acclaimed episode AMOK TIME. |
Isaac Asimov would also offer story and character advice to the series creator at certain times in the middle half of the season (including future ideas for Captain Kirk), whilst other great writing contributions would come from Roddenberry himself, Fontana, Coon, and later producer John Meredyth Lucas (who would also show his directing flair in seasons two and three).
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| Kirk's in trouble when he's attacked by the Mugato (Wah Chang) in the episode A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR. |
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| Kirk and Spock have to deal with a homicidal computer, Nomad, in THE CHANGELING. |
The first episode into the can shooting-wise would be the horror story/celebration of Halloween, CATSPAW, based on a generic but scary short story about sympathetic magic by Robert Bloch, which would later be held over in the schedules by NBC to air on Halloween night itself in the US. Then followed an excellent run of tales which would impress the actors and visiting guest stars. Episodes shot over their seven to eight day filming periods would include a bout with an alien god in WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS?, a love story in METAMORPHOSIS and a run-in with the Klingons on a warrior planet in FRIDAY’S CHILD. More later-to-become-TV-classics would quickly follow. Indeed this year probably comprises the most stories that fans and the general public would remember over the years…
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| Spock and McCoy are caught up in a modern day Rome in BREAD AND CIRCUSES. |
By the mid-point of the series, however, the production money was starting to run out (having been used on such costume/make-up epics as the aforementioned AMOK TIME and the effects heavy THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE, plus others), with no more expected to enter the purse strings. To counter-act this, Roddenberry and his writing team soon came up with the idea of parallel Earth development stories which would see the Enterprise crew land on planets whose locations and time periods echoed Earth’s past or present, which would make great use of existing props, locations, sets and costumes already available on the DESILU, later PARAMOUNT, lots (notable examples of this can be seen in the gangster comedy A PIECE OF THE ACTION, the Nazi drama of PATTERNS OF FORCE (this particular episode of the series eventually being banned from screening in Germany until only very recently), and the Vietnam war themed THE OMEGA GLORY). Alongside these, there would also be several bottle shows taking place only on the Enterprise or in deep space, which would help balance the account books so as to make additional funds available for further sci-fi planets stories, some of which in the first half of the season featured location filming and had proved the most popular with the network.
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| A rare behind the scenes moment filming the episode THE IMMUNITY SYNDROME. |
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| Their characters may be interrogated on screen, but Shatner and Nimoy can still have a laugh behind the scenes during filming of the Nazi-themed episode PATTERNS OF FORCE. |
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| Getting ready to film a scene in the classic MIRROR, MIRROR. |
It takes all creative sorts to make a great TV series but there would inevitably be a clash of minds and personalities from time to time that would soon affect the show and its ultimate future. First off was the departure of Gene L. Coon from the series during its mid-point, apparently due to script burnout and some mild friction between him and Roddenberry on his script for the Roman themed adventure BREAD AND CIRCUSES. Much liked by the cast and crew, Coon’s loss was deeply felt by everyone at the studios and, bar the odd script of his previously abandoned but later revised for filming by incoming production team members in season three, his involvement in TREK was pretty much over. Then, following on from that, apparently came quite a lot of consternation and anger from some of the shows cast members towards each other. William Shatner’s idea to introduce a cast rehearsal table on the soundstage, so as to work through an in-filming episode’s script and iron out any potential problems, sounded like a great idea at first, but it soon held up the directors valuable time from filming. Additionally, the enthusiastic and dedicated actor would allegedly be prone to giving advice to the directors on which angles might be best to film from, and how to block out scenes that unintentionally took the supporting cast away from shots, which upset said players enormously (years later, Shatner would apologize for this, stating that it was unintentional and that he meant no harm, that he was always thinking for the good of the show-to keep it at its creative best). |
| Kirk and McCoy are affected by alien radiation in THE DEADLY YEARS. |
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| The Enterprise crew are trapped in a parallel universe in MIRROR, MIRROR. |
Though the series had started off in its first year with a good usage of supporting characters in conjunction with Nimoy and Shatner, the new trio inclusion of McCoy, though great for the series long-term and even better for the writers who were able to develop their relationships further (and McCoy’s intense love/hate relationship with the Vulcan), had disrupted the overall character balance of the series, much to the occasional detriment of the other players, who had even less of a chance to shine (of which the situation had gotten so bad at one prior point at the end of season one that Nichelle Nichols, despite the pleas of close friend/ex-lover Roddenberry, decided to quit playing the shapely communications officer, Lt. Uhura, because she had so little to do. It was only on the request of the important Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, who was an ardent fan of TREK and told her how important it was, now more than ever on 1960’s television, to have a prominent African American face seen on the show, that she decided to stay on). |
| Nimoy and Shatner sign in a new day change for US TV viewers during the second season. |
Furthermore, adding fuel to an already large fire on set, the increasing rivalry between Shatner and Nimoy had reached breaking point, with the former allegedly unhappy that his character-the lead star of the show-was being overshadowed by his second. As the boiling point threatened, Gene Roddenberry took firm and decisive action, allegedly sending out “a letter” to every member of the cast. Though the contents of this document have never been divulged, it apparently had the desired effect of quickly ceasing all the behind the scenes tensions for the immediate future and swiftly having everybody soon back to work with difficulties ceased!
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| Devoted US TREK fans picket the NBC TV headquarters to get the series renewed for another season. |
With the completion of the series pending, new fears that the show was to be axed would once more rear their heads (the rumours having first gained momentum around the mid-season point with the episode THE DEADLY YEARS), and a new campaign at series renewal was quickly initiated by loyal TREK fans Bjo and John Trimble, who, working with secret support from Gene Roddenberry, contacted fan bases and college campuses throughout the country for support, who then wrote in their absolute thousands- a toll later reaching a million letters- to the NBC network politely but vociferously requesting its renewal for a third year. Fans of all ages and careers took part- even boycotting the NBC network building and executives with placards, besieging their cars with I GROK SPOCK stickers on their windows and bonnets, whether they wanted them or not! In the end, the network, swamped in mail, now fully aware of the shows quality viewer loyalty, embraced the series for one more season and, in a rare move for TV, announced on air after the closing titles of the episode THE OMEGA GLORY that STAR TREK would be back next fall, and asking that no more letters be sent in to them! Once more, the phenomenon of STAR TREK had escaped certain death, but even bigger and more difficult obstacles were looming on the horizon for the shows future and popularity as early work began on its third and ultimately final season….
KOOL TV’s favourite second season episodes include:
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| Stranded by a mysterious force, the Enterprise trio and Commissioner Hedford (Elinor Donahue) meet Zephram Cochrane (Glenn Corbett) in METAMORPHOSIS. |
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| Spock attempts to communicate with The Companion in METAMORPHOSIS. |
METAMORPHOSIS: A charming, occasionally intense love story by Gene L. Coon that’s beautifully acted by the main series trio, joined by Glenn Corbett as the marooned iconic engineering legend Zephram Cochrane (later played in the STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT movie, set before this tale, by James Cromwell) involved in an intriguing and emotionally complex relationship with the female energy based alien known only as The Companion, who, in love with the human, has kidnapped the Enterprise heroes, alongside Commissioner Nancy Hedford (Elinor Donahue), to her barren but livable world. Can Kirk convince the alien that it is not in anyone’s best interests to keep them on the isolated world, and release them?
This episode has a beautiful and memorable score by series regular composer George Duning.
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| The cunning T'Pring (Arlene Martel) makes a nuisance of herself at Spock's wedding ceremony in AMOK TIME. |
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| Friends now foes! A blood poisoned Spock fights Kirk in the finale of AMOK TIME. |
AMOK TIME: Filmed sixth in the series run, this episode’s premise and its onus on Mister Spock (who had become phenomenally popular after a mere few episodes into the shows premiere year) was quickly considered the ideal episode by NBC to launch the second season of TREK and would from the off-set become one of its most successful tales, giving fans of all ages a lot more of what they really wanted to see-development of the intriguing First Officer and the first look at his unique home world of Vulcan (full of great production design and lavish costumes/make-up which then proved very costly budget-wise), and its equally mysterious and intriguing people, during the dangerous mating cycle known as Pon Farr. Spock must take his mate T’Pring (the lovely Arlene Martel in a calculating and memorable performance) but then she decides he must fight for her, of which her chosen warrior champion is Captain Kirk himself! Soon, Spock discovers that there is nothing more frightening than a logical mind working against him...
And who doesn’t remember that classic fight, eh? Or the great action music accompanying it, so memorable and re-used often during later episodes of the series that it soon became a unique entity in its own right, later affectionately lampooned by TREK fan/comedian/director Ben Stiller in his hilarious black comedy movie, THE CABLE GUY, starring Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey.
Finally, a special mention to actress Celia Lovsky, in one of her final roles, playing the Vulcan leader, T’Pau, whose scenes with the main cast, especially Nimoy, are formidable and electric. Lovsky makes the part uniquely alien and intimidating.
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| The Enterprise goes up against the fearsome power of THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE. |
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| Spock, Sulu and Commodore Decker (William Windom) try to free the Enterprise from the grip of THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE. |
THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE: Investigating the devastated remains of System L-374, the Enterprise discovers whats left of its sister ship, the U.S.S. Constellation dead in space. Beaming aboard with a survey team, Kirk discovers that the ships only surviving occupant is his old friend, Commodore Matt Decker, who, exhausted and grieving for the loss of his ship-mates, tells of an enemy vessel-a living weapon- which they encountered destroying planets and chopping them into debris so as to become a thriving fuel source, of which its next destination is the Rigel sector-one of the most heavily populated areas of Federation space!
As the Enterprise team are about to take the Constellation in tow, the Doomsday Machine re-appears, and Commodore Decker, wrecked in guilt for his lost crew and the need for revenge, relieving Spock of his command, is determined to put the Enterprise into harms way so as to destroy it!
Originally conceived as a guest starring vehicle for popular movie actor Robert Ryan (who sadly proved unavailable a short period before filming), THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE is one of the series finest and most accomplished episodes of its run, boasting a superb performance from William Windom-one of his career best in fact- as the determined Matt Decker, whom you feel great sorrow for, having seen his entire crew die in front of his eyes, and yet you also hate him at the same time: its that layered complexity that makes William Windom such a great guest actor on the show and Commodore Decker such a memorable character in the series…
This superbly scripted sci-fi re-working of the Moby Dick story from Norman Spinrad (sadly his one and only work for the series) is also backed up with great for their time optical effects and animation-the titular Doomsday Machine itself is a pretty frightening and powerful creation with a JAWS-like theme created by composer Sol Kaplan long before John Williams did his fine and equally iconic work on Spielberg’s hit movie of the seventies…
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| It canna be? Scotty a murderer? The truth will be revealed in WOLF IN THE FOLD. |
WOLF IN THE FOLD: Having previously received an accidental blow to the head which soon results in his needing shore leave to recuperate, Scotty is quickly considered the number one suspect when a series of young women are brutally murdered on the leisure planet of Argelius. But is an older, more sinister and far reaching force at work instead?
Foggy streets, bloody knifes, seances and an enemy from the past are all beautifully put together in Robert Bloch’s terrific horror episode (adapted from another one of his classic short stories) which sees a more vulnerable Scotty, nicely played by James Doohan, needing all of his friends help if he is to escape the planets death penalty!
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| To destroy imperfections! Nomad confers with Kirk in THE CHANGELING. |
THE CHANGELING: Investigating the sudden disappearance of an entire solar system, the Enterprise crew encounters the powerful hostile robot known as Nomad. Once aboard their ship, they discover that it was a former Earth probe that, once benign, has since been adapted for long-term survival by an unknown alien race, and that its new programming is to sterilize what it considers to be inferior lifeforms, with the Enterprise crew- referred to by Nomad as carbon based units- soon part of that distinctive category!
Voiced by THE OUTER LIMITS very recognizable Vic Perrin, Nomad, well realized by the production/practical special effects team of the day, may be small but he’s highly dangerous, soon posing a major threat that’s almost unstoppable, and especially challenging to Kirk, whom it thinks is his long lost father creator, Jackson Roykirk. THE CHANGELING is another great episode, full of classic scenes of suspense and character moments proves (the mind meld sequence between Spock and Nomad soon becomes quite chilling). Many fans and critics consider this, alongside the later THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE, to be the ultimate basis story-wise for what would later become the plot for the first TREK movie in 1979 (which does indeed have similar themes regarding a dangerous and unstable robot menace heading back to Earth to find its makers).
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| In the parallel universe of MIRROR, MIRROR, Mister Spock is even more intelligent and dangerous... |
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| Buying escape time, Uhura wards off the advances of the ruthless Mister Sulu in MIRROR, MIRROR. |
MIRROR, MIRROR: A freak accident sends the landing party of Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura into an Enterprise of a parallel alternate universe where the peaceful Federation never existed and where a cruel and totalitarian regime, mainly populated by Humans and Vulcans, has taken over the galaxy. As Kirk and his team try to find a way to return back to their own home they soon find themselves battling for survival against some of their crew mates, who, in this dangerous universe, can rise up in rank by assassination. A wonderful sci-fi concept from Jerome Bixby (so good that there would be numerous sequels in the modern TREK series), with lots of intrigue and action, alongside fine performances from the main and supporting cast in their normal and alternate roles, especially Leonard Nimoy as a different but similar, and also bearded!, Vulcan science officer on the other side, and the cruel and scarred Hikaru Sulu (George Takei). Special mention must also be made of lovely guest star Barbara Luna, who shines as career man-eater Marlena Moreau, known throughout the ship as “The Captain’s Woman!”
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| Kirk runs into a decidedly cuddly phenomenon in THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES. |
THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES: Responding to a distress call from the space station K-7, Kirk and crew are assigned to protect an important shipment of wheat grain from the Klingons, who themselves have arrived on the station for a little shore leave. Amongst this backdrop then factor in the arrival of a lively trader named Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams) and his new merchandise acquisitions, the small, furry and dangerously cute creatures known as Tribbles, who, once fed, have the ability to breed beyond any normal calculations, and you’ve got a recipe for major trouble, and lots of comedy, in this fine first script by then TV newcomer David Gerrold, which the series cast mine for as much comedic gold as they can get (and which, oddly enough for the most part, doesn’t get too out of hand and denigrate the series characters (though Producer Robert Justman wasn’t himself a great fan of the show and originally thought that the comedy aspects of the script were was going to be a disaster for the series and its core cast)).
Despite being barely animate, it’s the Tribbles themselves that truly steal the limelight, though, and they’re linked to so many classic moments throughout the episode, what with their gargantuan presence all over the place, leading up to that now legendary scene where Kirk, opening an overhead storage container, is practically drowning in them!
Probably one of the most famous episodes of all time, of which the little creatures have become enduring icons for the show and have since gone on to make cameo appearances in future TREK series, there’s so many classic moments in The Trouble With Tribbles to enjoy. And how can we also not forget the hilarious bar fight between Chekov and Scotty against the Klingons, either, brilliantly choreographed alongside memorable incidental music by Jerry Fielding.
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| Kirk and McCoy meet Spock's parents Amanda (Miss Jane Wyatt) and Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard) in JOURNEY TO BABEL. |
JOURNEY TO BABEL: Quite probably D.C. Fontana’s best script for the series, as she mixes drama, light comedy and action beautifully in this tale of politics, murder, espionage, space battles and family feuds-the latter being between Spock and his parents, the Vulcan Ambassador Sarek (played with distinction by the late Mark Lenard) and his human wife, Amanda Grayson (Miss Jane Wyatt)-whom he hasn’t seen in eighteen years, and both of which make their first appearance in TREK lore. The Enterprise’s mission to transport key Federation delegates to a critical mission on the neutral planetoid Babel is soon violently disrupted when Kirk is almost killed by an assassin and the ship comes under attack from an unknown enemy capable of warp speed that’s double that of the Enterprise.
A winning episode from start to finish with memorable dialogue and a fine use of the main cast, who get to balance humour and drama in equal measure. There’s something for everyone in JOURNEY TO BABEL.
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| Chekov, Kirk and Uhura are trapped by THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION. |
THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION: Kirk, Chekov and Uhura are whisked away to an alien world located within an unusual Trinary star system where they, in particular Kirk, are forced to partake in gladiatorial games being orchestrated by a mysterious group of aliens called the “Providers.” After several failed escape attempts, Kirk makes the ultimate challenge towards his enslavers-in which the prize is either freedom for the captives or the surrender of the entire Enterprise crew to alien submission and certain death…
This episode is archetypal for Kirk as a character and William Shatner as an actor, showing both at the top of their game- The Shat doing the majority of the well choreographed and directed action sequences himself, and with gusto. He also manages to snog an intergalactic babe wearing very little clothes and giant green hair! (Played by the sweet Angelique Pettyjohn, as slave warrior woman Shahna). How’s that for hitting the jackpot!
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| Spock tries to stop the vampire cloud from entering the Enterprise in OBSESSION. |
OBSESSION: A planetary survey of a promising new mineral packed planet leads to the death of five security crewman (probably the highest death rate of red shirts in a single episode), and the terrible realization by Kirk that a deadly foe from his past-a creature that feeds on human blood plasma which, whilst he was a cadet fifteen year earlier, wiped out the crew of his serving U.S.S. Farragut- has returned. Despite the urgent need to deliver medical supplies to a rendezvousing starship, Kirk fully commits the Enterprise to the creature’s destruction but Spock and McCoy, worried by their friends determined behavior, are wondering if this is an obsession that could lead their captain and friend to command meltdown…
Directed with stirring menace by Ralph Senensky along with a super script from Art Wallace which showcases William Shatner well (plus a great guest star performance from youngster Stephen Brooks as ensign security officer Garrovik-the son of Kirk’s murdered ex-captain), OBSESSION's other "star" is the memorable “creature” which Kirk zealously pursues, well realized by the series special effects team through a combination of on set smoke and optically enhanced simulated cloud photography…
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| Spock and Kirk become Gangsters in A PIECE OF THE ACTION. |
A PIECE OF THE ACTION: Investigating what happened to the crew of the decades lost U.S.S. Horizon, the Enterprise trio beam down to Sigma Iota II and discover that the entire planets adaptive and inquisitive civilization has adopted the law of the tommy gun and split itself into rival mob fraction based on the Chicago Gang Wars of Earth’s 1920’s. Kirk and Spock soon have no choice but to become sharp suited players themselves in an attempt to sort out the accidental damage that’s been done by one book accidentally left behind on that world by the Horizon’s crew. Another well executed dip into the world of comedy for the classic STAR TREK universe-it’s all a great hoot seeing our heroes drive around the famed PARAMOUNT studio back lots and being out of their depths mixing with larger than life gangsters (its two lead bosses, Bela Oxmyx and Kracko, well played by guest stars Anthony Caruso and Vic Tayback). Plus, there’s that classic Fizzbin game scene with William Shatner, who makes the most of his fine talents in playing light comedy.
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| The Enterprise crew unwillingly watch as THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER takes control! |
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| A shocked Uhura looks on as Kirk confronts Dr. Daystrom (William H. Marshall) over his suicidal machine in THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER. |
THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER: In an excellent “bottle show” written by D.C. Fontana, with strong characterization, fine performances and confident direction by producer John Meredyth Lucas, the Enterprise is ordered by Star Fleet Command to test a new revolutionary breakthrough in computer controlled electronics: the duotronic systems M-5 computer (voiced by an un-credited James Doohan), accompanied by its creator Dr. Richard Daystrom (an accomplished, towering guest performance from William H. Marshall). Things go smoothly in the early stages-too smoothly, reaching the point where Captain Kirk is soon considered “non essential personnel!” – but then, like all Classic TREK computers, it soon turns out to be a homicidal maniac, where our crew quickly have to find a way of de-activating it before it can destroy four Federation ships in a war games maneuver…
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| Dangerous foes: Captain Ronald Tracy (Morgan Woodward) and friend Wu (Lloyd Kinu) in THE OMEGA GLORY. |
THE OMEGA GLORY: Morgan Woodward completely dominates this action heavy, patriotic love-it-or-hate-it episode (one of the very first story ideas conceived for the series by Gene Roddenberry way back in 1965), giving a terrific performance as the clever but deranged, immortality mad Captain Ronald Tracy, who, with his starship Exeter crew disintegrated into its body chemical components after picking up an unforeseen atmospheric virus, is determined to use the Enterprise and its people to involve itself in a war against planet Omega IV’s conflicted parties, the Yangs and the Comms (deliberately based on the Yankees and Communists then waging the Vietnam War), so as to obtain the ultimate gift of youth from the planets naturally life sustaining biological environment. But Kirk, seeing his once friend seriously damage the Federation’s non interference Prime Detective laws, is determined to stop him…
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| Alien arrival. The mysterious Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) is caught in the Enterprise transporter beam in ASSIGNMENT: EARTH. |
ASSIGNMENT: EARTH: With the possibility that STAR TREK wouldn’t be returning for another season, Roddenberry, always on the look out to create new hit shows, would make a second attempt (his first having been at the end of TREK’s first season) to sell his earlier conceived idea of a time travelling human space agent, named Gary Seven, trained by aliens to fight against an Earth threatening race called The Omegans, by incorporating it into the STAR TREK series as a slim-lined pilot springboard (a move that allegedly upset several of the shows lead stars, who thought that Roddenberry was giving up on his “baby”). The end result, working alongside writer Art Wallace, would be ASSIGNMENT: EARTH; no all-time classic for sure, but certainly one of the most enjoyable episodes of the second season, featuring a great performance from the well cast Robert Lansing (who initially didn’t want to play a part in a sci-fi series) as the James Bond/Our Man Flint’ish Gary Seven, sent back to Earth’s twentieth century past (conveniently the 1960’s) to help it survive key catastrophic events, with fun support from the quirky and charming Terri Garr as his human associate/secretary Roberta Lincoln, and the ever helpful and beautiful shape-changing “cat”, Isis.
A sci-fi MISSION IMPOSSIBLE combined with TREK, the episode sadly failed to impress the TV networks and Gary Seven would never return, though he would endure in the TREK universe within numerous excellent comic books and novels in the years to come.
With thanks to the STAR TREK SCRAPBOOK, MEMORY ALPHA, TREK IN SCI-FI and THE VIEWSCREEN websites for selected images used in this feature.
All three seasons of Classic STAR TREK are now showing on the UK's CBS ACTION channel, and are also available on Blu-ray and DVD from CBS PARAMOUNT.
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