Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One

Reviewed by Simon Plumbe

Re-issued to tie-in with the 30th Anniversary celebrations, CIC have remastered the entire original series of Star Trek and are presenting them in a new format, featuring three episodes to a tape and retailing for just £12.99 each. All of the tapes come in a brand new packaging design featuring a painting of the Enterprise in orbit around a planet, with the Classic Trek logo at the top in gold with the Starfleet insignia underneath. On the planet is a photo relating to one of the episodes on the tape, and at the bottom is a panel featuring the titles of the three featured episodes with illustrations of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

On the rear is a brief synopsis of each episode with the usual credits, the US airdate that was featured on the original releases has been retained, and there is a new photo from each episode at the top, different to those used on the original releases.

Still with the packaging, on the inside is a wonderful design featuring a central image of the Enterprise against a wormhole-type backdrop. Around this are a selection of pieces of Star Trek trivia relating to the episodes on the tape. This has been well-researched and I found that there were some pieces that were new to me! Each cassette has a total of four items of trivia on the inlay with photos from the episodes. In addition, inside each cassette for season one is a number of Star Trek playing cards, that build up to form a complete set of 52 cards as you collect the videos. Nice touch!

Finally, at the start of each video, there is a brief 5 minute introduction to all of the episodes, filmed especially for these tapes featuring either George Takei or James Doohan (with Walter Koenig being added for season two). Each introduction is put together quite well and it's nice to see the cast reminiscing about their work on the series.

While some of the more sceptical fans may feel that this is just another way of making more money out of the fans, the old Classic Trek releases have been out of production for some time, and with this re-issue, they have managed to do the series proud. The overall packaging, presentation and content is so impressive that there are many fans who already own the series who are buying these tapes, and it is helping to attract a new audience to the original series.

Volume 1.1

This first volume in CIC's re-release of Classic Trek features the first three episodes (according to the official production running order), namely "The Cage", "Where No Man Has Gone Before", and "The Corbomite Maneuver".

Starting off with "The Cage", we see the USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) responding to a distress signal sent by a ship lost some 18 years earlier. The signal leads them to the planet of Talos IV, where they discover a group of survivors from the crashed ship. However, things soon change as it becomes apparent that there was only one survivor from the crash, and she is a pawn in a much larger game controlled by aliens with extraordinary telepathic abilities...

A very good way to start off with the episode that really started things off for Star Trek. Considering that the cast had not worked as an ensemble before, they manage to convey a superb sense that they have been together for some time. This is definitely not an action-oriented episode, but it offers a wonderful storyline and shows how humanity stands up to adversity. For those of you brought up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, you should take a look at this episode - you'll be surprised by the number of similarities in the style of the shows.

Next is the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". A first in television history to have a second pilot commissioned, and there were drastic changes made to the show. With the exception of Spock, all of the characters were replaced, and the Enterprise is now commanded by the legendary James Tiberius Kirk.

In this episode, the Enterprise is exploring a region on the edge of our galaxy when they encounter a strange energy barrier. On contact with this, a number of crew are killed or injured and the ship is badly damaged. In addition, it is starting to have strange effects on the ship's First Officer, Gary Mitchell, who starts to show increasing levels of psionic abilities...

Another good story, this time having a stronger element of action and adventure. The story focuses on Kirk's reaction to his old friend who is starting to change as his powers develop, and shows Kirk's anguish at having to face the ultimate decision between friendship and the safety of his crew. A wonderful example of the old axiom "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" when you see Gary transform from a caring Starfleet officer to someone who thinks only of himself and sees others as tools for his enjoyment or amusement.

Despite being a good action story, the moral of the episode is strong enough to make you stop and think about the story after viewing. You can empathise fully with Mitchell as he tries to cope with the way others react to him, and at the end of the episode you feel compassion for him as he loses his humanity. Another cracking episode.

Finally we have "The Corbomite Maneuver". This is really a first contact story for Classic Trek. While exploring the galaxy, they discover a strange object that is blocking their path. In the process of traversing this obstacle, they encounter an alien race that seem intent on destroying the Enterprise and her crew...

One of the strongest episodes from the first season, it is a wonderful example of Star Trek is all about. While the crew of the Enterprise initially brace themselves for conflict with the aliens, they manage - through ingenuity and a little bit of bluffing - to begin to talk to the unknown race, and in the process educating both the Federation crew and the aliens that it is worth trying to understand each other rather than enter battle at every opportunity.

Three superb episodes on this tape and it is remarkable to think that in the case of "Where No Man Has Gone Before" the cast had not worked together as a team before. Great stuff.

Volume 1.2

The second tape gets into the series proper with "Mudd's Women", "The Enemy Within", and the first episode that aired, back on 8th September 1966, "The Man Trap".

In "Mudd's Women", the Enterprise rescues a trader, Harry Mudd, and his cargo as his ship is destroyed while traversing an asteroid field. Things are not all as they seem, when his cargo turns out to be three beautiful young women...

"Mudd's Women" provides a new look at the concept of beauty and helps to reinforce the understanding that it is what is inside people that counts, not their appearance. This in itself is very commendable, however, because of the basic idea for the story (Mudd transporting the women to become wives) episodes like this could never be made today in the more equality-aware times. It is definitely a product of the 60s, but is still a fun episode to watch, if nothing else just to see the reactions of the Enterprise crew as the women walk around the ship.

"The Enemy Within" is much better. A transporter accident occurs while Kirk is beaming to the Enterprise, which splits him into two individuals - one good, the other evil. Kirk has to struggle with his alter ego to prove that he is the real Kirk...

This is a wonderful story exploring the duality that lies within all of us. Everyone, whether they wish to admit it or not, has a darker side, and there are times in everyone's lives when this darker side will come to the fore. This episode asks the question "What would happen if the darker side took control permanently?" and does so brilliantly.

The special effects where we see both "Kirks" are quite impressive, but equally so is the acting. While there are one or two moments where Shatner is a little over-the-top, generally he is wonderfully convincing as he manages to portray, effectively, two different people. There were also some nice subtle touches such as the eyeliner on the "evil" Kirk to add to the menacing glare. A very good story, and one that has stood the test of time remarkably well.

Finally is the episode that launched the series, "The Man Trap". Here we see Kirk and the crew delivering medical supplies to planet M-113, where archaeologist Professor Crater and his wife live. While there, one of Kirk's crew is killed, and on further investigation, it soon becomes clear that something else is on the planet... something tat manages to board the Enterprise!

It has to be said that "The Man Trap" isn't really that spectacular a story. In SF terms, it doesn't really offer anything new that other SF shows didn't have when they presented alien "monsters" and this really is how "The Man Trap" came across. It is of note in Star Trek terms because it was the first episode aired, but perhaps a stronger episode could have been chosen, such as "The Corbomite Maneuver" which was to have been the first broadcast?

While the cast do reasonably well, and there are scenes for all of the major characters, the episode seems to be lacking something. Not awful, but nothing special either.

A fairly average tape this time, the strongest episode being "The Enemy Within", but because it is backed up by an average episode and a rather weak one, this tape is probably the weakest of the season.

Volume 1.3

After this we are presented with "The Naked Time", "Charlie X", and "Balance Of Terror".

In "The Naked Time" the Enterprise has visited the planet Psi 2000 where is attempting to evacuate a group of scientists who have informed the Enterprise that the planet's destruction is imminent. Soon the crew of the Enterprise begin to fall victim to a strange virus that strips the crew of all of their inhibitions and McCoy is left to find a cure before it's too late.

This episode is the first to really explore the characters in-depth and it gives a great insight to all of them. We learn of Spock's inner struggle with his human half, Sulu's perceptions of himself as a flamboyant swashbuckler, and we see how Kirk feels towards the Enterprise. A superb episode, with very convincing acting all round. Far stronger than the weak TNG sequel "The Naked Now".

"Charlie X" follows and tells the tale of a young crash survivor, Charlie Evans, who is being transported by the Enterprise to colony Alpha Five. En route, strange events begin to take place, and all of the incidents seem to be of Charlie's doing...

A story not too dissimilar to "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Here we see another character, like Gary Mitchell before him, who has developed unusual abilities, but without the intellect to keep these powers restrained. Charlie starts to find the crew of the Enterprise as playthings, and as the crew realise what is going on, they begin to fear what Charlie may do, fearing that his still childish mind may lose him temper and as a result destroy the Enterprise.

An interesting twist on the idea to have a child with remarkable powers, but not the understanding to enable him to make decisions on how to use them. Good performances from all involved and another good episode. The idea of an all-powerful child would later re-appear in the season in "The Squire Of Gothos".

Finally we get to see the Romulans in "Balance Of Terror". While patrolling the Neutral Zone, the Enterprise receives a distress signal from a Federation outpost that is under attack. The Enterprise, unable to save the outpost from destruction, has to stop the attacking Romulan vessel from returning home, and thus begins a deadly game of cat and mouse...

A cracking story, with excellent acting from everyone, but with special mentions to Mark Lenard for bringing the unnamed Romulan commander to life. You can see the character grow and develop from being a soldier fighting in a war, to a man with a true sense of admiration and respect for his adversary. Also Leonard Nimoy must be commended, for giving a great deal of depth to Spock's struggle with the biogtry he is facing from some of the Enterprise's crew upon realising his similarities with the Romulans.

The whole idea of the episode is to highlight the futility of war, and that the people involved directly with the conflict at hand often have no wish to be a part of the events surrounding them. I think the line from Mark Lenard at the end of the episode sums this up brilliantly, when he says to Kirk, "In another time I could have called you friend." A fitting remark, indeed.

A wonderful tape and one I can heartily recommend.

Volume 1.4

Three more episodes from the first season, this time featuring "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", "Dagger Of The Mind" and "Miri".

"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" Sees the Enterprise travel to the planet Exo III where the fiance of Nurse Chapel, Dr Roger Korby, is living and conducting experiments. On arrival, it becomes apparent that there are things taking place that could affect the future of humanity and the crew of the Enterprise are the only ones who can prevent it from occurring.

While some of the dialogue in this episode is a little strained - mainly from Ruk (Ted Cassidy) and from Andrea (Sherry Jackson), this is a wonderful vehicle for Majel Barrett. She excels as Nurse Chapel, and it is refreshing to see one of the "minor" characters used so effectively. Her performance as she realises how her fiance has changed is simply wonderful, and although the episode itself is nothing remarkable, it is the acting and some of the special effects that lift this from the mundane.

"Dagger Of The Mind" is next and this was Star Trek's first real psychological thriller. The Enterprise is delivering supplies to a penal colony, when they find that an inmate manages to get aboard the Enterprise and in a deranged state of mind, pleads with the Enterprise crew not to send him back. Naturally, Kirk is compelled to investigate...

Another good story this time, and once again showing how versatile the Star Trek format is. This episode has very little in the way of action, but still proves to be a compelling drama. It focuses on the working of the human mind and the attitudes towards the treatment of criminals in the future. There are more than a few aspects of this story that will leave you thinking long after viewing, and this story also marks the first ever use of the Vulcan Mind Meld as Spock tries to find out what happened to the Enterprise's stowaway.

Finally, we have "Miri". The Enterprise is responding to a distress signal, when they come across a planet that is an almost exact duplicate of Earth. Upon beaming down, they find that the planet's adult population has died out completely and the planet is occupied by children, many of whom are hundreds of years old. The crew discover that the planet was gripped by a plague that killed all of the adults, and now the crew of the Enterprise are starting to become infected...

Another gripping story warning of the dangers of genetic engineering and the problems that could be caused by trying to change the laws of nature. The performances all round are superb and even though the actions of the children seem a little immature, it seems to be perfectly logical as how children would act without parental influences to curtail them. There is an incredible atmosphere of tension as the crew struggle to find a cure, not knowing how long they will last, and the closing scene where Kirk confronts the children is chilling. Although they are children, you gain a powerful sense that these apparently innocent people could seriously injure, or even kill Kirk.

Nice cameo appearances from a couple of William Shatner's daughters in the episode, and many of the other children were offspring of other cast members including Grace Lee Whitney.

Overall, another good tape, with two good episodes and one average one. Not a priority purchase, but well worth buying anyway.

Volume 1.5

Next up is Volume 1.5 which features "The Conscience Of The King", "The Galileo Seven", and "Court Martial".

"The Conscience Of The King" sees Kirk visiting an old friend, Thomas Leighton, who believes that he has found a man known as Kodos The Executioner, a butcher who slaughtered thousands of people and he believes he has assumed the identity of an actor, Anton Karidian who is on the same planet as Leighton. Kirk and Leighton were amongst only a few people alive who could identify Kodos, and before Kirk can find out what his friend knows, Leighton is killed. Kirk invites the touring theatre company on board the Enterprise in order to try and unmask Karidian...

While not an original story, "The Conscience Of The King" is saved by strong, intelligent dialogue, and some good all-round performances. The episode delves a little more into the backgrounds of some of the regular characters (namely Kirk and Lieutenant Reilly) and the tension of the story builds up to a very satisfactory and surprising conclusion.

Next, "The Galileo Seven", sees Spock leading an exploration mission on board one of the Enterprise's shuttles, specifically the Galileo. An accident forces the shuttle to crash land, and Spock's resolve is tested as he has to lead a small crew to survival, and hopefully back to the Enterprise...

The first time we get to see the shuttles in Star Trek, and another good episode. Leonard Nimoy is wonderful as Spock seeing him struggle to maintain his faith in logic, when time after time his logical choices end in failure, and in some cases, the death of some of the crew. A wonderful story about the rigours of Command and it gave Leonard an opportunity to highlight his skills and give a very convincing performance.

The shuttle itself has a rather interesting history attached to it. The filming model, and the interior/exterior sets were built not by the studio, but by Ertl. In exchange, they were given the licence to produce model kits based on the series, a deal which continued for over a quarter of a century!!

Closing this tape is "Court Martial". Every good drama series, whether they are set in the past, present or future seem to have at least one courtroom drama story and this is Star Trek's contribution. Here Kirk is placed on trial for the death of a crewmember under his command, his former friend Benjamin Finney. All of the evidence points to Kirk being guilty of negligence, and it is up to his crewmates to prove his innocence...

Because of the sets that had been required for many episodes prior to this, there was a need for a bottle show (one using existing sets, usually just set on the ship) in the series and this episode just happened to fit the bill perfectly. This is a wonderful courtroom drama, and William Shatner is simply superb as Kirk, trying in vain to clear his name when all at Starfleet believe him to be guilty. Even some of his fellow crew are beginning to doubt him, as the evidence begins to mount up. With fine performances from everyone else, including a wonderfully charismatic appearance by Elisha Cook Jnr as Kirk's attorney, Samuel Cogley, this all adds up to Star Trek at its best.

Another excellent release and I can't really think of a reason why you shouldn't go out and buy this tape immediately!

Volume 1.6

This tape features the only two-part story ever produced for Classic Trek, "The Menagerie", and is rounded off with "Shore Leave".

"The Menagerie" kicks things off and sees Spock kidnap his former commanding officer and one-time captain of the Enterprise, Christopher Pike. Following an accident, Pike has been left severely disabled, and it is Spock's intention to commandeer the Enterprise and take Pike to the site of a former mission - Talos IV - a planet quarantined by Starfleet and the breach of that quarantine is the only crime for which Starfleet still has the death penalty. There Spock hopes to enlist the assistance of the telepathic Talosians in providing Pike with the illusion that he is his former healthy self...

"The Menagerie" is a piece of Star Trek history for more than one reason. Not only was it the only two-parter for Classic Trek, but it was the only story that featured footage from previous episodes, namely "The Cage". Granted, "The Cage" had not aired at that time (and would not do so until 1987), so although it used old footage, to the viewer it was all new material. In addition to this, is is one of the few occasions that a character is played by more than one person in the same story. In the flashback sequences, Pike is played by the late Jeffrey Hunter, but the disabled Pike is played by Sean Kenney.

"Shore Leave" concludes the tape and after a lengthy time spent in space, the crew of the Enterprise finally get to spend some recreation time. They find a class-M planet that bears more than a few resemblances to Earth. Upon closer study, strange events start to take shape on the world, and the thought and dreams of the crew become all too real...

This is one of my all-time favourite episodes of Star Trek. There is plenty of action, we get to see the crew finally letting their hair down, revealing more about their personalities in the process, and there is a liberal sprinkling of humour to balance out the action and the more dramatic core story thread. Characterisation is absolutely wonderful, and the scenes with McCoy are priceless, most notably the scene with the White Rabbit near to the start of the episode.

There are plenty of action scenes for Kirk, balanced with some good strong dialogue. It was also great to see the cast finally getting the chance to work on location, and you can see from their performances just how much they enjoyed doing so.

Overall, there are three great episodes on this tape and should be an essential purchase for all Classic Trek fans. This tape is worth buying for the ground-breaking achievements of "The Menagerie" alone, but with "Shore Leave" as well, this makes this one of the best buys of the season.

Volume 1.7

The next cassette in the series has the memorable episode "The Squire Of Gothos", "Arena", and ends with "The Alternative Factor".

Starting with "The Squire Of Gothos", the Enterprise is travelling through an uncharted empty region of space when suddenly a planet appears in front of them. When they try to move around it, the planet follows them. Kirk and Sulu promptly disappear and they end up in a castle on the seemingly inhospitable planet below them and are the "guests" of an alien with remarkable powers, Trelane, who insists that they stay there with him...

A superb story right from the start. It is obvious where the inspiration came from when Q was being created for Star Trek: The Next Generation - there are far too many similarities between Q and Trelane for it to be sheer coincidence. There is a liberal sprinkling of humour, but the episode never strays from the fact that there is a real menace and threat to the Enterprise crew from Trelane. A wonderful performance from William Campbell merely serves as the icing on the cake for this great story.

Following this is "Arena". The Enterprise has been sent to investigate the destruction of a Starfleet base on the planet Cestus III. An alien ship is discovered and the Enterprise pursues it to a desolate planet where Kirk and the alien Captain are transported against their will and are pitted against each other in combat to the death...

This is a very powerful morality play (something that Star Trek has always managed to do well), and everything about the episode is wonderful, with the exception of the Gorn make-up, which really hasn't stood the test of time too well. When you go back and see this, you can understand why so many alien races in Star Trek are basically humanoid with a few lumps and ridges added! It was also nice to see the use of Vasquez Rocks, which would end up being used for location work throughout the series, and even made an appearance in "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey"... after Bill and Ted were seen earlier in the film watching this episode!

This is another fantastic episode where we really see what the Federation stands for. Kirk's line at the end when he stands over the prone Gorn, "I will not kill today" is Star Trek at its finest and it is one of Gene L Coon's best pieces of work for the series. It proves once again that the best way to resolve a situation is through talking and not through violence. It's just a pity that we didn't see more of the Gorn culture and other than the novels and comics, we have seen little else of this race. A remarkable episode.

Finally is "The Alternative Factor". The Enterprise is exploring another region of space (they do alot of that, don't they?!) when they come across a planet. Suddenly the planet disappears, then just as quickly re-appears in front of them with a sole human on it called Lazarus. However, while tending to his injuries, the crew find that Lazarus is subject to strange mood swings, and is keeping a great secret from the crew of the Enterprise...

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I have never really been impressed by this episode. while there are some good performances all round, and some nice visual effects, I always find the story tiresome and lacking in excitement. Not a personal favourite.

Another mixed tape with two good episodes and one that, while not awful, is just boring. There are better tapes from the first season and I'd recommend that you get them first.

Volume 1.8

Over half way through the season, bringing us onto "Tomorrow Is Yesterday", "The Return Of The Archons" and "A Taste Of Armageddon".

"Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is the first time-travel outing for the series (and certainly wasn't going to be the last!) and while the Enterprise is orbiting Earth in the latter half of the 20th century, they are discovered by a US aircraft. The plane is destroyed, and the pilot is brought aboard the ship. Kirk is then faced with the dilemma of having to remove all traces of their visit from Earth's past, or risk changing the future...

Probably one of the more expensive episodes of the season, this is a rip-roaring adventure story that sees not only Captain Christopher trying to come to terms with the Enterprise, but Kirk and Sulu trying to adjust and fit in on Earth. A wonderful concept (re-used later in "The City On The Edge Of Forever" and Star Trek IV) to see our crew so out of place which then allows them to comment on life today as true outsiders and observers. It kept the whole story fresh and entertaining and the little humorous touches throughout make this story a joy to watch.

Next is the rather disappointing "The Return Of The Archons". The Enterprise has travelled to the planet Beta III, where the USS Archon disappeared 100 years previously, only to find a planet that appears to be stuck in a technological rut, with a popular who appear to be slaves to a being known only as Landru...

I really have a lot of difficulty with this story. Part of the problem, no doubt is that in the 60's Star Trek made all manner of technological predictions that were either way ahead of their time, or were far too conservative in their estimates. The whole notion that a man transferred his consciousness into a computer is remotely plausible, but to then say that he is managed to control an entire population - WITHOUT any form of implants - is preposterous.

The cast try their best with a script that seemed to cause them all more than a few problems. Forgetting the story for a moment, even the dialogue itself was hard to swallow. When the Enterprise crew were approached by Reger and he realised that they were not being controlled, and said "You are not of the body" something just grated. In addition, the concept of "festival" where the people of Beta III released their emotions was also lacking conviction. It seemed as if it were an excuse to have some sort of action in what was essentially a character-driven story.

The conclusion to the story, where Landu was destroyed just by using a logic trap has also shown its age. In a computer literate society, I think it's safe to say that most people know that entering data into a computer can't physically damage it unless it is designed to delete information, which Kirk and Spock's statements weren't. Generally, this is pretty dire stuff.

Finally we have "A Taste Of Armageddon". The Enterprise is en route to the planet Eminiar VII where it is attempting to establish diplomatic relations. However, they are warned off from the planet's ruling body, and find themselves in the middle of a war dictated by computers where they are declared casualties of war...

A strong anti-war story here, with the use of computers deciding hypothetical conflicts being the strength of the story. The idea that it resolved conflicts, and then sent instructions for citizens to report for disintegration makes the episode all the more chilling. You can fully understand the feelings of the Enterprise crew wanting to get involved in stopping the war, but having the Prime Directive interfering in their plans. You quickly feel for the people of Eminiar VII who willingly sacrifice their lives, thinking nothing of what they are doing.

Kirk's action at the end, destroying the computers made for an interesting conclusion. It's a pity that we never returned to the planet to see the outcome of Kirk's actions. Did the two planets enter into discussion, or did interplanetary war break out. It certainly raises a few questions, and the episode manages superbly to convey the message that war, no matter how it is fought, is a senseless loss of life. A very good episode, even if the costumes worn by the Eminian guards do look silly!

A nice trivia point is that the props used for the guns used by the Eminians were later re-used at the end of the season for the Klingon disruptor pistols, a design that they have stuck to ever since, having appeared throughout the Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

Okay, on this tape we have one excellent story, one good episode, and one that is atrocious. The choice is up to you, but there are better tapes available.

Volume 1.9

The penultimate Volume from the first season features three memorable episodes - "Space Seed", "This Side Of Paradise", and "The Devil In The Dark".

First on the cassette is the classic "Space Seed". the Enterprise discovers a ship drifting in space. On board, the crew find a number of people in suspended animation and on awakening them they discover that they are from the 20th century. While enjoying the hospitality of the Enterprise, a plot is afoot for the visitors to take control of the ship...

"Space Seed" is quite simply a fabulous story. The 20th century men and women appear to be people genuinely out-of-time and the characterisation is wonderful. Special mention has to be the brilliant performance from Ricardo Montalban as Khan. While the character may be the "villain" of the story, you can't fail to appreciate his strong leadership qualities and charismatic personality.

The only failing of "Space Seed" is that its predictions of the future let it down quite badly. According to the episode, in 1992 40 major countries across the world were taken over by a group of genetically engineered supermen, which led to the Eugenics Wars which lasted from 1992 to 1996. There was no major was in 1996 and I'd hardly consider the three main world leaders of the time - Bill Clinton, John Major and Boris Yeltsin - to be genetically engineered supermen, would you?! The studio did try to rectify this with the Voyager two-parter "Future's End", but it's still a sore point amongst fans...

That aside, it's a superb episode and made possible one of the better Star Trek movies, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.

"This Side Of Paradise" sees the Enterprise visiting an Earth colony where everyone was believed to have died. Instead they find a healthy population who appear to be "brainwashed" by spores that affect people's emotional restraints. Soon, the crew of the Enterprise fall under the spores influence, and Kirk is left to try and save his crew before it is too late.

A good episode and as with "The Naked Time" before it, it offers an opportunity to explore the characters more deeply on an emotional level. Where "The Naked Time" simply stripped the characters of their inhibitions and restraints, here we saw the cast simply given the opportunity to explore the more positive emotions. While this episode could have been handled so badly as far as Spock was concerned, it was written perfectly by Dorothy Fontana (her second story for the series). His initial resistance to Leila Kalome and his change after the spores take effect was handled with such delicacy by Leonard Nimoy that it made the whole episode seem both plausible and acceptable.

Kirk's despair as he sees his crew desert him one by one is also touching. You can see that it is Kirk's love for the Enterprise that is giving him a form of immunity to the spores, and is his only hope for salvation.

Trivia buffs should pay close attention to this episode, especially the scene where Kirk returns alone to the Enterprise and he walks onto the empty bridge. This shot was later re-used and looped to form a longer sequence for the ST:TNG episode "Relics" when Scotty entered the holodeck.

Ending this tape is William Shatner's favourite episode, "The Devil In The Dark". In this story the Enterprise has been assigned to investigate a number of strange disappearances on a Federation mining colony. On investigation, it transpires that a strange creature that can tunnel through solid rock is responsible for the deaths, and Kirk must organise his crew to hunt the creature down...

This is an absolute classic story that embodies everything I have come to love in Star Trek. The main concept behind the story is not to judge others by their appearance and it tries to teach the viewer that just because the Horta was killing people, it wasn't necessarily hostile. A well crafted episode which featured another mind meld from Spock, and some wonderful lines from McCoy as he tries to heal the wounded Horta, including the now immortal line, "I'm a doctor, not a brick-layer!". An absolutely fabulous episode, and you can understand why it is Shatner's favourite.

There is little I can say about this tape overall other than buy it now. Three superb episodes make this cassette an ESSENTIAL buy for Star Trek fans everywhere.

Volume 1.10

Closing the first season we have the first appearance of the Klingons in "Errand Of Mercy", arguably the best episode of Classic Trek ever, "The City On The Edge Of Forever", and we see more of Kirk's family in "Operation Annihilate!".

"Errand Of Mercy" sees tensions between the Federation and the Klingons escalate to war. In order to try to gain a tactical advantage, the Enterprise is sent to the neutral planet Organia to prevent the Klingons from gaining a foothold near Federation space.

This was the first time we ever saw the Klingons and I have to admit that it was a very impressive introduction. While we didn't delve too deeply into their culture, we gained a reasonable insight into this race of warriors. A wonderful performance from John Kolicos as Kor (later to reprise the role twice more in Deep Space Nine) really helped to bring the Klingons to life. A great start to the tape.

Next is "The City On The Edge Of Forever". The Enterprise is drawn to a planet that seems to be at the centre of a number of temporal disturbances. However, an accident results in McCoy injecting himself with an overdose of cordrazine, and in a hallucinatory state beams down to the planet and travels through a time portal, ending up on Earth in the 1930's where he makes changes that alter the future as we know it. Kirk and Spock go back in time after McCoy, and only they can correct the timeline.

I won't say too much about this episode as I think everything that could be said has been. Quite simply, this is one of the best Star Trek stories ever written.

Finally, closing the season is "Operation Annihilate!". The Enterprise is en route to the planet Deneva in order to prevent the spread of mass insanity that has been sweeping parts of the galaxy. On arrival, Kirk finds his brother dead, and if he doesn't act quickly, the planet could suffer the same fate as others before it.

"Operation Annihilate!" is definitely the weakest of the trio on this tape. While the episode is partially about Kirk's family, you never really sensed any connection between Kirk and his sister-in-law. The story never really seems to offer a great deal to the viewer, and all of the tension and menace of the unknown creatures is lost thanks to the poor visuals. It's hard to be concerned for the well being of the crew when they are being attacked by flying pizzas. Death by stuffed crust pepperoni, perhaps?!

While this tape has one very weak episode, the strength of "Errand Of Mercy" and the absolutely stunning "The City On The Edge Of Forever" more than make up for this. An essential purchase for Star Trek fans everywhere.