TV: Balance of Terror, Star Trek 1st Season.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I watched this episode last night for the first time in a long time. It's always been one of my favorites.

It's a terrific episode of Star Trek, but it's also a terrific episode of television in general.

For those not familiar it begins with a wedding aboard the Enterprise. Captain Kirk is conducting the Wedding between two crewman when it is interupted by a receipt of a distress call from Outpost 4 along the Federation/Romulan Neutral Zone. Outpost 4 has been attacked by a briefly seen attacker with a fantastic weapon. Previously Outposts 8, 2, and 3 had been attacked and destroy.

At this point no one had ever actually seen a Romulan. No one was even sure it was the Romulans although they were the most likely suspect. The Enterprise's navigator, Mr. Stiles, is a bigoted man based on his families losses in the previous war against the Romulans. His bigottry is even more pronounced when the Enterprise intercepts a transmission from the vessel with visuals of the Romulan crew. The Romulans are virtually identical to the Vulcans. Mr. Stiles is discourteous towards Mr. Spock and is dressed down by the Captain. The Enterprise attempts to attack the Romulan ship but the Romulan Captain anticipates Kirk's moves at the last moment and mostly evades the Enterprise's attack and fires her weapon towards the Enterprise. Kirk orders the ship to run from it though it appears a futile move. However just before impact the Romulan weapon begins to dissapate and the Enterprise is only damaged and not destroyed. Ultimately the Enterprise wins and the Romulan Commander destroys his ship as his last duty.

It's a facinating episode in many ways. It's tightly shot to give a more confined view. There is a clausterphobic feeling within the episode. Spock is rather blunt in his thoughts towards the Romulans. Later an arc would be developed over time and other series about his efforts for reunification between the two separated worlds. He is firm in his belief like the bigotted Mr. Stiles that the Enterprise should attack and destroy the Romulans as a show of strength, not to make war but to prevent war. Shatner is always the butt of the joke for his acting yet his Captain Kirk in this episode is willing to worry that he's wrong in his actions. McCoy the gruff and yet kind voice of reason makes the wonderful comment about how many possible earth like worlds there are out there and yet in all that there is only one of each of us. Mark Lenard makes his first appearance and he plays the Romulan like a dutiful Roman soldier who longs for peace and secretly hopes for death should peace not be an option. You believe him when he tells Kirk in another reality they would be friends. The episode provides the lesson that duty may come with a high price.

On a side note this was the remastered episode with new visual effects. I won't say they were seemless, but they looked very good. they are somewhat of a distraction to fans familiar with the episode. I would object to this action in a film, but I do not have as much problem with this on a tv show.

[Wojo 2,453]

What I find hilarious about this episode of Star Trek is the reaction that everyone has when seeing the Romulans for the first time...they look identical to Vulcans! For shame! But in any other episode, when the new random alien of the week might look identical to a human, nobody reacts with any kind of surprise.

This is the episode that the Quantum Leap guy's TV series chose to selectively ignore the most when inventing the prequel series Enterprise.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

That's an interesting perspective.

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