Star Trek (1966) 1.23

A Taste of Armageddon 

The Enterprise approaches Eminiar VII but is warned to stay away by a message from the planet’s surface. Ambassador Fox, who has command authority on this mission, orders Captain Kirk to ignore the warning and proceed to the planet.

Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and three other crew members beam down to Eminiar VII. There they discover why they were warned to stay away from the planet. The people of Eminiar VII are at war with Vendikar, a neighboring planet. The war, which has been ongoing for 500 years, is conducted virtually but has real world consequences. People living in areas that are “obliterated” are ordered to report to disintegration stations where they are disintegrated. 

Anan 7, one of the leaders of Eminiar VII, informs Captain Kirk that the Enterprise has been virtually hit and destroyed. He tells Captain Kirk that the crew of his ship has 24 hours to beam down and report to disintegration stations.

Captain Kirk and the rest of the landing party are locked up. They escape thanks to Mr. Spock's “Vulcanian” telepathy and disrupt the war by destroying a disintegration chamber. Mea 3, who was about to report in for disintegration, tries to get Kirk to understand the importance of keeping things the way they are. She helps him locate Anan 7, despite not getting him to accept their way of life. 

Ambassador Fox beams down to Eminiar VII after talking to Anan 7. The ambassador is unaware of the danger he faces until he arrives on the surface and learns that he is to be disintegrated. 

Captain Kirk goes to talk to Anan 7 and winds up getting captured. Spock rescues Ambassador Fox. Kirk is taken to the council chamber where Anan 7 tries to talk sense into him. Kirk overpowers all the guards in the council chamber. Spock shows up and together they destroy the Eminiaran computers that control the Eminiaran end of the virtual war. 

Thoughts

I recall watching this episode before but I can’t recall exactly when it was that I last saw it. 

Doctor McCoy is in this episode but he plays a fairly small role in it. Lieutenant Sulu is not in this episode. The three crew members who beam down with Kirk and Spock were given very little to do in this episode.

Ambassador Fox is an ass. He assumes only the best of the people of Eminiar VII even after they open fire on the Enterprise.

I love the uniforms that the guards on Eminiar VII wear. The headgear looks especially silly.

I like the ambiguous nature of the ending. Everything is not resolved. Kirk has upset the apple cart. He violated the prime directive if it existed at this time. He left it up to the people of Eminiar VII and Vendikar to set things right.  

The actors who play Anan 7 and Mea 3 were both very convincing. It really felt like they believed that Kirk was dooming their civilization by interfering in the war. The actor who played Ambassador Fox was pretty good too. I might hate the character but he was very convincing in that role.

I rate this episode as better than average. It holds up to my memory of it. It isn’t all-time favorite of mine but I like it very much.

Notes

Gene Lyons played the part of Ambassador Fox. This is the only episode of Star Trek in which he appeared. He also made guest appearances on a few other shows including The Twilight Zone (1959), 

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Invaders.

David Opatoshu played the part of Anan 7. This is the only episode of Star Trek in which he appeared. He made guest appearances on a number of shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959), The Outer Limits (1963), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He had an uncredited role in Thieves Highway (1959).

Barbara Babcock played the part of Mea 3. This is the second of six episodes of this show in which she appeared. In all but two of those appearances she was the voice of a character and did not appear on screen. Her first episode was 1.17 The Squire of Gothos. She was went uncredited in that episode as the voice of Trelane's mother. She made guest appearances on a few other shows including Night Gallery and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985). She is still alive, turned 88 years old earlier this year. According to IMDb her last screen credit was in 2004.

This is the third of 14 episodes that Joseph Pevney directed. The previous two were 1.18 Arena and 1.21 Return of the Archons. He also directed five episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.