Star Trek (1966) 2.12

The Deadly Years

A team from the Enterprise consisting of Captain Kirk, Mister Spock, Doctor McCoy, Chief Engineer Scott, Lieutenant Galway, and Ensign Chekov beams down to the surface of Gamma Hydra IV. They find that four of the six people living there are dead from old age and the other two look much older than their actual age. The two survivors are taken to the Enterprise where they die also from old age.

Captain Kirk and the other members of the team that beamed down, with the exception of Checkov, start aging rapidly soon after they return to the Enterprise. Kirk's judgment is called into question by Commodore Stocker, whom they are supposed to be transporting to Starbase 10, and other members of the crew including Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura.

Stocker insists that Spock hold a hearing to determine whether Kirk is fit to remain in command. Spock doesn't like the idea but he follows Stocker's order. The hearing occurs as requested by the commodore. Much evidence is provided which make it clear that the captain has lost more that a step or two since returning from the surface of Gamma Hydra IV.

Commodore Stocker takes command of the Enterprise. He orders Sulu to plot the most direct course to Starbase 10 even though it takes them through the Neutral Zone. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy finally figure out why Chekov isn't aging like the others. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Doctor Janet Wallace develop a serum to counteract the effects of the aging.

Romulans warships attack the Enterprise as it crosses the Neutral Zone. Commodore Stocker doesn't know how to respond. The Romulans refuse to communicate with the Enterprise and keep firing at it. Captain Kirk, the first recipient of the antidote to the rapid aging, returns to the bridge just in time to come up with a scheme to save the day.

Thoughts

I'm pretty sure that I've seen this episode before but probably not since at least the 1990s.

I laughed a little at the way William Shatner and DeForest Kelley played it when their character were older. Spock was still his stoic self and didn't really act very different than usual. One scene that really made me laugh hard was the scene where they were administering the cure to Kirk. The camera wasn't focused on his face but on his crotch as the effects of the cure were taking effect and his crotch thrust forward several times. I'm a little surprised that this got past the censors.

I enjoyed this episode but I would say that it is not a favorite. I like it for the comedic value it contains. I can imagine that people who take Trek more seriously than I do might not feel the same as I.

Notes

Captain Kirk employs the fictional Corbomite Maneuver in this episode. It was first used in 1.10 The Corbomite Maneuver.  I don't think it was ever used again.

This is the seventh of 25 episodes in which Nurse Christine Chapel appeared.

Commodore Stocker was played by Charles Drake. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared. I saw him very recently in an episode of The Invaders, 2.02 The Saucer. He was also in at least seven movies that I have seen.

Doctor Janet Wallace was played by Sarah Marshall. This is the only episode of this show in which she appeared. She also appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959), and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

This is the first of two episodes of the show that was written by David P. Harmon. He also wrote one episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series.

This is the 11th of 14 episodes of this show that was directed by Joseph Pevney. The 10th episode he directed was 2.11 Friday's Child.