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The Original Series (TOS) Season 3

Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3

The episode descriptions are given in normal text, my comments in small text. Rating: 0=worst, 10=best

Spectre of the Gun Stardate 4385.3: After the Enterprise has ignored their warning buoy, the Melkotians force Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott and Chekov to take part in a re-enactment of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the roles of the Clanton Gang. Chekov, however, is killed before the big shooting. Condemned to lose the fight if history repeats, the remaining officers have to rely on Spock's belief that everything is only an illusion.

If there is one cliché that TOS is particularly fond of then it is that of Earth sceneries on remote planets. However, at least everything is only an illusion this time. Hence no complicated rationale or excuse for it is necessary, unlike in the various unlikely "parallel Earth" episodes especially of the second season. Moreover, the power of illusions is credibly visualized for the first time since "The Cage", and not less impressively. The episode does not wind up as thrilling as it could have been though. This is mostly because the outcome is too predictable, not only since the events of the O.K. Corral were slated to repeat but also because we know much better than any of the crew (who are too credulous with the exception of Spock) that nothing can be real. Many elements of the plot, including Chekov's apparent death, are already well-known from "Shore Leave" where it was McCoy who "died" in a similar fashion. Anyway, at least the scene when Spock prepares his crewmates to ignore the illusions is remarkable, and this is why I rate the episode above the TOS average. What I like too is the artificial studio feel, something that usually detracts from the credibility of a set. The incomplete buildings under a red sky in the Melkotians' version of Tombstone, Arizona, contribute greatly to the overall bizarre situation. It gives the whole episode a surreal look, supported by the heroes' unfitting Starfleet uniforms.
Remarkable quote: "Physical reality is consistent with universal laws. Where the laws do not operate, there is no reality. We judge reality by the responses of our senses. Once we are convinced of the reality of a given situation, we abide by its rules." (Spock)
Rating: 5

Elaan of Troyius Stardate 4372.5: The Enterprise ferries Elaan of Elas to the hostile world of Troyius for a marriage arranged to end the war. Elaan, however, is more than just reluctant. Moreover, a saboteur damages the Enterprise's warp drive just as a Klingon battlecruiser appears. It is discovered that Elaan wears jewelry made of dilithium which helps repair the warp drive and escape the Klingon vessel.

The episode is in many ways comparable to "Journey to Babel" and doesn't show us much new. Some mysticism as well as a fair amount of action are brought into play to beef up the rather tiresome because too familiar plot. Once again, Kirk turns out immune to an infection or temptation thanks to his overwhelming sense of duty. This time the temptation lies in Elaan's tears which are believed to render any man addicted to her. When the plot calls for an enemy outside the ship, the Klingons are conceded a brief and unremarkable appearance, while the warp drive is sabotaged by a spy. Only the refreshingly capricious and arrogant behavior of Elaan and her interaction with the crew and especially Kirk is noteworthy in this rather disappointing installment.
Remarkable quote: "We have granted your crew the permission not to kneel in our presence. What else do you want?" (Elaan)
Remarkable prop: The dilithium crystals are featured as an important part of the warp drive for the first time.
Remarkable ship: first appearance of the Klingon D7 battlecruiser
Crew losses: 1
Rating: 3

The Paradise Syndrome Stardate 4842.6: Kirk finds himself trapped in an obelisk on an alien planet. Having lost his memory, he is adopted by an American Indian tribe, while an asteroid crash on the planet is imminent. Kirk, who now calls himself "Kirok", falls in love with a young woman named Miramanee. The Enterprise's efforts to deflect the asteroid fail, but the "Preservers" who once transferred the Indians to this planet to save them from extinction have taken precautions for this case and installed a deflection system in the obelisk. The planet can be saved, but the Indians furiously stone the pregnant Miramanee when they think that the strangers desecrate the monument.

Although it deals with yet another primitive culture and even another unnecessary Earth reference, this episode excels like hardly any of its thematic predecessors. While Kirk has always had insignificant brief romances so far (as far as we know about it), he now really falls in love with all the consequences, including marriage and pregnancy of his wife. This is a completely new aspect in Star Trek, showing up as late as in its third year. Alas, the tragic outcome is that Miramanee is killed, and the unborn child with her. It's a pity not only for Kirk, but also for the viewers who would have loved to see a sequel. Maybe it was a wise decision to choose Indians as the planet's natives, because their culture can be credibly portrayed without a lot of expenses for make-up, scenery and props. The episode is also unusually complex and "modern", as it has several turning points and is set in two different places most of the time.
There are some technical oddities, for instance the coincidence that the words "Kirk to Enterprise" activate the door of the obelisk. But even though the attempts to move the asteroid using the power reserves of the Enterprise are not quite believable and Spock's notion that the obelisk must be an asteroid deflector seems far-fetched, everything fits together quite nicely in the end.
Remarkable fact: The concept of the "Preservers" is introduced to justify the odd fact that the people on most planets look human, or at least humanoid. It is an ingenious idea that can explain away many oddities of TOS. The DNA theory in TNG: "The Chase" will provide an even more comprehensive rationale.
Rating: 6

The Enterprise Incident Stardate 5031.3: As ordered by a ostensibly irrational Kirk, the Enterprise enters the Neutral Zone and is instantly surrounded by Romulan warships. Spock pretends to sympathize with the female Romulan commander and "kills" Kirk with the "Vulcan death grip". Now disguised as a Romulan, Kirk steals their cloaking device which has been the true goal of his mission all along. Scotty manages to install the device on the Enterprise, and the Federation ship escapes the Romulan pursuers.

Frankly, the plan to steal the cloaking device is not only extremely risky, but simply idiotic, provided there is a plan at all. Did Kirk and Spock actually believe they could be successful? After all they succeed only thanks to a chain of unlikely coincidences. What if the crew had not trusted the apparently insane Kirk, if the Romulan commander had not fallen for Spock's ruse, if the Romulans had not believed the tale of the "Vulcan death grip", if the "dead" Kirk had not been transported off the Romulan ship, if Kirk had not had a chance to beam back again and if Kirk had not gained access to the cloaking device? Finally, Scotty who didn't even know anything of the plan in the first place installs the completely unfamiliar cloaking device aboard the Enterprise as if he had never done anything else, and it works perfectly. Among all his miracles of engineering, this is probably the least likely. There are, however, many good points about this episode and, after all, with its overall complexity, its countless twists and unexpected revelations it is not as predictable as most other TOS installments. This is why I think "The Enterprise Incident" is well above average, in spite of its numerous logical flaws.
Remarkable quote: "I have heard of the Vulcan integrity and personal honor. There is a well-known saying, or is it a myth, that Vulcans are incapable of lying." (Romulan commander)
Remarkable ship: the Romulan battlecruiser which is actually a Klingon ship. The producers obviously decided to use the new and better looking Klingon ship instead of the Romulan BoP.
Rating: 6

And the Children Shall Lead Stardate 5029.5: All adult colonists on the planet Triacus have died, but their children do not seem to be concerned about it at all. They are under the influence of the "Friendly Angel" Gorgon, the being actually responsible for the deaths. When the children attempt to take over the Enterprise on Gorgon's order, they can finally be convinced to turn against Gorgon when they learn what he has done to them.

All hands to battlestations! The terrible children from "Miri" are back! Well, the story is somewhat different here, but the theme is essentially the same. Apart from this parallel, the banal plot recycling is utterly boring as well. Gorgon appears as an extremely weak villain-of-the-week who hardly constitutes a palpable menace and does not seem to have any motivation for playing his evil games. Even the sight of weeping children can't give this trivial episode more profoundness.
Remarkable prop: This episode shows the ugly red UFP pennant which rather looks like the banner of a US high school football team. No offense to US high schools, but I would have expected something exceptional for the United Federation of Planets.
Crew losses: 2
Rating: 1

Spock's Brain Stardate 5431.4: Spock's brain is removed by a beautiful female intruder to serve as the main computer of their civilization. Actually, the population of the planet consists of the primitive male Morg and of the female Eymorg who have no concept of how their advanced technology works. The women not being aware of what they have done, let alone able to reintegrate the brain, it is up to McCoy to do it.

I know that for most people this is the worst of all TOS episodes, but having it watched several times, I find that all the absurdity bears at least a lot of amusement as its perhaps only merit. I can't help laughing when I see the stupid but very attractive women in their miniskirts, Spock's remote-controlled body, McCoy under the drying hood (or "helmet of knowledge") or Spock ('s brain) talking from inside the Eymorg computer. Finally, the scene when Spock assists McCoy in the surgery of his own brain would have passed as excellent satire - if it had been meant as such. One point for the unintentional comical elements in this absolute classic.
Remarkable quotes: "Brain and brain. What is brain?" (Kara, the Eymorg)
Remarkable props: Spock's remote control and the "knowledge helmet"
Remarkable ship: The Eymorg ion drive ship
Rating: 1

Is There in Truth No Beauty? Stardate 5630.7: The blind but telepathic Miranda Jones accompanies Ambassador Kolos, a Medusan who will inevitably drive any human insane who looks at him. Larry Marvick nevertheless does it, and in his insanity he steers the ship into another dimension. Only the Medusan is able to take the ship back to normal space, assisted by Spock.

A single look at Kolos will inevitably make any human go insane. Is it just his ugliness or some sort of radiation or something else? If the blind Dr. Jones is not affected, we have to go with the first explanation. Star Trek has had less mystical and more concrete phenomena, so I'm missing an explanation and maybe revelation what Kolos' nature is really about. Maybe the intention of the episode was to create an understanding for a completely different, possibly ugly lifeform. However, when Marvick turns mad (wasn't he mad in the first place when he looked at Kolos against all reason?), seizes control of the ship and puts it at risk, it turns into one of those many cookie cutter adventures that don't permit much variation and inherently focus on the two or three main characters of whom usually Kirk or Spock saves the ship. This time it is up to Spock - with the help of Kolos. The thing that bothers me most about the episode is that Spock forgets his protective glasses when he meets Kolos. Would he forget his spacesuit likewise when leaving the ship through the airlock?
Remarkable fact: Diana Muldaur, who plays Miranda Jones, previously appeared in another notable guest role as Ann Mulhall in TOS: "Return to Tomorrow". She will return to Trek as Dr. Pulaski.
Rating: 3

The Empath Stardate 5121.0: Kirk, Spock an McCoy are held captive by an alien race together with an empathic woman nicknamed "Gem". The aliens torture the humanoids and perform deadly experiments for seemingly no reason. When Gem saves McCoy's life by "absorbing" his injuries, thereby sacrificing herself, their goal becomes clear: Gem's race has to prove they are worth being saved from the imminent destruction of their star system.

The plot fails to convince on the whole because no one would believe that a vastly advanced civilization employed such cruel methods. What are they actually going to achieve with the torture scenario anyway? One single individual has to prove the worthiness of her whole species? That doesn't sound at all like a scientific method. Moreover, why can't both the races in question be saved, or part of one and part of the other? Why don't they just ask yet another civilization, maybe the Federation, for help? Failing to see the logic of the plot, the excessive cruelty becomes even more objectionable. To enjoy pointless cruelty it needs an odd sense of entertainment which is not typical of Star Trek and which I can't share. The depictions of Gem's empathy, on the other hand, is overly emotional, even kitschy at times. Only the plain black set of the episode is quite impressive; it is a nice contrast to the usual styrofoam rocks on alien planets.
Rating: 2

The Tholian Web Stardate 5693.2: Kirk gets trapped on the U.S.S. Defiant when the starship disappears in an interdimensional rift. While the crew are trying to retrieve their captain, Tholian ships begin to weave a web around the Enterprise. Kirk does not reappear at the calculated time, and Spock and McCoy decide to declare him dead. However, when the Tholians are just about to complete their web, Kirk appears to Uhura. Spock waits until the last possible moment before the web is closed, and Kirk can be beamed back aboard.

"The Tholian Web" is an episode that features a well-conceived plot while putting special emphasis on the relationship between Spock and McCoy. For the first time in regular Star Trek, Kirk is missing for the most time, and this is to the episode's benefit. Not that I wouldn't appreciate his presence, but it proves that the other main characters may take over the lead roles too. The only thing I have to criticize is the way Kirk reappears. Uhura is the first to see him or to believe to see him hover through the ship, and no one gives here credence. Actually, I would have preferred if he had been detected with subspace sensors, this would have been a more Trek-like and less esoteric concept.
Remarkable scenes: Spock and McCoy watch Kirk's recorded farewell, and maybe for the first time they admit they agree with one another. When Kirk asks if they have seen the tape, they deny it unanimously. Who said Vulcans are not able to lie?
Remarkable costume: the TOS spacesuit
Remarkable ship: the conical Tholian ship
Rating: 6

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky Stardate 5476.3: McCoy suffers from an incurable disease, xenopolycythemia. His presumably last mission leads him to the asteroid starship Yonada whose inhabitants believe they are on a planet. There he falls in love with the high priestess Natira and decides to stay on Yonada for the time that is left to him. The asteroid, however, is on a collision course, and against the resistance of the residents, Kirk and Spock access the computer to change course and also find a cure for McCoy's disease.

Although we seem to know a lot about Dr. McCoy today, during the three years of TOS we learned hardly anything personal about him. This is one of the very few episodes with emphasis on McCoy. This fact alone makes the story at least as interesting as similar ones with the focus on Kirk, for instance "The Paradise Syndrome" earlier this season. The similarities to the latter episode are striking, though: the inhabitants of Yonada are not aware of their true whereabouts, and an advanced computer system guides and protects them without their knowledge. It seems too simple that the databank accidentally contains a cure for McCoy's disease too. Moreover, how could Spock decipher the letters, learn the controls and gain access in such a short time? The resolution comes much too quickly and too easily.
Remarkable disease: xenopolycythemia (with polycythemia being a real blood disease and xeno- obviously denoting an alien origin)
Rating: 4

Day of the Dove Stardate not given: The Enterprise picks up the survivors of a destroyed Klingon ship. Soon the situation runs out of control when part of the Enterprise crew and the Klingons are trapped in a section of the ship. They engage in endless skirmishes with ancient weapons which are absolutely pointless because all wounds heal immediately so as to maintain the balance of power. It turns out that an entity consuming hatred is catalyzing the fighting. An agreement between Kirk and the Klingon captain Kang ends it, whereupon the entity leaves the ship.

This episode depicts reasonable Klingons for the first time after they have been nothing but brutal conquerors or, even worse, a people without any special characteristics in previous episodes. The idea of a lifeform consuming bad emotions is odd, and fortunately no one even tried to explain it. The agreement between Kang and Kirk at the end is exactly what I like about Star Trek, that a peaceful solution can be found, even if an odd alien lifeform is needed as a catalyst.
Remarkable scene: Under the influence of the alien entity Pavel Chekov believes that the Klingons once killed his brother Pyotr on Archanis IV. But in reality Chekov, as Sulu knows, has no siblings.
Remarkable character: Kang's wife is the first Klingon woman to appear on screen.
Rating: 6

Plato's Stepchildren Stardate 5784.0: Parmen, head of the utopian society of Platonius, has enormous telekinetic powers and forces Kirk, McCoy and Spock to stay on his planet for their welfare and enjoyment. The telekinesis, however, is not restricted to Parmen's race, but turns out to be caused on a substance found on the planet, so everyone can obtain this power. Thus, the crew members can defeat Parmen with his own methods.

Self-centered powerful beings with a bad temper are a recurring premise in Star Trek, and mostly they hold our crew captive just for their pleasure. This is absolutely pointless, but unfortunately the creative staff didn't seem to notice it in the days of TOS. The endless games they play with our heroes just like in "The Squire of Gothos" and "The Gamesters of Triskelion" don't make it any more interesting, and it seems as if these were primarily meant to stretch an episode to a length of 45 minutes. "Plato's Stepchildren" is only a tad different in that it closes with the statement that all human(oid)s are created equal. The little Alexander has been bullied by the arrogant leaders of the Platonian society all along, but in the end he may be just as powerful as them. I like this ironical twist. What I don't like is that the episode won't have any consequences. Since the mere injection of a substance causes the telekinetic abilities, I wonder why this groundbreaking discovery will never be revisited in Star Trek.
Remarkable kiss: I am surprised how there could be so much fuss about Kirk's and Uhura's "first interracial kiss" on American TV. Even the racists on either side should have noticed it was a forced one (unfortunately!). Anyway, if it helped at least a tiny bit to demonstrate that we are all created equal, the kiss didn't miss its point.
Rating: 3

Wink of an Eye Stardate 5710.5: Kirk suddenly disappears while drinking his coffee. He finds himself "accelerated", moving at a speed so fast that it makes him invisible to the rest of the crew. He discovers that the Enterprise is being turned into a "refrigerator" because the Scalosian race wants to conserve the male crew to repopulate their planet. In the normal time level Spock and McCoy have developed a drug to accelerate Spock as well. With joined forces, Spock and Kirk manage to disable the Scalosian intruders.

While the outline of the story features nothing new in essence (aliens take over the Enterprise once again), the idea of an accelerated level of living is very compelling and amusing at the same time. In spite of all the almost inevitable inconsistencies "Wink of an Eye" is still a gem among the TOS episodes as it shows us pure intelligent science fiction. The effects of the acceleration are impressively visualized by non-accelerated actors standing still (well, not quite perfectly motionless) and by tilting the camera during the transition to the accelerated level. The episode with its subtle effects has something inherently eerie like few other TOS episodes (and unlike most episodes that were meant to be scary in their premise).
Remarkable quote: "They all go so soon. I want to keep this one for a long time. He's pretty." (Deela about guess who)
Crew losses: 1
Rating: 7

That Which Survives Stardate not given: On a seemingly uninhabited planet a woman called Losira frequently appears and kills a crew member each time by just touching them. An unknown power hurls the Enterprise thousands of light years away, while Kirk, McCoy and Sulu, the last survivors, are trapped on the planet. Spock arrives in the nick of time and destroys the computer controlling Losira.

This is perhaps the most pointless episode ever. There is nothing really wrong with it, except that, no surprise, only the permanent cast members survive the encounter with Losira. Other than that, there is nothing to say about it besides the above brief episode outline.
Remarkable dialogue: "What a terrible way to die." - "There are no good ways." (Sulu and Kirk)
Crew losses: 3
Rating: 1

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield Stardate 5730.2: Two natives of the planet Cheron, Bele and Lokai, despise each other because of racial prejudices - Bele has a white left half of his face and a black right half, while Lokai's face colors are reversed. Bele demands the extradition of the alleged criminal Lokai, but Kirk refuses. When the Enterprise finally arrives at Cheron to drop the two unpleasant guests, their world has been completely devastated as a result of their mutual hatred.

The planet with two races who despise one another only because of opposite colors of their face helves (black/white vs. white/black) is a very clear allegory to present-day racism on Earth, maybe only a bit too obvious and too overstated. It would have been beneficial for the credibility of the episode if the two had been less obsessive, and their civilization likewise. Anyways, the episode is successful in that it leaves us, the citizens of 23rd century Earth, with the question why all this was necessary. This is why the episode has grown on me although I never found it very entertaining.
Remarkable dialogue: "You're from the planet Earth. There is no persecution on your planet." - "There was persecution on Earth once. I remember reading about it in my history class." (Lokai and Chekov)
Remarkable scene: Kirk initiates the self-destruct in order to deter Bele from taking over the ship.
Rating: 5

Whom Gods Destroy Stardate 5718.3: Thanks to his shapeshifting ability the insane Capt. Garth has taken control of the mental hospital on Elba II. Before anyone can notice something is wrong, Kirk and Spock are trapped there. Garth's bizarre "coronation ceremony" is followed by his attempt to take over the Enterprise. Having assumed Kirk's shape, he tries to get beamed up, but luckily Scott does not trust him and Spock can expose the wrong Kirk.

Here we have yet another mentally ill member of Starfleet and yet another shapeshifter. Unfortunately these two cookie-cutter clichés govern the whole episode which doesn't even attempt to be serious for a single moment. Why do villains in TOS always have to be out of their minds and why are especially high-ranking Federation officers prone to go insane? Garth could have been a formidable opponent, also considering how Kirk used to admire his accomplishments, if only he had shown some deliberation and if there had been something remotely resembling a plan what to do after taking over the Enterprise. The whole idea of Garth planning to conquer the galaxy is stupid and doesn't become better with the justification that he is mad anyway. At no point of the episode one can take any of his actions seriously. He is definitely one of the weakest villains that our heroes have ever encountered. Moreover, how could the obviously human Garth "learn" shapeshifting, and wouldn't many other people just try it as well?
Remarkable character: Marta, a green Orion woman, and the first real one discounting Vina in "The Cage"
Rating: 3

The Mark of Gideon Stardate 5423.4: Kirk finds himself on an empty starship Enterprise instead of the planet Gideon to which he was supposed to beam down. The only other person on board is Odona. The planet being hopelessly overpopulated, the young woman is used by the leaders of Gideon to be infected with a virus in Kirk's body, hoping that the imported disease will reduce the population. Kirk allows the virus to spread among the population, while he insists on Odona herself being cured.

After a promising beginning when Kirk is beamed aboard an empty Enterprise the expectations are quickly disappointed when the real purpose of the Enterprise reconstruction becomes clear. I have no idea why the colossal effort to build a perfect imitation of the ship was necessary (Kirk didn't notice any difference), for the Gideons could have transferred Kirk to any other place where he was alone with Odona. Moreover, how could they get all the plans to build the ship, for it should be classified information and the Gideons are not certainly omnipotent? And why didn't they just abduct Kirk the old-fashioned way and take a blood sample without needing Odona's sacrifice? Furthermore, the question should be allowed whether the Gideons have ever heard of birth control instead of intentionally killing their people by introducing diseases. Finally, I wonder how overpopulated the planet actually is. The episode gives the impression there is so few room for the inhabitants that they are crowded together even directly around the Enterprise imitation. Even if diseases and crime did not develop automatically in such a society, all resources would be gone long before such a state would be reached, also in a very advanced civilization.
Rating: 4

The Lights of Zetar Stardate 5725.3: A strange energy cloud strikes the databank of Memory Alpha. Lt. Mira Romaine predicts the return of the cloud before the Enterprise's sensors are able to locate it. She is obviously possessed by the cloud which turns out to consist of the consciousnesses of the survivors of the planet Zetar. Using a hyperbaric chamber, the beings can eventually be expelled from Mira's body.

"The Lights of Zetar" proves once again that the authors have developed too much routine in writing "alien cloud/energy entity" screenplays. Apart from the fact there are already many episodes akin to this one, it would have been more desirable if the strange beings had not been killed - after all they could be supposed to be sentient. TNG will show much sensitivity in similar situations, often even too much. Perhaps the only remarkable fact to remember about the episode is that Scotty feels attracted to Mira Romaine, and after "Wolf in the Fold" he plays an important part in the series for the second time. By the way, in contrast to what Spock says, no two measurements (Mira Romaine's brain patterns and the cloud spectrum) can ever look absolutely identical, provided the quantization is as fine as we can expect it from the sensors of the Enterprise.
Remarkable scenery: the hyperbaric chamber
Rating: 3

The Cloud-Minders Stardate 5818.4: The planet Ardana is home of the wealthy and friendly city of Stratos floating above the clouds and of the underdeveloped and aggressive miners known as Troglytes. Their aggression, however, is not intrinsic but a result of the poisonous gas in the mines. Determined to help the underprivileged Troglytes, Kirk has the leader of Stratos beamed into the mines where he experiences the effect of the gas himself.

Class conflict in space. Karl Marx would have been proud of the makers of Star Trek. It would have been a tad more credible if the people from Stratos hadn't been so obtrusively bourgeois and the miners a bit less revolutionary, but as an allusion to Earth's own history and present it definitely worked out well. The poisonous gas, however, is rather a cheap excuse than an explanation for the too sharp contrast in the planet's society. Well, and this plot twist suggests that without the gas the Troglytes possibly wouldn't have been fighting for their rights in the first place. Ardana probably being a Federation member, I wonder how such an intolerant society could be accepted anyway.
Remarkable quote: "To restrict a segment of the population to such hardship is unthinkable in an evolved culture." (Spock)
Remarkable scene: Early satellite photos of Earth are used to for the view of the planet from Stratos. Impressive.
Rating: 4

The Way to Eden Stardate 5832.3: A group of "hippies" led by Dr. Sevrin are rescued from a stolen ship whose engines have been overloaded. The group hopes to find a planet they call "Eden". Among them is Chekov's former love interest Irina, and Chekov inadvertently helps them to hijack the ship when he shows her the controls. When they arrive at the alleged paradise, the "hippies" find a world where everything is beautiful but poisonous.

To some extent the hippies managed to cheer up this meager episode with their cool sayings and singing, but this only worked in the sense of a crossover of Star Trek and Earth's 1960s. The episode, however, failed to establish a credible hippie-like movement of the 2260s because they exactly represented the (con-) temporary fashion of the 1960s without any futuristic aspect. Moreover, the fact that they could take over the ship so easily without any supernatural abilities is ridiculous.
Remarkable starship: The S.S. Aurora is probably the most awkward ship ever built, basically only a Tholian ship with warp nacelles.
Rating: 1

Requiem for Methuselah Stardate 5843.7: Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to Holberg 917-G to find the raw material for an urgently needed remedy. Flint, the planet's only resident, is an immortal human who was Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Brahms a long time ago. Flint's lovely female android Rayna feels attracted to Kirk. However, when it comes to a struggle between Kirk and Flint, she dies because of her inner conflict.

A lonely scientist, his daughter and a robot are well-known characters from the groundbreaking early sci-fi movie "Forbidden Planet" from which Star Trek may have borrowed a couple of aspects. Anyway, it seems this episode is rather the improved version of "What are Little Girls Made of?" where androids were essentially just sinister creations craving power. In contrast to this initial attempt, "Requiem to Methuselah" is the first serious android story in Star Trek, one that cares about the consequences of making machines that are programmed to act and react like humans and finally feel like them. Whilst these questions are at least raised, unfortunately more stress is put on Flint's immortality and the mission to get the medicine, any of which is far less interesting and would not have been necessary for the story at all. Why couldn't the Enterprise simply find Flint by chance? Flint's evil robot is just one more unnecessary ingredient, particularly as it looks and acts much like Nomad in "The Changeling". And the trick with the Enterprise voodoo miniature is exactly the same as in "Catspaw".
Remarkable quote: "The joys of love made her human and the agonies of love destroyed her." (Spock)
Remarkable scene: Spock removes Kirk's memory of Rayna.
Remarkable prop: Flint's robot is a combination of the Romulan cloaking device and Nomad.
Crew losses: 3
Rating: 5

The Savage Curtain Stardate 5906.4: An Excalbian stone creature declares that Kirk and Spock, together with the "good" Abraham Lincoln and Vulcan philosopher Surak, have to fight against the "evil", namely Genghis Khan, the arms dealer Col. Green, the mass murderer Zora and the Klingon villain Kahless. The fight serves the sole purpose to explain the difference between good and evil the Excalbians do not know, but they ultimately learn it when they see that fighting is never good.

*Sigh*. "The Savage Curtain" is still one more episode with totally pointless references to Earth's history in the form of President Lincoln. It is symptomatic of Star Trek that of all cultures on Earth an American hero is picked to represent the good side of humans - although TOS had more cultural diversity on the whole than some of the later series. Even worse, Kirk insists that the the phony historical figure is welcomed with all due respect, as if a long deceased American President were the same as the Federation President. Apart from these annoying nuances, the episode consists of nothing but meaningless skirmishes which are continued until even the dumbest of the evil side has learned that there is nothing worth fighting for. The most important question is what the Excalbians intended to accomplish with their experiment in the first place. Did they actually expect the bad would slaughter the good without hesitating or maybe even the other way round? A test must define possible results in advance, otherwise it's useless, and this was obviously the case here. An extra point only for Surak's appearance.
Remarkable characters: Surak as the founder of Vulcan philosophy represents the good part. Kahless, on the other hand, is presented as a villain here. He will return in TNG: "Rightful Heir" as the honorable founder of the Klingon Empire which makes him about as "good" as Surak.
Remarkable quote: "The face of war has never changed." (Surak)
Rating: 2

All Our Yesterdays Stardate 5943.7: Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet Mr. Atoz who manages a library of histories. The library is linked to a time machine, the Atavachron, transferring all the population of the planet, whose destruction is imminent, to the past. Not knowing this, Kirk enters the time machine and finds himself on the medieval planet, while Spock and McCoy arrive in a glacial epoch where Spock falls in love with a woman called Zarabeth living there all alone. Unfortunately Zarabeth cannot go back with Spock because she has been physiologically altered.

The end of TOS came along with one more gem among the episodes. The obvious time travel problems of "All Our Yesterdays" are discussed here. Another deficiency of the story is that Spock is de-evolving in the planet's past, which is not only illogical (after all it is explicitly stated that he, unlike Zarabeth, has not been altered to survive in the ice age), but also unnecessary for the plot. We know that Spock can have a romantic relationship without becoming savage. Nevertheless the episode is remarkable in that he really falls in love this time (unlike in the episode "This Side of Paradise"). When Spock is finally and inevitably separated from Zarabeth, this is probably the most tragical moment in TOS, even more so than Edith Keeler's death.
Remarkable names: Mr. A-to-Z and Atavachron: Roman-Greek for "forefather's time", two successful puns
Remarkable props: The small silver disks for data storage - who claims that Star Trek was not visionary?
Rating: 6

Turnabout Intruder Stardate 5928.5: Dr. Janice Lester envies Kirk because he gained a captain's position whereas she was refused. With the help of an ancient alien machine she transfers her consciousness into Kirk's body and vice versa. While Kirk is unconscious in Lester's body, she is in command of the ship. Spock, however, becomes suspicious about his/her unusually arrogant, even brutal conduct, and through a mind meld he finds out the truth.

The "wrong Kirk" plot is anything but new, but this episode presents the interesting variant of body-switching. Unfortunately the story is at most fair and never becomes really convincing. In particular Kirk/Lester acts overly brutal instead of trying to fit in his/her new role, which is a common weakness of all TOS villains and, moreover, points to a mental disease - once again. Moreover, the episode bears latent sexism. It seems to create the impression that women should better stay at home, unless they want to be consumed by ambition like Janice Lester. 
Rating: 4

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