I don't get how Chekov gets brought back to life at the end of this episode. Kirk speculates that he survived because the girl was the only thing real to him. If this is true, if Chekov really didn't believe in the Earp's bullets, then why didn't they pass harmlessly through him like they did the other Enterprise men?

I agree. Their comments on why Chekov returned to life were a little glib.

The Federation seems a little inconsistant when it comes to new races. Sometimes they leave them alone when asked, other times they force their way in.

On the planet, they discover that the tricorder and the communicators aren't working. Spock then comments that "all" their equipment is nonfunctional. Yet, when the Melkot appears and threatens them, Kirk whips out his phaser. Isn't it reasonable to suppose that it, too, would not work?

I sometimes wonder about Scotty. His "usual" is a half gallon of Scotch? Half a GALLON? Wouldn't you die of alcohol poisoning?

I noticed that lately the Sci Fi channel has been running quick bios of the main characters. Lt. Uhura is the only one left without a first name. This is probably because no one could ever agree on it. I believe that D.C. Fontana stated that her first name was to be Penda. (I can't remember what that means in Swahili.) However, virtually everywhere else, her name is Nyota, which means "Star". In an absolutely wonderful novel called UHURA'S SONG, she is referred to by the natives of Sivao as "StarFreedom." Lovely name.

I found it astonishing that Kirk didn't get the girl. Offhand, I can only think of three episodes where he didn't. This one, "For the World is Hollow....", and "The Lights of Zetar."

Phil mentioned in his book that he thought McCoy referred to some booze as "Talos Lightning", which would have been a sly dig at the Talosians of "The Cage." Sorry, but I think it's "TAOS Lightning", as in Taos, New Mexico.

The James Blish version of this episode was more sensible. In his story, when McCoy went to the dentist office, Doc Holliday was struggling to pull the tooth of a very uncooperative patient, for whom a slug of whiskey hadn't been enough of an anesthetic. McCoy, using a Vulcan acupressure technique Spock had taught him (And this was written long before acupressure became well known!) quickly pulled the tooth. (He also commented that Holliday looked like he had tuberculosis, which McCoy had read about but never seen.) Holliday, in exchange for the favor, allowed McCoy to have the drugs he requested, although he warned McCoy that the favor would not extend to five o'clock. In the televised version, Holliday allowed McCoy to have the drugs and even his medical bag for no reason whatsoever.

Where did they put Chekov after he was shot? Did they just leave him in the street?

After the bullets had chewed up the fence, Kirk began walking forward. At this point, the bullet noises began to sound very strange.

This episode was a lovely example of working around a limited budget, giving the whole thing a surreal, stripped-down quality. It wouldn't have been quite the same with more background.

Kirk didn't get the girl in "That Whitch Survives" either. This probably would be fatal, though.

Kirk did not get the girl in "Who Mourns for Adonais?"

He also didn't get the girl in "This Side of Paradise"

Oh, yes, that's right. Thanks, guys!

The cloth Sylvia purchased was blue, not white. While I can understand that she might want to go to the dance in a blue dress, why would she want to get married to Chekov/Billy (at the dance) wearing that same blue dress? I realize brides traditionally wear something blue, but I don't think the tradition holds that the entire dress be blue. Shouldn't she want to wear a white dress to her wedding? Is Sylvia (heaven forbid) not a virgin?

Also, a dance, particularly in 1880's Tombstone, hardly seems the proper place for a man and a woman to get married.

In addition, Sylvia and Chekov/Billy would have to arrange to have a minister or justice of the peace in attendance at the dance in order for the wedding to take place there.

I just rewatched Shore Leave, and I can't blame McCoy for not being able to convince himself in this situation that their attackers were unreal, and therefore couldn't hurt him. Look where that attitude got him with the knight!

Hans--You need to watch your classic Westerns. Grace Kelly wore an ordinary dress when she married Gary Cooper in "High Noon." Since it was usually expensive to ship material for clothing out West, it was pretty common for the bride to have a nice dress made that could then be used for everyday wear (or to wear on Sundays for church).

Besides, since the events of this episode were from the minds of the crewmen, they would see what they thought they should see. Kirk probably watched "High Noon" and "My Darling Clementine", just like I did.

I'll admit I haven't seen "High Noon" or "My Darling Clementine."

It is my understanding that the lady portrayed by Grace Kelly in "Noon" was a Quaker and that Quakers at the time shunned fancy or extravagent dress.

Good point. However, my point about thre reason for an ordinary dress for an old West wedding still stand.

You really owe it to yourself to see those two films, especially "My Darling Clementine." Henry Fonda was outstanding as Wyatt Earp, and the scenery unbelievably beautiful. And since it's also about the shootout at the OK Corral, you'll see a different viewpoint about the Earps and the Clantons.

A few years ago, I watched on videotape the Burt Lancaster/Kirk Douglas movie regarding the Gunfight at the OK Corral. I believe DeForest Kelly was in that film, too.

He was.

It would be interesting if Bashir and O'Brien recreated the Gunfight at the OK Corral in one of Quark's holosuites.

The landing party figure out that the whole scenario is not really history because of Billy Claiborne's (Chekov's) death when he was supposed to survive. How come Kirk doesn't remember that there was another survivor of the shootout . . . namely, his own character, Ike Clanton! (Ike went on to live for six more years before being killed in another gun battle). If Kirk can remember the fate of Billy Claiborne, a figure who barely rates a footnote in the sage of the OK corral, how come he doesn't remember that he himself is also supposed to survive?

This also begs the question as to why, if the Melkot's goal is to kill the landing party, they would assign the roles of people who were not killed.

The real fight at the OK Corral didn't even take place at the corral, as is shown here, but at a town street a block or so away.

To Todd Pence above, I haven't revisited the episode in a while but I believe the Melkots only got an approximate account of Earth's history tho, I don't remember if they probed their database or scanned their minds like the Excalbians did on The Savage Curtain. The dumb Melkots took the metaphor The Gunfight at the OK Corral quite literally.
Actually it was Spock who recalled that Billy Clayborne survived. But you're right. Kirk should've known both those facts for a man who is learned in history.

W. Koenig mentioned in his bio about Chekov's "death" in this episode. He thought the explanation of his reincarnation was also stretchy. The director would admit that bothered him as well. However, the alternative would've been to leave Chekov dead, so Koenig didn't pursue the matter further.

To D.K. Henderson 11/28/98, RE: what they did with Chekov's body after he was shot... Must've been left in the street... McCoy's next line was "Let it go (or "alone"?), Jim. He's dead!"

Anyone notice that the first episode filmed for both the second and third seasons was the Halloween episode?

Did anyone notice that the "Sheriff" sign is written in the Classic Trek title font, sans italicization? That's almost as good as the jazz version of the Classic Trek theme song played when Kirk meets Lenore in "The Conscience of the King"!

At the beginning, Kirk refers to Spock as 'Science Officer'; why so cold and unusual a moniker? Why doesn't he call him Spock? Did they have an arguement earlier, leaving Kirk pissed off with Spock? Did the Vulcan beat him at 3-dimensional chess too many times?
Spock says that 'if the Melkotians ever ventured into space, they withdrew immediately.'. If?! Who do you think stuck that warning bouy near the planet? The Preservers?
Why do the Earps and Doc Holiday all act like zombies? Sylvia, the bartender, the barber, and the sherif all act normal, showing emotion.
McCoy tells kirk to stop feeling bad about Chekov's death, telling him to 'let it go'. Then he turns around and berates Spock for not showing his own grief! Talk about a double standard!

Once again there are only two chairs at the consoles on the engineering side of the bridge.

After a while the red alert klaxons stop but the lights still flash.

Why does Kirk address Spock as "science officer"? This must be a first.

The telepath calls his race the Melkots, Kirk then calls them the Melkotians. Spock, Vulcan that he is, keeps on calling them the Melkots.

Why is the Enterprise heading towards the planet in the final shot?

The Enterprise is heading towards the planet in the final shot because they were never really there for the whole episode. It was all a telepathic illusion.

In my opinion, the klaxon is only heard for the first few minutes when a red alert is initiated....then it goes silent...the lights still flash but there're still on red alert.
The klaxon is unnecessary at this point because the alarm has already sounded.

Kirk's comment when they see the shooting right after they arrive was something like "We know one thing. Death is real." That doesn't make any sense. If the man is illusion, then his death is an illusion as well. Besides, to the landing party, death is obviously always a real danger, so what's his point?

This was not a Halloween episode but a leftover second season script. Gene Coon used his "Lee Cronin" nom de plume as he was under contract elsewhere. BTW, as far as cars go, Mr. Coon was 30 years ahead of his time. According to one book (I can't remember if it was "Inside Star Trek" or "Star Trek Memories") Mr. Coon drove a big SUV (a Toyota Land Cruiser) during his reign as Trek producer.

The real Billy Claiborne wasn't even a member of the Clanton gang. He was just a Clanton sympathizer who was a spectator, not a participant, in the duel.

I always interpreted the portion set in Tombstone as a dream. They say that if you die in your dreams, you die for real.
I believe the actor (Ed Mc Ready) who played the barkeep also played the doctor from the starship Exeter in "Omega Glory."

Padawan noted: "The telepath calls his race the Melkots, Kirk then calls them the Melkotians. Spock, Vulcan that he is, keeps on calling them the Melkots."

The ST Encyclopedia informs us that both names are correct for the alien race in this episode.

Actually its not true that if you die in your sleep you die for real. I have died many times in the dreamworld and each time reawakened. Believe me that is not a pleasant way to wake up.

RUMINATION: THIS episode was the first PRODUCED episode for the 3rd season...I'll never understand why they didn't show this episode first.
Instead, they decided to show "Spock's Brain" first.
Dumb move!

They wanted to hold this over to air the same weekend as the anniversary of the O.K. Corral gunfight.

(But why they didn't show ANY other of the episodes that were ready by the premire date is still a good question - maybe NBC really was trying to kill the show).

And people think Trekkers are obssessive!
Trivia Question: Which actor in this episode fought the gunfight at the OK Corral before, and which productions? (Answer at the end of this entry.)
I wonder if he could do Kirk, only without the jerky dialogue?
Something about that Melkotian buoy’s voice sounds vaguely familiar. Dammit, it’s Scotty at it again! When is he going to stop throwing his voice around during serious bridge operations? I know he’s lonely down there in engineering, but c’mon!
Apparently, the OK Corral was on the planet Krypton
Why is the sky in the recreated Western reality red?
Hi, my name is Montgomery, and I’m an alchoholic
Why does Kirk allow Scotty to drink in this episode? I can understand how, at the end, Scotty has to test the tranquilizer, but what about before that?
It’s in Shatner’s contract: Only he gets his shirt ripped on away missions
I know this series was made in the late 60s, and they couldn’t show blood and gore, when Chekov was shot, but couldn’t they at least show a hole in his shirt?
Grind me a couple of Stay Awake pills inta me whiskey, won’tcha, laddie?
If Chekov "died" because he believed the false reality was real, why didn’t Scotty pass out from the gas? Didn’t he believe the tranquilizer was real? Was he skeptical? If Chekov died because he believed the bullets were real, and the other four were able to survive the shoot-out only because Spock mindmelded with them to expunge all doubt from them, them, then shouldn’t Scotty have immediately passed out from the gas? They could’ve explained this in one of two ways: 1. They could’ve had Scotty say something like, "Doctor, I find it a wee bit hard ta believe ya could put me out wit some primitive chemicals.", implying that he doubted the effectiveness of the tranquilizer, or 2. indicate that the alcohol in the drinks he took right beforehand dulled his senses (which is what Spock said they needed to trust in order for the reality to have an effect on them), and elevated his confidence enough for him to not think it would work (a typical effect of alcohol). It was awfully convenient that they had Scotty take a shot beforehand. They could even use both, but they never bothered.
Don’t know much about history
If the environment the Melkotians created were taken from Kirk’s mind, why are the Earps portrayed as evil troublemaking murderers? The Earps are remembered by history as the heroes. The sheriff indicates to Kirk after Chekov’s death that everyone in town wants the Clantons to get revenge on the Earps. Shouldn’t Kirk and crew have been cast as the Earps, and the Clantons as the enemies? Of course, the real reason is that the Clantons lost the gunfight, and the Melkotians wanted to place Kirk and the crew in the position of the condemned, but why then, is the sheriff sympathetic to the Clantons?
-Trivia Answer: DeForest Kelly, who appeared as one of the Earp brothers in the 1957 Paramount film Gunfight at the OK Corral, and as Clanton in the 1958 OK Corral episode of the TV series You Are There.

>If the environment the Melkotians created were >taken from Kirk’s mind, why are the Earps >portrayed as evil troublemaking murderers? The >Earps are remembered by history as the heroes. >The sheriff indicates to Kirk after Chekov’s >death that everyone in town wants the Clantons >to get revenge on the Earps. Shouldn’t Kirk and >crew have been cast as the Earps, and the >Clantons as the enemies? Of course, the real >reason is that the Clantons lost the gunfight, >and the Melkotians wanted to place Kirk and the >crew in the position of the condemned, but why >then, is the sheriff sympathetic to the >Clantons?

There were a lot of people in Tombstone who considered the Earps villians, and sheriff Johnny Behan intensely disliked the Earps and was a strong Clanton sympathizer. This aspect of the episode is more or less historically accurate.

The Melkot warning buoy is probably one of the best SFX I've ever seen.

GREAT LINE: "What can I do, Kiptin? You know we're always supposed to maintain good relations with the natives!" Chekov to Kirk while Chekov gets smooched by Silvia.

force field SFX were done very well.

The clock suspended in mid-air is beyond cool.
Ditto for the "Teeth Pulled" sign at the dentist's office.

How come Kirk, Spock, & McCoy didn't give a "surprised" look when they reappeared on the Bridge? They made it look like an everyday occurance.

Sulu is missing again!

A new season with a new look....

First of all, the opening theme is slight changed...the siren-like voice sounds kinda synthysized.

All of the credits are aqua colored instead of yellow.
(Star Trek sings the blues?)

The "trailers" for the 3rd season feature a zooming ship instead of the ship making a slow port turn.

A Starfield now is at the end of the closing stills....Bye, bye Balok.

SFX so bad it's good......
The Melkot's "transporter"...zoom in close, then zoom back out & you're in a new place.

RUMINATION: This episode tells us that Kirk's ancestors pioneered the old west.

What happened to Scotty when the landing party returned to the ship?..He was with them in the corral....Why didn't he appear on the Bridge too?

Why is Kirk the only one to get into a fight with the Earps in the corral? I guess the others were smitten with "John Harriman Syndrome" (Gawking & dawdling)

BEST SCENE: Kirk's flying kick at the O.K. Corral...not even Hong Kong Phooey can top Kirk's kick!

Best Scene Part 2: actually, that whole fight scene, or should I say, obliteration scene is one of my favorites. Kirk just pounds the beejeezez outta Earp, letting his frustration get the better of him (but not so much that he uses his gun to blow Earp's face off). The look of horror on Earp's face is priceless, and just about the only emotion he displays in the entire episode.

John-See Solow and Justman's "Inside Star Trek" for more about the siren-like voice. It probably was synthesized.

Did anyone notice that as the Earps walk (stiffly) to the O.K. Corral, they shift positions in their lineup. I didn't know if this was a mistake (careless mismatching of shots) or done deliberately to enhance the surrealistic tone of the episode. I believe the latter, as Vincent McEveety had directed Trek in the past. Also, the soft focus lenses used to shoot the episode enhanced the dreamlike qualities.

One more new thing for the third season: The base on the captain's chair now has carpet on it, the same as on the floor of the bridge. Perhaps Shatner was putting too many scuff marks on it.

The footage of the explosion of the Melkot buoy is a shortened version of Nomad's explosion (The Changeling) {Say, the sfx people are getting real good now!}

Not sure if this is in the official guide, so I may be repeating nits.

IRL, Virgil Earp was the Marshal, Wyatt and Morgan were Deputy Marshals.

IRL, John Behan was closer to the Earps and Holliday in age (Doc Holliday & Morgan, 30, Wyatt, 33, Virgil, 38), not a much older man as the episode portrayed.

This episode's Doc Holliday is far too robust in appearance, not emaciated from the effects of tuberculosis as the real Holliday was.

I get the impression in the last scene that the crew have been back on the bridge for a moment or two, not just popped back in a second ago.

Yes, the real gunfight took place a couple hundred feet or so from the OK Corral, in an alley between the Harwood House and Fly's Photographic Gallery and Fly's Boardinghouse.

In the real gunfight, just as the first round was fired (by one of the McLowerys, IIRC), Ike Clanton ran directly at Wyatt Earp, and grabbed at his leg as he (Clanton) stumbled. Wyatt shouted at him to fight or get out of the way. Some historians have theorized that Clanton may have inadvertantly saved his enemy's life by blocking him from the rest of the gang's fire, as Wyatt, known as the best shot, and the most hated of the three Earps, would probably have been the first Earp the others would have chosen to fire at.

Sir Rhosis

Leslie alert!

Mr. Leslie is at the engineering station again.

How come when the Earps vanish they disappear with a wavy-like effect but our heroes get the "zoom in/zoom out" effect?

If anyone is interested, here's how the Gunfight at OK Corral went....

After the Cowboys had threatened to kill Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil, and Doc if they didn't get out of Tombstone, the whole town watched to see the outcome. They knew that the Earps and Doc would not run. On October 26, 1881, Virgil received word that the Cowboys were gathering at the O.K. Corral, and that they were armed, which was against city law. Doc met the Earps on Fourth Street on their way to the O.K. Corral and demanded that he be allowed to join them in their little walk. Five men, potential killers, lay in wait. When Wyatt Earp and Billy Clanton opened the battle, Doc shot Billy in the chest, then cut Tom McLaury down with a double charge of buckshot. The life was blasted from McLaury before he struck the ground. Although, Wyatt allowed Ike Clanton to run from the fight scene, Holliday was not so generous. He threw two shots at Ike as he fled, missing him narrowly. A bullet from Frank McLaury cut into Doc's pistol holster and burned a painful crease across his hip. Doc's return shot smashed into McLaury's brain.

Less than thirty seconds after the opening shot, three men lay dead and three were wounded. Doc had shot each of the dead cowboys at least once. Virgil had been shot in the leg and Morgan through both shoulders. Only Wyatt Earp has survived the fight untouched.

(I found this on the internet under "Doc Holliday")

Dennis Quaid lost 40 pounds to give his Doc Holliday an appropriately sickly look in the 1994 flick "Wyatt Earp." Kevin Costner played Earp.

Quaid was the best thing about that flick. Waaaay too long and drawn out, I about fell asleep before the gunfight started.

GREAT SFX: The Melkot alien. Very well done. I was very impressed when I saw this.

Waaay up there at the top of this board D.K.Henderson wondered about Scotty's 'usual'; a half a gallon of scotch. I never thought about it from D.K.'s perspective, which was that Scotty was going to drink a half gallon by himself. I've always considered that he was ordering drinks for everyone (except Spock). A half gallon equals 2 quarts, which equals 4 pints, which equals 8 cups. Those 8 cups would be split evenly between Kirk, McCoy, Scott, and Chekov, but it does create a funny image of Scotty chugging back EIGHT CUPS of pure scotch.

Even two cups seems excessive to me. Aren't hard liquors usually sold by the ounce? A shot or a jigger?

And does this mean that Scotty "usually" treats?

Anyone else notice that the actor playing Wyatt Earp (Ron Soble) was wearing a toupee?
Incidentally, Mr. Soble passed away 5/2/02

Both the Melkotian buoy and the Melkot himself are given voice credit for two different people (James Doohan and Abraham Sofear) but it sounds like the exact same person's voice both times. It sounds just like Sofear, who also played the Thasian and his voice on "Charlie X".

The Melkots apparently sent the Enterprise back in time a little bit after the men are returned to the ship, or at least re-located them in space. They had already passed the buoy and approached the planet when they beamed down to it before. When they return, they are still in front of the buoy, and have to approach the planet again.

Why did the Melkots destroy their buoy at the end?

Kirk states that it would be difficult to find the exact spot the landing party beamed down from and that it could be anywhere within a "thousand mile radius". Huh? Have the Enterprise men really been wandering for a thousand miles since they beamed down?

Scotty agrees to be a test subject for McCoy's gas grenade on one condition: that he's "wide awake" for the gunfight at five o'clock. McCoy says he guarantees it. At the time this exchange occurs, it is about ten minutes before five. If McCoy really believes the gas is going to be effective, how can he possibly make such a guarantee?

The Melkotians seem to have illusion-casting powers equivalent to the Talosians. However, Talos IV is a forbidden area that carries the death penalty (!), yet Kirk is ordered to contact the Melkotions at any cost.

I think the Melkotians may have been slightly less gifted than the Talosians in creating hallucinations. Let's remember that Spock, once he realized that the Earps and the town of Tombstone wasn't real, was able to see through the Melkotians' illusions. He was not, on the other hand, able (as far as we know) to pierce the Talosians' illusions. Of course, this is ignoring the fact that "The Cage" predates the "discovery" ("invention"?) of Vulcan telepathy.

Live long and prosper.

Maybe Starfleet didn't know the Melkotians had those abilities.

Also, along with what Benn said, the Melkotians' skills were inferior to the Talosians: they didn't create diverse environments and the one they did create was not realistic (only fronts on the buildings, red sky).

Chekov also saw through the illusions (supo).

That should be (supposedly).

At 5:26, this episode may have the longest teaser of any TOS episode.
In said teaser, a redshirt leaves the turbo-lift, and walks by the Engineering station three times in the same pass. Was the editor (Fabien Tordjmann, one of Trek's regular editors) having an off day?

The opening theme is slight changed...the siren-like voice sounds kinda synthesized.

To save money, Loulie Jean Norman, who voiced the theme in the second season, (and who recently passed away) was fired. This was a way to save bucks not only on not paying her for her performance of the theme, but also so as not to pay her residuals (she had a performer's contract, just like an actor.)

Bonnie Beecher has only a handful of TV guest appearances, and no movie roles, to her credit. This episode was her next to last job, as she apparently retired from acting (or at least TV acting) in 1968.

Kirk refers to Morgan Earp as "the man who kills on sight" as if it was a well known sobrequit to his name. However, as far as I can discover, Earp was never referred to in such a manner and seems to have been known as an even-tempered, peacekeeping sort who used violence only as a last resort.

The Earps all talk about the duel as if it was a pre-arranged event set up well in advance for a specific time (five o'clock). Wheras the real duel was a fairly spontaneous affair.

Also the real duel took place around the hour of THREE o' clock, not five.

I still can't believe the production crew coouldn't find an already-extant Western set on a TV studio lot in the 1960's.

I believe the actor (Ed McCready) who played the barkeep also played the doctor from the starship Exeter in "Omega Glory."

Actually, he played the barber here. Unfortunately, Mr. McCready passed away in 2002.

I thought the sets were done like that intentionally to give an air of surrealism. Doesn't Spock make a comment on the Melkot's "incomplete knowledge" of the setting?

>At 5:26, this episode may have the longest teaser of any TOS >episode.

Actually, the teaser for "I Mudd" is about ten seconds longer . . . "I Mudd's teaser is even longer than its first act!

There is one redshirt who walks by the bridge's engineering station three times in the same pass. Also, we hear the turbo-lift doors close as he walks past, but we never see them (but we do hear them) open.

Just why did the Melkotians blow up their own space buoy at the conclusion of this episode? Bonnie Beecher was a lead in one of the very last episodes(if not the last) of the original "Twilight Zone" called Come Wander With Me & also featuring Gary Crosby.

This is (so far at least) one of my favorites of the 3rd season DVD I recently purchased.

The stock shot of the Enterprise normally used for orbit shots was well-utilized with the added Melkotian buoy as the ship flew by it.

Am I correct in assuming that the horses glimpsed in Tombstone are the only horses ever seen in the original series?

Lots of good throwaway dialogue here. I enjoyed the ruminations over the Taos Lightning. Kirk's remark about how it should be labeled 'for external use only' was very natural and conversational and was delivered just right. All in all, Shatner seemed to be on his game in this episode, in my opinion.

I enjoyed Kirk's argument with Sheriff Johnny Behan. Ambushing the Earps and killing them was absolutely not an option for the Captain. The stuff heroes are made of.

Very well-cast Earps, by the way. Did those guys look the part, or what?

While Spock was talking about the failed tranquilizer, the can he held still had a residual wisp of smoke leaking out. That was a nice touch, as one would have expected the prop to be inactive at that point.

Enjoyable music. Evocative of western-type themes without going overboard into the melodramatic.

Quite a change of pace for these characters: McCoy getting drugs from the dentist, Scotty acquiring cotton wadding from the apothecary, Chekov getting the girl.

I like how the wind kicked up as five o'clock approached.

The preview for this episode actually improved on a scene: When Kirk points and says "We're not going to move from this spot!", the scene suddenly changed to the crewmembers standing in the O.K. Corral, without the use of the zoom effect the episode uses.

I like the wink-out effect and the chime sound when the Melkotion disappears from the screen near the end.

Am I correct in assuming that the horses glimpsed in Tombstone are the only horses ever seen in the original series? - BobL

Nope. In "The Menagerie", we saw Captain Pike's horse, Tango. In "Shore Leave", the Black Knight rode a horse. That's two other examples that come immediately to mind. And those may just be the only times in the series that horses appeared, though.

Live long and prosper.

That's funny, too, since earlier in the day, I had been thinking how Kirk's "Uncle in Iowa" bit from Generations would have seemed far more appropriate to Chris Pike's past. Thank you for your alertness, Benn!

Also regarding Spectre of the Gun, it seemed a tad odd that Ckekov knew what a mortar and pestle are. I know enough people here and now that don't.

When Chekov said to the girl, "Vith his old-fashioned veapons, I vill simply step out of the vay.", I kind of chuckled, considering how comparatively slow that phaser beams are always portrayed!


Neat, too, is the way that none of the Earp actors blinked once during the entire show.

Kirk's uncle was from Idaho, not Iowa.

I stand corrected.

Hans T.:The cloth Sylvia purchased was blue, not white....Shouldn't she want to wear a white dress to her wedding?

Mike K.:...It was pretty common for the bride to have a nice dress made that could then be used for everyday wear (or to wear on Sundays for church).

I think Mike is correct. When I was a kid, my mother read us the series of books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura was married in the Dakota Territory in 1885 and I remember that her wedding dress was made out of black fabric. Laura's mother didn't want to use black, as that was the customary color of mourning attire, but there was no other material available. The interesting thing is, the two of them never discussed using white fabric; Laura's mother wanted to make her a nice dress out and any suitable, non-black fabric would have been fine. So I don't think the white dress was an established tradition out there. They were much too practical and thrifty to waste money on a dress that would be worn once, and white fabric wasn't suitable to the dirty, dusty plains towns.

Luigi Novi: If Chekov "died" because he believed the false reality was real, why didn’t Scotty pass out from the gas? Didn’t he believe the tranquilizer was real? Was he skeptical?

Luigi, I totally agree with you. I think this is a major plot hole. However, I wonder if there isn't an explanation. When Kirk & Co. try to leave Tombstone, they hit a forcefield which prevents them from walking past the city limits. This reminded me of playing a video game called "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault," a WWII first-person-shooter which poses similar geographic limits--you can't exit the map area. You reach a point and you just stop walking, like there's an invisible wall there or something. The interesting thing about this game is that it could also explain Chekov dying from a bullet but the anesthetic not working.

For example, if I pull out my M1911 pistol and shoot a Nazi in the back of his head, he dies. BUT--if I shoot the same gun at, say, the friendly British soldier that I just sprung from prison, nothing happens. The game follows physical laws, but only to a point. Beyond that, there are no laws. I could position my character in a safe place and walk away from the computer and return 72 hours later; my character would not be tired or need to eat and it wouldn't have changed from day to night. The only physical laws the game obeys are the ones necessary to fulfill its purpose: to provide a venue for seemingly realistic game play.

The same could be true of the Melkot simulation. It is there to reenact the shoot-out at the OK Corral; more to the point, it is there to place Kirk & Co. in a hopeless historical setting and observe their reactions. Chekov (or anyone) dying from a gunshot is a necessary component of this simulation; other physical laws, such as the effects of chemicals on the human body, are not pertinent and are thus not portrayed. (A side point: should the whiskey have made them drunk or even tipsy? Wouldn't it fall in the same category as "chemicals that should cause a physical reaction but don't"?)

The reason why I still agree with you, Luigi, is because creating an explanation post hoc doesn't negate the original problem. In other words, just because we thought of this doesn't mean that the writers did. I think that this contradiction exists because they didn't think the consequences of "no physical laws" through.

Something about this episode REEEALLLLYYYY bothers me. After realizing that they're in the past (or at least a simulacrum of it), Spock says the landing party is doomed because "history cannot be changed." Since when? Aren't Starfleet types also worrying about timeline contamination every time they slingshot into the past? Granted, because this simulacrum is created by the Melkots, it may not be possible to change history HERE. But to say it as a generalized statement makes no sense, at least in the Trek universe.

Also, as a side point: why are there both a sheriff and a marshal in town? Does anyone know if this was common in the Old West (or even if it happened at all)?

Since this was the first episode made during the third season, they should have used it to lead off the season. Would have been a MUCH better choice than "Spocks Brain"! What were they thinking?!?

well, they were thinking with Spock's brain... what else...

Here's an anaylsis of Gene Coon's story the episode was based on, titled "The Last Gunfight."

And another. This time with a few behind the scenes pics.

The buoy was replaced with a glowing semitransparent version. There a new, but still very red version of Melkot. The Melkotian itself was unchanged on the planet, but more substantial looking on the screen at the end. The force field effect was unchanged.

There's a strange reverb effect on Spock's last line -- did anyone else get that, or was it just my station?

This is a more egregious version of the cliche of a villain coming up with an absurdly complex way of killing a hero. C'mon, the Melkotians couldn't come up with a faster way of killing them than a full day in Tombstone?

I was a little more than p.o.'ed this morning, as TV Land's run of this episode was replaced by two infomercials. Those half hour ads are completely unnecessary, as there's nothing that can be said in 30 minutes that can't be said in two. Plus, the wretched (if I haven't already implied how much I hate them) infomercials bumped a run of one of my favorite third season episodes.

Three stars like Orion's Belt can be seen behind the Enterprise at the beginning & then behind the Melkotian buoy on the main viewscreen.

At one point there is a reference to Melkon before they start calling them the Melkotians.
I suppose Melkon could be the name of their planet.

If there is no record of a meeting with the Melkotians, then how does Starfleet know they exist & what their name is?

In First Contact, Picard says that if the Malcorians tell them to leave, they will, and never return. That seems to be Starfleet policy.

However, in this episode, the Melkotians clearly tell the Enterprise to get lost, yet Kirk says they are under orders to establish contact at all costs? Luckly, the Melkotians turned out to be pretty decent people after all.

Maybe a few added lines about how the Romulans or Klingons were expressing interest in the Melkotians would have made more sense. Starfleet wanted the Feds to get there first.

Of course, Starfleet policy may've changed since this episode to what it became in Picard's time. And it may have been due to the actions of Kirk and his crew in this ep that the policy changed. I mean, there are several decades differences between Kirk and Picard's times and what holds true for Picard, might not have been true for Kirk and vice versa. Think about how many policy changes our own military has undergone in the last 75 years.

So once again maybe the Klingons had something to do with it. Maybe the Melkotians were located near Klingon space.

>Bonnie Beecher was a lead in one of the very last >episodes(if not the last) of the original >"Twilight Zone" called Come Wander With Me & also >featuring Gary Crosby.

And in both episodes, she was bethroed to a character named Billy who was killed.

Ooo! A real-life Twilight Zone moment! Doo-doo-doo-doo! Doo-doo-doo-doo!

Since the Melkotians looked into Kirk's mind and chose an old-west environment setting, something occurred to me as I watched a certain scene.
Kirk insists that he 'can't just kill' the Earps, to which the Sheriff shouts back,
"It's the only way! Kill 'em any way you can! There'll be no questions asked! I guarantee it!"
I used to think Kirk's look of shock was that even 'the law' was corrupt and bloodthirsty and powerless against the Earps. Now I'm thinking that the powerful telepathic Melkotians took those words from an executioner working for Kodos The Executioner on Tarsus IV 20 years ago as they were lining up people to kill. It would explain Kirk's shock that words that have haunted him have come back to be uttered by someone else.
Just a thought.

The prop guys couldn't have envisioned a time when viewers could get a crystal clear, zoom-in image of one of their creations, but here's one for you;
The Tombstone Epitaph 'newspaper' that Kirk and party read to discover where they are includes a single headline regarding the town hall party (which Sylvia mentions later on to Chekov). The thing is, though, every column and paragraph that I could read when I zoomed in was actually about economic news, and quite possibly, economic news from 1968! The articles have nothing to do with the dance or Tombstone!

If the Earps and Doc Holliday are supposed to be the 'spectres' of this story (as well as their bullets), they sure do act like zombies, instead of ghosts, with their unemotional, monotone delivery of lines.

Ed McCready, who played the Barbar in Doc Holliday's shop had previously been in several Star Trek episodes; he was the boy creature that attacked McCoy in 'Miri', an inmate in 'Dagger of the Mind', an SS Trooper in 'Pattern of Force', the doctor that dies on the USS Exeter bridge in 'The Omega Glory', and now here, before a long career into the '90's that saw him appear on Gunsmoke, Columbo, Simon & Simon, Barney Miller, Trapper John MD, Knightrider, The Young and the Restless, and many, many more.

It occurs to me that Scotty saves the day in this episode, not Spock.
At least, Spock follows through with evidence supplied by Scotty, so the real hero is the chief engineer.
Spock notes that the gas canister didn't work, but it must work, after Scotty tests it on himself, and it fails to knock him out. Why did this happen? Because Scotty didn't BELIEVE it would work!
Chekov 'died' because he believed that the bullets could kill or injure him, which would also kill Kirk and the others, since they believed in their power to kill. Scotty obviously had no faith in the gas grenade, so it didn't affect him, just as the Earp's bullets failed to harm the crew, after Spock implanted a belief in his shipmates that they were as harmless to them, as the jury-rigged gas grenade.
Too bad the writers didn't give credit where credit was due...or maybe they didn't even realize that they'd made Scotty the focal point of the way to save everyone.

Whatever happened to the Starfleet regulations mentioned in "A Taste of Armageddon" giving aliens cultures the right to shun contact with the Federation if they want too?

Spock says: "Physical reality is consistent with universal laws. Where the laws do not operate, this is no reality. All of this is unreal."

He seems to have forgotten this one week later in 'Day Of The Dove' (but mind-melding with about 70 people might be a bit difficult, I agree).

What does Day of the Dove have to do with this episode? There were no physical laws broken in that episode, and it wasn't an illusion.

We have Fred Freiberger to thank for the odd way Kirk was referring to Spock as 'Science Officer' instead of 'Spock'.
According to 'The 50-Year Mission' book, Freiberger thought he should introduce new viewers (those poor slobs still around at 10pm on a Friday who had never seen Star Trek) to who all of the characters were. He thought he should let the newbies know that Spock was the Science Officer, that McCoy was a Doctor, and 'phasers' were a type of gun.
I think it just sounded odd to anyone that had always watched.

In the third season blooper reel, which I saw at conventions in the 1970s, the Melkot is shown with a fake mustache and horn-rimmed glasses. I found out years later that this was a goof on Bob Justman.

Didn't think a third season blooper reel existed.

I last saw the third season bloopers in February 1976, at the final NYC con put on by Joan Winston's "Committee". In addition to the goofy looking Melkot, I remember DeForest Kelley blowing his "While it lasts" line (twice) from "That Which Survives", and a shot of M4 chasing Kirk from "Requiem for Methuselah", in which you can see the dolly the M4 prop was mounted on. There was, of course, a lot more, that I've forgotten after almost 41 years. The blooper reels I saw at other conventions were missing the third season, and were of very poor quality. That led me to believe they were bootlegs.

Here's some behind the scenes information, courtesy of the books These Are The Voyages, which cover the three season production. Two trivia bits - the original actor playing Morgan Earp was replaced during shooting, and the episode went a day over schedule.

In the third season blooper reel..., the Melkot is shown with a fake mustache and horn-rimmed glasses.
Here's a page from Enterprise Incidents with the Melkot being made up like that, courtesy of "My Star Trek Scrapbook."

This was a strange, but fun, episodes, IMO.

When the Enterprise is stopped by the Melkotian bouy, Spock says, "Fascinating.", but he doesn't elaborate. What was so fascinating?

Just before the landing party is swept away to the Old West, the line-up, from left to right is; Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Chekov, and Scotty. The camera zooms into Spock's Starfleet insignia, and now the line-up is Spock, Kirk, Chekov, McCoy, and Scotty.

The landing party tries to escape, and they walk past a sign that says 'Tombstone City Limits'. Would Tombstone have been considered a 'city'? Shouldn't it be small enough to just call it a 'town'?

While Spock, McCoy, and Scott are making the tranquilizer, you can clearly see the wall of the studio to the left of them. It's supposed to be the sky, but there's a definite corner of a wall there.

When this episode was shown, it was only 87 years since the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Now, in 2018, it's 137 years.

In fact, the broadcast date of this episode is October 25, 1968, just one day short of the October 26, 1881 date that the fight took place on, 87 years earlier.

Just before the landing party is swept away to the Old West, the line-up, from left to right is; Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Chekov, and Scotty. The camera zooms into Spock's Starfleet insignia, and now the line-up is Spock, Kirk, Chekov, McCoy, and Scotty.

I wonder if that was done deliberately, to emphasize the dreamlike quality of the situation?

The landing party tries to escape, and they walk past a sign that says 'Tombstone City Limits'. Would Tombstone have been considered a 'city'? Shouldn't it be small enough to just call it a 'town'?

The Melkotians have limited memories of this tie, taken from Kirk. No doubt they got a few things wrong.


When this episode was shown, it was only 87 years since the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Now, in 2018, it's 137 years.

In fact, the broadcast date of this episode is October 25, 1968, just one day short of the October 26, 1881 date that the fight took place on, 87 years earlier.

And DeForest Kelly was actually in a movie about the gunfight, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which came out in 1957.

The actor who played Morgan Earp played one of Sybok's followers in STV.

The actor who played Doc Holliday (Sam Gilman) was also a Golden Age comicbook artist.

Ah, I didn't know that.

This episode was pretty spooky at times. Loved the clock that was hanging in mid-air.

When Morgan Earp tells Sylvia that she doesn't have to 'hang around this scum', he mistakenly refers to Chekov as 'Clayman', instead of 'Clayborne'.

Unless it was a deliberate insult.

Why would an illusion insult Chekov? The Melkotians knew he wasn't Clayborne or Clayman, but Ensign Chekov. Calling him 'William Clayborne' was already incorrect.
The writer is at fault for that one.

So, were they really on the Enterprise the whole time? Was it like a dream, seeming happening in hours, while, in reality, only minutes passed? None of the rest of the bridge crew seemed to think anything was out of the ordinary.

And they were right back to where they started, staring at thew Melkotian buoy. I guess it did all happen in a few minutes, since McCoy is now on the bridge, but he wasn't when they first encountered the buoy.

Must be. Chekov acted like he was just waking up from the dream. He said he remembered Sylvia, but nothing else.

Apparently they originally were going to go on location and shoot this on a Western set. However, the budget cuts wouldn't allow it.

Frankly, I'm glad they shot it the way they did. Makes the dream like quality more prominent.

I think I saw that in The Making of Star Trek.

If I may interject - You couldn't have, Scott. The Making Of "Star Trek" didn't include the third season; the book ended at the renewal for season three. The statement that the budget wouldn't allow location shooting sounds familiar, but I can't place it.
Incidentally, the final chapter of the book was titled "Whither 'Star Trek'?" We know by now it did everything but.

He could be thinking of Gerrold's The World of Trek rather than Whitfield's Making. I don't have my copy handy at the moment to check.

Well, it was written somewhere

For someone who seemed very familiar with the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Kirk overlooked one important factor. The guy he was representing, Ike Clanton, survived the real gunfight (only to die in another gunfight, several years later).

They made a big deal that the guy Chekov was representing, William Clayborne, survived. But no one realized that the real Ike Clanton did too.

He could be thinking of Gerrold's The World of Trek

Having flipped through my copy I don't think it's there either. Pity the book doesn't have an index, or even a search program (I am so spoiled by looking through electronic documents).

Tim - But no one realized that the real Ike Clanton did too.

Well, considering all the retellings that have taken place between the actual fight and the 23rd century perhaps that detail got lost? ;-)

The events of that gunfight have been so distorted and exaggerated, details being dropped and added. Forget the 23rd Century, I'm talking between the gunfight and now.

Yeah, one can see how this detail might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Yes, hardly anyone mentions the time traveler and his toothache. ;-)

And at least there was no annoying ballad being sung all the time.

I'm guessing that Kirk read about this gunfight at some point, and that is where the Melkotians got the idea from (they looked into his mind).

Adam, did you get "whither" and "wither" mixed up, or was that a joke?

In the original script, a security guard, not Chekov, got shot.

Not surprisingly, said security guard stayed dead.

Adam, did you get "whither" and "wither" mixed up, or was that a joke?

Nope, no joke. I did recall the title of the book's last section. Even though I haven't looked at my copy in ages. I just wasn't sure of the spelling. (Update: Memory Alpha has a page on the book; my spelling was correct.)

Good old Memory Alpha

"Whither" was spelled correctly but "everything but" would be a reference to "withering." That's why I wondered if it was a joke.

"Whither Star Trek?" is asking "where is Star Trek going from here?" "Wither" would be the spelling to indicate a decline.

Whither Star Trek wither?

There was some dialogues in the James Blish adaptation in which Doc Holliday and McCoy discuss that they both come from Georgia (it happens when they first meet).

No doubt Mr. Blish was working from an early draft of the script, because he used the title The Last Gunfight.

I might have an explanation as to why the Earps act like zombies, but Sylvia, the bartender, barber, and the sheriff act normal.
Spock said that the Melkotian 'reached into' Kirk's mind for the pattern of their death, so using that terminology, Kirk might have an impression that the Earps were emotionless, hard, killing machines, while the other townsfolk were nice and down to earth, in his opinion.
So, subconsciously, Kirk gave the people of Tombstone a lack of emotions or a similar set to humans, depending who that person was.

Sylvia made an impression on Chekov. She was the only thing he remembered about the experience.