How come Lenore is able to get inside Kirk's cabin to plant the phaser? Doesn't Kirk have any kind of security lock on his quarters?
The weapons officer who reports the missing phaser that Riley stole to Kirk states that he is on "H deck." In most of the other episodes, the ship's decks are given numerical instead of alphabetical designations.
Lenore's been sneaking around offing people for a long time. She's gotten good at what she sees as a near- holy mission.
GUEST STAR PATROL
Arnold Moss (Karidian) played a super-powerful alien in the sci-fi film, "The 27th Day".
Besides being able to sneek into Kirk's cabin, Lenore is also able to REMOTELY set a phaser for overload... or somehow able to do it on a time delay.
Kirk should have been able to stop the overload once he got hold of the phaser, no? Haven't we seen this done rather routinely before in other episodes? Granted, dropping it in a disposal unit was more dramatic, but still. Related to
this, an explosion strong enough to throw Kirk and Spock off their feet should have cause considerable damage, even if that explosion were outside the hull. Would have been a nice touch if there were a line or two about a hull breech, or damage of some sort.
Another guest star patrol. Barbara Anderson starred in several episodes of "Mission: Impossible." I think she was covering for a pregnant Lynda Day George.
Answer to "Why does Lenore sneak into Kirk's quarters? Why no security lock?"
Perhaps the secruity systems permits chicks. :)
Actors are very superstitious when it comes to Shakespeare's MacBeth, so that they don't usually refer to it by name. So I found it interesting that the writer chose to use the 'Scottish play,' instead of some other work.
A ship named the Astral Queen? Could that be a reference to Andre Norton's Solar Queen stories?
How old was Kirk when this happened and what about Kirk's brother Sam as a witness?
Kirk asks the computer for a comparison of Kodos and Karidian, but it says that there are no identity records. Then Kirk has the computer bring up pictures of Kodos and Karidian. Firstly, why doesn't the computer consider pictures to be identity records? Secondly, why can't the computer compare the picture images for similarities? Thirdly, the computer later comes up with a voice print of Kodos, so why wasn't that considered an identity record?
The transporter room contacts Kirk to tell him that Lenore has beamed up to the ship. Shouldn't Kirk have been contacted before she beamed up to the ship? Either the transporter chief chose to beam her up without getting the Captain's permission or the transport station on the planet just beamed her up to the ship without telling the ship. Either way, it seems like a sloppy way to do things.
In the April 1997 Nitpickers Guild Newsletter there is a discussion about Lt. Moreau, in Mirror, Mirror, referring to herself as being the woman of a Caesar. Well, in this episode Lenore refers to Kirk three times as a Caesar. (And his middle name is Tiberius, after the second Roman Emperor and the third Caesar to rule Rome.)
Riley has food in Engineering. Doesn't this ship have some kind of Dining Room?
Whenever I have used a squirt bottle it usually makes a hissing type sound and the handle squeaks and sometimes clicks, but Lenore's squirt bottle was silent.
McCoy says that Riley's poisoning "might've been an accident." How could Riley accidentally put poison in his drink? (Hmmm, earlier Spock said that Riley would see being sent down to Engineering as a demotion. Does McCoy think Riley was trying to commit suicide?)
Kirk says, "Someone tried to poison one of my crewmen." Actually she did poison him, but he got medical attention before it became fatal.
McCoy's medical log was incredibly in-depth about the reason for Riley's being confined to Sick Bay.
When Riley breaks into the weapons locker and takes a phaser, security reports it immediately to Captain Kirk, but earlier when a phaser was on overload in Kirk's quarters, there was no report of a missing phaser. (Or was security actually just getting around to reporting on the first phaser missing and had not yet discovered that Riley had taken one?)
Riley wasn't removed from danger when Kirk transferred him to Engineering, since he was poisoned when working there *alone*. What was the point of the transfer?
McCoy is pretty darn careless in letting Riley overhear him regarding Kodos.
The security guard is pretty darn careless in letting Lenore steal his phaser from his belt.
What happened to Lenore's mom? What made her want to go around killing people? How old was she 20 years ago?
Has anybody in real life ever quoted Shakespeare under emotional stress? Not that it wasn't a nice scene.
Two words: DNA analysis.
>What happened to Lenore's mom?
Probably she didn't measure up to hubby's standards of genetic perfection ("Sorry, honey, it's all for the good of the colony . . .")
>Has anybody in real life ever quoted Shakespeare under emotional stress?
Unlike modern Trek, TOS was romatic adventure. It wasn't *supposed* to be like real life.
Characters had to behave realistically. The Making Of Star Trek POUNDS that in. (Not that I don`t agree witht he principle)
In the Nitpicker`s Guide Phil wonders who supposedly "conquered" the Vulcans. maybe the unenlightened writer (or McCoy) meant that the humans conquered the Vulcans and drafted them into Starfleet?
>Characters had to behave realistically.
Like hell. That's soap opera. Heroes should be written as heroes. Larger than life.
Get out your Making Of Star Trek, under one of the later chapters. It has a pretend "teaser" with deliberate errors in it, which they have in the writers guide, and questions you which one you would consider the major one: saying USS stands for "United STATES Spaceship", referring to "photon energy-plasma bolts", which is abd science, or the idea that Kirk would hug a yeoman on the bridge. It then says that the correct answer is the last one, and that the important thing is that characters must act like people should, and not "They act that way because it`s science fiction". If you have The Making Of Star Trek, get it out from the back of your Star Trek bookcase, blow the dust off it, and look it up.
Where could I find this book Padawan? I've been looking for some kind of writers guide to Star Trek.
Actually I have quoted the good bard before, but then I am a bit daff myself.
Spock must be napping or something.
A sure-fire way to find out if Karidian is Kodos is for Spock to perform the Vulcan mind-meld.
Until STVI Spock never mind-raped someone. That was a truly horrifying scene; it went against everything Spock stood for. I'm surprised Nimoy agreed to it.
Actually, Spock already is certain that Karidian is Kodos, as he states. He's simply leaving the decision about what to do about it in the captain's hands.
You can buy it in your good booksellers, for only..... um... some money.... It lists several things including the bit I was just talking about, guides to the main characters and actual quotes from the censors. It was made between seasons two and three.
This episode marks the last appearance of Janice Rand and Kevin Riley in The Original Series.
RUMINATIONS
Uhura gives another brilliant perforance of her singing in the episode!
BEST LINE: "Double red alert" -Kirk as he hears the phaser on overload somewhere in his quarters and orders a complete evacuation of the entire deck giving us an idea just how powerful a blast from a phaser overload can be!
It can wipe out an entire deck! BRRRRRRR!
Remember! Number One tried the same in "The Cage"
At one point in the show, we see Spock on the Bridge investigating the simularities with Kirk, Riley, Leighton & Karidian.
For some reason, the Bridge lights seems dimmer and it appears there's no one else on the Bridge.
Did all that happen on the "off shift"?
I certainly hope there's some kind of security to protect the Bridge during "off shift" hours.
Helm & Nav isn't a problem...the ship's course and speed are programmed already.
I forgot to mention the 20th century doors (with hinges) on Planet Q. (Leighton's home planet)
It's a Federation planet.
And so it goes.....
RUMINATION:
A touch of realism....
Thomas Leighton's face. The entire left side...including his left eye...is covered with a black cloth....depicting the savagery of Kodos.
It's a miracle he survived as long as he did.
Wouldn't you think that future cosmetic medical techniques would have been able to do something about that? Or did Leighton deliberately refuse treatment to remind himself about what happened?
That's a good question.
Perhaps he chose to do just that. (Refuse treatment as a reminder)
OR
The type of cosmetic surgery needed was too costly OR his scars were beyond repair.
Why are Kirk, Riley and Leighton so important? They have fractured memories of Kodos (which probably make him look more evil) while the computer has pictures of both. Perhaps Lenore Karidian should become a hacker?
Kirk, Riley & Leighton all saw Kodos and heard him speak. Kirk even had Kodos' speech memorized and wrote it down.
Riley remembered the voice, and the fact Kodos killed Riley's parents.
Leighton remembered the voice also...not to mention he remembered the terrible damage Kodos did to his face.
At the end of Uhura's song, she sings the word "Antares" without moving her lips!
Now the crew is practicing ventriloquism while singing!
The area in which the crew is sitting and watching the play is the gymnasium from "Charlie X"...you can see the excersise handles in the background.
I feel real sorry for Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand) in this episode....all she does is walk onto the Bridge, look at Capt. Kirk then walk towards the viewer...then that's it.
From the "look" she gives Kirk, she appears jealous...like she knows about all of Kirk's love-affairs or something like that. A good line for Rand would be, "Captain, I've tried for years for you to notice me and yet you refuse my love for you. I'm sorry, I've issued a transfer to another ship. Perhaps after I'm gone, you'll realize how much I loved you." This would be a great explanation to the viewers what happened to Rand.
This episode seems to parallel the events that are still under a cloud of controversy concerning Adolph Hitler and his disappearance. A badly burned body was found, but was not totally proven to be that of Hitler. Hitler was also proven to slaughter thousands of people. I don't know why this was even alluded to, unless it was something the American public was absorbed in at the time, or maybe it was just one big coincidence.
It's really a shame the they let Rand (Whitney) go after this episode just so Kirk can go galavanting around the cosmos looking for space-babes....they should've kept Rand, have Kirk meet a space-babe, have Rand get jealous then have Kirk make up to her at the end of the episode....sorta like a sci-fi-adventure-drama-soap opera.
Who is the yeoman with the long brown hair with the yellow dress and why is she handing Kirk the PADD? That's Rand's job for cryin' out loud!
I must say also, after Rand shows up on the Bridge, she is never seen again in the entire episode...why couldn't Roddenberry put her in the play's audience in the rec room?
I must say also, Leonore looks older than 19...she looks more like 28-35.
Also, on the observation deck, Leonore looks out the window and the stars are standing still...hey, wasn't the Enterprise going somewhere at warp speed? The stars should be moving!
Shatner, in his book "Star Trek Memories," stated that Grace Lee Whitney was discharged due to alcoholism. Her life took a nosedive after that.
The gymnasium was a redress of the Engineering set.
Adam---What you said is true, but Whitney sobered up a few years later and reappeared in STTMP, STIII,STIV,STVI & "Flashback" (VOY)....and I must add she is as pretty as ever.
Music note: The party scene.....the smaltzy version of the "Star Trek Theme" debuts in this episode
Sorry, John, I did not follow up. She really did clean up her act. I think I heard she is very religious now, and looked great in Trek VI and "Flashback." If she was going to leave the show, she deserved better than the brief kiss-off she got.
I agree...that was my point...they should have AT LEAST let her do "her job" as the Captain's yeoman instead of that no-name brunette do it for her.....plus, if she was going to leave the show, Kirk should have kissed her good-bye.
(That's would've been a GOOD "kiss-off")
In the Blish adaptation, she even gets to deliver a line. It's her who delivers the message about Leighton's death to Kirk on the ship. This scene was probably written out (and Rand's line excised) when someone decided it would be more dramatic for Kirk to discover Leighton's dead body himself.
Not really a nit but I wonder how Standards and Practices could've been so asleep at the wheel that they let Miss Karidian say:
"All this power... surging and throbbing... yet under control...." about The Enterprise (yeah right!)
Also, on a less salacious note, this is one of times I notice that when McCoy prepares for something (like the play in this show), he shifts at his collar as if he's adjusting a non-existent tie.
Mike
GREAT DIALOGUE:
Spock:"How did you know this lady was coming aboard?"
Kirk: "I'm the Captain."
When Spock & McCoy enter Kirk's quarters with the results of Riley's poisoning, Kirk is writing something down ON PAPER WITH A PEN!!!! (PADD ANYONE?)
Also, when Spock & Kirk look at the results of the voice print test, the results are ON PAPER!!!
(Computer screen, anyone?)
Finally, on a funny note, this episode was directed by Gerd Oswald.....hmmm, I wonder if he had help from a guy on the grassy knoll. 
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Rand giving Leonore a "knuckle sandwich" before departing the Bridge then yelling, "Hands off! He's mine!"
John A. Lang
You Really want to see Rand in some Fist fights don't ya?
You've posted here, on Miri, on Mudd's Women, and I don't know how many more.
I'll admit though, if Rand did get into all those fist fights, it would be really cool
TRIVIA: What is Kirk's cabin number?
Mr. Leslie is at the helm in this episode but he is not mentioned in the end credits.
(Boy that end credits person is a real doofus, ain't they?)
Karidian uses A BOOK to memorize his lines instead of using a computer screen. (I guess he's a traditionalist)
When McCoy pages Kirk about Riley's escape from Sick Bay, you can see the medical monitor on the wall STILL WORKING even though no one is in the bed!
ANSWER: 3F121 (which is kinda funny, seeing he's on deck 5..shouldn't it be 5F121?)
At the top of this nitpick board, Tom Pence was wondering how Leonore go into Kirk's quarters....simple...she used the BBBB
(The Beautiful Babe Bypass Button) 
Just watched this last night - in the final scene, when Lenore shoots her father, how come his body doesn't dematerialize? I thought phasers had two settings: stun, and kill. What setting leaves the body intact so it can be dramatically mourned over??
Old series phaser had the following settings: Light Stun, Heavy Stun, Kill Intact, Kill/Heat, Kill Disrupt. Only when it was set on the highest setting would the body glow and go. By Comparison Klingon disrupters have the following settings, Stun, Slow Kill (which works by collapsing the molecular adhesion as seen in STIII), Kill. Only over in the Enterprise Universe do phasers have two settings. In the Star Trek Universe Federation phasers have multiple settings. In the TNG phasers have 16 different settings ranging from a light stun similar to a tazer to setting 16 which is total molecular disruption (big boom)
When Kirk looks down at the shuttlebay area from the observation deck, it looks dark down in the shuttlebay area.
Since when have we seen lights turned off on the Enterprise? (Aside from "The Ultimate Computer" and "Spock's Brain")
I must note that this episode marks the last time we see the Observation Deck until STV.
We don't see it, but it is mentioned in "Journey to Babel". Sarek is meditating there when he has a heart attack.
Shall we assume "light stun" is the setting Rand used to heat a cup of coffee in "Corbomite Maneuver"?
It would have been interesting if Rand just decided not to try to be romantically involved with Kirk, she's just friends with him and they talk about Kirk's girlfriends (and her other boyfriends), and drop the romance angle.
That didn't look like cloth on Thomas Leighton's face, it looked like plastic or something.
Okay. Psycho-Blonde has the phaser aimed at Kirk and her father. Meanwhile, her attention is never directed at the audience in back of her. Why doesn't anyone sneak up behind her and knock her out? I'd understand if it was a group of civilians. But they're Starfleet Officers. And many of them were wearing red shirts. Odds are at least one of them is a security officer.
Rene, if you were a Red Shirt on the Enterprise, would YOU make a threatening motion towards someone with a phaser while Kirk was in the room?
Eh. It's still early on in the series. I probably wouldn't have noticed the pattern yet ;)
And another thing I forgot : In this episode, Scotty sets up a camera for the wedding. Apparently the wedding will be broadcast throughout the entire ship (even on the main viewscreen on the bridge!) In "The Way To Eden", the concert is broadcast throughout the ship. Why is the entire crew being forced to watch the wedding (and forced to listen to that crappy music in "The Way To Eden")?
The wedding is in "Balance of Terror", not "Conscience of the King".
I agree, though - even if you accept the notion of the Enterprise having a sort of small-town vibe - assuming the whole ship wants to watch/listen to whatever happens to be happening onboard is a bit much.
On the other hand, the wedding/concert may be being broadcast throughout the ship, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone is being forced to listen. Viewscreens, intercoms (at least private ones) etc. can be turned off, right?
According to my friend in the navy on long hauls the morale aboard ship can be quite interesting by the time they are ready to hit port. I would imagine that aboard a starship where it could be a lot longer between ports that anything gong on out of the ordinary would be worth watching by as many people as they could. Even if they wound up on a new planet each week :-)
This is a long-running nit for all of Trek: NO Internet!
There would be a ship's intranet, which would show the weddings, concerts, but only for those who wanted to watch. It would also have news and message boards.
Spock does research Karidian's background, but doesn't mention the Internet. He says there's no mention of Karidian before a certain date; but at that date, when Karidian first appeared, people would have been researching him, trying to find out where he came from, and asking questions about his origins. And of course govt. bureaucrats would have noticed, "we don't have any records of you."
Hey, Beater, you're right - that's actually a great nit.
By the 23rd century you'd have to assume that it'd be next-to-impossible for a public figure like Karidian to keep that kind of a secret.
Only reference to the Internet was in:
DS9: Past Tense, and
VOY: Future's End.
Interestingly, they were both time travel eps.
TWO NITS (for the price of one)
1) This episode states that both Kirk & Riley were both on Planet Q during the time of the massacre. It appears they never met while they were there...seeing that Kirk was surprised when Riley's name came up during Kirk's investigation on the Bridge.
2) However, they SHOULD HAVE MET because you'd think that all the eyewitnesses would be summoned once the authorities found the charred body...but it appears they weren't...apparently a very sloppy investigation.
OK...Kirk's quarters are on deck 5. So...why then does the sign outside his door say "3F 121"? Sounds more like a deck 3 sign to me.
It's been a while since I've actually seen the episode, but IIRC, the only reason that Kodos gets started in the first place is due to a famine in the colony he rules. So, I can understand why they'd be trying to grow crops and all, but... why didn't they have any protein resequencers?
And just what kind of planet do you stick a colony of 10,000+ people on, where every single source of food is wiped out by the famine? Didn't they stock up when crops were good? Didn't they have some kind of aircraft to travel outside the famine area to colect food? Couldn't people just starve for awhile (they do it on 'Survivor'!)? Don't they have animals like cows and chickens to eat?
Apparently not.
Some non-canonical sources have suggested that the colony on Tarsus IV was struck by a previously unknown disease or fungus which wiped out all of the crops and much of the stored food. This explanation makes as much sense as any that I've heard. As for the lack of protein re-sequencers, the creators of TOS hadn't thought of them when this episode was written in 1967, and they didn't exist at this point in time until they were retroactively inserted into Trek history in Enterprise
Kodos's "crime" itself is a varient on the "lifeboat scenario". Imagine that you are the governor of an isolated Earth colony of 8000 people. After several sucessful growing seasons, a previously unknown disease wipes out all of your crops and contaminates half of your stored food before it is brought under control. However, it will be several years before you can develop new crop varieties which are resistent to the disease. At this point, the first step is to call for help. Once you get ahold of a Federation representative, you are informed that, "we are so sorry, but it will take at least a year to get a relief ship out to you".
So what next? You have to get control of your remaining food supply. Grain which might otherwise be fed to animals would be diverted to human consumption; and the animals would be slaughtered and added to the stored food supply. You then determine how long your food supply will last if you feed the population on minimum rations: You discover that you can feed all 8000 colonists for six months, or 4000 colonists for a year.
As governor of the colony, you are now faced with a terrible choice. Do you try to keep everyone alive and take the substantial risk that most of your population will starve to death if the relief ships don't come early. Or do you guarantee that at least half your population will survive by "eliminating" the other half. The decision must be made as soon as possible because it just gets more difficult the longer you wait. If the food runs out before the relief ships arrive, the situation could get very ugly (breakdown of order, cannibalism, etc.) On the other hand, how do you choose who lives and who dies?
In the episode, Kodos (speaking as Karidian) challenges Kirk by arguing that if the relief ships hadn't come early, then Kodos would have been regarded as a hero for keeping half the population alive. While that's debatable, there is a plausible argument to be made for it. In addition, there is some dialogue which suggests that Kodos came to power in some kind of revolution or uprising. That being the case, it could be that Kodos is reviled not simply for killing half of the colonists, but for the manner in which he chose who would live and who would die.
As for the lack of protein re-sequencers, the creators of TOS hadn't thought of them when this episode was written in 1967, and they didn't exist at this point in time until they were retroactively inserted into Trek history in EnterpriseMarquis Lawyer
While that's true, as a Nitpicker, I don't deal in reality.
another nit: when Uhura tells Kirk she has broadcast hailing frequencies, the light on her bridge communicator goes out.
I see a few holes in any effort to justify Kodos' actions on Tarsus IV. First, don't these people have any spacecraft capable of going to warp? Surely, Kodos or somebody there would send a ship to buy or collect supplies from a neighboring colony or independent world. I'm sure the Federation would have given the colony a contingency fund to deal with stuff like this,to prevent a repeat of Roanoke. Even if not, wouldn't Starfleet be obliged by its mandate to protect the colonies, to provide relief? Were there no starships or even cargo vessels available at the time? There is no real excuse for what happened. The most likely explanation leads to my other hole. Isn't it possible the "plague" that wiped out the food supply was a fabrication. Remember the speech Karidian was forced to read, with references to the "revolution?" I think he simply ruined the food supply, then wrecked any other means to get more food, and blamed some nameless angry mob, to get himself in a position to put his eugenics-based philosophies into practice. This does make the comparison to Hitler appropriate in a sick way. Third, I am not a fan of the "lifeboat scenario." He murdered 4000 people on purpose, because they did not fit his preferred standard of humanity, using a horrid disaster as an excuse. If it was such a tough choice for him, why didn't he bite the bullet and take his punishment? Because people can rationalize any evil deed if it's for the imagined "greater good."
Shouldn't Spock, with those Vulcan ears of his, have pinpointed the location of the screeching phaser right away, instead of he and Kirk ransacking Kirk's entire quarters?
When Spock was going through Kirk's dresser, and pulling his stuff out of the drawers, there didn't seem to be a lot in those drawers. Does Kirk wear the same clothes day after day?
Spock pushes Kirk's mattress part way off the bed in the attempt to find the phaser. In the next cut, it's almost (but not quite) back in place.
One more about Grace Lee Whitney. She gets a full credit here, with DeForest Kelley, despite the kiss-off.
Barbara Anderson had quit acting when she left Ironside but returned to her Ironside role in a mid-90's reunion telepic.
Kirks dresser is bare cuz Rand does all his laundry for him.
Well with the ships stores or replicators or manufacturing or whatever you want to call it everybody doesnt need too many clothes. besides which this is a military craft so as long as you have several clean pairs of underwear and a few uniforms clean you are set. Most of the other clothing would be his personal clothing that he would not want sent to ships stores. I say manufacturing or replicator-like material manufacturing as in the Patterns of Force Kirk calls up and has McCoy outfitted as a Nazi Doctor and I dont the German MIlitary Uniform is a standard or easily available piece of clothing. Unless they got it from Marla McGiver's ,or whomever the ship's historian was at this time, closet.
Thomas Leighton obviously suffers from a facial injury or deformity as half his face is some kind of black prosthetic covering. Although never stated, it is strongly implied that Kodos is in some way responsible for this disfigurement. But as heinous as Kodos's executions of the colonists was, Spock explicitly states that they were humane and the victims died quickly and without pain. So Kodos did NOT torture or maim his victims. So how Leighton exactly got his injuries is puzzling. (Of course, it is possible that what happened to Leighton's face has nothing to do with the events on Tarsus.)
Kirk comments at the beginning of the episode that the performance of the play is unusual because it is "Arcturian". However, other than a couple of slightly odd-looking ornaments worn by Lenore, the costuming and sets of the play seem like an ordinary Shakespearean play which might be seen on Earth in our times.
(Of course, it is possible that what happened to Leighton's face has nothing to do with the events on Tarsus.)
I dunno...as I remember it, the scene deliberately stages Leighton's big 'reveal' as his motivation for revenge after all these years. Doesn't he say something like 'I can't forget' or 'I'll never forget' while turning to the camera?
Kirk comments at the beginning of the episode that the performance of the play is unusual because it is "Arcturian". However...the costuming and sets of the play seem like an ordinary Shakespearean play which might be seen on Earth in our times.
Mm. Couple real-world explanations: budget constraints and the need to make it recognizable as Shakespeare to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Viewer.
Okay, but if Kodos is responsible, again, how? Apparently, there was some kind of revolt by the colonists in which Kodos was presumed to be killed, and perhaps it was during this that Leighton sustained his injuries.
BTW, plastic surgery seems to have become a lost art by the 23rd century. They apparently couldn't do much for Pike in "The Menagerie" either.
There's no information about Kodos after 20 years ago, yet when Kirk stops the computer, it's about to say that Kodos did something on Stardate 2794.7. Fairly recent, since the stardate in this episode is 2817.6. The stardate in "Balance of Terror," as an example is 17-something. So this would mean "Balance of Terror" took place way over twenty years ago. Unless Kodos got inducted into the Villains Hall of Fame on 2794.7, or something else that required no action on his part.
So Kirk (who was presumably about 33 at this time) was romantically involved with a teenager. Hmmm. She looked older than 19, though. Maybe Karidian lied about her age.
On the bridge, Spock asks the computer for a connection linking Karidian, Riley, Kirk and Leighton. Presumably, Tarsus IV was the connection he found. But the computer doesn't know that Karidian was Kodos, so there should be no known link between Karidian and Tarsus. Or did Karidian start his identity by claiming to be a colonist there?
as I remember it, the scene deliberately stages Leighton's big 'reveal' as his motivation for revenge after all these years. Doesn't he say something like 'I can't forget' or 'I'll never forget' while turning to the camera?
Leighton says that he remembers Kodos's voice and "the bloody thing he did." As he says this, he turns toward the camera and we see the covering for the first time.
McCoy thinks the poisoning could have been an accident because tetralubisol is a "milky substance?" What does he think, somebody put the tetralubisol in the refigerator in a container labeled "MILK?" Oops.
Also Karidian's reaction when the supply ship came -- "oops."
At one point Riley points his phaser at Kirk...yet Kirk orders him back to Sickbay.
Does this make any sense? Kirk should've put him in the Brig!
There were extenuating circs, remember? Riley's out for revenge; once that situation's defused he's not a danger to anyone.
Perhaps. But still there should have been some kind of reprimand for pointing a weapon at a superior officer.
And very likely there was, after the whole psycho-killer-daughter-of-famous-mass-murderer thingee was sorted out. Somehow, I can't see Kirk being bothered enough mid-crisis to yell out "Mr. Riley, you are SO busted!"
McCoy thinks the poisoning could have been an accident because tetralubisol is a "milky substance?" What does he think, somebody put the tetralubisol in the refigerator in a container labeled "MILK?" Oops.
<snicker>
Technically, proper procedure would have been to at least put an official reprimand in Riley's file. However, I think Kirk decided to let the matter drop so as not to penalize Riley's for a mistake that he did not end up making. But if one wants to be a stickler about procedure, why was Karidian not put in custody when Kirk had evidence that he was Kodos? Starfleet would probably be happy to see Kodos brought to justice, and bringing in a major criminal would seem to be Kirk's duty.
I like the parallels between parts of this episode and Hamlet. Several characters resemble Hamlet in their obsession wih vengeance (Kirk and Riley) or loyalty to parents (Lenore). Tom is like the Ghost, making Kirk aware of his duty to avenge those who died. Lenore is like Ophelia, and Kirk's manipulation of her, and how he hurt her, resembles what Hamlet did to Ophelia. Karidian resembles, at various times, Claudius (the murderer), Polonius (he seems to like talkng a lot, and his death pushes Lenore over the edge) and the Player King (his performance almost seems to drive Riley to try to kill him). The scene at the play, with Riley stalking in from the wings to shoot Karidian, appears to fit with the reference in the title.
Perhaps Riley was booted out of Starfleet....seeing that he is never seen on the Enterprise ever again.
Maybe Riley was transferred to another ship.
Or maybe he just thought it'd be wiser, all things considered, to keep a low profile for the rest of his stint aboard the Enterprise.
==How come Lenore is able to get inside Kirk's cabin to plant the phaser? Doesn't Kirk have any kind of security lock on his quarters?==
She must have used the transporter for what in the TNG era was called "site-to-site" transporting.
From what was said in "Day of the Dove", that was something that had never been done in the days of Kirk and co. It entailed a great deal of risk.
Day of the Dove is also a TOS episode, and while I am sure Kirk was a legend even in his own day, I doubt such a reference woul be used a year or so after this episode took place.
"How come Lenore is able to get inside Kirk's cabin to plant the phaser? Doesn't Kirk have any kind of security lock on his quarters"
Think like Spock for a second. Apply some logic.
When last they were seen together on the observation deck, weren't they locking lips? What do you think happened next and where do you think it happened?
I wish I'd thought of that! Heck, Chris, you've just solved a major mystery! Good work!
Lucky Kirk.
McCoy is pathetic in this episode. First, he drinks on duty and dismisses Spock's concern about the Captain. Does he actually think Kirk diverted the Enterprise from another mission because of that "lovely creature"? Next, he thinks Riley's poisoning was an accident and then makes a log infront of Riley about Kodos.
*****From what was said in "Day of the Dove", that was something that had never been done in the days of Kirk and co. It entailed a great deal of risk.*****
To life forms, sure----but last I heard a phaser was not a form of life. Anyhow, we know Lenore is looney-tunes.....
Ah. I thought you meant beaming herself there to plant the phaser. Still, I would question whether Lenore would have the technical skill necessary to so precisely beam that phaser into the red alert light fixture. Someone like Scotty, Spock or Lt. Kyle - someone who has had extensive training and experience with the transporter, yes. But not Lenore. I would also think she would have to know the exact coordinates to which to beam the phaser. I don't see how she would know that either.
In "Day of the Dove" they said that beaming witin ships had "rarely" been done, not never.
Still, it does strain credulity that Lenore would have been able to beam a phaser undected into such a precise area. It makes much more sense that (much like Justin and Britney), she and Kirk did "it" and she planted the phaser while he was asleep.
While I'm on the subject I think I read somewhere (I think it was "The Making of Star Trek") that once a phaser was set to overload it couldn't be stopped, so that's why Kirk had to throw it into the waste disposal unit to get rid of it.
"Unlike modern Trek, TOS was romatic adventure"
It was?!
It would seem to me that once a phaser has been set on overload, it would take a very short time for it to reach critical mass. This suggests that Lenore must have planted the phaser very shortly before the scene where Kirk and Spock first hear it.
Number One stopped her phaser from overloading on the surface of Talos IV.
or maybe there's a time delay setting?
"Number One stopped her phaser from overloading on the surface of Talos IV. "
True, but that was a pilot episode and they were called lasers back then and were obviously of a different design.
McCoy is pathetic in this episode.
Hm.
I was all set to start ranting on in defense of my beloved Bones until it occurred to me...you're kinda sorta right (albeit I still think 'pathetic' is far too harsh.
However, if I may slip into reality for a moment, the problem lies really with the fact that McCoy isn't so much a character in this ep, as he's a walking talking move-the-plot along device. Any medical mind in this story about has to be 'pathetic' at critical moments, or we've got Short Show Syndrome on our hands yet again.
Meantime...returning to nitpicker mode...a couple of comments on the specfic charges:
First, he drinks on duty and dismisses Spock's concern about the Captain. Does he actually think Kirk diverted the Enterprise from another mission because of that "lovely creature"?
Yeah, on the face of it that's a definite stretch. On the other hand...this is Kirk we're talking about, and they are old buddies, so who knows what intimate evidence McCoy's working on that we weren't told/shown.
Next, he thinks Riley's poisoning was an accident and then makes a log in front of Riley about Kodos.
No arguments here. Way to send a crisis spinning out of control there, Doc!
But...Kirk and Spock evidently had trouble adding 2+2 here as well - Kirk is in fact shown swallowing McCoy's inane 'tetralubisol/milky substance' theory with a completely straight face. (Again, there's just no way to fix this stuff without blowing the plot to smithereens. If McCoy assures the Captain that Riley definitely was poisoned, Kirk can't dawdle around re: arresting Kodos. And if Riley doesn't find out about their suspicions - well, you get the idea. )
You're right of course.
Oh and don't worry. I usually like McCoy. ;)
Lenore must have been pretty crazy. She set a phaser to explode, which Kirk mentions could ' blow the entire deck'. This might not just cripple the ship (a crippled ship that LENORE and her FATHER would be marooned on that might not be rescued for weeks!), but it could very well have caused a chain reaction, much like in Star Trek III, and killed every last person, including herself and her father.
Also, Lenore somehow got a phaser and...hid it. I suppose she didn't have the guts to ambush Kirk and just shoot him at that point, although she was more than willing near the end of the episode.
The uncredited voice (over communicator) of Captain John Daly of the Astral Queen sounds like it could be Gene Roddenberry.
Star Trek Concordance says it's Frank da Vinci.
Whoops. I stand corrected. My edition of the Concordance doesn't have that credit.
===Ah. I thought you meant beaming herself there to plant the phaser. Still, I would question whether Lenore would have the technical skill necessary to so precisely beam that phaser into the red alert light fixture. Someone like Scotty, Spock or Lt. Kyle - someone who has had extensive training and experience with the transporter, yes. But not Lenore. I would also think she would have to know the exact coordinates to which to beam the phaser. I don't see how she would know that either. ===
Well, I don't know how she'd be able to poison Riley's milk, either. I mean, unless Uhura was in on it and was distracting him with her great pipes, or Riley was the most lamebrained Starfleet officer ever, there's no way he couldn't hear Lenore come in. That, if anything, strains credibility even more.
**LESLIE ALERT**
Mr. Leslie is at the Helm in this episode
In his log, Kirk mentions that the sensitive areas of the ship are under 'double guard' If that is true, then how did Riley get the phaser out of the weapons locker? Isn't the weapons locker a sensitive area of the ship? If not, why not? (The guard hailing Kirk tells him that a phaser is missing.)Granted, Riley is a member of the crew, but you'd think Kirk would have excluded the use of the weapons locker to "Security Personell only"
Its much more likely Lenore simply picked the lock, or performed its 23rd Century equivalent, of Kirk's room than fooled around with the transporter. I doubt the locks on personal quarters doors would be particularly sophisticated or secure.
I like Chris Todaro's made on Saturday, June 28, 2003 - 06:48 pm explanation better
er...I meant to say "I liked his explanation better"