11. The Corbomite Maneuver
WHY WE LIKE IT: The main characters are at their strongest, a great picture of shipboard life, and Balok is kinda funky!
WHY WE DON'T: If I have to commit to something, I'll say the uneven direction.
REVIEW: This comes late in the airing schedule, but was the first episode shot after the two pilots. The only reason I can see for that is that it starts with Spock in the captain's chair (ooooh, confusing!). It's too bad too because this is a very strong story (and it's kinda weird having Kirk react as if for the first time to having a female yeoman).
What impresses me most is that all the elements are already in place. Spock and McCoy are well drawn already and both act as two sides of Kirk's mind. Spock offers the logic of chess, and McCoy puts the morale of the crew in Kirk's thoughts. They are very much angels on his shoulders here, and it works beautifully. It also creates a real friendship between Kirk and both men. Kirk isn't just a function of those two however, he's a strong captain in his own right, refusing to go through a Kobayashi Maru scenario.
This early in the series, the Enterprise is large and busy, which is great to see. There's a real committment to showing shipboard life, and not just the adventures. We have crew morale, medical exams, promotions, and a real sense that the ship in inhabited. The ideals of our Federation (not yet named that) are displayed as well.
As for the story itself, it's tense and mostly exciting. The First Federation ship designs are very simple, but they work. The Fesarius could dwarf a Borg Cube! Balok (both of him) is suitably alien. I was relieved to see that the obvious puppet was exactly that, and at once charmed and creeped out by his childlike persona. Bailey was an interesting character too, completely in over his head, and he gets a nice speech ("are you robots?!?").
If I had a complaint it would be with some of production elements. For example, everyone is sweating like a pig in this episode, and that's before the radiation levels go up. Problems with make-up I should think. The direction is also wonky, with some extreme and wobbly camera shots, and a couple of scenes where, besides the incidental music blaring, nothing happens. I kept thinking they were cutting to commercial, and then didn't.
LESSON: The recipe for tranya is equal parts water and sugar, with 4 teaspoons of Tang (serves 4).
REWATCHABILITY - High: A great introduction to the series for neophytes, with the ideals presented by Star Trek in full view. Fun and exciting.
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