49. A Private Little WarFORMULA: Friday's Child + The Apple + Operation: Annihilate
WHY WE LIKE IT: A pretty complex story with no "right" solutions. Oh, and that Nona is positively smokin'!
WHY WE DON'T: Planet of the fright wigs!
REVIEW: The episode has always been touted as "relevant" because it was a comment on the then-ongoing Vietnam War. That war has long been over, and though it has not been forgotten, we've sort of forgetten how this episode relates to that conflict. Without that layer of meaning, does it still work? The answer is yes, since it gives a story that's not black and white, where Kirk makes a decision many may not agree with. The Original Series more rarely navigates this gray area, and you really feel it when Kirk realizes his friend Tyree can now kill.
More than Friday's Child, we often forget this episode features the Klingons, but they're here. Their presence cements their relationship to the USSR in the "Star Trek allegory". It's too bad there's no real sense of exactly why they're interfering with this culture. Another weak point is the design aspect of the episode. The entire planet seems populated by actors in really bad wigs (Chekov's rejects, looks like), and there's nothing too distinctive about their clothes or homes. The Mugato is certainly memorable, but a pretty silly monster nonetheless.
The exception here is Nona. Not only is she one of the sexiest women in all of Trek, she pops right off the screen. The male characters in the story are all subservient to her will, including Kirk and McCoy (who doesn't have her medical knowledge). She alone carries the hill people's culture, which is otherwise presented as peaceful and more than a little dull. Her healing ritual freaked me out as a child, and her willfull nature seduced me as an adult. Anytime she's onscreen, her charisma draws you in.
Another good moment is Spock getting slapped around in sickbay. Though it has little to do with the story except to create suspense and show that Spock is more and more invincible, his self-healing is a fun moment. I also like Dr. M'Benga catching Nurse Chapel holding Spock's hand. This guy needs more airtime.
LESSON: Don't sniff a plant you don't know.
REWATCHABILITY - High: In many ways a template for the resolution of my favorite Deep Space 9 episodes. But I'm getting ahead of myself here...
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