58. The Enterprise IncidentFORMULA: Balance of Terror + Amok Time + The Enemy Within
WHY WE LIKE IT: A tight spy thriller, the glorious return of the Romulans, and excellent dialogue.
WHY WE DON'T: Badly timed release.
REVIEW: In a sense, this would have made a much better season opener than Spock's Brain. On the other hand, I find it very odd that the Klingon ship model appears for the first time, LENT OUT TO THE ROMULANS! In production order, the battle cruiser makes its appearance in Elaan of Troyius under the Klingon flag, but in airing order, the Romulans show it off first. That's bad planning. And a little off when we've already seen the Romulan bird-of-prey in Balance of Terror.
That said, the episode doesn't hit many other bad notes. The Enterprise Incident (a title with a Romulan perspective) is a good thriller that keeps you guessing, with Kirk and Spock knowing far more than we do, and engineering an entire charade as much for our benefit as the Romulans'. Of course we know Kirk hasn't gone insane, and wasn't really killed, but it's interesting that they allow even the Enterprise's crew to believe these things, apparently for weeks. That's what I call deniability.
There's real tension in the music and the model shots, and the plot works well. Kirk makes an impressive Romulan, in the first of what will become a tradition in Star Trek - putting your regulars in alien make-up.
The crown jewel of the episode though, is the relationship between Spock and the Romulan Commander. Their many scenes are engagingly written, and you're never quite sure who's seducing who. Spock is restrained, quietly emotional. His betrayal hurts him as much as it does her. The Commander is as strong a woman as we've seen on the show, and though more middle-aged than most, quite sensual and passionate. She's ALMOST ahead of our heroes every step of the way.
The Romulans were never as good as they were on the original series. Starfleet, for its part, wears more of a gray hat in this one, and is all the better for the complexity. I love the line about how fleeting military secrets are.
LESSON: NOMAD's head may be used to power a cloaking device.
REWATCHABILITY - High: The best episode of a very flawed third season, with memorable characters and scenes filled with tension and beauty. Too bad the rest of the year couldn't go in that direction.
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