67. Wink of an EyeFORMULA: E=mc^2 + By Any Other Name
WHY WE LIKE IT: A cute and memorable idea.
WHY WE DON'T: Lame villains, and that idea we like? Yeah, it's kind of silly.
REVIEW: This is another foray into science fantasy, since the premise doesn't really hold up (even Deela waves a hand over it). I really like Phil Farrand's conservative numbers in his Nitpicker's Guide that reveal that to beat persistence of vision, dodge phasers, etc., the crew of the Enterprise would have had between 30 seconds and 4 minutes to do everything we see them do. So the acceleration isn't consistent or believable (how could they not be detected in transport, for example?). Let's just sweep that under the table and enjoy the story, ok?
It's an interesting little ship invasion story in an unusual environment. Kirk has to deal with a world frozen in time. The Batman-style tilted camera is an excellent directorial choice to express the surreal nature of this "place" between seconds.
Unfortunately, the villains of the piece are a let-down. I've never seen such a bunch of effete, uncharismatic bad guys! Deela has to be one of the dullest of Kirk's leading ladies despite being slightly unhinged (and yet, it's one of the few he sleeps with, as evidenced in the infamous "putting his boot back on" scene). Rael has even less of a character. Their plan is intriguing, and you do feel sympathy for them when they leave the ship, a doomed lot, but the way they are dispatched leaves something to be desired. Kirk and Spock had a cure, wasn't it applicable to the Scalosians? I guess they had died by the time the ship had left orbit, so who cares, right?
LESSON: The flame that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. A metaphor for the original series?
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: A silly premise that can't be taken seriously, but that leads to some enjoyable fluff. Don't care much for the guest stars, but the cast does quite alright for itself.
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