76. The Way to EdenFORMULA: (And the Children Shall Lead + 10 years) + And Let That Be Your Final Battlefield + The Apple
WHY WE LIKE IT: High camp! It's still groovy after all these years.
WHY WE DON'T: Space hippies make this one of the more dated stories from the Original Series.
REVIEW: To my surprise, The Way to Eden isn't quite deserving of its bad reputation. The idea of space hippies IS goofy, and they do break out into song way too often (that canned singing that can be immediately spotted as lipsync), but if you're in the mood, the tunes aren't bad and the story comes off as a bit of fun.
Yet, the episode still has a serious aspect to it. Like the best morality plays, The Way to Eden plays on a few ironies. Dr. Sevrin has been given a disease by the sterile technological environment which would make him the instrument of the destruction of any natural world he so desperately wants to visit. The Eden they find is beautiful, but poisonous. The latter is strictly Twilight Zone fare, but the former holds some interest. The episode certainly explores some gray areas, telling us that Star Trek's utopia has created other problems, and that everyone isn't happy with it. I especially appreciated the crew of the Enterprise representing the establishment here. They would normally have been the "heavies" in such a story, but because we like them already, we're more prone to see both sides. Chekov gets some nice character development in his scenes with the red-hot Irini Galliulin, and we can see why he was painted as Spock's protégé earlier on.
Of course, The Way to Eden is quite dated in its portrayal of Sevrin's movement. It really has little to do with any kind of 1960s civil rights movement, as they are more than a little criminal and even violent in their methods, maybe closer to extreme environmentalists, but they look and sound like hippie stereotypes. The episode is well-padded with folk songs (which I don't mind that much), but it's the hippie lingo that makes me "reach" for the fast forward button. With flowers painted on their heads, instruments in their hands, and participating in various forms of demonstration, they're too close to the real thing for the show not to be commenting on the movement, but I'm never sure on what side of the issue they are.
On a final note, the Romulan Neutral Zone is a bit of a waste here. Too bad we couldn't cut a song or two just to see the Romulans one more time.
LESSON: Your first instinct may not be to invite a Vulcan to your jam session, but if you do, you'll be well rewarded. Those pointy-eared guys are reaaaal now.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Face it, the entire original series is dated by effects, attitudes and hairstyles. The Way to Eden has some of the most memorable moments in the third season, and is a lot more solid than usually credited.
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