Star Trek 092: The Time Trap

92. The Time Trap

FORMULA: Mirror, Mirror + Errand of Mercy + plenty of originality at this point

WHY WE LIKE IT: Klingons, Romulans and Gorn, oh my!

WHY WE DON'T: John Colicos did not return as the voice of Kor.

REVIEW: Kor returns, though voiced by James Doohan, as both his ship and the Enterprise are drawn into a pocket dimension-version of the Bermuda Triangle where time has little meaning. There, they find the hulks of the many ships that disappeared in the region (something clearly impossible to realize on the old show's budget) and a utopia run by the many prisoners, including Vulcans, Romulans, Andorians and Gorn.

To escape, the Enterprise and Klothos (Kor's ship, mentioned by Kor in DS9's Once More Unto the Breach!) must cooperate, but the Klingons may be attempting some treachery. This is all well-played, and it's fun to see the interior of the Klingon ship. There's perhaps not enough done with the natives, but they do help save the ship. Their leader is ridiculously dressed in only a bikini, but that's old school Star Trek for ya. She's aptly voiced by Nichelle Nichols, though I somewhat regard the use of regulars' voices on guest characters overdone in this episode. Nichols and Takei each play two extra characters, and Doohan a whopping five! Sometimes, you plain out recognize them, and in an attempt to differentiate between characters when they have dialogue together, Nichols makes the psychic terribly annoying.

But that's nitpicking in the overal scheme of things, since The Time Trap comes off as a solid entertainment, with some tension. The Klingons are a force to be reckoned with, and Doohan does a passable Kor. The later mention of the Klothos helps make the animated series canonical, though the SS Bonaventure, as the first warp-capable ship, does not.

LESSON: Never trust a Klingon... or a touchy-feely Vulcan.

REWATCHABILITY - High: The animated series is most watchable when it links to the original series AND somehow links to future series. As with Yesteryear's various mentions of Vulcan's Forge, ShiKhar, and Amanda's maiden name, The Time Trap has at least one element that pays off later.