Arena

This one could actually be listed as more than one different episode type. It features a powerful alien and a strong message. But I’m going with “dangerous alien” because of the Gorn. The Gorn rocks.

The Enterprise is lured to Cestus III by a fake message from the UFP outpost there. When our heroes beam down to the planet, they’re immediately attacked by an unseen foe. At the same time an alien vessel assaults their ship. After surface and space skirmishes, the aggressors are routed with the Enterprise in hot pursuit.

Enter the Metrons, a mysterious race of superior beings who sound like the Control Voice from The Outer Limits (at least in part because Vic Perrin supplies their disembodied voice and in part because The Outer Limits also did an episode based on “Arena” by Frederic L. Brown, which also served as the basis for this show). They announce that both Star Fleet and its previously-unknown opponent are clearly too warlike. The solution – strange for superior beings spouting a pro-peace line – is that the captains of the two vessels must meet in single combat. The winner’s ship will be released. The loser’s crew will be exterminated.

In a flash Kirk finds himself on a deserted planet, face to face with the captain of the Gorns, a race of bipedal reptiles who apparently dress in tunics made of old shower curtains. The sucker looks strong, and he has a mouthful of sharp teeth. The DVD re-release also adds a blinking effect to his eyes, which makes him look a little less like a Halloween costume and more like a real creature. After an extremely slow-paced scuffle (were they planning to under-crank this in post-production and then forgot?), Kirk scrambles away.

Clearly the alien is physically superior. So Kirk must find a way to use his brain to win the day. With the crew looking on – but unable to contact him – the captain notices that the area is strewn with minerals and other materials that are perfect for the construction of a makeshift cannon. How a guy from the age of phasers and photon torpedoes happens to know the chemical formula for gunpowder (let alone recognize its constituent parts) is a question perhaps best left for another day. The point is that he builds the gun and uses it on the Gorn.

Though his enemy is down for the count, Kirk refuses to administer the coup de grace. The Metrons, impressed by this show of mercy, decide to let everyone live.

Episode rating:

Stardate: 3045.6

Episode type: Dangerous alien

Written by: Gene L. Coon (story by Frederic Brown)

Original air date: January 19, 1967

The Squire of Gothos / Tomorrow Is Yesterday

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