TV Verdict

“The Naked Time”

Stardate: 1704.2

Original Air Date: September 29, 1966

It’s been weeks since I’ve written and installment of Boldly Going, and it sucks to be away. Unfortunately, when life careens out of control and a newly-mobile baby demands every minute of your attention, it’s the overly-ambitious Star Trek experiment that’s the first to go.

The Story: An Enterprise crew beams down to a research station on the planet Psi 2000, where the team of scientists stationed there are all found dead. There is no evidence as to what killed them and the planet is quickly breaking up, so the crew beams back to the Enterprise — but not before crewman Tormolen is exposed to a mysterious red liquid that causes him to begin acting strangely. Before long, other members of the crew are contaminated (beginning with Sulu, but spreading quickly) and Tormolen dies, though McCoy is unable to learn of what cause.

As each new crew member becomes infected, he or she displays exaggerated characteristics of their true personalities: Sulu becomes boisterous and confrontational (challenging everyone to a shirtless fencing duel), while Spock gives into this human emotions and becomes overcome with sadness. Kirk is paralyzed with self-doubt, convinced that he cannot lead the Enterprise. As the infection continues to spread and Psi 2000 continues to self-destruct, McCoy realizes that the water somehow changed on the planet and was causing everyone who came in contact with it (once in their bloodstream) to lose any emotional inhibitions.

In order to escape the pull of the Psi 2000, The Enterprise crew is forced to created a “controlled implosion” by mixing matter and anti-matter. The risk pays off and the ship escapes, but actually sends the ship back in time three days, giving them 71 hours to live over again.

Reflections From a First Timer: Boy, there’s a lot to like in “The Naked Time” — mostly Sulu, but I’ll get to him. The episode is another example early on in the show’s run of its willingness to explore character over plot. The story here is a pretty standard sci-fi premise, but it’s what that premise reveals about each of the characters that makes it matter. We get to see just how deep Spock’s emotions actually run (reminding us that contrary to popular belief, Vulcans do have emotions — they just don’t display them the way humans are so willing to). We get to see how the cocksure Kirk is paralyzed with self-doubt about his abilities to lead, and it’s a bold move on the part of Star Trek to showcase that kind of vulnerability in the hero. We also get to learn that Sulu is a secret gay man.

This, you see, is the famous “shirtless fencing” episode — perhaps the most famous shot of George Takei as Sulu in all of Star Trek (big ups to the J.J. Abrams movie, by the way, for referencing this iconic moment with John Cho on the giant space drill). And knowing what we know now — that Takei was living as a closeted homosexual during his days on Trek – makes it very difficult for us to believe that no one else was able to figure it out. His every line is open to interpretation as innuendo, and his bare-chested and sweaty prancing around the halls of the Enterprise is very, very amusing no matter what his sexual orientation may be. I hate to think this was Takei’s last real chance to shine (there are, after all, nearly three seasons left to go), but the fact that his most recognizable moment is already out of the way leaves me feeling skeptical. I’ll have to wait and see what’s in store for Sulu. Oh my.

Enterprise Casualties: Crewman Tormolen bites it, and Kirk’s dignity takes a bit of a hit.

Badass Kirk Moment: Kirk’s weepy breakdown pretty much cancels out any badassery in this one.

“The Enemy Within”

Stardate: 1672.1

Original Air Date: October 6, 1966

The Story: After a routine geological expedition of the planet Alpha 177, the transporter aboard the Enterprise begins acting strangely. Kirk beams aboard, complaining of feeling a bit off, and moments later a second Kirk beams aboard without anyone knowing. The Second Kirk (SK as I’ll be referring to him from here on out) is actually the physical manifestation of half of Kirk’s personality. He’s the bad half; the Goofus to his Gallant.

Scotty begins to realize something is wrong with the transporter after trying to beam up a dog and winding up with two, one of which is vicious and nasty. The crew that remained behind on Alpha 177 is forced to stay down on the planet’s surface, slowly freezing to death in the harsh climate. SK, meanwhile, wastes no time in getting drunk and surly and puts the moves on Yeoman Janice Rand, who quickly rebuffs him. SK starts to get violent with her and she scratches him across the face. We can now conveniently tell Kirk and SK apart. Everyone’s a winner! Except Yeoman Rand.

As the crew of the Enterprise finally begins to get savvy to what’s going on with the Two Kirks, SK grows weaker and more fatigued. It turns out that the two halves of Kirk can’t survive without one another. Scotty gets hard at work repairing the transporter in the hopes of rejoining Kirk (he tests it on the two dogs, but they die in the process) and rescue the crew still stranded on Alpha 177. After a struggle between the two Kirks (dig that stunt double!), the halves are rejoined in the transporter and the new, whole Kirk orders the freezing Enterprise crew to be rescued.

Reflections From a First Timer: Legendary sci-fi author Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) scripted “The Enemy Within,” so it bums me out that I didn’t like it more. Coming right on the heels of the excellent “The Naked Time” only makes this episode suffer by comparison, as it deals with some of the same themes and gets wrong much of what “Naked Time” gets right. As an exploration of Kirk’s dual nature, it’s much more literal and clumsy — and, of course, not at all helped by hamminess of Williams Shatner’s performance as Second Kirk. Anyone who’s ever accused Shatner of shamelessly overacting needs look no further than “The Enemy Within” as rock-solid proof.

Thankfully, Shatner compensates for the awfulness of Second Kirk by being kind of awesome as Original Kirk. While the episode provides a prime example of Shatner at his worst, it also showcases much of what he rarely gets credit for — he’s capable and strong without being macho, and is even able to play sensitivity without becoming a cloying wuss. He shows real sympathy and compassion for Second Kirk, and while you could easily make the argument that he’s only being self-serving (looking out for himself, after all), it’s still hard not to be moved by his humanity as a leader. We tend to remember and characterize Kirk as a no-nonsense, arrogant and headstrong sonuvabitch. Don’t get me wrong; he is those things. But he’s incredibly humane, too, and the best moments of “Enemy Within” remind us of that fact.

Enterprise Casualties: Does the dog count?

Badass Kirk Moment: I would have said the seduction of Yeoman Rand, but that gets ugly fast. Yuck.