First Aired: January 12, 1967Cast:
William Campbell (Trelane)
Richard Carlyle (Lt. Carl Jaeger)
Michael Barrier (II) (Lt. Vincent DeSalle)
Venita Wolf (Yeoman Teresa Ross)
Writer: Paul Schneider (II)
This episode is another one that is not great but is a potentially great idea. The main character - the Squire of Gothos - is a being that can convert matter to energy then back to matter (in the same form or even a different form) pretty much at will. So in other words, he can alter matter with his mind. He is very like the Q being that appears in ST:TNG and what I like about this episode is that there is nothing concrete to say that Trelane (the Squire) is not a member of the Q continuum.
I am going to be a boring fan here and continue with my Q comparison. Like Q, he is able to flit about from place to place. (There is a scene on the bridge where Kirk tells him to get off his ship, just like Picard did later with Q!) Trelane is able to teach Uhura to play the piano at the click of his fingers, or change clothes. He described humans as "wonderfully barbaric" a line I am sure Q comes out with. He can chase the Enterprise with a planet. But it is also clear that he has never visited Earth - a small patch of his planet is like Earth only without the substance - the fire has not heat, the wine no taste. He is also bound to a mechanical device that effectively creates his power, which is hidden behind a mirror. Then he puts Kirk on Trial, and behaves as judge, jury and executioner (okay, he doesn't get to do the execution bit, obviously!)
The big revelation at the end, where 2 other members of Trelanes race (his parents?) take him away because he has been a naughty child kind of extend the possibility that Trelane is a young Q and the planet and the device methods of training. The Q character from the later shows is also shown to be a maverick - they are not all like him, they have a non-interference policy that when Q breaks it gets him into a lot of trouble.
So, this episode is okay, it just raises some intriguing possibilities for the future!
Crew Deaths: 0
Total Crew Deaths So Far: 23
Score: 6/10
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