Star Trek 1.14
It’s more difficult to critically review the episodes that are *actually* good, as I pointed out with my True Blood posts. I don’t really have a lot to say about “Balance of Terror”. I love the feel of the chess game between the two captains. I love that it’s essentially a submarine movie; that Hunt for the Red October obviously owes a lot to it. There are even a lot of elements that I think they reused in The Wrath of Khan.
In many ways, Styles was acting the same in “Balance of Terror” as Bailey did during “Corbomite Maneuver”. He was questioning the captain and talking back and just generally not being a model officer. But he was also doing his job and not freaking out so much that he had to be removed. Yet for some reason we the audience find him irritating instead of sympathetic. I wonder if that could have possibly been intentional on the part of the writers or the actors?
I thought it was implied that, after the wedding, Lt. Martine won’t be in the Phaser Control department anymore so Tomlinson won’t be her superior. But if that’s not the case, wouldn’t it be against regs for them to get married in the first place? Honestly though, my big problem with the whole thing was the existence of a chapel in a world where supposedly religion is no longer “necessary”. But that’s a nitpick that belongs alongside the supposed lack of money and lord knows I don’t need to go into that particular debate.
I thought that the Romulan commander sending his friend’s body out with the debris was an example of the remainder of ties to Vulcans because it definitely had a kind of gruesome logic. Mark Lenard is so amazing in this episode that I always forget how much I like the Centurian, too. Whoa, I just looked up that actor and he was born in 1899! I wonder if there are any other Trek actors from the 19th century?
I loved the moment where they thought all was lost and Rand and Kirk stepped into each other for support. It was quiet and comfortable and makes me wish even more that her character had been able to continue.
In many ways, Styles was acting the same in “Balance of Terror” as Bailey did during “Corbomite Maneuver”. He was questioning the captain and talking back and just generally not being a model officer. But he was also doing his job and not freaking out so much that he had to be removed. Yet for some reason we the audience find him irritating instead of sympathetic. I wonder if that could have possibly been intentional on the part of the writers or the actors?
I thought it was implied that, after the wedding, Lt. Martine won’t be in the Phaser Control department anymore so Tomlinson won’t be her superior. But if that’s not the case, wouldn’t it be against regs for them to get married in the first place? Honestly though, my big problem with the whole thing was the existence of a chapel in a world where supposedly religion is no longer “necessary”. But that’s a nitpick that belongs alongside the supposed lack of money and lord knows I don’t need to go into that particular debate.
I thought that the Romulan commander sending his friend’s body out with the debris was an example of the remainder of ties to Vulcans because it definitely had a kind of gruesome logic. Mark Lenard is so amazing in this episode that I always forget how much I like the Centurian, too. Whoa, I just looked up that actor and he was born in 1899! I wonder if there are any other Trek actors from the 19th century?
I loved the moment where they thought all was lost and Rand and Kirk stepped into each other for support. It was quiet and comfortable and makes me wish even more that her character had been able to continue.