Arena (19 Jan. 1967)

For bringing hostility into their solar system, a superior alien race pits Captain Kirk in single combat against the murderous reptilian captain of an alien ship he was pursuing.

Director:

Joseph Pevney

Writers:

Gene L. Coon (teleplay), Fredric Brown (story),

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
George Takei	...	Sulu
James Doohan	...	Scott
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Jerry Ayres	...	O'Herlihy
Grant Woods	...	Lieutenant Kelowitz
Tom Troupe	...	Lt. Harold
James Farley	...	Lt. Commander Lang
Carolyne Barry	...	Metron (as Carole Shelyne)
Sean Kenney	...	DePaul

Storyline

When an alien race known as the Gorn destroys an Earth colony, the Enterprise pursues the fleeing Gorn vessel until another race of powerful aliens called the Metrons intervenes and forces Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain to face off in one-on-one combat in which the winner will be released and the loser destroyed along with his ship and crew.

---

Plot Keywords:

saltpetre | 23rd century | improvised weapon | reptile man

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1967 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions, Norway Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although it was not intentional, Desilu's research department realized that Gene L. Coon's screenplay strongly resembled an earlier story of the same name by Fredric Brown. To deal with the difficulty, Brown was telephoned about the matter and he agreed to an official credit for the story.

---

Goofs

(at around 37 mins) As Kirk is preparing to fire a mortar round at the Gorn, a stage hand's shadow is seen moving across the actors.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Captain James T. Kirk: You'll enjoy Commodore Travers. He sets a good table.
Dr. McCoy: I wonder if he brought his personal chef along with him to Cestus III.
Captain James T. Kirk: Probably. Rank hath its privileges.
Dr. McCoy: [they both chuckle] How well we both know that!

---

Connections

Referenced in Conan: The Integrity Episode, Brought to You by Pall Mall Cigarettes (2012)

User Reviews

Kirk And His Adversary

Let's face it, the most far-fetched scene of the show is how Kirk constructs the rocket from the different materials in "The Arena". The Enterprise finds a planet where a terrible battle is going on between members of the Federation and a group who have claimed the planet for their own. Supposedly, the defenders of the station have attacked the Federation outpost because they themselves felt they were invaded. Kirk soon finds out that system of planets belongs to a mysterious race of beings who are indignant at the encroachment of their system by the Star Fleet. But that is not the only reason. Because of the battle raging on the planet, the Metrones decide to single out Captain Kirk to do battle with a massive warrior known as a Gorn. While this battle between only the two goes on, the Enterprise has had a lot of it's functionality disabled. By the Metrones it seems, a race of beings that are far superior to the humans(and Spock) in many ways. The first season of Star Trek has always been my favorite of all the Star Trek, and I must be indicted for my age. Yes, the shows are not high on the cinematic level in terms of effects. But there is a lot of morality and ethics in those first shows that is a major part of the episodes. The first season appears to be the best, and that is because of the screenplay of the episodes. It is very well-written, being the first season of an incredible new ongoing adventure in science fiction.