"Star Trek" Errand of Mercy (1967)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

John Newland

Writers:

Gene L. Coon (written by)
Gene Roddenberry (creator)

TV Series:

"Star Trek" (1966)

Original Air Date:

23 March 1967 (Season 1, Episode 26)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

War! The Klingons and the Federation are poised on the brink, and then war is declared. Kirk and Spock visit the planet Organia...

Plot Keywords:

Federation | Space | Starship | Computer | Vulcan

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
John Abbott	...	Ayelborne
John Colicos	...	Kor
George Takei	...	Sulu
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Peter Brocco	...	Claymare
Victor Lundin	...	Lieutenant
David Hillary Hughes	...	Trefayne
Walt Davis	...	Klingon Soldier
George Sawaya	...	Second Soldier

Runtime:

50 min | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Desilu Productions

Trivia:

The Klingon mind sifter in this episode, along with the neuralizer from "Dagger of the Mind" were both from the interrogation technology Andorians used on Vulcan prisoners on "Enterprise".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Kirk is tossed into the cell and hits the "stone" floor, it's obviously a mat (to cushion the actor's fall).

Quotes:

Captain James T. Kirk: Well, Commander, I guess that takes care of the war. Obviously, the Organians aren't going to let us fight.
Kor: A shame, Captain. It would have been glorious.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: William Shatner/Lone Justice (#12.8)" (1986)

With John Calicos, this can't help but be good

This is the first episode where you see the Klingons--you know, the ORIGINAL Klingons who look a lot like humans with dirty skin. The bumps on the head and long scary hair are not to be seen--this didn't come until the first Star Trek movie (and even then, they still didn't look exactly like the later Klingons). Fortunately, the leader of the Klingons is John Calicos--a slimy character actor who almost always played villains. He was just perfect for the role and contributed a lot to the episode.

The show starts with Spock and Kirk landing on a planet that is about to be invaded by Klingons. The pre-industrial residents seem to care less about the invasion despite their best efforts to warn them of impending death or slavery. However, before they can go back to the ship, the Klingons land and the guys are stuck among the smiling and somewhat zombie-esquire residents. For most of the rest of the film, Kirk and Spock try to wage war against the Klingons--hoping to get the residents to join them. How this is all handled is truly interesting and a fitting conclusion to the madness.