"Star Trek" Requiem for Methuselah (1969)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Murray Golden

Writers:

Jerome Bixby (written by)
Gene Roddenberry (creator)

TV Series:

"Star Trek" (1966)

Original Air Date:

14 February 1969 (Season 3, Episode 19)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

When Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to a supposed uninhabited planet to gather the mineral ryetalyn...

Plot Keywords:

Federation | Space | Starship | Computer | Vulcan

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
James Daly	...	Flint
Louise Sorel	...	Rayna
James Doohan	...	Scott
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Television

Trivia:

The last name of the android Rayna Kapec is an anagram of the last name of Karel Capek, the Czech author who popularized the term "robot". This may or may not be a deliberate easter egg from the writers.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the wide bridge shot of the "frozen" Enterprise, the crew is motionless, but the panel lights are still running. However, when the shot changes to the viewscreen, both the lights and the crew are frozen.

Quotes:

Flint: I have married a hundred times, Captain. Selected, loved, cherished, caressed a smoothness, inhaled a brief fragrance. Then age, death, the taste of dust. Can you understand?
Mr. Spock: You wanted a perfect, ultimate woman. As brilliant, as immortal as yourself. Your mate for all time.
Flint: Designed by my heart. I could not love her more.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Requiem for a series

Arguably the last good episode of Star Trek ("All Our Yesterdays" features an interesting plot line with Spock and Mariette Hartley), "Requiem for Methuselah" is among the more literate scripts the series offered. Jerome Bixby demonstrates his considerable science-fiction writing ability in his well-drawn Flint character, adeptly brought to life by veteran TV actor James Daly. While this episode is almost farcical in its accelerated Kirk/Rayna love-story arc, the concept of Flint as an immortal conglomeration of the some of the greatest minds in human history and Spock's gradual realization of this secret are intriguing and engaging. What also makes this episode memorable is that it stands out so far above the largely forgettable third season, and a touching scene between Kirk and Spock helps an otherwise schlocky ending. "Methuselah" belongs nowhere near the pantheon of the likes of "Naked Time" or "City on the Edge of Forever," but it was a final reminder of what made the series so special.