"Star Trek"
The Gamesters of Triskelion (1968)

Director:

Gene Nelson

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator) and
Margaret Armen (writer)

TV Series:

"Star Trek" (1966)

Original Air Date:

5 January 1968 (Season 2, Episode 16)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure

Plot:

Kirk, Uhura and Chekhov are trapped on a planet where gladiators are enslaved and trained to perform for the amusement of bored, faceless aliens.

Plot Keywords:

Flogging | Slavery | Whipping | Gladiator | Corporal Punishment

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
Joseph Ruskin	...	Galt
Angelique Pettyjohn	...	Shahna
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
James Doohan	...	Scott
Steve Sandor	...	Lars
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
Jane Ross	...	Tamoon
Victoria George	...	Ensign Jana Haines
Dick Crockett	...	Andorian Thrall
Mickey Morton	...	Kloog

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Desilu Productions

Trivia:

The glass dome over the abode of the three Gamesters of Triskelion was originally used on Lazarus' ship in the episode, "The Alternative Factor".

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the final battle, one rule is to stay in your designated color, with punishment being removal of a weapon. Both Kirk and the thralls touch their opponent’s colors quite frequently, yet the providers do not call them on rule breaking.

Quotes:

Lt. Cmdr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, M.D.: Hope? I always thought that was a human failing, Mr. Spock.
Mr. Spock: Quite true. Constant exposure does result in a certain degree of - contamination.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Deep Space Homer (#5.15)" (1994)

Nourishment and Tournaments

Among many other aspects of the show, I'm a big fan of the original Star Trek's cheese factor. I'm also a fan of the fighting shows, partially because they tend to be high on the cheese factor. The Gamesters of Triskelion is chock full of both of those elements, but my score is a couple points lower than it would otherwise be due mostly to the fact that the plot of this episode isn't particularly fresh.

To an extent, writers Margaret Armen and Gene Roddenberry, along with director Gene Nelson were cruising along on autopilot. It's certainly an enjoyable autopilot, but it's not enough to garner a 10/10. Very Similar ideas can be found in earlier episodes including Bread and Circuses, Arena, Amok Time, I, Mudd, and The Cage/The Menagerie. Another slight problem is that some of the mechanics of extending the episode are fairly transparent, such as Kirk not fighting so well in the early segments.

Kirk, Chekov and Uhura are abducted and diverted a few light years away while being beamed down to another planet. They become imprisoned in a "culture" that uses violent games for sport. Through this and developments further into the episode, Roddenberry and crew are able to explore issues such as slavery, totalitarianism, and ideas of evolutionary, cultural and intellectual superiority.

But The Gamesters of Triskelion is a lot of fun for other reasons, including the fight choreography and the often-ridiculous aliens, including a Grand Poobah who looks something like Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey. This episode also has one of Kirk's more questionable love interests.