IMDb > "Star Trek" The Gamesters of Triskelion (1968)
Prev | 46 of 80 Episodes | Next

"Star Trek" The Gamesters of Triskelion (1968)


Photos (see all 4 | slideshow) Videos
"Star Trek" (1966): Season 2: Episode 16 -- Three disembodied beings wager on fights staged by prisoners abducted from around the galaxy

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   344 votes
Director:
Writers:
Margaret Armen (written by)
Gene Roddenberry (creator)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Gamesters of Triskelion on IMDbPro.
TV Series:
Original Air Date:
5 January 1968 (Season 2, Episode 16)
Genre:
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. full summary | full synopsis
User Comments:
Gladiatorial School for the Enterprise Crew more (5 total)

Cast

  (Episode Credited cast)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
60 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Lars is assaulting Uhura in her cell, Kirk mispronounces Uhura's name, shouting, "What's happening to Lieutenant You-hear-uh?" more
Quotes:
Scott: Mr. Spock, the captain, Lieutenant Uhura, and Chekov... they vanished. They got onto the transporter platform, and they just vanished.
Mr. Spock: I presume you mean they vanished in a manner not consistent with the usual workings of the transporter, Mr. Scott.
Scott: Aye, o' course I mean that, do you think I'd call ya if they just beamed down?
more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Gladiatorial School for the Enterprise Crew, 6 November 2006
7/10
Author: Bogmeister from United States

It's time to set aside the philosophy and kick some behind with your weapon of choice; this is gladiatorial combat, boys and girls, 23rd century-style. Kirk and two key officers, Chekov & Uhura, are shanghaied from the good ship Enterprise while about to beam down and whisked a dozen light years away to a planet ruled by so-called Providers, disembodied prime brains whose only means of diversion is kidnapping various aliens for their amusement as space-age gladiators. This could have been a serious indictment of slavery, represented by those intense collars-of-obedience, but, despite Kirk's seething display of resentment as he finally rips his off near the end, this episode is best known for its cheese factor rather than any deep commentary on such a provocative issue. If anything, it reminded me of a typical, action-oriented episode of the "Lost in Space" TV show - cheesy and somewhat laughable. It's best remembered now for the outfitted gladiatrix Shahna, played by actress Pettyjohn, who went on to adult-film roles.

There are a lot of different aliens on display in this one, with the usual limitations of the make-up FX back then; to get a truly distinctive alien in the sixties, they would cast a giant actor (Morton), for example, but Ruskin as Galt manages to be truly alien in a creepy, eerie fashion, sometimes seeming to glide along rather than just walk around. Overall, it's average escapist fare, with sometimes silly dialog, Shatner over-emoting ("You're Killiinnng Herrrr...!") and not much thought put into such issues as what these all-powerful brains do with their version of money, quatloos (I assume, hearing their betting frenzies, it's their version of monopoly money), boiling down to a final combat where Kirk breaks all the rules and wins anyway. It's also typical of the episode that Kirk spends a lot of time seducing Shahna, his, uh, drill thrall, in almost touching scenes, but ends up clocking her. Despite the cheesy entertainment, for my quatloo, the best scene is on the Enterprise with Spock, McCoy and Scotty. There, Spock shows he's ready to be a full time commander when McCoy & Scotty try to team up against him.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (5 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Star Trek" (1966)

Related Links

Main series Episode guide Full cast and crew
Company credits External reviews IMDb TV section
IMDb Adventure section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.