In which Captain Kirk and crew finally find themselves being conquered by a superior alien race.
Well, almost.
Lots of episodes have had Kirk and company almost conquered in some way or another--heck, it seems like they're prisoners of some twisted personality in just about every other episode. And we know that it's unlikely that they'll be conquered with any finality. The show must go on. Or at least it did for another season and a half.
But there's a tasty, palpable sense of doom in By Any Other Name, moreso than in just about any other episode. Surely this is amplified by the fact that the aliens can zap humans into little, brainy sugar cubes. But it also helps that the writers made the aliens hail from another galaxy--it makes them more exotic and in the context of the series to date, unpredictable.
As doomy as it gets, however, this episode isn't without an enjoyable sense of humor, and most admirably, Scotty gets a longer turn in the spotlight, as we learn what we've always suspected--no matter who you put up against him, he can drink them under the table.
Kirk's love interest is also a source of humor on many levels, including when you keep in mind what Spock said about the aliens' true physical nature. On the other hand, when you look at her in her "disguised" form, courtesy of actress Barbara Bouchet, she was some knock-out--one of the best in the whole series, so I'd gladly forget about the tentacles, too.
It's good to see Kirk not always easily triumph, and he's in a quagmire he almost can't bluff his way out of here. The writers also get to explore human flaws and assets in a fresh new way.
Well, almost.
Lots of episodes have had Kirk and company almost conquered in some way or another--heck, it seems like they're prisoners of some twisted personality in just about every other episode. And we know that it's unlikely that they'll be conquered with any finality. The show must go on. Or at least it did for another season and a half.
But there's a tasty, palpable sense of doom in By Any Other Name, moreso than in just about any other episode. Surely this is amplified by the fact that the aliens can zap humans into little, brainy sugar cubes. But it also helps that the writers made the aliens hail from another galaxy--it makes them more exotic and in the context of the series to date, unpredictable.
As doomy as it gets, however, this episode isn't without an enjoyable sense of humor, and most admirably, Scotty gets a longer turn in the spotlight, as we learn what we've always suspected--no matter who you put up against him, he can drink them under the table.
Kirk's love interest is also a source of humor on many levels, including when you keep in mind what Spock said about the aliens' true physical nature. On the other hand, when you look at her in her "disguised" form, courtesy of actress Barbara Bouchet, she was some knock-out--one of the best in the whole series, so I'd gladly forget about the tentacles, too.
It's good to see Kirk not always easily triumph, and he's in a quagmire he almost can't bluff his way out of here. The writers also get to explore human flaws and assets in a fresh new way.