Star Trek (TV Series) The Devil in the Dark (1967) User Reviews

Still a favorite after all these years

[mstomaso · 8/10 · 13 May 2007]

Kirk and the crew are visiting a federation mining colony on a remote planet rich in mineral resources. The Devil in the Dark is the Horta, a very unusual silicon based life-form which tunnels through solid rock. The Horta has been killing miners and, it is decided, must be destroyed. But how?

It is hard to continue this review without writing a spoiler, so instead I simply concentrate on the technical aspects of the episode and touch on its themes. The special effects are OK, but many of the scenes with the Horta look a little absurd. The acting is fairly average for TOS. Some of the miners are a little awkward. Nimoy has the most difficult role of all in Devil in the Dark, and he pulls it off well.

Why is this still a favorite of mine?

Devil in the Dark is really an anthropological and ecological morality play disguised as an adventure. More than many episodes of this great TV series, it brings home the importance of maintaining an open mind and at least some degree of empathy toward others. Plus, it involves one of the most interesting, if not probable, plot twists in the original series.

Enjoy!

That's No Devil - That's a Horta!

[Bogmeister · 8/10 · 29 July 2006]

I sympathized with the plight of the first man, Schmitter, we see killed in this episode. He reminded me of the trepidation associated with being a lone security guard at night somewhere - the type of work I did briefly about 20 years ago. Of course, I was never in danger of being burned to a crisp, as the colony chief (Lynch) is fond of describing. The monster in the dark here, murdering members of a deep mining colony, creates a scary impression in the first act. We don't really see it in the early scenes and, as many of us realize, the best monsters are sometimes left to the imagination. 'Big and shaggy' is one voiced description, but it actually turns out to resemble a big, lumpy pepperoni pizza, skittering along the ground like a silicon centipede - a limitation of the show's budget, unfortunately. This also shows in the latest matte painting, famous to Trek fans, the only way to convey a long shot of the mining operations.

But, the whole theme of this episode is about what's on the inside, rather than outward appearances, anyway. Sure, this Horta, a newly-discovered silicon-based life-form, looks like a mindless monster at first glance. Thanks to Spock's telepathic ability (probably the best use of a Vulcan mind meld for plot purposes), we learn it's a highly intelligent, even sophisticated creature. Besides Spock's instrumental use of his talent, McCoy gets to supersede his usual medical routine - healing a creature resembling rocks or asbestos. He also gets to utter one of his most famous lines, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!" I found it very true-to-life in his scene where he exults in his success, though he's unable to get Kirk to share in his enthusiasm - Kirk's too busy organizing results. The episode throws unexpected turns in character & motivation at the audience as the story progresses; Spock champions the need to possibly preserve this discovered life as Kirk takes his usual stand on preventing the deaths of any red-shirts (no half measures, as in "The Man Trap"). But later, it's Kirk who, for some reason, holds back on firing a killing blast, as if the heat of the hunt had worn off and he'd had time to reflect on Spock's point (I believe it was during this episode's filming that Shatner learned his father had died). Uncharacteristic for most of the first season, this has a happy ending. The conflict stems from the needs of basic capitalism, such as meeting standard quotas, versus protecting the natural environment and its inhabitants - a space age version of protecting owls from the tractors of modern advancement. Somehow, despite many killings and a sense that everything could go to hell at any moment with one raised phaser, Kirk and Spock manage to broker an agreement which satisfies everyone. I guess people and silicates are more reasonable in the 23rd century.

"I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer"!

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 2 November 2010]

Well now, I've seen some cheesy looking monsters in my time. Most of them came from 1959 'Z' grade sci-fi flicks like "Attack of the Giant Leeches", "The Giant Gila Monster" and that real scary lobster silhouette in "Teenagers From Outer Space". But this Horta just takes the cake. Seriously, what were they thinking when they came up with this design?

Yet on another level, this episode does a nice job of exploring the unknown and presenting the Enterprise crew with a choice to react with animal instinct or take a more systematic approach to find out what was happening on Janus VII. Captain Kirk is particularly effective here in the way he comes to the side of the Horta. But I would like to know what Shatner and Nimoy were REALLY thinking when Spock went into that Vulcan mind meld on the creature. Is there a Star Trek outtakes reel?

Then there's Bones - 'Yeah, you heard me, beam me down a hundred pounds of concrete and a trowel. I've got work to do'. I have to say, that was actually a quite creative resolution to the story of an injured crawling rock and her unhatched brood. I don't believe that whole fibrous asbestos/silicon based life form idea was ever used before or since. You have to hand it to Roddenberry and his writers here, they boldly went and never looked back with this one.

True Roddenberry

[gmzewski · 10/10 · 12 October 2006]

Of all the episodes of all series, this one holds the closest to Roddenberry's original tenet. According to the book THE MAKING OF STAR TREK, in Roddenberry's writer's guide to his story writers, he states that any alien creature, no matter how hideously ugly, impossible to believe, benign or malicious, MUST hold some semblance of humanity that the TV viewing public can empathize with and/or relate to. Devil In The Dark's HORTA, which resembles nothing more or less than a large blob of cow dung, is a mother protecting her babies, those ball-shaped silicon nodules the miners keep finding throughout the mine passages and destroying, because they have no idea what they are! This is one of my absolute favorite episodes if only for that!

"The devil in the dark" is still my favourite episode!

[joshi_3592 · 10/10 · 22 November 2009]

This may not be the most exiting or incredible episode they've made, but in my opinion it remains as one of Star Trek and the Sci-Fi genre's most original episodes. Most ideas from retro Sci-Fi series especially including Star Trek has been reused several times, this one the other hand remains mostly as a one time triumph. This among the episodes that impressed me the most towards the end.

Another thing I like with this episode is how it has accomplished to create such and exiting and captivating story with such few special affects. Now without criticizing the episode I must admit the effects are very dated, but then again what can you expect from a TV show from 1967? But still the creature ("Horta") in this episode is basically just a carpet with some coloured rubber on it. Yet you forget this after about 1 minute and you only start thinking about it as what it's supposed to be. Also the caves don't exactly look like rock, but again you forget it after a few minutes. This episode is a living proof on how good acting and a good story, can make you ignore the visual effects.

The acting from the main cast is as usual great. This episode features the series second mind meld by Spock and is one of my favourites. So to say it simple Leonard Nimoy is definitely a scene stealer here, and his acting is excellent. Not that Kirk or Bones don't get their share of the episode but Spock is the most intriguing in this one. i like the fact that the episode is not about one specific character but evolves around the trio handling an alien problem. Also it's nice to see an episode who doesn't only happen on the Enterprise.

Like most Star Trek episodes this episode tells us to have an open mind. I won't spoil the story, but evolves around what in the start seems like a typical monster story. It has killed several humans and therefore must be killed. But is that really all there is to it? I can assure you that the explanation in the end, will not disappoint you. This is still my favourite Star Trek TOS episode and i give it a 10/10.

A fine episode

[intp · 8/10 · 23 June 2014]

I thought this was one of the best episodes of the first season. Curiously, Spock is the one, not McCoy, who is the most compassionate and concerned about life, here, at least initially, although Kirk ends up being the one who pushes hardest for communication and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. It seemed a bit odd to give McCoy the job of healing the creature near the end-- it seems like that would be a job better left to an engineer like Mr. Scott, since it was more an issue of materials science than medicine; but I guess they had to give McCoy some important task to do.

Unlike some of the early episodes, this one did not feel padded; the pacing worked very well, with a real and serious threat (hostile life form, immune to standard phaser fire), a significant practical problem (the halting of mining operations critical to many Federation planets), and a careful investigation coordinated by Kirk. I'm also glad that the miners were portrayed fairly sympathetically; once they realize what they've done, they feel remorse and are motivated to make amends.

The episode was also a fascinating early example of environmentalist concerns: industrial activity that threatened to destroy a native creature and its natural habitat. Here, the solution worked out quite nicely for everyone, unlike the 'real world' where, more often than not, there are definite 'winners' and 'losers' economically, when environmental issues are involved. One could argue that protecting the environment is better for everyone in the long run; but someone whose livelihood is at stake might not see it that way, which is understandable enough.

Curing a rainy day

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 2 May 2021]

Enterprise visits mining colony Janus VI.

This is a classic episode with a brilliant message and a number of strong character moments.

The plot is simple and highly effective with a powerful statement on humanity that embodies the best themes of Star Trek. It unfolds in a compelling way with Kirk and Spock at the heart of it, well supported by Bones and Scotty.

Kirk is fantastically written, behaving in a way you would want someone of senior authority to act. There are no rash decisions. He is the ultimate cool head in a difficult and pressured situation.

Spock is the catalyst for everything positive that happens. These are great moments that define his character. His level of humanity is laid bare in his compassion for life and his protective instincts towards his Captain. I love how he spins his obvious emotional response as defending science.

Bones has rarely been cooler, particularly in his transition from seemingly lacking the confidence to do something to an almost god-like belief in his own abilities.

I think what makes it great is that it is so different from most other creature-based sci-fi and adventure stories. It would be so easy to give in to the blood-lust of most film and television consumers and make it a 'fight the monster' story, but this one could not be more opposite.

The visuals are mostly great. I love the set design, props and cinematography. The creature effects are very Star Trek. There's not much to say other than it is a stuntman underneath a what looks like a Persian rug decorated with foam pizza toppings. All part of the sixties charm.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both give strong performances, particularly Shatner under the circumstances of his personal life at the time. DeForest Kelley has a smaller role, but he has some classic lines. James Doohan is entertaining as ever and the guest performers are solid.

Excellent Star Trek; one of my favorites

[karn · 10/10 · 6 November 2014]

Everybody likes to say how cheesy the monster looks. But I'll be honest. It still gave me nightmares at age 10.

I also didn't like this episode much as a kid because we hardly see the Enterprise, and how can that be Star Trek? Eventually I learned that good science fiction, like all drama, is about characters and ideas, not sets and costumes and special effects. And so "Devil in the Dark" is now one of my favorite Star Trek episodes.

I sometimes wonder if it was done as penance for "The Man Trap". That episode also featured an intelligent creature, native to the planet and the last of its species, who began murdering humans for no apparent reason. But that episode doesn't fit the Star Trek philosophy at all, while this one is among the very best examples of that philosophy in action.

"Just as any mother would fight to save her children..."

[Blueghost · 4 June 2009]

In 1975 a friend of the family took me to a local JC in Sacramento for one of the first "Star Trek" conventions. I remember someone had taken some electrical tape and spelled out on the floor in the foyer at the convention entrance "NO KILL I".

The homage paid by this act reflects the importance of the social trend and awareness happening at the time. The country (the western world in fact) had just come off of one social upheaval in the midst of the Cold War, and was entering another. Trek was ahead of the curve by telling another great parable regarding not just a conservationist message, not just an environmental message, but one that levels a finger at mankind in his treatment of other living creatures.

This episode hits empathetic folks on a gut level. My mother included (or especially I should say), for while watching this episode with me (one of the few times she and I watched Trek together) she sternly agreed with Captain Kirk when Shatner's character berates Jarvis for the wanton and irresponsible acts of destruction.

It's not just a warning for today's companies and their forefathers, however still relevant and timely. It's more than that. It's a future warning to mankind, and any sentient who would mindlessly exploit that of which they knew nothing.

Another review comments on the thesping by Shatner and Nimoy. I agree that it's high caliber. The matte painting of the mining facility is what it is, as is the Horta itself. It is, after all, 1960's sci-fi TV. Even so, I'm hard pressed to find better props used in today's TV offerings (part of the reason I don't watch too much contemporary television anymore). Good shots, good dialog, good story, and a profound theme.

Enjoy.

The Horta, not life as we know it

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 1 September 2013]

Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan mind meld proves of invaluable assistance in this Star Trek episode. Life may not look anything like it does on earth and it may not even function bodily as we do on earth. But life can be found in the strangest of places.

Consider this planet which looks to be made of solid rock, yet something is killing off the miners in Ken Lynch's crew. Which is why he sent a distress call and the Enterprise responds.

Lynch's men are not being killed, in fact they're being burned to a crisp. It's being done by a creature we learn calls itself a Horta and to our eyes it's not aesthetically pleasing.

This Star Trek story reduces life to a problem of communication. The Horta has a very good reason for doing what it does.

It's a good moral this story has, all we need in the Universe is better communication.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 16 February 2022]

Within the planet of Janus VI, the rocks and minerals are playing tricks, clever lava you might say, but it doesn't like to play, it will turn you into crust, come at you with a thrust, doesn't give you time to beg, if you smash one of its round eggs.

A marble laying rock burrowing foe, that tunnels as it flows, turns out to be more than bricks and mortar, but only after slaughter.

The Devil in the Dark

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 10 December 2011]

Loose within a cavernous location is a creature that attacks scientists, burning them "to a crisp". The Enterprise is commissioned to go to the planet and find out what it is that has killed over 50 men and why. Janus 6 is the name for the planet and a long-existing mining colony is present, their personnel those who have fallen victim to the mysterious creature. Once Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to the planet, the creature actually "steals" a main circulating pump which provides life support, heating, and other life-sustaining functions for the mining colony so it seems that they're dealing with a smart alien life form, not just some primeval killing machine. Without a circulating pump in the power reactor, it will go "super critical" leading to a radioactive catastrophe. Spock gives it some thought and considers the possibility of a silicon-based life form with such a hard outer shell it could withstand the blast from phaser1 (the only kind of phasers used on the Janus colony planet by personnel) although Bones scoffs at such a staggering diagnosis since a silicon life form has always been seen as physiologically impossible. Why would the life form steal such a much-needed device from the colony, killing the personnel, after no activity towards them for fifty years? It might have something to do with thousands of "silicon nodules" found spread throughout the cavernous tunnels made by the acidic, corrosive secretions from the fast-moving bulky creature. Spock, through intense tri-corder readings, believes that this silicon creature could be the last of its kind and killing it would be a crime against science.

With a cheesy looking monster (right out of "The Creeping Terror" and those of its ilk) and sets (the cavernous setting looks really cheap, but that's par for the course during this era of television sci-fi before sophisticated effects and sets), "The Devil in the Dark" could've easily had been one of those campy, easily mocked episodes of Star Trek, but thanks to a strong script and intriguing ideas it goes in a thoroughly pleasant direction, with some fascinating developments (this episode asks us who really is the monster, the Horta or the miners; not to mention, the end result when a proposition is offered to settle the differences between the Horta and the miners) providing us with a creature (named the Horta) that isn't just a rampaging killing machine but has reasons for its actions. This episode features a Vulcan mind meld which provides a "meeting of the minds" allowing Kirk to know what the Horta is feeling/thinking, as well as, the hilarious line by Spock after Kirk claims he's becoming more human all the time: "Captain I see no reason to stand here and be insulted." How McCoy attends to a serious wound on the Horta is also quite a remarkable feat as is Scotty's engineering magic keeping the reactor going with bits of throwaway parts. While not one of my personal favorites of the series, I understand why so many have such high regard for "The Devil in the Dark" and I furthermore like that the title may not necessarily refer to the Horta.

"I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer."

The Pizza of Death? A terrible "monster suit!"

[mike48128 · 7/10 · 26 July 2014]

The "monster" in this case, is man, as nuclear miners unknowingly destroy hundreds of eggs from the burrowing monster called a "Horta". It resembles both a peperoni pizza and a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with yellow cheese poured over it. It obviously has a stuntman inside of it, creeping along. A good sci-fi concept somewhat made somewhat laughable by a really "cheesy-looking" rubber suit! Spock does a mind-meld with it and Dr. MCCoy repairs its mortal wounds with silicon patching cement! Not as bad as it sounds, but unintentionally funny to me. The Horta finds the appearance of man as revolting as its appearance is to us. The miners will now live in peace as the Horta and its millions of babies will now burrow mining tunnels instead of killing the miners with its corrosive acid. Too bad the budget wasn't bigger. The monster could have been more convincing!

One of the silliest episodes

[aa56 · 4/10 · 1 September 2017]

While the theme is interesting, the whole story is one big plot hole. 1) The Horta can move through rock as easily as men move through air. Where is the residue, the gasses, the excess pushed-out molten rock? Why are the tunnels not in the shape of the creature but circular and almost the height of a man? 2) The Horta has killed 50 miners. Obviously their defensive weapons are useless. So what do they do? They post a single guard. 3) How could a creature shaped like the Horta—no arms, hands, and fingers—extract the critical component from the nuclear reactor with mechanical precision? 4) In other episodes, communicators and transporter beams would not transmit through solid rock, but in this episode it is no problem at all. 5) All of the people killed by the Horta—even a trained Star Fleet security officer—freeze in fright when they see the creature instead of firing their phasers. Kirk and Spock, of course, do not freeze.

The Horta is in the details.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 10 September 2022]

The Enterprise crew beams down to mining planet Janus VI, where the operations have caused the wrath of a silicon-based life form (later identified as something called a "Horta"). Now, miners and guards are dying, and Kirk, Spock, and Bones must find the rampaging creature and eliminate it. But when they actually encounter it, they find the situation to not exactly be cut-and-dried: this monster is not behaving out of pure malevolence.

Considered by Shatner to be his favorite episode, this solid bit of entertainment generates some decent suspense for a while, and teases us with glimpses of the creature, which can do unpleasant things to the human body. Eventually, the viewer is able to get past the budget-conscious appearance of the being, and believe it as a thinking, feeling, sentient life form. This is due in no small part to the acting (although Shatner had a laugh at the way Nimoy delivered his lines while Spock does a Vulcan mind meld with the creature), the writing, and the direction (by Joseph Pevney, a veteran of the series by this point.). The viewer is also able to take some genuine satisfaction out of the resolution where Kirk makes a proposal that would be beneficial to all parties involved.

And therein lies the possibility of different groups co-existing in harmony, something the series always was careful to stress. This is another reason why Shatner holds the episode in high esteem.

Guest starring the excellent character actor Ken Lynch, 'The Devil in the Dark' is noteworthy for containing Bones' first utterance of his ultra-popular "I'm a doctor, not a (fill in the blank)!" catchphrase. (In this case, the alternate profession is that of bricklayer.). And it is Bones who is able to administer health back to the wounded creature, leading him to declare, "I could cure a rainy day."

Eight out of 10.

A meeting (melding) of the minds

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 4 August 2017]

Enter the Horta, possibly the show's ugliest prop, but still manages to convey an alien presence. Or in this case, a monster, one who's terrorizing the grunts in a mining colony. It's an extermination mission and that episode-long buildup is how the creature takes on a life of its own, no matter the level of production values. And it's a story of hard-won tolerance, thanks to that twist ending.

But it's also a good showcase for the Kirk-Spock-McCoy relationship. Isolated from the rest of the crew, this mystery is left to them to solve. All kidding aside, it's a great episode all around.

8/10

A new form of life

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 13 June 2015]

The Enterprise is called in to help when a mysterious creature starts killing members of a mining colony. The colony is extracting essential minerals but its existence is threatened by the creature; especially when it takes a vital part of their reactor's cooling mechanism; proving that it is intelligent. After seeing how the creature moves through solid rock and fails to register on any scanners Spock speculates that unlike every other known lifeform this creature is based on silicon rather than carbon. Applying this theory they recalibrate their instruments and discover that there is a single silicon based lifeform in the vicinity of the mine. Phasers have limited effect on it but Spock and Kirk eventually manage to wound it. Eventually the creature is cornered and Spock attempts a mind-meld leading to him learning about the nature of the creature and why it has been attacking the miners.

This is a classic Star Trek episode; it explores the idea that there may be non-carbon based lifeforms and raises some environmental issues. The creature effects may be laughable by today's standards but that doesn't spoil the story and it avoids the cliché of having a humanoid lifeform. Leonard Nimoy puts in a good performance as Spock; especially in the mind-meld scene. While this is a fairly dramatic episode there are some good moments of humour; most notably when Dr McCoy is asked to treat the creature's phaser wound. Overall a quality episode that I'm sure most fans of the series will enjoy.

All Sentient Species Experience Pain

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 28 April 2014]

The Horta is a globular mass that turns out to be thinking, feeling being. If, indeed, a crew such as those of the enterprise were to exist, they would need to be sensitive to the complexities of various life forms. A miner has died a horrible death, bathed in acid. The other miners, searching for some really valuable ore, have encountered this creature who seems to be able to meld itself with rock. The minders seek assistance and Spock, McCoy, and Kirk come to the rescue. There is the obligatory confrontation with phaser fire and injury. However, things get much more complicated as the actions of the Horta seem to be stimulus/response. The creature seems to understand. Spock uses the Vulcan mind meld to find out what is going on. The creature is badly hurt by the phaser fire and McCoy is asked to heal, leading to one of the best lines, "Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer." The creature is silicon based, hence the reference to repairing rock. It's a sort of touching episode in some ways and has a satisfactory lesson.

Thought provoking and ethical

[argimlumani · 8/10 · 26 August 2020]

This is a brilliant episode well written the ideas were executed well it begins with miners being killed by some creature you think its going to be a creature of week ep that is so associated with trek but it turns the tables the creature is sympathetic considering the miners have killed its offspring this is sci fi tv at its best

Mixed feelings about this episode

[SusanJL · 8/10 · 5 March 2019]

I thought this episode started off just awful. The acting was horrible, and the decision to leave the guard alone ridiculous!! I would have written this episode to have the Horta kill a bunch of miners at the same time, with miners escaping to tell the others what happened and that their weapons were useless against the creature. Anyone with half a brain would not send any more men to be senselessly killed until they had a better plan to deal with it! The lone guards getting fried by the creature, after they just gape at it and scream stupidly was idiotic. And why did they need guards anyway??? However, things got infinitely better plot-wise as the episode continued. In fact, I think it was a great plot. I would've given this episode a 10 if the beginning made more sense and the Horta costume wasn't so "Lost In Space" ultra cheesy.

Silicone Based Lifeforms

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 6 January 2017]

Season 1, episode 25. The Enterprise is called to Janus 6, a mining colony there are being attacked and killed by a mysterious creature. Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to the planet's surface with a small away crew to investigate. Upon arrival they met with Chief Engineer Vanderberg who tells them what has been going on in more detail. The search begins for this creature that can kill a person with a strong corrosive substance. The crew learn that the miners have found seemly useless silicon nodules and the creature is a silicone based lifeform. Kirk and Spock search for the creature while McCoy beams back up to the ship. Kirk and Spock find the creature hurt and Spock conducts a Vulcan mind-meld with it to learn more about it - it is called a Horta. McCoy is called back down later to help this unusual patient while the miners are ready to destroy it.

An episode that is hard to forget. I used to describe the Horta as a bubbly burnt pizza-like creature but watching it again all these years later I would say it looks more like a meatball with sauce on it. That's OK though because the Horta thinks that humans are hideous looking but the Vulcan is pleasant looking to it. lol.

7/10

Spock Mindmelds with a Giant Meatball

[Samuel-Shovel · 8/10 · 1 May 2018]

In "The Devil in the Dark", the Enterprise arrives at a mining colony on Janus VI in order to help kill a beast that has been killing miners, jeopardizing the exportation of the ever important pergium. As the miners continue drilling deeper, it seems to be upsetting the monster more and more. Spock soon discerns that the monster is silicon-based, not the type of lifeform that the crew is familiar with! It turns out that the miners have stumbled across the last of the Horta as she attempts to protect her batch of eggs, killing the miners in self-defense. Spock and Kirk ask the miners to coexist with the lifeform in a symbiotic relationship.

The plot of "don't judge a beast by its cover" has been around since at least when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein but this is a fun retelling of it. At the beginning, everyone abhors the Horta; they fear it, loathe it. But Spock's mindmeld and Kirk's understanding soon changes this tune for everyone. People are often afraid of what they don't understand. This episode reveals to us that, if we hope to find peace with what we don't understand or take issuance with, the first step is communication.

I love Spock's playful side. It's at full force in the closing scene as he compliments himself through the interpretation of the Horta. I think it perfectly encapsulates his character. Another fine episode!

Pepperoni with extra cheeze, please.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 27 May 2022]

Workers at a pergium mining colony on planet Janus VI are being attacked by a monster. Kirk and his crew are sent to investigate, and discover that a silicon-based life-form - The Horta - is responsible.

Even though the 'twist' in The Devil In The Dark is easy to figure out - that the Horta is a mother protecting its eggs - there is still plenty to enjoy about this episode. Firstly, the creature itself is highly amusing-a large, shuffling pizza with some strands of wool stuck to it (even so, guards posted in the caves freeze in fright as the creature attacks). Kirk despatching a group of redshirts to search for the creature will make most Trek fans laugh... doesn't the captain realise by now that he's sending them to their deaths? The Horta proves adept at mechanics by removing a reactor pump, but cannot form an intelligible sentence (NO KILL I). Bones provides a chortle with his classic line, 'I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer'. And Spock mind melds with the creature, resulting in some hilarious over-acting from Leonard Nimoy (Pain!).

The environmentally-friendly, new-age ending teaches us that man should respect all life-forms, even giant animated slices of pepperoni.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb. Silly but fun.

I guess I am one of the few who didn't love this one,...

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 6 December 2006]

The Enterprise is on a mining planet and all the action takes place in tunnels and chambers underground. There are also very few character--and most of the time it's just Kirk and Spock mucking about in the dark. Because of this the episode seems claustrophobic and static. There, they encounter a weird creature named the Horta and Spock makes some sort of love connection with it using his mind meld.

This is one of the higher-rated episodes of the first season of Star Trek and I must be one of the dissenters. I really have no idea why others have embraced this mediocre episode--I noticed nothing particularly memorable about it--though perhaps some environmentalists were excited by the "save the species" aspects of the film. The plot is just okay, the dialog isn't particularly interesting and the creature looks pretty silly! In fact, when I see the Horta moving about, I can't help but think about some kids or dwarf underneath it trying to make the monster look scary! Yeah, sure.

Getting to the heart of the matter...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 3 July 2012]

A revelation the first tiem I saw it (as a kid), THE DEVIL IN THE DARK boasts the best performance ever by a non-humanoid creature on STAR TREK. Although its motives and emotions are conveyed through the always capable Leonard Nimoy, the Horta still sorta comes across as a likable enough critter (the fact that it's a mother-to-be may have something to do with this: she kills only because she's given no other choice). It's our own knee-jerk reaction(s) to its appearance (and the appearance of its young) that results in loss of life; when contact is established, things work out smoothly enough. A very pro-lifeform episode. (It also inspired a short story by Yours Truly, THE HEART OF THE MATTER.)