I will always have a soft spot for the admittedly uneven "Galileo Seven" episode where the still under-developed character of Lt. Commander Spock gets his big chance at command while leading an ill-fated shuttlecraft mission lost in an ion storm. This installment came fairly early in the series before Leonard Nimoy had truly grown into the role and was a misfired response to the breakout popularity of his Vulcan science officer sex symbol. Interestingly, what the cast & producers discovered while making the episode was almost exactly what the scriptwriter had concluded: That Spock on his own would rely upon dry, functional logic to the point of boredom. Spock's cool intellect without an ego to foil was less than half a loaf. But it's still a beloved favorite and one of the great "Essence Of Star Trek" episodes that sums up what made us love the show even if the end result is somewhat stale.
First, this episode scared the dickens out of and thereby impressed us greatly during what became a routine after school "Star Trek" hour when the show was being syndicated during the early 1970s. Our local affiliate showed it in a 4pm slot squarely targeted at rambunctious kids home from school who would actually shut up and do something other than raise hell for an hour while "Star Trek" was on. Our parents made sure we never missed an afternoon! the result of which was a group of now 40+ year old guys who still love the show. This was one of the first episodes that made a big enough impression on our minds to remember specifically and we'd make believe our own "Galileo Seven" adventures using anything from a living room sofa to a tool shed as our Galileo shuttlecraft. Which delighted me to no end because I always got to be Scotty and he had a lot to do in this one.
I also have an attachment to it that is purely coincidental but still made a huge impression on my mind when I learned of it: This one premiered the day after I was born, and has forever since been my Birthday Episode that I make an excuse to watch every year around the same time. That makes me a nerd but I can live with it and fortunately its still a pretty satisfying episode even if the weak spots kind of glare out when compared to more successful efforts that I rank up there higher on my Favorite Episode lists ("Arena", "The Omega Glory", "The Doomsday Machine"). And no, updating the graphics won't make it better. Who's bright idea was that anyway?
But there are several appealing aspects to the episode on a structural level which overcome the rather wooden results of its execution. Kirk is more or less relegated to a secondary role on the ship looking concerned while Spock, Bones, and Scotty get some of their most extensive uninterrupted screen time of the whole series. There is a high quotient of guest star faces as well -- Don Marshall's foul tempered Lt. Boma and foxy Phyllis Douglas as Yeoman Mears with her fantastic space thighs being a welcome change of pace from the standard issue Bottle Episode crew. And while the studio bound Taurus II planetoid set is paper mache kitsch at it's closest to the absurd boundary as possible without being laughable, it lends a readymade "make believe" quality to the proceedings that are quite conducive towards inspiring the imaginations of 7 year olds for generations. What is there not to love about it?
But let me get this straight ... Captain James T. Kirk decides to pedantically toe the line of regulation to the point of creating a crisis where one doesn't exist by insisting on sending out a flimsy, malfunction prone shuttlecraft loaded with his most valuable staff contingent into a dangerous ion storm generated by an unknown quasar like phenomenon while in the middle of delivering perishable drugs needed to avert a planet wide plague (!!), with no less than a Galactic High Commissioner on board, who is absolutely correct in openly wondering what the hell Kirk may have been *thinking* by taking such a chance. Here's a suggestion: Mark the location with a space buoy and come back AFTER the plague has been averted, the Galactic High Commissioner has been removed from your face, and you have the time to search for your best officers & closest personal friends if something goes wrong. It's a five year misson, Bro! What's the rush?
Either the writer was inhaling whipped cream can fumes or Kirk's legendary status at that precious Academy of his should be re-examined. All along I've been annoyed at the wrong guy for being a bit dense. Sorry, Commissioner Ferris.
8/10; Look for a sort of unofficial sequel to this in the Animated Series episode "The Slaver Weapon" where Spock's command of another shuttlecraft mission comes to somewhat more successful ends.
