The Gamesters of Triskelion 

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

Director:

Gene Nelson

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (created by), Margaret Armen

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Capt. 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

Storyline

Kirk, Uhura and Chekov find themselves suddenly transported light years across the galaxy to the planet Triskelion. There, they are trained as thralls, slaves who engage in gladiatorial combat for the pleasure of the Providers, three faceless beings who amuse themselves by wagering on the outcomes. Outfitted with collars that inflict pain for disobedience, the thralls are submissive and pliant. Kirk eventually challenges the Providers to a wager that will either result in freedom for all or a lifetime of slavery.

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Plot Keywords:

man wears a harness | bare chested male | crying woman | woman wears a harness | year 2268 | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1968 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television, Norway Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original title of this episode was "The Gamesters of Pentathalon".

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Goofs

The Andorian thrall's hands are those of a Caucasian man whereas they should be blue.

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Quotes

Captain James T. Kirk: The thralls have no freedom, Shahna. You don't think or do anything but what the Providers tell you.
Shahna: What else would one do?
Captain James T. Kirk: Love, for one thing.
Shahna: What is... love?

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Alternate Versions

Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song

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Connections

References Flash Gordon (1936)

User Reviews

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.