The Gamesters of Triskelion was broadcast January 5 1968 and it was the 45th episode. In orbit around Gamma II to check out an unmanned research station Kirk, Chekov and Uhuru beam down to the planet but instead wind up on Triskelion. They are forced to fight for their lives against some other prisoners. Once again the crew has become the plaything of some superior being. Aren't there any nice aliens in that universe? Man, space is a harsh. I like the fighting area set. Nice floor.
That guy in black is the main slave Galt. Nice collar, huh. Galt is played by Joseph Ruskin who had parts on 4 ST series. Original, Extra Crispy Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise. I actually haven't seen many of the last three series and I haven't got any plans to check them out. At least not yet, perhaps when I run out of new Sf programs to check out. Galt runs the fight club that's really just a pastime for the three colorful brain blobs, called Providers, in a glass dome 1000 meters below the surface of the planet. That's Kirk talking to them. They need something to do, since they can't go anywhere, and they like betting on the fights. Spock finds an ion trail that leads him to the planet but soon as they get there the Providers lock their asses in place. Kirk bets the Providers he can beat their best. If he wins the fighters go free; the Providers stop their game and help the slaves get a society going. If Kirk looses he'll provide them their entertainment and not make a fuss anymore. Not sure why the Providers would even go for that but they do. Gamblers are stupid I guess. Kirks wins and the Enterprise takes off. This is one episode that I do remember watching. It was fun to watch again.
January 12 1968 saw A Piece Of The Action debut. I remembered this one too. I mean gangsters in space, come on! One hundred years before the Enterprise stops in at Sigma Iotia II another ship, the Horizon, had stopped there. The Enterprise finds the Horizon still orbiting the planet but it's beem empty a long time. The Enterprise is contacted by someone on the planet and Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to find a world that looks like Earth in the 1920's. The Horizon had left a book about 1920's American gangster mobs and the people on the planet had turned that book into their way of life. The Wikipedia entry about the episodes likens it to a Cargo Cult. It's pretty silly no matter what you call it. There's a lot of running round and some laughs before Kirk eventually grabs the two main bosses and takes over their operations. He makes a deal that gets the Federation a cut of the action. Back on the Enterprise Kirk tells Spock that the Federation's cut will go to programs to help the Iotians get civilized. I thought this episode was more played for laughs than anything. It's a pretty goofy story that was written by Gene L Coon and David P Harmon. The director was James Komack. He would go on to create The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Chico And The Man.
A week laterThe Immunity Syndrome was on tv. I really don't remember it. I probably watched it. Uhuru recieves a distress call from the Intepid, a Star Fleet ship filled with Vulcans, then Spock gets a shock. He says the ship and the crew are dead. Star Fleet calls and says they've lost contact with the people on the planets of Sector 39J. That was where the Intrepid was. Now we know something is up. The Enterprise gets there and finds all billion people are dead. Then they encounter an 11,000 mile wide Space Amobea. It's killin' everyone it comes near. Of course they go right inside, plant an anti-matter bomb, then run away. Boom! Problem solved. Mostly a pretty good episode.
A Private Little War was broadcast February 2 1968 and it was written by Gene Roddenberry. On Neural Kirk observes that the formerly bow and arrow armed villagers now sport musket rifles. The hill people still carry bows. Turns out the dirty Klingon's are pokin' their dirty fingers in the pie. Poor Mr Spock gets shot with one of those muskets and there's green blood on him. They get him back to the ship and it's touch and go there but I know not to worry. He won't die until the second Star Trek movie. Knowing the future is cool. Kirk's arms up the hill people to restore the balance of power. There's a lot of talk about the Federation's Prime Directive. No interference with the internal developement of an alien civilization. Circumstances don't always lend themselves to sticking with the PD. What are you going to do, huh. Arm some locals to keep the peace. Kirk isn't too happy with the arms race he's worked out. Sometimes the episodes don't always have a happy ending. Mabye that's a good lesson to be learned. Another one that I liked.
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