Star Trek was always a bit of a message show. The moral here? Be green, recycle…
As most people who watch Trek know, this is a recycling of the original pilot, which was rejected by the network as being ‘too cerebral’.
Most of the first part here is dominated by the set up, and it’s very very good. The plot moves along quickly, although it’s never quite clear what Spock’s plan actually was – had he intended for Kirk to follow him, or was this a contingency plan? Because if Kirk hadn’t followed him it’s hard to see how he ever would have got away without punishment.
Things hit a bit of a snag when the episode hits the flashback. Far too much of the character development stuff from the original pilot is kept, and it bogs things down. And as the characters will be gone soon, it’s not really relevant.
Important moment: see Spock smile at the flowers in the flashback, a sign of the changes his character had gone through since the first pilot.
Also, this is the first ‘To Be Continued’ of Trek. The next one wouldn’t be until the end of Season 3 of The Next Generation, the famous “Best of Both Worlds”. (Encounter at Farpoint doesn’t count, as it was aired as a 90 minute special).
11 down, 726 to go.