Captain's Blog pt. 87: The Devil in the Dark

March 9th, 1967

Title: (2) It could be a reference to something specific, I'm not sure. It works pretty well for a fear of the unknown/ we-have-met-the-enemy-and-it-is-us story.

Script: (8.5) Great story all around, good message, thoughtfully and intelligently executed. The exchange between Spock and Kirk at episode's end is amusing enough, though it sometimes boggles the mind how much everyone makes (and how often) of Spock's ears. Still, it serves a point here: what we see is alien is always in the eye of the beholder.

Theme: (8.5) I'm not sure if "humanizing" the monster is quite as groundbreaking as some of the reviews I've been reading indicate. I agree that it's a well-developed theme, but wasn't it fairly common to sci-fi by 1967? Definitely in print but even in tv and film. Doesn't take anything away from "Devil in the Dark," of course; this is more of a comment on the reviews and re-watches and memoirs.

"This is not a zoological expedition."

Roddenberry objected strongly to Kirk killing the Ceti eel once it dripped from Chekov's ear in Wrath of Khan and cited the Horta as a precedent. Which is very confused; I mean, the Horta doesn't occupy and then consume the brains of its host. It fights for its survival; it is not exploited as a weapon. No thematic inconsistency; sounds like Roddenberry was just pissed off.

It is a little odd to discover this Pergium business. You'd figure the matter/antimatter equation would solve a lot of energy problems. But the "this planet has the one element the entire Federation inexplicably needs to survive" artery hadn't hardened yet, so this episode gets a pass. (By the time you get to "The Cloud Minders" and "Requiem for Methusaleh," it's much more of a liability.)

Visual Design: (3) One word:

The story of how the alien's appearance came into being is repeated everywhere this episode is mentioned, so I'll skip it.

Trek conventions haven't changed much.

Kirk and the Gang: (30) First, great performance from Nimoy.

Spock's "I am quickening my pace" line always makes me laugh. But I'd wager that when people think of Spock and this episode they think of:

From the AV Club: "(The mind-meld) should be ridiculous. Spock's basically groping a puppet and treating it like a massive spiritual and moral struggle. But it works. (...) It's not memorable because it's campy, either. Nimoy's acting sells it because he never allows for a moment that what he's doing is absurd."

"He commits, as my old acting teacher would say, and the sequence becomes this whole tragic, horrifying tribute both to his skills as a performer and the writer behind the episode." Hear hear.

Shatner, too, deserves a tip of the brim.

His father died during shooting of this episode, but the show must goes on. RIP, Shatner, Sr.

First use of the "I'm a doctor, not a..." McCoyism.

Guest: (1.5) a veteran character actor.

This guy at the beginning dies memorably. "Sure is daaahk down here..."
"Like the others... burned to a crisp..."

Internal Logistics: (.5) Mr. Myers from Tor: "For some reason, this time around a lot of flaws in the episode stood out, nearly eclipsing the good moments like McCoy’s bricklaying and Spock’s comments on the Horta liking his ears. Why did the Horta steal the pump instead of melting it, and more importantly, how did she carry it off? How could the Horta etch a message so meticulously in the rock? What kind of alien biology requires all but one member of a species to die out every 50,000 years?"

Reasonable questions. Nothing (above or below) is in danger of eclipsing the episode's good points, for me - (I think the fact that the Horta does burn a message/ carry off the piece of equipment is evidence enough that it can do so; how we don't really need to know) - but I was amused enough to keep a list of some of them.

- McCoy's "I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day" line was a little odd. Haven't they learned to control the weather already? Other episodes give this impression.

Isn't Pergium even mentioned as essential to atmospheric modification/ weather control in the script itself? I could be confusing this with some Un-obtainium from another episode.

- I realize the message we're supposed to take from the end of the episode is that mutual cooperation between alien cultures is beneficial for all, but I couldn't help but wonder what exactly the Horta will get out of the arrangement. The right to exist, on its own planet? In exchange for dramatically increasing the mining operations and personally enriching the miners? Not to mention taking on a sizable work load for them? I can only hope some of that wealth is re-invested in the Horta's way of life. (Whatever that is. Good thing personal computers seem to have moved beyond silicon in the 23rd century.)

Or perhaps the credits are put into a trust that the Federation then administers. Let's hope not.

- Is it consistent with the 23rd century we've seen that one can get rich from mining the natural resources of an alien world for sale/ profit? I suppose it is - not with Trek altogether, but with TOS at this point in the series. I only mention it because TOS does great work when it brings such things up if only to provoke further discussion (as in "This Side of Paradise" or "Archons") and a line or two questioning (or acknowledging) the somewhat one-sided arrangement the Horta strike with the miners would have been cool.

Memorability: (3)  Walk carefully in the vault of tomorrow.

Total Points Awarded: 56.5