Dog Star Omnibus: The Gamesters of Triskelion

I have no hard data to back this up, but I'd wager a good amount of quatloos any recurring sci-fi series of the 20th century had an episode that resembles "The Gamesters of Triskelion."

There seemed to be something irresistible to sci-fi writers about the concept of heroes being captured and pitted against one another in gladiatorial combat while unseen flabby bits of brain sponge bet frantic amounts of imaginary currency on who would emerge victorious. Almost as much of a go-to as "captured as breeding stock." (Looking at you, Richard Blade.)

As such, the title (2) is perfectly satisfactory. That's where and who they are all right. I can easily imagine reading it on the cover of any of the Men's Adventure magazines of the pulp era. Like:

I imagine "Zenith Rand" was an ancestor or future descendant of Yeoman Rand.

Script / Theme: (4 / 6) Not the episode's strong point, really. The script is kind of dumb - there are a few nice lines here and there but I mean more its structure and overall point/ cohesion - and there's really no grand theme being explored, no "oh zing" insight into American culture that isn't applicable to any number of cultures. Unless it's secretly some bizarre S-and-M Hollywood confessional. (Which would be awesome.)

What the story does have, though, is mad re-watchability. It always brings to mind preteen sugar-spiked afternoons playing make believe in the backyard.

I'd love to see the Max Fisher Players tackle this as an adaptation.

Uhura's near-sexual-assault jumps out nowadays, of course, and rightly so.

It jumps out then, too, especially since Kirk mispronounces her name so prominently:

"What's happening to Lieutenant You-hrrra!?"

Some of the re-watches I've read go a little over-the-top on the subject, though. Verily I say unto you again and again: I come here as an anthropologist first and an archaeologist second, never a missionary. I'm as opposed to rape being used distastefully as a dramatic device to heighten tension onscreen as anyone, and I don't mean to gloss it over. I do wonder, though, if people's ability to ascertain the difference between a cheap storytelling trick (i.e. put the woman in danger) and actual danger erodes the more you focus on image and incident over substance and context. So far, the 21st century makes a strong case that it might indeed. This worries me.

Kirk and the Gang: (25) Some of Shatner's most Shatner-esque stuff in this ep.

"It's an unproductive purpose, unworthy of your intellect."

"YOU'RE KILLING HER!"

This part was originally written for Sulu, but Chekov makes out again due to the shoot for The Green Berets going long.

Spock, McCoy and Scotty get their usual B-plot of trying to figure out where the principals of the A-plot went. (And do their usual fine job at it.)

Memorability: (4.5) Any episode that has this many Kirk fight scenes, the crew writhing in imagined torture, and the iconic fight-theme music is going to be high on the memorability scale.

There's also this semi-famous bit re: Kirk's seduction technique:

Kirk's "I'm... sorry, Shahna" after the above always makes me laugh. Oh, the wearisome burden of command. Kirk is a master manipulator throughout this episode.

Interior Logistics: (2.5) Pretty solid. Well, as "solid" as this sort of thing can be. It is kind of odd that the Enterprise leaves no advisors behind to assist the newly liberated folks with their completely unfamiliar self-determination like they did in "Archons" or "Miri."

But maybe that was just a Season One thing; they don't in "Piece of the Action" or "The Apple," either. By the time they get to Season Three, they care even less.

Guest: (3)

John Ruskin plays the Warden. He has quite the Trek c.v. (from Memory-Alpha:)

I had no idea of the post-this-episode career she had. (Some of those pics NSFW.) "Mad Doctor of Blood Island" sounds promising, but it's likely terrible. Apparently she had a cameo in Repo Man, as well, but this is unconfirmed by imdb.

Jane Ross plays Chekov's drill thrall.

This nugget of info from Memory-Alpha cracked me up: "Despite rumors to the contrary, Jane Ross was not a pseudonym used by Bea Arthur, and they are not the same person." I'd neither heard nor considered that before, but now it's what I choose to believe.