Taking its inspiration from submarine movies like Run Silent, Run Deep and The Enemy Below, season 1's "Balance of Terror" introduced the Romulans to an unsuspecting American TV audience on the night of December 15, 1966.
Script/ Theme: 8 / 9 pts out of 10/10. Pretty solid stuff all around. Our idea of life aboard the Enterprise expands:
The Romulans are rarely used effectively outside of TOS, and their introduction here is arguably their finest portrayal.
This first glimpse of the Romulans leads to the episode's other theme: fighting the enemy within for fear of the enemy without.
The old writing adage Show don't Tell is on good display here. We get plenty of lines from each commander about how worthy an opponent the other is ("He's a sorcerer, this one!" etc.) but we also see for ourselves exactly how Kirk slowly outmaneuvers the (unnamed - a nice touch, I feel) Romulan commander. And vice versa; Kirk's growing respect for the commander is evidenced well by both the actions he sees and the actions we the audience see, i.e. his private, unheard-by-Kirk conversations.
Beyond that, it's just a good script. Great character lines, good development and use of tension, and I always liked the nuclear-warhead-in-the-trash-debris trick.
Internal Consistency: When the two ships are playing dead, why are people whispering? Are they worried the other ship might hear them if they speak too loudly? (If so, someone should remind them that sound can't travel through a vacuum.) This has always bugged me, but it doesn't overwhelm the material the way similar SMH moments do, say, in STVI: TUC. Ditto for some of the inconsistencies re: sub-space or linear-battling. 1.5 out of 3.
What a space hussy! Actually, what happened was: "In her second appearance, the character was named "Mary Teller" in the script, but when the same actress was cast, the name was changed to Angela. Since she was referred to as "Angela Martine" in one episode and "Angela Teller" in the other, her credit for her later appearances is sometimes quoted as "Angela Martine-Teller," with a hyphenated last name." By the time she appears in "Turnabout Intruder," she's been promoted to lieutenant and goes by the name "Lisa." (No word on whether she and Esteban ever hooked up.)
Visual Design: 2 out of 3 pts. Tight quarters, plenty of close-ups, moody shadows, and lightning-flashes and strobes for the Plasma Weapon.
The Romulan costumes are better in TOS than they are anywhere else.
And ditto for their ship design:
Some particularly energetic thrown around the bridge in this one.
Memorability: 2.5 out of 3 pts.
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| Title: 2 pts. |
Script/ Theme: 8 / 9 pts out of 10/10. Pretty solid stuff all around. Our idea of life aboard the Enterprise expands:
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| And the sad fate of the groom-to-be is handled well. |
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| Given the way the rest of the episode plays out, ending on this note (somber discharge of duty) was a good choice. |
The Romulans are rarely used effectively outside of TOS, and their introduction here is arguably their finest portrayal.
This first glimpse of the Romulans leads to the episode's other theme: fighting the enemy within for fear of the enemy without.
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| Given Takei's experiences growing up in an internment camp, I imagine Trek's exploration of this particular theme struck a chord. |
The old writing adage Show don't Tell is on good display here. We get plenty of lines from each commander about how worthy an opponent the other is ("He's a sorcerer, this one!" etc.) but we also see for ourselves exactly how Kirk slowly outmaneuvers the (unnamed - a nice touch, I feel) Romulan commander. And vice versa; Kirk's growing respect for the commander is evidenced well by both the actions he sees and the actions we the audience see, i.e. his private, unheard-by-Kirk conversations.
Beyond that, it's just a good script. Great character lines, good development and use of tension, and I always liked the nuclear-warhead-in-the-trash-debris trick.
Internal Consistency: When the two ships are playing dead, why are people whispering? Are they worried the other ship might hear them if they speak too loudly? (If so, someone should remind them that sound can't travel through a vacuum.) This has always bugged me, but it doesn't overwhelm the material the way similar SMH moments do, say, in STVI: TUC. Ditto for some of the inconsistencies re: sub-space or linear-battling. 1.5 out of 3.
Kirk and the Gang: 25 out of 10 pts. Everyone does fine work here, and Shatner especially. There's that moment in "The Corbomite Maneuver" where he cracks under the tension. ("ANYTIME YOU CAN BLUFF ME, DOCTOR...!") and we don't see anything like that here. The flash of genuine anger when he discovers one of his bridge officers has bigotry issues is handled well.
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| Kirk's not just pissed that such a thing might jeopardize the mission and safety of the crew, he's pissed because this guy's insulting his friend. |
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| This is the high point of the whole do-they-or-don't-they business. |
Guest: 4 out of 3 pts. Mark Lenard pretty much showed all future actors what a Romulan is like. (Someone should have told John Logan.)
As for Stiles and Decius: 
Also effective. (Decius isn't even really too much of a character, but since it's the same guy who played Stonn from "Amok Time," it's worth a mention.)
Stiles is more essential to the script, i.e. the bigot who is saved by the object of his bigotry. We never see him again on the Enterprise. Presumably this was Stiles' big shot, and he blew it. He spends the rest of the 5-year mission keeping track of the Captain's judo-equipment in one of the lower deck gymnasiums.
One guest star we do see again is Angela Martine aka
As mentioned above, this episode aired December 15th, 1966. The next one to air was "Shore Leave" on December 29th. Angela's in that one, too, but whereas we see her ready to marry in "Balance of Terror," then grieving at episode's end, she spends "Shore Leave" chasing after the guy Esteban.
Also effective. (Decius isn't even really too much of a character, but since it's the same guy who played Stonn from "Amok Time," it's worth a mention.)
Stiles is more essential to the script, i.e. the bigot who is saved by the object of his bigotry. We never see him again on the Enterprise. Presumably this was Stiles' big shot, and he blew it. He spends the rest of the 5-year mission keeping track of the Captain's judo-equipment in one of the lower deck gymnasiums.
One guest star we do see again is Angela Martine aka
As mentioned above, this episode aired December 15th, 1966. The next one to air was "Shore Leave" on December 29th. Angela's in that one, too, but whereas we see her ready to marry in "Balance of Terror," then grieving at episode's end, she spends "Shore Leave" chasing after the guy Esteban.
What a space hussy! Actually, what happened was: "In her second appearance, the character was named "Mary Teller" in the script, but when the same actress was cast, the name was changed to Angela. Since she was referred to as "Angela Martine" in one episode and "Angela Teller" in the other, her credit for her later appearances is sometimes quoted as "Angela Martine-Teller," with a hyphenated last name." By the time she appears in "Turnabout Intruder," she's been promoted to lieutenant and goes by the name "Lisa." (No word on whether she and Esteban ever hooked up.)
Visual Design: 2 out of 3 pts. Tight quarters, plenty of close-ups, moody shadows, and lightning-flashes and strobes for the Plasma Weapon.
The Romulan costumes are better in TOS than they are anywhere else.
And ditto for their ship design:
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| Something I was happy to see Byrne follow so faithfully in his IDW work. |
Some particularly energetic thrown around the bridge in this one.
Total Points Awarded: 54
