There are episodes of Star Trek that the fandom loves. There are ones that it hates. Then are the ones that are so forgotten, Lower Decks hasn't even made a joke about them.
I get a feeling that this one doesn't receive much attention... and is clearly that another cheap one. Anyway, here we go:
- I've said it before and I'll say it again... Starfleet really needs defences against random people teleporting in.
- Losira's hair and make-up look like some form of LSD was involved in their desire. While her top must have involved a lot of double-sided tape. Lee Meriwether had been Miss America in 1955.
- That's a rather unconvincing-looking earthquake in what is obviously a studio set with a purple backdrop. No-one ever thought to add a cloud?
- A planet with no accessible water or non-poisonous foodstuff is not really a good place to set up home. Even Rimworld gives you those.
- Sometimes redshirts don't have to wear red. Although one does here.
- Phasers must be powerful if they can create an entire grave; something that takes multiple hours to do, even for a shallow one.
- Listen to Scotty! He knows what he's talking about, even when he phrases it in a rather strange way. But he doesn't even put on safety goggles when going in the Jeffries tube and gets far too panicky in the climax.
- "Lt. Amato". That's how you're burying him? Doesn't he even have a first name? Also, are you going to recover his body afterwards? His family might want it back!
- "I am for you". What is this? A Donald Trump ad?
- Strange women in purple distributing death by the touch of a hand does not make for a good system of security.
- Spock is very funny in this, playing emotionless Vulcan to the hilt.
- If every cell in Sulu's shoulder was disrupted, how does he still have a functioning left arm?
- Reverse the polarity of the magnetic probe? This appears before Jon Pertwee became the Doctor. Mind you, it's not done as easily here as in Doctor Who.
Conclusion
Saved from being truly bad by the Spock and Scotty stuff, that still doesn't make the episode very good.
It's notable that D.C. Fontana was so unhappy about how how far the story changed from her concept that she had her credit changed to "Michael Richards".
4/10
