Ah, season 3. Of course this is notorious for a bad time slot and slashed budget giving us some less than stellar material. I still say some episode are really good, amid the crap, and today's is a great example of one.
Plot:Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov are forced to re-enact the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone as the team that lost the gunfight.
Guest Stars:Ron Soble as Wyatt Earp, Charles Maxwell as Virgil Earp, Rex Holman as Morgan Earp
Nitpick:The awkward edit back to the Enterprise at the end, to find Chekov is alive and well, was so awkward that it confused me the first time I saw it. I love how the budget cuts help the story, the incomplete western town makes sense and adds a nice extra atmosphere to the episode. Finally, one of Starfleet's biggest rules is they will not bother people who don't want to be bothered. In "A Taste of Armageddon" when the planet tells them to go away, Kirk is ready to obey that until the visiting ambassador pushes the issue. So, why does Kirk ignore the warning buoy in this episode? What is it about the Melkotians that makes Starfleet order them to make contact no matter what??
Summary:
Teaser-The Enterprise is on a mission to make contact with the Melkotians. A warning buoy appears telling them not to approach, and in a nice touch the crew all hear the message in whatever their native tongue is. Kirk decides to ignore it and approach anyway. On the planet Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Chekov find fog conditions and their devices will not work. Then a Melkotian appears.
Act 1-The Melkotian says that they will be punished for not following the warning. The Melkotian informs them that they are "outside", a disease that must be destroyed. They are to be killed and the method will come from the captain's mind. In an instant, they go from a foggy area to what appears to a town out of the old west. The town is incomplete because Kirk's memories were incomplete. As they try to figure out what is going on, they find a newspaper for Tombstone, AZ and a date which they recognize. A man appears calling Kirk Ike, and they put together that people think they are the Clanton's. They are meant to relive the great gunfight at the OK Corral between the Earps and the Clanton's. Where the Clanton's were all killed. At the bar a fight breaks out, and Wyatt Earp appears. Inside they find a typical saloon, and Chekov is greeted by a charming woman with a kiss (she thinks she is Billy Claiborne). Kirk considers confronting them, but backs down. Kirk tries to convince the others in the saloon who they are, to no avail. His attempt to make peace with the Earp's also fails, and they are told if they are still there at 5:00 they are dead men.
Act 2-As the four discuss their options, Chekov continues to get to know the young lady named Sylvia. The five then try to leave the town limits, but find a force field is keeping them from leaving. Now only 3:00, they realize time is running out and come with an idea to make a tranquilizer grenade to knock the Earps out. McCoy goes to get supplies from the local doctor (er, dentist), Doc Holiday, who repeats the warning to get out of town. Chekov is getting to know Sylvia better when Morgan Earp and tells him to keep his hands off of her. When he grabs her, Chekov prepares to defend her but is shot point blank in the chest. The others run out, to find Chekov dead on the ground.
Act 3-The Earps back off, and in the saloon Kirk is grieving while the others work on the grenade. McCoy and Scotty give Spock grief for not showing emotion, Spock pointing out that they forget he is half human. Spock then points out something odd, that Billy Claiborne survived the original gun fight, And yet Chekov is laying there dead. That means it can be changed. Kirk tries to get help from the local sheriff, but he is no help at all. When the grenade is ready, Scotty volunteers to test it and yet when he breathes the gas in nothing happens. This proves to Spock that none of this is real, the danger is just in their minds. As the clock strikes 5:00, Kirk vows to not move from the saloon until well after. Suddenly, they are at the OK Corall.
Act 4-There is a force field surrounding the Corall keeping them from leaving. Spock says he has the answer, nothing is real here. Chekov is dead because he believed the bullets were real. As long as they don't believe the guns a real, they can't kill. Spock knows that they are not real, so the bullets will not harm him. Kirk says the rest of them need to be a sure, and suggests a Vulcan Mind Meld. As the Earps walk to the Corall, Spock mind melds Kirk, Scotty and McCoy. When the Earps finally arrive and open fire, the bullets pass through them not harming them at all. Kirk then jumps Morgan and almost kills him, but refuses to. Then the Earps vanish and suddenly they are all back on the Enterprise-and Chekov is alive and well. Kirk suggesting maybe he's alive because the only thing real to him was the girl. Suddenly the buoy appears again, and explodes. A Melkotian appears surprised Kirk does not kill. Kirk explains the Federation an instrument of peace, and fight only when there is no choice. The Melkotians agree to allow a representative on there planet. Spock comments that he is amazed humans survived past that era, and Kirk points out that they overcame their instinct for violence.
Final Thoughts:It is amazing how you can tell it's season 3 right away, and I don't just mean the half finished sets. The music is changed, and is awful right from the very start of the episode. As for the episode itself, when you really think about not a lot happens. It's just the crew trying to escape, Chekov shot, and the final act. Not much really fills it out aside from decent character moments (why is Scotty such a boozer here?). But the few scenes that work really work, especially the gunfight which was really well done, and the episode is strong by Season 3 standards.
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