Category Archives: 2266

ā€œBalance of Terrorā€

Star_TrekBOT
“I can’t figure out why there’s a camera right here. Guess I’ll call tech support …”

The Romulan Star Empire — a mysterious former nemesis of Earth unheard fromĀ for a century — returns and destroys several border outposts with a mysterious and super-scary weapon. The Enterprise responds and has protracted battle sequences (think submarine warfare ā€¦ in space!) before Kirkā€™s tactical genius bests Spockā€™s dad — err, the Romulan commander (Mark Lenard) — and destroys the invading ship preventing another war and cementing our boy Jimmy as, well, our boy Jimmy. Heā€™s apparently of a kind. And a sorcerer!

Why itā€™s important

ā€œBalance of Terrorā€ introduces one of Trekā€™s main villains, the Romulans, and does so in a way that is amazingly consistent with what we see of them for the next 40 years — unlike, say, the Ferengi, who go from allegedly eating their enemies to caterers and bartenders in six years flat. Of course, the episode also has the big reveal that the Romulans are offshoots of the Vulcans and introduces the concept of the cloaking device to Star Trek. It’s an extremely foundational hour of the franchise. Just think if that racist dude Stiles (Paul Comi), the Enterprise’sĀ navigator inĀ this episode whose ancestors fought and died in the previous conflict with the Romulans, had stuck around!

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“Just a second, Enterprise. I need to make sure you get video from me even after myĀ outpost is destroyed.”

What doesn’t hold up well

The previous conflict with the Romulans as stated by Spock and others, is too Earth-centric even for first-season TOS standards — and especially if you consider the events of ā€œStar Trek: Enterpriseā€ (but even if you don’t). Apparently, Earthā€™s war with the Romulans occurred after the coalition that would become the Federation wasĀ established in Enterprise’s final episode “These Are the Voyages ā€¦” but before the Federation itself wasĀ formed. Or something.

Dramatically, itā€™s interesting in “Balance of Terror” that the Romulans have never been seen by humans (and it sets up the Big Momentā„¢ when Spock sees a dude who looks just like his pops on the viewscreen — even though we don’t see Mark Lenard playing Sarek until season two). But itā€™s hard to believe that no visual communication or prisoner taking was previously possible, based on the 22nd-century technology on ā€œEnterprise,ā€ to say nothing of the visual communications technology available in the real world in the 21st century. Itā€™s too bad that Spock didnā€™t just say that the Romulans refused visual communication back in the day. That would have been more believable than the apparent lack of Skype on Romulus or Earth 150 years from now. Maybe the Romulans were just way into Snapchat?

ā€œEnterpriseā€ also later pisses all over the wonderment of the cloaking device by giving Jonathan Archerā€™s crewā€™s a clear understanding of the technology and knowledge that the Romulans (and others) use it. ā€œSelective bending of light,ā€ indeed, Mr. Science Officer.

Lastly, the bad science of TOS pops up by asserting that the Romulans are a real threat despite their vesselā€™s lack of warp drive. Maybe Romulans have warp (even though the Bird of Prey seen in this episode doesnā€™t) making the Romulans a threat to the Federation in a larger sense, as opposed to being on par with the goofy aliens from TNG’s ā€œThe Outrageous Okona.ā€ But the cat-and-mouse game is undercut by the fact that the Enterprise should be able to outrun the Romulan vessel several times over.

stiles
“My bigotry is too big for my quarters. Sir.”

Final thoughts

Complaints aside, itā€™s possible that this episode set up the very idea of recurring villains in Star Trek, a huge, huge deal. Soon after, the Klingons were introduced, and the two main rivals of TOS were set (with all due respect to a certain dude in a certain rubber lizard suit and Harcourt Fenton Mudd). Beyond that, ā€œBalance of Terrorā€ is fascinating because itā€™s willing to show actual bigotry (from a 23rd-century human!) as a way to show why bigotry is wrong and something humanity was still working to moveĀ past (and mostly succeeding). Itā€™s very effective, but itā€™s also unusual for Trek and would have been unheard of in TNG, when all humans were apparently beyond such things.

ā€œThe Corbomite Maneuverā€

Star_Trek_Corbo
“I hope you relish my very weird upcoming acting career as much as I.”

On a routine mapping mission (stand by to photograph!) a strange cube blocks the Enterpriseā€™s path. Forced to destroy the cube, the Enterprise continues on, until it encounters a massive ship and its hostile commander, Balok. Unable to convince him that theyā€™re on a peaceful mission and with the crew facingĀ destruction, Kirk bluffs Balok into thinking the Enterprise has within it a substance called ā€œcorbomite,ā€ which would create an equal reaction to any force used against the Enterprise. Balok falls for it and rather than blowing up the Enterprise sends a smaller ship to tow itĀ to a base. But the Enterpriseā€™s engines overpower the smaller ship, leaving itĀ helpless. Kirk tells his surprised crew he plans to render aid to Balok — in one of the benchmark moments of the series, if not the franchise — and encounters an alien no bigger than a small child (Clint Howard). The Balok the Enterprise had seen was a puppet and the whole encounter a test. Balok then welcomes Kirk aboard in a moment of true Trek diplomacy. I hope you relished it as much as I.

corbo1
“Did you hear the joke I made earlier about being a doctor and not being a moon-shuttle conductor, Jim? It’s this running gag I’m trying to get going.”

Why itā€™s important

I consider ā€œThe Corbomite Maneuverā€ the third pilot, as it really gets to the core message of Star Trek more than ā€œThe Cageā€ or ā€œWhere No Man Has Gone Beforeā€. Kirk, after facing apparent death at the hands of Balok, offers him assistance — after making speeches about how the Enterprise is in space to explore and meet new lifeforms. This episode is the pure ethos of Star Trek and why mankind builds starships. Good stuff.

Of course, we also meet Bones (DeForest Kelley) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) in this episode and the uniforms and set take on the look we see for most of the next three seasons (though Uhura is wearing a gold uniform, for some reason). We also see the shipā€™s phasers fire for the first time and Sulu at the helm. Other than the absence of Chekov (who shows up in season 2) what we see here is pretty much what TOS was for the next threeĀ years.

"I'd really like to get out of this whole First Federation thing and settle down somewhere. Maybe make a little extra cash by showing up in the second-season credits. You know, a cushy retirement gig."
“I’d really like to get out of this whole First Federation thing and settle down somewhere. Maybe make a little extra cash by showing up in the second-season credits. You know, a cushy retirement gig.”

What doesn’t hold up well

Spockā€™s still not quite right, though the evolution of the character is starting. Itā€™s also odd that we never hear of Balok or his First Federation again. Of course, this episode was during the era when the Enterprise was pretty clearly an Earth vessel and not a Federation ship. The United Federation of Planets wouldnā€™t be introduced for several more episodes.

Oh, and itā€™s kind of odd that Kirk leaves Bailey (Anthony D. Call) — his navigator who cracks up during the encounter with Balok — behind on Balokā€™s ship without really knowing more about Balok. What if Bailey couldnā€™t eat the foods Balok could provide? Can Bailey live on Tranya alone?

Final thoughts

This isnā€™t a perfect episode, as the shipboard action gets repetitive and there are some clear editing mistakes. But it is necessary viewing, as it really explains what the hell humans are doing out in space in the first place. It’s really too bad thatĀ this episode wasn’t shown in the original broadcast order until much later in the original run.

Even if the Star Trek ethos can be gleaned from other episodes — Kirk tries to render similar assistance to fallen enemies in ā€œBalance of Terrorā€ and even in ā€œStar Trek III: The Search for Spockā€ — the introduction of Kelley as McCoy is hugely important. A big part of the popularity of the original series has to do with the Big Three of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Itā€™s interesting that Shatner and Kelley both were so comfortable in their roles so early in their time on Star Trek. The scene in Kirkā€™s quarters where they discuss Bailey hardly seems like something that occurred in their first episode together.

We do see some shipboard action in ā€œThe Cageā€ and ā€œWhere No Man Has Gone Before.ā€ But both of those episodes could have worked (more or less) just as well in more generic science fiction. ā€œThe Corbomite Maneuverā€ is vintage Star Trek, as we learn a lot about what humans (or, at least the humans we see) are all about in Star Trek.

ā€œThe Corbomite Maneuverā€ is the show’s philosophical pilot, rounding out ā€œThe Cageā€ as Star Trekā€™s aesthetic pilot, andĀ ā€œWhere No Man Has Gone Beforeā€ as the adventure pilot. Hence the decision to release the reviews of all three on the launch of this site.