Plot: What’s it about?
Episode #45- “A Private Little War” >>> Airdate 2/2/68
Kirk and his crew are visiting a primitive planet and while this was not Kirk’s first trek here, a lot has changed in the years since he was last present. The residents used to be peaceful folk, but now they’ve been given some substantial weapons and as such, have gained more violent streaks, to say the least. The weapons were imported by Klingons and of course, that means trouble for Kirk and his chaps. But Kirk has enough to worry about as it is, since he has taken a lethal bite, which only leader Tyree’s wife can cure. Of course, she lends a hand and cures Kirk’s ailment, but now Kirk is trapped by her magical powers, not good news at all. Can even Kirk manage to restore the balance of power, while under the love spell of an alien witch?
Oh that Kirk, he always ends up under the love spell of some woman, but this time, he paid a price for it, to be sure. I like this episode and I have no idea why, as the storyline is weak at best and it has no real suspense to report. I do watch it time and again however, so I suppose there’s something about it, perhaps a love spell transmitted through the television, who knows. I’m always glad when Kirk remains in the spotlight and as always, William “Mr. Oscar” Shatner delivers another of his trademark excellent performances. Spock also has some humorous moments, but as per usual, Kirk runs the show and if you ask me, that’s how it should be. If you’re a fan of the series or you just love William Shatner, this is an episode you won’t want to miss, I assure you.
Episode #46- “The Gamesters of Triskeleton” >>> Airdate 1/5/68
On a rather routine planetoid survey, three crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise find themselves intercepted, to beam down on Triskeleton and not their intended destination. So Kirk, Uhura, and Chekov are now a distant speck to the Enterprise, but as always, Kirk is determined to make everything work out in the end. The three are soon taken and enslaved, where they get trained very harshly by drill thralls, skilled teachers in the art of battle. It seems that once they’ve been trained, they will be sent into battle and their masters wager on the fights, like a high stakes game of chance, so to speak. But before Kirk is forced to whip some serious hindquarters, the Enterprise arrives and he decides to make one final wager… What a strange episode indeed. I suppose the storyline has been used many times before, even within this series, but it seems to pan out well here, at least I think so. It would have been cool to see Kirk in more action of course, but the characters he encounters are quite cool, very unusual ones for this series, I think. The old men with unique hair and beards, the ladies with minimal clothing and massive hair, even Chekov is present, the gang is all here in The Gamesters of Triskeleton. In fact, that name alone sounds humorous, so you know the episode is loaded with laughs and of course, a tremendous turn from William “Mr. Golden Globe” Shatner. I like this episode a lot and as such, I recommend it everyone, whether they love this series or not.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfer, which is how the series was shown on television. Thanks to Paramount, these episodes have been enhanced and remastered, which means they look almost brand new. There is not much in terms of wear signs or grain, which allows the other elements to come through quite well. The uniforms have never looked so catching, while the black levels remain stable throughout, no real complaints to be made. I suppose some small flaws could be discussed, but I don’t think they’re even worth mentioning, to be honest.
Audio: How does it sound?
Those rascals at Paramount have remixed the audio into Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, which enhances the experience tenfold…er…at least twofold. The surrounds won’t shake off the wall by any means, but the music sounds good and some cheese laden sound effects also visit the rear channels, so all is well. The dialogue is also well presented and since Kirk’s lines are delivered so well, that is most important indeed. This disc also includes English subtitles, in case you might need to enable those at some point.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a promotional trailer for each episode, which is cool, but where is the Shatner audio commentary option?
