Plot: What’s it about?
Episode #59- “The Enterprise Incident” >>> Airdate 9/27/68
In a moment of what seems to be a personal crisis, Kirk (played with pride by William Shatner) orders his crew to venture into Romulan territory. Now this is a bad move, as the Romulan space is forbidden for Kirk and his buddies, so great danger is involved in this move. As soon as the Enterprise coasts a ways into the realm, Romulan ships soon converge and of course, demand the unconditional surrender of Kirk and his crew members. Soon, all hell begins to break loose, as Spock denounces his former crew and gets friendly with a Romulan chick, then slaps the Vulcan Death Grip on Kirk! Will this mess ever be taken care of, or has the crew seen its last adventure?
Now this is what Star Trek is all about, as Spock and Kirk face off in a battle of not only brawn, but also brains. Ok, so maybe that’s only a brief segment in The Enterprise Incident, but seeing Spock clamp the Vulcan Death Grip on Kirk sends chills down my spine, even after seeing it happen many times. I know the millions and millions of Kirk’s fans shuddered when it happened back in 1968, but I think modern audiences do the same, without a doubt. Such tension, such powerful performances, such a landmark in television history, such is Star Trek, my friends. This is a very cool episode and while it pains me to see Kirk in danger like this, The Enterprise Incident is one of the better Trek adventures, so don’t miss out on this one, ok?
Episode #60- “And The Children Shall Lead” >>> 10/11/68
Kirk and his team have arrived on Triacus, where they encounter some strange events, to say the least. Another team was dispatched to explore the planet, but all of the adults are dead, as they’ve killed themselves. The deceased people had children there also, but the kids seem disinterested and unmoved by the death of their parents, very strange indeed. Kirk is certain something evil lurks on Triacus, but he is unsure what it is, at least at this time. But when the kids are beamed aboard the ship, the evil presence comes with them and of course, that means Kirk has to deal with a supernatural force…but what does this spirit want?
This episode has never been too good to me, as it seems so bland when compared to the more thrilling (HA!) episodes of this series. The kids annoy me to no end, while the whole ghost issue is lame, especially the visual effects used to create his presence. I suppose Trek nerds will find some elements to like with this episode, but aside from the decent enough title, I was left cold by And The Children Shall Lead. It has some moments, but Kirk is underused, the storyline is lame, and come on, how bad is the ghost, really? Fans of the series will want to check this one out, but I doubt it will win any new fans to the series.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. As usual, Paramount has digitally enhanced and remastered the materials, which means we’re treated to a clean, sharp visual presentation. I’ve never seen reruns come close to this kind of quality, so fans should be most pleased, to be sure. The colors look solid and show minimal age defects, while contrast is stable and provides good detail level at all times. I can’t imagine these episodes could look much better than this, so fans and newcomers should be more than satisfied.
Audio: How does it sound?
The world of Star Trek has never sounded so rich, thanks to brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 surround options on both episodes. Of course, this is a cheese show from the 1960s, so the effects music are cheese also, but it all sounds darn good in full surround sound, I think. The surrounds aren’t used too much, but you’ll hear them at times and since the overall sound is clean, I doubt anyone will be let down here. The dialogue never misses a beat and since Shatner’s vocals are the focus of the show, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief on that one. This disc also includes English subtitles, in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a promotional trailer for each episode…neat, huh?
