Star Trek Retrospective: Episode 64 The Tholian Web
Writing these Star Trek retrospectives has a kind of fun Christmas element to them. You see I am a huge Star Trek nerd but not so huge that I have all the episode numbers memorized. I have a general idea which episode was in which season (or at least a 1 in 3 chance of guessing right) but whenever I start one of these I begin by typing “Star Trek Retrospective: Episode XX…” and then look up on Wikipedia I’m supposed to be doing. This is where the Xmas present part come in. Will this one be that massive Lego set I have been begging my parents for all year (Balance of Terror, Amok Time, Charlie X) or will it be a coupon for a free firehose colonoscopy (Spock Brain, And the Children Shall Lead, Assignment Earth) that my doctor is giving me to celebrate my Irritable Bowel Syndrome? (The image I got from our Star Trek T-shirt collection. Apparently there is a whole list of t shirts with episodes on them. Who knew?)
The point is even though firmly ensconced in Season 3 this episode is definitely on the Lego side of the Christmas spectrum. Not the Millennium Falcon set but maybe one of the better Harry Potter ones (I know, I know. Mixed genres. Shoot me). The whole concept of the Tholian Web is super cool, plus the whole cross dimensional concept rules. Also if you have ever wondered what Shattner would look like doing Mime in an astronauts outfit (and really, which of us hasn’t laid awake at night wondering that?) this episode will let you rest easy.
In spite of the fact that he managed to spend most of the episode as a ghost Kirk still managed to ham it up with a prerecorded message to Spock and McCoy and that is one of the reasons all true Trek fans love him. Sorry, there is nothing wrong with Picard. He is easily the second best captain in Star Trek history (as long as you manage to avoid watching Generations).
Dave
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