Trek Review: Shore Leave, The Galileo Seven & The Squire Of Gothos

Shore Leave

The Enterprise approaches an unexplored planet that seems suitable for the crew to take some well deserved rest and relaxation. A landing party is sent down to investigate before the crew can fully enjoy some proper fresh air.

Once on the ground, Doctor McCoy spots a 6ft rabbit being followed by a little girl and other officers begin finding items or experiencing strange occurrences.

Things become more interesting when Yeoman Barrows is 'attacked' by a mysterious man and Kirk meets his old flame Ruth, exactly as she appeared 15 years ago. The real danger of the planet becomes present when crew members are trapped by a roaring lion, Kirk is tormented by Finnegan, a cadet from his academy days and Dr McCoy is stabbed by a knight on a horse.

In the end, the planet's Caretaker reveals himself to Kirk and the crew on the planet's surface. He informs the party that the planet can manufacture anything from any thought for the crew to experience, or re-experience. The only thing to keep in mind is to be careful of what the crew summon.

I think this was one of the very first TOS episodes I ever saw, after my father purchased it as a standalone episode on some cheap VHS tapes. The whole idea of the Amusement Park Planet is great, but how could you possibly ensure that the 430 Enterprise crew would keep their thoughts in line and not summon something evil?

Anyway, it is an enjoyable and fun episode and most notable for the amount of location shots that take place. In blu-ray remastered form, the episode is amazingly colourful.

Overall Rating: 7/10

The Galileo Seven
The Enterprise is on an emergency mission delivering supplies when it comes upon a quasar. Kirk orders the ship to stop and investigate, much to the inconvenience of High Commissioner Ferris who is overseeing the supply mission.

Spock, Scotty, McCoy and four other crew members take the shuttle Galileo to explore the quasar, but end up crash-landing on a planet surface. The Enterprise has a hard time locating the shuttle due to interference, but embarks on a search that Kirk compares to being worse than finding a needle in a haystack.

On the planet the shuttle crew come under attack from huge beasts throwing spears and rocks. Spock, in command of the shuttle crew begins to irritate some of the human crew members with his cold, calculating logic. To the point where some crew begin to openly question Mr Spock's orders. In the process of reducing weight and repairing the shuttle, crewmen Latimer and Gaetano are killed.

Scotty is able to reroute power from the hand phasers into the shuttle to get them off the planet surface, just as the Enterprise is forced to halt its search. A daring move from Spock alerts the Enterprise to their location and the crew are beamed to safety.

An interesting episode, the first one to properly feature an Enterprise shuttlecraft. High Commissioner Ferris is someone you just want to punch in the face, why it took Kirk so long to remove him from the bridge is beyond me! Another thing worth note in this episode is the amount of irritation Spock's crew suffer and then openly dispute. How this was tolerated by Spock is unknown. It was somewhat obvious which crew members were going to die as the episode unfolded, while Yeoman Mears performed the token 'female' role of being in distress at all the situations unfolding around them.

Remastered in blu-ray this episode looks great, particularly the effects used for the Murasaki quasar.

Overall Rating: 6/10

The Squire of Gothos
On their way to Beta VI, the Enterprise encounters a rogue planet. Attempting to maneuver around it, both Sulu and Kirk disappear from the bridge.

A strange message is sent to the Enterprise prompting Spock to send down a landing party to attempt to locate Kirk and Sulu. On the surface, they find a large manor and upon entering they find the frozen forms of Kirk and Sulu.

The crew meet their captor, introducing himself as Retired General Trelane, the Squire of Gothos. Trelane entertains the crew but it soon becomes clear that he is in charge and has on intention of letting them return to their ship any time soon.

Kirk attempts to outwit Trelane through a duel and destroys Trelane's computer which was assisting the captor in maintaining the facade of the hospitable manor. The Enterprise crew attempt an escape, but Trelane pursues them relentlessly until Kirk returns to the planet, where he faces a trial, another of Trelane's games.

Finally, Kirk convinces Trelane to embark on a hunt and promises to make it interesting, if Trelane will let the Enterprise go. Trelane agrees, but chases Kirk and the Enterprise is never released. Eventually, Trelane's parents come to stop him and let Kirk return to his ship and continue on their way, apologising for Trelane's behaviour.

I actually don't remember this episode, but remember reading about Trelane and how some fans believe he could be a member of the Q Continuum (from The Next Generation era). I could see the link. Trelane's abilities and fascination with humanity are very similar to that of Q.

An interesting episode anyway, dealing with something/someone quite different and Kirk playing the game until he can find an advantage. The blu-ray remaster is again very sharp and colourful, the only flaw being one tiny scene where Kirk is surrounded by bars by Trelane, this scene appears to have been overlooked in the HD update.

Overall Rating: 6/10