Bread and Circuses: TOS Episode 54 Production 44 Original Air Date 3/15/1968 Stardate 4040.7

Bread and Circuses - Star Trek TV Episode [ Synopsis | Editorial Reviews ]
Production # 43 Episode # 54
Air Date: 3/15/1968
Stardate: 4040.7

The U.S.S. Enterprise is appointed to transport ambassadors from many worlds to the Babel Conferences. Among those aboard are Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan and his human wife, Amanda - Spock's parents.

Keeping peace aboard his ship is complicated for Kirk by an unidentified vessel following the U.S.S. Enterprise and high tensions running among delegates on board. At a cocktail party, Ambassador Gav, a Tellarite, quarrels openly with Sarek about the admission of Coridan into the Federation. When Gav is later murdered, circumstantial evidence points to Sarek. The strain of such an accusation causes Sarek's already existing heart condition to worsen and he has the Vulcan equivalent of a heart attack. McCoy battles with less familiar Vulcan physiology to try and correct the damage. Spock is needed as a blood donor for the operation.

When Kirk is attacked by Thelev, an Andorian, Spock assumes command of the Enterprise, and refuses to participate in McCoy's operation on his father. The Vulcan insists that they identify and stop the vessel that is following them. Kirk fakes recovery and returns to the bridge, freeing Spock to go to the sickbay and assist in his father's surgery. On the bridge, Kirk must deal with the unknown ship, now in contact with someone on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. A search uncovers the fact that Thelev is not Andorian, but a surgically altered Orion, put on board to disrupt the Babel Conference.

The unknown ship attacks the U.S.S. Enterprise and is defeated. Rather than be captured, it destroys itself and Thelev commits suicide. With Spock available for the blood transfusion, Sarek's operation is a success and he recovers. Father and son make peace, realizing they have a common bond that transcends their differences. Kirk returns to sickbay for treatment of the knife wound caused by Thelev and McCoy gets the last word.

"Bread and Circuses"
Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discover that Captain Merik (William Smithers), commander of the long-missing Starfleet vessel S.S. Beagle, has become "First Citizen of the Empire" in a re-creation of ancient Rome on an obscure, unnamed planet. Under orders from the Emperor, Merik forced his own crew to die in gladiator battles and lured other Starfleet personnel to the same fate. Now with Kirk, McCoy, and Spock in hand, the Emperor's barbaric (and televised all over the planet) amusements carry on another day. While the script takes a swipe or two at the sometimes less-than-elevated tastes of global audiences, the episode's most interesting idea is the existence of a long-suffering cult of sun worshippers, a parallel to the suppressed Christian groups in Roman times. For Trekkers, however, this one is full of the essentials: a surreal premise, a hostile planet, lots of fighting, and Scotty (James Doohan) on the bridge. --Tom Keogh

Also on this DVD

"Journal to Babel"
Years before George Lucas knocked us out with his wildly imaginative bar scene in Star Wars (in which a broad mix of exotic creatures mill about), Star Trek did much the same thing in "Journal to Babel." Serving as a transport for a variety of extraterrestrial diplomats, the Enterprise becomes a warp-capacity hotel for truly eclectic visitors. (Director Joseph Pevney credits the makeup artist with this episode's impressive array of alien species.) The story finds murder committed aboard the ship and an attack on Captain Kirk (William Shatner), all in an effort to sabotage the imminent signing of a peace treaty. But against this mystery is an even more curious family drama featuring Spock's conflicts with his parents, the Vulcan ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), who disapproves of his son, and his human wife, Amanda (Jane Wyatt). Story editor Dorothy Fontana wrote the script after deciding it was time to show us the oft-mentioned mother and father of the Enterprise's first officer (Leonard Nimoy). We can thank her for inventing all the fascinating details of a complicated family relationship that ultimately became crucial to a couple of feature films and even a memorable episode of The Next Generation. --Tom Keogh