Volume 11 in the classic Star Trek series
on DVD contains the delightful episode "Space Seed," a
time-travel story with an infectious blend of suspense and humor. After
dropping into a black hole, the Enterprise ends up orbiting the Earth
in the late 1960s, and is spotted by U.S. Air Force Captain Christopher (Roger
Perry), who happens to be flying by in his jet. Inadvertently giving poor
Christopher an unwanted glimpse into the future, and wrecking his jet with an
overpowering tractor beam, Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), not having a good
day, beams him aboard the Federation starship. The collision of sensibilities
and reference points between characters born several centuries apart has a
fresh, urgent tone that subsequent Star Trek series have never captured
(though Deep Space Nine came close with its dazzling episode
"Trials and Tribble-ations"). The problem, of course, is what to do
about Christopher now that he knows what he knows, and history demands that he
stay put in his own world: the pilot's unborn son, it seems, will one day make
a space flight of historic importance. Terrifically entertaining and something
of a precedent-setter for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (the
theatrical feature set in contemporary San Francisco), "Tomorrow Is
Yesterday" is Trek at its best.
Also on this disc is "Return of the
Archons," a cautionary story about mind control written by Gene
Roddenberry. The tale begins when Ensign Sulu (George Takei) is taken hostage
on an Earth-like planet with a primitive culture. Zapped by a weapon that
leaves him under the control of someone or something named Landru, Sulu is
then pursued by Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who discover that Landru has
the same grip on everyone else. Once Landru becomes aware of efforts by the
captain and first officer to interfere with its bidding, Kirk and Spock become
the target of a massive hunt by locals. A minor episode with a somewhat
obvious scenario, "Return of the Archons" does have novel appeal in
its heightened role for the ever-charming Sulu, and in Roddenberry's
characteristically humane interest in elements that make people (and
intelligent aliens) everywhere free to fulfill their destinies. The solution
to the who-is-Landru mystery won't surprise anyone, but it may strike you as a
prototype of several future episodes, from all the Trek series,
involving centralized caretaking on various planets. --Tom Keogh
