The Squire of Gothos : TOS Episode 17 Production 18 Original Air Date 1/12/1967 Stardate 2124.5

The Squire of Gothos - Star Trek TV Episode [ Synopsis | Editorial Reviews ]
Production # 18 Episode # 17
Air Date: 1/12/1967
Stardate: 2124.5

The U.S.S. Enterprise must cross an empty sector of space on their way to deliver supplies to colony Beta VI. In this space, they find an uncharted planet whose presence can't be explained. After Kirk and Sulu disappear without apparent reason, Spock orders McCoy and geophysicist Lt. Karl Jaeger to the planet's surface to begin a search.

They find Trelane, a humanoid with tremendous psionic powers and a passion for Earth's 18th-century military history. It is he, they discover, who impulsively kidnapped Kirk and Sulu, wanting to add them to his arena of the Napoleonic era that he has created on this planet, Gothos.

While Trelane has great powers, he has little self-control and is spoiled, willful and impetuous. When McCoy and Jaeger appear, Trelane invites them all to join him at his party.

Spock manages to beam them aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, but Trelane, determined to have his way in all matters, transports the entire bridge crew to Gothos for a banquet. Kirk challenges Trelane to a duel and in the process, destroys the device the alien uses to create his illusions. However, Trelane repairs it and prevents the U.S.S. Enterprise from leaving orbit until he can punish Kirk for his rash actions.

In exchange for freedom for the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew, Kirk offers himself as the prey in a "fox hunt." Suddenly, as Trelane is about to kill the Captain, two noncorporeal beings appear. They explain to Kirk that they are Trelane's parents, and apologize for letting their child play such dangerous games. They then scold the errant child for his selfish behavior and temper tantrums. They inform Trelane that he will not be allowed to have another planet to play with until he learns how to treat other beings with respect.

Volume 9 of Paramount's DVD series of original Star Trek episodes includes "The Squire of Gothos," written by a literary giant in science fiction, Theodore Sturgeon. The story concerns a break in the action for the Enterprise crew, nearly all of whom beam down to the surface of an Eden-like planet for The Squire of Gothos, where they find that everyone's wish comes true. Individuals from crew members' pasts turn up, fantasies of romance or heroism are instantly realized--and if it all seems too good to be true, it is. In time, the dark side of this dream shows itself when people start getting killed. This episode emerges from the trippier side of Star Trek's personality, and very cleverly sheds light on the personalities of the show's major characters by making their dreams manifest.

Also on this disc is a real treat for long-haul Trekkers: "The Squire of Gothos," an entertaining program in its own right and the obvious blueprint for "Encounter at Farpoint," Gene Roddenberry's pilot episode for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Guest star William Campbell plays Trelane, a bratty, impulsive alien given to wearing costumes appropriate for an 18th-century French aristocrat. Equipped with godlike powers that allow him to alter and manipulate the world around him, Trelane is the prototype of The Next Generation's beloved quasi villain, Q (John de Lancie). Like Q, Trelane regards the crew of the Enterprise as playthings, and when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) disrupts his games, the omniscient boy-man puts humanity itself on trial. Great stuff. --Tom Keogh