Episode Title: Day of the Dove
Air Date: 11/1/1968
Written by Jerome
Bixby
Directed by Marvin J.
Chomsky
Cast: William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones” James Doohan as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty” George Takei as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura Frank da Vinci as Lieutenant Brent Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli David L. Ross as Lt. Johnson Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov Dick Geary as unnamed Security Guard Eddie Hice as unnamed Security Guard David Sharpe as unnamed Security Guard Michael Ansara as Kang Susan Howard as Mara Mark Tobin as unnamed Klingon solider Phil Adams as unnamed Klingon solider Albert Cavens as unnamed Klingon solider Jay D. Jones as unnamed Klingon solider Pete Kellett as unnamed Klingon solider Hubie Kerns as unnamed Klingon solider Victor Paul as unnamed Klingon solider Charlie Picerni as unnamed Klingon solider George Sawaya as unnamed Klingon solider
Ships: USS
Enterprise NCC-1701, unnamed Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruiser
Planets: Beta XII-A
My Spoiler filled summary and review: Arriving at a Federation colony on Beta XII-A, Captain Kirk and his landing party are horrified to discover that the colony has been wiped out of existence. The destruction was so through that there is now no evidence of there ever being a colony. Kirk takes his communicator and contacts Spock on the Enterprise to report what they found. Spock also has something to tell the Captain: a Klingon ship has entered orbit.
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| Klingons vs. Starfleet |
The Enterprise has it shields raised but the Klingon ship does not seem prepared for battle. According to the Enterprise’s sensors there are numerus malfunctions all over the Klingon ship. A Klingon landing party beams down armed with disruptors and overwhelms the Starfleet landing party. The leader of the Klingons is the ship’s captain, Kang. Kang and Kirk each accuse each other of attacking the other one. Both think the other is lying. Kang demands the Enterprise as payment for his lost vessel. If Kirk doesn’t hand it over, he will begin torturing the landing party’s members to death. Chekov then attacks the Klingons because they killed his brother in an earlier attack some years ago. The Klingons easily contain him and Chekov is the first “volunteer” for torture.
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| Scotty finding some weapons! |
In short order however the Enterprise begins to experience its own
problems. The ship starts to veer off
course and speed up. Making matters
worse sections of the ship get sealed off giving only forty crew members with
access to the entire ship. Kirk suspects
the Klingons are somehow behind this and goes and confronts Kang. Kang denies the charges but he is amused
however. The two captain’s argument
turns physical when Kirk socks Kang for doing the same on the planet. Then swords appear everywhere and even the
Enterprise crew’s phasers turn into swords.
A great battle then erupts across the starship.
 |
| Klingons brought over from their ship! |
Kirk confers with Spock. The
Captain blames the Klingons for this, but Spock has his doubts. The Science Officer reasons that if the
Klingons have this ability, then why do they not give themselves better weapons
for which to use? As the battle rages on
neither side can gain grown. People are
getting fatal injuries but instead of dying Dr. McCoy notices they completely
recover and then re-join the battle.
This makes the episode the best for red shirts, since there is no damage
that they can not recover from.
 |
| Kang and Mara |
At one point Kang and his men seize engineering and shut of life support everywhere else in the ship. However, this victory is taken from him as power and life support return saving the Enterprise crew, but no one among the crew can take credit for it. Kirk orders Sulu to retake engineering but Chekov want to be the one to do it. When Kirk orders him to stay at his post, Chekov raises his sword to Kirk and tells him that he won’t let the Captain stop him he must avenge Pyotr. When Sulu asks who that is, Kirk tells him it was Chekov’s brother. Sulu informs the Captain that Chekov is an only child.
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| Klingons in victory! |
Spock while doing scans of the ship picks up an energy-based life form on
board. They deduce that if Chekov’s
memory has been altered then the reason the landing party saw no colony is that
there was none. The distress call was
fake, the knowledge of a nonexistent colony had been forced into their
minds. Kirk realizes he need to
communicate with Kang. There is a bit of
a problem at first when McCoy and Spock almost turn on each other but that is
short lived.
Kirk leaves the bridge to find the deranged Chekov almost about to rape
Mara. After taking Chekov down he tries
to reason with Mara but it takes a while for him to get through to her. When Kang refuses to yield over the intercom,
Kirk goes to engineering himself with no one but Mara. The
two of them try to get Kang to agree to a truce. Kang refuses again and fighting resumes. McCoy and Spock lead reinforcements for Kirk.
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| Kang is awed against Kirk's speed and grace! |
During the battle the entity revels itself. Spock notices it loses power as tensions decrease, and suggests positive emotions might finish it. Kirk and Kang team up to laugh at the entity and tease it so that it gives up and leaves. Peace is maintained and the Enterprise will drop the Klingons of a the nearest Starbase so they can be transported home. Until then the Klingons will be their guests.
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| Kirk and Kang laugh at their enemy together. |
Additional thoughts: When deciding what to call this review my first idea was “The Power of Plot Armor” however that might mislead some poor reader into thinking that I was going to be discussing plot armor in all TV and literature instead of just making a comment on this one. However, if you need to have a story to explain to a person what plot armor is then you have one here. I am sorry but the ending doesn’t make any sense. We have the energy being that is powered by hostel emotions so its pits two powers against each other in unending conflict. During their fight it makes sure the weapons and numbers are even and then when one side begins to prevail the entity pushes the scale in the favor of the losing side. It even shows that it has the power to alter memories to further the conflict. So, if it can do all that why doesn’t it just alter Kirk’s and Kang’s memories so that they can’t communicate effectively and remain at each other’s throats?
I did enjoy other parts of this episode. I thought there was a great scene when Mara explains some of the background of the Klingons. That their home world lacks resources and that is what drove them to become an expansionist power. Kang also was a great antagonist for Kirk as well even if the real bad guy remained hidden for most of the episode. I really like Mr. Scott’s creative use of the transporter in the beginning. It shows the writers are really thinking about exploring this technology that was thought up to help with the TV budget.
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| When Kang has them in the dark |
I must say my favorite image of this episode is McCoy and Spock leading a number of crewmen against the Klingons. What makes it so funny is how they are just causally walking with no sense of hurry in them. To be fair it is not good to run with a sword in hand.
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| One of my favorite sights ever! |
This episode really could have used more Sulu. Giving we know how much he loves swords it would have been nice to see him show those Klingons a thing or
too. You know Takei would have had a fun
time.
FINAL GRADE 4 of 5
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