THERE ARE A LOT OF SHIPS IN HERE!

 

Episode Title:  The Time Trap

Air Date: 11/24/1973

Written by Joyce Perry

Directed by Hal Sutherland

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”, Lieutenant Clayton. Commander Kor, Bell, Gabler, Kaz, and Xerius        George Takei as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Commander Kuri              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, Devna, Kali, and Megan       Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel          

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Klothos, two unnamed Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruisers, USS Bonaventure NCC-10281, and numerous other unnamed starships.  

Planets: none

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise has been sent on a mission to examine an area of space where ships are known to disappear, again.  This time however the place, the Delta Triangle, has made ships disappear a little more often than the once-every-three-decades place.  You think this is the last spot you would want to send a starship if you were Starfleet but considering how well it went last time, where the male members of the crew were almost eaten by beautiful alien succubuses before the women led by Lt. Uhura were able to save them all, Starfleet decided to press their luck and send the Enterprise.   

While there they are attacked by a Klingon ship, the Klothos, under the command of Commander Kor.  Kirk remembers Kor from his pervious encounter with him.  Spock points out that if they are destroyed this was a great place for them to attack as everyone will just assume that the Enterprise was just another ship that vanished.  However, during the battle, it is the Klothos that vanishes.  The crew can’t figure out why but they notice that there are two more Klingon ships.  The other Klingon commander, Kuri, accuses Kirk of having destroyed Kor’s ship, although if they had it would have been self-defense.  Kuri says he will destroy the Enterprise in revenge.  Outgunned Kirk has the Enterprise race to where the Klothos was and then they too disappear.

The Klothos about to vanish!

The crew finds themselves trapped in a pocket universe.  An area of space cut off from the remaining universe.  Inside they find all sorts of old starships including the old USS Bonaventure, famously missing after only its third mission.  (That interestingly enough gives it a better record than the Titanic.)  The Klothos emerges and the two ships are about to resume their battle when they are suddenly stopped and the two commanding officers are transported to the chambers of the Council of Elysia.  Elysia is what the residents of the pocket universe call it.  The council is made of the leadership of the starships trapped here over the centuries, consisting of Humans, Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and 118 others.  Their chairman, a Romulan named Xerius, explained that no fighting will be tolerated and anyone who does will see their ship’s power disabled and crew placed in suspended animation for a century.  When Kor remarks that they would be long gone it is explained that time works differently here and that everyone on the council has been alive for multiple centuries.  Both Kirk and Kor express their desire to leave to which the council tells them they are welcome to try but no one has ever succeeded.

The Klothos tries an escape and fails miserably.  However, their failure gives Mr. Spock and idea. According to his readings if the Klothos and the Enterprise were to combine power, they would be able to break free together.  Kirk contracts the Klingons and they arrange a meeting.  The meeting goes well in some ways a little too well with the Klingons eagerly agreeing to the partnership, which will allow both crews into each other’s engine rooms.  Spock touches one of the Klingons while thanking him, which Kirk finds weird.  Spock tells the Captain that he did so to gain telepathic knowledge of the Klingons intentions and he is sure they are hiding something.

Kirk and Kor before the Council

The Enterprise throws a party for their new friends. The former Orion slave girl, Devna, dances for Captain Kirk.  Kirk tells her although it is nice here it is not home and that is where they need to be getting back to.  The Klingons use this opportunity to plant their bomb that will go off once the Enterprise hits warp 8.  They almost blow the entire thing when one of them picks a fight with Dr. McCoy.  This leads the Elysian Council to order the Klingons to have their ship depowered and placed into suspended animation.  Kirk goes to bat for the Klingons explaining that they need them to escape.  Not wanting to punish Kirk’s crew for one of Kor’s crew’s actions.  They will allow the escape attempt to go through.

The Council 

The Enterprise and the Klothos join together in an escape attempt. At the last minute the telepath Megan realizes the sabotage and warns the Enterprise.  The crew finds the explosive in time and both Kirk’s crew and the Klingons escape from Elysia.  When they leave Kor contacts his high command to take credit for the escape, and Kirk couldn’t care less.   

The Enterprise knows how to put on a party 

Additional thoughts: This was a great episode it starts with the same premise as “The Lorelei Signal,” however the execution and overall story is much better.  This is sort of like a reverse of “The Return of the Archons” and “The Apple.”  With those two episodes it was the second episode that copied the idea of the first but poorly.  In this case it is the second story that works builds a stronger narrative. “The Time Trap” is just a better story for it is a lot more fun.  The Council of Elysia was very reminiscent to the ambassadors in “The Journey to Babel” with all the different species interacting.  All those ships in one place also added to the interesting story.

Spock getting along well with the Klingons

Correct me if I am wrong but I think this is the first time we hear about the Klingons having a cloaking device.  Up until now the Romulans had that but not the Klingons.  It does make sense that if the two are sharing technology that the Klingons might have it now. However, they didn’t in the original series and not even in the book, “Spock Must Die.” So, I think this is the first time.

We found the bomb!

Okay so what is the Bonaventure?  It clearly wasn’t the first ship with warp drive like Scotty said?  Maybe it was the first ship with a warp 6 engine?  Perhaps?  I don’t know that would make sense to me; it would have been nice to have explored it a little more.

The missing Bonaventure

Kirk’s conversation with Devna was interesting when she asked if Orion women had danced for him before.  This put Kirk in an odd position as the lost Orion woman who knew was insane and tried to murder him before she herself was killed by her own crazy boyfriend.  Kirk was polite and didn’t bother poor Devna with those not so nice details.

Her dancing can be quite entertaining.

Once again Kirk gets to encounter Kor with a possibility of matching swords when they're interrupted by a greater power.  Gee, that sounds kind of familiar.  It is like they have been down this road before.  I feel a little bad for Kor he just wants to meet Kirk in battle and powerful strange aliens keep getting in his way.  He did try to take Kirk out.  However, in the end of the day it just wasn’t enough.  Oh well, he can spin his tale to the Klingon High Council. 

Getting out of this hole together if you don't kill us first!

FINAL GRADE 4 of 5