#The Conscience of the King

[a-trek-trough-the-stars]

Barry Trivers and Gerd Oswald dropping “The Conscience of the King” on December 8th of 1966, only to never elaborate on Tarsus IV and Kirk’s past there

[ilovefredjones]

i have not stopped thinking about tarsus iv ever

[trek-tracks]

Spoiler: It's both

[wellsbering]

star trek tos + possibly my favorite dead twitter account

[discoonthegrass]

**I included characters significant to one episode who I see referenced in fandom/fanfiction fairly regularly, yet who never appeared in other pieces of Star Trek media (not including novelizations of those episodes or beta canon)

[pityroadart]

a Spones screencap study from The Conscience of the King — my first and only full painting using gouache

Miya HIMI jelly gouache + gold ink, approx 15x15cm // January 2022

[smilingscully]

Star Trek after dropping the most important part of Kirk’s backstory in one episode and never bringing it up again 😹

[skybson]

1.13 - The Conscience of the King

[aenslem]

i love how spock won't let mccoy have a nice evening for himself, he just comes to him entire episode throwing at him whatever he is up to

he just wants to drink and have a nice evening spock

let him work or write fanfiction whatever he does here

[your-name-is-jim]

Listen, I don’t even know what to say lol

[s1 e13 - The Conscience of the King]

[trekmupf]

Shakespeare & Eugenics in Space

Pro

Kirk backstory, and Kirks way of dealing with his trauma (immediate denial in front of others and putting up a wall, then researching and dealing in private – and later on with Spock and McCoy). Opposed to how both Riley and Leighton react

Kirk seducing a woman not for pleasure but for a secret cause / using his charm and sexuality to manipulate someone.

Unlike in the other cases of this happening he's the one being played by Lenore who is pretending to fall for him to murder him, which is a twist great

Spock immediately noticing something is up with Kirk

Spock then going to McCoy for help and support, twice! Great further development of all sides of the trio in this episode

McCoy's beautiful eyeliner is giving me happy chemicals

So many Spock and McCoy interactions

“And Please, Mr. Spock, if you won't join me, don't disapprove of me”is a line straight from fanficition

Spock correctly predicting how Riley will feel about being demoted for no reason - trying to look out for the crew and always questioning Kirk

Uhura playing for Riley who is lonely → further crew dynamics

The entire confrontation scene between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is great – it starts on a professional basis, Kirk being angry and defensive, and even though McCoy doesn't share Spock's suspicions to that degree he backs him up. Spock then turning the conversation on a personal level – it's not just about ships business, it's about Kirk possibly dying. Kirk then relenting and talking with his two friends about his feelings and the situation. Spock being Kirk's logic and information and McCoy ethics and morals

Great character work for Kirk who is aware of his responsibility, the small line separating vengeance and justice and his own morals

Kirk trying to wait to confirm his suspicions but then throwing caution to the wind and approaching Kodos when he realizes it's not just his life on the line after the murder attempt that would've cost many lives

Lenore rightly calling out Kirk at the end for using people as tools

The Kirk / Kodos confrontation is one of the best character scenes in TOS. The acting is perfect, the dialogue and emotion heavy and direct. The conflicting emotions of a mass murderer and Kirk having to deal with the emotions of confronting the man who directly traumatized him.

Kirk being able to talk down Riley with words instead of force

Kodos realizing what is daughter did making his character even better

set and costume design , fitting music

the whole play within the show thing with its stage & acting

the way the audience gets Kirk's backstory over the course of the episode along with Spock and can gather further understanding of Kirks reactions

the plot mirroring a classic Shakespeare play itself

differs from the other episodes in a nice way- very human and story driven; also murder mystery vibes and film techniques

the tension still holds up despite no real action scenes – first though the mystery of how this man is connected to Kirks past, then the ongoing mystery as well as the threat to Kirks life

Con

McCoy being careless about Riley overhearing him

Although I did like her acting, I think they should've commited to making her insane persona come out gradually / less extreme before the death of her father or play it straight and have her go insane after the death; this felt a bit rushed / sudden

Counter: Kirk fake womanizer

Quote

"Captain Kirk, who are you to say no harm was done?" - Lenore "Who do i have to be?" - Kirk

"What if you decide that he is Kodos? What then? Do you play God, carry his head through the corridors in triumph? That won't bring back the dead, Jim" - McCoy "No. But they may rest easier" - Kirk

Moment: Confrontation Kirk and Kodos - tense, well written and played

Summary: Underrated episode that even though it lacks classical sci-fi elements and action scenes introduces important backstory information for Kirk and gives further insight into his character and morals as well as his relationships with Spock and McCoy while also giving further development between those two. The acting is brilliant, especially Shatner and Arnold Moss, and the tension of the story holds up from the beginning until the end. Previous Episode - Next Episode - All TOS Reviews

[boldlyexplorational]

Episode 13 "The conscience of the King"

What. an. Episode. A lot to unpack here. As a theater kid, I'm overjoyed. Kirk is also a theater kid apparently, shame how things escalated quickly from there.

I'm obsessed with the fact that the Enterprise has a little theater where they can have entertainment for the crew. And they set up screen rooms for the ones who couldn't fit in the audience. I wonder how they decided who should be present for the live performance? Rank? A lottery?

The scene where Uhura plays and sings was amazing. I was intrigued while watching SNW by how she was made to be such a musical character, but now I totally understand why they did that. And I love it! My headcanon is that she asked Spock to teach her how to play that lyre instrument of his (gotta learn the name eventually), and they have little lessons/jam session together.

Shout out to the costume department, who always comes up with some pretty fire looks and some weird stuff too.

Now for the serious part of the episode: it was so intense. The performances from the actors absolutely stellar. The moral and personal dilemma is very engaging.

The twist with Kirk who went from seducer to seduced and betrayed. I really wasn't expecting that she was the assassin so I was shocked. I'm not a big fan of the "lady going crazy" trope, so that's probably the only thing I wasn't super into, but it fits very well with the Shakespearean theme of the episode, so it's more of a matter of personal taste.

I'm also not sure that this whole "human becoming machines" landed exactly right. But I do think it's interesting in relation to the fact that live theater is, especially in the technological far future, one of the few things that still requires actual human presence and contact to really make sense. I really liked that.

This little peek into Kirk's backstory is fascinating in how very, very little it is. This outgoing, personable man is actually very secretive and secluded in his emotional and personal world. And, what a surprise, Spock is the one who takes the burden of Jim's turmoil and need for clarity and closure.

Spock is so jealous. No actually he is uneasy because Jim is not performing his role (hehe) right in their dynamic. And he knows he has to keep Kirk in check. Also he's hella jealous.

Pretty interesting to see how Spock and McCoy act as the two sides of the argument that can be made for the case. Please boyfriends don't fight.

Rating: 10/10

It has to be the highest score for me, not only because of how good the episode objectivly is, but also for all the theater references I appreciated so much.

Bonus: Ides of march mention!

[leehallfae]

this is the great karidian. you cannot deny him his last performance!

barbara anderson as lenore karidian in star trek: the original series (1966–1969) s01 e13 “the conscience of the king”

[ID: nine screencaps of lenore karidian confronting captain kirk. in costume as ophelia, she wears a dress of lavender and pale green, the bodice adorned with white flowers. she points a phaser gun at kirk, a wild look in her eyes. standing beside kodos on the stage, kirk says, “you’ll never get off the ship.” lenore replies, “it will become a floating tomb, drifting through space, with the soul of the great karidian giving performances at every star he touches.” as she speaks, there is a close-up shot of her eyes sparkling with white light. brandishing the phaser gun, she continues, “i know how to use this, captain.” off-screen, somebody shouts, “no!” and lenore declares, “caesar, beware the idea of march.” end ID.]

[trek-tracks]

How the TOS crew is spending the holidays

(Original Post)

[lichqueenlibrarian]

KIRK YOU CAN’T JUST GO AROUND ASKING PEOPLE IF THEY’RE KODOS

[discoonthegrass]

The Conscience of the King: While Captain Kirk investigates whether an actor is actually a presumed dead mass murderer, a mysterious assailant is killing the people who could identify the fugitive.

The Tholian Web: With Capt. Kirk and the derelict USS Defiant apparently lost, the Enterprise grapples with an insanity causing plague and an attack by the Tholians.

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