#star trek balance of terror

[hornyverymuch]

it's cool to see Jim being vulnerable like this, he always does his best to be the perfect capitan for them, almost forgetting that the weight of the responsibility for all the lives aboard the spaceship would get to everyone, even him

so it's nice to see him talking about his worries to Bones, he's actually kind of a backbone of this crew, he can be bitchy at times, but don't that fool you, he actually cares a lot about them and helps out Kirk or even Spock whenever they need it

and I love his answer (video cuz it'd be too many screenshots lmao):

[anewstartrekfan]

Episode: Balance of Terror

Song: Boy from Britannia

Composer: Kotaro Nakagawa

[spirk-trek]

trying not to think about how balance of terror ends with jim trying to comfort a member of his crew who just lost the man she was about to marry

then in the next episode we see one of his "fondest wishes, either old ones you wish to relive or new ones," and it's his first love, ruth who I'm PRETTY sure is dead

he doesn't do any of his usual kirk things, doesn't go for the kiss or the charm, just stares at her in awe, wonder, shock... confusion. and it must've crossed his mind then, right? the lieutenant who died on his watch, causing the same pain he had gone through with ruth... were they engaged too? was he going to marry her?

and i'm definitely NOT thinking about how after bones is killed, his desire changes back to his academy bully, but instead of venting out an old rivalry he gets his ass kicked (how often do we see captain james t kirk beaten like this just from a fistfight??)

his fondest desire is punishment, for not being able to save ruth, for losing bones, for being the reason that poor girl lost her love, for everyone else he hasn't been able to save

i'm not thinking about it i swear i'm not i would never (lie)

[stevejobsbuysasamsung]

[spockeveryday]

[skybson]

1x14 - Balance of Terror

[vildo]

Mirror Sarek hating Kirk for seducing his son

[theladsaregoingmental]

I wonder if in 'the balance of terror' Spock saw the romulan commander and got really fucking freaked out because, ..... that's his dad? on a ROMULAN vessel?

like.... not just seeing these people WHO NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN BEFORE AND THEY LOOK LIKE YOU?! but also the guy leading them has an uncanny resemblance to your father with whom you haven't spoken for ~20 years

i think i would fucking lose it at that point, man.

[trekmupf]

Pro

Action immediately starts (can't even get married in peace uff)

the crew working like a well oiled machine during that crisis

Another episode that shows Kirk as a great leader during a crisis and his morals and ethics as a person as well as the burden of his position

The racism towards Spock (today a bit heavy handed but back then good work) and the way it's shut down immediately by Kirk, who trusts Spock

Kirk calling the meeting to gather all possible info of his crew before making a decision

Kirk openly admitting the troubles of his positions and his very real feelings about his struggle with the responsibility to McCoy as his friend, and McCoy helping him the best way he can; they both know he can't decide for him, but he can support him; but also the knowledge that the people he can be vulnerable in front of and the times he's allowed to show this side of himself are so rare and limited

Shatner's vulnerability in this scene blows my mind

the inclusion of Stiles is well done: he represents partly generational trauma but also the inability to let go of old conflicts over generations, which clouds his judgement

the tension throughout is great: from the red alert in the intro to the unknown threat and revelation of the Romulans until the very end. the silent scenes are excellent and parallel the time between avalanches during a war

the almost impossible choice of what to do and the real possibility of starting an intergalactic war is so heavy, terrifying and relevant throughout time; the way the different characters bring different viewpoints to the table (practicality, morals etc.)

Politics and universe set up! Introduction of the Romulans, the cloaking device and the shared ancestry of Vulcans and Romulans; Establishes the history between the Federation and the Romulans as well as the current situation with the treaty and neutral zone

Interesting choice for the audience to see the Romulan perspective of the fight, which gives us the opportunity to understand them, empathize with the “evil” enemies

This way we also get the parallels between the Romulan Captain and Kirk the responsibility to their people and crew, the way they think and plan; they're so evenly matched until the very end

Mark Lenard's acting and Shatner's compliment each other's so well

it would've been easy to make a good guys / evil enemies storyline here, especially with the Romulans starting the conflict, but instead the narrative, acting makes it about the tragedy and pointlessness of war instead, which is especially underlined with the death of the Romulans in the end; There is no real winner in war

Kirk offering to save the survivors, but respecting the Romulan captain when he explains why he can't

the fact that Starfleet answers Kirk when it's all over and he had to carry this entire burden underlines the pointlessness of it all

Good scoring

Con

Yeoman Rand is sometimes just there to be the damsel women

Counter: red alert during intro

Quote: "I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend" - Romulan commander

Moment: The commander saying goodbye and exploding his ship

Summary: Excellent episode with a deep anti war message showing giving insight into how the crew works under heavy pressure, how the characters compliment each other and work together in universe but also a narrative level, the trust of the trio in each other and a deeper understanding of what makes Kirk one of the best Captains of Starfleet

Previous Episode - Next Episode - All TOS Reviews

[favvn]

Sometimes I wish that the episode Mirror, Mirror actually showed us how Mirror!Kirk reacted when beaming aboard the USS Enterprise because it's snippets like this that show that Mirror!Kirk has all of Kirk's skills and logic but none of the conscience to reign in his opportunism. He's hardly an emotional or barbaric loose-cannon. He's calculated, thoughtful (but not where other's lives or feelings are concerned unless they can give benefit to him), and disciplined.

In other words, yeah, Shatner chewed the scenery as always with Mirror!Kirk's outburst in the brig when it could've been acted with subtlety, and of course the Mirror landing party would have to be quickly seen as imposters so that the episode can focus on Kirk as The Good Guy, but the reality is that Mirror!Kirk could've played along just like Kirk did until he could arrange for a sneaky transport out.

[star-trek-fandom-confessions]

#989

SNW missed the opportunity to cast James Frain as the Romulan Commander and then just never address it.

[doolallymagpie]

I was under the impression that the Romulan weapon somehow fucked up the molecular structure of the outpost’s hull, and that was why Spock just crunched it

Is that…not the case?

[spirk-trek]

balance of terror

[stevejobsbuysasamsung]

MCCOY: Captain, I-

KIRK: No, I don't really expect an answer.

MCCOY: But I've got one. Something I seldom say to a customer, Jim. In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all of that, and perhaps more, only one of each of us.

Don't destroy the one named Kirk.

[spockeveryday]

[discoonthegrass]

Balance of Terror: The Enterprise must decide on its response when a Romulan ship makes a destructively hostile armed probe of Federation territory.

Arena: For bringing hostility into their solar system, a superior alien race brings Captain Kirk into mortal combat against the reptilian captain of an alien ship he was pursuing.

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