Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, James Doohan
• Directors: Joseph Pevney
• Writers: Gene L. Coon, Gene Roddenberry, Fredric Brown
• Producers: Gene L. Coon, Gene Roddenberry, Robert H. Justman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: CBS Paramount International Television
• VHS Release Date: April 15, 1994
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300213234
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,429 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"Arena" was based on a script by Trek producer Gene L. Coon, the other indispensable figure (besides Gene Roddenberry) in making Star Trek what it was. After writing what he believed was an original teleplay about a one-on-one battle between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the reptilian commander of an enemy vessel, Coon realized he had probably been subconsciously inspired by a similar short story written by Fredric Brown (who was promptly credited and paid). The concept of a human-and-alien duel to the death in primitive terrain, however, was slightly ubiquitous in the 1960s (see "Fun and Games," a masterpiece from the original Outer Limits TV show) and was revisited in the '80s via the Arnold Schwarzenegger feature Predator. But under Coon's guidance and direction by Joseph Pevney, "Arena" stands on its own as a particularly strong story of what battle does to one's humanity. Shatner is in great form for this one. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover

While pursuing a ship that destroyed a Starfleet base, Kirk intrudes into the territory of the highly advanced Metrons, who decide to settle the conflict.

TREK TRIVIA
Most of this episode was shot on location at Vazquez Rocks and featured the fort that had been used in "The Cage."
"Arena" marked the first use of a Universal Translator. The voice of the Metron was provided by Vic Perrin, who supplied the voice of the "baby" Balok in "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, May 11, 2001

By 

"sukhisoo" (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 19: Arena [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This episode begins with what appears to be a low budget version of Balance of Terror. We don't even get to see the Gorn ship, which takes some excitement out of a high-speed chase, which Kirk believes is important to the Federation.

As soon as the Metrons step in, however, the action picks up considerably. Kirk is forced to battle the leader of the Gorns, and the resulting combat is fun, exciting, and suspenseful.

The Gorn is well-done and effective, slow, but too strong for Kirk to overcome using his standard Federation Judo that usually serves him quite well.

The final showdown between Kirk and the Gorn is a classic Star Trek scene that is not to be missed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kirk confronts his own prejudice, July 24, 2003

By 

Mark Meloon (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 19: Arena [VHS] (VHS Tape)

When I was a kid, I loved this episode because it features Kirk fighting against a dinosaur-looking alien. As an adult, I can appreciate it even more. Unlike so many Star Trek epsiodes where Kirk is lecturing some other species about justice or equality, here Kirk is taught an important lesson about his own prejudice.

The episode begins with the Enterprise finding a Federation colony under savage attack by an unknown species. Countless men, women, and children -- all civilians -- have been slaughtered. Kirk is enraged and chases the attacking vessel across space. Spock tries to talk some sense into Kirk but he will have none of it. He pushes his vessel past safe limits in an attempt to catch the aliens. When when the two ships travel into space claimed by the Metrons -- an advanced, pacifistic species -- the situation changes considerably.

Realizing that both the Enterprise and the aliens are running on pure adreneline and not thinking things out, the Metrons decide to let the two sides satisfy their thirst for violence through a one-on-one battle between the captain of each starship. Kirk and the captain of the alien ship are transported to the surface of a barren world where they are to engage in hand-to-hand combat to the death. To Kirk's horror, he finds that his opponent is from a species of incredibly strong reptiles named the Gorn. Kirk quickly discovers that he is physically outmatched.

What makes this episode so fascinating is how Kirk changes during the course of the conflict. At the start, he is openly hateful of the Gorn, even going so far to as to admit that he has a natural revulsion towards reptiles. He considers them lower lifeforms. However, he is aware of his prejudice against them and forces himself to remember that his opponent is every much his equal intellectually. Late in the battle, he communicates with the Gorn captain through the universal translator device and discovers that the Gorn attacked the Federation colony because they believed it was an invasion. For the first time, Kirk is able to see the situation from the other side. The Gorn were acting in (perceived) self-defense.

By the time that the battle has finally reached the final confrontation between the two, Kirk has come to the conclusion that he is not qualified to judge the action of this species nor dispense justice. His surprising resolution of the conflict impresses the Metrons, who have been overseeing the battle.

The ambition of this episode -- airing in the 60s and with a limited budget -- is staggering in retrospect. Shooting a battle between Kirk and a reptile running around in the desert is impressive enough. But the fact that Kirk, the quintessential hero, is able to admit that he may have been wrong is something that is rare even in today's popular TV shows and movies. This episode was well before its time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most exciting adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise, May 23, 2000

By 

jasenao (Dothan, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 19: Arena [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"The Arena" is one of the most exciting and adventurous of the original Star Trek episodes because it pits Captain Kirk up against a mysterious, lizard-looking alien called a Gorn. The U.S.S. Enterprise is following another terrestrial body in pursuit, not knowing what it is. It turns out to be an alien ship that thinks the Enterprise is threatening it. Another source makes Shatner go up against a huge reptilian on a barren land of rocks and mountains. The voice tells Shatner that whichever one of the captains survives can go back to his ship and the loser will be terminated. The gorn chases after Shatner trying to kill him. Shatner hits the Gorn and even climbs to the top of a mountain and makes a rock fall on the Gorn. However, he finds out that he can not kill the gorn with his fist or even with a huge rock. Shatner remembers the voice telling him that the necessary items are provided on the land. He eventually finds a bazooka-shaped tube and combines items such as sulfur, coal, and diamond and mixes them to make gunpowder. He shoots the Gorn and it nearly kills it. Shatner picks up the big, arrowhead-looking spike and starts to finish the Gorn, but stops himself saying he can't do it and he tells the voice that he will not kill the Gorn. Finally, the voice comes to life. It looks like an angel and it tells Shatner that he's real impressed by his not finishing the Gorn and that he misjudged the humans on the U.S.S. Enterprise. Shatner gets to go back to his ship and his ship is free to go where it wants. The voice tells the crew that the Gorn was also returned to his ship.

If you like the original Star Trek series, "The Arena" is one of the best episodes you could get. I highly recommend it. Watch it to see how William Shatner will get out of the battle alive. "The Arena" goes to prove that brains are sometimes over brawn.