Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 70: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" is about two humanoids that appear on the Enterprise. One (Loki) is supposedly a criminal who is begging for help from Captain Kirk and the crew, and the other one is out to capture Loki. The only difference between them is that their black and white colors are on opposite sides of their faces. They mainly just fuss between each other, but when they start changing the course of the Enterprise, Captain Kirk decides something has to be done.

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" is interesting and it isn't a bad episode if you're a Star Trek fan. I recommend anybody who likes Star Trek to watch or buy this episode.

This episode shows just how horrible racism can be, and it's a really great story. Currently I'm reading a book on racism, and this episode seems even better now. Plus, in my opinion, this is a classic of the original series, and any fan would like it.

Indeed, not one person's acting in this episode is anything less than stellar; and Frank Gorshin, if he hadn't won any awards for this episode, definitely deserved as many as theoretically possible.

The story is basic - distant planet, two humanoid species hating each other because of skin color. Indeed, this is the closest original Trek ever got to telling people how to be politically correct, but in this case it's justified, immensely well told, and there are little gems of dialogue scattered all over the place in this episode. And, quite frankly, having seen it a thousand times or for the very first time, it takes little time for the viewer to be caught up in the intrigue and kept hooked thanks to the dialogue and quality of the actors' performances.

Even when there are obvious gaffes:

* Spock thinks Lokai's color scheme is impossible and goes through the range of human pigmentations, but has he never seen a zebra?! Such a dual skin tone is hardly unique, impossible, or anything else.
* Spock doesn't see the difference between Lokai and Bele (one is black on the right side, the other is black on the left)
* The conservative element (Bele) is "right on the white side" - that and subsequent dialogue making an (incorrect) inference that only white is right.

I'll ignore the obvious re-use of Enterprise shuttlecraft footage. This was the no-budget season 3, which had to rely far more on character than what any special effect could do to carry.

But later, Spock (who's otherwise remarkably obtuse in this episode) points out to Lokai that, for all Lokai's talk of revolution and "justice", Lokai himself doesn't seem to want to put in his own weight; thereby diminishing his credibility. The whole scene is so well thought out, it more than makes up for the earlier gaffes. It defines the story.

Given this was season 3, with no budget and time available, what was made is astonishingly good and that needs to be taken into account.

This episode is a winner. Loud, proud, thought-provoking for all the right reasons; it's definitely worth the purchase.

I am very surprised Frank Gorshin was never asked to return as a baddie in another Trek episode. It was a real treat to see him argue with Shatner about the plight of their planet. You couldn't tell who was on the right side. Both of them had a convincing argument. There was no way to tell. Anyway, the episode did have another great action sequence where both of them wrestled with 60's style cosmic powers.

This is a wonderful example of what good science fiction can be. I teach a high school English class devoted to the study of science fiction. Although I focus primarily on literature, I do use a few pieces of film. When you say science fiction today, most people instantly think of lasres, aliens and action (especially high school students). Good science fiction is and can be so much more. Good science fiction is full of social, political, and even religious commentary. Until seeing this episode again recently, it had stuck with me for I do not know how many years. After all that time, I remembered the strong message about the foolishness of discrimination and hate this episode had to offer. When I took over the science fiction class from a retiring teacher, this episode immediately came to my mind as a potential teaching tool. This is a classic episode from aclassic show.

I believe Season Three is unjustly maligned. 2/3 of Season Three is simply awesome. Unfortunately, most Trekkers only focus on the Season Three slump. The slump started with Wink of An Eye and lasted until The Way to Eden. However, there were two excellent episodes within that slump; Let That Be Your Last Battlefield is one of them.

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield is an episode that will linger with you forever. It is impossible to forget the image of a planet destroyed by racism and hatred. This didactic episode demonstrates the greatness of Star Trek. It also proves that the Third Season was just as good as the other two.

This episode was one of the most effective, memorable, and well-acted episodes of the original (and still best) series. It has a good plot and good symbolism, and it has very strong performances from the guest stars.

P.S. Frank Gorshin is God. I am meeting him in person at an upcoming play! :o)

Good for a cultural diversity class, but runs a little slow in the story telling.

As much as I can talk about how great this episode is, I sure hope everyone knows CBS shows every Original Series episode for FREE, and I sure hope you save your money on this.

Subtle is the last possible word that could be used to describe this episode. It is blunt and a bit over the top in making a point about race hatred. It all begins with the Enterprise pursuing a shuttlecraft stolen from Starbase 4. After a tractor beam brings the craft on board the Enterprise, a being from Cheron (Lokai), with one side of his face white and the other black, staggers out and collapses on the deck. He is immediately taken to sick bay where Spock and McCoy are in agreement that his coloration is a genetic anomaly, a one-of-a-kind. When Lokai awakens, he is arrogant, feeling that it was his need that gave him the right to use the shuttlecraft.
The Enterprise proceeds on mission when an unknown vessel approaches. While the sensors can detect it, there is no visual confirmation and when the vessel is destroyed, another, similar creature (Bele) appears on the bridge. He immediately announces that he is a law enforcement officer and he has been pursuing the criminal Lokai for thousands of years. Kirk refuses to hand Lokai over and Bele uses his mental powers to take over the ship. Kirk then begins to execute his threat to engage the autodestruct and when Bele is unable to stop it, acquiesces to giving control back to Kirk.
The Enterprise completes its assigned mission and then Bele once again takes over the ship, which proceeds to Cheron. When they arrive, they discover that everyone on the planet is dead, having killed each other in a vast race war. In this case the racial differences are not in coloration but in location. While both Lokai and Bele are black on one side and white on the other, one is black on the right side and the other black on the left side. One after the other, they beam down to the surface of Cheron to engage in the last, pitiful battle of a race war that can only end in the deaths of everyone on the planet.
The performance of Frank Gorshin as Bele is what made this episode work, his intonation and facial expressions drive home the point that this is a police officer who will stop at nothing to capture his prey. Gorshin is best known as "The Riddler" in the campy Batman series, and those same talents are demonstrated in his portrayal of Bele. It is a hard episode; neither of the protagonists generates much sympathy in you. They have only their hatred of the other and their only goal is to satisfy this perverted desire. It is also notable that this episode introduces the autodestruct potential built into the Enterprise. This feature was a fundamental plot necessity in a subsequent movie and in the "Star Trek The Next Generation" series.