Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy
• Writers: Gene Roddenberry
• Producers: Douglas S. Cramer
• 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: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300213471
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,478 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discover that Captain Merik (William Smithers), commander of the long-missing Starfleet vessel S.S. Beagle, has become "First Citizen of the Empire" in a re-creation of ancient Rome on an obscure, unnamed planet. Under orders from the Emperor, Merik forced his own crew to die in gladiator battles and lured other Starfleet personnel to the same fate. Now with Kirk, McCoy, and Spock in hand, the Emperor's barbaric (and televised all over the planet) amusements carry on another day.

While the script takes a swipe or two at the sometimes less-than-elevated tastes of global audiences, the episode's most interesting idea is the existence of a long-suffering cult of sun worshippers, a parallel to the suppressed Christian groups in Roman times. For Trekkers, however, this one is full of the essentials: a surreal premise, a hostile planet, lots of fighting, and Scotty (James Doohan) on the bridge. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover

Kirk, Spock and McCoy must contend with a former starship captain-turned-traitor, Roman gladiators and television ratings in this unusual story.

TREK TRIVIA
Ian Wolfe returned to play Mr. Atoz in "All of Our Yesterdays." He is perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of Maggs in the 1935 film classic Mutiny On The Bounty. Logan Ramsey (Claudius Marcus) was married to actress Anne Ramsey (Momma in Throw Momma From The Train).
Bart La Rue (The Announcer) was heard as the voice of The Guardian in "The City On The Edge Of Forever."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This episode gets an A- grade and is ranked 13th out of 80, October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 43: Bread and Circuses [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The U.S.S. Enterprise finds the wreckage of the S.S. Beagle, with no survivors, orbiting near the Planet 892-IV. When Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam to the planet's surface, they find a dishelveled group of "sun worshipers" trying to escape being caught by the local authorities. They are captured, along with the landing party, and taken to the city which looks very much like Earth's ancient Rome. They find that Captain Merik of the Beagle has betrayed his crew, beaming them down to fight in the Roman-like gladiatorial games. Merik is First Citizen of the Empire and supposed close friend to the Proconsul, Claudius Marcus. Kirk realizes, however, that Merik is being used as a lure to get more starship crews to 892-IV for the entertainment of its inhabitants. When Kirk refuses to beam his crew down to die in the arena, Spock and McCoy are condemned to fight gladiators in the ring. The bout is being televised for the planet's enjoyment, but Scotty cuts off the planet's energy supply, spoiling their pleasure. When Kirk uses the confusion to free Spock and McCoy, Merik sees how a true starship captain acts in the face of danger and uses his communicator to have the Kirk, Spock and McCoy beamed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. For his treachery, Merik is killed by the Proconsul. Uhura, who has been monitoring the radio waves of the planet, realizes that the "sun worshipers" aren't talking about the sun in the sky, but of the "Son of God."

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's the last few lines..., January 8, 2001

By 

Jedidiah Palosaari "Not My Real Name" (Fes, Morocco) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 43: Bread and Circuses [VHS] (VHS Tape)

TOS was a great series, granted. It gave us an optimistic prophesy of the future not always present in SciFi. This episode is engaging, if a bit far-fetched scientifically. What would the world be like if the Romans had never been conquered? Alternative history is always fun, but this would have been far more plausible if they had traveled to another dimension rather than another planet within our universe. However, it is sad to watch episode after episode of Trek and discover that one's people simply ceased to exist, or so it seems. Even Worf in TNG can be Jewish, but God forbid that Christians be present. The brief glimpses therefore are all the more dear, as one finds in this episode. It's worth it for the last few lines.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rome, Rome, Rome your boat, June 15, 2007

By 

Brian Overland (Bellevue, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 43: Bread and Circuses [VHS] (VHS Tape)

First off, make no mistake that this is a show about ancient Rome, 60s TV, and (what is unique for Trek) a mildly pro-Christian message.

In short, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy visit a planet that is essentially 1960's Earth (there's that implausible parallel-evolution premise again) except that Rome never fell. The reason Rome never fell, as it turned out, is that Jesus was born 2,000 years later or for some reason the message of the "Son worshippers" (believed at first to be "sun worshippers") never got out until recently. And Rome not falling turns out to be a bad, bad thing.

Probably the best thing about this episode is the use of televised gladitorial games to satirize 1960's TV and Nielsen ratings, which if you'll recall, classic Trek struggled so much with. This episode has one of the best lines of the entire series: "If you lower our ratings, Flavius, we'll do a special on you!"

Another thing notable about the show is that the evil Proconsul admires Kirk and so wants to give him a gift before killing him... a night with the Proconsul's lovely blonde slave girl. The scene is one of Kirk's better love scenes. However, the sexism in the writing becomes clear in a line of dialogue in a subsequent scene. Kirk says (about the previous night): "They threw me a few curves." This is the sort of non-PC writing that, for better or worse, we were never to see in TNG etc.