Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, superior 1st season episode with a few minor flaws..., March 30, 2003
This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 13: The Conscience of the King [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Tightly written and expertly acted, 'The Conscience Of The King' foreshadows the recurring themes of Shakespeare used inventively in several episodes and incarnations of Star Trek. Here Kirk is a thinly veiled interpretation of Hamlet as he tries to determine the guilt or innocence of a suspected mass murderer and whether or not he can act on the scarce evidence at hand. Though the plot seems a bit farfetched - of 8,000 colonists on Tarsus IV only nine eyewitnesses can identify the planet's most prominent politician - the story is punched acrossed solidly with it's few obvious flaws sidestepped gracefully. As Anton Karidian/Kodos The Executioner Arnold Moss supplies one of the best character portrayals from the original series, and Barbara Anderson (of television's "Ironsides") is his equal as his daughter who comes unhinged in the finale. A scientist who claims he has invented a food substance that will save the populace of another planet suffering a famine summons the Enterprise to Planet Q. Soon after they arrive though they discover the story is a ruse. The scientist, an old acquaintance of Kirk's, explains to him that he is certain that an actor in the traveling troupe visiting Planet Q is the infamous Kodos The Executioner. Kodos was responsible for the death of 4,000 colonists on Tarsus IV, a colony that both Kirk and his friend were part of when the massacre occurred; now some twenty years later only a few eyewitnesses who can identify Kodos remain alive. Kirk is skeptical at first but when his friend turns up dead and a consultation with the ship's computer reveals that seven of nine eyewitnesses have been murdered while the traveling troupe is in the vicinity, this coincidence persuades Kirk to arrange to transport the actors to their next destination. After attempts are made to kill Kirk and Lt. Riley - another eyewitness - the captain finally forces both the assassin and Kodos to reveal themselves. While this episode is one of the series' better-acted and directed shows it painfully reveals the series 1960's origins. In attempting to proof that Karidian is actually Kodos Kirk uses information provided by the ship's computer and later a voiceprint analysis. DNA evidentiary findings weren't in vogue at the time of production, but certainly fingerprints were! And wouldn't a Federation appointed colony governor have been sufficiently processed by a clerical system to have some sort of records that could provide damning evidence too? Despite this glaring oversight the show succeeds in providing sufficient suspense and a terrific finale. Also contained within the story is another worthy round in the continuing Spock vs. McCoy ethical debates; eventually they confront the captain - both as friends and as staff officers - to determine his questionable motives, a scene that is handled brilliantly. Note: William Shatner would later co-star with Barbara Anderson in an episode of Mission: Impossible (post Leonard Nimoy years); but the tables would be turned this time, as Ms. Anderson would set a trap for the villainous Shatner. By the way, does the figure seven of nine ring a bell to anyone?
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slow Moving but Fascinating, May 1, 2001
This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 13: The Conscience of the King [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The suspense isn't very engrossing and the mystery doesn't yield too much of a surprise, but the concepts in the episode are worth considering. The actor that portray's Koridian does an excellent job and Bruce Hyde gets to ham it up again as the passionate, misunderstood, overeager Kevin Riley. If you can sit through the slow moving story, this is actually a fairly good episode.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely one of the best episodes!, March 6, 2003
This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 13: The Conscience of the King [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Conscience of the King is the 1st season Trek Original Series December 8th, 1966 episode. The story is that Anton Karidian a space touring Shakespearean actor may really be Kodos the Executioner who wiped out half of his colony (4000 people). Kirk is one of 9 witnesses, 7 of which have been killed, and Karidian and his beautiful daughter Lenore(Barbara Anderson of Ironside fame) end up onboard the Enterprise. It's an interesting twist on the equivalent of a Nazi war criminal of the future, and a reference is made as such: "his own form of eugenics" "he wasn't the first". And considering William Shatner's classical acting training, he must have loved the Shakespeare stuff in this episode. And it's hard to take your eyes off of Barbara Anderson, strikingly beautiful (oh I said that already) and great intensity in her acting. And the story offers a great twist at the end, not at all predictable. Watch also when Janice shoots Lenore a quick icy "get away from my man" stare. Finally all acting here is first rate, and we even get to hear Uhura sing and play that guitarlike thing. And the final part is classic '60s Trek drama all the way: the "death scene" where Hamlet merges with reality, and the final thing with Bones "you really cared about her didn't you?...I have my answer." A couple lines in the dialogue were definitely "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" influenced as that film was out in 1966:
"later, latest, too late" and such. And even the sub-theme is a vague allusion being a woman who has lapsed into fantasy. This and the other best Star Trek Original Series episodes have that je ne sais quoi surrealism, intensity, intelligence, believability, creativity, and '60s style.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
