Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Steve Ihnat, Yvonne Craig
• Directors: Herb Wallerstein
• Writers: Gene Roddenberry, Jerry Sohl, Lee Erwin
• Producers: Edward K. Milkis, Fred Freiberger, Gene Roddenberry, Gregg Peters
• 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: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300988678
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,782 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's the supporting players who provide the most watchable performances in the 1969 "Whom Gods Destroy," one of the best episodes from Star Trek's final season on NBC. Running an errand to the planet Elba II, an inhospitable place housing a remote hospital for the hopelessly insane, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discover that a longtime patient and Starfleet icon, Captain Garth (Steve Ihnat), has overtaken the facility. Suffering delusions of absolute power, Garth declares himself master of the universe, though his mastery fails to lure the rest of the Enterprise crew into a trap.

With Kirk and Spock subdued prisoners of the brutal Garth, the story opens to Ihnat's flamboyant yet sympathetic performance. You can see behind the character's crazy veneer to the bold starship commander whose exploits fired Kirk's imagination as a cadet. Equally good is Yvonne Craig as Garth's would-be queen, the very sexy Marta, a compulsive killer whose seductive dances, wayward intelligence, and exotic, green skin make her one of the most striking females from the original series. Newbie Trekkers will be happy to know that the story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl clarifies a couple of biographical points about Kirk and Spock, including the captain's own reference to his Starfleet career track before becoming an explorer. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover

Garth, a criminally insane madman from planet Elba II, captures Kirk with the ultimate goal of taking over the Enterpriseand becoming master of the Universe.

TREK TRIVIA
Keye Luke (Governor Cory) is perhaps best known for playing Number One Son in the Charlie Chan films. He later starred as Master Po in the Kung Fuseries.
This episode establishes Spock as the first Vulcan to be admitted into Starfleet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This episode gets a C- grade and is ranked 59th out of 80, October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 71: Whom Gods Destroy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Elba II, a planet with a poisonous atmosphere, also has a facility beneath its surface for the incurably, criminally insane. The U.S.S. Enterprise is bringing a new medicine with which they hope to eliminate mental illness forever. When Kirk and Spock beam down to the facility of 15 inmates, they find that the asylum has been taken over by Garth, who was once a famous starship captain. He was driven insane by the terrible injuries he received while rescuing others. Garth convinces them that he is the head of the facility, in an attempt to gain control of the U.S.S. Enterprise and conquer the galaxy. He crowns himself, "Master of the Universe," and, when the officers won't be tricked into beaming him aboard the starship, he tortures Elba II's governor and then Kirk. He then sends his Orion mistress, Marta, out to the deadly surface above, only to "mercifully" spare her by blowing her to bits. Spock, who had become separated from Kirk, returns to help the captain but finds two James Kirks. Garth learned the power of shape-shifting from a gentle race of beings that were unaware of his madness. When one of the Kirks offers to sacrifice himself to stop Garth, Spock realizes that this is the real Captain Kirk and subdues Garth. Garth is given the healing medication brought by the Enterprise men and begins the long road to recovery.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The inmates take over the asylum, June 24, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 71: Whom Gods Destroy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is another episode that's generally weak but has a few scenes so strong they redeem the whole show. The plot is simple. Kirk and Spock visit an asylum for the criminally insane and discover that one of the inmates has taken over: Garth, a once-legendary starship captain. (In the original series, nearly every starship captain we saw, other than Pike and Kirk, either betrayed the Federation or went insane.) Despite his insanity, Garth learned how to become a shapeshifter from some well-meaning aliens. Now he plans to impersonate Kirk and take over the Enterprise, using it to conquer the galaxy.

The idealism of 1960's style liberalism is exceptionally strong in evidence. Garth, played by Steve Ihnat slicing the ham even thicker than Shatner, carries on about outdoing Alexander the Great and Napoleon. The implication is that all warmongers are suffering from a kind of sickness, as are criminals generally. But all such people, the episode suggests, can be rehabilitated. Garth is cured in the end by being given the right drug. How political attitudes have changed in America since then!

The episode shines during a scene in which Kirk almost talks Garth back to sanity. Garth becomes quiet and thoughtful as he starts to remember who he was and all the good he once did. The effect is stirring, and very much on point to the episode's theme of rehabilitation. Also memorable is Kirk's statement that he and Spock are brothers. Spock's comment: "Captain Kirk speaks somewhat metaphorically and with undue emotion. Nevertheless, I share the sentiment." Finally there is Garth's "consort," Marta, the first green Orion slave girl since "The Menagerie"...and this one not only dances but talks. They are a sassy lot. Marta is played by Batgirl portrayer Yvonne Craig. She's sent by Garth to seduce and then attack Kirk. "He's my lover and I have to kill him!" Words to live by.

Trivia notes: the rightful warden is played by Keye Luke, best known as Caine's favorite master in Kung Fu -- the blind one who was always calling him Grasshopper. Also, anyone up on their Bible lit will recognize the climactic scene (in which Spock must choose between the real Kirk and the fake Kirk) as retelling the famous story of King Solomon's judgement. This doesn't stand up to logical analysis; surely a mind as brilliant as Spock's could think of a better device (such as "Captain, tell me what you had for dinner last night"). But this is one of those cases where the episode plays better if you don't overly analyze it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Campy Fun But not For Fans, November 23, 2002

By 

"[e-mail]" (Vancouver BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 71: Whom Gods Destroy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Though true Star Trek fans are appaled at this episode, and I admit in many ways it is just plain dreadful, it is a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously.

It has a sexy green girl, a crazed mad man, a Tellerite and Andorian...I mean admit it! It's gotta be fun!

It is not intelligent, poetic Trek for what made the show famous, but it is entertaining!

If you watch the shows for deep meaning, you will not enjoy this episode, b ut I don't feel it deserves all the critisism it gets. It is certainly one of the "darker" episodes and one of the <sadly> last.

Buy at your own risk but it is certainly fun and the ending is a neat little twist.