Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

C'mon. The planet is so overpopulated that every mountain is covered with people, but they found the acreage to construct this monstrous fake Enterprise. The planet Gideon isn't in the Federation, but they got a hold of the blueprints to build an exact replica of the Federation's flagship, perfect enough to fool the captain. Not to mention that Kirk never once worries about operating the ship by himself...in fact the "fake" ship leaves Gideon orbit (it was still in orbit when Kirk first gets there) without Kirk so much as flipping a switch...the problems with this episode go on and on. And besides all that, it's BORING! I actually enjoy the banter between Spock and Hodin, but the rest of it, zzzzz. Nothing happens. Chemistry beween Odana and Kirk? Not much. The Gideon's entire plan is so alarmingly stupid on every level...it's no wonder when Spock shows up to beam Kirk and Odana out of there, Hodin (after having gone to all of this effort) stands there like a statue without protest. This episode is worse than the Lights of Zetar (which is spookier), worse than And The Children Shall Lead (where at least they hand out ice cream), and worse than Spock's Brain (which is wildly amusing). That means the Mark of Gideon stands alone as the Worst Episode Ever.

To those whose lives do not extend back to the days when the original Star Trek series first aired, some of the storylines seem socially backward. They do not realize how restrictive the rules of censorship were at that time. While the premise of this episode is silly, it was the only way that the serious social issue of overpopulation could appear on television at that time.
The Enterprise arrives at the planet Gideon and only Kirk is allowed to beam down. Upon arrival, he finds himself back on what appears to be the crewless Enterprise, and after searching, finds that a beautiful woman of unknown origin is his only companion on the ship.
Back on the Enterprise, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew are told that Kirk never arrived on Gideon. Although it is clear that the leaders of Gideon are lying, Star Fleet command will authorize no action, although they admit that he has probably been kidnapped. Along the way, we are exposed to glimpses of a planet where there are so many people that even the hallways of the government buildings are packed. This is the consequence of the eradication of disease and the Gideons are trying to reintroduce disease, as Kirk is a carrier of one that can be fatal. The woman is injected with the infective agent and she starts falling ill. After reaching an impasse with Star Fleet command and the Gideons, Spock violates orders and beams down to the surface, finding himself on the replica of the Enterprise. He rescues Kirk and McCoy then saves the life of the woman. Since she is now a carrier and can be used to infect others on Gideon, they are no longer interested in Kirk.
The sixties were when the problem of overpopulation first became a cause for concern, but there were many social and religious pressures that prevented it from even being discussed in the mass media. Therefore, in the restrictive spirit of the times, the only way it could be presented was in the context of a futuristic story.
While this episode is given points for facing a serious issue, the approach is absurd, which is so typical of many of the episodes of the third season. Relevant social commentary was apparent in the episode, but it was based on such an absurd premise, that it is at times painful to watch. Given that elicit traffic in almost anything has always been part of the human situation, there is no reason to think that it will be any different when they move out into space. Therefore, it would have been very simple for the Gideons to simply buy what they needed on the black market rather than kidnap a Federation representative and risk retribution.
This episode is one of the worst of the original series, it is difficult to take seriously and not fun to watch. If you are to present social commentary as entertainment, then some entertainment must be provided. After watching it several times, I can remember no memorable line, one that sticks to your brain and is a marker to a high point of the episode.

This show has to be one of the most blatant and perverse piece of lies and anti-population propaganda ever shown on TV. The lovely, scantily clad Odona thinks she can "save her planet" by infecting herself with a disease that no longer afflicts Kirk and passing it on to her population, which is medically impossible. The show is full of population hysteria that has since been disproven and ends with an incredibly warped scene of Kirk and McCoy grinning in approval as the depraved Odona returns to depopulate her planet.

"The Mark of Gideon" is one of the most interesting episodes of the original Star Trek. The reason it's so good is because it's not like any of the other episodes.

Captain Kirk is supposed to beam down to planet Gideon, but when he does, he does not find what he thinks he will. He lands on a ship that looks just like the Enterprise, except that it is deserted. When he searches the whole ship and finds nothing but a lost woman who doesn't know where she's from, Kirk begins to worry. Has his crew been murdered and he's the only one left? Did he beam down to the wrong place?

I recommend any Star Trek fan to get "The Mark of Gideon." It will keep you wondering what happened and what's wrong until the last scene of the show.

It's an enjoyable episode. Kirk beams down to a planet and is lost track of. The leader of the planet claims he has no idea what went wrong. And he doesn't allow any else to beam down.

Then Kirk seams to be still on the enterprise. But he is alone on
the ship except for one unknown woman. And the woman claims she doesn't know what she is doing there or how she got there. Kirk
tries to figure out what is going on.

It has interesting dialog. I like it.

I can't get over how brilliant this episode is. This episode effectively shows what a planet would be like if all the inhabitants did not use contraception.

Unlike other reviewers, I see no major plot holes in this episode. Kirk beamed down into a holodeck. The Enterprise was an exact duplicate because the Gideons scanned Kirk's mind to fill in every little detail. There was an episode from TNG called Future Imperfect that used this technique.

And I see no faults with the idea of using disease as an effective way of reducing population. People who are opposed to contraception suggest that population should be controlled only naturally (i.e., war, disease, and famine). The writings of Thomas Malthus clearly articulate this view point. Therefore, it is extremely plausible that the Gideons would want to reintroduce disease as oppose to using "evil" contraception.

And the people can't be seen on the planet because the Gideons are projecting a false image. If people from Gary Seven's planet can hide a whole planet, I think the Gideons can change the appearance of theirs and block out sensor scans.

Finally, Spock was not tricked by the transport coordinates. He told the Admiral that the Captain was not being held in the Gideon Council Chamber. After his conversation, he said that Command knew that the Gideons were not totally honest. He then made Uhura and Scotty repeat the transport coordinates. Therefore, Spock knew there was a discrepancy the entire time. I'm sure that if he can calculate huge odds in his Vulcan head that he can remember a nine digit number.

"One of my pet themes is overpopulation," related Fred Freiberger, producer of Season Three, "and I thought this was a good idea. We were taking a shot at something fresh and gutty, and it worked out pretty well. That one was also shot entirely on the Enterprise. I felt if we had to do the show under those restrictions, we had to come up with good stories and that one worked."

I'm writing this because I don't want people to keep on bashing this amazing episode. This is such a brilliant episode because it deals with a highly controversial issue in an effective way. I find this episode to be intellectually stimulating because it shows the opinions of both sides of this controversy and it practically references the writings of Thomas Malthus. If you are going to bash an episode, pick another because this episode is one of the best.

The Planet Gideon appears to be a haven -- the inhabitants are healthy and no one seems to ever die in the totally germ-free environment. The United Federation of Planets sends the U.S.S. Enterprise to Gideon, in the hope that the Gideons will accede and become a member. Reluctantly, the Gideon council allows Captain Kirk alone to beam to their council chamber, and he transports off the ship. When Kirk apparently fails to arrive on the planet, the Gideon council refuses to allow more people on the surface, even for a search party. Kirk finds himself on his own ship, where all of his crew have seemingly vanished. After searching the ship, he finds one lone, beautiful woman, Odona. Kirk determines that Odona is from Gideon, and that they are on a false ship, built on the planet's surface. When Odona becomes ill, the Gideon's plan is revealed: using Kirk's blood, Odona was infected with a disease which Kirk had recovered from -- Vegan choriomeningitis. The infection is fatal, and the Gideons hoped to spread it across their world to reduce the population. Spock beams down, discovers the false Enterprise, and returns to the real starship with Kirk and Odona, who -- while cured -- is still able to infect her people. Odona, the daughter of Gideon Council leader Hodan, is returned to her people delighted that she will cause a lethal plague to reduce the overpopulation.