Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 52: Patterns of Force [VHS]

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

 

 

I am always amazed by people that try to criticize things that are 50 years old by today's standards. So many people don't realize how much more we know now about the Nazis and the Holocaust than we did in the 1960s. The postwar years were characterized by this kind of memory. This episode, like all of the series, reflects its period.

Star Trek, as most fans know, is itself a reproduction of the war between the Soviets and the Americans, an intricate piece of which was the progression and aftermath of World War II. The Nazis were understood then, much as they are now and not incorrectly, as the world's ultimate evil. But they also fit into the broader category of totalitarianism, which was the number one enemy of the ultimate good - the USA.

One of the criticisms of this episode is that it misrepresents the efficiency of the Nazis. It was not until much later, when Raul Hilberg and others were able to gain popular exposure and the real weakness of the Gestapo came to light, that the general populace realized the full extent of the inefficiency of the Nazi Party and the Third Reich. From the outside and for decades afterward, it seemed to be economically, socially, and politically the most terrifyingly efficient state in history. It still remains the most efficient genocidal operation in human history. So for Roddenberry to represent it this way is incredibly accurate, as far as he knew at the time.

As for the episode itself being ridiculous, it is anything but. The Holocaust and the persecution of the Jews and others by the Nazis remained, in America, a part of Jewish memory and culture. The broader American public was unreceptive to discussion of the Holocaust for several decades after the end of the war; they were more concerned about the Cold War. Efforts like this among the Jewish community are relatively common, and speaks to the willingness of Shatner, Nimoy, and especially Roddenberry to use their own popularity and that of the show to disseminate information and discussion of the subject. I am also struck by the fact that the writers were willing to talk about the distinctly Jewish nature of most of the victims of Nazism during a period before victim identity politics was the norm. The use of the name "Zeon" for the persecuted race, only one letter off from Zion, and the name "Isak" for the main Zeon, the traditional pronunciation of the Hebrew name Isaac, all provide subtle references to specifically Jewish suffering under the real Nazis, which is hard to come by in the 1960s. The fact that this episode is as campy as every other Star Trek episode really could not be helped.

The Nazi movement on this planet was created by John Gill, who wanted to create an efficient and economically progressive state to improve the society but avoid the racial policies and terror tactics of the actual historical Nazis. Nazism was not entirely based on racism, and some people have claimed. In fact Hitler was intentionally sparing in his discussion of race hatred until later in the regime. People supported the Nazis for the same reasons that Americans supported FDR - economic recovery from the Great Depression. They didn't necessarily object to race hatred, surely many of them supported it, but it was not the "only" thing that Nazism was based on. It is, however, what sets it apart from regular fascism. In a population with an obvious "other," this system lends itself well to pre-existing racism, which Gill failed to realize. In this aspect the episode is incredibly accurate.

Overall this episode reflects and adds to a special and distinct period in the progression of Holocaust memory in America. For more on the development of American Holocaust memory, I highly recommend The Holocaust in American Life and Popular Culture and the Shaping of Holocaust Memory in America (Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies).

Kirk and Spock are captured on this planet of Nazis. It was pretty much standard 60's TV villians. The enemy is again...you guessed it another crazy federation captain who thought he could make the perfect society. This was also done with the episode "Bread and Circuses" where they were on the Gladiator planet.

In "Patterns of Force," Kirk and Spock go searching for a former Star Fleet professor named Gill, but they find that he has created a culture patterned after Nazi Germany....or has he?

From reading about the episode, I was expecting "Patterns of Force" to be just an average episode, but man I was wrong big time. Now I've seen all but six episodes, including "The Cage," of Star Trek - The Original Series, and I can honestly say that in my opinion, "Patterns of Force" is one of the best overall episodes.

"Patterns of Force" is VERY suspenseful and entertaining, parts of it such as Captain Kirk telling Spock to hide his ears are humourous, and everybody does a great job of acting. If you like Star Trek at all, do yourself a favor and get "Patterns of Force." You might find yourself in a pattern of watching it more than you expected to.

The U.S.S. Entreprise investigates the disappearance of an old Academy professor of Kirk's -- John Gill. Kirk and Spock discover that Gill had "gone native" and violated the Prime Directive by patterning the planet of Ekos after Nazi Germany prior to World War II. It was Gill's belief that, under the right direction, this type of patriotism could be used to positive purpose in the advancement of the planet's culture. The results turn out to be disastrous -- the Ekosian people turn on their neighbors, the Zeons, and place John Gill in the role of the Fuhrer! When Kirk and Spock reveal a power- seeking Ekosian has been controlling Gill, they are able to help him recall a large scale attack and begin the process of restoring peace to both cultures.

I saw this episode when it aired. Some of these reviewers have no clue. This is one of my fav episodes. The point here IS NOT a History channel retelling of what the [...] were. It was a perfectly valid 60s idea of what lessons SHOULD be drawn from that period of history. Remember Star Trek TOS is sci-fi. It purports to be neither fact nor truth by 21 century standards.

Just enjoy the series for what it is -- NOT what you wish it to be more than 40 years later.

GREAT STORYTELLING. CONTROVERSIAL AND COMPELLING. THIS EPISODE HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY NO 1 PICK SINCE I WAS A CHILD AND STILL REMAINS SO TODAY. UNFORTUNATELY, AS THEY WOULD MENTION WHENEVER THE EPISODE WAS PLAYED ON TV "THIS EPISODE IS BANNED IN GERMANY". A PITY, YET UNDERSTANDABLE.

This episode is offensive on so many levels I don't know where to begin. I am surprised that so many people like this episode because it is in such poor taste. First off, I am a historian. I was insulted by the fact that the writers had a prominent Starfleet historian introduce Nazism on an alien planet. "Even historians fail to learn from history". True, but every historian should know that recreating a Nazi state anywhere would be ludicrous. I don't care if Professor Gill didn't include the anti-Semitic elements of Nazi Germany. This fact does not suddenly make the episode acceptable to Jewish viewers, including myself. I would never base an alien society even on a pro-Semitic Nazi Germany because the state was a failure! Gill explained himself by saying Nazi Germany was the "most efficient state." Please! The Nazi Party brought destruction to Germany after promising to make the country great. Nazi Germany is the best example of how to ruin your country and get your butt kicked by the world. Therefore, a Nazi Germany that is not anti-Semitic would still be an abysmal failure. The Second Season overdid it with Earth parallels.

As a result, I believe that the episode is offensive to Jews. The Holocaust is a touchy subject that the writers did not handle with extreme care. Instead, we have Kirk, Spock, and McCoy laughing on the bridge after thousands of Zeons had been slaughtered. This is something that should only be in a Mel Brook's movie. How could they do this only 23 years after the end of the Holocaust? As a Jewish historian, this episode is offensive on many levels.

This episode could have been subtitled, "Nazis in Space." Unlike episode 43, "Bread and Circuses" and episode 54 "The Omega Glory" where the encounters with circumstances drawn from Earth's historical record was homegrown, the Nazi movement was imposed by a Federation official. John Gill is a historian who previously taught at Star Fleet Academy and is now a cultural observer on the planet Ekos. While on a routine mission to make contact with Gill, the Enterprise is attacked by chemical rockets bearing nuclear warheads.
Kirk and Spock beam down to the planet and discover that the planet is now ruled by Nazis and Gill is the Fuhrer. In this case, their hatred is directed against the inhabitants of Zeon, another planet in the solar system that possesses rudimentary space travel. Kirk and Spock are captured, tortured, imprisoned, befriend an imprisoned Zeon and penetrate the Nazi headquarters. They learn that Gill intervened in the culture, starting the Nazi movement because Ekos was politically fragmented and in his words, "Nazi Germany was the most efficient society in history." However, while the strategy worked at first, Gill was then drugged by his second in command and the movement was usurped into one of hatred against Zeon to the point of brutal persecution and murder. McCoy is beamed down and with his help, they are able to get Gill to make an announcement calling off the campaign of hatred. Gill is killed after making the speech along with his second in command.
This is one of the most ridiculous of all Star Trek episodes, based on some of the worst premises. They are:

*) Nazi Germany was not the most efficient state in human history. No intelligent historian would ever make that claim. Under their rule, Germany suffered the greatest brain-drain ever to take place in modern times.

*) The Nazi movement was based solely on a campaign of hatred of all not of "pure" German extraction. Beyond that, there was little else, so it would be impossible to separate the persecution from the other aspects. Again, no intelligent historian would make the attempt.

*) Gill was a member of Star Fleet and bound by the prime directive, a vow that he would not easily break.

Therefore, this is a combination of events that are impossible, even within the realm of Star Trek.
Furthermore, the events are not carried out very well. Kirk and Spock have no difficulty penetrating the most secure areas of the party, hardly something that could occur in a Nazi state. Spock and the Zeon they befriended pose as members of a news crew to obtain entrance to the secure building, yet both wear helmets and no one notices Spock's slanted eyebrows or the presence of the Zeon. All members of the military would be wearing their dress uniforms, which does not include helmets and members of a culture as race conscious as Ekos would not fail to notice those of an inferior race.
Finally, you do have to give the producers some credit for being willing to use such a controversial subject as Nazi Germany in the show. As I understand it, this episode has never aired in Germany. When I watch it, I always note the resemblance between the Nazi party leader who takes over at the end and Rudolph Hess, who was the number three man in the German Nazi hierarchy. It was an excellent bit of casting and makeup. Nevertheless, these are small points in favor and I rank this show in the lower fifteen of the original series.