Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan
• Writers: Gene Roddenberry
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: CBS Paramount International Television
• DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005M2D0
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,806 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #39 in

  Movies & TV > Television > Classic TV > Star Trek: The Original Series

• For more information about "Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 32 - Episodes 63 & 64: The Empath/ The Tholian Web" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 32 in The Star Trek: The Original Series Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"The Empath"
"The Empath" is an absolute must for fans of Star Trek's recurring shirtless-Kirk-being-tortured motif. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are taken to a strange laboratory and tortured by powerful aliens while a mute woman is forced to watch--a woman whose empathic abilities are being put to the test. There is, of course, a broader scheme to it all--this is one of the early manifestations of Trek's eternal conflict between the needs of the many and the needs of the few, or the one. Keep an ear out for one of the all-time great Bonesisms ("I'm a doctor, not a coal miner!") and hang on to those fragile but oh-so-important human emotions. --Ali Davis

"The Tholian Web"
"The Tholian Web" was conceived when writer Judy Burns went looking for a new angle on ghost stories. A physics student suggested she somehow use the theory of infinite dimensions, and out of that came Burns's script, which finds Captain Kirk (William Shatner) trapped between different kinds of space, floating in and out of view of the Enterprise crew. Adding to the dilemma are time constraints (Kirk's oxygen supply is running low), an effort by the arachnid-like Tholians to trap the Enterprise in a gigantic web, sub-space dementia affecting the crew, and rising hostilities between Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the latter none too happy with the way the Vulcan is running the ship in Kirk's absence. Burns's original conception was to make Spock the spectral Starfleet officer locked in interspace, but the show is quite effective in the way various characters mourn the presumed death of their leader and figurehead. The Tholians don't make another appearance in Trek lore until The Next Generation, but this particular episode won the original series its first Emmy for special effects. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

"The Empath," Ep. 63 - As prisoners of the Vians, Kirk and McCoy are tortured so that Gem, a mute empath, can learn to use her abilities and save her race. "The Tholian Web," Ep. 64 - Kirk is trapped in interspace, and the Tholians, accusing the Enterprise of trespassing, begin to weave an energy web around the ship.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Thought Provoking Treks, September 16, 2001

By	Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Volume 32 of Paramount's complete reissue of Classic Trek contains two outstanding third season episodes.

The Empath is a sensitive story written by Joyce Muskat. The Vians, like the Talosians from The Cage, are an advanced race possessing superior intellect, but seemingly lacking a moral center. Since most of this episode's budget was spent creating the Vians' makeup, the producers used a minimalist setting--so nearly the entire episode is shrouded in black. Guest Star Kathryn Hays does an excellent job in what is essentially a mime role.

The Tholian Web is another great story. The script is scientifically plausible, and features fine dialogue and character conflict. It's interesting to see how the crew interracts in the absence of Captain Kirk. It's equally interesting to observe how, no longer having to compete with William Shatner's broad performance style, the cast alters their performances. James Doohan, in particular, has some subtle moments here. The Tholian Commander's appearance, along with the "web" effects, are some of the best of the series.

The picture restoration is excellent here, with deep blacks during much of The Empath, and clear reproduction of the visual effects from The Tholian Web. The sound has been tastefully enhanced for multichannel systems.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two of my favorites, August 10, 2001

By A Customer

This is the first time two of my very favorite Star Trek episodes have landed on the same DVD. The lack of a set in The Empath is a big part of why I like the episode so much. The completely black background gives the story a spooky, nightmarish quality. Also, the alien makeup in this episode is as good as you'll see during the original series. The Tholian Web is a classic worth the price of this DVD all by itself.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange Bedfellows, August 8, 2001

By	C. Gerace "geracchr" (Birdsboro, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Two completely different episodes. The Empath is a strong lesson in morality played out on the worst production set of any TOS episode - basically an "empty set" with blackness all around. They probably saved money but the good story line was weakened by expecting the audience to stretch to accept no set, no props, no lighting, etc. The Tholian Web alone is worth the price. It won a Sci-Fi award (sorry - the name escapes me) and is a textbook action Trek episode. One of their all-time best, especially how Spock & McCoy acquiesce to work together in the most dire, nail-biting situation. A must have for TOS fans!