Back when I was watching these Star Trek episodes as reruns in the Seventies, I would never have considered the political and societal implications of an episode like 'The Return of the Archons'. For anyone watching these shows as a youth, the stories seem primed purely for entertainment. The same could be said for an earlier series, my all time favorite, The Twilight Zone. Yet in many of his stories, Rod Serling took a definite stand against the encroaching authority of the state, and both subtle and not so subtle intrusions against individual freedom and liberty. Perhaps his strongest statement in that regard was the TZ second season episode 'The Obsolete Man', and to a lesser extent, 'Eye of the Beholder', even though that latter one is generally remembered for representing something entirely different.
I have no idea what Gene Roddenberry's political leanings might have been, but one gets a strong hint with 'The Archons'. The summary line quoted above, when studied for it's deeper subtext, contains the ultimate promise of the uber-Socialist. One's freedom and individuality, as demonstrated by the spirit of Landru, is a machine's concept of perfection, one of peace and harmony, but sadly no soul. Although the conundrum presented by Captain Kirk to the machine logic of Landru is a bit awkward, it isn't hard to demonstrate that lacking a freedom of choice, there is no creativity, and ultimately, no life. At least no life that can express joy at it's own existence, only those distractions brought on by a manufactured 'Red Hour', or as I came to the conclusion while watching, a Mardi Gras on steroids.
There's also Roddenberry's intriguing symbolism of 'the three', those elder statesmen if you will, who were immune to 'absorption'. The idea I take away here is that only the oldest residents of Beta III were able to remember the way things used to be prior to the arrival of the first starship, the Archons, a hundred years earlier. In that context, Reger (Harry Townes), Hacom (Morgan Farley) and Marplon (Torin Thatcher) were the last line of defense before The Enterprise arrived to keep alive the traditions of the past. They were among the last remaining citizens who understood that 'freedom is never a gift'.
I could probably go on and on with this subject, the seed of a college thesis is at the core of this story. However I'd like to wrap up with another reference to Rod Serling and his own unique vision. There was a fourth season TZ episode entitled 'The New Exhibit'. In that one, a museum caretaker brings home a murderers row of wax dummies representing infamous killers in history. Near the end of the story he admonishes one of his figures for killing a guest who came to his home. The name of the murderer using a garrote - it was Landru!
I have no idea what Gene Roddenberry's political leanings might have been, but one gets a strong hint with 'The Archons'. The summary line quoted above, when studied for it's deeper subtext, contains the ultimate promise of the uber-Socialist. One's freedom and individuality, as demonstrated by the spirit of Landru, is a machine's concept of perfection, one of peace and harmony, but sadly no soul. Although the conundrum presented by Captain Kirk to the machine logic of Landru is a bit awkward, it isn't hard to demonstrate that lacking a freedom of choice, there is no creativity, and ultimately, no life. At least no life that can express joy at it's own existence, only those distractions brought on by a manufactured 'Red Hour', or as I came to the conclusion while watching, a Mardi Gras on steroids.
There's also Roddenberry's intriguing symbolism of 'the three', those elder statesmen if you will, who were immune to 'absorption'. The idea I take away here is that only the oldest residents of Beta III were able to remember the way things used to be prior to the arrival of the first starship, the Archons, a hundred years earlier. In that context, Reger (Harry Townes), Hacom (Morgan Farley) and Marplon (Torin Thatcher) were the last line of defense before The Enterprise arrived to keep alive the traditions of the past. They were among the last remaining citizens who understood that 'freedom is never a gift'.
I could probably go on and on with this subject, the seed of a college thesis is at the core of this story. However I'd like to wrap up with another reference to Rod Serling and his own unique vision. There was a fourth season TZ episode entitled 'The New Exhibit'. In that one, a museum caretaker brings home a murderers row of wax dummies representing infamous killers in history. Near the end of the story he admonishes one of his figures for killing a guest who came to his home. The name of the murderer using a garrote - it was Landru!