In "The Savage Curtain", whilst scanning an uninhabited planet with a molten rock surface, the Enterprise receives an unexpected visitor: former president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln beckons Kirk and Spock to the planet's surface where they also run into the father of modern-Vulcanism Surak. A strange rock creature pits these four against a group of history's most evil beings as an experiment of which is better: good or evil. The foursome battle Ghengis Khan, the father of modern-Klingonism Kahless, a mad scientist named Zora, and an earthling named Col. Green who was responsible for a mid-21st century genocide.
The fate of the Enterprise is at stake so Kirk and Spock agree to fight. Surak goes the way of peace and is promptly killed. Lincoln tries a sneaky rescue and perishes as well. These two beings were created by the rock people to assist Kirk but always thought of themselves as the real icons. (This is never fully explained). Kirk and Spock fight off the 4 evil-doers, proving once and for all (for the zenith time) that good triumphs evil. But apparently it must always resort to violence? The Enterprise was being held captive the entire time but is now allowed to leave...
How am I not supposed to laugh when Abe Lincoln shows up on the deck of the Enterprise hundreds of years after his death? My brain shut off from the word go during this one. The plot is some bizarrely out there and yet, at the same time, so bland. Its ground we've tread a bunch of times before during TOS's run and it's been done much better in the past. Lots of people claim that the show had run out of ideas by the end of its third season; a lot of ideas were recycled. Yet season 3 still has some really solid episodes, even with the financial constraints. Maybe the writers had just gotten lazy and their quality of work went down. There was still obviously room for more ideas (how much spinoffs of Star Trek have we had since then?) so I'm not convinced that that's the answer. But maybe 3 seasons of the 1960's version was about all American could handle at the time.
The fate of the Enterprise is at stake so Kirk and Spock agree to fight. Surak goes the way of peace and is promptly killed. Lincoln tries a sneaky rescue and perishes as well. These two beings were created by the rock people to assist Kirk but always thought of themselves as the real icons. (This is never fully explained). Kirk and Spock fight off the 4 evil-doers, proving once and for all (for the zenith time) that good triumphs evil. But apparently it must always resort to violence? The Enterprise was being held captive the entire time but is now allowed to leave...
How am I not supposed to laugh when Abe Lincoln shows up on the deck of the Enterprise hundreds of years after his death? My brain shut off from the word go during this one. The plot is some bizarrely out there and yet, at the same time, so bland. Its ground we've tread a bunch of times before during TOS's run and it's been done much better in the past. Lots of people claim that the show had run out of ideas by the end of its third season; a lot of ideas were recycled. Yet season 3 still has some really solid episodes, even with the financial constraints. Maybe the writers had just gotten lazy and their quality of work went down. There was still obviously room for more ideas (how much spinoffs of Star Trek have we had since then?) so I'm not convinced that that's the answer. But maybe 3 seasons of the 1960's version was about all American could handle at the time.