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Star Trek S1 E18 "Arena" » Recap

Original air date: January 20, 1967

The Enterprise is invited to visit an outpost near the edge of Federation space; Kirk, Spock, McCoy , and three Redshirts beam down at the outpost commander's behest — only to discover that the invitation is a pre-recorded ruse; the outpost has been destroyed.

Almost immediately the landing party are besieged by unseen aliens. Simultaneously, the Enterprise is attacked in orbit by an alien vessel, so they cannot beam anybody up. Two of the Redshirts are killed (one is allowed to die offscreen), but Kirk finds a mortar-like weapon among the rubble and manages to repel the alien attackers. Beaming back up to the Enterprise , Kirk initiates a pursuit of the alien ship, which was clearly responsible for the outpost's destruction, and he means to avenge that attack.

However, as the two ships fly through space, they are seized by a group of Sufficiently Advanced Aliens called the Metrons, who are not pleased with the war-like goings-on. But, as Sufficiently Advanced Aliens typically do, the Metrons have the solution, and Kirk abruptly vanishes from the bridge.

Kirk finds himself out at Kirk's Rock , sans weapons but with a recording device/universal translator/short-range transciever, where he is to engage in a Forced Prize Fight To The Death with the alien captain (called a Gorn, and no, it's not that kind of Gorn ) note  or a nice woody word , either , with the loser's ship also being destroyed in the bargain. Kirk has no weapons but is told that the environment has been "prepared" with everything he might need to make one. Kirk quickly begins casting about for a phaser or some sort of technological gizmo as the Gorn captain (a huge reptiloid creature) comes after him. Just for good measure, the Gorn is not only bigger than Kirk, it is much stronger and tougher as well.

The Metrons, by means of their Sufficiently Advanced-ness, somehow allow the Enterprise bridge crew to follow the action on their viewscreens (and presumably the Gorns as well). As Kirk futilely fights off the Gorn, the Gorn raises the accusation that the outpost was in Gorn territory and that they thought it might be the foothold of a Federation invasion — a possibility which shocks McCoy , thinking that the Federation might actually be in the wrong this time. Despite Kirk's denial of the accusations, the Gorn keeps coming, relentless and seemingly unstoppable.

Finally, an exhausted and nearly defeated Kirk begins to notice the various mineral deposits all around, and eventually recalls that these can be used to formulate a crude form of gunpowder. Kirk quickly assembles a makeshift mortar using a bamboo shoot and crystal shards for bullets as the Gorn approaches, firing it off Just in Time . The Gorn is pierced, and falls immobilized and helpless.

Kirk is the victor and is ready to deal the death stroke... and abruptly announces to the Metrons that he refuses to kill the Gorn, whom Kirk believes was only defending his territory. An image of a Metron appears and expresses surprise at Kirk's mercy, noting that were the tables reversed, the Gorn would not be so merciful. "You are still half-savage . But there is hope."

Recapper's Note: According to Word of God , the Forced Prize Fight was indeed a Secret Test of Character , but not quite as it comes across: The script includes a bit of dialogue (not aired) which reveals the Metrons had planned to destroy the winner of the fight rather than the loser, considering the winner to be a bigger threat to them . Luckily for us, Humans really Are Special. (The line is, however, included in the novelization by James Blish.)

Compare to " Duel ", an early episode of Blake's 7 that is practically a remake of this story.

• Abnormal Ammo : Kirk builds a cannon and uses it to fire giant chunks of diamond.
• Adaptational Modesty : The original tale by Brown had the human protagonist running around in the nude. Kirk only suffers some Clothing Damage from his peril.
• Animal Eyes : The Gorn has insect-like compound eyes on a reptilian body, further adding to its abhorrent alien appearance .
• Attack Its Weak Point : In their first encounter, when Kirk is grappling with the Gorn and unable to do it any harm thanks to its strength and rock-hard skin, Kirk buys himself time and escapes by slamming his hands onto its ear holes, which clearly causes the Gorn a great deal of pain.
• Bamboo Technology : Kirk's cannon.
• Big "WHY?!" : Just because you're seriously injured doesn't mean you can't pour it on. Cestus III survivor: Why did they do it? WHY?! There's got to be a reason!
• Blood Sport : Kirk accuses the Metrons of this, declaring "You'll have to get your entertainment somewhere else" after refusing to kill the defeated Gorn.
• Boulder Bludgeon : Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain are forced to fight each other with improvised weapons. Kirk picks up a smallish boulder and throws it at the Gorn. The Gorn captain then shows his strength by picking up a much bigger boulder and throwing it at Kirk.
• Captain's Log : The Metrons are kind enough to provide Kirk with a recorder for this purpose.
• Catchphrase : The Metrons insist on saying, "We are the Metrons" every time they start a conversation .
• Clothing Damage : Kirk tears his pants (in a totally non- Fanservice way) to make a fuse for his makeshift cannon .
• Mythbusters in an episode dedicated to Star Trek tropes demonstrated exactly the uphill climb Kirk was up against. Making gunpowder is not anywhere as easy as the episode makes it look, the Mythbusters ended up having to spend a LOT more time in trial-and-error and meticulous weighing and measuring than the Gorn would have allowed to even get in the ballpark of useable gunpowder and not just a mess that wouldn't even ignite. And even if that hurdle was surmounted, bamboo, even reinforced by rope, is NOT strong enough to withstand the pressure of exploding gunpowder note  "But, the Japanese had wooden cannon", you might say. Yes, but those were hollowed out logs orders of magnitude thicker than the bamboo Kirk had to work with. And even then, they still had a tendency to blow up . Mythbusters showed a near 100% chance that the weapon would have been more deadly to Kirk than to the Gorn. In fact they suggested Kirk would be better off to create the cannon and give it to the Gorn. When the Mythbusters set the weapon off (using their trusty guinea pig, Buster), it promptly exploded in a manner that would have shredded an actual human being beyond hope of survival. It was only when they finally cheated in the last try and reinforced the weapon with a metal interior that they had a confirmed Gorn kill. However, in the episode the bamboo, mineral deposits, and diamonds were all placed by the Metrons specifically so they could be used to construct weapons. It's quite possible the bamboo was stronger than earth-variety bamboo, and the mineral deposits more pure and more easily combined to create gunpowder.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique : Kirk's orders to increase speed to Warp 7 and then Warp 8 are played up as risk-taking that seriously worries the bridge crew.
• Death from Above : Kirk pushes a huge boulder off the top of a cliff onto the Gorn captain and apparently kills him. But he's Playing Possum , either because the rock just missed him or because he's just that tough.
• Depleted Phlebotinum Shells : Kirk drops a small blue ball into a mortar-like device, the resulting blast being enough to drive off their attackers.
• Disproportionate Retribution : We're meant to think the Gorns may have been justified in repelling what they saw as an invasion of their territory, but this kind of ignores their killing helpless women and children. It's made worse when you consider the fact that the Gorn can understand our language note  As evidenced when they created the fake message to lure Kirk and co. to the surface of Cestus III - specifically asking that he bring his tactical officer along with him , meaning that they decided to kill everyone at the outpost without trying to communicate with them and knowingly refused their attempt to surrender.
• Door Jam : The aliens force Kirk to duel the lizard creature alone on the planet's surface and prevent the rest of his crew from coming with him. This is a case where the hero being stranded was actually the plan.
• Dramatically Missing the Point : The Metrons state the planet has materials with which the combatant's can fashion weapons. Kirk mishears or misremembers this as the Metrons saying there were weapons , and spends the bulk of the episode running around, hoping to find a phaser under a pile of sand or a sword stuck in a rock. Meanwhile, the Gorn captain, having paid more attention, has fashioned a crude stone knife, vine booby-traps, and a net.
• Early-Installment Weirdness : A minor example—the sound effect of the Enterprise firing phasers is different from what it will end up being.
• Explosive Instrumentation : A literal version when the Gorn remotely overload Spock's tricorder, and he has to throw it away before it blows up in his face.
• Exposition Intuition : How the hell does Spock know that it's potassium nitrate on the rocks, and not sugar, or cocaine? Is Vulcan vision equipped with a mass spectrometer? It could simply be Spock making an educated guess based on logic. Kirk is collecting the mineral, and the Metrons have said that there are materials on the planet's surface which can be used to fashion weapons, therefore the mineral must serve a role in this. A weapon uses an energy source, something to contain the reaction and possibly a projectile. The only one of those that the powder could be used for — unless the Metrons expect Kirk to find the time and resources for primitive industrial processes — is an energy source. That narrows it down to a weapon which uses chemical reactions for energy and can be used against the Gorn, and the powder to one of the reactants used. It's not too long of a shot to say that the weapon is a rudimentary cannon and from there Spock can simply narrow the powder down to whichever reactant fits the appearance.
• Forced Prize Fight : The plot.
• Forced to Watch : The bridge crew are shown a transmission of what Kirk is undergoing, though this is presented as a Pet the Dog rather than the usual Kick the Dog .
• Forged Message : The Enterprise is sent a faked transmission to lure them into beaming down with their Tactical personnel. Everyone ignores Spock questioning this Schmuck Bait .
• Forgotten Phlebotinum : A Star Trek tradition. This is the first and last time we see Starfleet officers use a mortar in battle, even despite situations where such weapons would be very useful, such as during the Siege of AR-558 during the Domionion War.
• Gadgeteer Genius : Kirk shows hints of this when he cobbles together a crude cannon out of the elements in the landscape.
• George Lucas Altered Version : The remastered version includes a few shots of the Gorn blinking and images of the Gorn ship on the main viewscreen.
• Humans Are Special : The Metrons' justification for sparing the Enterprise .
• Improbable Aiming Skills : Kirk's bamboo cannon is not even aimed at the Gorn, yet he hits the target.
• Insult Backfire : Spock accuses Bones of being a sensualist when the doctor mentions how much he's going to enjoy having non-reconstituted food . "You bet your pointed ears I am!" the good doctor says proudly. It isn't often one of Spock's insults backfires on him!
• In the original script, which was used and expanded on by James Blish when he wrote the adaptation, the Gorn Captain and Kirk have several extended conversations (cut out from the episode for time and pacing). During one conversation, the Gorn Captain says that they have to finish this quickly, for their own sake as well as their crews'. There's no water to be seen, and the Gorn Captain also notes that he doesn't see anything he can eat... with the possible exception of Kirk. Damn.
• The Juggernaut : The Gorn.
• Kirk's Rock : The trope-naming appearance.
• Late to the Tragedy : The outpost was destroyed at least a day before the Enterprise 's arrival.
• MacGyvering : The Metrons announce that the planet has been stocked with "everything [the fighters] might need to make [a weapon]." Luckily, our good captain is extremely resourceful.
• The Main Characters Do Everything : A striking example: the Enterprise is under attack in orbit while Kirk is planet-side. Although Kirk is himself under fire, he takes time out to micromanage the space battle over the communicator (with such insightful tactics as 'fire phasers' and 'fire torpedoes'), rather than just letting Sulu do his job.
• Meaningful Name : The story takes place on Cestus III. A cestus is an ancient battle glove, similar to a boxing glove, filled with iron plates or with spikes or blades attached to them.
• Mighty Glacier : The Gorn may be much stronger than Kirk, but he is also much slower.
• Moral Myopia : The Gorns and the Enterprise crew intend to inflict violence on each other, and the Metrons won't have it. So they send Kirk and the Gorn captain to the planet's surface so they can inflict violence on each other until one is dead, so the Metrons can make his entire crew dead. Because killing is bad .
• My God, What Have I Done? : When the Gorn captain reveals that he attacked the colony due to it being within Gorn territory and thus was seen as the begininng steps of an invasion, Spock and McCoy have this reaction when they realize that, inadvertant though it may have been, the Federation were the instigators in this situation by establishing a colony within another society's territory. Even Kirk is taken aback, and it is heavily implied that this is part of why he spares the Gorn captain, so that a diplomatic solution could be found.
• No Name Given : The Gorn Captain's name is never mentioned. Some Expanded Universe sources gave him different names: either S'alath, S'slee, S'salk, Rheuzz'r or Arijog .
• No One Gets Left Behind : Averted; Kirk orders Sulu to do a Hyperspeed Escape , abandoning himself and the other crewmen who are under attack on the surface. Fortunately the Gorn retreat before Sulu carries out the order.
• "Not So Different" Remark : Kirk realizes that he and the Gorn captain are more alike that he originally thought when the Gorn reveals that he attacked the colony because it was intruding on Gorn sovereign space, mirroring Kirk's motivation in hunting the Gorn down.
• Obscured Special Effects : We never see the Gorn attackers on the planetary surface, as they're firing shells and disrupter weapons from behind a ridge. This actually adds an air of realism to the scene, similar to how a contemporary military force would use snipers and indirect mortar fire to soften up an enemy before launching an attack.
• Oh, Crap! : There's several in the episode, especially when both Kirk and his bridge crew get their first look at the Gorn he's up against. The security officer who helps Kirk fire the mortar also has one when Kirk gives him the range to target when firing the mortar. The officer complies, but does take a moment to remind Kirk that the target range is uncomfortably close to their position. Considering how powerful the mortar shell was, his concerns were entirely justified. Kirk knew it was a risk that had to be taken, as the Gorn were blasting them to pieces.
• Only Smart People May Pass : The Metrons make it clear that the planetoid has all elements necessary to manufacture weapons... including the minerals that are elemental to create basic gunpowder, if someone knows chemistry. The original story by Brown makes it much more specific, by means of the same planetoid having various obstacles like a forcefield between the two champions that halts anything conscious trying to cross it (meaning the protagonist must figure out a way to go through it while unconscious, and not be completely at the mercy of their opponent afterwards).
• Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous : The Metron who talks to Kirk at the end has an androgynous appearance note  and is one of several aliens in the series where the body and voice are provided by actors of different genders and wears a shimmering dress-like garment.
• Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh... : Kirk lands some pretty good blows on the Gorn, but he's less effective than usual .
• Really 700 Years Old : The Metron that Kirk deals with is 1500 years old.
• Redshirt : The first man to die is wearing a red shirt. A yellow-shirted man dies offscreen. O'Herlihy: Captain, I see something! (vaporizes)
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent : Kirk admits "Like most humans, I seem to have an instinctive revulsion to reptiles."
• Revenge : Kirk's goal for the first part of the episode. When given the opportunity to take it, however, he refuses.
• Scifi Writers Have No Sense Of Scale : At the end of the episode, Sulu states that they've been thrown 500 parsecs to the "other side of the galaxy." While 500 parsecs is certainly a considerable distance, our galaxy spans thousands of parsecs. The Federation itself in future Star Trek canon is said to span over 8,000 light years, or several times 500 parsecs.
• Secret Test of Character : Kirk passes the Metrons' test by refusing to kill his Gorn adversary, thus showing the Metrons that humans have the advanced trait of mercy. note  The Secret Test of Character element was added for the screenplay; in the original story the script was loosely based on, the Kirk-analogue wins by killing the Gorn-analogue, though in a completely different way than Kirk uses to defeat the Gorn.
• Sssssnake Talk : The Gorn says "I weary of the chasssse. Wait for me. I ssshall be mercccciful and quick. "
• Sheathe Your Sword : Kirk refuses to kill the Gorn. The Metrons commend him for his decision, saying that there might be hope for mankind yet.
• Sword over Head : Kirk, in this position with the Gorn, refuses to kill him.
• Viewers Are Morons : Wait... what's the hardest substance known to man?
• Villain Has a Point : The Gorn wipe out a Federation outpost, including women and children. Later, we find that from their point of view they were merely defending their space against invaders.
• Worst Aid : The survivor Kirk and the others find is left with his head propped up against the wall. If he fell unconscious (quite likely as he has serious injuries) he'd die of asphyxiation.
• Worthless Yellow Rocks : Kirk runs into a huge bunch of diamonds while running away from the Gorn, and deems them useless... at least at first. Kirk, narrating into the recorder given to him by the Metrons: A large deposit of diamonds on the surface. Perhaps the hardest substance known in the universe. Beautifully crystalized and pointed, but too small to use them as a weapon. An incredible fortune in stones... (tosses them away) and I would trade them all for a hand phaser, or a good solid club.
• Wowing Cthulhu : During the first encounter with the Gorn, the Enterprise and the Gorn ship are stopped in space by a mysterious and powerful race called the Metrons, who take Kirk and the Gorn captain to a deserted planet to fight to the death. When Kirk finally gains the advantage, he refuses to strike the final blow, which surprises the Metrons, who finally manifest before him and admit they had not expected him to have the advanced trait of mercy.
• You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious : Spock: Destruction of the alien vessel will not help that colony, Jim.
• Star Trek S1 E17 "The Squire of Gothos"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek S1 E19 "Tomorrow Is Yesterday"

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• TOS episodes
• TOS season 1

"Arena" was the 19th episode of Star Trek: The Original Series produced in the show's first broadcast season , first aired on 19 January 1967 . The episode was written by Fredric Brown MA and Gene L. Coon MA , directed by Joseph Pevney MA and novelized in Star Trek 2 by James Blish .

• 2.1.1 Episode characters
• 2.1.2 Novelization characters
• 2.2 Starships and vehicles
• 2.3 Locations
• 2.4 Races and cultures
• 2.5 States and organizations
• 2.6.1.1 Anatomy
• 2.6.1.2 Medicine
• 2.6.2 Materials and substances
• 2.6.3 Measurement
• 2.6.4 Technology and weapons
• 2.7 Ranks and titles
• 2.8 Other references
• 3 Chronology
• 4.1.1 Novel adaptations
• 4.1.2 Video releases
• 4.3.1 Timeline
• 4.4.1 Translations
• 4.5 External links

Summary [ ]

The Enterprise is lured to a Federation outpost by a falsified message inviting their tactical crew to a dinner . Upon arriving, they find the base on Cestus III has been destroyed. Shortly after arriving, they come under weapons fire by unknown assailants. They find a sole survivor, Matthew Harold , but lose two of their tactical staff, O'Herlihy and Lang . While they attempt to strike back at the attackers using a mortar found in the base armory , the Enterprise is also attacked. After both the landing party and starship successfully repel attacks and return fire, the alien vessel flees. Once the Enterprise can lower deflector shields , they retrieve the party and send down rescue parties to the wrecked colony . Captain James T. Kirk orders hot pursuit of the alien ship, with the intent to destroy them as retribution for the attack. Spock disagrees with the plan to kill the attackers, but Kirk is adamant about sending a message to whatever species had planned such an attack. While passing an uncharted star system , the alien ship and the Enterprise are scanned by an unknown force and begin to lose speed.

References [ ]

Characters [ ], episode characters [ ], novelization characters [ ].

Starships and vehicles [ ]

Locations [ ]

Cestus III .

Races and cultures [ ]

States and organizations [ ], science and classification [ ], lifeforms [ ], anatomy [ ], medicine [ ], materials and substances [ ], measurement [ ], technology and weapons [ ], ranks and titles [ ], other references [ ], chronology [ ], appendices [ ], related media [ ].

• TNG novel : Requiem
• DS9 - Strange New Worlds I short story : " Where I Fell Before My Enemy "
• ST - Alien Spotlight comic : " The Gorn "

Novel adaptations [ ]

Video releases [ ]

Connections [ ]

Timeline [ ].

• ↑ The character of Clifford Brent was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing an officer 's Starfleet uniform , was addressed as Brent in TOS episode : " The Naked Time ". The same actor also played the character of Vinci .

Translations [ ]

External links [ ].

• " Arena " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Arena (Star Trek) article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
• 3 Lamarr class

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Star Trek: Arena

• Edit source

"Arena" is the eighteenth episode of season one of Star Trek and first aired on January 19th , 1967 . It was first commercially released in Betamax format in the United States in 1985 . It was released in VHS format in 1994 and was first pressed to DVD in 2000 . The episode has been included on disc 5 of the Star Trek: The Complete Series season one DVD collection, disc six of the HD-DVD collection and disc 5 of the season one Blu-ray collection.

• 2.1 Starring
• 2.2 Featuring
• 3 Notes & Trivia
• 5.1 Star Trek
• 5.2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
• 5.3 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• 5.4 Star Trek: Voyager
• 5.5 Star Trek: Enterprise
• 6.1 Series links
• 6.2 Episode links
• 7 References

Synopsis [ ]

Stardate: 3045.6

Ensign O'Herlihy

The crew of the USS Enterprise make way for an Earth outpost station on Cestus III where they intend on attending an informal meeting with Commodore Travers - a man known for his hospitality. Travers makes a request of Captain Kirk to bring along his tactical crew. A team of six men beam down to the planet, but when they arrive, they find the outpost in smoldering ruins. Kirk finds a survivor suffering from bad radiation burns. Spock takes a reading and picks up traces of alien life sign. Suddenly, a weapon is discharged and Ensign O'Herlihy is atomized. Bombs begin exploding all around them. Kirk contacts the Enterprise and tells Sulu to get a lock on the attacker and return fire. Sulu opens the phaser banks, but is unable to damage the ship bombing the outpost. Meanwhile, the bombs continue to drop. Kirk tells Sulu to do anything to protect the ship, including moving out of the planet's orbit, outside of transporter range.

Kirk, Spock and tactical officer Kelowitz set up a grenade launcher and begin firing back at the invisible enemy. Within minutes, the bombing ceases. Kirk radios to Sulu who tells him that the alien vessel is retreating from the area. Kirk orders him to send a medical party down to Cestus III and beam the away team back up. Afterward, he orders him to pursue the alien ship.

Kirk takes a statement from Lieutenant Brent, the last known survivor from Cestus III. Brent doesn't understand why the aliens attacked, but he certifies that the bombing began a full day before the Enterprise crew received their invitation to come to Cestus III. Kirk determines that the so-called communiqué from Commodore Travers was a trap.

The Gorn Captain

Driven by a desire for revenge, Kirk orders the Enterprise to maintain a tight pursuit of the fleeing alien vessel. He pushes the ship to Warp Seven then Warp Eight - speeds that are much too dangerous for sustained travel. As they approach the fleeing ship, they find that it has stopped dead in its tracks. Moments later, the Enterprise likewise comes to a violent halt. All weapons systems are suddenly inoperable. A voice comes over the com channel identifying itself as a member of a race of highly evolved beings known as Metrons. The Metron admonishes Kirk as well as the crew of the ship he had been pursuing (which he identified as belonging to a race of aliens known as the Gorn ) for their violent actions. As punishment, the Metron decides that the captains of both ships shall settle their differences in a battle to the death.

Automatically, both Kirk and the captain of the Gorn ship are teleported to the surface of Cestus III. They have no weapons, but are provided with personal recorders should they choose to log their final thoughts. Kirk knows that the only way to satisfy the Metrons is to kill the Gorn, which would also satisfy Kirk's own need for vengeance.

The Gorn captain is a large, muscular reptilian man who is several times stronger than Kirk. Kirk however, possesses greater speed and agility and uses that to evade the Gorn's blows. Trying to keep abreast of his opponent, Kirk takes the high ground and begins pitching heavy rocks at the creature. The Gorn stumbles, but presses onward.

Eventually, Kirk realizes that the way he can win is if he can somehow fashion a weapon for himself. He finds several mineral deposits located throughout the valley and divines away to combine them to make gunpowder. He then creates a rudimentary bazooka out of a hollowed out tree limb and fires the gunpowder mixture at the Gorn, knocking him down. The Gorn is bleeding and in critical shape, but is still alive. Despite his desire to avenge the deaths of those the Gorn had murdered, he refuses to take the life of an injured adversary.

At this point, a representative of the Metrons appears before kirk wrapped inside a halo of light. The Metron is impressed with Kirk's display of mercy and professes that perhaps their is hope for humanity after all. He teleports Kirk and the Gorn back to their respective ships and they each leave the area.

Starring [ ]

Featuring [ ], notes & trivia [ ].

• Takes place in the year 2267 .
• This episode was adapted by James Blish as the first story in the 1968 Star Trek 2 novel.
• This is the first episode of the series directed by Joseph Pevney .
• The captain of the Gorn ship is later identified by the name S'Slee . His race are part of an organization known as the Gorn Hegemony . [1]
• Captain Kirk 's battle with the Gorn is parodied in the 2011 comedy film Paul . The scene is shot at Vasquez Rocks, California and the main characters (future Montgomery Scott actor Simon Pegg as well as Nick Frost ) act out the battle of Kirk and the Gorn.
• The scene at Vasquez Rocks State Park was also used for a scene involving Billy the Kid in the Old West in the "Bully and Billy" episode of Voyagers! in 1982 .

Bloopers [ ]

• When Kirk, Spock and Kelowitz are readying their grenade launcher on Cestus III, the shadow of a crew member can be seen passing over them on the left hand side of the screen.
• When Kirk is beamed back aboard the Enterprise, he is cleaned up and missing his belt as well as the recording device the Metrons gave to him.

See also [ ]

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: voyager, star trek: enterprise, external links [ ], series links [ ], episode links [ ], references [ ].

• ↑ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Where I Fell Before My Enemy (novel)
• 2 Brandy Ledford
• 3 Denise Cloyd

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• Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series)

Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series) Explained

" Arena " is the eighteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek . Written by Gene L. Coon (based on a 1944 short story of the same name by Fredric Brown ) [1] and directed by Joseph Pevney , the episode was first broadcast on January 19, 1967.

In the episode, while pursuing a Gorn vessel for an apparently unprovoked attack on a Federation outpost, Captain Kirk is forced by powerful entities to battle the opposing captain.

The USS Enterprise arrives at the Cestus III Outpost by invitation of its commanding officer, but the crew find the outpost obliterated. Captain Kirk , First Officer Spock, Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy , and a security force beam down to find one survivor who says the base came under heavy bombardment from an unknown enemy. The landing party find themselves under fire from nearby, with two of the security team killed in the initial volley. The Enterprise is also under attack from an unknown vessel, preventing the crew from beaming up the landing party. On the surface, Kirk finds a grenade launcher from the outpost's stores, and uses it to scatter the alien forces. The alien ship recovers its crew from the surface and begins to retreat. The landing party is beamed back aboard Enterprise before they give chase.

Both ships enter an unexplored sector of space, and shortly thereafter, lose all propulsion power. Enterprise is contacted by a species calling themselves the Metrons, who zealously guard their sector of space from intrusion. They announce that they will pit the respective captains against each other in " trial by combat ", a one-to-one battle to the death, with the ship of the losing captain to be destroyed and the other ship free to leave. Captain Kirk is suddenly transported to the surface of a rocky, barren asteroid along with the captain of the other ship, who is of a reptilian species known as the Gorn . The Metrons speak to Kirk, explaining that while neither captain has communication with his ship, each has been given a vocal recording device that will transmit their words to their ships; however, they are unaware that they also translate their words to the opposing captain as well. Kirk is told that the asteroid has numerous resources either captain can use to defeat the other. Aboard Enterprise , the crew are allowed to watch Kirk's actions.

Kirk attempts to communicate with the Gorn, but receives no response. The Gorn tracks down Kirk, and Kirk realizes he is outmatched physically and relies on his speed and agility to outrun the Gorn. Kirk gets caught in a rope trap set by the Gorn that injures his leg and slows him down. The Gorn finally communicates with Kirk via the translation device and offers to put him out of his misery. Kirk accuses the Gorns of being butchers, but the alien defends their attack on Cestus III, stating the outpost had been built in what the Gorns considered to be their territory. They viewed the Federation's presence in this part of space as an intrusion and a possible prelude to full-scale invasion.

Trying to stay ahead of the Gorn, Kirk discovers numerous valuable minerals and resources on the asteroid, seemingly useless at this point. He is inspired upon finding stalks of bamboo and raw chemicals that can be mixed into a black powder formula. He constructs a makeshift weapon, using chunks of diamond as ammunition. Kirk barely completes the assembly as the Gorn arrives and fires it, severely wounding the Gorn. As Kirk prepares to deal a death blow, he considers the Gorn's claims that the attack on Cestus III was only in self-defense, and allows him to live. Suddenly, the Gorn disappears, and a Metron appears to Kirk, congratulating him on not only winning the battle but showing the advanced trait of mercy for one's enemy. Kirk declines the Metrons' offer to destroy the Gorn ship, leading the Metron to comment that "you are still half savage, but there is hope", and that the Federation should seek out the Metrons again in several thousand years time. Suddenly Kirk finds himself back aboard Enterprise , his injuries healed, and the crew finds itself 500 parsecs from Metron space, the Gorn ship nowhere in range.

The episode was filmed in part on location at Vasquez Rocks , which was subsequently used as a shooting location in other Star Trek episodes and films. [2]

The episode marked the directorial debut of Joseph Pevney, who was hired by Gene L. Coon. [3]

The Gorn captain's vocalizations were provided by actor Ted Cassidy , who also appeared in person in the Star Trek episode " What Are Little Girls Made Of? " and provided the menacing voice of Balok in the episode " The Corbomite Maneuver ". The Gorn was portrayed by stuntmen Bobby Clark and Gary Combs and by extra Bill Blackburn in close-ups. [4]

William Shatner recalls standing too close to a stage prop explosion during the filming of the episode, causing tinnitus , which became chronic. [5] Leonard Nimoy was also afflicted. Shatner has it in his left ear and Nimoy had it in his right ear.

"Arena" was the first episode of Star Trek to be broadcast in colour in the UK ( BBC , November 1969).

"Arena" was the first episode scripted by Gene L Coon. According to an account by Herbert F. Solow in the book Inside Star Trek, The Real Story, the episode's similarity to the often-reprinted Fredric Brown original short story may have come from a subconscious inspiration . After Coon had written what he believed to be an entirely original script, Desilu 's research department, headed by Kellam de Forest, noted the similarity. It was therefore agreed that Desilu's Business Affairs office would call Brown and offer a fair price for the story, before it was shot and broadcast. Brown, not knowing that the script had already been written; was granted screen credit for the story.

Connections

This episode introduced elements to the Star Trek canon, including the Gorn species, the Metron species and the planet Cestus III. Cestus III is mentioned later as the home planet of character Kasidy Yates, and is referenced in non-canonical Star Trek novels.

In the 2010s, actor William Shatner re-enacted his battle fighting the Gorn, for an advertisement for the 2013 Star Trek video game (Kelvin timeline). [6] In the spot they have a similar fight, but it takes place in a modern-day living room and starts with the two playing a console video game together in co-op mode . [7]

In 2009, Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode an 'A−' rating, noting the episode's influence and noting the use of a theme of Star Trek , the "uncertainty of exploration". [8]

In 2010, SciFiNow ranked this in the Top 10 episodes of the original series. [9]

In 2013, The Hollywood Reporter , ranked the Kirk vs. Gorn fight as one of the top 15 key moments of the original series. [10]

In 2016, Newsweek ranked "Arena" as one of the best episodes of the original series, and they note it was a popular episode. [11]

In 2016, Empire ranked this the 41st best out of the top 50 episodes of all the 700 plus Star Trek television episodes. [12] They note that Kirk wins in this episode, not by killing a dangerous alien, called the Gorn, but by showing mercy which impresses the powerful aliens that pitted them against each other. [12]

In 2016, IGN ranked "Arena" number 10 in a top ten list of the original series episodes. [13]

In 2016, Radio Times ranked the battle between Kirk and the Gorn, as the seventh best moment of all Star Trek film and television. [14] They note that the action scene was filmed at the Vasquez rocks in southern California, USA. [14] They also praised Shatner's unique acting style in his mission logs, and noted how many aspects of this episode are great examples of the science fiction genre in this period. [14]

In 2017, Business Insider ranked "Arena" the 12th best episode of the original series. [15]

In 2017, ahead of the debut of , Patrick Cooley of The Plain Dealer ranked "Arena" as the 6th best episode in the first 50 years of the Star Trek franchise. [16]

In 2018, Collider ranked this episode the 7th best original series episode. [17] They praised the Gorn costume and noted that this episode introduces the powerful Metron aliens. [17]

In 2019, Nerdist included this episode on their "Best of Kirk" binge-watching guide. [18]

In 2019, Comic Book Resources ranked "Arena" as one of the top eight most memorable episodes of the original Star Trek . [19]

In 2020, PopMatters ranked this the 6th best episode of the original series. [20]

External links

• "Arena" at Memory Alpha
• "Arena" Screenshots before and after remastering at TrekMovie.com
• "Arena" Short story and episode comparison
• Bobby Clark talks about playing the Gorn

Notes and References

• Book: Herbert. Solow. Robert. Justman. Herbert Franklin Solow. Robert Justman. Inside Star Trek The Real Story . Simon & Schuster . June 1997. 206–207 . 0-671-00974-5.
• News: Famous Location To Appear in New Star Trek Movie . Anthony . Pascale . November 24, 2007 . . May 19, 2010.
• Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: "Arena" . DeCandido . Keith R.A. . Keith DeCandido . July 21, 2015 . . July 8, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220623180656/https://www.tor.com/2015/07/21/star-trek-the-original-series-rewatch-arena/ . June 23, 2022 . live.
• Book: Marc . Cushman . Susan . Osborn . These are the Voyages - TOS: Season One . . Jacobs/Brown Press . 2013 . 9780989238113 . 2013940946 . 402–404.
• Web site: William Shatner speaks about his tinnitus . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/E7bL9BhESYA . 2021-12-22 . live. .
• Web site: William Shatner Battles the Gorn Once Again in Ad for Star Trek Video Game . Gianatasio. David. 2013. www.adweek.com. en-US. 2019-07-25.
• Web site: William Shatner Faces Off Against The Gorn In This Hilarious 'Star Trek: The Video Game' Trailer . Erik Kain. March 29, 2013. Forbes.com . Apr 5, 2013.
• News: Handlen . Zack . "The Squire Of Gothos" / "Arena" . . 2009-03-13 . 2009-09-17.
• Top 10 Best Star Trek Original Series episodes . James . Rundle . 2010-03-26 . . 2019-07-09 . In no particular order….
• To Boldly Go: 15 Key 'Star Trek' Moments . . 2019-07-28.
• Newsweek's top 10 episodes from the original Star Trek series . 2016-01-02 . . 2019-03-27.
• The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever . Ed . Gross . 2016-07-27 . . 2019-06-29.
• Web site: The Top 10 Classic Star Trek Episodes . 2016-09-05 . . 2019-06-29.
• The 50 Greatest Star Trek moments of all time . David . Brown . 2016-09-08 . . 2019-07-24.
• News: Here are the 13 best original 'Star Trek' episodes, ranked . Elena . Holodny . Andy . Kiersz . 2017-09-21 . . 2023-07-11.
• Web site: Before 'Discovery:' the best 25 'Star Trek' episodes of all time . Cooley . Patrick . 2017-09-24 . . 2019-03-29.
• Web site: The 20 Best Episodes of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' . Lesnick . Silas . 2018-08-14 . . 2019-07-04.
• Web site: A Guide to Binge Watching 7 Great Star Trek Arcs . Eric . Diaz . . 2019-02-05 . 2019-07-15.
• Web site: Star Trek: The 8 Most Memorable Episodes The Original Series . Amanda . Abere . 2019-12-09 . . 2020-01-16.
• The 20 Best Episodes of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' . Paul . Rowe . 2020-10-19 . . 2023-07-11.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from the Wikipedia article " Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series) ".

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“Arena”

Air date: 1/19/1967 Teleplay by Gene L. Coon Story by Fredric Brown Directed by Joseph Pevney

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

When an Earth outpost is attacked and destroyed by a race called the Gorn, Kirk orders the Enterprise to pursue the Gorn ship with the intent of destroying it. In the midst of this high-warp chase, both the Gorn ship and the Enterprise wander into the territory of the powerful Metrons, who halt both ships and express their disdain for violent ways. The Metrons force Kirk and the Gorn captain to a planet where they must battle to the death using whatever primitive weapons they can find or create. The battle's winner's ship will go free; the loser's will be destroyed.

"Arena's" anti-violent, show-mercy-to-all message is heavy-handed, featuring a final scene that explains the message with the grace of a brick shattering on pavement. The use of Yet Another All-Powerful Alien Species™ to pass judgment on primitive humans is quickly becoming a cliché. In the meantime, the action sequences are laughably inept, even for late ‘60s Trek . Kirk's nemesis, the Gorn captain, never comes off as anything more than a klutzy man in a cheap rubber suit, performing "stunt scenes" that often have unintentionally comical results. (Ironically, considering the outdoor locations, it must've cost a lot of money to film this episode.)

The "cleverness factor" that is supposed to emerge from Kirk's situation doesn't pan out; Kirk's attempts to gain the upper hand with resourcefulness are undermined by bad pacing and a lack of suspense. And the notion of the Enterprise crew watching the entire fight on the viewscreen is both logically dubious and dramatically useless. The story scores a few points for being well-intentioned, but it was very poorly conceived.

Previous episode: The Squire of Gothos Next episode: Tomorrow Is Yesterday

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Comment Section

91 comments on this post.

I think that you are right on in your "Arena" review. If they had just followed the original short story (which is considered to be one of the best ever written in the sci fi genre) it would have been a great episode. Fredric Brown is credited with the story, but I wonder how much he was involved in the actual episode; or if it is just a reference to his short story that the show is based on, with the teleplay being a major rewrite.

ahhh .. Arena ..was my FAVE when I was ... 9 years old ... lol...

"Arena" is one of my dad's favourite episodes of TOS. Also, on a completely unrelated matter to that statement, there's a video on YouTube called "Worst Fight Scene Ever". If you're an Original Series fan I highly recommend you check it out.

I still think "the Doosday Machine" is the best overall Trek episode, but after lots of years "Arena" was all that bad either. I wish someday they would clean up (digitally) some of the cheasy rubber suit on the Gorn...

Jeffrey Bedard

This has always been one of my favorites. Just seeing Kirk grappling with the Gorn is one of the most indelible images of TOS. Yes, the Gorn costume is a bit silly, but it's still remarkably detailed considering the TOS episode budget and is still vastly superior to anything LOST IN SPACE ever did regarding non-humanoid aliens. I love the action set piece at the beginning, especially enjoying the fact that Shatner and Nimoy are doing some of their own stunts which adds to the believability. The chase of the Gorn ship is suspenseful despite never seeing the Gorn ship itself (I know that in the remastered version there is now a Gorn ship). The multi colored light effect for the Metrons is cool and using Vic Perrin for the voice is effective. Some of the fight scene between Kirk and the Gorn works really well, some of it is a bit silly. I don't understand why the guy wearing the Gorn suit moved so slowly in the early part of the fight. Was that due to limited mobility in the suit, a choice by the director, or perhaps showing us that the Gorn had physical speed limitations on this particular planet? It does distract from the early part of the fight 'cause the Gorn is moving painfully slow. Not a perfect episode perhaps, but I'd at least give this three stars. We get an out of doors action sequence, a space ship chase, two non-humanoid alien species (despite the human boy version of the Metrons at the end) and a nice illustration of TREK's "humanity can improve on itself" message with Kirk showing mercy to the Gorn. A great closing conversation between Spock and Kirk and a showing of a rare black eye to the Federation in the TOS era and what's not to love?

While I might not see it in as favorable a light as I did in my childhood, I still believe Arena is worthy of three stars. Sure, the fight with the Gorn is cheesy when viewed in a modern light and is plagued by some bad pacing, but it remains an iconic cultural image. I actually found the rest of the episode to be quite entertaining; the battle with the unknown and unseen enemy on the deserted outpost and the subsequent chasing of the Gorn ship being prime examples. Overall, for me a good episode.

Arena is definitely overrated. The morals in this episode are total BS. When the Gorn states his reasons "You were invaders!" McCoy exclaims "Could he be right.", expressing moral self-doubt. No, that's not even close to a justification. If group of Cubans settled and island off the coast of Texas which belonged to the US, it wouldn't make it ok for Americans to just start killing them, without any notice or negotiations. How superior can the Metrons be. Forcing two aliens to fight to the death and promising the execute the loser's crew is hardly the act of a superior being. The good part is actually the ridiculous slow motion fight scene between Kirk and the Gorn. That is a laught a minute.

To analyze this episode you must go back to the first time you saw it. The numerous surprises in the plot from the hoax to get them down on the planet, to finding out there were invaders, to chasing them across the galaxy, to suddenly being stopped by the Metrons, to transport to the "arena" for the competition and first discover what a "Gorn" is, and lastly to see that awesome looking "Metron" and learn about their advanced state of being was, as Spock would say, "fascinating". Kirk's final expression of humility and then hope was a superb ending. Four stars for me.

Arena is one of my favourite episodes of TOS. It might not be incredibly deep, and it is quite cheesy by modern standards, but the Gorn is iconic, dammit! One of the most iconic images of the series

I thought the pacifist message was quite radical and powerful. This episode opens with the slaughter of a human outpost and then positions you to accept this as being "our fault". This is quite a brave stance. The episode positions you to side and sympathise with a group who have commited a massacre.

Unlike later Treks, the Original Series always had genuinely alien looking aliens.

Whats not to love? Mortars, car chase, scavenger hunt, fight to death, speed vs Brawn, iconic alien. Oh yeah, there was that androgynous liberal at the end... OK well bump it down to 3.5 stars for that. Classic trek.

The redshirt guard accompanying the captain down to Cestus III earns the dubious distinction of Dumbest Red Shirt Ever in my book. Today's lesson: If you're in a war zone and see the bad guys, scream really loudly and stand up tall. That always goes over well. "CAPTAIN, I SEE SOMETHING!" [ZAAAAAAP!] [instantly vaporized]

Definitely one of those episodes best watched as an 8 year old.

The amazing part is how a "superior" race could have two beings fight to the death and have the losers' ship execute yet refer to humans as half-savage. I think the writers missed the boat on that.

A fellow Kalandan

Look, I get it, you're a (wannabe) critic. But you've got to take it for what it is: a fun TV show, produced in 1966. This is not a mega-buck movie where the premise and script is honed over months/years and there's plenty of budget for special effects and costumes. [And with this in mind, what's your opinion on Star Wars, Eps 1-3...?] This is a classic episode, the Gorn an iconic alien. While I did watch Arena for the first time way back when I was a kid, it is still an episode that when I come across it on TV, I will stay and watch until the end. Great entertainment! --Making gunpowder out of the component minerals! Awesome! Using your metric, I give it all 4 stars.

"Can you manufacture some sort of rudimentary gun?!" Considering a great scene from Galaxy Quest owes itself to this episode, I think it deserves a higher rating. Agree with the others this was in my top 3 as a youngster.

Let me see, an alien race murders a colony and then tricks a ship into coming just to murder them but it might be humans' fault because they accidently settled into their section of space? They defend themselves by sneak attacking without communication and taking out weapons and slaughtering people. And then a "superior" race considers Humans half-savage. And they deal with this by having a human cock fight and promising to execute and murder the losing side. The writers fell asleep on this one.

I also find it ironic that they judge humans on the "advanced trait of mercy" yet they were originally not going to show mercy. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black on that one. What were the writers thinking?

It's probably a good thing I wasn't the captain of the Enterprise (besides the fact that the Gorn would probably kill me...). When the Metron appeared and talked about their superior morality and how humans would one day become as moral as them, I would have laughed in his face. And probably continued laughing at him until he got annoyed enough to blow up the Enterprise. Because this episode's morality was a giant load of malarkey. Just look at at the much ballyhooed comment from McCoy: "could he be right?" Excuse me? Craig gave an example of the US blasting a Cuban colony right off the coast of Texas, but that's an improper analogy. It would be the US blasting a Cuban colony in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Was there any evidence, anywhere, of Gorn settlements on the planet? Was there any evidence of Gorn settlements in the solar system? In the neighboring solar systems? When Kirk chased the Gorn ship off, he was 30 parsecs behind them. 30 parsecs! They were going at breakneck speed, and given that TOS talked about traveling to the edge of the galaxy with no problems, that must be a very high speed. No other Gorn ship intercepted them. In other words, there was no evidence that the Gorn had any territory anywhere near this outpost. So by what right do the Gorn claim this land? Can you claim a faraway land that you aren't even trying to colonize, or mine, or anything? And even if you do claim it, without putting up a sign or anything, how the heck is anyone else supposed to know? If you claim an acre in the desert, with no sign or fence around, can you really complain if someone trespasses? Ah, but it's not just complaining that the Gorn did. They killed everyone. Even the civilians. Even after the Federation officer declared their surrender. And then tricked the Enterprise crew members into beaming down and ambushing them. There was no mistake or miscommunication here. The Gorn knew full well what they were doing when they killed everyone. Fine, maybe that was perfectly acceptable in the Gorn's mind. Maybe they think they are perfectly within their rights to do what they did. But not all moral codes are created equal, and we have no obligation to respect a moral code that doesn't respect ours. And clearly, the Gorn's actions here crossed the line when it comes to respecting us. So the Metrons pretending that everyone is equally bad was just silly. To say nothing of the Metrons moral code being a fight to the death between two people in order to kill everyone else on the loser's team being utterly absurd. Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, the writers dumped on Kirk's characterization. In their desperate attempt to be preachy and create moral uncertainties, they turned Kirk into a crazed bloodthirsty Ahab rather than the cool collected captain. His statement, that he is the only policeman and something must be done, is absolutely correct. But the way he goes about it, trying to destroy the Gorn ship rather than even trying to communicate or disable it, does not ring true. Is there any doubt that Picard would at least hail them first? Of course he would. And of course Kirk would, too! We know Kirk is acting irrationally, because the wise old Spock kept talking about being troubled by his actions, and we know Spock is the calm logical one. But we had to show Kirk being in the wrong and pretending that the Gorn had a point in order to make the stupid Metrons look wise. And that, my friends, is why "message" shows are awful. Because you end up shoehorning characters into your message, rather than letting the story flow naturally. Who cares if Kirk's actions are not consistent with his character, the message must prevail. Who cares if the Gorn's justifications don't hold up to scrutiny, we have to pretend they have a point. Who cares if the Metrons superiority is laughable, we need someone to stand in for the writers and preach to us. When the message is elevated above the story and characters, the story and characters inevitably suffer. And you can't blame that on cheesy rubber outfits.

I thoroughly enjoyed this iconic episode as a kid some 30+ years ago and even just watching it now, I still enjoyed it. It's not perfect, but it is a classic TOS episode. Plenty of suspense, action, a decent plot. I have no issues with the Gorn's rubber costume or the fight scenes. Kirk is supposed to be fighting a large slow powerful intelligent lizard-like humanoid -- and that's exactly how the fight scene plays out. Kirk's ingenuity wins out. Kirk is justified in pursuing the Gorn ship -- I think Kirk's argument here wins out over Spock although it would have been good if he could have laid out why (all women/children mercilessly killed, Enterprise lured in for destruction) rather than simply disregarding Spock's objections. I don't see how the Enterprise could start believing that the Gorn were merely defending themselves. What isn't well thought out is the Metron's higher moral standard. Arranging a fight to the death between the 2 captains and then planning to destroy the losing ship doesn't strike me as an example of a more advanced race's ideology. Anyhow, still a very enjoyable episode of classic TOS Trek. I give it 3.5/4 stars - it is one of the better Season 1 episodes and really feel Jammer's review is much too harsh at 1.5 stars which would put it as one of the worst.

One other thing to add to my prior comment: "Arena" is very similar to "Balance of Terror" -- aliens (justifiably in the wrong according to Enterprise) destroy Earth outposts and Kirk & Co. go in pursuit. BoT is a riveting starship vs. starship battle, whereas "Arena" needs some contrivance to become a captain vs. captain battle. It's the contrivance that weakens "Arena" in absolute terms and relative to BoT. But it is still a very strong episode. If "Arena" hadn't interjected the "lesson" of "superior race" etc., it would probably please a lot of people.

Ah yes, "Arena." If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then this episode is one of the most iconic Star Treks ever, as it epitomizes what's great and cheesy about the franchise in one sublime package. Granted, the climactic fight is laughable in spots, but the script is so sensitive and smartly written that it's easy to forgive all. I agree with many commenters that this episode is a classic worthy of 3 1/2 stars, knocked down half a star only for the sagging midsection and corny fight stunts; it's the show that many casual viewers remember when pressed to name a Star Trek episode from any of the series. Indeed this episode symbolizes everything I love about Star Trek: Compassion for the alien "other" and belief in the possibility that people can learn to get along after even the most violent of disagreements. For many viewers, you've got to look beyond the obvious cheese of a guy in a rubber suit doing slow-motion fight moves to appreciate the sincere idealism of the story's payoff. But even the guy in the suit is part of the charm and part of what people love about "Arena," as its obvious budget flaws make the show that much more endearing. Also, the creativity of everyone involved -- the actors are *really* trying in this first season -- shows what can happen when a talented group of people work harder to overcome lack of resources. I also have to admit that Shatner, although imitated by legions of comics like Kevin Pollak for his staccato monologues here, puts in one of his best Kirk performances here. As Wrath of Khan showed us, Shatner is often at his best when he underplays Kirk, and his theatricality is nicely understated here. There's a deep sobriety and lack of histrionics to his performance that really sells the story from start to finish, as his reactions to the slow-moving Gorn opponent help us overcome the initial guffaw at the fight and take it seriously. While Shatner often employs stylized acting flourishes, "Arena" is actually not one of the shows where he's jerking his body around and shouting at the camera. There have been times I was underwhelmed at this episode and times I have taken it less seriously. I have tried at times to dislike it. But I just cannot hate "Arena" no matter how hard I work at it: While it's not the best TOS episode, it embodies the futuristic optimism and retro fun of Star Trek better than almost any show from the franchise. And we have to give it credit for that.

I was surprised to see the low rating on this one. I disagree with the "cost" of the set. While supposedly "outside" you really only see a few places on the planet. it wasn't that expensive. Every TOS episode had issues with disbelief and inconsistencies. To me, it's a waste of brainpower to determine when the Gorn people settled into the area, who is right etc. I will agree that having the fight on the bridge screen was silly. But that was only done to fill the hour. Having Spock say "Coal" and things like that put in the 10 minutes or so needed to make a full show.

Klovis Mann

I've always liked this one. It's the first episode of TOS that I ever saw. I was 12 years old and watched it with my father the night it was broadcast in '67. Just a footnote that no one has mentioned.......the casualty/survivor the Enterprise crew finds on the destroyed outpost (and takes back to the ship) is played by the same actor that plays Loki in the 3rd season episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".

I acknowledge some of the criticisms here, but from childhood until now Arena is still one of my favorites. 4 out of 4

I think the rating is low - I say 3.0 stars. Craig and Skeptical do raise valid points. However, this is still an entertaining episode. Also, one thing I will say in defense in Star Trek in general is that every episode has now been seen literally many times by millions of people. Therefore, it is not surprising that people will notice that some episodes have plot holes, inconsistencies, continuity errors, etc. I read the short story on which this story is based (supposedly), and it is a classic science fiction story. (I say supposedly based, because there are conflicting stories regarding the origin of this episode. One story is that the writers wrote this episode, without realizing there was a similar story already written by Frederic Brown.) The Outer Limits episode "Fun and Games" is similar to this episode. Indeed, even Star Trek's own The Savage Curtain and The Gamesters of Triskelion are similar. I read the story adaption by James Blish (spoiler alert), and he had an interesting twist. In his story, the Metrons would destroy the winner of the contest, as they thought that race posed a greater threat.

RE: craig 'The morals in this episode are total BS. When the Gorn states his reasons "You were invaders!" McCoy exclaims "Could he be right.", expressing moral self-doubt. No, that's not even close to a justification.' That's precisely why the moral message is so powerful. Don't forget that the Gorn are an alien race of lizards whom we know nothing about and we can't set the same moral standards for them that we adhere to. Kirk's show of mercy was clearly a testament to that. "How superior can the Metrons be. Forcing two aliens to fight to the death and promising the execute the loser's crew is hardly the act of a superior being." That was an obvious bluff if you pay attention to the ending dialogue between Kirk and the Metron. The Metron's believed we were savages and they intentionally put it in terms they thought we'd understand. When the Metron asked if he should destroy the Gorn for Captain Kirk, I took that as a challenge to Kirk's show of mercy to ensure that the lesson was truly learned.

One and half stars? Really? This episode is a classic.

@Adam: "If they had just followed the original ["Arena"] short story (which is considered to be one of the best ever written in the sci fi genre) it would have been a great episode. Fredric Brown is credited with the story, but I wonder how much he was involved in the actual episode; or if it is just a reference to his short story that the show is based on, with the teleplay being a major rewrite. As the lore goes, this was an original script written at home by Gene Coon at over a three-day weekend just to have something ready to shove into the pipeline. When it was sent to the research company, they were the ones who noted the rather...obvious similarity to Brown's story. Then the Star Trek office contacted Brown and asked permission to base an upcoming episode on his story -- neglecting to mention it was already in pre-production. Fortunately for them, Brown was flattered and agreed.

This is a pulpy masterpiece, IMO, and works well as a possible critique of the Vietnam war. You essentially have the enemy demonized as lizards for commiting massacres. The Federation go out seeking revenge, but are then revealed to be colonizing another's territory and so partially responsible for retalliation. Mercy, appologies and bridge-building ensues. The lizard monsters are not our enemy. Gene Coon was so underrated. More than Roddenberry, he defined the soul of Trek.

Ah the Gorn: The bane of my childhood nightmares as a kid in the 60’s when I first watched it...The hissy, vomitous snarling serpentine voice....That maw with its rows of crocodile teeth...buff body but slow movement (musclebound, no doubt)....loved it when Kirk hurled a basketball-sized rock and it bounced off the Gorn’s meaty chest like a pebble...the Gorn was unstoppable and ever-pursuing like a Terminator robot....When Kirk and the Gorn got face-to-muzzle in that bearhug fight, I wanted the Gorn to try to bite off Kirk’s nose...I even got the plastic model of the Gorn when I got over my nightmares of him....Good memories!

I agree, Bruce. As a kid the Gorn was 100% real to me. No amount of retroactive "but it's so cheesy!" analysis will change that. This episode was already light years ahead of The Terminator, because not only did it comprise the unstoppable killing machine vs human ingenuity aspect, but the end goes far beyond it where killing the enemy is not the correct solution. Granted, it's easier to justify when it's literally a mindless robot. But imagine a Terminator movie where it isn't a mindless robot but an electronic "person" fighting for his own cultural survival.

I read the original story by Frederic Brown many years ago. I don't know how closely the teleplay of this episode followed the original, but it was interesting---and if it was in any way "cheesy", so what? I love cheese. Now to a couple of details. The Gorn is described as huge, powerful, reptilian---but slow, and this was to Captain Kirk's advantage, even with the sprained ankle. And I got to wondering about something. As the pursuit progressed Kirk was hard put to remember "something about sulfur", but when the bridge crew of the Enterprise was permitted to see the action on the planet's surface he suddenly started remembering things and set about putting together a weapon, and I started wondering---was it possible that Spock was somehow in telepathic communication with the captain, telling him what to look for? I know that the Vulcan could communicate over long distances in this way, and so I began to speculate about this. Whether this was the case or not, I was intrigued by the possibility, and it added to my enjoyment of the episode. I have said before, many times, that every episode, good, bad or indifferent, has something to say, and this was no exception.

Definitely a favorite from when a kid, lol, but it still has its charms. It is kind of comical how Spock spends like 20 minutes watching Kirk on the view screen commenting "good, good." Definitely an iconic episode. This one was featured in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, after all... A great bit where B&T are watching Kirk walk/climb the mountain then later they are forced to walk up the same path from the same camera angle. Vazquez Rocks if you're curious.

More snooty, superior aliens and McCoy being extra annoying ( why does Spock put up with him) but the gorn made the episode great. Yes, the grenade they used on Cestus 3 looked like a bocce ball, the gorn wore a rubber outfit, and the translater/communicator looked like an electric razor but that’s what made the episode a classic. This is one of the few episodes that I can watch over and over again but only for the final segment. I loved the Gorn’s expression when he saw the huge boulder about to fall on him and how he chuckled while setting his trap. Even spock showed emotion in this one. Kirk should have realized the gorn’s toughness right away when he saw the gorn’s lack of shoes. Even the tough Klingons and romulans wore shoes.

Despite the shortfalls, I think this was a very good episode. I remember watching as a kid, and I liked it once again today!

I think you guys are being a little too harsh on this episode. Sure the costumes are cheesy but there are a lot of smart touches. The chemicals Kirk uses to make gunpowder would really work. Also, more significantly, his final act of mercy after besting the Gorn is what elevates the episode. If this show was made today The Gorn would remain a stupid monster and Kirk would simply kill him. But his mercy and fighting against the superior alien being is a great ending and a good message.

That Gorn is just too much. But it's not fair to knock TOS on the basis of bad special effects. The story is fairly creative but plodding. Below average.

I'm firmly in the "loved it as a kid - still love it now" camp here. I want a Gorn figure now. Overall the Gorn comes off way better in the fight. He quickly proceeds to build an effective weapon out of vines that serves to neutralize his opponent's advantage (speed). Kirk, meanwhile, inexplicaply logs his tactical status into what he was clearly told is a 'translation device', and he struggles to remember the formula for gunpowder even though according to Spock that's still 'basic chemistry' in their time. There's a road on that asteroid which is presumably for Metron trucks carrying sulphur, although we never see one. And when the Metron dude appears in the end, there is a glittering effect next to him that I didn't notice before. It looks like it's part of the set, something hanging there?

Bobbington Mc Bob

Though not the best episode, its main conceit that humans are "promising" and will evolve into something wonderful is one that was recycled heavily throughout TNG

I think a lot of the comments and Jammer's review are too harsh. Regarding McCoy's comment, there is a certain context being missed. The analogy isn't a group of Cubans settling on an island off the coast of the USA (as suggested by others on this thread). The correct analogy would be a group of reptile monsters from space doing so. While I would like to think our first reaction would not be EXTERminaaaate! some degree of fear, hostility or even violence would be at least understandable in context. One of the best parts about this episode is Spock. He called it right from the get go- he warned Kirk that they didn't really know the context of the attack. He was completely correct. This and other examples (eg: Galileo 7) are reasons I love Spock. See Babylon 5 for an illustration of the foolishness of running into a situation like this guns blazing without knowing all the facts. On the subject of the rubber suit, I liked it as a kid and I still like it. In complete honesty it was better than the CGI mush we got from Enterprise for the Gorn. The ridicule this gets is more retrospective and unfairly blamed the episode for the limitations of 60s effects.

"Arena" is a classic, and the best part is, having seen this episode then watching Galaxy Quest. When the captain is fighting the Rock Monster, Guy shouts, "Can't you make a rudimentary lathe?" and I lost it, too funny.

This episode is famous for the fight scene between Kirk and the Gorn, but the event leading up to that moment is interesting as well. It was interesting seeing Kirk out for payback for a Starfleet base being destroyed. This was a fun action pack episode.

I’m rewatching it. It’s great. I’ll fanwank... there’s a very good reason the Gorn moves in slow motion- it’s explicitly stated the race is cold blooded. There’s plenty to critique- like why did Kirk and company not immediately beam up when first beaming down to the colony when it was very obviously a trap. And Uhuru screaming when Kirk was taken from the bridge... lol because teleportation is quite mundane in this universe. But still, this is a first season ep of TOS. Come on, they were quite literally making it up as they went along. And thank you Lucille Ball!

What of Lazarus?

When the Enterprise first attacked the Gorn ship, it's weapons had no effect. Why did Kirk think they were going to be successful the second time?

SouthofNorth

C'mon did Sisko say: "I'd love to meet Kirk and talk to him about the time he saved Earth by letting a social worker die?" or "I'd love to meet Kirk and talk him about destroying the Planet Killer?" No! It was: "I'd like to shake his hand, ask him about fighting the Gorn on Cestus Three." Damn right. The Gorn fight was an epic Star Trek moment for all the right (and wrong) reasons. 4 stars. Complain to Sisko if you disagree.

@SouthofNorth I wouldn’t take it up with Sisko but one could sure take it up with the writers. It was throwaway line about Kirk and they had to mention an episode everyone remembers (most people remember the Gorn because of how bad the suit was and how the episode has been parodied). If Sisko said something like “I’d love to meet Kirk and ask him about delivering medical supplies and running into Garth” most people wouldn’t recall that particular episode and just be confused. So just because Sisko says the word Goen doesn’t make this a great episode. I like this episode but I agree with the consensus that the suit looks really REALLY bad and being filmed in the 1960s is not an excuse. It’s bad for the time. If you can really suspend your disbelief and stifle your laughter this is a decent episode I’d agree on 3 stars but I don’t think this quite makes the top ten

Gee Sisko, you know the most famous fight with the Gorn didn't actually happen ON Cestus III, right?

Paul Mehlin

This is the kind of Sci-Fi my childhood was built upon. I embraced it. Sure, many people poke fun at this episode, and so many "Monday morning quarterbacks" like to nit-pick the production quality and script, but Star Trek was something new back when this came out and I found this episode to be a wonderful adventure. I still do!

Ten stars! One thousand stars!!! Heck, one million stars, if only for the iconic line from Spock, SPOCK: Now this is the power of Chemistry. Fuck yeaaaah. Oh, the crap we loved as kids :) Good times. @Jason R., I assume you are referring to the all-time classic Babylon 5 episode Infection? "Protect!" Great maker, scifi can be so cheesy.

JJ Not Abrams 8-)

If Sisko had mentioned Garth, we all would have known who he was talking about. The Gorn however is a classic and can be haunting (just ask Sheldon Cooper). I am sure the Star Fleet Academy Case Study that Sisko read as a Cadet was entitled "Captain Kirk and the Gorn: Cestas III and the importance of morals in the face of outrage" (did the Metron mineral planet have a name?) Does anyone have the rookie card for the Gorn who played First Base for the Pike City Pioneers?

I was waiting, waiting, waiting, for Kirk’s inevitable victory over Godzilla to be followed by the Metrons announcement that their threat to destroy the loser’s ship was “simply a threat, Captain, couched in the primitive terms only you would understand— we, of course, are far too sophisticated to ever do anything so violent.” It never came, and so this episode was total BS.

"There’s plenty to critique- like why did Kirk and company not immediately beam up when first beaming down to the colony when it was very obviously a trap." They had to assess the situation and look for survivors. It wasn't known that the Gorn were still on the planet until they came under fire...after they found that one colonist alive. Also they did try to beam up but by then Sulu had raised the shields because the Enterprise was under attack. Geez.

I do like FASA's take on the Gorn from their role playing game supplement Demand of Honor: a society that values physical prowess and is ruled by a complex honor code.

I liked the episode but wish it would have had a bigger battle. The Gorn presented a pretty cool and formidable enemy. Having it just come down to Captain Kirk versus the Gorn Captain was a little disappointing. Perhaps the budget was lacking for a big battle. Creating a giant zip gun with black powder was a neat idea, the thing was that the recoil would have made it highly inaccurate and/or it would have seriously hurt Kirk. Also notice that Kirk is wearing some sort of specialized low cut hiking boots to assist in navigating the rocky terrain. A good concept, I just wanted more! I give it a B+.

Loved this episode as a teen. I always wondered, though: In the beginning of this episode, how would the Gorn have been able to send a message in the voice of Commodore Travers in order to trick the Enterprise into sending down their tactical people?

Frankly, I find the morality of this episode to be pretty asinine, for the same reasons others have listed. I mostly enjoy it for the camp value of seeing Kirk fight a big rubber monster, it's genuinely kind of endearing how clunky it all is. Some TOS episodes have great sophistication in their writing and morals, others are just goofy fun, and this episode falls into the latter category for me, despite the obvious attempt at being profound. I will say, a lot of other works to use the same premise are far more successful on several levels. Many have already been mentioned here, but I'd recommend the Blake's 7 episode, 'Duel', it benefits a lot from playing off an intense rivalry that'd already been established between two characters, and has some genuinely well-directed and choreographed fight scenes for such a low-budget show. It also has an ending which feels almost like a parody of 'Arena', where neither combatant learns *anything* from the whole experience.

I echo completely the words of "Skeptical" that the moral philosophy of this episode does not pass the smell test. The Gorn had ZERO justification for their actions. Even if the Federation was technically "intruding" on Gorn space, there was no Gorn presence there, no Gorn had been displaced and the Gorn then engaged in a blatant shoot first and ask no questions later policy that resulted in mass murder and extermination of civilians even AFTER attempts to communicate had been made and was then compounded by a deliberate attempt to lure the Enterprise into destruction through fake messages. The idea that there is somehow "moral equivalence" between the two sides in this is laughable on its face and its clear that presenting the Gorn as a hideous looking reptile is meant to play up the "humans react prejudicely to what they don't understand" card. And as for the Metrones.....ugh. I am so sick and tired of the cliche of sanctimonious, holier-than-thou "superior" races presuming that they are so noble and so perfect and odor-free that they have the right to pass judgment on others and then judge the others on when they can be ready to talk to them on their sanctimonious terms. In presuming to be enlightened and against "violence" they themselves are prepared to engage in their own form of mass killing. Talk about hypocrisy! This is why I can't stand "The Day The Earth Stood Still" either because it has the same fundamental problem. Do as we say or be destroyed in the name of "peace" and "enlightenment."

Kirk was worried about Sulu having to protect the ship, ummmm, where was Scotty?

Did anyone notice the hollow tube that Kirk kept filling with minerals and nothing fell out? Penn and Teller would be impressed!

Funny how things float to the surface of my brain decades after watching some TV show or movie. I was drinking my coffee this morning, silently cursing the upcoming time change to DST, and a thought suddenly occurred to me: “Hey, the Metrones rigged the fight against Kirk!” The Gorn didn’t have to reinvent gunpowder to win. The Gorn could have squeezed Kirk in half with a great big reptilian bear hug, if it could avoid getting its ears boxed again. At least I assume those were its ears. Kirk does have a talent for accidentally locating a hostile species gonads in the nick of time to save himself. (Ok, the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet). On the other hand, the Gorn couldn’t just hide somewhere in a cold-blooded reptile trance conserving energy while waiting for speedy warm-blooded Kirk to pass out from starvation. Industrious primate Kirk was scurrying around looking for a way to kill a big strong reptile from a distance. Amazing that I’m still thinking about Trek after 50+ years. As a kid, I had the whole set of Blish script novelizations (and his Trek novel “Spock Must Die!” with Scotty’s immortal line, “I’d rather stick a 15 Ampere tap directly into God!” He didn’t want to try drawing power directly from Hilbert space. To give a shuttle craft warp drive capability, of course. Why else would you do it? Read it if you can find a copy. Better than your average FanFic. ). I was always surprised when there was a change in the book that contradicted The Truth of the TV Episode. It wasn’t until much later that I found out that the books were done from earlier versions of the scripts than what finally ended up on film. I vaguely recall the previous reference about the Metrones in the book having actually planned to exterminate the victor’s species. I also recall something about not having coal, but there were piles of diamond dust along with the larger stones to use as projectiles. Kirk assumed the diamond dust would substitute for coal/charcoal, since hey, carbon is carbon, right? Just as well they changed it to coal in the script. It takes a lot of heat to keep a diamond burning in normal air, although it will sustain its own combustion in pure oxygen once it’s ignited. If you’re still with me, I hope you enjoyed my rambling thoughts on one of my favorite topics. I’m sure my coherence level will be worse tomorrow after we’ve all robbed ourselves of an hour of perfectly good sleep. Perhaps they’ll come to their senses by the 23rd century and stop doing this foolish twice-annual temporal displacement ritual.

This one is just epic. It has a sprawling scope for the era with more story than most of the Trek movies. The starbase/planet set in the first act looks like a million bucks, especially considering it's only used for less than ten minutes. That weapon they use is rather convincing. And while the gorn's suit is obviously a suit, it's a great one for tv of that era. I would say it's almost of TNG/DS9 caliber, and doesn't even look bad in HD. There are several annoyances, particularly both Spock and McCoy navel gazing about whether the colony being slaughtered was justifiable. And I always find it annoying that Kirk goes instantly from "there are resources to build weapons" to "they said there would be weapons".

Proud Capitalist Pig

I have no issues with the Gorns’ motivations here. Those that do seem to be applying mammalian moral codes to judge the Gorns’ actions as reprehensible. There are several reasons that the writers consciously made the Gorn reptilian, not the least of which was to make them suitably “alien” to our way of thinking. These Gorn probably reacted precisely as a reptile alien race would if they found an infestation of humans on one of their worlds. Identifying flags and “No Trespassing” signs or not, they simply saw them as foreign bodies to be exterminated, like we would see a wasp nest in the eaves of a house, or even a mouse wandering around the kitchen--in which case you do just what the Gorn did and set a mouse trap (drawing the Enterprise to the planet with a fake recording) to prevent further incursions. “The Gorn should have negotiated with the humans!” “The Gorn should have staked their claim to the planet more effectively!” “There’s no justification for massacring hundreds of people!” All these objections are missing the point completely--the Gorn are basal, reactionary and hostile down to their very nature, and I’m sure Spock would applaud that analysis. @Jason R nailed it -- “The analogy isn't a group of Cubans settling on an island off the coast of the USA (as suggested by others on this thread). The correct analogy would be a group of reptile monsters from space doing so." This story is really about showing mercy to an intractable alien foe that is naturally out to destroy you, which is a far more interesting position on conflict/war than, “Hey, we’re all humans, let’s just all join hands, sing 'Kumbaya' and put down our silly weapons.” Would I have exterminated as many Gorn as I could find after they attacked a human colony? Well yes, of course I would have. The fact that the Gorns’ actions are perfectly rational, from their point of view, doesn’t absolve them of their sins--they attacked our colony, proving themselves to be an intolerable threat; sure, let’s kill them. But “Arena” is meant to show us that some people, like Captain Kirk, are capable of mercy even in the most extreme examples of existential threat, and that’s what separates us humans from the reptilian Gorn. And ultimately the story includes a third point of view--that of the Metrons, represented by that silly man-child wearing a Harry Styles dress at the end. While the Gorn are intelligent but still basal reptiles, and Kirk/humans the reasoning mammals, the Metroids are the allegedly advanced ubermensch who seek to study both of these lower species as lab rats in order to determine how they measure up in the scheme of the galaxy. Other commenters have pointed out that their threat to annihilate the loser of the gladiator match is probably a bluff. Yes, I believe that too. What they really want to see is if either side is capable of rising above their supposed savagery with a bit of mercy and compassion, and the only way to test that is through a contest of savagery. And one of the races is indeed capable of doing this. Still, fuck this sanctimonious, holier-than-thou Metron. He thinks that his supposed superiority gives him every right to lecture us like Nancy Pelosi. I’d just as soon kill him, with his smug preaching and treating me like a zoo animal, as I would the Gorn who was just acting with reactionary reptile reasoning. "Arena" is simple and amusing, but damn is it full of itself. Now as to the fight sequences--you could select any critique or praise of them in this thread and basically agree with the assessment. Like the Gorn itself, they're a force of nature. This one-one-one battle is an iconic piece of Star Trek lore (even I, new to classic Star Trek, knew what “Kirk fighting the Gorn” was) that deserves to be celebrated, discussed, parodied, praised, you name it. It’s also a laughably cheesy cockfight, filmed with 1960’s budgetary limitations, between hammy William Shatner and a guy shambling around in an oversized dinosaur costume to the soundtrack of guttural noises and growls that are exactly like the ones my own vocal chords emit on a Sunday morning after a heavy night of drinking while I’m lurching through the house trying to get my kids to shut the fuck up and let me sleep it off. The clash of Kirk and the Gorn Captain is not exactly Enkidu vs. Gilgamesh (Google it--it’s a fantastic epic poem), but it has solid entertainment value. My favorite moment of absurdity actually doesn’t happen on the planet but on the ship -- I’m pretty sure that Uhura has seen crew members instantly teleported off the Bridge before, but this time when it happens to Kirk, she *screams in terror* while Spock just looks on nonchalantly. It's good for some laughs. It's good for some thoughts. It's no classic, but also no disaster. Best Line -- Kirk: “Don’t try to figure it out, Mr. Sulu.” My Grade: C

@ Proud Capitalist Pig, As fate would have it I just watched this one a couple of nights ago, so it's fresh in my mind. "I have no issues with the Gorns’ motivations here. Those that do seem to be applying mammalian moral codes to judge the Gorns’ actions as reprehensible. There are several reasons that the writers consciously made the Gorn reptilian, not the least of which was to make them suitably “alien” to our way of thinking." Well the thing is Trek in general, and TOS on many occasions, seems to argue that true intelligence always leads to the final conclusion of respect for life, to the point where multiple groups of super-advanced beings judge lesser mortals for killing each other. So in this context, the only way to judge the Gorn's actions as reasonable (even from their own POV) is if you argue that reptiles cannot really be intelligent in any meaningful way; that their intelligence is a sort of 'fake cleverness' that cannot ever evolve into the sort of beings the Metrons are. We are talking about an absolute scale of advancement, wherein certain types of things (murder, greed, etc) are objectively wrong and any sufficiently advanced civilization would know that. So you sort of end up reducing the Gorn to the 'backward natives' to ascribe to them no innate capacity to share these values. "This story is really about showing mercy to an intractable alien foe that is naturally out to destroy you, which is a far more interesting position on conflict/war than, “Hey, we’re all humans, let’s just all join hands, sing 'Kumbaya' and put down our silly weapons.”" While I agree that this is a nifty thing to explore - a moral position with no possible material upside - I am really not sure we're meant to understand the Gorn in this way here. The entire tenor of Arena changes once Kirk learns the Gorn felt they were protecting themselves. And this is foreshadowed in Spock's conversation in Kirk's quarters near the start where he questions whether it's an invasion. It seems what the writers wanted was to demonstrate that our natural assumption that no being could do this for any reason other than wanton destruction was incorrect in the case of the Gorn, since they are different from us. But it's not that they're intractable, just that their initial reaction is going to be a lot less forgiving than the Federation's would be. "Other commenters have pointed out that their threat to annihilate the loser of the gladiator match is probably a bluff. Yes, I believe that too. What they really want to see is if either side is capable of rising above their supposed savagery with a bit of mercy and compassion, and the only way to test that is through a contest of savagery" Hm I guess I'm not sure about this. The Metrons didn't have to do anything, and unlike the Organians the Gorn weren't exactly rounding them into prison camps to be irritated at their intrustion. Also their attitude, coming off as smug and superior, does seem to me to speak to a race that really doesn't want anything to do with these lesser races; their test seems to be in the vein of "if you're going to settle this with violence then we will see to it that it's done as gentlemen rather than savagely." It feels like a "not in my backyard" attitude rather than trying to teach anyone anything. My idea for this came when the Metron said he was surprised that the humans could show mercy. Seriously? Did he not bother to read even the slightest detail in the ship's computer before engaging in this farce? Even Gary Mitchell did more homework than this. So it makes me think that they were just dismissing both races as primitive and were mildly interested that in one case this wasn't quite true; but only mildly. It seems more like they're detached from lesser concerns rather than that they have an elevated concern for these races. The Organians, too, are later shown to be very detached rather than caring. More Dr. Manhattan and less Superman. I've always really liked this one and still do, but the 'moral' at the end (Kirk being pleased that humanity shows promise) is really empty writing since Kirk, the Metrons, and everyone watching should know better than to wonder whether humans are capable of mercy. In fact if they had wanted to do something at least thought-provoking at the end it could have been an exchange between Spock and Kirk about the value of even alien life, and perhaps a disagreement about whether this should be called "mercy" or just "logical", and whether it's an emotional position versus a dispassionate truth. The question could sit whether humans can arrive at the concept of mercy without Vulcan logic, meaning an emotional position leads to the same conclusion as a Vulcan logical one. If that's a bit too dry then perhaps Kirk could have ended the episode condemning the Metrons rather than feeling praised by them. As it was they felt they were making a 'deep' point that is...not.

TOS' Arena.. Always loved this episode. It was a 3-in-1. Part 1, which I call the Battle of Cestus III, began with a lot of smarmy good ol' boy chit-chat in the transporter room about Travers' legendary hospitality. Upon beaming down, Kirk instantly assesses the situation "Cestus III has been destroyed." Real Shock. Transition to opening credits. Very exciting. Title scene shows the large fortress wall of the colony below a matte painting of rugged mountains....a tried and true technique to produce a scenic effect of large scale....Kirk and crew fan-out...red-shirt is disintegrated by a disruptor beam of a type not seen before in the series...looked hot and painful too. Traumatizing for the first time viewer. Quickly the paltry Federation landing party are pelted by destructive ordinance. Very frustrating for our out-gunned heroes. All-in-all, it's the most effective battle scenario ever offered up in TOS. Nothing really equaled it until Deep Space 9. Part 2: The Hot Pursuit shows Kirk obsessed with punishing the Gorn and pushing the ship too hard....interesting discussion about war with Kirk. He is foolishly not relenting, just seeing red. Part 3: The fight for survival on the remote planetoid....for a young viewer the situation was scary as Hell. I know, I know, the Gorn was a man in a suit. At least he had a loincloth on and for my money, the rubber leotard, however cheesy, still beat a Fireball XL5 lizard marionette! The final chat between Kirk and the Metron. To me it was magical. (And I think the Metrons foreshadow the Q Continuum rather well, though are less grouchy). Arena deserves 3.5 stars! "We are a very promising species Mr. Spock."

"(And I think the Metrons foreshadow the Q Continuum rather well, though are less grouchy)." The episode just before this one with Squire Trelane is a much better foreshadowing of Q. While the Metron may have similar powers, it displayed far less personality. But I can't help thinking that the first 2 episodes we see Q on TNG are possibly direct results of "The Squire of Gothos".

@ Rahul, Yeah. To the point where early Q may as well *be* a more grown-up Trelane, especially with his fascination of humanity.

@ Peter G Good comments there. I definitely think the Gorn were objectively a threat, but their reasons for attacking the colony made perfect sense to a certain way of thinking. I think Star Trek's teachings of compassion and a default respect for life are noble, but you can't expect it from every intelligent alien. You lost me with the "Organians" comparison, unless I missed something. Maybe I haven't gotten that far yet? @ Rahul, Okay yeah, I never connected Trelane with the Metron at all, but that's a good observation. Is this a coming trend in Star Trek? Switching from Twilight Zone culture mirrors to consistently encountering all-powerful aliens who screw with and judge humanity?

@ Peter G "Perhaps Kirk could have ended the episode condemning the Metrons rather than feeling praised by them. As it was they felt they were making a 'deep' point that is...not." Yes, for sure. I noticed that too. Personally I would have exploded on the Metron, really taken the piss out of him.

@ PCP, "You lost me with the "Organians" comparison, unless I missed something. Maybe I haven't gotten that far yet?" Forget it, just erase that comment from your memory. In fact, Jammer can you delete the neurons in PCP's head related to the word "Organian"? Maybe just a full mindwipe if that's easier.

@ Peter G Considering I just watched "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," I have the perfect solution at the top of my head--just beam me back into my body as it existed a minute before I read your comment (after Jammer expunges the comment of course).

We seem to be at exactly the same place in our watching! I'm halfway through Tomorrow Is Yesterday as we speak (halted for the night due to sleep necessity disparity between me and my wife. I think you'll probably get ahead of me in pace but I'll try to add thoughts when I can after I've watched one.

@Proud Capitalist Pig "Is this a coming trend in Star Trek? Switching from Twilight Zone culture mirrors to consistently encountering all-powerful aliens who screw with and judge humanity?" When I think of TOS S1, one of the themes that gets frequently revisited is humanity's interaction with superbeings. But it's done in different ways and tells different stories -- whether it be "Charlie X" or Gary Mitchell, the Metrons, Organians, etc. And then Q is a fixture throughout TNG. So yes, I'd say it is a "trend" in Trek but also in sci-fi writ large. It provides a way to look at humanity from 30,000 feet and can lead to some interesting observations. Not a bad plot device for sci-fi.

@Proud Capitalist Pig, on all-powerful aliens (a.k.a. gods), you'll enjoy the comments when you get to "Who Morns for Adonias?" https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s2/adonais.php#comment-79223

@ Peter G -- "We seem to be at exactly the same place in our watching! I'm halfway through Tomorrow Is Yesterday as we speak (halted for the night due to sleep necessity disparity between me and my wife. I think you'll probably get ahead of me in pace but I'll try to add thoughts when I can after I've watched one." Sounds good! My watching is sporadic too. My family is all trying to watch it together, but sometimes someone has to catch up. I always appreciate your thoughtful comments.

@Rahul -- "Yes, I'd say it is a "trend" in Trek but also in sci-fi writ large. It provides a way to look at humanity from 30,000 feet and can lead to some interesting observations. Not a bad plot device for sci-fi." Very true. As long as science fiction / fantasy is saying something interesting, it can go anywhere it wants.

@Mal -- "on all-powerful aliens (a.k.a. gods), you'll enjoy the comments when you get to "Who Morns for Adonias?" Thanks for the tip! I try to scan through all the comments on these pages after I finish watching an episode and I'll make a note to myself to pay close attention to that thread when I get to it.

I think the really important point (and maybe lesson) in “Arena” is that there is a way to break the spiral of violence. In the first half of the episode, the situation between the Enterprise and the Gorn escalates at high speed, with both sides having their share in it, as other reviewers have already analysed. Resorting to violence breeds further violence from the opponent’s side, a fight or even war seem unavoidable. At first, when the Metrons stop both ships in space, their interference breaks the circle, but it doesn’t solve the conflict… it just continues on a different level, with Kirk and the Gorn as proxies. From what I see here, the Metrons are far from being the peacemakers they claim to be. They interfere because the Enterprise and the Gorn ship have violated the space of the Metrons during their pursuit. Forcing Kirk and the Gorn to fight to the death is not supposed to bring peace – based on one killing the other and the loser’s ship being destroyed, what kind of peace would that be?! – but to serve others as a cautionary tale. That the outcome finally is a peaceful solution is to Kirk’s credit, not to that of the Metrons: by showing mercy and sparing his enemy, he renounces vengeance… and in doing so, he breaks new ground and opens the door for diplomacy. I’m not sure if that was the Metrons’ intention from the beginning…

I never post videos here but in this instance I had to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4SxPLXrTDc&ab_channel=Insider Just watched it last night. It's two weapons experts rating fights in film and TV. Not my favorite video ever but at around the halfway point you'll get your money's worth :)

EventualZen

@Peter G If you right click over a Youtube video there is an option to copy the URL at the current play time. The Gorn discussion starts at 12 minutes and 36 seconds: https://youtu.be/r4SxPLXrTDc?t=757

That video is pretty cool! They suggest the gorn moves so slowly because he's very thick skinned and it's similar to guys fighting in heavy armor. That makes sense considering he was hit by a bolder and survived. Whatever the in story reason, surely it was deliberate by the production. I seriously doubt the suit was that heavy or constricting. Meanwhile back to nit picking-- this episode is fairly epic feeling, but gets kind of goofy when the bridge crew start watching the fight on tv with commentary. It seems like it would have been better for them to be doing something else, like researching the gorn or something. Or maybe even expand the sci-fi element of the battle arena, like maybe it's extremely small, like unbounded but finite, meaning you go out one side and come back in the other. That would explain one flaw-- Kirk could move vastly quicker than the gorn so should have easily been able to stay ahead of the gorn. (And they actually did show in "Land of the Lost" that that realm was unbounded but finite.)

This episode is straight up trash. The message that humanity is a backward race of beings totally misses the mark as well because the aliens are the ones who come off as barbarians. -1 stars for the hypocrisy.

What would "Kirk & the Gorn at Cestus III?" come to mean in the Darmok people's language?

Another episode I loved as a kid and still do. The Gorn are a race worthy of further development today. The Metrons are pretty darned cool too. Maybe in a few thousand years....

I’ll admit up front that Arena scores very high on my nostalgia-o-meter, and as such I’m very aware of the possibility that I’m viewing it through rose colored glasses. But personally I think this is a 3-3.5 star episode, if for no other reason than it’s iconic standing. But also, it might embody more than any other TOS episode that certain pizzazz that only the original series seems to carry. It’s a kind of do-no-wrong swagger that allows me to look past its less than perfect special effects and see the heart and soul of a show fully committed to telling its story. As I mentioned, maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but the more I think about it the more confident I become that my analysis is objective: rubber lizard suits be damned, this is a fun episode. And honestly, who really cares about cheesy special effects? When contemplating the evolution of sci-fi effects in general I’m reminded of the prologue to Henry V: “But pardon, and gentles all, The flat unraised spirits that have dared On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object: can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at Agincourt? O, pardon! since a crooked figure may Attest in little place a million; And let us, ciphers to this great accompt, On your imaginary forces work.” Is it, or perhaps better asked, *should* it be the job of the effects to stand in for one’s own imagination? When I watched Arena as a kid the gorn was real, visceral, dangerous. My mind picked up the slack where the clunky suit left off and I was, and am, perfectly fine with that. If pressed to make a choice, I’ll take a good story/characters with bad effects over a bad story/characters with great effects. Any. Day. Of. The. Week. So the question becomes, is Arena a good story? I say, yes. Absolutely. This episode is quite a journey. We get a WWII style mortar duel, a space chase, two mystery civilizations with difficult to understand motives, and finally the arena itself. It’s a packed show that tells its tale with great competence. Much has been made above about the episode’s questionable moral messaging. However, I’d argue that Arena takes no stand, its asks rather that we question our own assumptions. We assume the Gorn are evil, after all they commit a massacre with what seems to be extreme prejudice, yet we know nothing of their society. Perhaps their civilization is organized more along the lines of an insect colony, where individuals are unimportant to the whole, and as such killing a few drones is a perfectly acceptable means of communication, they even may have thought they were being quite polite by not attacking starfleet headquarters. There are hundreds of possible reasons for the Gorn actions that go beyond them just being bad, the point is that we don’t know and thus our entire attitude towards them is built around our own ingrained prejudice. McCoy realizes this and begins to reassess the situation in a more dynamic light, but the episode doesn’t pound home that point, it just demands the question, and it falls to us how we choose to interpret our own worldview bias. Part of Kirk’s victory at the end is that he chooses to jettison those prejudices, he breaks the cycle of violence driven by ignorance, he chooses to remain true to himself regardless of the Gorn or the Metrons, and in so doing shames the metrons into pretending they aren’t just preening jerks who like to put bugs in jars and shake them up for fun. At least that’s how I took it. Anyway, still one of my top 20 trek episodes.

Kyle (the original)

The idea of having a cold blooded reptile moving slow was current in the 60's but now modern science has rendered that idea outdated. We now know dinosaurs didn't sit up to their necks in a swamp, how many snakes and lizards have we seen in real life moving very fast? The modern iterations of the Gorn in SNW and once on enterprise are a more accurate vision of reptiles. The continuity/canon issue rears it ugle head again in that in Arena Kirk and Spock say things like "Apparently it's called a Gorn." Like they have never heard of it. But it seems like they were the new Klingon/Borg/Big Bad before Kirk took over the Enterprise from Pike. I'm glad the producers are finally using the Gorn as a core threat species and fleshing them out. However, maybe the writers should have made up a new enemy species like TNG did with the Cardassians or ENT did with the Xindi. then there wouldn't be any canon/continuity issues at all. Maybe new trek should be original instead of doing all these prequels and retcons.

Projekt Kobra

You're ALL nuts... BEST REAL TREK EPISODES.... 1. City On The Edge Of Forever...(possibly the best television episode of ANY show..ever) 2. Arena 3. The Doomsday Machine 4. Balance Of Terror 5. Spectre Of The Gun (admittedly a guilty pleasure, when picked over Trouble With Tribbles, or Mirror, Mirror)

https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/arena.php#comment-40406 @Klovis Mann.... Sorry, hate to be THAT guy, but "Lt. Harold", the last survivor of Cestus III, was played by Tom Troupe. Who DOES bear a resemblance to Last Battlefield (and Cool Hand Luke) actor Lou Antonio.

https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/arena.php#comment-91671 Dr. Bob...Internally, bamboo is made out of a number of individual chambers, so you can easily fill a broken bamboo chamber with stuff, and nothing will fall out of the other end. In pre-plastic Japan, they's saw an intact chamber out of a green bamboo tree, drill a hole on one end, fill it with water, and them plug it with a stick...Boom! old school canteen.

Best thing about the Gorn "captain" is that his growling and hissing always that he sounds like a 200 year old heavy cigar smoker. I can never get that distinct sound out of my head.

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Star Trek History: Arena

On this day in 1967, the iconic 'The Original Series' episode premiered.

On this day in S tar Trek history, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Arena" premiered.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

Star Trek (TV Series)

Arena (1967).

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Arena (Episode)

• Edit source

Kirk battles an alien captain who destroyed a Federation outpost.

• VisualEditor

Arena is a commonly known style of Player versus Player team-based game play, and is used in quite a few MMORPGs and first person shooters. In Star Trek Online , players must eliminate a certain number enemy combatants. Once one team has eliminated a required number of enemies, it wins the game. Players that are eliminated are allowed to respawn after a timer.

The Cracked Planetoid map is also available as a small craft -only arena.

If the two teams are at deuce status (i.e. 15 ships to be destroyed, but 14:14), and both teams are simultaneously defeated by each other, all are lost. There is no known draw cases.

Arena currently includes many maps in both space and on ground such as:

• Assimilated Cruiser (Ground)
• Briar Patch (Space)
• Cracked Planetoid (Space)
• Deserted Facility (Ground)
• Solar Wind (Space)
• Ghost Ship (Ground)

All are playable by accessing the PvP queues in the Mission Journal . Although both factions employ identical maps, the in-game locations of each arena are different for Starfleet and Klingon players (and their respective Romulan Republic allies):

• Aldebaran System (Space)
• Archanis System (Space)
• Zibal System (Space)
• Azha System (Ground)
• Cursa System (Ground)
• Traelus System (Ground)
• Hedon System (Space)
• No'mat System (Space)
• Ghomha System (Space)
• Ghuh'woq System (Ground)
• Saqghom System (Ground)
• Gorath System (Ground)

Tactics [ | ]

Stay with a group of allies and use the environment to cut enemy line of sight if needed. In space don't let yourself be cut off from your team by the enemy -- if this does happen you will be attacked and you will probably be destroyed.

• 1 Phoenix Redemption Store
• 2 Obelisk Carrier
• 3 Phoenix Prize Pack

When you enter the Arena, you will test your wits and firepower while commanding iconic ships against other players in 3D ship-to-ship combat. Players are grouped into Divisions based on the rarity of their ships and crews, ensuring a level playing field. To move up the Leaderboard, a Captain must defeat a higher-ranked player to assume their position. Daily rewards are calculated based on Leaderboard ranking, with players higher on the leaderboard and in more powerful divisions receiving the greatest rewards.

The Arena is locked to Captains until they reach level 10.

Each battle expends one Arena Ticket .

Playing in the Arena counts towards the total ship battles count of the Daily Missions. [1]

• 1 Arena Divisions
• 2 Arena Battle Stations
• 3 Attacking and Defending
• 4 Arena Rank
• 5 Arena Rewards
• 6 Version 3.0
• 7 References

Arena Divisions

In order to ensure a fair playing field, players are grouped into Divisions based on the rarity of their ships and crew.

Each Division has its own Leaderboard and rewards, with the most valuable rewards available in the more difficult divisions. Leveling your ships and crew will allow you to participate in the most rewarding divisions.

The Commander Division requires that Captains bring Common and Uncommon ships to battle, and requires that all crew used be Common, Uncommon, or Rare crew. As of the Arena tests, rewards for the Commander Division provide schematics for Uncommon and Rare ships.

The Captain Division requires that Captains bring Rare or Super Rare to battle, and requires that crew be between Common and Super Rare rarity. As of the Arena tests, rewards for the Captain Division provide schematics for Rare, Super Rare, and Legendary ships.

The Admiral Division requires that Captains bring their most powerful Legendary ships to battle, and allows crew of all rarities to be used. As of the Arena tests, rewards for the Captain Division provide schematics for Legendary ships.

Arena Battle Stations

The Arena sets up three unique Battle Stations for each division. The Battle Stations you set up in the Arena do not carry over or affect the Battle Stations you use on Missions. The crew that you slot into your Battle Stations will be used both for attacking your opponents, and for defending your position. You may change the crew in your Battle Stations at any time by going into the Division, and changing the Battle Stations.

Attacking and Defending

When attacking an opponent in the Arena, you are immediately launched into a ship combat against your opponent. Your opponent is an AI-controlled version of your opponent's ship and battle stations. If you win, you swap positions with your opponent. if you lose, your position remains unchanged.

When your ship is attacked in the Arena, the Ship Battle Artificial Intelligence (AI) pilots your ship for you. The AI will attempt to use combinations of crew, plus the ship abilities, in a way that simulates an effective human being using the ship. When you attack an opponent in the Arena, you are competing against an opponent’s ship being piloted by the AI.

There is no way for a player to modify the AI controlling their ship at this time.

If there is a draw where both the player and the AI explode, then the defending AI is considered to have retained their rank. [2]

Your rank in each division of the arena is determined by winning and losing battles. Your rank in each division determines the reward you get from that division that day. You do not need to participate in a division every day to keep your rank. However, on 2016-07-27 it was revealed in the forums by DB Becca that after 7 days of inactivity in a division, you are dropped out of the rankings (become unranked) for that division. [3]

Arena Rewards

The Arena delivers rewards every 24 hours. Those rewards are sent to your in-game mailbox, where they can be retrieved. (Which you will have 3 days to retrieve them.) The rewards are calculated based on your rank when the Arena timer ended. This means it may be possible for you to be bumped lower or higher in the rankings in the last few minutes prior to the rewards depending on the amount of activity present in the Arena. Reward bands are calculated based on the percentage of players participating in the Arena. The more players that participate, the more likely those who were placed well will go on to be placed even better as the new players fight their way up the reward bands. [4]

The prizes for ship battles will change occasionally. [5]

[6]

Version 3.0

There are also optical changes: enemy abilities are on top instead of on right.

• ↑ https://forums.disruptorbeam.com/stt/viewthread/53327/
• ↑ https://forums.disruptorbeam.com/stt/viewthread/53406/
• ↑ https://forums.disruptorbeam.com/stt/viewreply/263691/
• ↑ https://forums.disruptorbeam.com/stt/viewthread/53495/
• ↑ https://forums.disruptorbeam.com/stt/viewthread/53224/
• ↑ http://www.disruptorbeam.com/blog/2016/6/28/star-trek-timelines-battle-arena-pvp-game-guide
• Game Mechanics

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• 2.1.1 Plot Oversights
• 2.1.2 Changed Premises
• 2.2.1 Character error
• 2.2.2 Continuity
• 2.3 Nit Central
• 2.4.1 Nitpicking

Summary [ ]

When Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to Cestus III, they find the outpost destroyed. There is only one survivor. The landing party comes under attack by an unknown enemy, and one of Kirk's men is killed. The survivors beam up, and Kirk orders to pursue the enemy vessel into an unknown region of space. The powerful Metrons, however, stop the two ships.

They prevent the imminent battle and turn it into a duel on a barren planet between just Kirk and the reptilian Gorn captain. Kirk eventually disables the Gorn with a crude cannon built from raw materials from the surface. When Kirk refuses to kill the defeated Gorn, the Metrons release the Enterprise and the Gorn ship with the remark that there is hope for the human race.

Errors and Explanations [ ]

The nitpicker's guide for classic trekkers [ ], plot oversights [ ].

• Uhura screaming when Kirk disappears despite not doing so when Kirk disappeared in the The Squire of Gothos . She wasn't expecting it to happen so soon after the last time.
• Why doesn't the Gorn try to bite Kirk? The Gorn might not want to risk Kirk kicking him in the teeth.

Changed Premises [ ]

• The Federation apparently developing the means to create precious gems between the events here and the incident in Catspaw . Kirk could be lying in Catspaw about the Federation being able to make gems at will.

Internet Movie Database [ ]

Character error [ ].

• The Metrons pronounce their name "Meh-trahn" but Kirk mispronounces it as "Meh-trohn" every time, and so does Spock. Lots of names have more than one pronunciation for the same spelling.

Continuity [ ]

• When Kirk is coming down the hill after pushing the rock on the Gorn, his left side is leading. In the next shot, his right side is leading. He's probably adjusting his posture to avoid falling over.

Nit Central [ ]

• MarkN on Sunday, December 19, 2004 - 1:30 pm: Hah! I found a nit that Phil missed in his book and that surprisingly no one here or in the archived nits above saw either, and that's when after the requisite redshirt gets killed Kirk and Spock rush up into the corner of the destroyed building there and Kirk flips open his communicator while at the same time bumping up against the ruined concrete reinforced wall and the wall moves! No wonder the place was so easily pulverized by the Gorn! The walls weren't so very well reinforced after all, were they? The foundations were probably weakened by the Gorn attack.

Ex Astris Scientia [ ]

Nitpicking [ ].

• Why would the Gorn bother sending a faked message to the Enterprise? And even a detailed instruction "Bring the tactical people"? They probably suspected starfleet would have a ship in the area, and wanted to negate the potential threat.
• The Gorn's forces are greatly exaggerated. The piece of rock he lifts with ease must weigh two tons or more, and he throws it at Kirk, who is standing at least ten meters apart. The Gorn should have easily crushed Kirk in the direct wrestling match. The Gorn wants to attack - and defeat - Kirk from a distance, to minimise the risk of getting injured.
• 1 The Jem’Hadar
• 2 Elaan of Troyius
• 3 All Good Things...

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Arena (Q5221208)

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Tom Troupe ( born 15 July 1928 ; age 95) is the actor who portrayed Lt. Harold in the Star Trek: The Original Series first season episode " Arena ". He filmed his scenes on Friday 11 November 1966 on location at the fortress set near Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park and Tuesday 15 November 1966 at Desilu Stage 9 .

He is the husband of singer/comedienne Carole Cook , a close friend and protege of Lucille Ball . He co-wrote (with Don Eitner ) and starred in Sofi (1968), the stage and film adaptations of Nikolai Gogol 's Diary of a Madman .

He also appeared in the 1973 made-for-television movie The Alpha Caper , co-starring fellow Trek alumni Leonard Nimoy , Kenneth Tobey , Paul Sorensen , Paul Kent , Victor Tayback , and James B. Sikking .

• 1.2 Television guest appearances
• 2 External links

Other Trek connections [ ]

Additional projects in which Troupe appeared with other Star Trek performers include:

• The Big Fisherman (1959, with Phillip Pine , Rhodes Reason , and Leonard Mudie )
• The Devil's Brigade (1968, with Andrew Prine and Jean-Paul Vignon )
• Che! (1969, with Sid Haig , Perry Lopez , and Abraham Sofaer )
• Kelly's Heroes (1970, with Perry Lopez, Phil Adams and David Hurst )
• Making it (1971, with John Fiedler and Lawrence Pressman )
• PSI Factor (1980, with Don Eitner and Peter Mark Richman )
• Summer School (1987, with Kirstie Alley , Jack Blessing , Conroy Gedeon , Carlos LaCamara and Ken Olandt )
• My Own Private Idaho (1991, based on William Shakespeare 's Henry IV , with Mickey Cottrell )

Television guest appearances [ ]

• The Fugitive (1964, with Bernard Kates )
• The Young Rebels (1970, with John Colicos and Alex Henteloff )
• Griff (1973, with Vic Tayback)
• Lucas Tanner (1974, with Nancy Malone )
• Planet of the Apes (1974, with Mark Lenard , Joseph Ruskin , Gary Combs , Booth Colman , Ron Stein and Percy Rodriguez )
• CHiPs (1979, with Michael Dorn , Robert Pine and Mary Crosby )
• Cheers (1987, with Kirstie Alley, Bebe Neuwirth and Kelsey Grammer )
• Frasier (1995, with Kelsey Grammer)

External links [ ]

• Tom Troupe at the Internet Movie Database
• Tom Troupe at Wikipedia
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)