Star Trek: 0013: "The Conscience of the King"

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0013

The Original Series (1966)
Season 1: Episode 13: “The Conscience of the King"

Stardate: 2817.6 (2265/10/25 - 10:10:34)

Written by: Barry Trivers
Directed by: Gerd Oswald

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Contracted by one of the other two witnesses to the crimes of mass-murderer "Kodos the Executioner", Kirk is persuaded that the criminal may be disguising himself as an actor in a traveling theatrical troupe.

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REVIEW

“You are like your ship: powerful and inhuman; there is no mercy in you”

As surreal as it may be for a show like Star Trek, ‘The conscience of the king’ is nevertheless a very good tribute to classic stage plays, subtly implementing the many characteristics of the art form to achieve its ultimate and very memorable closing scenes.

Perhaps what is most memorable or at least original about this episode is its distinct mix of subtle and dramatic tone. Not only is this achieved through the inclusion of the stage actors and their plays, but the actual sets of the ‘real’ Trek universe are more elaborate and striking than usual. My favourite of these sets has to be the observation deck. Even though not as visually stunning as say, BSG or future Trek series, this simple little room achieves an atmosphere that suits the development of Kirk and his woman of fancy well, creating a sense of romanticism associated with star gazing and indeed, theatre. Furthermore, this outing for the show features a couple of original music pieces that I enjoyed thoroughly simply because it offers a much needed break from the same old recycled stuff that’s used episode after episode.

It’s not just the classical sets that form a link between the themes of episode either. Indeed, the entire form and structure of the show nonetheless plays like any good piece of classic Shakespeare: passionate acting; near-perfect pacing and structure; intelligent, engaging dialogue; themes of love, betrayal, mystery and murder. Although not quite as perfected as Macbeth or Hamlet, ‘The conscience of the king’ still does a fine job of implementing these elements into its story to offer plenty for the characters to engage with.

What was probably most effective for me was the analysis of Kirk as a man free of his duties as captain. Even though this never happens in the course of the episode, as Lenore states early on, when in the company of his desire Kirk appears free and a little less burdened. Admittedly, Shatner is his typical worst when acting out any sort of love scene, but it’s the script that I felt strongly for here and admired its willingness to try and show Kirk as he might be free of his duty. Don’t get me wrong though, I wasn’t convinced a lot of the time and found many of the romance scenes to be in awfully bad taste, reeking of melodrama. It does provide however, some food for thought and all important characterisation for the captain.

The character development I enjoyed the most was that of Anton. Unfortunately, I felt Arnold Moss didn’t receive as much screen time as he deserved to bring his character to life. There is a specific scene though where Kirk confronts the actor and accuses him of the being the executioner. Instead of outwardly denying it or admitting it, Anton is shown as being a man who has not forgotten about his past but nor is he proud of it. In fact, he is tormented by his past and wants nothing to do with it as much as he can’t help but remember. He also presents justification for his acts of murder and even though death is death, what he says doesn’t quite make him as black and white as most ‘villains’ are usually developed to be.

Aside from the characters, ‘The conscience of the king’ also manages to build tension very well, resulting in two suspenseful scenes. The first being where Kirk and Spock discover the sound of an overloading phaser in Kirk’s headquarters creating an exciting ‘race against the clock’ scenario that works well and pays off just as effectively. Secondly is the second to last sequence in which the final confrontation between Kirk, Anton and Lenore takes place before the truth spills out into a wonderfully performed and poignant scene that wraps it all up powerfully.

My one major problem though is the plot hole involving the fact that eye-witnesses of the executioner are being murdered one by one. Not only do I think it’s unlikely that only 9 people would still be alive to testify, but there’s the super amazingly obvious fact that Kirk was able to find a photo of him the Enterprise’s records. If nobody knows what he looked like, why does Starfleet have his photo on file? Essentially it’s just a really clumsy mistake that just about defies the whole episode’s plot. But still, its one little scene that can perhaps be overlooked in favour for the other aspects that makes the episode a joy to watch.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 07/11/2007.