Star Trek: 0014: "Balance of Terror"

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0014

The Original Series (1966)
Season 1: Episode 14: “Balance of Terror"

Stardate: 1709.2 (2264/09/15 - 13:36:46)

Written by: Paul Schneider
Directed by: Vincent McEveety

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Despite the earlier Romulan War, the Romulans have never been seen in person. The Enterprise, in pursuit of a Romulan aggressor, makes a discovery that causes suspicion about a senior crewmember.

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REVIEW

“In a different reality, I could have called you 'friend'”

What is often heralded as a Star Trek classic and a fine piece of writing, doesn’t really hold up all that well with me. Although one cannot deny the importance of such an episode, one also cannot deny the script’s obvious lack of any real substance or moral fibre that gives most classic Trek episodes their appeal. So while I appreciate this is indeed a great episode, I also propose that it is still nowhere near the standard of the finest episodes that the series crafted.

So why is the episode important? Well it establishes many pieces of Trek history that go on to exist and be used in many future Trek productions, mostly involving the –previously unknown- Romulans. Before we delve right into that however, it must be noted that marriage is also something that is cemented right here in ‘Balance of Terror’. Not only is marriage still a custom, but we see that it is actually accepted between crew members working together on a Starship. It’s an interesting idea, but nonetheless underdeveloped.

Anyway, back to those pesky Romulans. Indeed, the very unveiling of the aliens themselves is expertly built up in preceding scenes, setting up the history between them and the humans, helping establish some sort of threat before we even see them. Then the curtain is raised and we see what appears to be –at least to those unfamiliar- as Vulcans. This very similarity is what creates possibly the most interesting and only real sense of direction that the episode has: Spock undoubtedly is now seen as a suspicious member of the crew by certain other less trusting and bigoted officers. This helps show that a) these people who serve on Enterprise aren’t as clean as they look b) even though it may exist, the blatant form racism is not accepted by Kirk and c) it gives Spock a very rare moment of vulnerability. That is not to say that he begins acting on the other’s suspicions, and he certainly doesn’t cower away and hide. But you can certainly tell that there is a certain discomfort, a distinct amount of tension each time there is interaction or mention of Spock.

The Romulans themselves are given plenty of characterisation that even the regular Kingons of the original series didn’t get in their numerous episodes. Specifically, the commander of the ship is given more character development than even half of the recurring crew had received in the previous thirteen episodes. Lenard fulfils his role fantastically here, giving a performance that is both highly memorable and completely authentic. Particularly what I loved most about the various cuts to the Romulan ship was seeing the gradual decline of the commander, despite the continuing and unforgiving nature of his crew. Simply put, it serves as a brilliant study of character and gives an insightful view into the Romulan psyche: something that will prove important in future encounters.

The direction of ‘Balance of Terror’ is more less one of warfare. It seeks to show what battle could be like in space, and it more often than not does a good job. The problem with science fiction warfare however is that it usually doesn’t make good TV. Thankfully, we’ve had a lot of episodes to get to know these characters, and so that helps with the rather dry drama. Essentially, this is ‘The Corbomite Manoeuvre’ with less character, more scope and a better battle scene. Both share the same crutches, suffering from a terribly slow pace and too much focus on techno-tactic-talk and action scenes that often gets in the way of engaging the viewer with what the characters are going through.

Thankfully, there is a brief five minutes or so near the closing stages of the show that take a little time to ask Kirk how he feels. This results in a rather touching and introspective look at the captain and gives a good sense of what’s a stake here. Along the same lines is the final scene with the Romulan commander, conversing with Kirk over their differences and similarities. Now where were moments like this when we were in the meeting room discussing molecules and torpedoes? A lot of people agree, the original Star Trek was about its crew, about its characters. Who remembers Trek for its meetings on whether or not to engage in war? That’s the problem with ‘Balance of Terror’, there’s too much focus on outer conflict, that isn’t balanced enough with the crew’s inner conflict. In my opinion, the best Star Trek episodes are the ones that get this balance close to 50/50. Unfortunately, this outing falls a little short and doesn’t quite make the cut for me.

If you watch Star Trek for the battle scenes, establishment of lore, special effects and submarine tactics in space, then you will more than likely love ‘Balance of Terror’. If however you need just a little more than that, if you need in-depth characterisation, relevant dialogue and engaging drama, you’ll probably still enjoy this episode, but not as much as others.



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