0017
The Original Series (1967)
Season 1: Episode 17: “The Squire of Gothos"
Stardate: 2124.5 (2265/02/14 - 10:37:12)
Written by: Paul Schneider
Directed by: Don McDougall
Season 1: Episode 17: “The Squire of Gothos"
Stardate: 2124.5 (2265/02/14 - 10:37:12)
Written by: Paul Schneider
Directed by: Don McDougall
PLOT INTRODUCTION
Encountering an uncharted planet in an empty region of space, Kirk and his crew are encountered by Trelane, a playful being who lacks the self-control to wield his great psionic powers with discipline.
REVIEW
"We're living beings, not playthings for your amusement!"
Although lacking in any form of an intelligible or substantial plot, ‘The Squire of Gothos’ is nevertheless one of the better ‘Alien of the Week’ episodes in that it creates a character that is brilliant to watch, and even more brilliant to hate.
William Campbell makes his Trek debut here, playing the ever memorably annoying yet entertaining Trelane: a seemingly obsessive collector and researcher of Humanity. And so even though the villain here is written as an incredibly pompous power-freak, it is these qualities that make him at least a nice break in a source of conflict for the series. Perhaps the best thing that comes out of Trelane is his words, which more often than not create wonderful lines of dialogue that are both thought–provoking and of a humanistic style that is refreshing to hear every now and again. One of my favourite lines is the rather simple: “Did you know that humanity is one of the few predatory species who preys even on itself?”: Interesting and very hard-hitting.
Essentially what I found was that this was an early prototype for the much more developed character of ‘Q’ who will appear in The Next Generation, twenty years later. Similarities include the rather proper tone of voice, the condescending nature of their words, and the topics on which they are built upon. Both also share a strange amount of knowledge on Humans. But where Q was seemingly of knowledge because of his power, Trelane just seems to be interested in us; Where Q was repelled by Humanity’s barbarity, it seems Trelane revels in it, enjoying playing with the phasers and picking fights. Nevertheless, I do enjoy how this character is written, and I especially enjoy watching Campbell bring him to life in all his animated glory.
Another of the episodes themes is that of power, and how it can corrupt those who do not know how to use it. Indeed this is a recurring theme in many Star Trek shows, and one that has been better developed before and after ‘The Squire of Gothos’. Actually, by the time the final twist of the episode is pulled on you, you may actually begin to see massive parallels between this episode and the very early ‘Charlie X’ in which both Charlie and Trelane are simply not mature enough to be given such a responsibility. I doubt there are much people out there who haven’t heard “With great power, comes great responsibility” but there you have it, in a nutshell.
Even though much of ‘Squire of Gothos’ decides to focus on the conflict between Kirk and Trelane, I found that the sparse moments of tension involving Spock were far more interesting. Both scenes which made me sit up and take notice were when Trelane boards the Enterprise and mocks Spock -“but I don’t like him!”- And when -back in Trelane’s mansion- an argument of sorts ensues. In the end, Spock as calm as ever, routinely assures him on both accounts that he is not impressed nor is he amused: something that obviously gets to Trelane- The Great Showman. Spock simply states in what I believe to be one of the series’ best lines-
Nicely said Mr. Spock, stick it to him. Kirk on the other hand, takes another route, eventually slapping him with a glove before challenging him to a duel: Probably not as civilised, but still just as, if not more, effective when dealing with Trelane (and a whole lot more hilarious).
My major problem with this episode is the distinct lack of plot and/or threat. In the beginning what we have is a kind of heightened version of someone who doesn’t want you to leave their house. Sure, it’s annoying and inconvenient to your other plans, but it doesn’t really make very engaging drama.
Things admittedly do pick up however towards the last act where we are led to believe that the crew is safe until danger rears its head again, this time proposing some real threat of danger to the ship. Kirk eventually goes on trial for being a savage human who spoiled Trelane’s plans. This leads to a well performed and written scene where Kirk manages to change his imminent death sentence to eventually getting into a sword fight, breaking his opponent’s weapon and then slapping him before telling him he’s stupid.
There are also a lot of historical inaccuracies present in ‘The Squire of Gothos’ that only serve to distract. Most annoying was the establishment that the Enterprise had to be at least 900 light years away from Earth. Furthermore, if you can ignore these minor faults in the script, the story itself as mentioned earlier is pretty thin: Nothing much really happens. The crew are held against their will; Kirk tries to out think the villain and wins. That’s about it.
If there is one thing I love about the plot, it’s the final twist at the end. Not only does it fit the tone of the preceding moments well but it gives the episode a very strong and imaginative wrap-up. Sure it’s something that’ll be done to death in science fiction for years to come, but it’s handled well here and I fully appreciate it every time I watch. So in the end, while not a perfect episode, ‘Squire of Gothos’ is still a good one, with a very memorable performance from William Campbell.
William Campbell makes his Trek debut here, playing the ever memorably annoying yet entertaining Trelane: a seemingly obsessive collector and researcher of Humanity. And so even though the villain here is written as an incredibly pompous power-freak, it is these qualities that make him at least a nice break in a source of conflict for the series. Perhaps the best thing that comes out of Trelane is his words, which more often than not create wonderful lines of dialogue that are both thought–provoking and of a humanistic style that is refreshing to hear every now and again. One of my favourite lines is the rather simple: “Did you know that humanity is one of the few predatory species who preys even on itself?”: Interesting and very hard-hitting.
Essentially what I found was that this was an early prototype for the much more developed character of ‘Q’ who will appear in The Next Generation, twenty years later. Similarities include the rather proper tone of voice, the condescending nature of their words, and the topics on which they are built upon. Both also share a strange amount of knowledge on Humans. But where Q was seemingly of knowledge because of his power, Trelane just seems to be interested in us; Where Q was repelled by Humanity’s barbarity, it seems Trelane revels in it, enjoying playing with the phasers and picking fights. Nevertheless, I do enjoy how this character is written, and I especially enjoy watching Campbell bring him to life in all his animated glory.
Another of the episodes themes is that of power, and how it can corrupt those who do not know how to use it. Indeed this is a recurring theme in many Star Trek shows, and one that has been better developed before and after ‘The Squire of Gothos’. Actually, by the time the final twist of the episode is pulled on you, you may actually begin to see massive parallels between this episode and the very early ‘Charlie X’ in which both Charlie and Trelane are simply not mature enough to be given such a responsibility. I doubt there are much people out there who haven’t heard “With great power, comes great responsibility” but there you have it, in a nutshell.
Even though much of ‘Squire of Gothos’ decides to focus on the conflict between Kirk and Trelane, I found that the sparse moments of tension involving Spock were far more interesting. Both scenes which made me sit up and take notice were when Trelane boards the Enterprise and mocks Spock -“but I don’t like him!”- And when -back in Trelane’s mansion- an argument of sorts ensues. In the end, Spock as calm as ever, routinely assures him on both accounts that he is not impressed nor is he amused: something that obviously gets to Trelane- The Great Showman. Spock simply states in what I believe to be one of the series’ best lines-
“I object to you; I object to intellect without discipline; I object to power without constructive purpose.”
Nicely said Mr. Spock, stick it to him. Kirk on the other hand, takes another route, eventually slapping him with a glove before challenging him to a duel: Probably not as civilised, but still just as, if not more, effective when dealing with Trelane (and a whole lot more hilarious).
My major problem with this episode is the distinct lack of plot and/or threat. In the beginning what we have is a kind of heightened version of someone who doesn’t want you to leave their house. Sure, it’s annoying and inconvenient to your other plans, but it doesn’t really make very engaging drama.
Things admittedly do pick up however towards the last act where we are led to believe that the crew is safe until danger rears its head again, this time proposing some real threat of danger to the ship. Kirk eventually goes on trial for being a savage human who spoiled Trelane’s plans. This leads to a well performed and written scene where Kirk manages to change his imminent death sentence to eventually getting into a sword fight, breaking his opponent’s weapon and then slapping him before telling him he’s stupid.
There are also a lot of historical inaccuracies present in ‘The Squire of Gothos’ that only serve to distract. Most annoying was the establishment that the Enterprise had to be at least 900 light years away from Earth. Furthermore, if you can ignore these minor faults in the script, the story itself as mentioned earlier is pretty thin: Nothing much really happens. The crew are held against their will; Kirk tries to out think the villain and wins. That’s about it.
If there is one thing I love about the plot, it’s the final twist at the end. Not only does it fit the tone of the preceding moments well but it gives the episode a very strong and imaginative wrap-up. Sure it’s something that’ll be done to death in science fiction for years to come, but it’s handled well here and I fully appreciate it every time I watch. So in the end, while not a perfect episode, ‘Squire of Gothos’ is still a good one, with a very memorable performance from William Campbell.
Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 09/11/2007.
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