Jump to content

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Egon Eagle (talk | contribs) at 15:07, 22 August 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of Star Trek: The Original Series. It was first broadcast January 10, 1969, and repeated August 12, 1969. It was written by Oliver Crawford, based on a story by Gene L. Coon (writing under his pen name "Lee Cronin") and directed by Jud Taylor. The script evolved from an outline by Barry Trivers[1] for a possible first season episode called A Portrait in Black and White. The script was accepted for the third season following budget cuts.[2] The episode guest-stars Lou Antonio and Frank Gorshin, best known for his role as The Riddler in the Batman live-action television series. Gorshin received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Bele.[3]

Overview: The Enterprise picks up two survivors of a war-torn planet who are still committed to destroying each other aboard the ship.

Plot

On stardate 5730.2, the Enterprise is on a mission to help decontaminate the polluted atmosphere of the planet Ariannus when sensors track a Federation shuttlecraft reported stolen from Starbase 4. The craft is disabled and brought aboard along with its strange alien pilot who is found injured and taken to sickbay. The man later awakens and identifies himself as Lokai — a political refugee from the planet Cheron who requests asylum. Lokai's most striking feature is that his skin is half black and half white, the two halves split perfectly down the center of his body. His unique physiology is explained by Mr. Spock as possibly being "one of a kind".

Shortly thereafter, sensors detect another spacecraft in fast pursuit of the Enterprise. Curiously, the craft remains invisible to all but sensors and sets itself on a direct collision course with the ship. Moments later, Spock reports the invisible craft has disintegrated and deposited an "alien presence" aboard the ship. Kirk turns to see the alien pilot who has beamed himself directly to the bridge. The second alien identifies himself as Bele.

Like Lokai, Bele is half black and half white, with the color divided by a line through the exact center of his face. However, the sides of Bele's black and white skin are reversed from those of Lokai, a difference which seems inconsequential to the Enterprise crew but of great importance to Bele, Lokai, and, apparently, their civilization. The difference is pointed out by Bele to a perplexed Captain Kirk who asks what is the difference between them, to which he replies, "Isn't it obvious? Lokai is white on the right side. All his people are white on the right side."

Bele explains he is a police commissioner from Cheron and on a mission to retrieve political traitors. His current quarry is Lokai, whom he has been chasing for what Bele claims to be 50,000 Earth years. Bele then instructs Captain Kirk to take him to see his "prisoner". Bele is taken to Lokai, but Lokai reacts fearfully to Bele's presence and strongly demands he be taken away. The two aliens begin arguing about slavery and racial segregation, and very nearly attack each other.

Kirk decides to ignore their heated arguments and returns to the bridge. Bele soon follows and demands that Kirk change course to Cheron. Kirk refuses, informing him that Bele's mission is no concern of his, and that he has more urgent matters to attend to. He allows Bele and Lokai to remain aboard and tells them he will drop them off at Starbase 4 once the mission is complete "and let them sort it out."

Soon Lokai comes to the bridge. He demands that Kirk kill Bele and grant him asylum. Kirk refuses and calls security to escort the two off to the brig. The two aliens, however, each generate a powerful field which resists both phaser blasts and the guards' physical attempts to subdue them.

Tired of Kirk's commands, Bele invokes a strange power which takes control of the ship and steers it toward Cheron. With no way to return control, Kirk threatens to destroy the Enterprise.

Bele believes Kirk is bluffing until Kirk activates the ship's auto-destruct sequence with voice code approval of his first officer Mr. Spock and chief engineer Mr. Scott. Bele nervously watches as the countdown nears zero, then the alien finally relents control at the last seconds. Kirk cancels auto-destruct and changes course back to Ariannus.

Kirk informs Lokai and Bele that they are to be treated as guests, provided they do not further interfere with the operation of the ship.

Lokai is later shown in a rec room attempting to sway several off-duty Starfleet crewmen to the perceived justness of his cause, including a skeptical Sulu and Chekov. In the corridor outside the rec room, a curious Spock hears Lokai's oratory through the partially-open door, but decides not to intervene.

Meanwhile, Bele meets with Kirk and Spock, where it is quickly revealed that Bele believes his black and white coloration to be superior to Lokai's, even though Kirk sees no difference in the two and refuses to agree in Bele's convictions of racial superiority.

Once the Ariannus mission is completed, Bele takes control of the Enterprise again, but this time he deactivates the auto-destruct in the process and sends the ship to Cheron. Once there, the two aliens find the planet's population completely wiped out by a global war fueled by insane racial hatred. Both Lokai and Bele stare silently at the destruction on the monitor and realize they are the only ones left of their race (or, as they see it, their races).

Instead of calling a truce, the two beings begin to blame each other for the destruction of the planet and a physical brawl ensues. As the two aliens fight, their innate powers radiate, cloaking them with an energy aura that threatens to damage the ship. With no other choice, Kirk sadly allows the two aliens to chase each other down to their obliterated world to decide their own fates, consumed by their now self-perpetuating mutual hate.

Production

The script for the story was developed from a story outline written by Gene Coon under his pen name Lee Cronin.[4] Although liked by Gene Roddenberry, it was initially rejected by NBC studio executive Stanley Robertson.[2] The look of the aliens Bele and Lokai was decided only a week before filming began, on the basis of an offhand comment from director Jud Taylor. This half white, half black makeup led to criticism of the episode as heavy-handed.[5]

40th-anniversary remastering

This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired January 12, 2008 as part of the remastered Original Series. It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered "Who Mourns for Adonais?" and followed a week later by the remastered "The Enemy Within". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:

  • The Enterprise capture of the Starbase 4 shuttle has been reanimated in CGI. The shuttle now says "Starbase 4" on its hull and is called the Da Vinci.
  • The planet Ariannus has been recreated in CGI. The planet's "clean up of the environment" has been recreated. A device has been added to the bottom of the Enterprise which is used in the clean up.
  • The planet Cheron was recreated in CGI. The planet now appears as a scarred world destroyed by cataclysm.

Reception

Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode an 'C+' rating, noting positively the aliens' makeup and some "good moments" but also noting that these were outweighed by an overpowering message.[6]

In their compendium of Star Trek reviews, Trek Navigator, Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross both rated the episode as mediocre, describing its message as heavy-handed and obvious. They did find some redeeming moments, such as the climactic chase to the ruined planet's surface and Gorshin's performance as Bele.[7]

References

  1. ^ Dorothy Fontana to Gene Roddenberry, 28 September 1966, Gene Roddenberry Star Trek Television Series Collection, 1966-1969, Box 19, Folder 11, University of California at Los Angeles Library. Dorothy Fontana's assessment of the script "Portrait in Black and White" 9/28/1966
  2. ^ a b Inside Star Trek The Real Story. June: Simon & Schuster. 1997. p. 197. ISBN 0-671-00974-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Heather Burke, Chris Dolmetsch (18 May 2005). "Frank Gorshin, Who Played Riddler in TV's `Batman,' Dies at 72". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  4. ^ Inside Star Trek The Real Story. June: Simon & Schuster. 1997. p. 399. ISBN 0-671-00974-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Inside Star Trek The Real Story. June: Simon & Schuster. 1997. p. 400. ISBN 0-671-00974-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Handlen, Zack (18 December 2009). ""Is There In Truth No Beauty?"/"The Spectre Of The Gun"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  7. ^ Trek Navigator. 127-128: Boxtree. 1998. p. 286. ISBN 0-7522-2457-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
Wikiquote has quotations related to Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Let_That_Be_Your_Last_Battlefield&oldid=446162043"