I grew up watching Star Trek (1966–1969), known now as Star Trek: The Original Series. I loved the show, watched it every week, and attended all the Star Trek movies. Even today, I prefer it to any successor.
At the time of its original airing, it was way beyond anything on TV. The stories were well done and thoughtful, the characters were interesting and likable, and the special effects were cutting-edge. Like all of us, though, age has not been good to it. Even with remastering and new special effects, it looks dated, and while it’s still fun, the stories often don’t hold up in today’s more sophisticated world. That said, I still love it, and I’m willing to look past its flaws because of all the good things that it still brings. I also don’t doubt that my opinion is in some ways influenced by my nostalgia for the show. For someone who was about to enter his teens, Star Trek represented the adventure and possibilities of the world ahead.
On occasion, I will still watch an episode. Yesterday I watched the season 2 episode called ‘The Apple.’ In which the Enterprise crew visits the planet Gamma Trianguli VI, which they first believe is a paradise but quickly learn isn’t. Not only are there dangerous plants and exploding rocks that kill multiple members of the crew, but there are also natives whose lives are controlled by an entity called Vaal.
Vaal takes the form of a cave in the shape of a dragon, and in exchange for the natives feeding him, he takes care of all of their needs. While making for an easy life, Vaal’s influence prevents the natives from growing, experiencing love, and pursuing personal growth, leaving them with a stagnant culture.
Vaal views the Enterprise and its crew as a threat and traps the Enterprise in a tractor beam that’s pulling it closer and closer to the planet, which will eventually lead to its destruction. He also has the ability to cause earthquakes and control the weather, and at one point strikes Spock with a lightning bolt that somehow doesn’t kill him but ruins his uniform and leaves him with second-degree burns.
To save the Enterprise and crew, Kirk devises a plan to prevent the natives from feeding Vaal, which weakens him sufficiently to allow the ship’s phasers to destroy him.
The villagers are free but confused without their god, and Kirk promises to send help as they learn to survive.
The episode is called ‘The Apple’ because the planet Gamma Trianguli VI stands in for the Garden of Eden, and Kirk has acted as the Serpent, who, while giving them the gift of free will, has stolen their innocence and made their lives harder.
As was often the case with Star Trek, the writer’s lazy use of science resulted in a weaker script. We’re expected to believe that Vaal, who has the power to capture starships, control the weather, and call down lightning at his will, can be destroyed by missing a single meal. It makes little sense.
First, it’s hard to believe that the meager meals the natives brought to Vaal would be enough to give him the energy to do what he did, although I guess if he didn’t process them chemically but instead used them to fuel a nuclear process, it might work. But the bigger issue was that Vaal, with all his incredible powers, didn’t have any backup power source to sustain him if he missed a meal. Even I can function a few days without food if needed, but Vaal apparently was unable to do so.
It was still a fun episode, though, and I thoroughly believe that the real reason for Star Trek’s success wasn’t the stories but the relationship among the three main characters, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. The characters come across as friends, each with strengths and weaknesses that complement one another, and it’s a pleasure to watch them interact.
Although dated, the series still holds up, but I wish the writers had put in just a little more effort to close some of the script’s loopholes. It would have made them even better than they already are
