Star Trek is no sci-fi show at all. I know some of you will be shocked. The truth is, The Original Series doesn't deal with the wonders of space, the challenges of technology, or even the ever-compelling power of gold or silver lame'. Instead, The Original Series is actually a mystery show that focuses on the detective powers of one man, James T. Kirk.
Like any good detective series, our problem solver occasionally must be diverted by personal stress. "The Conscience of the King" for the first time shows us Kirk suffering through a uniquely personal-political situation--the death of a friend (that again, he shows almost no emotion over) in the midst of what might be the discovery of Star Fleets very own ethnic cleanser. We discover that the previous governor of a famine stripped planet chose to save a few residents by killing most, and Kirk is one of the few people still alive that survived the genocide having seen the face of the governor in person. The governor, however, escaped under the guise of a body burned beyond recognition. Kirk must seek out the killer under the threat of his own death. But, adding complications to our detectives pursuit, for the first time in Star Trek history, Kirk unexpectedly faces the possibilities of true love--you know, that incredible feeling you get after a full minute and a half of seeing someone you think is really hot.
Kirk confronting the man he believes to have been a tyrant and murderer 20 years priorOkay, here's the thing. This episode is almost impossible to watch. If it weren't for the fact that this episode is some loose sort of detective mystery (the detective really turns out to be Spock investigating Kirk's strange behavior) dovetailing along an imaginative exploration of earth's own history of politically practiced eugenics there would be no point of interest here. But, Spock's investigative powers make the episode palatable, of course. His fine-tuned intellectual studies are always enticing.
The problems with watching "The Conscience of the King" revolve primarily around Kirk's sudden appearance of dimples. It's taken twelve episodes for them to dive inward along Kirk's smiling cheek, but "The Conscience of the King" shows his dimples heavily as he woos and is woo'd by the daughter of the evil governor in hiding. The love magic pulsing through this episode is unbearably heavy with the blond haired, faux-fur mini-dress wearing love interest comparing Kirk's magnatism to the throbing power of the ship itself. On the upside, in the midst of this horror we receive the greatest come-on in Star Trek history.
Kirk with his overly attracted love interestWalking through a low lit hall privately with Kirk, the love interest strokes her hands along the walls and says, talking about the ship, "All this power, searching and throbing, yet under control. Are you like that, Captain?" See what I mean by hard to take? Impulsively, and passionately, they kiss, her body bowing into his as he pulls her into his arms, and hard against his lips. Oh! Kirk, like any good detective, he's a man alone with his own intellectual brilliance, why, why can't the ship share him with another?
In this episode, at least, the answer is clear. Poor Kirk, this love lady turns out to be completely flippin' crazy.
2 comments:
"the possibilit[y] of true love--you know, that incredible feeling you get after a full minute and a half of seeing someone you think is really hot."
:)
"All this power, searching and throb[b]ing, yet under control. Are you like that, Captain?"
Well at least the writers know what women like!
wait, are you joking? are you really going to push into a thorough analysis of the way in which star trek offers itself as the perfect site to see that gender and sexuality are co-creating, and our heterosexist social framework simply veils that through the faux feminism that has allowed women to work their butts off for better jobs and yet still just be there for men's sexual satisfaction, entertainment, or projected frustration? no body wants that.
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