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The Corbomite Maneuver

• After the Enterprise is forced to destroy a dangerous marker buoy, a gigantic alien ship arrives to capture and condemn the crew as trespassers.
• In a section of unexplored space, the Enterprise comes across a marker of sorts that will not let it pass. They destroy the marker and move on but soon find themselves in conflict with an unknown alien who accuses them of trespassing and tells them they have only 10 minutes to live. Kirk decides it's time to play a little poker and literally bluff his way out of the situation by telling the alien that the Enterprise has a device on board that will destroy the alien as well as the Enterprise. The bluff works but the alien turns out to be something quite unexpected. — garykmcd
• On a mission of exploration, Kirk destroys a warning buoy at the edge of space controlled by a mysterious alien race. In response, the Enterprise is met by an extremely powerful ship that plans on destroying the Enterprise. Kirk bluffs his way out of this destruction by letting the aliens think that if the Enterprise is destroyed that they will also be destroyed by the fallacious Corbomite device. A subsection of the alien ship, the Fesarius (captained by the fierce looking Balok), then takes the Enterprise in tow. After presumably disabling the Fasarius, Kirk then returns to aid the seemingly hostile aliens. However, the alien's hostile nature (as well as the appearance) is a ruse to test the character of the humans, and Kirk has passed the test. — JW Kearse
• The Enterprise is making star maps in a previously uncharted section of space. No star-ship has been this far out from Earth before. The ship has been making star maps in this section for 3 days now. Kirk and the Enterprise have encountered a space buoy which will not leave their path. The cube object stays at a distance of 1593 m and measure 107 m on each side, 11,000 metric tonnes in weight. the cube has been holding the ship for 18 hrs. It is a device of some kind and currently is posing no threat to the ship. No signs of life, or any answer to any communication frequencies of any kind. Kirk tries to go around and then retreat, but the cube follows and narrows the gap, thereby increasing the radiation on the ship. As everyone's life on the Enterprise is endangered, Kirk decides to destroy it with phasers. Kirk is not happy with the performance of helmsman Bailey during this crisis. Bailey took time to follow Kirk's orders and panicked at several instances as the cube followed the Enterprise. Kirk orders a set of simulation drills till the response times are adequately addressed. A few hrs later a mammoth ship traps them in its tractor beam. The ship has energy readings similar to the cube, only much larger. The ship is more than a mile in diameter. Bailey again freezes at his station and fails to act timely on Kirk's orders. The captain of the other ship is named Balok (Clint Howard), a hideous, ugly being who promises to destroy them. He says Enterprise has illegally entered his star system and destroyed the buoy that was supposed to be their warning. Any hostile action will lead to destruction. Balok grants them 10 mins to say their prayers before the Enterprise is destroyed. Every time Kirk tries to explain their actions as an act of self preservation, Balok starts a humming frequency on all channels to drown his voice out. Kirk pretends that the Enterprise has a doomsday weapon called Corbomite which will destroy everything, including Balok. Kirk says that there is no record of Corbomite, and the last time it was used was 2 centuries ago. Every Earth vessel is equipped with it. If the vessel is fired upon, Corbomite generates an energy pulse of equal and opposite intensity aimed at the firing vessel. Kirk further says that death has no meaning for Earthlings and challenges Balok to fire. Dave Bailey (the helmsman) begins to lose control, and Kirk orders him to leave the bridge. Later he comes back and tries to remain calm. Balok is deceived by Kirk's trick and delays the destruction of the Enterprise. Balok retreats and leaves a smaller vessel (2000 metric tons) to guide the enterprise to a suitable planet to be interned, while the Enterprise will be destroyed. The smaller ship tows the Enterprise towards a planet. Kirk uses the Enterprise Engines and Impulse power to work against the tow. He drains the towing vessels power and overheats their engines, thereby damaging them. As Enterprise breaks free, it picks a distress signal from Balok saying that engines are damaged and life support systems are failing. Kirk decides to board the vessel and rescue the alien. Kirk, Bailey and McCoy beam over. Balok is not a gruesome being. He is a small man, no more than three feet, the size of a small child. He laughs and offers them orange drink called Tranya. The distress signal was a test to gauge the real intentions of the Enterprise. He asks if one of them can stay with him to share cultures. Kirk asks Bailey, and Bailey says yes, because the pressure would be less.

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Balok's puppet facade.

Balok is an antagonist in the Star Trek: TOS episode "The Corbomite Maneuver". He is the commander of the First Federation vessel Fesarius .

He was portrayed by Clint Howard.

Balok's intimidating puppet facade appeared regularly at the end of the 2nd season end credits.

• 1.1 Encounter with the Enterprise
• 1.2 The Corbomite Gambit
• 1.3 The True Balok Revealed
• 2 Navigation

Biography [ ]

Encounter with the enterprise [ ].

The Fesarius first confronted the Enterprise after the latter vessel destroyed a First Federation navigation buoy, which was emitting harmful levels of radiation to the Enterprise crew. Balok interpreted this action as hostile and threatened retaliation by destroying the Enterprise, offering the crew 10 minutes to make any spiritual preparations they wished before death.

The Corbomite Gambit [ ]

In response to Balok's threats, Captain Kirk quickly invented a bluff by describing a device known as "corbomite", which would activate a material of the same name to cast an equally powerful reflective attack destroying the attacker as much as the Enterprise itself. In response, Balok did not engage in his attack after the appointed time had elapsed, but instead decided to tow the Enterprise to a planet for resettlement of the crew and the destruction of the Enterprise itself.

The True Balok Revealed [ ]

The real Balok

The towing operation put a severe strain on the tiny command ship dispatched from the Fesarius. When all systems were in danger of failing, Kirk, along with Dr. McCoy and Lt. Bailey, went over to investigate.

It was discovered that the intimidating face they thought was the face of Balok was nothing more than a mechanical puppet, and that the real Balok had an appearance resembling a human child. Balok had used the puppet in order to elicit the intimidated response from his adversaries. Aboard the command ship, Balok and the landing party reconciled over glasses of Tranya, sharing in the mutual pride each commanding offer felt for his vessel.

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS1E10TheCorbomiteManeuver

Star Trek S1 E10 "The Corbomite Maneuver" » Recap

Original air date: November 10, 1966

An ordinary day on the Enterprise . Kirk is taking a required physical, so Spock has the chair, running a stellar cartography mission. Suddenly, they run into what looks like the Apple Spinning Beach Ball of Doom that they just can't seem to escape. When evasive maneuvers fail, Spock calls for a red alert. Navigator Bailey, who's struggling to deal with all this, suddenly becomes a little trigger happy until Kirk reminds him who's in charge. Kirk tells Bailey to plot a spiral course at increasing speeds to get away from this Negative Space Wedgie . When it starts emitting radiation, Kirk orders to open fire, destroying the object.

The Corbomite Tropes:

• Always a Bigger Fish : After Enterprise destroys the cube-shaped buoy, it's intercepted by Balok's vessel that dwarfs it in size.
• Attack Reflector : Kirk threatens to do this (as a bluff) with a device embedded in the Enterprise that would reflect any attack back at an aggressor.
• Big Little Man : The Enterprise encounters an alien vessel, and is able to get a video feed revealing the bridge, which shows the alien captain, Balok, to be a scowling monster that looks to be about 7 feet tall. However, later they manage to get on board, revealing they had actually been watching an elaborate puppet show, and the real Balok is no larger than a child.
• Bottle Episode : As the first proper (non-pilot) episode, almost all of it is spent on the Enterprise bridge getting to know the main characters, both old (Spock's infamously stoic new personality; George Takei as helmsman rather than a bit part) and new ( DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, and Grace Lee Whitney make their debut).
• Brandishment Bluff / Not Afraid to Die : This is Kirk's cunning plan. "This is the Captain of the Enterprise . Our respect for other life forms requires that we give you this... warning. One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as... corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying... the attacker. It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two of our centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has... little meaning to us. If it has none to you then attack us now. We grow annoyed at your foolishness."
• Call-Back : Just like the last Captain of Enterprise, Kirk has a problem with an attractive female yeoman as his personal assistant. Bones: What's the matter, Jim? Don't you trust yourself?
• Characterisation Click Moment : Originally, Spock didn't have the impassive, scientific characterization he is famous for. Leonard Nimoy said the character first began to click for him when someone suggested he react to Balok's threatening ship with "Fascinating."
• Chess Motifs : Spock compares their situation to a game of chess. "Not chess, Spock." says Kirk. "Poker!"
• Hypocritically, after chastising Bailey for raising his voice at the beginning of the episode, Spock yells at several points himself.
• The episode has some solid character-building moments for Kirk, Spock, and Bones, but the Freudian Trio concept hasn't been realized yet. In fact, Spock and Bones hardly interact at all. A comeback you'd think would be a perfect fit for Bones ("then may heaven have helped your mother"), is given to Scotty , of all people.
• While Kirk is mostly different from Pike (younger, and tired in a different way), he's still annoyed at a female yeoman, when he'd defend women on the ship later on.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome : So, uh, does Bailey ever come back? Or what?
• Crew of One : Balok's ship.
• Cunning People Play Poker : When faced with Balok's incomprehensible mothership threatening to destroy the Enterprise, Spock contextualises their situation as a game of chess and concludes Balok has declared checkmate. Captain Kirk changes the game to poker, and then bluffs that Enterprise has a defense feature that will ensure that if it's destroyed, Balok's ship will also get blown up.
• Bailey tells Spock "Raising my voice back there doesn't mean I was scared or couldn't do my job. It means I happen to have a human thing called an adrenalin gland." Spock responds "It does sound most inconvenient, however. Have you considered having it removed?" Sulu tells him he should know better than to try to out-snark Spock.
• Kirk gets a snark at Bailey's expense after Bailey "votes" to open fire when he tells him "I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Bailey... when this becomes a democracy."
• Dissonant Serenity : In-Universe as Bailey can't believe everyone's calm response to their imminent death.
• "Do Not Fear the Unknown" Speech : Kirk : There's no such thing as the unknown. Only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.
• Uhura wears a gold uniform.
• The Enterprise is referred to as an Earth ship rather than a Federation ship.
• Although already in the gold, red, blue colours a number of uniforms (notably Spock's) retain the high collar and zipper of the pilot versions.
• Eldritch Starship : Balok's starship Fesarius was a gigantic starship the size of a small moon, composed of a sphere made up of smaller spheres of various sizes and colors. At least one part of this ship could break off as a smaller command vessel. It's possible that the ship was composed entirely of smaller vessels to the aforementioned one, clustered together and sharing power.
• Nimoy had been having difficulty playing an emotionless character, and Sargent wrote him a note: "Be different, be the scientist, be detached." And he was.
• Kirk's revelation that he should be playing poker instead of chess perfectly encapsulates his ability to think on his feet, to bluff his way out of certain doom, and to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat; all traits which would define his character.
• Sargent was also the one who insisted the bridge crew must include black personnel. The episodes weren't filmed in the order you see them, so Uhura appears in "earlier" episodes, but this is where Joe d'Agosta brought in Nichelle Nichols and the rest is history.
• "Eureka!" Moment : Bones's remark in passing about his intent to point the finger at Kirk for ignoring his warnings about Bailey's condition — "and that's no bluff" provokes an annoyed response from Kirk... in the middle of which he stops, startled. The word "bluff" has clearly kicked off a train of thought, culminating in his remark about poker a few seconds later.
• Face Death with Dignity : Possibly the reason why Bailey asks permission to resume his post with one minute left on the clock. He takes up most of that minute just walking to his seat!
• Facial Dialogue : Following Kirk's "corbomite" bluff, Kirk and Spock have such a clear nonverbal exchange that when Spock switches to actual audible speech, he phrases it like they'd been talking aloud the whole time: "However, it was well played."
• Foreshadowing : The first instance Kirk is Not Afraid to Die . He's using it as a Brandishment Bluff this time, but later episodes (like "Arena") will have characters concerned about how much he finds the ship more important than his own life.
• Freak Out : Bailey has one when he realizes "So this is it; we're all going to die."
• Head-Turning Beauty : Yeoman Rand. Kirk has a hard time ignoring her charms.
• Heroic BSoD : Bailey has a disturbing tendency to overreact in times of stress. He might think about a transport ship; there's a lot less pressure there. Staying on the Fesarius works too.
• Hypocritical Humor : McCoy mutters that Kirk is going to drive to talking to himself...with nobody else in the room.
• I Come in Peace : Kirk says this to Balok.
• If I Do Not Return : The first time Balok threatens their vessel, Kirk orders a recorder marker dispatched to warn other Earth ships, but it's destroyed on launch.
• Ignored Vital News Reports : McCoy sees the alert light, but prefers to complete Kirk's physical. Presumably McCoy also turned off the sound, since Kirk heard neither the alert, nor Spock's calling him to the Bridge.
• I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder : Bones asks sardonically, "What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?"
• Indy Ploy : An example of the "Character Made It Up On The Spot". It worked so well, he pulls it out again for some Romulans in " The Deadly Years ".
• Inverted — Kirk claims that Bones always says "a little suffering is good for the soul". Bones flatly denies it, and he never finds occasion to say it or anything similar in any subsequent episode or movie. (This is given a Continuity Nod in the 2009 reboot film , where Bones does say it — of course, that's a different Bones.)
• Kirk also claims that Bones has said "Man is ultimately superior to any mechanical device". Bones denies this, too, but he's probably lying (Kirk's bemused reaction suggests this), and he does make similar statements in many subsequent episodes, such as "The Ultimate Computer".
• Jekyll & Hyde : Balok name-checks the famous duo that's really an uno. However, he refers to it more like an alter ego, more of an intimidating disguise than a true split personality. And the method Balok used had much more in common with The Wizard of Oz .
• The fake Balok's voice, portrayed by Ted Cassidy .
• When Bailey thinks the ship is about to be destroyed, he goes into an epic Freak Out that leaves teeth marks in the scenery.
• Leaning on the Furniture : Bones shows his Mildly Military nature by sitting on the Bridge rail.
• Loafing in Full Costume : Averted; Kirk is shirtless because Bones is giving him a physical. Once he establishes there's no immediate danger, he takes the time to go to his quarters and change into his uniform.
• Mad Lib Thriller Title : The Corbomite Maneuver
• Magic Countdown : A fairly subtle example. During the ten-minute countdown to the Enterprise 's destruction, the minutes that pass on screen are nearer a minute and a half long.
• The Man Behind the Curtain : Balok has the appearance of a human child. When he communicates with other ships via the view screen, he uses an intimidating puppet. Notably, Balok's method was more like another noted man behind the curtain than it was Jekyll and Hyde.
• Mandatory Line : In her debut appearance, Uhura utters her Catchphrase , "Hailing frequencies open", a whopping seven times , and little else.
• Mundane Utility : Rand uses a phaser to heat up the coffee the Captain absolutely must have.
• Who cares if the ship's 'bout to blow up? Kirk needs that coffee, dammit!
• More justified when they've spent 18 hours trying to figure out the spaceship. Sulu and Uhura look like they're falling asleep at the briefing room table.
• "Not So Different" Remark : After revealing that he is not hostile but actually friendly and jovial, Balok stresses that he and Captain Kirk are much alike, giving the example that both are commanders who are proud of their ships.
• Ominous Cube : The Enterprise encounters a cube-shaped buoy that blocks their path and eventually begins emitting harmful radiation forcing them to destroy it. Of course, it turns out that it was a marker buoy belonging to The First Federation and destroying it signals a massive ship to come out and attack the Enterprise.
• One-Steve Limit : Averted with the alien First Federation only because the creators had not yet established The United Federation of Planets.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business : There's a great character moment when Kirk berates Spock for his apparent acceptance of defeat: Spock almost says, "I'm sorry", before catching himself and reporting that he sees no logical alternative.
• Prepare to Die : The Enterprise is confronted by a powerful alien vessel that announces its intention to destroy our heroes, and goes on to say — "we assume you have a deity... or deities," and politely offers to give the Enterprise crew time to make "whatever preparations" they deem necessary. An unusually explicit example of this trope, where the opponent says "prepare to die" and clearly actually means it . And they're all the scarier for that.
• At one point the editors forgot to dub in Balok's reminder — leading to Sulu's cryptic "I knew he would" line (which actually gets cut in syndication).
• Readings Are Off the Scale : Spock says this of Balok's mothership when they're attempting to measure its size.
• Red Alert : Spock sounds a General Alert when the vessel keeps moving to block their path. Kirk is angry because Bones doesn't call his attention to the alert until his examination is over. Spock orders Bailey to turn it off once all decks have reported they're ready for action.

• Refuge in Audacity : Kirk makes up the title maneuver to bluff against an unwinnable fight; Balok makes all of his communications until the very end through a hand puppet.
• The Enterprise is 289m long, yet it dwarfs the 107m cube. The Fesarius is a mile in diameter (1609m) according to Spock, yet it dwarfs the Enterprise from 5km away, appearing a hundred times bigger.
• The Enterprise encounters a mysterious cube, which Sulu says is 107 metres on each side and masses just under 11,000 metric tonnes. Scotty says it must be solid metal, leaving him wondering how it could be powered and how it moves around. But the quoted measurements give a density of about 9 kilograms per cubic metre, significantly less than styrofoam — implying the cube is almost certainly hollow (they may have been aiming for 9 tonnes per cubic metre, which is between the densities of iron and lead, and dropped a factor of a thousand somewhere).
• The Fesarius itself. The ship's sensors seem to be unable to measure its mass, despite the sensors in other episodes being able to measure objects orders of magnitude larger (like moons, planets, stars, and black holes). Sure, while the ship is massive compared to the Enterprise , it's nowhere even close to a moon, let alone a planet or something bigger.
• Second Episode Introduction : This is the first non-pilot episode of Star Trek produced. Uhura, Yeoman Rand, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (as a Second Episode Substitute for Dr. Mark Piper) are introduced; it is not, however, the second episode aired.
• Secret Test of Character : After the Enterprise breaks free of Balok's Tractor Beam , Balok sends out a distress signal indicating that the struggle overloaded his ship's systems and he's now stranded far from any help his own people might send. Kirk decides to beam over and offer the Enterprise 's assistance, whereupon it turns out that Balok's ship is fine and he just wanted to learn what Kirk would do. (He also says that the entire encounter has been a test of character, to make sure that the Enterprise 's protestations of peaceful intent are genuine. It's not clear, however, what would have happened if the destruction countdown had run down without Kirk thinking up the corbomite maneuver.)
• See the Whites of Their Eyes : The cube initially stops over 1500 metres from the Enterprise, although on-screen they appear nose to nose with each other. Later the cube gets closer than 51 metres before phasers destroy it. (That's closer than half the cube's size.)
• Shirtless Scene : Kirk removes his shirt for a physical exam. After learning that the Enterprise is on alert, he proceeds to walk down the corridor this way, and nobody blinks an eye. Of course, considering the frequency with which Kirk goes shirtless or tears his shirt , it's likely that everybody on the ship has seen the captain half-dressed.
• Sinister Geometry : Balok's warning buoy is a spinning cube, and he himself shows up later in a huge spherical ship made up of smaller spheres. Subverted, since he turns out to be a pretty friendly guy in the end.
• Smart People Play Chess : In light of this episode, maybe the trope should be "Book Smart People Play Chess" and a new trope be called " Street Smart People Play Poker ". Spock contextualizes their conflict with Balok as a game of chess: Balok has them in checkmate, the game is over, Enterprise loses. Kirk changes the game to poker, and bluffs his way to victory.
• Special Effect Failure : The fake Balok seen on the viewscreen in an obvious puppet to the eyes of the audience. Subverted in that it's revealed to be a puppet in-universe too.
• Stay with the Aliens : After the alien reveals it was all a Secret Test of Character , he asks for a human to teach him about humans. Kirk sends the crew member that was pushing for the alien's death earlier. (Maybe he just wanted to get rid of him?)
• Talking to Themself : Bones is quite alone when he says "Humph... if I jumped every time a light flashed around here, I'd end up talking to myself."
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich : Kirk is annoyed when Yeoman Rand serves him salad on Doctor's Orders , but fortunately a Red Alert gives him an excuse to leave it behind.
• This Is Not a Drill : Kirk isn't happy with the slow response to his order to fire phasers, so orders battle drills till they get it right. Sulu then gives this trope when a real call for battle stations arrives in the middle of the drill.
• To Win Without Fighting : Kirk is able to bluff his way out of a fight by convincing his potential enemy that to engage his ship would result in their immediate destruction in turn.
• Tractor Beam : Balok's ship is equipped with one which he imprisons the Enterprise with.
• Two of Your Earth Minutes : "We therefore grant you ten Earth time periods known as "minutes" to make preparations."
• Video Phone : In many episodes, but at its greatest effect here.
• Vocal Dissonance : Balok is played by a very young Clint Howard , but with Vic Perrin's (some sources say Walker Edminton's) voice. Ted Cassidy voiced Balok's puppet.
• We Come in Peace — Shoot to Kill : Though advocated by Bailey not Captain Kirk, who'd prefer to leave peacefully and only fires at the last moment when the increasing radiation levels emitted by the buoy endanger their lives.
• Where Is Your X Now? : Averted as Balok is civilized enough to respect such beliefs as they might help the Enterprise crew to accept their inevitable fate.
• Weight Loss Salad : Kirk is given a salad on Doctor's Orders . He's not amused.
• You Have No Chance to Survive : Justified Trope seeing as the object is a Secret Test of Character . It's not like Starfleet doesn't do something similar to see how their recruits face certain death .
• You Remind Me of X : Bones thinks that Bailey reminds Kirk of himself at a younger age.
• Star Trek S1 E9 "Dagger of the Mind"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek S1 E11 "The Menagerie, Part I"

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Star trek’s new criminal planet has 2 classic tos villain callbacks.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks Cast Guide - Who Voices Each Character In All 4 Seasons

10 batman: the animated series moments that changed dc forever, prison break: why sarah wayne callies wasn't in season 3, explained.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 9 - "The Inner Fight"

• Lower Decks season 4 episode 9 reveals that a new enemy has been targeting former Starfleet officers, leading the USS Cerritos to search for former cadet Nick Locarno.
• The crew visits a tavern called Mudds, a reference to the con artist and smuggler Harry Mudd from Star Trek: The Original Series. The Information Broker they encounter resembles a puppet from the TOS episode "The Corbomite Maneuver."
• The callback to Harry Mudd and the puppet-like appearance of the Information Broker in Lower Decks is a fun shout-out to memorable recurring characters and moments from Star Trek's history.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 9 referenced two classic villains from Star Trek: The Original Series . Throughout Lower Decks season 4, an unknown new enemy has been attacking non-Federation starships. Lower Decks season 4, episode 9, "The Inner Fight," reveals that this enemy has been specifically targeting former Starfleet officers. The USS Cerritos is then tasked with tracking down former Starfleet cadet Nick Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill) to bring him back to Earth for his own safety.

In their search for Locarno, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her crew travel to a black market on New Axton to find information. They visit a tavern to speak with an Information Broker who supposedly knows Nick Locarno's whereabouts . In a fun callback to Star Trek: The Original Series , the tavern they visit is called Mudds, a reference to Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel), the con artist and smuggler encountered by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the USS Enterprise. The Information Broker himself serves as another TOS reference, as he looks exactly like the puppet seen in the classic TOS episode "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Star Trek: Lower Decks features an incredibly talented and prolific voice cast of actors. Here's who's who aboard the USS Cerritos.

Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Callback To Harry Mudd Explained

Harry mudd has also appeared in star trek: discovery, where he was played by rainn wilson..

Intergalactic scoundrel Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd first appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 3, "Mudd's Women," after he and three women are rescued by the USS Enterprise. Although Mudd attempts to conceal his identity, Captain Kirk eventually discovers Mudd's real name and his long history of criminal activity. In his first encounter with the Enterprise, Mudd is arrested for the many charges against him. While he did spend some time in prison, Mudd later escaped and had another run-in with the Enterprise in TOS season 2, episode 8, "I, Mudd." Harry found himself on a planet populated entirely by androids who wished to study humans, and told them about the Enterprise.

The Enterprise was brought to the planet, and Kirk and his crew confused the androids enough that they ceased operation. Captain Kirk then left Mudd on the planet with several android replicas of his wife. The character of Harry Mudd also appeared in two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and an episode of Star Trek: Short Treks , now played by Rainn Wilson. According to Star Trek: The Animated Series , Mudd eventually escaped from the android planet and continued his exploits. In Star Trek: Lower Decks , it's unclear if Mudd's Tavern was established at some point by Mudd himself or was merely named after the well-known con artist. Either way, it's a fun shout-out to a memorable recurring character.

Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Callback To “The Corbomite Maneuver” Explained

Balok was the first of 5 star trek roles played by clint howard..

In Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 10, "The Corbomite Maneuver," the USS Enterprise encounters a strange alien named Balok (Clint Howard) who threatens to destroy their ship. Captain Kirk bluffs Balok by telling him that the Enterprise has a substance called corbomite on board that will destroy any attacker. The bluff works, and Balok eventually reveals himself to be a small child-like alien with obvious intelligence. The alien displayed on the Enterprise viewscreen was a puppet meant to intimidate Kirk and his crew. Balok says he was only testing the Enterprise, and he wants to learn more about humanity.

The Balok puppet also appears in the closing credits of many TOS episodes.

When Captain Freeman and the Cerritos crew members enter Mudd's Tavern and approach the Information Broker, he speaks in a very clipped way and has jerky movements. Freeman assumes him to be a puppet in a hilarious callback to Balok from TOS . This alien, however, is not a puppet, as Lt. Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) confirms with his cybernetic implant. It's possible that Balok knew of this alien species and based the design of his puppet on them. It's also possible the Information Broker's appearance is merely a gag meant to shout out TOS. Either way, it's another fun callback from the team behind Star Trek: Lower Decks .

The Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 finale streams Thursday on Paramount+.

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• Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)

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The Star Trek Aliens That Made TOS a Weirder (and Better) Sci-Fi Show

For a low-budget TV show from the 1960s, Star Trek came up with some wild forms of life.

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Even though it was a relatively low-budget TV show (by today’s standards, it was practically made for the cost of a home movie) and visual effects in the 1960s were limited (again, by today’s standards), Star Trek: The Original Series managed over the course of its three seasons to come up with some of the more decidedly weird alien races of the entire franchise.

While nowhere near as prolific in its production of monsters as its early ‘60s predecessor, The Outer Limits , which was mandated by its network to cough up a different boogeyman every week, Star Trek did turn out an interesting array of strange, creepy, or even psychedelic (this was the ‘60s, after all) deep space denizens – although in classic Trek fashion, many of them were not the threats that their hideous surfaces hinted at, and were often more advanced than us humans in our bags of bone, flesh, and blood.

What makes this even more surprising is that the rest of this now-vast franchise didn’t push the notion of aliens that didn’t look like us with more fervor as budgets and VFX opened up. While The Original Series had plenty of humanoid aliens wearing antennae, blue makeup, or furry facial appliances, shows like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine often presented a generic array of humanoids often represented by nothing more than bumps, ridges, or armored plates on top of their heads or down the center of their noses.

Maybe the drugs in the ‘60s really did expand the minds of the writers, producers, and designers of The Original Series . Maybe it was the fact that the show hired legendary sci-fi writers like Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Bloch, and Harlan Ellison to pen multiple episodes. But as primitive as they may look now, TOS did give us some of the Trek universe’s most bizarre life forms, 10 of which we’ve featured below. And no, the Gorn is not on this list – we love him but he’s still just a guy in a lizard suit.

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The Salt Vampire

Although we’re mostly avoiding humanoid aliens in this survey, our first two entries are decidedly humanoid in shape – if not relatable to humans by any other measure. The very first Original Series episode ever televised, “The Man Trap,” was centered around an ancient creature that feeds on salt – by fatally draining it out of its victims — and is the last of its kind. The salt vampire (the race is never named) is humanoid in shape, but features hooded, reptilian eyes, a snout-like spherical mouth with sharp teeth inside and long fingers covered in suckers that attach to its target’s face.

The creature is a shapeshifter, able to present itself as whatever its victim wants to see, which provided TOS with one of its earliest progressive moments : Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) encounters the creature in an Enterprise corridor, where it appears to her as a tall African man. The two speak Swahili, Uhura’s native tongue, in a moment that was pretty special (and rare) for early ‘60s national network TV. The story is also ultimately empathetic to the creature and its plight, setting the pace for future Treks to come.

In the classic episode “The Corbomite Maneuver” (the 10 th episode aired, but the first filmed in regular production), the Enterprise encounters a titanic vessel in uncharted space that claims to be from the “First Federation.” Its commander, Balok, appears onscreen with a rather sinister-looking, almost demonic visage and proceeds to put the Enterprise through a series of threats and challenges; when Kirk finally outwits Balok, they end up meeting face to face. While Balok admits this was all just a test to gauge how civilized humans are, what’s most bizarre is that Balok’s initial appearance was a puppet: his real form, to us, resembles a little boy.

That little boy was played by Clint Howard (Ron Howard’s younger brother) and while Balok is certainly humanoid, the effect of this powerful alien being housed in the body of a child and voiced by an adult actor (Walker Edmiston) makes this one of the most surreal and unexpected early moments in TOS history. Although we never really heard much more about the First Federation on any of the Trek shows, fleeting references popped up now and again – including the fact that Balok’s favorite drink, tranya, was served at Quark’s bar on Deep Space Nine . In addition, this mysterious confederation, like other TOS civilizations first introduced on TV, were part of several Trek novels, short stories, and video games.

One of the most popular Star Trek episodes of all time was “The Devil in the Dark,” in which the Enterprise is summoned to a mining colony to discover what is killing the miners down in the tunnels. It turns out that the rock-like “monster” laying waste to the miners is actually a peaceful silicon-based form of life called a Horta, who’s merely protecting her eggs – which the miners are inadvertently destroying by the thousands – like any mother would.

According to Star Trek legend, creature designer and stuntman Janos Prohaska crawled into TOS producer/writer Gene L. Coon’s office one day wearing the Horta costume, which more or less resembled a giant lasagna. Coon wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when he saw Prohaska “give birth” to an egg, he immediately hit on the idea for “The Devil in the Dark,” one of the original show’s most acclaimed tales. Fun fact: the costume got an earlier test run in The Outer Limits , where Prohaska played an oversized germ in the anthology series’ final episode, “The Probe.”

Denevan Neural Parasites

The final episode of the first season of TOS , “Operation – Annihilate!”, finds a colony on the planet Deneva – including Kirk’s brother Sam and his wife – decimated by an invasion of flying, parasitic creatures that attach themselves to human beings and drive them insane with pain. The creatures are shapeless blobs of jelly that Spock describes as resembling “brain cells.” He’s actually right on point: the individual lifeforms are all part of one hive mind – the creature itself – that implant themselves in the human nervous system so that the entity can use humans to spread itself through the galaxy.

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The things and their physiology are so beyond the frame of human reference that Spock suggests they have come from outside our galaxy, and while the puppets used are rubbery-looking (and the strings making them “fly” can be glimpsed on hi-def versions of the episode), their cumulative effect and background is still unsettling (kind of like the gigantic space amoeba in the second season episode “The Immunity Syndrome,” although that was an exact opposite of the flying parasites, being one tremendous, mindless cell).

The Providers

In the second season’s “The Gamesters of Triskelion,” Kirk, Uhura , and Chekov are captured and transported to the title planet, where they are forced to compete in dangerous gladiatorial games with representatives of other alien races. It’s all for the amusement of the Providers, who enjoy wagering on the contests, and who turn out to be three glowing brains encased in a dome who – despite evolving past the need for anything but the most rudimentary physical form – have grown lazy and complacent.

The Providers – aside from their rather goofy appearance – are typical of TOS aliens in that they learn some kind of lesson thanks to Kirk and the Enterprise crew, eventually agreeing to stop using other beings as pawns for their games. It’s a stock TOS plot, but what makes it entertaining is that the Providers, despite their immense technological and mental power, speak down to others and bicker among each other like sneering, wealthy fat cats with too much time on their hands – which, in a sense, is what they are.

The Medusans

Fred Freiberger’s term as the producer of The Original Series ’ lackluster third season will forever be debated by Trek diehards, but one thing that Freiberger was interested in doing was making the show’s aliens more…alien. His first attempt at that was season 3 episode 5, “Is There in Truth No Beauty?”, which introduced us to the Medusans – a non-corporeal race of supremely intelligent, highly advanced beings whose natural state is so hideous that a mere glimpse of them can drive human beings insane.

By this point in the series’ run, we’d already met beings like the Metrons (“Arena”) and the Organians (“Errand of Mercy”) that advanced beyond physical bodies, assuming human form when necessary to deal with lower species like us. But while the Medusans, represented in this rather soap opera-esque episode by Ambassador Kollos, can form mind-links with physical beings, they are otherwise carted around in a special box that can’t be opened with humans around, lest the phrase “resting bitch face” take on lethal new meaning. The episode itself is inconsistent with its own rules (in one scene, with the box closed, Spock wears a special visor while Kirk stands there with nothing on his head but his toupee), but turning the idea of what defines “beauty” upside down is in many ways a classic Trek theme (A Medusan also showed on Star Trek: Prodigy , this time wearing a robotic suit).

The Melkotians

One of the more infamous episodes from Star Trek’s third season is “Spectre of the Gun,” in which Kirk, Spock, Scotty, McCoy and Chekov are forced to refight the 1881 gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona between the Earps and the Clantons, with the Enterprise men on the losing Clanton side. Although the story is a perfect embodiment of much of the silliness of the third season, there is an atmospheric moment near the beginning when our heroes beam down to the planet of the Melkotians – xenophobic aliens who wish no contact with the Federation – and meet one of its representatives.

Although somewhat obscured by swirling mists, the Melkotian (or Melkot, as it’s sometimes called) was one of the show’s eerier beings, with a floating, oversized, bulbous head, large, glowing eyes, and either tentacles or limbs dangling below. For Star Trek , it was downright Lovecraftian, although in typical TOS fashion, these initially hostile aliens are inviting the humans to a sit-down by the end of the episode (strangely, in the episode’s novelization, the Melkot is humanoid). The Melkotians were also one-and-done; despite opening relations with the Federation, we never hear from them again.

The Tholians

In the popular third season episode “The Tholian Web,” the Enterprise comes upon a sister starship, the Defiant, that is trapped in an interdimensional rift in space with all its crew dead. When Kirk disappears into the rift after being stuck on board the Defiant, Spock tries to rescue him – but his efforts are hampered by the appearance of a hostile race called the Tholians.

The Tholians are crystalline in appearance, with an angular, glowing head featuring just two triangular eyes. The Tholian commander, Loskene (voiced by Barbara Babcock), seems to appear against a very hot background, indicating that they need high temperatures to survive. Although they don’t seem to be known to the Federation, Spock comments on “the renowned Tholian punctuality,” hinting that the Vulcans may have run into them before. But as it turns out, the Federation (in a bit of retconning) has encountered them earlier as well: the Tholians were one of the few non-humanoid races to return to a later Trek series, showing up in the Enterprise episodes “Future Tense” (where only their ships are seen) and “In A Mirror, Darkly” (where a Tholian’s full, insectoid body is shown).

The Zetarians

A number of Star Trek aliens were of the “sparkling energy cloud” variety: in the episode “Obsession,” there was one that drank blood, another one was desperately horny for warp drive inventor Zefram Cochrane in “Metamorphosis,” and a third literally planted fake news into the heads of the Enterprise crew and a bunch of Klingons to get them to fight in “Day of the Dove.” But what made the Zetarians – the last, disembodied survivors of a race looking for a physical body that they can inhabit – so bizarre is not their twinkly lights but what they did to their victims.

Although they are so powerful that they end up shorting out most people’s brains, the Zetarians cause their targets’ faces to shift through all kinds of strange psychedelic colors while their voices sound like a vinyl record being spun very slowly on a turntable. It’s a pretty creepy effect in an otherwise unremarkable episode (it sure scared the hell out of this author as a wee lad), making the Zetarians a minor but still memorable addition to the Trek gallery of weirdness.

The Excalbians

The final non-humanoid alien race to appear on ST: TOS , the Excalbians showed up in the late third season episode “The Savage Curtain,” in which Kirk and Spock must fight alongside recreations of Abraham Lincoln and a Vulcan philosopher named Surak against a team made up of four of history’s most sinister figures. Orchestrating all this is the Excalbians, a race of rock-like beings who use such “plays” to educate themselves about other civilizations and concepts such as good and evil.

The Excalbians are represented by Yarnek, who initially disguises himself (itself?) as a boulder before revealing his true self – a massive being made of searingly hot “living rock” (the Excalbians’ planet is mostly lava) with flashing, bulbous eyes and claw-like appendages. No doting mother like the other TOS rock monster, the Horta, Yarnek – and by extension, his people – is extremely powerful (they’re able to manipulate matter) and totally cool with forcing other beings to act out their little shows.

Star Trek: The Original Series can be streamed on Paramount+.

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

Galactic Journey

[November 14, 1966] Star Trek : "The Corbomite Maneuver"

A Strange Step Backward

With the round robin review format we've set up for Star Trek , everyone's obligations are pretty small, with the exception of the person assigned the head: the first, summarizing piece of the article.  I drew the short straw this week, possibly the most challenging week in the history of this new show.

Because a summary's job is to explain what happened.  And in "The Corbomite Maneuver", virtually nothing happened. 

Repeatedly.

The episode boils down to this: The Enterprise travels into an unexplored area of space. An alien ship intercepts the Earth ship, traps it, and threatens to destroy it.  The alien ship takes many guises — first a multicolored cube, then a giant globe of incandescent lights, then a set of glowing soap bubbles (admittedly gorgeous effects), but the scenario is always the same.  The Enterprise tries to break free, dramatic music plays, people fall out of their chairs or bounce around in hallways. The navigator-of-the-week, this time a ‘Lieutenant Bailey’ (anxious, overeager, promoted too early) occasionally has a breakdown. Lieutenant Uhura says "Hailing Frequencies open" a half dozen times, looking rather bored.

Eventually, we learn that the whole thing was a test. The alien, Balok of the First Federation (Ron Howard's little brother), never planned to destroy the Enterprise . On the one hand, I appreciate an episode without a villain, one that challenges the hubris that we are the most powerful or the kindest race in the galaxy.

On the other hand, once we know that Kirk and his crew were never in danger, everything becomes a cheat.  The tension, the clever attempts to outmaneuver Balok (with warp engines or poker metaphors), all of it is meaningless.

Add to that a certain unevenness of the episode.  It is pretty clear this episode was filmed before the others we've seen in the series. Spock is yelling again, is wearing his old uniform, and his haircut is more severe.  Shatner has less of a grip on the Kirk character, playing him on a short fuse. As with "Where No Man has Gone Before", everything feels rawer, cheaper, more like an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea .  Perhaps it was the consciously military mien of the scenario and character interactions.

All this kvetching suggests I didn't like the episode.  That's not quite right. There are some great exchanges, particularly any involving DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy). George Takei's Sulu is a delight, with a lot of great subtle expressions. Yeoman Rand got an entire episode free of assault (though Kirk resents her existence as a woman). The special effects are really excellent, and probably the reason the episode got delayed. 

But for the most part, I was just kind of bored. That's a new experience for me with Star Trek , which has hitherto been either great or problematic. However, if "Maneuver" really is an early episode, that means we're actually on an upward rather than a downward trend. Plus, next week's episode, which looks like it will incorporate the terrific first pilot, is very promising.

So, three stars, but I won't hold it against the show.

Zero-Sum Game

As Gideon notes, The Corbomite Maneuver was a, shall we say, uneven episode. The first time the ship was ‘about to be destroyed’ it was exciting. By the third time, it was definitely less impactful. On the other hand, the story had plenty of great moments. The problem was, these ended up undermining each other.

For example, Captain Kirk pulls off a wonderful bluff where he apparently convinces the enemy that destroying their ship will result in the destruction of their own vessel – the bluff being the titular ‘Corbomite Maneuver’. It’s a desperate, brilliant moment that would have made a fantastic climax for the episode. Everything, from Spock saying that it was ‘well-played’, to Bailey returning to the bridge, to Kirk’s sigh of relief when the ship is not destroyed (not to mention McCoy’s overeager offer to teach Spock the game of poker) makes for a great piece of television.

Unfortunately, it’s not the climax of the episode – or rather, it’s the climax, but not the end. And then, when we do reach the end of the story, we learn something which by itself would have made for a clever plot twist. It turns out that the entire set of encounters were orchestrated by a single entity, a powerful being who claims that it was ‘all a test’.

This is something we haven’t seen before. Yes, in Where No Man Has Gone Before and Charlie X we had immensely powerful beings, be they humans or aliens. And in The Cage we did see powerful alien minds manipulating humans to try to get something from them. But we’ve never seen (presumably benevolent) aliens simply ‘testing’ humans to learn their ‘real intentions’. It would have been a great reversal, if only it hadn’t undermined everything which had come before. The clever parts of the story, rather than building on each other, unfortunately canceled each other out.

Lieutenant Bailey's interactions with the captain rang an odd note in the episode. Kirk's "tough love" attitude toward him reminded me strongly of the captain in "The Bedford Incident", and I kept half-expecting Bailey to fire the ship's 'phasers' when he wasn't supposed to (instead he did the opposite, freezing in the moment of crisis).

I do want to make several notes about special effects. First, the lights making up alien ships were extremely effective (and I understand these effects were so involved that they delayed the release of this episode, which was meant to be much earlier in the line up). Second, the figure of Commander Balock that appeared on the Enterprise’s screen was an unconvincing one, yet it was plausible enough for our generation — after all, we were raised on puppet shows and other primitive special effects. The fact that the episode’s writer subverted these expectations and made the figure an actual puppet was absolutely ingenious. And third, the best special effect in the entire show had to be the dubbing of little Clint Howard with an adult’s voice.

3 stars, for the special effects, the cleverness, and the banter.

I enjoyed the overall message of "The Corbomite Maneuver", but I felt the episode had to make some sacrifices to get there.  In particular, the atmosphere of the ship and everyone's characterizations were severely altered from what we've seen thus far.  Captain Kirk seemed forced into the role of the hard-edged, authoritarian Captain.  The women of the crew were more stereotypically portrayed, pushed aside even, so that the men could have their dramatic moments.  Uhura looks bored.  Yeoman Rand exists to make coffee and salad and annoy Captain Kirk by being a woman.  All in all, the Enterprise felt much more current-day Navy in portrayal, and more militaristic in character.

The special effects were, as has been noted, a cut above.  But I would have liked to have seen this story told with the same Enterprise we're coming to know and love, rather than this odd, warped one, seemingly created to fit the plot's needs. 

With a mid-tier story, great visuals, and inconsistent characterization, I give "Corbomite" three stars.

A Different Kind of Man Behind the Curtain

When I first heard Balok speak in this week’s episode, his voice reminded me of Frank Morgan’s booming performance in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The imagery and tactics reminded me of it as well: flowing curtains of light cascaded over Balok’s alien face, the crew of the Enterprise scrambling to bargain and trick their way out of the crisis as a seemingly all-powerful wizard holding hapless visitors to arbitrary and impossible rules.

When we found that, like The Great and Powerful Oz, Balok was a small man, pulling puppet strings to intimidate and test those around him, the twist felt familiar. But that moment was also where these two fantasies diverged: where the Wizard is venal and greedy, Balok is confident and curious. He is not a huckster, but a representative of a technologically-advanced society, able to control a vast space edifice from his tiny ship, and interested in learning the truth about the crew of the Enterprise.

While Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man beg the Wizard to make them whole and take them home, Kirk, McCoy and Bailey don’t need any such boons from Balok. But he offers them anyway, opening up the possibility of cultural exchange between his First Federation and Kirk’s crew. Bailey, who had spent most of the episode as a cowardly lion, gracefully agrees to the exchange as the episode closes.

The parallels are not perfect — though if Mr.Spock had filled out the boarding party in the role of the Tin Man seeking a heart he already has, it might have been — but they are productive. Like the friends of Dorothy, Bailey, McCoy, and Spock spend the episode trying to free themselves from traps and get what they think they need. And like the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man, in the end, the powers they were seeking to work around were not what they seemed.

I liked that, in this case, the powers were greater. Perhaps, if Balok had been behind the curtain in Oz, Dorothy and company would have gotten more than toys, but the true connection and understanding they needed in their journeys. I hope that future episodes are more even in tone, but also that they continue to expand our views of the universe the way Balok will for Bailey.

Three stars.

6 thoughts on “[November 14, 1966] Star Trek : "The Corbomite Maneuver"”

Everyone has already said just about all there is to say about this episode. I will point out, though, that if this had been the first episode we saw, we'd probably have been pretty pleased with it. It's certainly a cut above other science fiction we've seen on television, and I think some of the disappointment to the reviewers is that we've already grown accustomed to better from this show.

I suspect that Dr. McCoy will regret teaching poker to Spock. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Spock is able to rapidly calculate the odds and have a pretty good idea if the doctor is bluffing.

Almost everything about it. Except that my grandfather Jerry Sohl wrote it. Didn't really know him much, but from what I remember the vibe throughout the episode seemed to be how he behaved himself. One of the few episodes that he wrote under his own name and others for star trek and twilight zone he wrote under a pseudonym of charles beaumont to help him through a sickness that left him unable to work.

Thanks for checking in, Morgan!  It is always nice to hear from relatives.  We hope you like the rest of our coverage.

Balok's voice sure sounded familiar!

My 11-year-old self relished this one.  It had a sense of wonder — what strange encounters may occur in deep space, and the awe-inspiring effect when the Enterprise, which I think of as a big craft, is just dwarfed by the immense alien vessel that almost seems like a planet of its own.  The weird immobility of Balok somehow contributed to the suspense.  I like my sf shows to have an element of the sublime, of pleasing terror.

As for Wig Trek, well, there's Yeoman Rand's bizarre hair-construction, which we've seen before, but we get the inverse this time, with the skull-cap worn by the child actor.

Looks like all the reviewers gave this one a solid C grade.  That seems about right.  Nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding either.

A whole episode devoted to the First Federation with their giant spaceship and advanced society and yet we will never see or hear from them again. A wasted opportunity.

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55 years ago: Science Fact and Fiction

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“The Corbomite Maneuver”

Air date: 11/10/1966 Written by Jerry Sohl Directed by Joseph Sargent

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

Traveling into uncharted space, the Enterprise encounters a mysterious alien probe. When the probe poses a threat, Kirk is forced to destroy it, much to the ire of the apparently superior alien race that created it. The alien commander, Balok, subsequently sentences the Enterprise to destruction for trespassing in their space.

Every element is in place to make "Corbomite" a big winner: The mysterious alien ship is intimidating through its immensity and its implacable commander; watching Kirk under such a high-pressure situation gives us the chance to learn a great deal about his poker-game tactics; and crewman Bailey (Anthony Hall) cracking under pressure is certainly a relevant story piece. Unfortunately, it all goes on just a little too long. Under Joseph Sargent's uneven direction, the initial suspense gives way to repetition until the whole crisis runs out of steam. The games with the tractor beam just can't sustain the energy level that the initial countdown to annihilation promised.

The ending, where it turns out Commander Balok (a 7-year-old Clint Howard) was testing the Enterprise crew, is still a neat twist—but it can't quite make up for the pedestrian execution in the latter passages of the plot.

Previous episode: Dagger of the Mind Next episode: The Menagerie

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67 comments on this post.

I have to disagree here, this is one of my favorite episodes. Not quite 4 star, but at least a strong 3. I think it manages to maintain its steam throughout, and the plot twist / ending sequence was very good. And of course seeing Kirk under pressure and coming up with the "corbomite" trick, nicely paralleling Balok's own tricks. Very well done. Sure some parts fall into the cliche category (It Was All A Test and Countdown to Doom, for instance), but they're *good*, well-executed cliches, which are different from bad clichés.

This is one of my favorite episodes as well. The only real weakness I see is the last sequence with Baby Balok (although Clint Howard is always a treat). I've read reviews commenting that the pace was too slow, but "slow" is a pretty relative term. There's not a lot of action in it, but there's a lot of tension, and a decent amount of humor. In addition, there are many excellent Kirk-Spock-McCoy moments, and those are ultimately why I watch so obsessively. And I like to see Kirk being bold and taking chances, even counterintuitive ones. I always feel like Spock is watching and learning and with every move Kirk is solidifying the love and trust the crew has for him. Compare the reactions of Bailey and Sulu in this episode, for example. Sulu demonstrates complete trust in Kirk, while Bailey doesn't have the experience to know that he can count on Kirk's leadership. And I bet that Spock would be the world's best poker player.

This episode really made me notice the trend in this series of providing gratuitous closeups of actors faces to show their response to a given situation. I don't know if this was unique to star trek or common to other shows of the era, but by today's standards it seems a bit silly. Example: While the crew is trying to break free of Balok's tractor beam near the end of the show, increasing the engine power to dangerous levels, we get a closeup of Kirk's face, then of Scotty's face, then of Spock's face, then of Bailey's face, then of McCoy's face, then back to Kirk. . . etc. During this series of closeups, nothing is really happening or changing in the plot. We are just staring at a series of intense faces looking at the view screen. This happens a lot in Star Trek, and seems to be time-filler or an attempt to build tension. But I find it annoying. And the later Star Trek spinoffs didn't really do this.

"This episode really made me notice the trend in this series of providing gratuitous closeups of actors faces" It wasnt actually common in the era, but still, the editing was very much a product of its time. Part of the pleasure of The Original Series, though, is the over-the-top melodrama. It didn't really go for realism.

Sorry, just had to get that out of my system :P The music in this episode was really, really irritating. And the tension was rather exaggerated. Oh no, a spinning cube!!! Condition: Alert!!! Music to full drama power!!! Poor Bailey. Everyone basically picked on him and treated him relentlessly like an idiot until he cracked under the pressure of their judgement and made mistakes, thus seeming to prove them right, and feeding his sense of self-doubt into itself. I know how he feels, I've been suffering that myself with my manager at work; though oddly, recognising it may have helped me there. I find it interesting how "purely Trek" this is, where rather than firing everything they've got, they sit and think, and don't even resort to it in last second desperation (if you're gonna die anyway..), instead just keeping calm. A couple of hundred years later with Janeway or Sisko, they probably would've blown that sphere thing to millions of tiny pieces the moment it showed the slightest hint of aggression. Makes you think.

"Sorry, just had to get that out of my system :P" My first line was: {DRAMATIC MUSIC} but I used pointy brackets, and the comments form seems to interpret HTML literally. Tut tut.

To me this episode feels like the true pilot for Star Trek. I get the sense that the crew are only a few days into their five year mission. The crew seems like regular, relatable, and professional people instead of highly evolved human incapable of normal human impulses. The big reveal at the end does give it a Twilight Zone feel. If Twilight Zone had a sense of mystery than Star Trek had a sense of adventure while Next Generation was more of a drama. My favorite scene was the Bailey freak out. It's not often you see something like that on Trek. He is kind of like Lt Barclay. I did enjoy the whole cast, but Doctor McCoy, Spock, and Kirk are the break out stars in this episode. Only the second episode of the series and it didn't take them long to move most of the pieces in the right place like changing the communication officer to a woman, moving Sulu to helm, and making the Doctor younger. I love the international flavor of the crew. I'm glad they were able to remaster the special effects, but it's a shame they couldn't show more alien crewmembers. Despite the fact they were able to produce a few episodes with many different alien races in one that is one of the few things Star Wars had over Trek that made it endearing.

Peter Grantham

Yeah, I agree with your review. I loved watching Kirk bluff his way to a flop, but the end of the hand came far too slowly. It was interesting seeing Clint Howard appear at the end. I recently saw the Twilight Zone episode Walking Distance, in which a very young Ron Howard appeared.

What happens with Baily after the Enterprise leaves, I wonder? How long does he stay? Will he rise to power in the First Federation? Kill Balok and run the mothership to Earth? Better yet: Bailey is Borg-Alpha. Explains the cubes...

Strength: Showing the crew coherence among the prime bridge staff as it attempts to keep things together in the face od certain doom. (well, it wasn't, but they didn't know that.) Weakness (and one for me that is especially galling in that it mars the strength, above) -- scene-stealing and line-counting. I mean, one of the underlying tasks throughout this situation is to establish and maintain contact with Balok's ship. And every time Kirk gives an order that logically would have Uhura proving spectacularly that she's more, much more, than the Enterprise's Ernestine, Spock jumps in. Excuse me. Mr. Science, don't you have some sciencing to do? At your science console? Let the lady do her job. In my head, those scenes makes much more sense when Uhura speaks some of the lines that go to Spock, and I wonder if it was, in fact, that way in the first drafts ...

I liked the character building moments early on between Kirk and Spock and Kirk and Bones. The crew members in the corridor when Kirk addressed them were walking around way too calmly. Bones bringing up his plans to enter a complaint about Bailey in his medical logs when they had three minutes left was bizarre. Same with Scotty smiling at two minutes left, and Yeoman Rand bringing coffee. Bailey was right: everyone was way too calm and casual. What were those belts for, that they put on just before transporting over? Some cool directorial/camera effects in this episode.

Yes, a hit, I do not like giving stars but I enjoyed this very much. This is the Star trek that I remember from my childhood. Unless that I then, at the age of 8th, was not so fascinated of Yeoman Rand's and Lt Uhura's spare-some uniforms. It was funny, it showed daily aspects, the teamwork, that violence, also when proper selected according to the situation, may not solve your problem, list and cunning will do and that compassion gave the success.

Agree with most people here, a good solid episode. Although I am confused how the ten minutes until destruction plan fitted with the test. How would that reveal their intentions? What would he do if they just standed there and didn't do anything? Would that mean to him they are not hostile? What if they just took their chances? Because defending yourself against unjustified agressor in the face of a certain death (as far as they knew) is wrong? Maybe it's just me, but Bailey's freakout definitely explains why would Kirk see himself in him, because that's some quality Shatnering.

@Strider "Sulu demonstrates complete trust in Kirk[.]" I didn't get that, actually. Near the end, when they're trying to pull away from the scout ship, Kirk says something like "Now, Mr. Sulu. Impulse drive too" and Sulu turns around and gives him a look like "Seriously?" before he carries out the order.

It was a good episode but I agree with Cloudane in that the music was irritating. I watch this series with headphones and had to turn down the volume when the music raised. Still, the plot was fine but a bit too stretched out, as Jammer said. The face close ups are pure padding shots, they remind me of Dragon Ball Z scenes. In that anime, every single time somebody did anything of significance you had reaction shots of every...single...character remotely related to the plot, going as far as showing characters half a continent apart. But I digress, in general I liked this episode. The final revelation works well for me and Spock and Kirk has some nice scenes together. Spock: "Has it occurred to you that there's a certain...inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about?" Kirk: "It gives me emotional security."

Well, I liked it. I know a lot of people complain that the tension is just a bunch of closeups of faces and all, but I think it still worked overall. This isn't TNG, where it is expected that the crew will find some odd problem in the universe and have to puzzle their way through to solve it. This was really the first true obstacle the ship had. Sure, you had the disease in Miri and other random issues, but this is the first real threat to the Enterprise itself I think. And because of that, I was able to accept what was going on, even if others found it cheesy at times. I can understand Jammer's complaint that the rest of the obstacles the Enterprise encounters after the famous bluff can be seen as a let-down compared to the tension there. It certainly makes sense for that part to be the climax. Not only does it show the crew at their most stressed (people sniping at Sulu for his countdown, Kirk losing his cool momentarily), but it also seems to be the most dangerous element of the episode (countdown to doom) and definitely the most gripping part. But in the end, it is revealed that Bartok is testing the crew's reactions, rather than being a true showdown. Thus, from that perspective, Kirk showing mercy is the climax of the story, and needs to be at the end to tie this whole episode together. So while the ending may not have been as tense, it still was needed I thought. Besides, it drove the point home that one great bluff isn't all you need. Kirk and the Enterprise were tested to their breaking point, and that includes throwing more calamities at them even after they barely escaped the big one. (It occurs to me that this episode is pretty similar to TNG's Where Silence Has Lease, both in the sense of a new species testing the Enterprise and the use of a big bluff. So if you want the bluff to be the climax of an episode, you can watch that one.) One thing I don't get, though, is Bailey serving as mankind's ambassador to the First Federation. Or even why he was brought over there in the first place. The sub-plot of him cracking under pressure on the bridge and then asking to take his station again, to at least meet death with dignity, was fine. And I guess if Kirk was really grooming him for command it makes sense to bring him on this away mission, and possibly leaving him with Bartok makes sense too. But then, I thought the point was that Kirk was pushing him too hard? So shouldn't he have eased off on Bailey and not pushed a first contact mission on him? Furthermore, Bailey's breakdown had nothing to do with fear of aliens or anything of that sort, so his redemption by becoming best friends with Bartok also seems out of the blue. It doesn't ruin the episode for me or anything, but it does feel somewhat muddled unfortunately.

While this is an enjoyable episode to watch for a variety of reasons, it occurs to me that the twist at the end fundamentally ruins the whole plot: it reveals that Balok has lied about everything up to that point, which shows bad faith, but Kirk and Co fail to ask the obvious follow-up question, namely, what if they had failed the test Balok set? If there was never any intention to destroy the ship, the whole exercise becomes embarrassingly pointless, and Balok is basically a cosmic prankster. If he DID intend to destroy the ship for failing the test, he's an amoral killer no better than Dr Mengele. Rather than share a drink and a laugh with the guy, Kirk should make one of his trademark speeches about the value of human dignity and storm off in high dudgeon. Otherwise a fine episode. :)

Not a huge fan of this episode as I found it dragged on, very slow paced. All the bluffing etc. is an interesting plot that shows another side of Kirk's command abilities. Yes, it's good to see the intent and actions of Kirk as he shows his peaceful nature when Bailey is more inclined to jump to aggressive action. Bailey is a central figure here and adds a needed human element to the countdown to destruction. It's fine if Kirk wants to let him return to his position given that he sees the situation as hopeless (before his bluff). I haven't seen this episode since I was a kid in the 80's - somehow I don't think I feel differently now about it than I did then. Just as a comparison, "Balance of Terror" later in Season 1 does a better job of the tension. If Balok is actually looking for some type of interaction with another species, he does go about it in an odd way. He could have announced peaceful intentions at first, but then we wouldn't have an episode. For me, 2/4 stars.

I thought it was funny to hear Spock smugly telling Bailey it was unnecessary for him to raise his voice at the site of the big spinny cube thingy, when Spock has spent the first several episodes shouting on the bridge for no particular reason.

I always thought this episode had a certain charm. It is somewhat hokey and dated, but everybody knows this is a story from the 1960s, so I just give a pass to the cheesiness of the props and sets, the overly-dramatic musical score, and the histrionics and over-acting at times by the cast. I thought Bailey was an incompetent moron, and was surprised that he got the plum assignment to stay on Balok's ship and learn about the culture...but at least we got rid of him that way. Three stars.

Did anyone but me want to shout, "you people get out of that hallway!" as they were thrown back and forth? Pretty funny "special effects"!

stallion:{ To me this episode feels like the true pilot for Star Trek } Well, it is the last of the four episodes that could be called the "first" one. The Cage - rejected pilot Where No Man Has Gone Before - accepted pilot The Man Trap - first episode ever aired The Corbomite Manuever - first episode created after show was greenlit

A terrible review - this is one of the best episodes. Obviously the reviewer prefers the transformers' franchise.

This episode introduced much of the daily living aboard a starship, the relationships in the crew, (both humorous and testy), the fact that alien life was a scary concept, and that real alien life might differ dramatically from our previous "martian-like" images. (real Baalok vs. the puppet he used to be "scary"). It also furthered our understanding of how weapons and the transporter system on the Enterprise would work. I think Jammer's review is limited by his youthful age and does not take into consideration how early in the series this was. It really is classic, and the episode which made me completely buy in to Star Trek as a teenager when it first aired. Yes, the episode is slow, but TV shows and movies were much slower back then. The current pace of action adventure in TV and movies is a recent development.

Star Trek's first shipboard tactical adventure remains a visually involving and fairly tense story. Directed by four-time Emmy winner Joseph Sargent, the lighting and camerawork in this one is particularly interesting, and the plot is classic Star Trek. Indeed, there's a real sense of probing out into the unknown to encounter alien life in this one that distinguishes it form the "rubber mask of the week" aliens on later Trek series, and the well-scripted characterizations make this a good ensemble piece for the main cast. I give it 3 or 3 1/2 stars. There's a fairly realistic sense of shipboard life on a deep-space mission in this one. We see the cast struggling with fatigue, confusion, and fear as they work together to face a problem that quickly escalates from an annoying obstacle into a Kobayshi Mary "no-win scenario." Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, and Rand all get little personality moments here, and some of their interactions build the characterizations in key ways -- Kirk's patience in exhausting every peaceful option before being forced to bluff, Spock's early inability (which will soften over the course of the franchise) to go beyond the strict logic that tells him they are doomed, McCoy's concern for the welfare of the crew, Scotty's earthy practicality, the cool professionalism of Uhura and Sulu, Yeoman Rand's ongoing tension with Kirk, etc. And with all of these developing characterizations we still get room for the deftly woven subplot of guest navigator Bailey, whom Kirk has promoted too fast and whose freakout brings a welcome sense of emotional honesty (i.e. regarding Sulu: "He's starting a countdown!") to what everyone else on the bridge is holding in. Kirk's command style emerges vindicated in this episode as he cheats death (good foreshadowing for Wrath of Khan) and eventually finds a better use for Bailey than bridge crew, giving him a chance to develop and mature as an ambassador to gain some confidence. There's a lot of character stuff happening in this deceptively simple space showdown plot, but all of it feels effortlessly earned through cast chemistry. While the scenes of the Enterprise facing off against the little cube and later negotiating with the enormous sphere start to feel repetitive and go on perhaps a bit too long as buildup to the titular bluff, knocking this one down a peg for me because of the uneven pacing that peaks early, the ending reveal of Clint Howard remains one of the most memorable and creative endings to a Star Trek episode of any series. Not only do we get adventure and the curiosity of facing the unknown in this episode, but an unusual first contact that results in both sides growing closer together through a "game recognizes game" scenario where they respect each other's ability to bluff in facing the threats of the galaxy's unknown. It's intriguing how the Enterprise crew never succumbs to the temptation to judge Balok negatively or lash out at him in fear even at the moments when he's threatening them or appears vulnerable to counter-attack; they seem to hold out hope of finding a peaceful solution to the misunderstanding even when things seem bleakest. And it all ends with them drinking Tranya with the tiny little alien in his tiny little ship. It's not one of my absolute favorites, but this is classic Trek idealism at its best.

Those with bad memories of this episode might want to visit the remastered version of it. Updated with slick CGI visuals, this remains - even for modern viewers IMO - a tense and fast based episode, which showcases life on the ship, Kirk's unconventional "poker tactics", and features a neat twist, albeit one (Godlike aliens testing humans) which would quickly become a cliche. Best of all, are the gratuitous shots of a sweaty, muscular, topless Kirk, walking about with his shirt over his shoulder. Shatner was hilariously macho.

This is the perfect “get to know you” episode. Spock provides initial family history and steps short of saying “I’m sorry” (ooh, that pesky human half!). McCoy/Kirk banter reveals close friendship. Kirk/Rand tension is introduced. Background chatter speaks of a busy and crowded ship. Kirk’s resourcefulness first showcased with the poker gambit. Scotty’s unflagging honesty first seen (“Beats me what makes it go”). For anyone unfamiliar with the show (is that possible?), this episode is the best primer.

corbomite is a charming episode of TOS. i hesitate to use the more jaded descriptions that first popped to mind when i sat to write (standard/middling/average) because they really aren’t fair--i’ve just watched too much trek to feel as excited by this one as i was in my youth. but i think charming is a really fair description coming from an old spacefart like me, because even though the episode drags a bit for me now, i do recognize that it is in some ways a perfect template-story from way early in production that informs many many later installments of trek. it’s pretty solid on every front even though it fails transcendence and there is something to be said for that--especially when you think about how little trek there was in existence at the time. where the writing fails at pacing and wild creativity in certain areas, it picks up slack in character work, wit, growing the ensemble etc (for the most part anyway, round of apologies to golduhura--thanks for sticking out that meeting and the first few eps. we see you girl. you’re there). sometimes it’s okay for trek’s quality to flag in one area and long as it flares in another and corbomite has a lot going for it when i take off my trekcynic detractor hat and put on my reading glasses. no doubt that corbomite’s use of humor in character building is its crowning glory because the zingers here are tight, sharp and pass the test of time. spock suggesting bailey get his ‘adrenaline gland’ removed is a classic establishment of his acerbic wit, jims solicitation of ‘emotional support’ from him is a joke i’ve been laughing at for years and am currently chuckling at. i mean, seriously tho, getting too critical of this episode for being slow is failing to appreciate how QUICK it is amiright. points for just how much good banter this show spreads across the ensemble. the kirk/mccoy scene that starts in the lift is a wonderful expansion of bone’s brusque, trenchant moodiness (‘i never said that’) as well as his intuitiveness. kirk’s amused ribbing is playful and piquant and what it shows about their dynamic in a few short moments is a nicely knit piece of scenework that gets real mileage for how short it is (negpoints for yeoman rand jokes though, not cuz sexism cuz quality). points for spock/scotty exchange about spock’s mother. i also give points to the episode for being interested in strategic thinking and emphasizing kirk’s tactical prowess (though it succeeds in this better dramatically than narratively). shanter really sells the whole matching-of-wits scenario better than the writing writes it. the episode lacks the nuts and bolts of a real move/countermove exchange and relies on spock’s exposition (this balok seems like my father) to establish baloks cleverness more than actually supplying it. still, we’re in the ballpark, going through the right motions to explore a psychological-game-as-first-contact scenario. i just think the ‘game' itself is ill-defined when it doesn’t have to be--but then kirk says POKER! and i guess that gets the point across well enough dramatically so maybe it’s a nitpick to wish there was more substance to the actual back and forth leading up to it. the bluff he comes up with is clever enough for the plot here even if it’s not as clever in point-of-fact as its name. shanter’s pokerface(voice) is on point enough to get a ‘well-played’ from spock though, so points for delivery too. A lot of the drag in this episode really comes down to the editing’s slavish mirroring of background music/sound effects in the dramatic sequences, presumably an attempt to signal import and heighten intensity. im pretty sure the numerous reaction shots are a purposeful byproduct of this choice (rather than just for the sake of themselves) and felt artistic at the time rather than plodding and onerous, but switching to a different close-up in (literal) time with every change in the two oscillating motifs of the main piece makes every sequence with this gimmick feel long and over-directed. the music selections themselves aren’t terrible selections for the action, but the tethered editing detracts from both the pieces and the ensemble rather than enhancing either. some good ensemble writing is served poorly here by the close-ups too because the viewer loses the wider context of everyone’s reaction to new information and each other when the action must be stretched out to fit the musical phrasing. the final revelation is classic twilight zone and plays as such--but this early on aspiring to TZ is not only forgivable for ST, it’s a smart move (again, works better dramatically than narratively) and the payoff of a twist-ending that dashes human expectations of alienness is cheesy but cheeky too. from the time i was quite a young trek fan, it has always been kirk’s (dareisay heroic?) decision to return at balok’s distress signal and render aid to his adversary (of moments before) that i have remembered most about this episode between viewings--and i guess if that’s what sticks with me, corbomite is basically star trek doing its job.

What I like about this one is that it shows that the sense of danger of the unknown is not limited to those subject to their "adrenal gland." Everyone, including Kirk, Spock, and Bailey, are subject to the intense threat posed by Balok's ship, despite the fact that the reality of what Balok is like is another story altogether. And I don't want to be unclear: he was a threat, but not of the motive they may have thought. The ending creates a playful and sharp contrast between perception from a place of ignorance, and realization after learning something. All of the tense scenes where the Enterprise faced danger give us a fixed perspective: a POV from those who don't understand what they're facing. Narratively the threat level and danger are greatly amplified, which on screen shows as "sci fi menace" but in terms of character shows just how on edge anyone with a lick of sense would be when faced with a gigantic unknown. Even Spock, who's reaction isn't emotional, still recognizes the immense potential danger, and so this isn't merely a trick of the brain found in skittish folk. The unknown really is a clear and present danger. Transitioning at the end from this tense tactical situation to a borderline cute one, with a cute alien with a cute sense of humor, is an incredibly deflating experience. It's good in that way, because it shows how much of the tension was fueled by the almighty question mark, but weird also because it tempts us to discount that there really was an danger before. I don't think the takeaway should be "It was all a joke" or "all a misunderstanding" or something. It wasn't: the unknown danger really did threaten them, as Spock would attest to logically. So it seems to me that the episode really highlights just how hazardous it is to face the unknown, and yet how beneficial it is to meet new things and learn about them. That's a pretty core Trek message to me, but instead of batting you on the head with it as a moral message, it's shown instead through the simple arcs or the story tension. Very nice. Even as a kid I found the ending uplifting. Another question the episode poses is how one should go about meeting the unknown. The temptation when facing such dangers is to flee, or to resort to barbarism (which Spock comments on); but the Trek message is that it takes a combination of desire, pure logic, discipline, and yes - simple guts and courage, to be out there facing that threat and stand up to it. The titular maneuver is a "trick", yes, although I wonder whether Balok ever really believed it. Could it be that there's something inherently respectable about a species that's willing to stand up to a superior force and puff out its feathers? That kind of guts may just earn respect on its own. People often seem to admire videos of a tiny animal taking no shit from a large threatening one. And I do think that facing what we don't know requires a kind of guts, because we have to be willing to give up what we thought was true to make room for new knowledge, which is a scary prospect for anyone. The bluff itself encapsulates this aspect of learning: You go in willing to risk it all on a gamble that you'll come out how you went in, being ok with either result. Now *that* is the attitude necessary for learning to take place. It fits right in with the "risk is our business" motto, which again I feel like TOS got right much more so than the other franchise series.

Peter G completely agree. i had a little trouble figuring out how i wanted to talk about this one because i think of it quite fondly and couldn't quite put my finger on why i felt more disengaged this watchthru when i never remember feeling that before, but i like the angle you found for discussing it. much better fare than what i brought to the table. your small animal with puffed up feathers image lit me up. seeing balok as respecting this plucky little monkey with the nerve to bluff him is a great. wonderful metaphor.

“Corbomite” is at best a middling episode — if I can borrow Peter G.'s term! But I think it is noteworthy for a couple of things -- that almost make me want to give it a bit of a mulligan. I think it needs to be acknowledged how primordial it is to Trek. It was just the 3rd TOS episode produced; it aired 10th, which I find mystifying since it is about something so fundamental to Trek: first contact. It does have its charm as JTIBERIUS suggests, but that’s something that becomes clear only at the end. It ends on a nice, (and maybe too) hopeful of a note, which is also the usual Trek. Quite the contrast with “Dagger of the Mind”! Kirk’s bluff is the only thing he’s left with — the Enterprise is powerless against Balok’s Fesarius. But given that Balok is actually interested in making contact, I think he allows himself to get bluffed. Would he really have destroyed the Enterprise at the end of the countdown? I think not. But it was a test for Kirk & co. and facing an unknown alien, they definitely have to believe their lives are about to be ended. But Balok wants to set up first contact on his terms — the Enterprise is in no position to dictate, until they cause some grief to the pilot vessel tractoring them. Bailey’s role is that of the wildcard here. But he’s used in the familiar transition — going from the outhouse to the penthouse, so to speak. He is being tested as well — he fails, but is given another chance and is ultimately “rewarded”. This is another common theme in fiction, not isolated to Trek, but one that is also quite primordial. So I think “Corbomite” really establishes a few fundamental Trek themes and it should have aired among the first 3 episodes.

Rahul you're absolutely right about the production order--i didn't go back to check specifically but it's obvious from golduhura alone. watching it 10th definitely does not do it any favors--i routinely try to watch naked time a few eps later in personal viewing already, maybe i'll think about just switching the two from now on. i bet id like both better that way. plus, as you and Peter G both kind of say 'first contact' is part of the business of trek, so the earlier the better honestly. also, per you're comment from dagger thread re: bailey. basically the whole time watching this i was thinking how you'd never see that good a young character actor guest starring on a 90s trek.

Good review Jammer. Some scenes are excessively long, but then again, the episode is almost 50 minutes long so it needs some of them to drag out considering that the main narrative does not advance until the very end. My first time seeing this in a couple of decades at least, probably third time total. My thoughts never change upon seeing it. Great point by JohnC above with regard to Spock's comment to Bailey about keeping his voice down :)) Yeoman bringing coffee 2 minutes from destruction is so off the wall. And what on earth was that crew member wearing in the foreground in those corridor scenes where they were being swung from wall to wall? LOL.

Blalok never intended to destroy the Enterprise during the “countdown. “. Kirk’s bluff was unnecessary as Blalok would have taken the ship in tow anyway and allow the Enterprise to break free and see what it would do if Blalok suddenly became “disabled. “ Blalok was in complete control of the situation. The episode is more of an early introduction character study of the crew.

I agree with Jammer on the fact that this episode drags a bit, but I still enjoyed it! I also wrote a short review here, if you want to have a look: https://vengonofuoridallefottutepareti.wordpress.com/2019/03/14/star-trek-tos-s01e10-the-corbomite-maneuver/

Watching and commenting: --The Enterprise is mapping new areas when they run into a colorful spinning space bouy. --The cube keeps moving to block the Enterprise's progress. They destroy it. --Very, very little going on. Rand makes an appearance so she can be referred to as a possible object of sexual desire. So the required sexy-sexy part is over, I think, with Rand serving as the usual fallback female when no there are no sultry-siren guest stars. --Now, they've run into a sphere. Lt Bailey getting freaked out. The sphere plans to destroy the Enterprise in ten minutes, generously giving them time to prepare themselves to meet their maker. --Jim has a weird, forced, nonsensical exchange about bluffing with the Doc, plainly giving us a clue about how this will be resolved. --The ever brash Kirk fakes out the enemy with a big ol' classic Kirky bluff. --The small ship dragging around the Enterprise reminds me of when I tried to tow a little trailer with my Honda. I sure hope the ship won't have to go uphill, 'cause that's not gonna work --Eons go by as we watch the small ship out front. Eons and more eons. Finally the Space-Honda has to give up, and the Enterprise goes to help the now disabled Civic. --OMG, little Clint Howard is driving the ship. Oh, my, my.  He does a good job. --Moral of the story: Size doesn't matter. Ok, Roddenberry, whatever you say. Slow moving, not great.

Sarjenka's Brother

Lt. Bailey would later return to Earth's past to infamously interrogate secret prostitute Karen Wolek during Victoria Riley's murder trial.

The only thing I liked in this episode was Bailey freaking out and yelling “he’s doing a countdown!” Otherwise snoozy. It really is too slow, and Balock is supposed to be cute and charming but instead is creepy and uncanny. I’m surprised how warm the reviews are!

Brilliant episode that really plays out the Trek ethos. There’s a nice scene right in the beginning where McCoy ignores the red alert signal emphasizing that danger shouldn’t always be met with panic and fear. I really like the idea that both sides wanted to get to know each other, but the two peoples were so different that First Contact came down to a series of bluffs and upping the ante. One doesn’t need to think too hard to allegorize this story to many conflicts and wars in human history. Lt. Baley had a great arc going from being a green officer we might associate with the military of our time, while Kirk and company sharply contrasted that by being the military (or non-military) of the future. This reminds me much of TNG’s “Darmok” with Riker being the naively aggressive officer and Picard navigating real cross-cultural alien understanding. I think I’ll go 4 stars.

BAAAAAAH buh-buh BAAAAAAH BAAAAAAH buh-buh BUUUUUH

4 stars for Clint Howard alone. :D This is somewhat fascinating. The episode is basically us watching strange objects for 45 minutes. Strangely enough I was never bored. But there is the very boring side plot about Bailey. That guy was 26 during filming but looks 40 and the Make up department really has buy some powder. Oh and I hope Uhura threw those earrings into a bottomless pit. There are several funny little scenes in the episode. Kirk remembering several quotes which Bones flat out denies to ever have said, the yeoman shooting coffee with a phaser, Kirk eating healthy. Good stuff wrapped around pure nothingness.

Glad you're liking some of these, Booming. I haven't watched many of them in awhile and I probably missed a couple way back when, but most of them are entertaining and fairly ahead of their time. I can't wait until you watch Assignment: Earth which is hands down the most quintessential Star Trek episode ever made, especially considering how common talking cats are in modern Trek. :-)

I’m guessing Bailey ended up on desk duty somewhere after his bridge flip. We never heard from him again lol.

I think TOS was sloppy with its stardates. Not sure how much weight one can put in them as far as a chronological order of the Enterprise's mission under Kirk -- especially in the early part of Season 1. In Kirk's first log entry for this episode, he says stardate 1512.2. The second time he mentions a stardate, it's 1513.8. What's odd is the stardate for "The Man Trap" is 1513.1. We know the order of the episodes to air was not the order in which they were produced but what else is odd is you have 2 episodes with stardates in the 1300s ("Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "Mudd's Women") and then nothing in the 1400s. Then you have some episodes in the 1500s. Haven't looked up how stardates correspond to the regular calendar, but it would seem Kirk's Enterprise went a long period of time without anything worthy of an episode. And it would do so again when stardates jump in to the 2700s for 3 episodes starting with "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

Maybe I was in a bad mood or something when I watched this one, but I don't understand all the glowing reviews about this episode. This is the first episode that I can honestly say that I didn't enjoy. Don't get me wrong, there were some positive aspects to it, it wasn't all bad. I that Kirk's poker gamble was extremely gutsy and well-played. But, this episode just dragged on too long. Trying to extend a limited plot for 50 mins just didn't work. There should have been a subplot alongside it to keep the pace going. And that ending was cringe-worthy lol. Sorry, but it was.

This episode is a total hoot - easily 3 stars! I agree with @JTIBERIUS, the banter is top notch. Love the give and take between Jim and Bones in the Captain's quarters: MCCOY: What are you going to do with that six percent when they give it to you, Jim? KIRK: I'm going to take it, and I'm going to [???shove it up your ass???] LoL. There are so many fun lines, but the other that really got me literally laughing out loud was pointed out by @Mertov above, MCCOY: I thought the power was off in the galley. RAND: I used a hand phaser, and zap. Hot coffee. :-) Although I guess the internal sensors were also off at the time: https://youtu.be/l_a2GN0Ix4o?t=24 And then of course Lt. Bailey, the 1960's version of silly-Tilly/pts-Detmer. Fun times. @Chrome, brilliant point about Bones allowing the red alert to go on while he finished his medical examination of Kirk. Really sets the calm, professional tone of this crew. And it puts Lt. Bailey's breakdown into even more of a context. This is really a push-you-to-the-edge type of situation. The big difference with Where Silence Has Lease, @Skeptical, is that in that TNG episode, it was no bluff. But the foreboding atmosphere was so similar, and of course the crew was equally professional. These days, Michael, like Han, would have shot first. What's the deal with Kirk identifying himself as captain of the United *Earth* Ship Enterprise? KIRK: This is the United Earth ship Enterprise. And Clint Howard is from the Federation? BALOK: This is Balok, Commander of the flagship Fesarius of the First Federation. I wonder if Gene had originally thought Earth would stumble upon a galactic federation and join up as part of the ongoing Star Trek plot? Sort of like Andromeda - where Earth had joined a Commonwealth long after it was founded by the Vedrans. Anyone know the backstory there?

Sean J Hagins

I remember watching this as a kid. The alien on the screen was so scary to me! I think the shimmer waves are what made it so especially. I like how Kirk bluffs and how we see the crew act in a tough situation I also like how Balok is really a harmless person. **I thought he was a midget-I didn't realise it was a kid! That was VERY good acting for a 7 year old! But then again, he's Ron Howard's little brother! And Bryce Dallas' uncle!** Has anyone read the Shatnerverse books? In that, the mirror universe Kirk tortured and killed the mirror universe Balok. (Off-screen, but still ghastly stuff!)

"**I thought he was a midget-I didn't realise it was a kid! That was VERY good acting for a 7 year old! But then again, he's Ron Howard's little brother! And Bryce Dallas' uncle!** I always assumed it was a little person too. Neat!

I think the rest of Trek missed an opportunity this episode offered: Spock playing poker.

OmicronThetaDeltaPhi

We had Data playing poker, though, which is almost as good.

@OmicronThetaDeltaPhi Agreed!

I also disagree with the main review. - I think this is the best of the early episodes. There are some superb dialogue moments between Kirk and Spock, and Kirk and McCoy, which underpin a tense and ultimately believable story. Yes, perhaps “Baby Balok “ was a bit silly, but on the other hand that was an unexpected surprise at the end of the episode. Kirk and poker? That established a theme that would recur several times in Classic Trek.

I agree with many here that it’s a great idea and pretty decent episode, but could be helped greatly if some of the repetitive “object spinning on the viewscreen with loud music” was cut by about half. Still, I really really like how the early S1 episodes make a point to show all the little details of how the Enterprise is it’s own little world. There are more crewmembers walking the halls, more meetings with “department heads”, even just McCoy sharing some brandy while getting Kirk to eat a salad. The seemed to have the bridge full with extras all the time here (like that over-the-shoulder shot where Kirk first gets onto the bridge; very rarely seen). The S2 and S3 episodes seem to drop all of these daily life details, but it makes the show so much richer.

MidshipmanNorris

Someone, don't remember who, said BAAAAAAH buh-buh BAAAAAAH BAAAAAAH buh-buh BUUUUUH And I lol'd... This was the first episode that was made after the show finally got sold, but it wasn't aired until much later, probably because the visual effects took a LOOOONG time to get right in the editing room. Seems like they filmed it, and got the effects shots back and said "Ah, shit, this isn't usable at all" and had to go re-do it. Or they could have just decided to air another episode for all I know, heck. But the cool thing about this episode is that it has everything basically established for how Star Trek would go on to be (with the exception of Chekhov). It isn't often a series starts out, just having things established that way, and I'm betting this was why the studio suits were willing to give Star Trek the chances it got; this was a strikingly original idea.

Proud Capitalist Pig

Rather than their usual M.O. of holding a dark mirror up to humanity's foibles, they now go with a submarine mystery about confronting an elusive and bizarre enemy. I guess it's tight in places, but for a while it doesn't really go anywhere. They're chugging along when suddenly they're stymied by the Rubik's Cube from Hell. I'm with Bailey: Just shoot the damn thing and go on your merry way. I wanted Bailey on my crew when Kirk says, "Time for action, gentlemen," and the first thing Bailey does is send a message to arm the phasers. Next comes the Disco Ball from Hell. It's larger and more powerful, but it looks far less menacing than the demented cube for some reason. Cubes look more evil than spheres, I guess. There's more hand-wringing, and Bailey starts to get cabin fever after a goofy, ominous Voice from Hell threatens their destruction. Kirk is right, by the way -- "Warning Buoy," my ass. The Enterprise attempted to disengage and the Cube from Hell chased them. Then it spewed lethal radiation. So damn right he's going to point that out to the Voice from Hell, if anything to unleash some righteous indignation before he starts playing his cards. And that brings us to: The Giant Pulsating Alien Head from Hell. The notions of brinksmanship and poker and bluffing is introduced, which I think is the only interesting idea they went with in the entire episode--Spock analogizes this situation to Chess, and says they've been Checkmated, but Kirk decides, "No, Fuck That," what will save them is raising and bluffing----poker. As a player of both chess and poker, I understood both points perfectly and got the obvious allusions to real-world crises: sometimes it's chess, but more often it's poker. There are a few good lines throughout. Most of them have already been mentioned above (Janice's phaser explanation for the hot coffee was a hoot, and the banter between McCoy and Kirk was delightful); I especially liked Bones' crack about ship-wide alerts: "If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd end up talking to myself." But although I appreciate that they tried to do a quiet, simple Enterprise vs. Alien tale, and Bailey's little arc of freaking out at their predicament was slightly interesting, everything seemed muted and off this time. I think the general pacing killed it. Nothing is wrong with a slow pace, but this was a *boringly* slow pace. There was hardly any tension here, and that's pretty necessary in a submarine movie. We know the Enterprise isn't going to be destroyed, but the events leading to the ultimate resolution just weren't terribly fascinating. I thought they had me with the poker angle, but the bluffing itself was uninspired and obvious. It turns out to be nothing more than childish games, literally. This brings me to one last thing I have to say about the final scene when they board the ship and discover the alien's true nature: After all that time of getting blocked, threatened, screwed with, and jerked around... Had I been the captain, I'd have shot that little brat. Best Line: Spock, on the purpose of the Cube -- "Flypaper." Kirk -- "And you don't recommend sticking around." My Grade: C

EventualZen

Looking back at my notes, I scored this episode 1/10. I'm surprised at the praise it has got. I would say it's worse than Spock's Brain which had a campy 60's so bad it's good thing going for it. PS: I always thought the alien was played by a midget.

It's weird to say it, but to me this feels like an episode of the first season of TNG. One of those where there's lots of intrigue but ultimately no real villain. Plenty to nitpick, but I liked it. I'd give it 3 stars.

Great episode. My only nitpick is that the editing is so slow. There were numerous times where it cut to a shot of the front viewer with the cube floating in front of the ship and it just stayed there for maybe 15-20 seconds. And they did that over and over. They could've cut maybe 2 or 3 minutes from the episode to tighten it up. I don't mind the face reaction shots but the repetitive shots of the cube where it lingered there for way too long really hurt the momentum of the story.

Michael Miller

I agree with the criticism of the slow pace. But again, with the ridiculous simplistic designs for everything they encounter. An alien probe shaped like a perfect, multicolored spinning cube, 3 year old toy designs again. I like how they wait until they are seconds from dying at lethal radiation levels before doing anything! Fire the Phasers already LOL, and go warp 7,8,9 already, stop taking your sweet ass time at warps 1,2,3 when the thing is within 150 feet of the ship! What happened after was a weird transition. An aline that sophisticated is gonna use a Halloween looking dummy to try and scare viewers who are also operating a STARSHIP for Christ Sake. Like space faring civlizations are really gonna be afraid of a cartoon looking animated carnival mannequin and thinks that's more intimidating than the mere fact that he has a mile wide ship. The whole struggling to break away from the tractor beam is interesting, but could you really tow something at Warp speed? Without a warp field of its own how could it exceed light speed just from being pulled? Wouldn't it's mass increase to the point that you'd have to have an infinite amount of towing power? Likewise would activating impulse power have an "added effect" on warp power? They are two different systems, one working by means of warping space, the other simple propulsion. Could they really be combined like that? And weird how the engine can hit 8,600 degrees without blowing up, yet they always worry about the "danger" of getting too close to a star (which may be less than that on the surface, let alone millions of miles away). Very Weak Science, I know they are focusing on storyline, but I mean it's a futuristic SCIENCE FICTION show, enough with the kids- toy-design-looking controls, excessive romance, and obvious scientific contradictions at the basic level.

A very interesting game, this poker.

I know how to use this, Captain!

"Sh*t! He's doing a countdown!" That's certainly what it sounds like Bailey is saying. Character development abounds in what is a polarizing episode for fans. Those who lived through the Cold War might spot parallels, with Balok, in effect, playing Nikita Khrushchev. Trek's message: no need to raise your voice, be calm, heat some coffee, then sit down to relish some vodka, I mean tranya. As the first episode produced after the series was greenlit, Corbomite has the exciting but challenging task of establishing standards for the rest of TOS. In a way, Bailey represents the TOS production crew, or the viewers, or maybe both. Bailey is just getting started on this five year mission, unsure exactly what to do or how to act. He's overworked, and pushed too hard. He makes mistakes, gets banished, but even so he begs to return to sit and watch what will happen.

This is a great episode. " Is that your best recommendation?" "Then may heaven have helped your mother." "Not chess, Spock. Poker." "Anytime you can bluff me, Dr." "What's the mission of this ship, Dr.? To seek out the unknown, and the chance to show what our high-sounding words are all about." It sets the tone for the entire series run, and abounds with classic lines.

This is my favorite episode so far in season 1, it hits so many strong notes and really further defines that classic TOS style, I’d call it a home run. I will grant that most of the previous season 1 episodes have a bit more philosophical meat on their bones, and I’m not sure Bailey is the best choice to be the human liaison to the first federation given that he cracked pretty hard under pressure, like, 20 minutes before slamming some Tran-YAAA with baby Clint Howard, but virtually all the critiques I can think of here are trivial to the point of embarrassment. Corbimite is just a straight up fun adventure story, with outstanding character work and atmosphere. I think the slowish pace of the episode is actually a benefit, it’s essentially a poker game being played between star ships, most poker games are defined by tension rather than action sequences, so a calm pace seems appropriate. Super good.

@Idh2023: I re-watched this episode a few days ago, and I agree that it’s really good. The slow pacing has never bothered me, and I like your observation that it’s like watching a poker game: not that much action, but a lot of tension. Others have also complained that the episode spends too much time showing reaction shots of different crewmembers, but I don’t think that’s just padding: to me, sometimes, the scenes on the bridge seem like watching a chamber play, and the crew’s reactions to danger and pressure are meant to define their characters. We see that Sulu and Uhura are cool, focused professionals while Bailey lacks self-control; we learn that Scotty’s and Spock’s scientific curiosity isn’t even limited by imminent doom; McCoy is shown as a sympathetic humanitarian; and, of course, the Corbomite bluff speaks volumes about Kirk. What I’ll always love about this solution is that it’s not based on violence nor science or even logic, but rather on intuition, creativity and imagination. Very unusual, but that’s exactly what makes it great and memorable.

@lannion I agree about the reaction shots too, they never bugged me, I found them more theatrical and, of course, campy in that particular TOS vibe. This episode is, as you pointed out, a total character piece. I think that makes it more a stage setter as far as TOS episodes go, so maybe it can’t be an all time classic, but I still rank it in the upper top half of episodes.

I agree with the majority of the comments. A very excellent episode. In fact this is my favorite of the first ten. I didn’t find the pacing problematic at all. Great drama, great mystery. The dialogue here is by far the very best of the first 10. I really don’t have much to add after the review and the comments, so here’s a small selection of banter and drama! McCoy talking to himself: MCCOY: What am I, a doctor or a moon-shuttle conductor? If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd end up talking to myself. - Spock’s recommendation to lieutenant Bailey: BAILEY: Raising my voice back there doesn't mean I was scared or couldn't do my job. It means I happen to have a human thing called an adrenaline gland. SPOCK: It does sound most inconvenient, however. Have you considered having it removed? - Sulu to Bailey, after Spock’s recommendation: SULU: You try to cross brains with Spock, he'll cut you to pieces every time. - The crew is discussing what to do about the probe blocking the Enterprise’s path: BAILEY: Sir, we going to just let it hold us here? We've got phaser weapons. I vote we blast it. KIRK: I'll keep that in mind, Mister Bailey, when this becomes a democracy. - Spock and Kirk discussing the nature of the strange cube: SPOCK: I believe it adds up to either one of two possibilities. First, a space buoy of some kind. KIRK: Second? SPOCK: Flypaper. KIRK: And you don't recommend sticking around. SPOCK: Negative. It would make us appear too weak. - Rand brings Kirk’s lunch. A salad, under doctor’s orders: KIRK: What the devil is this? Green leaves? - Sulu announces how much time they have left before total destruction: SULU: Four minutes, thirty seconds. SCOTT: You have an annoying fascination for timepieces, Mister Sulu. - Kirk and Spock discuss the situation in the last few seconds before total destruction: KIRK: What's the matter with them out there? They must know we mean them no harm. SPOCK: They're certainly aware by now that we're totally incapable of it. KIRK: There must be something to do, something I've overlooked. SPOCK: In chess, when one is outmatched, the game is over. Checkmate. KIRK: Is that your best recommendation? SPOCK: I regret that I can find no other logical alternative. - The corbomite maneuver: KIRK: This is the Captain of the Enterprise. Our respect for other lifeforms requires that we give you this warning. One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying the attacker! It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two of our centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has little meaning to us. If it has none to you then attack us now. We grow annoyed at your foolishness. - Spock talking about the alien who is about to annihilate the Enterprise and all its crew: SPOCK: I regret not having learned more about this Balok. In some manner he was reminiscent of my father. SCOTT: Then may heaven have helped your mother. SPOCK: Quite the contrary. She considered herself a very fortunate Earth woman. - Kirk talks about his intentions to board Balok’s ship: MCCOY: Jim, don't you think KIRK: What's the mission of this vessel, Doctor? To seek out and contact alien life, and an opportunity to demonstrate what our high-sounding words mean. Any questions? - Kirk and McCoy about to board Balok’s ship, Scotty is filling them in and handing them the necessary gear: SCOTT: Breathable. In fact, a slightly higher oxygen content than our own. Communicator, phaser weapon. KIRK: Thank you, Scotty. Ready, Doctor? MCCOY: No, but you won't let that stop you.

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Root Cause Analysis Lessons from Star Trek: The Corbomite Maneuver

Last month, I wrote a blog post on the tone at the top, exemplified in Star Trek’s Original Series episode, Devil in the Dark . Based on the response, some passionate Star Trek fans are out there. I decided to write a series of blog posts exploring Star Trek: The Original Series episodes as guides to the Hallmarks of an Effective Compliance program set out in the FCPA Resources Guide, 2nd edition. Today, I conclude my two-week series, looking at the Hallmarks of an Effective Compliance Program laid out by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the FCPA Resources Guide, 2nd edition.

Today, we look at lessons learned about performing and using root cause analysis. When it comes to compliance, organizations often find themselves in situations where they need to identify the root cause of a problem and implement corrective actions. In the world of Star Trek, we see many parallels that reflect these real-world challenges. One episode that stands out as a case study for root cause analysis (RCA) is The Corbomite Maneuver. This episode highlights the importance of RCA in high-pressure situations and illustrates how creative problem-solving can avert disaster.

In this episode, Balok, a mysterious and potent alien ship, comes into contact with the USS Enterprise. After ignoring warnings to leave the area, Balok holds the Enterprise captive and declares that he will destroy the ship. With this dire situation, Captain Kirk concocts a bluff, claiming that the Enterprise has a fictitious device called “Corbomite,” which would destroy any attacker who dares to fire upon it. The bluff works, and the crew discovers Balok is testing their reactions to evaluate their character. “The Corbomite Maneuver” narrative can be seen as a metaphor for conducting a root cause analysis in compliance. Here’s how the process unfolds:

Lesson 1. Problem Identification

The episode’s main issue is clear: an unknown alien force threatens to destroy the Enterprise. Problem identification is the RCA’s first and most critical step for compliance professionals. It involves recognizing and clearly defining the issue at hand. In a business context, this might be a regulatory violation, a product defect, or a failure in operational procedures. Here, the crew initially interprets Balok’s actions as hostile, similar to how one might react to symptoms without understanding underlying causes.

Lesson 2. Data Collection and Analysis

Kirk and his crew collect as much information as possible about the situation. They analyze Balok’s actions, study the alien ship, and assess their capabilities. Data collection in RCA involves gathering all relevant information related to the problem. This can include process logs, employee testimonies, incident reports, and more. Captain Kirk employs a methodical approach, gathering information about Balok and the alien ship, reflecting the critical root cause analysis stage.

Lesson 3. Cause Identification

Kirk realizes that Balok’s apparent hostility and the lack of communication and understanding between the two parties are the root causes of the threat. He deduces that Balok might be testing the crew rather than genuinely intending to destroy them. In RCA, identifying the root cause involves digging deeper than the immediate symptoms of the problem to uncover the underlying issues.

The Enterprise crew gathers as much information as possible about Balok and the alien ship before taking action. They analyze the alien’s behavior, the ship’s capabilities, and the possible motivations behind the encounter. This data collection and analysis helps them form a clearer picture of the true nature of the threat. Effective root cause identification requires gathering all relevant data and thoroughly analyzing it. This includes understanding the context, collecting facts from different sources, and piecing together a comprehensive view of the situation.

Lesson 4. Solution Development

In the episode, Kirk’s solution is to bluff, creating the illusion of the Corbomite device. This solution is based on his understanding of the situation and the likely behavior of the opponent. Similarly, once the root cause is identified in RCA, the next step is to develop and implement a solution that addresses the cause directly. Kirk’s bluff is a calculated risk, and he monitors the situation closely to see how Balok will react. In RCA, implementing a solution is not the final step; it must be followed by monitoring to ensure that the problem is truly resolved and that no new issues arise.

Lesson 5. Continuous Improvement

At the end of “The Corbomite Maneuver,” the Enterprise crew learns that Balok is testing them, and they use this experience to understand better how to handle similar situations in the future. RCA should always conclude with a review of the process to identify what was learned and how similar issues can be prevented in the future. After the episode, the crew reflects on their encounter with Balok and the lessons learned from the experience. This reflection is essential in compliance as well.

Continuous improvement relies on regular review and reflection on past actions. Post-incident reviews, audits, and assessments should be conducted to identify what went well and what didn’t and how the organization can improve its compliance posture in the future. Learning from successes and failures is key to building a robust and effective compliance program.

The Corbomite Maneuver also highlights the importance of creativity and leadership in the RCA process. Kirk’s decision to bluff with the Corbomite device is not a conventional solution. Still, it reflects his deep understanding of human (and alien) psychology and his ability to remain calm under pressure. In compliance, leaders must often think outside the box to effectively identify and address root causes. This might involve bringing in cross-functional teams, using new analytical tools, or rethinking established procedures.

Moreover, leadership is crucial in ensuring the RCA process is thorough and the solutions are implemented effectively. Just as Kirk takes personal responsibility for the safety of his crew, compliance leaders must ensure that RCA findings lead to fundamental, actionable changes within their organizations.

This episode provides a powerful narrative that can be applied to root cause analysis in compliance. Organizations can navigate the complex challenges they face by following the steps of problem identification, data collection, cause identification, solution development, implementation, and continuous improvement. The episode also reminds us of the importance of creativity, leadership, and calmness in the face of adversity—essential for any compliance professional aiming to protect their organization from risks and ensure long-term success.

In the end, the lesson from Star Trek is clear. Whether navigating the vast reaches of space or the complex world of corporate compliance, understanding the root cause of a problem is the key to finding lasting solutions and boldly going where no one has gone before.

[ View source .]

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• Star Trek Series | 2151 - 2270
• Star Trek - The Original & Animated Series

A real Corbomite Maneuver Alien

• Thread starter Y2J
• Start date Mar 13, 2016
• Mar 13, 2016

You know that Star Trek episode "The Corbomite Maneuver"? It's the one where Balok uses a pale blue alien as a puppet. What would be the name of that particular alien (not Balok, the pale blue alien)? Is there any episode where there's some real "Corbomite" aliens? I don't know what they're called exactly. What are the real ones actually like? In the Star Trek series. I'd imagine they are a lot different than how Balok as presented them. That would be interesting. The Original Star Trek series continues this day. If there aren't any "Corbomite" aliens yet, it would be cool if Star Trek added some in the upcoming series.  

Vice Admiral

I don't think there's ever been an episode in any of the series that showed a "real" "Corbomite alien". It's possible Balok just made up a design, rather than basing it on any existing alien. Of course, since Balok represented the First Federation, it's possible that the blue aliens were another member of that federation. But we never saw or heard about the First Federation again, either, so who knows?  

The Old Mixer

Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si xim..

• Mar 14, 2016

He was a Pu'pet from the Fakii system.  

He was a puppet of some kind of alien anyways. I wonder what would happen if that alien found out Balok made a puppet of him.  

Professional Geek

Alensatemybuick, lieutenant commander.

As a side note, Clint Howard doesn't look too different today than when he played Balok (at age seven). Only now he doesn't need the bald skullcap. Click to expand...

Maybe the puppet was based on an NBC exec experiencing heartburn, indigestion or the runs.  

Snagglepussed

When we were kids we called old puppet Balok "Old Ugly".  

urbandefault

Rear admiral.

When I was a kid in the 60s, Ted Cassidy's voice was enough to make the Balok Puppet Head suitably scary.  

Ronald Held

• Mar 15, 2016

Maurice said: When we were kids we called old puppet Balok "Old Ugly". Click to expand...

I always thought he looked like an Andorian sans antenna  

I wonder if the original intent was that pure-bred Vulcans looked sorta like this puppet guy. Spock claims that he reminds him of his father, which, having later seen Mark Lenard in the role, we assume meant in personality type rather than appearance, yet in "Mudd's Women," Harry Mudd inspects Spock and asks if he's part Vulcanian. This always suggested to me that, when written, the assumption was that Spock looked like a human with some Vulcan characteristics, which tipped off Mudd. Mudd's line becomes a little weird after we learn that all Vulcans look exactly like Spock... why shouldn't Mudd have simply asked if he was a Vulcan, rather than of mixed heritage? Ah well, that's clearly not the direction they went, but it's something I always wondered about. --Alex  

Albertese said: I wonder if the original intent was that pure-bred Vulcans looked sorta like this puppet guy. Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Balok's puppet was nothing more than an avatar. One could assume it was created after the encounter with the cube...or after the initial scan of the Enterprise...based on human psychology and what our species might find intimidating.  

• Mar 16, 2016

J.T.B. said: Well, if nothing else it would make Amanda a woman of very unique tastes indeed. Click to expand...

Fleet Captain

alensatemybuick said: Perhaps people here have already seen this clip of Balok from the Comedy Central William Shatner roast? Click to expand...

• Mar 24, 2016

• Mar 25, 2016

Balok creeps me out way more than his avatar. Of course it is up to speculation, however, I agree that Balok's puppet is an amalgamation of aliens encountered or his (its) conception of what a menacing alien might well look like.  

spockboy said: And here he is today... Spockboy Click to expand...

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Original "balok" puppet head from star trek: the original series.

3 comments:

Nice! Thanks for this! I just watched this episode this past Saturday!

props like these should be sent to the Smithsonien where the original USS Entprise is kept. Props like these are too fantasic in the hand of private collecters. If you people find these words, the Shuttle Craft life size prop, Captains chair, phasers, tricorders and other such pieces, including the Balok Head Bust should contact the Smithsonian. There each owner can lone these out to them for all fan to see. It would be great to see them together again and a resting place, like the USS Enterprise. Mike

The Shuttle was offered to the Smithsonian, and was turned down.

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• August 25, 2024 | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Talks Inspiration Of ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ And Captain Janeway; Kate Mulgrew Responds
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From Balok To [SPOILERS], The ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Easter Eggs And Connections In “The Inner Fight”

| October 29, 2023 | By: TrekMovie Editors 11 comments so far

We have already recapped and reviewed Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 9, “The Inner Fight,” and discussed it on the All Access Star Trek podcast . Like many episodes of Lower Decks , there are many fun nods and Easter eggs, but this episode also had some major connections to franchise lore (and not just the Star Trek franchise), so obviously this analysis has SPOILERS with the biggest ones lower down in the article.

Outpost weirdos and Kirk spacesuit

The episode kicked off with Boimler and Mariner dealing with some Federation Outpost Scientists like the ones they first tussled with in the season 3 episode “Reflections.” When Mariner risked her life to rescue the scientists from the venomous tremble lizards Boimler made it clear it was not for any affection, noting “She thinks you’re weirdos.”

When the tremble lizards got inside the fence at the outpost everyone (except Mariner) put on anti-venom suits, which resembled the 23rd century EV suits seen on  Star Trek: The Original Series .

Klingon weirdo and Kirk Fu

Later when Mariner fights with the Klingon Ma’ah she employs a few classic Klingon barbs, including calling him a petaQ , which may be the most commonly used Klingon curse word in Star Trek and according to the Klingon Dictionary means “weirdo.” Mariner also deploys one of the fighting moves made famous by James T. Kirk (aka “ Kirk Fu “) with a double-fist punch.

Mudd’s Puppet

Over on an entirely different planet, Mariner’s mom was dealing with an antagonistic alien information broker until she thought she recognized something about him, saying it was an “ancient trick” and accusing him of being a puppet. Only when she grabbed the alien it was confirmed she was wrong. But one can understand her confusion as the broker looked just like the Balok puppet from the TOS episode “The Corbomite Maneuver.”

The totally not a puppet alien was found in a bar named Mudds which Freeman describes as a “notorious dive for all sorts of unsavory rogues.” That is an apt description for one of the franchise’s first rogues, Harcourt Fenton Mudd a smuggler and con-man who first appeared on TOS and later on  The Animated Series and Discovery . It’s possible this bar was named by him, or possibly in his honor.

While the name was from classic Trek, the whole vibe of Mudds, and New Axton in general, was from an entirely different galaxy, far far away. Comments about how the planet was lawless and a “favorite of every troublemaker in the quadrant” all harken back to the first Star Wars movie and the visit to Mos Eisley , home of the most famous Cantina (technically Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina ) in all of sci-fi.

The officious people who ran New Axton and made the Cerritos park next one of the moons wore uniforms like Imperial officers from Star Wars , even speaking in the same snooty British accents.

There was even what appeared to be an homage to Return of the Jedi on the planet with Mariner and Ma’ah. The Federation monitoring station in the forest looked a lot like the Imperial shield bunker on the forest moon Endor .

Billups the Bounty Hunter

One of the quintessential elements of Star Wars is cool bounty hunters in helmets like Boba Fett and “The Inner Fight” had one of those too. On New Axton a helmeted bounty hunter appeared to be getting the better of Freeman, but in the end it turned out to be a ruse orchestrated by her as the bounty hunter was just Billups all along. He was disguised in the suit and his voice had the same distorted sound of the helmeted Breen from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Lower Decks meets “Lower Decks”

The deepest connections in this episode are not easter eggs, but key points where character and plot arcs tie into some important parts of franchise lore, specifically Star Trek: The Next Generation . Series creator Mike McMahan has often spoken about how an inspiration for the show  Lower Decks was the season seven TNG episode “ Lower Decks ” which focused on a group of ensigns on the USS Enterprise-D. One of those ensigns was the Bajoran Sito Jaxa, who was recruited for a covert mission and ended up getting killed. One of the big reveals of “The Inner Fight” is that Mariner was close friends with Sito at Starfleet Academy and her death is what set her on a path of rejecting authority, especially accepting any authority by constantly self-sabotaging any promotions. So Mariner’s own origin story is now directly linked to the origin story for the series itself.

It was Nick!

The dive into TNG goes even deeper to the season 5 TNG episode “ The First Duty ,” which introduced the character of Sito, at that time attending Starfleet Academy along with Wesley Crusher. Both were members of the Academy’s elite Nova Squadron and after a fatal accident, both were involved in a coverup trying to hide how a member was killed performing a banned maneuver. The leader of Nova Squadron was Cadet Nick Locarno who also pushed the group to lie to Starfleet and for that, he was expelled. Locarno was played by Robert Duncan McNeill who went on to play Tom Paris in seven seasons of  Star Trek: Voyager and Paris was loosely based on Locarno. And “The Inner Fight” brought McNeill and Locarno back in a big way, as it turns out Nick built the mystery ship that has been the focus of the big season plot arc. The episode ended with him beaming Mariner off the planet and it was made clear they knew each other from back at the Academy.

Locarno has been capturing ships with the help of lower deckers on each ship. The episode ended on a cliffhanger with Nick telling Mariner: “We’re gonna cause some trouble together.” Locarno appears to be building up his own fleet and they are using a five-pointed star symbol as their emblem, which can be seen on Nick’s jacket above, and painted on the hull of the Klingon Bird of Prey Che’Ta’ (which, along with Ma’ah, was first introduced in the season 2 episode “wej Duj”). This pattern Locarno is using comes from the banned Kolvoord Starburst maneuver, which is what got him kicked out of the Academy.

Dancing Boimler

Freeman was seeking out Nick Locarno on New Axton as Starfleet was concerned about ex-Starfleet officers being targeted by the same group behind the alien ship attacks. Locarno was one of four they mentioned along with Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager , Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation , and William Riker’s transporter clone Thomas Riker . Boimler was particularly excited they would be assigned to find Beverly Crusher, however, that job was assigned to the USS Vancouver , a ship introduced in the season one episode “Cupid’s Errant Arrow.” Later as Boimler slept we could hear him dreaming, saying ” Teach me how to tap-dance, Beverly Crusher.” Like actress Gates McFadden, Beverly Crusher was an expert in dance and she taught Data to dance (including tap) in the TNG season 4 episode “Data’s Day.”

What did you see?

Spot any new Trek references we missed on Lower Decks ? Have a favorite? Sound off in the comments below.

Keep up with all the news and reviews from the new  Star Trek Universe on TV at TrekMovie.com .

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When the crew left Mudds, a character made a comment that referenced a drink called Jippers. This was a reference to the Short Trek with Harry Mudd (Rain Wilson), where Harry several times said he wished he was “Sipping Jippers on a beach”.

Wow! Yes, it ended with each clone of Harry saying it at once: “Sipping jippers on a beach!”

I could never understand why Tom Paris could not have been Lecano? Nick was a great pilot and by the time Janeway went looking for a pilot in prison, it could have been Lecano! Same actor, same credentials.

If I recall correctly there were rights and cost issues at play.

Right, the writers of “The First Duty” (who happened to be Ronald Moore and Naren Shankar) would have gotten a cut of every airing of every Voyager episode. Or so goes the story. The picture Admiral Paris has of his son on his desk is actually of Nick Locarno, as it happens, which is also a bit of a timeline goof. (Paris was in the Academy before those uniforms were introduced.)

There was a problem with royalties owed if they went with Locarno.

Locarno comes off as predatory. I think they made the right choice, royalties or not.

Tom is self loathing, shows bad judgment, and is a little too horny for his own good, but is basically trying to be good

Tom is much less of a dick than Nick. Tom made an honest mistake, covered it up, felt guilty, and admitted to wrongdoing. Nick was being reckless, pressured others to cover up his mistake, and only came clean because Wesley ratted him out.

Billups bounty hunter resembled with ghost aliens from The Scooby Doo episode “Spooky Space Kook”

https://scoobydoo.fandom.com/wiki/Spooky_Space_Kook_(episode)

And when he took his helmet off, he looked like Jeremy Bulloch did as Boba Fett in behind-the-scenes shots from ROTJ.

And of course the Breen helmet clearly rips off Leia’s Bousch helmet from RotJ

The 10 Best Captain Picard Episodes in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' Ranked

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Star Trek: The Next Generation isn’t just one of the best installments in the Star Trek franchise, but one of the greatest drama shows of all time . While the original Star Trek series was sadly canceled after the end of its third season, Star Trek: The Next Generation was given the chance to keep pushing the story forward for over seven years.

Although there are many beloved characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Patrick Stewart’s performance as Captain Jean-Luc Picard turned him into the greatest hero in the history of the Star Trek saga . Stewart crafted a complex, vulnerable hero who was defined by his dedication, principles, and willingness to hear both sides of any given dispute; he’s simply a character that everyone should aspire to be like. Here are the ten best Captain Picard episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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10 “The Measure of a Man”

Season 2, episode 9 (1989).

There are few relationships in the Star Trek franchise that are more profound than the dynamic between Picard and Data ( Brett Spiner ), the android who serves as one of the most important officers on the U.S.S. Enterprise. “The Measure of a Man” featured Picard serving as Data’s defender in a legal case in which he must defend his right to exist. The discussion about the merits of artificial intelligence is just as relevant today as they were when the episode first aired in 1989.

“Measure of a Man” showed that Picard was willing to stand up for the rights of those that were mistreated , as Star Trek has always been an incredibly progressive franchise when compared to other science fiction properties. This episode solidified the fact that Picard was willing to risk his own livelihood if the safety of one of his crew members was ever placed in danger.

9 “The Best of Both Worlds”

Season 3, episode 26 & season 4, episode 1 (1990).

“The Best of Both Worlds” is one of the most important episodes of any Star Trek series, as the first installment of the two-parter that ended the third season had a massive cliffhanger that had viewers screaming at their televisions. The episode featured Picard being captured by the Borg, with his replacement Captain William T. Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) put in a position that could end his life.

“The Best of Both Worlds” was the first instance in which Picard felt completely vulnerable , as it was feasible that he could get killed off and replaced by Riker for the rest of the show. Although Picard ended up surviving the incident, his feud with the Borg as a result of his torture left him with a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder that he continued to deal with for the rest of the series.

8 “Family”

Season 4, episode 2 (1990).

“Family” was a critical episode that helped to humanize Picard and showed what his family life looked like for the first time. Although Picard rarely discussed his personal motivations and background with members of his crew during the first three seasons of the show, “Family” saw him returning to visit his family farm after his traumatic encounter with the Borg in “The Best of Both Worlds.”

“Family” was an important shift in tone for Star Trek: The Next Generation that helped follow up the action of “The Best of Both Worlds,” and did a great job at showing how Picard was dealing with his personal mental health in the series after such a frightening incident. Stewart is arguably at his most profound and emotional in “Family,” as the episode strips away all the duties of command from Picard and examines what it is like for him to live a normal life outside of Starfleet.

7 “The Drumhead”

Season 4, episode 21 (1991).

Star Trek has always been a very political franchise that touches on hot-button issues, and “The Drumhead” explores a scary situation about the denial of truth that has proven to be just as relevant today in an era of political divisiveness and fake news. After a member of his crew is accused of being a traitor, Picard is forced to prevent a representative of Starfleet from badgering everyone under his command and impeding their civil liberties.

“The Drumhead” plays out like a legal thriller, and feels just as exciting as the courtroom dramas that dominated the 1990s . While it is relatively light on action compared to some of the more intense episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “The Drumhead” proved that the series was capable of developing nuanced ideas about what the future would look like under Gene Roddenberry ’s vision.

6 “Darmok”

Season 5, episode 2 (1991).

“Darmok” is perhaps the most intimate episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , as it sees Picard being trapped in a primitive world where he can only communicate with the native species using rudimentary language. The episode shows just how effective of a hero Picard can be, even if he seems to enjoy being in the company of a crew that supports him.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is well known for making interesting genre deviations, and “Darmok” feels like the closest that the series ever got to a Western adventure story . Although some viewers may have felt the same exact confusion and frustration that Picard did when the premise was first established, “Darmok” ends with one of the most powerful emotional revelations about the ability that Picard has to inspire others in all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

5 “Conundrum”

Season 5, episode 14 (1992).

“Conundrum” is one of the most imaginative episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation , as it takes place after a mysterious alien virus forces the entire crew to forget their memories, leaving them helpless in the middle of space. This was an episode that essentially showed how the Enterprise crew could be built again from the ground up, as Picard is the first one to assess the parameters of the mystery and start developing a solution to keep everyone safe.

“Conundrum” was one of the best episodes that showed Stewart’s generosity as an actor , as even though it is Picard’s moment to shine as a leader, every single member of the cast is given a standout moment. The success of “Conundrum” in combining the emotional with the practical is a major reason why the fifth season is often cited as the best that Star Trek: The Next Generation ever aired.

4 “Cause and Effect”

Season 5, episode 18 (1992).

Time travel is notoriously a concept that is very difficult to capture on screen in a compelling way, as it is very easy to get so confusing that viewers struggle to understand what the stakes are supposed to be. However, “Cause and Effect” presented a brilliant time travel storyline in which Picard and the crew of the Enterprise are trapped in a recurring loop that could doom them for eternity.

“Cause and Effect” was a great example of Star Trek: The Next Generation showing Picard’s abilities as a strategist . While many of the captains established in other shows and films in the Star Trek franchise earned their rank through military conquest, it's Picard’s intelligence and ability to make rational decisions while under pressure that make him such an all-time great character. “Cause and Effect” succeeds because Stewart understands this fundamental truth about the character.

3 “The Inner Light”

Season 5, episode 25 (1992).

“The Inner Light” is perhaps the most emotional episode of the entire Star Trek franchise, and would have earned Stewart a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series had the Television Academy not been so notoriously biased against science fiction and other genre shows. The episode takes place entirely in Picard’s mind, as he begins to live out different fantasies about what an alternate life could look like when he is unconscious.

“The Inner Light” revealed truths about Picard as a character , showing how his unflinching willingness to perform his duty against mitigating circumstances put a severe detriment on his ability to start a family. There isn’t another episode more tear-jerking as “The Inner Light,” as Stewart reveals how Picard is dealing with the burdens of his sacrifices, and how it has been taken for granted by those who serve under him.

2 “Tapestry”

Season 6, episode 15 (1993).

“Tapestry” was an integral episode that revealed that Picard himself was flawed , as his encounter with Q ( John de Lancie ) allows him to travel back to moments from his past and reflect on the mistakes that he made as a young man. Essentially serving as a coming-of-age story about Picard’s youth, “Tapestry” showed that even someone that noble had elements of their past that they had buried deep within their minds.

The dynamic between Q and Picard is one of the show’s most interesting, as the two have completely different outlooks on humanity and its potential. While Q uses the mistakes that humanity has made as evidence that they are beyond reason, Picard argues that humans are capable of being empathetic, compassionate, and willing to redeem themselves. It’s Picard’s faith in others and general optimism about the future that makes him such an inspiring character.

1 “All Good Things…”

Season 7, episode 25 (1994).

There aren’t many shows that end on a perfect note, as many acclaimed programs like Game of Thrones , House of Cards , Killing Eve , and Battlestar Galactica had such underwhelming series finales that fans questioned why they were ever loyal to the shows in the first place. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation ended on a perfect note with “All Good Things…,” an episode that featured a profound moment where Picard was able to thank every member of the crew for their dedication to the Enterprise .

“All Good Things…” showed that Star Trek: The Next Generation was more interested in developing great characters than overwhelming the viewers with action, as it takes a far more philosophical approach to a series finale than some may have expected. A final shot of Picard playing cards with various crew members was the perfect way to wrap up the show.

NEXT: Every 'Star Trek' TV Show (So Far), Ranked

• ENT performers
• DIS performers

Clint Howard

He filmed his scenes as Balok for "The Corbomite Maneuver" on Wednesday 1 June 1966 at Desilu Stage 9 . He also filmed a makeup test the previous day. [1]

Along with Majel Barrett , Joseph Ruskin , Jack Donner and Vince Deadrick , he is one of only five actors to appear in both The Original Series and Enterprise . He, Barrett, and Ruskin also appeared in Deep Space Nine . He is the only performer to date who appeared in both The Original Series and Discovery or Strange New Worlds (excluding performers who appeared in archive footage).

Appearing as an adult Balok

On Comedy Central's 2006 roast of William Shatner , Howard reprised his role as Balok in an older, grown-up form addicted to tranya .

Howard holds the record for longest period between first and most recent appearances on Star Trek , of 20713 days, or just under 57 years, reclaiming the record from Walter Koenig who played the voice only role of Anton Chekov in Star Trek: Picard .

Howard is the younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard , and the son of actor Rance Howard . Clint's career began at the age of one, with a role in The Andy Griffith Show , a television show that starred his brother. He has worked steadily since.

His roles as a child actor include appearances on series like The Fugitive (with Andrew Prine , James B. Sikking , Joseph Campanella , and Barbara Baldavin ), Bonanza (with Bob Miles ), Judd for the Defense (with Dick Cherney ), Love, American Style , The Odd Couple , Gunsmoke (with Anthony Caruso , Bobby Clark , and Gary Combs ), The Mod Squad (starring Tige Andrews and Clarence Williams III , with Barry Atwater ), and The Streets of San Francisco (directed by Corey Allen ).

One of his most memorable TV guest appearances was in the titular role of the 1971 Night Gallery episode "The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes".

In 1974, Howard co-starred in the short-lived western series The Cowboys which was cancelled after only 12 episodes, and featured DeForest Kelley , Ian Wolfe , and Jack Perkins in guest roles.

In 1978, he appeared in Harper Valley PTA directed by an uncredited Ralph Senensky and starring Ronny Cox and John Fiedler . He made two guest appearances on the show Happy Days starring his brother and Anson Williams , in 1976 and 1980.

From the 1980s onwards, Howard mostly appeared in supporting roles in feature films, often directed by his brother. He has been directed by his brother in seventeen films, including Splash (1984, with Charles Macaulay ), Cocoon (1986, with Herta Ware ), Backdraft (1991), Far and Away (1992, with Barbara Babcock , Colm Meaney , and Anthony De Longis ), Apollo 13 (1995, with Googy Gress , Max Grodénchik , Ned Vaughn , and Steve Rankin ), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000, with Bill Irwin , Landry Allbright , and Frank Welker ), Cinderella Man (2005, with Bruce McGill , Ron Canada , Daniel Kash , and Marcelo Tubert , written by Akiva Goldsman ), Frost/Nixon (2008, starring Frank Langella , with Antony Acker , Andy Milder , Geoffrey Blake , Ned Vaughn, and Googy Gress), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), the latter making him one of the performers who both appeared in Star Trek and Star Wars .

In 1986, Howard appeared in his brother's Gung Ho alongside Patti Yasutake and in the same year co-starred in television series adaptation Gung Ho , which starred Scott Bakula and Patti Yasutake, and featured Wendy Schaal and Earl Boen in guest roles.

His other film credits include Tango & Cash (1989, with Marc Alaimo , Roy Brocksmith , Teri Hatcher , Glenn Morshower , Michael J. Pollard , and Phil Rubenstein ), The Rocketeer (1991, with Paul Sorvino , Terry O'Quinn , Ed Lauter , Max Grodénchik, William Boyett , and Merritt Yohnka ), Carnosaur (1993, starring Raphael Sbarge , with Frank Novak and Martha Hackett ), Santa with Muscles (1996, with Robin Curtis , Ed Begley, Jr. , Brenda Strong , and Brian J. Williams ), Barb Wire (1996, with Shelly Desai , Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Jr. , Henry Kingi, Sr. , Patti Tippo , and Tracee Lee Cocco ), The Waterboy (1998), My Dog Skip (2000), Little Nicky (2000, with Michael McKean , Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Jr., Jeff Imada , and Jess Harnell ), The Cat in the Hat (2003, with Amy Hill and Frank Welker), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Halloween (2007, starring Malcolm McDowell , Brad Dourif , with Richard Lynch , Tom Towles , and Sid Haig ), and BloodRayne: The Third Reich (2011).

He made a small but notable appearance as radar technician Peters in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997, with Charles Napier , Brian George , Douglas Aarniokoski , and Patricia Tallman ), which he reprised in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999, with Jane Carr , Michael G. Hagerty , Jack Kehler , and Tony Jay , and Rebecca Romijn ) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002, with Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Jr. and Greg Grunberg ).

His further television credits include a co-starring role in Space Rangers in 1996, alongside Marjorie Monaghan and Cary-Hiroyuki , and guest appearances on Seinfeld (starring Jason Alexander , with Vaughn Armstrong ), Married... with Children , The Outer Limits (1996, written by Richard Matheson from his own short story, co-starring Matt Frewer , and narrated by Kevin Conway ), Total Recall 2070 , The Pretender (with Harve Presnell and James Whitmore, Jr. ), Crossing Jordan (starring Jerry O'Connell and Miguel Ferrer , with Cliff DeYoung and Scott MacDonald ), Arrested Development , My Name Is Earl , Heroes (starring Greg Grunberg and Zachary Quinto , with Douglas Tait ), and Hawaii Five-O (starring Daniel Dae Kim , with Corbin Bernsen , developed by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman ).

In 2009, Howard appeared on an episode of Fringe , starring John Noble , created by J.J. Abrams , Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman, and co-written by Akiva Goldsman, playing paranoid conspiracy theorist Emmanuel Grayson, who believed he was the son of Sarek and feared an invasion by Romulans from the future (foreshadowing the plot of Abrams' Star Trek ). Grayson's apartment was #1701 and he shared his surname with Spock's mother .

Star Trek appearances [ ]

External links [ ]

• Clint Howard at the Internet Movie Database
• Clint Howard at Wikipedia
• 1 Bell Riots
• 2 Unnamed Romulan military personnel (23rd century)

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Alien: Romulus Made Me Love Star Trek Even More

• Alien: Romulus was a reminder of why I love Star Trek.
• Star Trek's optimistic future is a stark contrast to the bleak world presented in Alien: Romulus.
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduces revamped Gorn as its version of Alien's Xenomorphs.

Alien: Romulus made me love Star Trek even more. I thought Fede Alvarez's Alien sequel was a tremendous return to form for the franchise. To me, Alien: Romulus is a remarkable achievement considering it's the 9th Alien movie. While Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Alien: Covenant have their supporters, both left me cold despite some intriguing ideas both films presented. For my money, Alien: Romulus is the best Alien movie since James Cameron's Aliens in 1986, and is in the top three along with the original 1979 Alien . Even better for me, Alien: Romulus ' bleak horror was a reminder of why Star Trek is so great.

Set in 2142, 20 years after the events of Alien , Alien: Romulus sees a group of twentysomethings, including Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny), desperate to escape the Jackson's Star mining colony they're indentured to. Rain and her friends raid the derelict Romulus and Remus space station looking for cryobeds to take them to a planet far away from the Weyland-Yutani corporation they work for. Of course, the station is infected by Xenomorphs. Rain, her synthetic "brother" Andy (David Jonsson), and their friends fight to survive against scores of aliens, while uncovering a horrifying secret about Weyland-Yutani's plans for the Xenomorphs' DNA.

Like Alien , Star Trek has its own artifical people and synthetic androids, most prominent of whom is Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard .

Alien: Romulus Cast & Character Guide

The cast of Alien: Romulus features some of Hollywood's biggest rising stars and could be a big break for other young members of the cast.

Alien: Romulus Is A Perfect Reminder Of Why Star Treks Optimistic Future Is So Great

Alien's future has few positives.

Beyond the Alien franchise's trademark chest-bursting gore and heartstopping horror , Alien: Romulus presents a relentlessly bleak future. In Alien: Romulus' 22nd century, humans attempting to colonize distant worlds are all essentially enslaved to the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Jackson's Star is a dying mining colony where everyone forced to work the mines is essentially condemned to die from disease, like Rain's parents. Life under Weyland-Yutani is hopeless even without Xenomorphs feasting on humans , and it's understandable why Rain wants to escape a future that is essentially rigged against her ever getting the chance to live long and prosper.

Which future would I want to live in; Star Trek's or Alien's? The answer is a no-brainer.

Star Trek postulates a hopeful and aspirational future that's the opposite of Alien: Romulus '. Yes, there are still problems, enemies, and wars to fight in the final frontier, but Star Trek envisions humanity leading a union of hundreds of worlds and coexisting peacefully with myriad aliens. Alien: Romulus grimly calls humans "too weak" to colonize outer space , but Star Trek believes humans to be capable of achievable greatness. Starfleet bonds humans and aliens alike in a shared duty to explore strange new worlds and seek out new civilizations. Watching Alien: Romulus , I aked myself which future would I want to live in; Star Trek 's or Alien 's? The answer is a no-brainer.

Star Treks Optimistic Future Is Unique In Science Fiction

Star trek is the futrue we want to live in.

Gene Roddenberry's vision for Star Trek has always stood out compared to other sci-fi properties' concepts of what the future will be like. The Matrix saw humans as power sources for machine overlords. Children of Men postulated a dying human race where no new children are born. A Quiet Place sees Earth conquered by alien monsters. The world is a frozen wasteland in Snowpiercer, whereas apes rule what's left of humanity in Planet of the Apes . Look beyond Star Trek and you see sci-fi futures where there is little to look forward to .

Alien 's movie saga spans from 2004 in Alien Vs. Predator to 2381 when Alien: Resurrection takes place, whereas Star Trek happens from the 22nd century of Star Trek: Enterprise to the 32nd century of Star Trek: Discovery.

Cynics scoff at Star Trek 's proposed Utopia, citing that other science fiction reflects the real problems of the world. Gene Roddenberry's belief that Mankind can solve hunger, overpopulation, the climate crisis, and our reliance on money and material possessions can be seen as unachievable due to human nature. But Star Trek argues that humans should try to be their best selves, and the only way to prevent the terrible outcomes of The Matrix, Snowpiercer , or Alien: Romulus is by working together toward a common good . As much as I enjoyed Alien: Romulus, it only reaffirmed why Star Trek matters as a counterpoint to such a fearsome and dreadful future.

The Alien franchise has laudably been inspired by the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

In the Alien movies' defense, Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror franchise does depict humans of various ethnicities working together. Ellen Ripley (Signourney Weaver), Rain, and Alien 's various female protagonists have been surrounded by men and women of all nationalities , and some are even religious. Star Trek premiered in 1966, 13 years before Alien hit movie theaters in 1979 (the same year as Star Trek: The Motion Picture ), and the Alien franchise has laudably been inspired by the diverse cast of Star Trek . Alien: Romulus continues this diversity with Caucasian, Asian, Latina, and Black main characters.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Has Its Own Version Of Alien's Xenomorphs

The gorn in strange new worlds is inspired by alien.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds certainly took inspiration from Alien when it revamped the Gorn. Originally introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1's "Arena," where a humanoid Gorn fought Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), the Gorn was an obvious man in a rubber suit moving in slow motion that had been mocked for decades. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 introduced a new vision for the Gorn as the deadly main enemies of Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise, and the new-look Gorn are clearly Star Trek' s stand-ins for Alien 's Xenomorphs.

Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) survived a Gorn kidnapping.

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , the Gorn are still a highly intelligent race with their own starships and culture . Yet the Gorn infect human hosts like Alien 's Xenomorphs, and the Gorn's young incubate in those hosts before bursting out horribly. The Gorn are cannibalistic and relentless killers who also abduct their prey. As a child, Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) survived a Gorn kidnapping after her family was consumed by the alien reptiles. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's finale saw several members of the USS Enterprise crew, including La'an, taken prisoner by the Gorn.

Star Trek 's enemy alien species, the Romulans, hail from the planet Romulus.

Unlike the Xenomorphs in Alien: Romulus and the Alien franchise, the Gorn can presumably be negotiated with in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . After all, the Gorn spoke to Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series . Alien: Romulus ' Xenomorphs are so-called "perfect organisims" but the Aliens are nothing more than remorseless, inhuman killing machines , which makes them ideal horror movie monsters. But the Gorn in Star Trek are capable of more than dealing death, which is another example of how Star Trek has loftier ideals and ambitions than the Alien movies.

Alien: Romulus

Director Fede Alvarez

Release Date August 16, 2024

Studio(s) Scott Free Productions, 20th Century

Distributor(s) 20th Century

Writers Rodo Sayagues, Fede Alvarez, Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon

Cast Soma Simon, Rosie Ede, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced

Runtime 119 Minutes

Franchise(s) Alien

Main Genre Horror

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Cast Bruce Horak, Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush, Melissa Navia, Ethan Peck, Babs Olusanmokun, Rebecca Romijn, Paul Wesley, Christina Chong, Anson Mount

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Bill Wolkoff, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers

Directors Amanda Row, Valerie Weiss, Jonathan Frakes, Chris Fisher

Showrunner Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers

Where To Watch Paramount+