A malfunction in the transporter splits Captain Kirk into two halves -- one the embodiment of all "negative" emotions, and the other his opposite. As the former wreaks havoc aboard the ship, a landing party on the planet below is in a deadly position: lethal cold is coming as night falls, but they cannot be rescued until the transporter malfunction is resolved.
This episode gives us one of the more enduring internet memes from classic Star Trek (seen above), but there's really a lot more to this episode than Shatner giving us 11 out of 10 intensity as "Negative Kirk." But let's start there, because it's not like Shatner is going out on a limb in giving us this big performance. He's matching the physical appearance we get when the makeup department slathers on the eye liner, the lighting department sets up the most arch upward spotlights, and the music composer gives us brash and loud melodies that are perhaps second only to the classic Trek fight music as memorable score. It's all pretty fun, and I find that big as it is, it does work.
Still, the production is working on a shoestring budget, at a breakneck pace. So for every moment that still holds up (an effects shot of Kirk sitting near his dark half in a Sickbay bed), there are many moments that don't work so well -- awkward jump cuts to reposition William Shatner as his own duplicate, a terrible body double that looks nothing like Shatner, a flopped camera angle placing Negative Kirk's scratches on the wrong side of his face, and a poor dog wrapped up in a shag carpet to portray some sort of "alien creature."
This is one of the earliest examples of Star Trek reaching out to a noted science fiction writer to contribute a story. Richard Matheson -- perhaps best known for I Am Legend -- is credited for this story, which offers a surprisingly nuanced take on "what makes a man." The episode is as apt to use words like "negative" as "evil" in describing Kirk's dark half, and takes great pains to say that both parts must unite in whole to form a functional human being. Spock in particular is given a great monologue acknowledging his keen awareness about how two halves of a person combine to make a greater whole.
Because the episode is saying that this IS Kirk -- not a twisted version, but the actual dark essence within him as balanced by the light -- it's kind of wild that this episode comes so early in the series. Our Hero, James T. Kirk, who the audience is still learning to like, is shown (in part) in this episode to be a drunken, belligerent, attempted rapist. That the character could ever recover from this is, sure, due partly to the uncomfortably casual 60s-era depiction of the attempted rape and its aftermath... but also due to the charisma Shatner would imbue the character with in many episodes to come.
This is also an early example of one of those noted science fiction writers, having contributed to Star Trek, being unhappy with the finished product once it was rewritten for television by Gene Roddenberry. Richard Matheson reportedly hated the added jeopardy of the landing party down on the planet. And while I won't quite go so far as to say "he's right," I do agree that they ask George Takei to give a few too many versions of "gosh, I'm cold" throughout the episode. And also, once they'd add shuttlecraft to the show a few episodes after this, their lack of use here is retroactively cruel.
There are a few other elements that deflate the tension. We get another Captain's Log that gives the game away to the audience before they have a chance to learn the nature of this transporter accident. Scotty arbitrarily tells us it will take a week to fix the transporter, and then hours later (with no explanation of any breakthrough) announces it's repaired. And in this episode's "aged most horribly" moment, Spock needles Rand about the "interesting qualities" of the Evil Kirk who tried to rape her.
On the other hand, it's yet another strong episode for Rand (even if it's not great that she has to be). It's a shame that she'd be dropped from the show, because to this point, she's kind of coming off as the most interesting character after Kirk and Spock. (Yes, I'd put her in front of McCoy right now.) And speaking of Spock, he has a number of good moments giving Kirk advice on how to maintain his command presence. We also get some early Spock/McCoy banter, as each one has a moment where they can't believe they're agreeing with what the other has offered as advice.
Other observations:
- Here's the first appearance of the distinct "Saurian brandy" bottle -- actually a Dickel bottle. (I mentioned seeing one in the bourbon "library" at Bardstone.)
- In filming order, this episode gives us the first Vulcan neck pinch. It's also McCoy's first "he's dead, Jim," improbably said about the alien dog creature.
- Sure, guys can wear makeup. In the 1960s, though, it seems odd that Captain Kirk just keeps a jar of concealer in his quarters.
"The Enemy Within" is a noteworthy episode in season one of Star Trek. I give it a B.
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