Blogger’s Note: I was called back to work (my store is now considered ‘essential’ so I won’t be able to watch as many episodes in one day as I have been. That being said, I have watched all of TOS, and the reviews are up in my draft list ready for some editing. I’ll be attempting to post one a day at least, adding any new reviews to the draft pile. For those looking for my history essays or book reviews, I’ll be peppering those in as well.
Series: Star Trek (The Original Series)
Episode: 2.25 Bread and Circuses (03-15-68) Season 2 finale.
Rating: 3/5
Redshirt Status: 0/21/44
Notable Guest Stars:
William Smithers – Captain Merik – known for Dallas
Logan Ramsey – Proconsul Claudius Marcus. Character actor popular in the 1960s
Ian Wolf – Septimus. Another 1960s character actor.
Review:
This show tends to make thing so amazingly earth like. I guess it makes doing location shooting easier, but hey, couldn’t they be more subtle about it then pointing out just how like Earth it is.
So the premise of this “Almost Earth” is that the Roman Empire never ended. Once again, a Federation citizen has gotten involved with the wrong sort and now is First Citizen.
This episode, like many, has some sexism. I’m choosing to believe that Kirk ended things with the servant woman shortly after the edit to the next scene, because I choose to believe he wouldn’t sleep with a woman who was told ‘to please’ him. I don’t think I need to explain why that is creepy. I feel this scene was completely unnecessary and could have been cut out without any harm to the story.
I also find it objectionable that Merrick is considered not a man because he didn’t fight as hard as Kirk did. Or that having sex is apparently the making of a man. This show has had its sexism towards woman pretty much the whole series, but this episode showed it in some measure towards the men as well.
Overall, though I do find this episode better then others. I won’t say its my favorite, but I enjoyed most of it, bar what I mentioned above.
(is this one of the shortest reviews? I think it is)
Interesting Notes:
- Directed by Ralph Senensky
- Written by Gene Roddenberry, Gene L. Coon,and John Kneubuhl
Pros:
- The relationship between McCoy and Spock
- The mention that Starfleet has many religions.
Cons:
- Sexism
Sokorra Lewis 