Series: Star Trek (The Original Series)
Episode: 3.22 The Savage Curtain (03-07-1969)
Rating: 3/5
Redshirt Status: 0/9/58
Notable Guest Stars:
Lee Bergere – President Lincoln. He was known for his role as Joseph Anders.
Barry Atwater – Surak He is known for his role in the 1972 film The Night Stalker.
Phillip Pine – Col. Phillip Green He appeared in various television shows of the area. He is also not related to Trek Actors Robert or Chris Pine (who are, in fact, related)
Review:
This episode feels like a fanfic prompt where you have to take your favorite characters and introduce them to a series of historical figures. And TOS has gone multicultural today with some Vulcan and Klingon heroes as well as human.
Our first contestant on “What is going on here?” is President Abraham Lincoln who is unknowing of what the technology is around him but remarkably chill about it. I’m not sure I buy that Abraham Lincoln would apologize for a term he would use as at that time it wasn’t considered offensive except to African Americans. It is a very marked statement for the time in which it was made. The 1960s was the height of the civil rights movement, and while I appreciate the thought that one day, we will not see words as wounds, I dare say we are far far from that time. I’m not going to comment much on this because I don’t think I have the knowledge (or personal experience) to do so. However, if you do have something to comment on on this situation feel free to do so.
Contestant number 2: Surak. Surak is the founder of the Vulcan philosophy and their current method of Logic over emotion.
Other contestants include Genghis Khan, Colonel Green, Zora, and Kahless. This is team “Notoriously Evil” although Kahless obviously got revised in TNG as Klingons became less our enemy.
The Rock people decide to pit good versus evil and see who can win. Unfortunately all it does is have people fight each other, and get Kirk pissed off. The Rock people are vastly confused. As am I because for some reason I thought this episode was way earlier in the series.
Interesting Notes:
- Directed by Herschel Daughtery
- Written by Gene Rodddenberry Arthur Heinemann
- The actor who performs as Yarnek is also the actor who performed the role of the Horta.
Pros:
- Kirk backstory – Kirk apparently holds Abraham Lincoln as one of his historical heroes/role models. Maybe Grant as well.
- Vulcan backstory
Cons:
- Historically/continuity off.
- This episode seems to fail at its “Good Vs. Evil” plot line and comes across a little flat. Perhaps it was its long way to actually being an episode, or the fact that instead of commentary it seems more like lets have people fight.
Sokorra Lewis 