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#29: Star Trek: The Original Series, season 2, episode 16 "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
Written by Margaret Armen, directed by Gene Nelson.
Stardates 3211.7 through 3259.2 (October & November 2267)
"Goodbye, Jim Kirk. I will learn... and watch the lights in the sky... and remember." - Shahna
While attempting to beam down to Gamma II, Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura, and Ensign Chekov spontaneously disappear. No transports, no energy surge or lights, they're just gone. They all come to on an unknown planet in the center of an arena and are suddenly attacked by an assortment of warriors. Just as it seems they will all be killed, the warrior stop and a humanoid called Galt (Joseph Ruskin) informs them that they are now slaves of the Providers and must learn to fight to the death for their masters' entertainment. Spock, now in command of the Enterprise, races to chase the faintest of clues to find out where in the galaxy his shipmates have been taken before it's too late.
Originally released: 5 January 1968
"The Gamesters of Triskelion" on Memory Alpha
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What did you think?
There are a couple more season 1 episodes left, but now we’re into the season 2 proper so we get to see Chekov and Shatner’s patented overacting on the regular.
The stardates are interesting in the episode, suddenly roughly a month passes. Spock was looking for Kirk and the others for a very long time. You're a good Vulcan, Spock.
(Spock nonchalantly suggesting Scotty and Bones mutiny against him was very funny.)
Scotty & McCoy: “SSSSSHH!!!”
This passage of time makes the developments on Triskelion a little more real. Kirk was playing a long game with Shahna but also wound up developing a connection with her.
It’s so hokey on the surface, but there is a real good setup here. Kirk caused a permanent positive change for a very small group of people made up of many different cultures (they even caught an Andorian somehow, who else was there?) and the “bad guys” didn’t die, they relented. This is one of those story lines that deserves revisiting after decades to see what transpired after the Enterprise left.