Star Trek Week: "The Corbomite Manuever"

Stardate 1512.2

On the third day of a star mapping mission in previously uncharted space, The U.S.S. Enterprise is blocked by a cube: a border marker, apparently, left behind by some unknown alien race.  

Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is forced to destroy the cube when it emits dangerous levels of radiation and threatens the lives of his crew and the safety of the ship.

Before long, however, the powerful force behind that cube arrives to confront the Enterprise. Commanded by the fearsome Balok (Ted Cassidy) is a colossal vessel -- the Fesarius – hailing from a society called The First Federation. 

Balok threatens to destroy the Enterprise for trespassing in restricted space. No escape is possible. No plea is acceptable, he says.

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Balok’s uncompromising behavior rattles the nerves of a young navigator, Bailey (Anthony Call), and stymies Kirk’s attempts at diplomacy. There seems to be no way to escape destruction, at least until Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) off-handedly mentions chess.

Inspired, Kirk realizes he is playing the wrong game with this opponent. He adopts a different game -- poker -- and then, with the straightest of poker faces, attempts to bluff Balok.

This ploy succeeds, and opens up a channel of communication between the Enterprise an Balok.

At one point on this blog, I was asked by a reader to pick just one episode that I felt could represent the totality of the Star Trek (1966-1969) experience.

I selected “The Corbomite Maneuver.”  

Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest episodes of the series -- one of the ten best -- and an installment that delivers drama, suspense, and most importantly, a distinctive and uplifting philosophical world view.

First of all, “The Corbomite Maneuver” presents the idea that the greatest enemy in space is not alien races, but fear itself.  In other words, human psychology.  The problem is how we respond to that which we don't fully comprehend or know.

“The greatest danger facing us is ourselves,” Kirk announces to the crew in this episode. He then discusses “an irrational fear of the unknown,” and notes that there is actually no such thing as the unknown, rather merely “things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.”

This is a remarkable monologue, and a perfect distillation of Star Trek philosophy. 

The men and women of the 23^rd century and aboard the Enterprise are equipped to handle new frontiers, new civilizations. And what is unknown or seems different, in due time, becomes understood, explainable. They are explorers who -- if they can conquer their own demons -- are ready to meet the universe.

This is a great affirmation of mankind, and our potential. Star Trek shows us who we can aspire to be, if we put anger and fear behind us.

Kirk’s assertion of this philosophy is developed in the episode on an individual basis too; by Bailey, the young navigator who finds it difficult to control his fear, his emotions when Balok threatens the Enterprise. 

Bailey is young, and inexperienced, and unlike the senior crew has not yet learned how to manage his fear. He is well-trained, responsible, and capable...but personally, he grapples with the unknown.

At the end of the episode, Kirk notes that he “owes” Bailey a look at “the face of the unknown” and it’s a remarkable moment. Kirk has taken him under his wing, and shows Bailey that as captain he does not just mouth a philosophy of exploration, peace and understanding…he practices it. He lives it.

In my opinion, this quality is what makes Kirk (and certainly Kirk of the first season) an extraordinary captain and role model.

The very idea of fear is reinforced in the episode through the character of Balok as well.  

He has constructed a menacing puppet (replete with menacing voice…) as his “alter ego.” This is the face he shows the world...the universe.

Balok is so fearful of alien contact that might go wrong, that the very face he puts on is one of sheer terror.  At the end of the episode, Balok declares it "was a pleasure” testing the Enterprise and her captain (a common Roddenberry theme, actually), but it is clear that the First Federation (Balok's governing entity) operates from a position of fear, hiding behind technology and masks to suss out the characteristics of other races. Given their diminutive personal stature, this is perhaps an understandable philosophy too.  They present as terrifying, lest they be seen as weak.

The first episode of Star Trek filmed following the second pilot, “The Corbomite Maneuver” also establishes a long-lived Kirk/Spock character dynamic. Specifically, Spock makes an observation or analysis about a current situation or dilemma, and that remark inspires Kirk to concoct a brilliant, but spontaneous strategy for success. 

Here, Spock is reminded of chess, noting that Kirk and Balok keep making effective counter-moves.  That notation gives Kirk the inspiration of a different game, poker…and bluffing.  

As late as The Wrath of Khan (1982), and Spock’s observation of Khan’s “pattern” indicating “two dimensional thinking,” we see this character dynamic re-asserted.  Spock observe and assesses; Kirk synthesizes that work into purposeful, life-saving action. One man is all about knowledge and information. The other man is all about improvising survival from that analysis.

There are so many grounds upon which one can commend “The Corbomite Maneuver.” It is excellent entertainment, first off, with a surprising ending.

More trenchantly -- and like other early episodes of the series (namely “The Man Trap,” “Charlie X” and “The Naked Time,”)  -- this episode creates the impression of real people functioning on a real vessel. 

I termed this the “the lower decks” paradigm in my reviews of those episodes. Here, for instance, we see Yeoman Rand bringing Kirk dinner (while he gripes about a diet), and meet a young surrogate for the audience: Bailey.  

Bailey, like the audience, doesn’t quite know the ropes. This episode is his journey. In a way, he is really the central character of this work of art. No, he’s not a captain, a CMO or exec.  He’s just a kid promoted to a job of great responsibility. But importantly, he is a individual who has no practical way of grappling with his fear. When Kirk mentors him, he is really mentoring us too.

I also find this episode exceptionally tense, and, indeed, a template, perhaps, for many of the most challenging an remarkable episodes of Star Trek.  

Much time is spent on the bridge, as strategy is discussed and executed, and there are no planets to visit. 

Think about how much Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) resembles this story type. The crew --from their workaday control room -- grapples with alien contact.  In the midst of an emergency, the crew must face their fear of the unknown, and puzzle out the rationale behind an intelligence beyond human experience.

And of course, the answer in both cases is not violence. It is not hostility. It is not to kill that which is different.  

Instead, an episode such as “The Corbomite Maneuver” suggests that we can control all those impulses and meet the unknown with the best angels of our nature.  Bailey sees the face of the unknown, and fear disappears.

Put aside your fear, says Star Trek, and that which is dark an mysterious, becomes illuminated and known.

The Cult-TV Face of: Star Trek Captains

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Star Trek Anniversary John's Top #20: : "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" (#16)

At number #16 on my top twenty list is one of Star Trek's finest hours, in terms of social commentary. 

"Let that Be Your Last Battlefield," far from being obvious or simplistic, is a masterful exploration of the utter irrationality of racism. It also, through the character of Spock, proposes a way through and past bigotry. His lesson of Vulcan, is a great description of a philosophy that brought a people into enlightenment.

This episode points to an optimistic future in which man leaves ignorance behind, to embrace a multi-cultural universe.

Stardate 5730.2

The Enterprise proceeds to a critical decontamination mission on the heavily-populated world of Ariannus, but en route the sensors detect a shuttlecraft in distress. The ship was recently reported stolen from Starbase 4, and there is one inhabitant aboard: Lokai (Lou Antonio).

Lokai is a strange individual, at least in terms of physical or biological characteristics. He is white colored on half of his body, and black colored on the other side. Dr. McCoy (De Forest Kelley) believes he may be a one-of-a-kind, a mutation.

This theory is proven wrong, however, when another being from Lokai’s planet, Cheron, arrives aboard an invisible spaceship in pursuit.

At first blush, Commissioner Bele (Frank Gorshin) seems to resemble Lokai, possessing white skin and black skin, in opposition.

But all of Bele’s people are black on the right side, whereas Lokai’s people are white on the right side.

This (apparently minor) color difference seems to be the source of huge distress and anger between the two individuals. Bele claims to have been hunting Lokai for 50,000 years, and wants to return him to Cheron to pay for his crimes of insurrection. Lokai, by contrast, wants disciples to follow him, arguing that Bele and his people are violent, tyrants, and that his people are enslaved.

When Captain Kirk (William Shatner) refuses to hand over Lokai, determining that he should stand trial for the theft of the shuttle, Bele takes control of the Enterprise, forcing the ship to alter course for Cheron. 

With no choice, Kirk demonstrates that his authority over the Enterprise is final by activating the self-destruct sequence. He aborts the one minute countdown only after Bele relents, and returns control of the ship.

After the decontamination mission at Ariannus, Bele again takes over directional controls. This time, he burns out the self-destruct mechanism, so Kirk cannot stop him.

On arrival, the Enterprise crew finds that Cheron is a dead world, one that has been engulfed in the flames of hatred and division for too long. Lokai and Bele’s people are all dead, having been unable to overcome their race hatred.

This knowledge, however, does not prevent them from continuing to fight and chase one another.

Originally titled “A Portrait in Black and White,” this episode of Star Trek (1966-1969) from Gene Coon (writing as Lee Cronin) is often described by critics and fans as being heavy-handed or preachy. 

I reply to those criticisms (perhaps as an “idealistic dreamer,” as Bele terms Kirk) in the following manner:

Preach on, Star Trek.

“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” is a brilliant episode, I would argue, for the way it addresses the utter stupidity and subjective nature of racism, or race hatred.

The message is heavy-handed or preachy? Really? If that’s the case, how come in fifty years man still suffers from this brand of stupidity? 

If the message of “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” is so blooming obvious, it seems that this is a lesson would have taken hold. And for so many people, it has not done so.

I term the episode brilliant specifically for the manner in which it explains racism, or rather reduces the concept of racism to its most basic (and therefore ridiculous) tenets. In a remarkable scene between Kirk, Spock, and Bele, the Starfleet officers attempt to talk reason to the commissioner from Cheron. They note that Bele and Lokai seem to be of the same race.

Bele responds, offended: “I am black on the right side. Lokai is white on the right side. All his people are white on the right side.” 

The inference in Bele’s response is that being white on the right side (rather than on the left side) is inherently, obviously, inferior to being white on the left side.

But no supporting evidence for this belief is offered. It’s just an assumed fact; something unquestioned by Bele’s people. It's a self-reinforcing, comforting myth, or bias, with no grounding in science.

Naturally, they are superior! They’re black on the right side!

And if you gaze at racism here on Earth, in the twentieth and twenty first centuries, racism makes no more sense than Bele’s statement does.

Why are black, brown, yellow, or red considered, often, inferior to white by some? Are these skin colors encoded with quality ratings, a hierarchy?

Or are they the product, instead, of self-righteous, comforting beliefs? 

The definition of racism is “a system of belief that all members of one race possess characteristics specific to that race in order to distinguish it from other races.” So if you are black on the right side, you are good, smart, and hard-working. If you are black on the left side, you are violent, uneducated, and lazy.

See how that works? Your skin color is your destiny; never mind your individuality. Never mind your experience. Never mind your achievements.

Spock responds to Bele’s statement by offering up the example of Vulcan. The Vulcan people would have destroyed themselves over such irrational, unfounded beliefs, had they not found the discipline of logic. He recommends that Cheron should adopt the same policy, lest its people be destroyed.

Kirk also attempts to talk reason to Bele, noting that a dialogue could be started between Lokai’s people and Bele’s people. 

Bele refuses to believe that Lokai’s people are capable of change (another trope familiar to racists), and Spock then speaks one of the core tenets of Star Trek; one paraphrased again just this weekend in the new Star Trek: Discovery (2017) trailer:

“Change is the essential process of all existence.”

Racism can’t exist with new input, with new facts, with new experiences. It thrives on ignorance, and stereotyping (the failure to note a person as an individual). 

If Bele lets himself believe that Lokai can change, or grow, then he can no longer cling to the myths around his own superiority.  He would have to re-examine the world, and find, perhaps, that he is not better than all others. Instead of being God's chosen, or biology's chosen, he might learn he is  just one star in a constellation of worthy beings. Clearly, at least from Bele's example, racism stems from the desire to be viewed as superior, while all others are inferior.

That idea of racial superiority based on skin color, as this episode points out, is antithetical to Star Trek and its messages. 

We may all be different. 

We may possess different strengths, and different weaknesses. 

But we are all worthwhile, and we all possess individual gifts that are separate from skin color, gender, orientation, and so forth. 

That is the heart of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations), a concept introduced to the series earlier in the third season.

When I was a child, I did not fully understand the episode, I admit. I thought that one Cheron-ian was evil (Bele), and that one was good (Lokai). 

As I matured and re-watched the episode, I saw that the episode is not heavy-handed and obvious, because it recreates the complexity of the social unrest of the 1960’s in an even-handed way. 

Bele represents bigoted, unreasonable, privileged authority and racism, it’s true. But Lokai represents the counter-culture, and its willingness to overturn everything, in a day, without considering what could be lost by throwing the baby out with the bath water. 

Another way to put this: Bele wants to preserve the status quo, at all costs, because he strides atop it. There can be no change, especially from inferiors, that would lessen his seat of power, privilege, and prestige on Cheron. 

Oppositely -- like a cracked mirror reflection -- Lokai is against the status quo, at all costs, and sees nothing worth preserving there. He would overturn all laws, cause violence, and undertake sweeping change to the social order without recognizing the good things in the status quo.

They are diametrically opposed, and neither character is angel. They are both devils in their own way. Remember, "fundamentalism" isn't about what you believe, it's how you believe that thing. Bele and Lokai share their extreme brand of fundamentalism, even if they believe different things.

But the episode’s ultimate message is that it doesn’t matter who is right, or more right in this, or any conflict. 

Irrational hatred, for or against the status quo is destructive, divisive, and has no positive end. The episode’s final imagery, of cities in flame, is a potent warning to the riot-struck America of the 1960’s that unremitting hatred from any corner, is unproductive, and worse than that, self-destructive.

Looking around at the world today, I don’t see why this episode is considered preachy or heavy-handed.  On the contrary, I would say that Star Trek found a way to fully expose how stupid and destructive racism and hatred can be. 

Sure, it’s all about the color(s) of skin, but that, of course, is the tether that racism is often bound to. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” is not stupid or obvious. Contrarily, it is about how stupid and obvious racism is, as a belief system.  

As Kirk compassionately notes to the survivors of Cheron, “You must both end up dead if you don’t stop hating.”

As America grows more divided, more ill-informed, more enraged about “the other” in our midst (liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, gay, straight, atheist, Christian, white, black, male, female), this is a message worth repeating. 

Hate, finally, is not a governing strategy. Hate, in the final analysis, is not a way forward. It is a path, ultimately, to a burned-out cinder of a planet, where no partisans survive, and where no one can claim victory, moral or otherwise.

This doesn’t mean we should ignore hate when we see it, or fail to call it out. Only that, we must always remember Spock’s axiom that “change is the essential process of all existence.” Those whom we think can’t change….can change. 

We can’t give up hope that they will.  “Idealistic dreamers” must not give up on those dreams of a better future.

This message is the essence of Star Trek. Think about Kirk’s journey in The Undiscovered Country (1991), or the relationship of the Federation and the Klingon Empire over the whole franchise. Hate cannot be allowed to carry the day. Racism falls when we have to see our perceived enemies as people capable of compromise.

I love that “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” exists in the episode canon, and I hope that those who call it obvious or heavy-handed go back and actually experience its messages, again.

In terms of continuity, the episode is vital to the franchise because it sets up, precisely, the parameters of starship self-destruct sequences in the 23^rd century. The codes, the multi-officer input, and the countdown are all featured again in The Search for Spock (1984), and the connection is a wonderful touch of continuity with the series. Even the auto-destruct in The Next Generation (“11001001” and “Where Silence Has Lease”) is based on the process we see explored in this particular episode.

Also, as I have noted above, it looks like Spock’s line about “change” in this episode has been re-parsed (and spoken by a young Sarek) in Discovery (2017), an indication that it will continue to carry importance across the Trek-verse.

What is the end-game for an episode such as “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield?” 

Where do such idealistic dreams lead us? 

Sulu and Chekov share a conversation in this episode, wherein it is clear they have no first-hand experience with bigotry or racism. “There was persecution on Earth once. I remember reading about it in my history class,” they say.

That is the world worth building. 

This is the world we can build. And episodes such as “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” light the way, as Star Trek often does. We can either end up like Bele and Lokai, dining on the ashes of hatred, or like Sulu and Chekov, looking back and wondering how people could have ever been so damned hateful.

Star Trek Anniversary Top #20 - James McLean's List

[John’s Note: This is the list of my friend James McLean, my partner in crime on the John and James’ Excellent Journey Podcast, and a science fiction scholar to boot.]

20. “The Deadly Years:” It's memorable, fascinating, and the threat is palpable. Good TOS Trek is all about philosophy wrapped in tension, dipped in a bucket of the best pacing. Should be sugar coated with something to laugh about too. “The Deadly Years” does this. The resolution is vaguely silly science (and that's being kind), but sometimes the weak end justifies the enjoyable means, no?

19. “The Immunity Syndrome:” It's got scale, threat, a gradual mystery that unravels nicely. Spock's shuttle experience carries tension and some nice character moments.

18. “Return of the Archons:” I'm a little biased as this was one I had on VHS cassette first, but I still think it has a lot going for it. There's mystery, the backlot serves this tale well. It feels like there is a journey here “through the story. It doesn't really serve any particular cast member, which itself is unusual, and it’s full of TOS tropes, but somehow it is very re-watchable. There's nothing amazing about it, but nothing wrong at all.

17. “Spectre of the Gun:” It's bold, well-paced, and carries genuine threat despite its much scaled back theatrical style.

16. “Shore Leave:” It's an oddity. Engaging, yet fractured. The outside locations make this story feel fresh. It's more a collection of fun set-pieces, and a threat that resolves itself in a rather unusual, if simplistic way.

15. “Obsession:” There's some awkwardness here; the crew seem suddenly very distrustful of their heroic captain who has rarely put a foot wrong in their minds, but it does produce some potent character moments between the crew, a super act-break with Spock vs. Gas, and a great final act.

14. “All Our Yesterdays:” Far from perfect, certainly the Kirk storyline goes, well, nowhere interesting, but the McCoy/Spock dynamic makes this engaging watching. Spock gets to let loose on McCoy's constant teasing-cum-bullying. It's a fun idea, and having both Kirk and Spock/McCoy lost in time makes it all the more engaging - can both teams escape the past? Probably not.

13. “Whom Gods Destroy:” Let's forget the rather simplistic mental institution aspects, and the odd shape-shifting, it is quite a brutal and dark episode. Garth has power, and Kirk is constantly blocked by this crazy despot. It's got some kicks, this. 

12. “The Tholian Web:” A great McCoy/Spock piece. Shatner out of the way, they have a lot of fun with this. McCoy gets some good digs into Spock, Spock takes the blows as usual.

11. “Mirror Mirror:” Because it’s fun. It give the whole cast room to play/ham. It carries TOS usual blend of tension and pacing. 

10. “The Menagerie:” I used to hate this, but as I've got older, I can see the brilliance in adapting the pilot material into a new story without it being a simple flashback/call-back episode. Despite it being about Pike, it really is about Kirk and Spock. Very clever.

9. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield:” I just love the sheer brilliance in the idea. The whole idea of breaking down racial tensions into such an abstract race still pops my mind. The audience really see no difference in these two races, yet they do. Surely a message for mankind who must view our own racial tensions as if they're watching “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.”

8. “The Corbomite Maneuver:” This must be on everyone's list. You know why.

7. “The Squire of Gothos:” Some say it’s the character Q, I say: I really don't care. It's a great performance from all, and another solid blend of tension forged from the character interactions, and the popular original series theme of Man vs God. Only Kirk can face off gods with absolutely no cards in his deck. The ending makes for the perfect resolution, beautifully sent up in Futurama half a century later.

6. “Wolf in the Fold:” Again, it has that well-paced plot, and an enjoyable switch of location and genre conventions for the final act. Moreover, it has a very funny backbone running throughout, where the writers have found possibly television's weakest excuse for a case of woman hatred. It's a very flimsy attempt to try and frame Scotty as a potential woman-killer, yet somehow its terrible logic just makes the story even more charming in its silly naiveté. 

5. “Charlie X:” It's an example of what the original series did so well; good pulp sci-fi with no techno-babble. It's all about the idea. How do you face up to a child-god? If the original series had any faults, it was occasionally weak or unsatisfying resolutions. “Charlie X” is an exception to that rule.

4. “The Doomsday Machine:” The story is action packed, got a great pace, a fantastic soundtrack. It has some great tense moments. Spock's stand-off with Decker is engaging, and on top of all that, we have the hilarious camera facing close ups of Decker's journey into the Doomsday Machine. It's just so re-watchable.

3. “Amok Time:” I'll watch it over and over just for McCoy's glee at Spock's pleasure in Kirk's survival. That at the first act, an act I'd encourage all pop culture writers to watch - and any writer of the new films - so they can see Kirk is not impulsive and emotional. Quite frankly, he's a bit of a git. He gets Spock to reveal his deepest secret with no abandon. If it was McCoy, perhaps pushing Spock to explain his embarrassing sexual urges might have had some doctor-patient logic, but here it’s just Kirk shutting down Spock's every plea for privacy. It's sort of hilarious.

2. “The Galileo Seven:” It's a great vehicle for Spock, Scott, and McCoy, where we get to see a lot of interesting dynamics playing out. As always there's a pleasure of the subversive bully, McCoy, undermining his friend in usual style. I love McCoy. For such an enlightened future, he punches Spock below the belt at every opportunity, and this situation is just deliciously rich with logical choices to challenge. Likewise, Spock's struggles are, to coin a phrase, fascinating. Scott is equally fascinating, proving to be the only member of the crew who has some semblance of training in the chain of command. 

1. “This Side of Paradise:” This works on so many levels, and says so much about American culture of the ‘60s. Give them the framework of paradise, and it needs to be deconstructed because, essentially, paradise stagnates progression. Yet, is not progression the pathway to paradise? Well for everyone involved, that's true, bar Kirk, when seeing his whole crew happy, decides he must make them unhappy again because he can't fly his ship otherwise. Some great Spock scenes. An awesome moment where Kirk gets Spock angry, and even more awesome moment when Spock realizes he's lost everything. He deals with it in the only way he knows how: no, not logic, just pure acceptance than everyone on that crew has it in for him.

Star Trek Top #20: SGB's List

John's Note: Friend and long-time reader, SGB, contributes our first reader list of the week, and offers some fascinating choices!

Honorable mention:  A PIECE OF THE ACTION - Humor, even the closing scene on the bridge with Spock, Kirk and McCoy. 

#20  THE CORBOMITE MANEUVER - The ultimate bluff by Kirk, unlike what General Order 24  was in “A Taste Of Armageddon.”

#19   THE DEVIL IN THE DARK - Jaws or Alien[complete with the eggs]. A fascinating non-humanoid alien race. 

#18  THE IMMUNITY SYNDROME - This rivals “The Doomsday Machine” or V'Ger cloud from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

#17  LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD - Engaging anti-racism statement. 

#16  THE MAN TRAP - Vampire-like creature story with salt replacing blood which was the need in the “Obsession” episode. 

#15  THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT - Klingon D-7 used as Romulan D-7 and a great follow-up to the Romulan episode “Balance of Terror.”

#14 THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES - Space Station K-7.

#13  JOURNEY TO BABEL - Federation diplomats, Spock's parents and murder on board.

#12  MIRROR,MIRROR- Mirror universe. Spock is logical there too.

#11  DOOMSDAY MACHINE - This rivals the V'Ger cloud of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in which we see Commodore Decker's son.

#10  THE CHANGELING - This rivals the V'Ger/Voyager of Star Trek: The Motion Picture finding the creator.

#9  SPACE SEED - Khan v. Kirk , leads to Wrath Of Khan and rebooted Into Darkness.

#8  THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER - Multiple Constitution Class starships and a M-5 that rivals HAL9000 or Omega[Ark II].

#7  COURT MARTIAL - The ultimate court case and mystery.

#6  THE GALILEO SEVEN - Class F Shuttlecraft prop and a fascinating story of Spock's survival command. 

#5   A TASTE OF ARMAGEDDON - General Order 24, belonged in the "Mirror, Mirror" universe, but if kept would have made a different Federation in TOS...canceling the Prime Directive.

#4   WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE - Early command of the Enterprise by Kirk. Set years after “The Cage.”

#3   THE CAGE/MENAGERIE (pt. 1 & 2) - Captain Pike and his history with Spock on the Enterprise.

#2   DAY OF THE DOVE - Best Klingon episode as an adversary and their view of humans in their society.

#1   BALANCE OF TERROR - Best Romulan analysis as an adversary with Kirk, and as a society. WW2 submarine v. destroyer style battle that was aspired to in Wrath of Khan: 1701 v. Reliant.