This episode has a number of tie-ins to other Trek media:
- The plotline is "borrowed" from an issue of the Gold Key Star Trek comic book, written by Len Wein, who went onto to create Swamp Thing at DC and Wolverine at Marvel
- Klingon Commander Kor was introduced in TOS episode "Errand of Mercy", and later seen in three DS9 episodes
- A Gorn is also featured, as seen in TOS episode "Arena" and referenced on the Enterprise series.
- A sequel to this episode was the basis of the ST novel "Into the Void".
We start with more space "explosions" to indicate the entrance to the "Delta Triangle", a mysterious area where ships disappear. Of course, the finest ship in the fleet is sent to investigate. The Klingon ship Klothos is seen, followed by a quick battle. The Klothos disappears, then three ships show up--it's a trap. The Klingons demand their surrender. Kirk orders the ship to the same point the other Klingon ship disappeared. The instruments go haywire, the Enterprise disappears as well, and the ship's crew collapses.
They find themselves in a vast graveyard of old ships--the missing ships from the Delta Triangle. The Klothos is in that mix--and attacks the Enterprise. None of the weapons work on either side. Kirk is suddenly beamed away. Kor and Kirk find themselves in front of a council composed of many races. They used psionics to stop the battle, and tell Kirk and Kor they are responsible to keep the peace on their ships. Any act of violence results in the freezing of their ship for a century, which seems like a long time--except no one ages here.
They return to their ships, where Scotty tells him if they want to escape, they need to do it fast--the dilithium is deteriorating quickly. The Klingons are working on the issue as well, and try to escape with no luck. Spock has an idea--fuse the ships together and use their combined power to get out. Kor agrees--of course, he has his own plans to destroy the Enterprise after they get out. Spock seems awfully chummy with the Klingons, wrapping his arms over their shoulders, and Kirk asks him about it. He explains that touching them allowed him to learn their plans with his Vulcan mind powers(?!?). There's a reception on the Enterprise with the Council. There's a scuffle between McCoy and a Klingon which gives them a chance to leave a device on the Enterprise to destroy it. The Council grabs Kirk, McCoy, and the Klingons to pass judgment--freeze the Klothos. Kirk begs for them to delay the judgment so they can attempt to escape first. As they make their move, the Council telepath realizes the Klingon plan, and warn the Enterprise in time for them to eject it. Both ships reappear in normal space.
Some things to look for:
- TAS "explosions" look a lot like fireworks going off
- Could the Delta Triangle be related to the Delta Quadrant? Nah.
- Takei gets a chance to do more voices--in this case, a rather British Klingon
- The shots of the ship's graveyard would have been impossible to do in live action until CGI arrived
- Not sure if it was planned, or the music queue was too long, but the slow zoom on Spock after Kirk is beamed away is strange
- We see all the usual ST aliens on the council--Romulan, Klingon, Vulcan, Orion, Tellerite, Andorian, Gorn, plus a few invented for TAS
- The Klingons appear to have adopted 70's afros
- The device which would have destroyed the Enterprise looks like a vitamin
- There's a USS Bonaventure--the first ship with warp drive--in the ship graveyard. One of their crew is on the council, although she has no lines. Seems like a wasted opportunity to explore that idea.
- This is the last time we see the swarthy Klingons of TOS--the next time we see them in ST:TMP, the bumpy heads are introduced
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