The Empath

DVD, Star Trek S3 (The Empath)

A tough one to call, this. Is it a strong, abstract, conceptual, moral and stylised set of pieces, with a satisfying look at the Trek triumvirate? Or is it a slow, boring, not terribly logical, money-saving situation that excludes the other characters? A bit of both really.

An interesting teaser sets the story off on a tangent which is discarded as soon as the episode proper begins. Thrown into a strange, black place, with indeterminate shape or size, they meet a mute alien, McCoy insists they call 'Gem' (because they can't call her 'hey, you'). Other aliens, the Vians (pronounced Vy-ans, not Vee-ans as I always supposed), turn up, and proceeds become a bit 'The Cage'/'The Menagerie', although it's actually the alien woman who's on trial this time, or to be precise her whole planet. When we get to understand the motives and reasoning behind all the events, the story shows a few cracks, but up to that point we're left, as our people are, in a confusing place.

Stuff happens: Kirk, then Bones get tortured, Gem heals them by taking their pain (shades of Sybok perhaps?) physically to herself, which in turn does her damage. The huge set-like... set, is one of the elements of the episode which half makes you wonder if it's great, half, that it's a cost-saving device. The abstract nature of it, and the surreal way it is shot with lights on the main objects or people, make it unique. But it still feels a bit like a construct. But it is a construct strictly, made by the aliens...

The guys they were originally searching for appear in tubes, dead in the positions they were taken in, an example of what our Starfleet heroes may become. By the way, it's never explained how all that dust accumulated in the research station - could have been an unstable area, so rocks fell on it, thus creating dust... but that doesn't explain the huge cobwebs!

I think the torture scenes were what got the episode banned from BBC TV on original showing, but it's not frightening these days. More disturbing by far is McCoy's weak state afterwards. The makeup is good, with the effects of wounding to face or wrist disappearing and appearing from one face to the other. The idea was great, but the subjects moved too much which lessened the illusion somewhat. The music as Gem performs these acts of self-sacrifice is touching and is part of the episodes best moments.

Unfortunately, though the three main characters come across so well, continuing their great friendship and working relationship, including a nice moment when McCoy compliments Spock on his bedside manner as he lies dying, you know, as soon as you see the three beam down that it will be to the detriment of the other characters. This proves so, with Uhura and Chekov not even appearing. Onboard the ship, when Scotty says they'll just have to sit back and relax, waiting for the planet to become accessible again, I hoped for a scene where he and Sulu go off to the rec room for a game or a talk, or perhaps with Chekov. But they aren't permitted such a character-building scene, where one could easily have been included, and perhaps the pace would have been picked up with less time for the slow conversations beneath the planet.

The ending, too, is unsatisfying seeing as the aliens are convinced by a few words from Kirk, and we assume make the decision to save Gem's people. The quandary (ignoring the illogical way they use to decide - inflicting pain on some, to make a choice of which race to save?), isn't really explored, except from Gem's angle, of overcoming fear to sacrifice herself willingly. A very good story in itself, but not mined to full potential. Couldn't the Enterprise do something to help the other planet? And the aliens just float off, and we dissolve back to the bridge for a quick laugh (even though I loved Scotty quoting the Biblical parable of the pearl of great price!).

The resolution is a bit weak for the subject matter. I could see this with a bigger budget as a film, with perhaps more emphasis on the mystery and experiments, eventually leading to the huge, world-spanning dilemma, with the fates of two peoples in the balance and brought to the fore. The potential was there, and some of it came through, but I would have to say this was one of the episodes that failed more than succeeded. But only just - I thought it boring as a child, but it wasn't as bad as I remembered.

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