DVD, Star Trek S1 (The Devil in The Dark)
The actual production side of it, the fabrication of a myth based on polystyrene and glue, or whatever it was they used to create the lava-like mould, was also top-notch, the creature leaving a smoking trail behind it, or the charred remnants of what was once a man - even the glimpses we have of it early in the episode as it rears before the camera to fall on its latest unfortunate victim, shows just enough to allow the imagination room to take root with all kinds of visions, but not too much to be able to confirm what manner of life this is. If truth be told, however, like a few of the most famous episodes I've re-watched recently, this was another that I began to suspect had little else other than its own legend to prop it up as a good dramatic episode to be enjoyed time and time again, once you know the twist. For much of the running time I was finding it little more than functional - yes, it's got some atmosphere, taking place mostly in the caves (setting the precedent for many Trek series' to come with their multiple cave-set stories), and it's different in that it doesn't begin on the Enterprise or with our characters, but talks about them, like the US Marshal due in at a western township whiles the locals have to make do and deal with their issue until he does. But when you have the iconic image of Spock melding with the Horta, or Kirk pointing his Phaser at it, in the forefront of your mind, you're just waiting for the people 'in world' to catch up to where you are.
The cave set wasn't necessarily the best - although the floor was covered in old mining equipment and rocks here and there, it was all so flat that it's hard to disguise that this is a studio set with a level ground. The jumpsuits the miners wear look garish in comparison to their surroundings, and the matte painting of the pergium facility was too illustrative to be taken seriously as the real backdrop (and they don't even attempt to beam into it as they did with other episodes) - the perspective shown makes it look more like a painting on the wall of Vanderberg's office than a window out onto his facility. There are early clues as to the solution of the puzzle, with the silicon nodules Spock shows so much interest in, and you have to wonder if, like Sherlock Holmes (that he's been compared to in style), he formulated a hypothesis as early in the story as that, and was merely trying to prove or disprove it as more evidence became available. It's hard to tell, if not impossible, because it's not until Spock melds with the Horta he, and we, get the full story. And it is around this point the episode takes off and reminded me why this remains such a good, solid Trek episode, winning me back. The biggest thing I'd forgotten since last watching it a good few years ago was the strife from the miners and their desire to take matters into their own hands like a mob of pitchfork-wielding villagers. It's completely understandable, and typical of human nature, the essence of the fight or flight survival instinct that governs the sense of a need to do something proactive.
Vanderberg isn't a bad guy. The head miner is naturally concerned with meeting his quota and doing his job and his gruffness is also completely believable as he's lost fifty men to the creature, then a starship Captain beams down and starts taking over. On one hand it was probably a relief to hand the problem over to someone else, a professional who has a crack team of security Redshirts to sort out the problem. But it's also his domain, so you'd expect at least some friction over his inability to do anything about the menace. I'm not sure these angles were really played up and it's almost speculation regarding his attitude, but that's likely why he wasn't exactly the most gracious host to his honoured guests. It also makes it easier for him and the others to turn on Kirk's orders when Security are preventing them from rushing headlong down the tunnel and interrupting a potentially delicate situation. Another thing I loved about the story was how Giotto, the head Redshirt has no idea what his Captain and First Officer are doing down the tunnel with the monster, but he doesn't rush to their aid, he doesn't show indecision over what to do, nor unnecessary questioning, he simply obeys his orders, as much in the dark as the miners, but with the discipline of a Starfleet officer. And he doesn't know what's going on, doesn't know that Kirk and Spock have found a way to communicate and discovered things aren't as black and white, or orange and brown, as they seemed from appearances and because of that he gives his Captain the space to sort the problem out diplomatically.
That's a key word, because Kirk is often thought of as being this fists-first, belligerent Captain that flies by the seat of his emotions and doesn't have the reserve and judgement of a Picard, nor the clamp-hard strength of a Sisko, but the reality is that he uses all his resources in these situations and comes up smelling of silicon nodules. That's another thing I love about this episode: all four main characters are at their best (no sign of Sulu or Uhura). Scotty is the man to come down and fix vital equipment; Spock shows a more benevolent side to the obvious need to relentlessly hunt the creature for the safety of all those on the planet, instead suggesting it could be the last of its kind, and therefore of great interest to science; Kirk shows no fear when confronted by the creature alone in the tunnel, refusing to fire on it unless he has to, in spite of his earlier decision that it must be dealt with, regardless of Spock's scientific curiosity and its importance to knowledge; and Dr. McCoy makes a not insignificant contribution to proceedings by successfully treating the Horta's wound. Though McCoy's role is small in the episode (he still presents like one of the supporting characters, and the absence of Kelley's name in the opening credits doesn't feel strange, as this is very much the Kirk and Spock show), it is also vital, and again, serves to show the value of obedience regardless of personal feelings: at first McCoy protests, since this is a patient more alien to him than anything he's ever treated before, but Kirk orders him to find a way and instead of continuing to say this isn't his job, he steps out of his pride or uncertainty and takes up the challenge, thereby impressing even himself so much that he utters the immortal line "By golly Jim, I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day!"
That is by no means certain, Doctor… but he's not too far wrong, for all the hyperbole. These are only minor (miner?), life lessons, but they remain inspiring: that a man with a clearly defined role can agree to step outside it to meet the current need; that a Security officer will obey orders unquestioningly with his full force; and most especially, that a frightened mob, intending violence and revenge can be held back by reasoned words that explain their predicament and prevent them from carrying out further wrongs to what is a sentient being. And that is why the episode succeeds - as always it's not about the wrapping (the visuals, the prop-making, the scene-setting), it's what's inside that counts and continues to make this a worthwhile story where so many sci-fi or horrors have nothing more than the monster film mentality to provide a scare or activate our revulsion. If we're picking holes we might suggest that presenting a creature that is compared to the Devil, then learning it is actually benevolent, could be committing the sin of confusing good and evil with each other, but I think it's really about the inner creature, not outward appearances, and far from being a malevolent, malicious thing intent on the destruction of those around it, the Horta proves to be a good Mother, protecting her young. I just wish we could have seen a load of baby Hortas scuttling around, though you wouldn't want one sitting on your lap unless you had a fire and acid retardant suit on!
The Trek inquiring spirit is present through Spock's wish to study the creature, before he knew it was sentient, and though he understands the need to destroy it, and will follow Kirk's lead, he seems reticent to do so, something that Vulcans seem to avoid if they can. I can't see the Vulcans of 'Enterprise' having any compunction in killing, another reason why that era's exhibits of the noble race seem so ignoble and un-Vulcan. See, it's not just the emotionless exterior, superior strength, pointed ears and long robes that makes the race what it is, and writers in the 21st Century seem to have forgotten what made them such a cool race to begin with in the 23rd and continuing into the 24th Century-set series' - they show compassion and thoughtfulness, and I really hope the version we see in 'Discovery' (which I have yet to see), will suit the established true Vulcan character that has been lost with 'Enterprise' and the Kelvin Timeline films - they aren't my favourite alien race without good reason, but they need to be written right. I like that this season is drawing its continuity together and becoming more cohesive and consistent. Spock's meld (I don't think he actually called it that by name), begins from distance in the same way as he telepathically implanted an idea into a guard's mind in 'A Taste of Armageddon,' showing that he can connect with minds without actual physical contact. Leonard Nimoy once again shows the range of his ability, displaying the depths of the Horta's emotion and pain, tugging at the heartstrings for its agony and hopelessness.
I found it sad that the limitations of the production were so clear in the Vault of Tomorrow scene where Kirk enters the chamber filled with eggs and all they could show was a fairly close-in shot of Kirk and a pile of the eggs in front of him. I've never seen the Remastered version of the series, but I imagine this would be an ideal place to use that footage, but zoom out from it to show the true vastness and majesty that the poetic language of the Horta envisions. That's one more thing about the episode that works so well: the Horta's speech through Spock is so beautiful and alien. Though it was able only to burn 'NO KILL I' so crudely into the rock face as a message, its inner thoughts are so much more expansive and emotive, adding more than anything to the idea that this heaving mound has mind and is not merely a man in a suit rolling around on the floor as it so easily could have seemed without the quality of the writing. What proves to be the icing on the rocky cake is how optimistic the ending proves, an ideal symbiosis between the needs of the Horta and its brood to tunnel freely through the rocky crust of the planet, and that of the miners who will now be able to reach previously inaccessible veins of the greatest mineral riches they'd previously been denied.
There are questions to be asked, however: they talk of such things as gold, which we know to be worthless in the 24th Century (as it's used to encase valuable latinum), and Kirk even says they'll be rich, but the economics of this period remain uncertain. We know that Replicator technology was still some way off from the time of 'TOS,' which is what presumably made such things as gold practically worthless for the fact it could be replicated and was no longer a commodity, but it makes me wonder who they were mining for, how they were paid, and what was it that really changed society into the one we see in the spinoffs where there really are no material needs, at least for humans? It's a reminder that we hadn't yet reached the point where people could choose occupations based on their desire rather than necessity, though no doubt it's much more advanced compared to our standards today (even with the occasional person that made the wrong choice of career, like Marla McGivers in 'Space Seed'). Equipment is of interest to this story, too, as we see it is the lower level Phaser 1 that the miners have access to, which have no effect on the marauding creature, while Phaser 2, the larger devices that can carry a 1 on top, have enough power to injure it, slicing off a piece (points to the production again for making the sheared off silicon 'breathe,' contracting and expanding as if still living tissue which does more than many things could to make its unique aliveness real). It's fantastic to have technical details like this, no matter how slight, adding to the reality of the world our officers inhabit.
Not so sure on first glance about the bright, one-piece jumpsuits that count for uniform among the miners, but as it went on it made sense to me, and I even liked the cool black belts which hold Phasers or other equipment, and slip into the front of the suit. It makes sense to have unmissable, high-vis outfits in an environment which is so dark, and in which we can presume, large and dangerous machinery is operated, so being able to visually keep track of where people are is common sense - and they don't wear silly, 'futuristic' silver suits or have flashing lights all over them, but a sensible, utilitarian style of clothing that suits the work they were doing. The only thing missing were hard hats as I can imagine plenty of men braining themselves on the roofs of tunnels, or being dropped by the smallest cave-in without head protection, but even that could be explained away by the fact they'd stopped production because of the threat and probably removed any helmets in order to see and hear the coming threat better (which, strangely, sounded very much like McCoy's heart monitor!). Another technical detail I enjoyed was Kirk's pronouncement that one of the Captain and First Officer is expendable, but not both, which is why he wished to keep Spock out of harm's way, though the Vulcan's implacable logic manages to change his mind (maybe Picard should have used that on Riker!).
The Security officers do their duty like in few other episodes, the ones sent to hunt the mysterious, deadly alien menace, creeping through dark tunnels like no one else would wish to. But the Redshirt curse hadn't yet come into effect, and it's surprising that only about one of them gets killed (fortunately not Mr. Leslie, among the Enterprise's finest sent down). The only thing I wish is that we had a Chief of Security, or that Giotto became a recurring character as it's a role you can feel missing thanks to the role's integration in all other series' down the line. I think Chekov had something of that role sometimes, but this was before his emergence. And the Redshirts had to put up with a lot - not only the threat of an unknown monster, but the angry miners (why are miners always angry - look at the ones in 'Mudd's Women,' or the Romulans in 'Star Trek XI'?), who actually do more damage, beating them into unconsciousness to get past and have it out with the Horta, regardless of the safety of Kirk and Spock. Kirk himself isn't immune to the impact of losing members of his crew, as in a rare moment we see the regret and sadness on his face as he kneels by the remains of the unfortunate Redshirt. When you add up all these little moments and positive achievements the episode shows itself to remain relevant, overcoming its legendary status to be able to continue to provide a story worthy of the series - considering how many they'd made by this point, that's an achievement in itself as you'd think burnout would be inevitable, but the first season was ending on a wave of highs. Even the light final scene on the Bridge doesn't detract, well suited to the upbeat finish, a happy ever after ending that exudes joy and the successful wrapping up of a tense mission.
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