Friday's Child

DVD, Star Trek S2 (Friday's Child)

A common theme is emerging in these first three episodes of the season, and that is of keeping the three main characters together, Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and also sending them off on their own Landing Party each time. I wonder if this was in part due to DeForest Kelley's advance to full co-star with his name in the title sequence, so they felt he needed to be as present as the other stars to acknowledge his importance? It seems the easiest way to get the trio together was to take them off the ship, and that has given us a new appreciation for them, and also allowed a regular command role for Scotty, which is a draw in itself as we see the Chief Engineer take up those reins, even if he would probably have preferred to be with his 'wee bairns,' the engines! Once again he refuses the centre seat in a literal way, preferring to stay active around the Bridge (spot Mr. Leslie again!), which gives him a slightly different command style to his Captain, even though Kirk didn't just sit back in his Captain's Chair all the time and imperiously order everyone around. I don't think we know Scotty's history that well, especially regarding the extent of his previous command experience, whether it's his senior position that makes him the choice to take charge when Captain and First Officer are off the ship, or if he has had other command posts previous to the Enterprise.

One character's history we do learn a little about is Dr. McCoy's - he leads the Briefing Room report on the Capellans with whom Kirk has been tasked the settling of mining rights for an important mineral used in the life support systems of colonies. It shows that, at least in this period, they didn't have Replicators capable of creating any necessary component out of energy, and still had to mine such things from planets. Mind you, even in the 24th Century they still needed dilithium crystals, so perhaps the Replicator can't reproduce some things to a standard found in nature? I do swing more towards the absence of Replicators in this period as there is more evidence (even if 'DSC' ruined it). It's pleasing to be given a little data on McCoy's time prior to serving on the Enterprise, even if his stationing on Capella was only for a few months thanks to their disinterest in medicine. Interestingly, they appear to be much more Klingon than the Klingon we see interfering in the trade talks! Kras is short, treacherous and a liar, whereas the attitudes prevalent in Capellan society are about strict honour, they don't lie and they are these strapping great warriors with a proud tradition, even if they do believe that the weak must perish (sounds a bit Species 8472!). According to McCoy it's not unusual for them to be seven feet in height, and even their women are strikingly tall. I wonder if Klingon influence is what led Maab down the path of treachery to his Teer, or whether, as the Teer is so quick to rise to a challenge, this is their conventional method of ensuring the strongest man leads the Ten Tribes.

Maab is a more complex character than he first appears, apparently villainous, partly for being the advocate of the Klingons, and partly because he wants to seize power, but as soon as he stands victorious Kirk is quick to perceive he has changed in the donning of responsibility as leader of his people, something Kras is too slow to pick up on. Kirk also plays to Maab's culture when he quickly suggests rather than killing him and his men, they should allow him to fight Kras, who gives off fear at the idea, losing stature in the eyes of Maab, and gaining Kirk points. The political side of the story is the most capelling, sorry, compelling: we see the signs of a cold war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire as they struggle for the hearts and minds of the worlds between them. They aren't openly at war, and I wish they'd mentioned the impossibility of this due to the Organian Peace Treaty which forcibly prevented them from fighting as we saw in the first Klingon episode, 'Errand of Mercy' (a much better justification for a strained peace than the Klingon Chancellor holding the controls of a bomb within their own planet with the threat of detonating it if they don't follow her rule - thanks again to 'DSC' for such paltry story logic!). It's not proved that Organian power is no longer playing its part since you could say that the unfortunate Security Guard who jumped to conclusions at the sight of Kras never got a chance to squeeze the trigger on the Phaser he was pulling, and if he had, perhaps then he'd have been unable to complete the action. But it would have been better to hear the treaty mentioned.

The Capellans show that Trek could pull off an alien culture rather well. They aren't alien in looks, except for their excessive height and flowing locks, contrasting strongly with the balding, squat Kras who is a poor specimen of his race, though mentally devious and cunning. Maybe the colourful costumes could have done with a more subdued colour palette, but you have to remember Trek was still meant to be as colourful as possible to sell colour TVs, and the brightness fits well with their cultural attitude to battle: they don't flinch from it, they're bold and unafraid, so I imagine they would proudly wear the brightest colours so they could be seen more easily, to strike fear into their enemies at their coming (as we see in the location shooting), and to show they don't care about being seen - in fact they want to be seen. The tall headpieces with their ponytails on top only add to their stature and sense of pride, a similar impression to the Riders of Rohan from 'The Lord of The Rings.' Even their approach to tent living seems arrogant judging from the large naked flames they favour to light these dwelling places which are surrounded by plump cushions, thick hanging curtains and rugs that look like they'd go up with a whoosh if they caught fire! It's almost like they welcome death, a very Klingon custom in the later version of their culture. It's true that we're also seeing a much more human variation of Klingon in this period, as we know from the 'Enterprise' two-parter that explained how ridged Klingons became this ridge-less variety which also appear to be a bit spineless, except that we know Kras isn't exactly typical!

Kras, or perhaps 'Crass,' is meant to be a lesser member of his people as he really isn't much of a warrior, always looking for the Capellans to off the Earthmen and make his job easier, tripping when they march through the rocky landscape, then showing constant treachery to all around him, whether it be trying to sweet-talk Kirk out of killing him, or stabbing an injured Capellan to death after stealing the Phaser he was carrying, he's a thoroughly nasty piece of work. My guess is that he's the closest the Klingons have to a diplomat, his scheming brain ideal for negotiating and manoeuvring his targets into a contract with his people. I doubt that even if he'd lived he would have been one of the Klingons they brought back for 'DS9,' as he was a poor specimen of Klingonhood. It could be that they had the Capellans in mind as they redesigned the race over the years to be more about honour and battle, swords and physical combat rather than political manipulators (a trait which went to the Romulans), or it could be that the Capellans share the same ideological ancestry of Earth cultures such as Vikings to inspire their creation as it would the warrior caste of Klingons.

It is disappointing we don't get to see the Klingon Warship (I thought that was what they designated it, but I may be wrong), the Enterprise encounters at a distance - we're only given a sharp-angled tiny shape on the Viewscreen that looks like it has shields up, but it's very unclear what the design would be like if we saw it close. They didn't have the budget to create alien vessels (or even Federation ones!), week to week and so it was special indeed when they crafted a craft that was equal to the series' central icon of space travel, the Enterprise. Something that did stick out to me was a little information on the freighter Scotty and the crew go to rescue, all part of a ruse to draw them away from the planet so they can't help their Captain, Sulu saying such a ship should travel at Warp 2, at best. I know the warp scale is supposed to be different at this time, so the Earth Cargo Ships of 'Enterprise' which went around Warp 2 a hundred years before would make sense, except that these should be going much faster since the scale goes higher at this time, unless freighters are running on restrictive speed limits now, which I'm not sure on the sense if it were so? I wonder if the ECS is still going or whether it became a Federation organisation?

Wisely, the Klingons don't send down squads of soldiers as this would only anger the Capellans and means they'd have to fight the whole planet for the resources they want to acquire. It doesn't sound very Klingon to turn down the chance of a fight, but perhaps they were being practical and didn't have a large enough crew to fight that many Capellans - perhaps they'd been ordered to wrap up this deal as quickly as possible before the Federation got involved. Actually that was a curious problem for me, because if McCoy had been stationed on the planet previously they must have had some kind of diplomatic relations with them, so what changed? Were they expelled from the planet for their differences? Did Starfleet not know about the topaline then? And how was it discovered after if that's the case?

The episode gives evidence both for the stereotypical image some have of Captain Kirk, and against: he's initially concerned about not violating any Capellan taboos when they discuss bringing down a large force, quite contrary to the view of him as militaristic and violent. But later on we get some extreme prejudice against his Klingon foe, even though understandable, when he tells Spock one of them must get the Klingon who is part of the group hunting them, and Spock responds asking if it's revenge, and Kirk replies 'why not?' I was expecting Spock to come back with something else or Kirk to make an addendum, but it seems his anger against the Klingons (again, justified when we hear about how they're pulling the wool over people's eyes to expand their empire and turn populations into slaves), didn't begin with the death of his son in 'Star Trek III.' It seems that even the best Captains of this mid-23rd Century had strong feelings against the enemy, and perhaps that was correct, but it's only that we've seen so little of that enemy that it seems like an extreme reaction. On the other hand Kras was the one who was a constant thorn in their side and had already shown intent to have them killed whenever he had any influence on the Capellans, so he was a great threat to them, and perhaps it's too much to expect that Kirk would be more gracious to a foe than he deserved.

Spock seemed to be quite reserved in this episode, as he was in the previous one, and I wonder if this, too, was a consequence of McCoy being bumped up in the cast as he seems to have more to say than Spock, yet they aren't playing the animosity between the pair and McCoy is allowed to get on with his job of caring for Eleen who bears the child to be the next Teer. Her reactions in the episode demonstrate the savage nature of their culture most clearly - Maab, newly self-appointed as leader after killing her old husband trips her as she enters, forcing this heavily pregnant woman to throw her arm into the fire to steady herself, and it's quite a shocking moment. But what's more shocking is that she accepts it as normal and instead is outraged when Kirk goes to help her, demanding he be put to death for touching her! She's also ready and willing to die, as is tradition. Capellan women are a strange bunch as we see when Kirk's diplomatic care is tested (again against stereotype), and he doesn't leap to fight when a Capellan woman offers him fruit, basically giving him the option of taking her as bride if he'll kill her husband! Eleen acts like a spoiled brat, even when someone tries to help her, whether it's Kirk standing up for her in the camp, or McCoy trying to give her medical aid, she reacts as violently as the male members of her race - when the Doctor tries to gauge how close to giving birth she is, she slaps him in the face, not just once, but twice! McCoy responds with a slap of his own: if she's going to behave childishly, then so will he, and it works, the shock taking her aback. His authoritative words also help, and in line with her earlier obtuseness about being ready to die she allows only McCoy to touch her, impressed by his knowledge.

We see more than just physical doctoring from McCoy, he also attempts to work on her psychologically (though later he suggests it might be better to forget psychiatry and stick to surgery after his experiences with Eleen!), encouraging her to develop a bond with her unborn child when all she thinks about is her own life, the pain and discomfort apparently her sole concern, as well as the worse than precarious position this heir has put her in with the new boss. But despite being arrogant, peremptory and foolish, she also tries to save the lives of those who helped her: when she knocks McCoy out (and it seemed unnecessary since he looked like he was sleeping), it's like the ultimate sign of betrayal, but when she reaches the enemy she lies (another great example of Capellan honour, even if for a good cause), and says she killed them all and the baby's dead, too. She seems to think, somewhat simplistically, that that's an end to it, they'll take her word for granted and return to normal life. I don't think her actions were motivated entirely by generosity of spirit, in fact to me it suggests she wants to wash her hands of the whole thing, aliens, motherhood, etc. The funniest moment came earlier when McCoy impresses on her that she needs to say 'the baby is mine' and she agrees, the baby is his! We see she has no desire to look after a child and in doing what she did she's solved both problems, repaid those who saved her life, and got rid of the baby responsibility. The odd thing is that the other Capellans really do believe her and only the suspicious Klingon doubts her story.

This is where things become a bit hard to fathom: Kras is so intent on ridding Capella of Kirk (though he doesn't seem to have a legendary impression of the Captain as some Klingons will), that he refuses to just go back with Maab and the others, throwing himself between the two parties. Then Eleen's solemn word is proved false when Kirk and Spock appear, but rather than Maab denigrating Eleen and being angry with her he's more interested in giving back her life and saying his own is now forfeit! It seemed a bit arbitrary that he made such an announcement and goes down to distract Kras so one of his soldiers can Kligat the Klingon to death. It just seemed bonkers, but then we don't know Capellan culture well enough to understand exactly what was going through his mind. It's more like the story needed to wrap up and the villains to be defeated so he goes like a lamb to the slaughter and gets Phasered into nothing by Kras so that the newborn can take its rightful place as Teer. So it wasn't the greatest conclusion, even if the outdoor location, Vasquez Rocks again, looked a lot better than the set they had for the early scenes. This time they do get back to the tradition of ending on a light note with Spock responding to the news that the baby has been named after both Leonard McCoy and James Kirk by noting heavily how insufferably pleased with themselves they'll be.

It was funny to hear Leonard Nimoy say his own name as Spock (just the Leonard part!), well, perhaps funny is the wrong word, it was odd, and it was also strange the episode ended that way, but it only added to the sense of a story that was slightly out of kilter, though it had so much potential, what with an alien culture, the Klingons, and a heavily planet-based setting. I like it, I should confirm that, but I wish we'd got to know the Klingons as well as we did the Capellans. I like the inventiveness that shows again how Starfleet officers are trained in survival and don't rely solely on the technology they've created, they're very much hands-on, as demonstrated by the use of natural features such as causing the rock fall (even if they did use the sonic power of Communicators to pull it off, it shows an unconventional and experimental solution), or building bows and arrows when all they have against the ranged Kligats are long knives. Kirk even uses a cushion as a diversion at one point, chucking it in the face of one of their guards before pounding him! Although we learn quite a bit about the Capellans there were still some only hinted at, such as Kirk suggesting they'd track them down by scent if necessary, so they must have highly developed olfactory powers, not a common occurrence among aliens on Trek. The original Teer also says the sky does not interest him when Kirk says he needs to contact his ship to tell them a Klingon vessel may be nearby, which shows they're very focused on their own land and aren't impressed by the galactic visitors other than for what they can get out of them.

An issue that is never even brought up is the Prime Directive, or General Order Number One, since this is a race who aren't developed anywhere near the level of space travel, so how come Starfleet can get involved? It may be that the Klingons had already interfered with their culture so that meant the damage was done and our side needs to get in there and prevent the Klingons from taking over as they've done elsewhere, but then we know from McCoy that they had made contact before and we presume they didn't hide the fact they were from outside their world. It's a thorny issue and it suggests that perhaps the Federation's need for topaline is greater than its principle of noninterference, but we simply don't have enough information to know either way, and clearly the influence of our people is much more beneficial than the Klingons, so perhaps it's justified?

Though the Enterprise doesn't feature much in the episode we do see a fair few examples of technology: Uhura removes her earpiece so we see the in-ear end which isn't often shown, and Sulu's viewer is seen powering up. Chekov's back at Spock's station (who knows what's going to happen to his role when Spock actually spends time aboard ship!), with his first 'inwented in Russia' line, and there was a unique angle on him where he's at a console, but the camera is looking inward from where the wall of the Bridge would be. The Tri-screen on the table of the Briefing Room shows historical footage of McCoy on Capella (though technically they got the uniform wrong - we see him in the current version instead of the turtlenecks of 'The Cage,' when usually they're good at showing pre-'TOS' with the Pike outfits, though 'DSC' has since completely ruined that whole lineage!), then switches to a message from Sulu on the Bridge - good to see its versatility. The small coloured squares they use as storage media get a specific designation: when Scotty asks for the distress signal to be replayed he asks for the micro tape and Chekov selects one. And just as interestingly, when Chekov reports a ship nearby, observing it in Spock's viewer, he puts it up on the screen above that station - again, the versatility of the technology makes it more realistic. It's also pleasing to notice the look of the Klingon Disruptor changed so little over the years, with the same broad, curved handle here. I don't know why one shot of the Enterprise showed it with a clear light on its starboard side instead of the usual green - I thought at first it was a black and white image, but then I noticed the red of the markings, so it wasn't that…

It may not be the most dramatic story, with the three friends and crew-mates not particularly giving an impression of being stranded against superior odds, other than in dialogue. The characters don't entirely seem themselves at all times and the Klingons are taken as read rather than the appearance used to expand what we know of them. When this is only the second time they'd shown up on the series that comes across as a bit of a flaw. But the weight of good things in the episode tips the balance, ensuring it looks good for the most part and provides the kind of character interaction we want to see.

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