Wolf in The Fold

DVD, Star Trek S2 (Wolf in The Fold)

A bit of 'The Conscience of The King,' a bit of 'Court Martial,' a little of the Risa episodes in later Trek, and even a sprig of 'Justice' from 'TNG,' but at heart it's really a good old murder mystery - old in the sense that the killer is from the 19th Century, and probably even earlier. But Jack The Ripper is the real world historical figure this episode ties into and it's always a good idea to connect to real history as it gives Trek's future chronology a ring of truth and makes it seem more a continuation of our own timeline than some distant sci-fi creation, one of its strengths and delights. They'd already dealt with a figure from their own past this season with Zefram Cochrane of the 21st Century (and far in advance of the time it was made in the 1960s), and now we get a rundown of historical data points beyond the contemporary time of production, beginning with 1974, going on to 2105 and even 2156. This kind of thing excites me, again, much like connecting to the real past, creating a 'real' past that is still in our future is another trick the whole franchise has used to make us feel it's more tied to reality than fiction. The history here is very specific, examples of recorded incidents of multiple killings of women. You could say it's surprisingly rare, but they must have been focusing on examples of higher numbers of killings, not every multiple murder, and there could have been others that were never recorded in history, or records could be fragmentary from such periods, we don't know (the computer even says there are other examples).

Interestingly, despite the addition of Chekov to the cast, they place the 1974 murders in the USSR, suggesting that even in Trek's world they were still biased against their enemies, as you would expect - rather than place this fictional future spate of killings in the USA they make it there, as it wouldn't be very nice to think that such a thing was scheduled in your audience's country! Maybe that's why Chekov didn't appear in the episode, they didn't want him there to refute it? The 1974 reference, seven years in the future at the time of this episode's production was only the least fascinating, as the next date we're given is 2105, the dawn of the 22nd Century, pre-Federation, even pre-Starfleet - we never got a founding date for that organisation, though thanks to 'Enterprise' we know it predated the Federation itself, even though it became the arm through which that body carried out its security and diplomacy. We at least know that the discussed mission to Mars in real life which has been in the planning for years will eventually come to pass (even if we didn't know about 'Voyager' episode 'One Small Step' about the 2032 mission), because by 2105 there is a Martian colony established! Who knows… The best data point is 2156 when another of these incidents took place at Heliopolis on Alpha Eridani II - just imagine if 'Enterprise' had survived to its sixth season, it could have made a great prequel where they visit this planet and are there for the murders, although of course they'd never find out who the killer was in the sense that it was an energy creature, maybe only the physical host, the creature escaping.

As it is, 'Enterprise' never got a sixth season, never visited Alpha Eridani II, never encountered the being known as Redjac, or at least, as far as we know, since although we never saw what the NX-01 did in 2156 (come on CBS, revive it!), and it would probably have been busy at the time of the Romulan War, it was at least still in operation. But enough about other series', it's 'TOS' that matters here, and Scotty that matters most - he was really coming into his own as a character this season having been little more than a glorified extra much of the time before, he's had more to do and more exploration, even if it has been slanted towards his affection for the opposite sex. The setup for the story was a trifle bizarre: Scotty suffered some kind of an injury due to an explosion that was caused (presumably, hopefully, otherwise it's much more serious!), by the incompetence or negligence of a female member of the crew. Because of this, McCoy believes he may harbour resentment against all women due to a bump on the head. I understand that it was for dramatic purposes to make Scott look guilty in the light of what happens in the episode, but it's probably more unrealistic than most of the technology on display! Scotty never even seems like the sort who would hold a grudge - granted, we hadn't yet seen him brawl with Klingons that insulted his ship, and he is a bit of a bruiser, but his character always appears to be very transparent and right on the surface, not the type to brood or harbour secret resentments, far from it!

Perhaps it would have been better to do this episode with someone else as the man under suspicion, I'm not sure who. Maybe Sulu or Chekov, though they also show enthusiasm or professionalism more than anything deep and dark. 'Trials and Tribble-ations' summed up the open, simple attitude of Starfleet officers we saw in its depiction of an Engineer Bashir and O'Brien encounter: completely guileless and fresh-faced. In that sense I suppose they did choose the right character as Scott is one of the older bods aboard, and only Dr. McCoy would really suit in the same role and then who would you have to go round sticking everyone with happy drugs to stop them becoming afeared of this evil entity that takes over the ship? You can have your evil entities laughing maniacally, or your devilish-looking Prefect Jaris (actor Charles Macauley in his second role after Landru in 'The Return of The Archons'), with his thin grey beard and swept back hair (like the original Master in 'Dr. Who' or Ra's Al Ghul from Batman), but the truly most horrifying thing in this episode are the drugged up Enterprise crew themselves! Sulu in particular becomes this creepy loon, and even the usually gruff McCoy is some kind of free spirit floating about. It's an incredibly Sixties resolution and is just plain weird to modern eyes. It's not that they were given something to affect their mood, it's the extent to which they seem to go high that makes it so off-key compared with the rest of the story where murder could happen at any moment. They pulled a similar stunt at the end of 'Day of The Dove,' but at least to defeat the entity there that similarly fed on negative emotions, Kirk and the Klingons roar with laughter and generally react through natural means rather than chemical!

The episode does seem to be a source of much inspiration or the use of much from other episodes. I mentioned 'The Conscience of The King,' and that was something of a template for this one, it would appear, though it had a little more depth to it. 'Obsession,' about another murdering non-physical creature, would be coming up soon in the season and I really wanted Kirk to mention that entity as one he'd encountered when they're discussing similar creatures known in nature - I feel sure this episode may have sparked off the idea for that one. Then there's 'Operation -- Annihilate!' where the nasty vermin there made a steady journey from one planet to another since they weren't space-borne creatures, the same thing happened with Redjac, or Jack The Ripper, or whatever other names were applied to it. I also mentioned 'Justice' of 'TNG,' an infamous first season example for various reasons, but also an important engagement with a planet's harsh laws and the decision to obey them. In that case it was pretty ludicrous since Wesley is sentenced to death for accidentally walking into a forbidden zone that he and his playmates were allowed to play near without any warning about the potentially fatal consequences of trespass, but the similarity of Kirk's decision stands: he informs Spock when the First Officer suggests beaming Scott away so they can administer their own tests aboard the Enterprise, but Kirk says they must respect Argelian laws.

There was the implication of some political necessity to keep on the right side of the Argelians since their planet is the only spaceport in the 'quadrant' as the Prefect puts it. He obviously didn't mean the Alpha (or even Beta), Quadrant, but 'sector' would probably have been a more suitable descriptor - the writers of 'TOS' had no idea that the galaxy was going to be divided up into four segments or Quadrants in later Trek and that we'd consider everything that went on as happening largely in the Alpha Quadrant, it was just one of those things that came to be defined over time. But however large this 'quadrant' the Argelians refer to, it's clear that it's important for the Starfleet to have access, so Kirk isn't about to risk that by overriding their laws and using his might, yet another one in the eye for those believing Kirk is a rogue, a renegade, a loose cannon who does what he pleases, when he pleases. Sure, his womanising side gets an outing at the end when he's so eager to go to this particular bar full of women at the end, but his diplomatic side remains intact! It would have been great if they could have mentioned the Klingons as having interests in the area, we'd already had one encounter with the Federation's enemy in 'Friday's Child' this season, and would again in 'The Trouble With Tribbles' - the ongoing unrest between the empires was one of those things that added to Trek's impression of continuity, even if there wasn't a lot of direct recurring stories or characters happening in the series, there was still a sense of tensions between two powers and the political needs when dealing with planets.

The similarities between this and 'Justice' continue: Argelius II shares the same kind of hedonistic society as Rubicun III, and the same sense of extreme justice which is a bit like the Vulcans and their general extreme control, followed by the Pon Farr where all their pent-up violence is released. The Argelians, who are said to have empathic abilities (they should have made Troi half-Argelian!), love pleasure above all else, and much like Risa thrive on sharing such things with guests. This suggests that a world of pleasure-seeking is a world doomed to forever seeking and never finding and that this is why places like Argelius II and Risa need fresh visitors all the time, because they don't have a 'soul' to their planet and are always looking for something new and desire to share their debauchery. Of course Roddenberry was all about such things and shows it as positive, but the reality can't help but creep in: although the idea that the Argelians need to hire outsiders to fill positions of administration was designed for the needs of the story, since Hengist, the host of Redjac, was the vessel in which it came to this planet, it also shows that there can be no discipline and ambition where the desire for pleasure is the paramount goal, so it makes complete sense that the natives would either have no interest in boring, but necessary bureaucracy, or that, as is said, they're inefficient, putting it kindly! Risa is another place that showed hedonism in a bad light, in spite of the makers attempts to portray it as a great place to go, and positively promoting its excesses, especially by its reputation in Starfleet as such a fun location for holidays.

The hedonism is markedly restrained in this episode since it was produced at a time when standards were still in place, though this has clearly eroded thanks to the power of streaming services who can be their own boss in terms of what content gets through, which has led to increasingly explicit films and series' so the standard has to constantly become more gruesome or explicit in order to keep attentions of those that have become accustomed or hardened to what they see depicted. In 'TOS,' half-naked dancing was the metaphor for such hedonistic society as we saw before with Vina as an Orion 'Animal Woman' in 'The Cage' - they even play the same music over this dancer, and probably some of those cushions they were sitting on would have been the same, too! The dancing did go on rather long, we got the point, but it's a bit of a strange one: McCoy thinks Scotty's interest in the dancer will cure him of any resentment to the fairer sex he may have picked up from his accident - it doesn't make any sense. I already pointed out that Mr. Scott isn't the type to bear a grudge, unless this woman deliberately endangered him (another to spurn him this season, and with no Greek god in sight?), and there doesn't seem to be any reason he would be full of anger towards all women, more likely that he'd be angry with the particular one responsible. They try to cover the ridiculousness by talking of the bump on the head so I think they're saying it could all be subconscious, but even so… Let's take him to meet a fancy dancer and then everything will be fine!

Like the Edo in 'Justice,' punishment is severe. In the Argelians' case it's a slow torture until death, again to raise the stakes, but death itself was bad enough. Weirdly, you can imagine someone like the Prefect overseeing such a sentence, as reluctantly as he'd do it, judging by the way he barely shows any feeling (except in the background in the immediate aftermath where he's seen to be bent over in pain), after his wife has been murdered right in front of him! He was probably meant to be a suspect, just as we see the four residents of the planet sitting in a line in the Briefing Room - here comes the 'Court Martial' connection. Trial by computer, or perhaps an inquest. Majel Barrett got to work overtime here as this must be the most the computer has had to say in all the episodes so far. There are people taking the stand and being read by the computer, and though 'TOS' may look a bit dated in the decades after its creation, and we've become accustomed to the amazing advances they posited with warp travel and instantaneous transportation, the computer is still far ahead of what we can accomplish now - there are simple thing such as, essentially, lie detection as the computer keeps saying there are no physiological changes in the testifier, but it's also instructed to do things like review the last few minutes of discussion and formulate a response, it answers specific questions and general questions and generally shows a degree of intelligence that was as futuristic as the other wonders of technology on display in the series.

The downside is that a computer that powerful, which controls every aspect of the ship can be a liability when a murderous entity chooses it as home. Perhaps that should have been played up a little more, but then Redjac required the people aboard to become fearful so it could gain in strength (there's a lesson there - being afraid only allows your enemy power over you), so it wasn't in its interests to cut life support or plunge Kirk and Spock to their deaths in the Turbolift. That was a scene that could have been more dramatic, but for once they take a much more realistic approach. Because of course a Turbolift couldn't go into free fall for long enough that it would make suspenseful drama, it would be mere seconds for it to drop to the bottom of the shaft (or, if we believe the 'DSC' universe, the ridiculous roller-coaster of empty space that apparently uses up the majority of the ship's internal volume!), so they sacrificed drama for reality there (although a similar scene was achieved in 'Crossfire' on 'DS9,' many years later). What we do get to see is another internal view of a computer console, this time it's not Uhura's Communications station, but the Life Support station, a couple of consoles to the right of the Engineering station, with the same cool view looking out at them from inside. Uhura is once again absent, some bloke sitting in her chair this week, so I wonder what that was all about?

The fate of Redjac is to be transported out into space by wide dispersion, the first we've heard of this capability I think, and shows just what a terrible weapon the Transporter could be if in the wrong hands. Transporter Chief Kyle is the one manning the station again, but he's too full of high spirits after being hypo-sprayed to be much use so Spock just shoves him out of the way! It was at least a genuinely amusing end to the episode instead of some laugh about trivia: Kirk wants to go to his famous women's bar, and everyone but Spock is giddy with drugs, so he has to make do with not going after all. It was an ending, what can I say. I wouldn't call this one of the best episodes, but it's at the right level of quality with nice sets and direction, a story that has you wondering, if you don't already know, and even when you know the outcome (and I always remembered Hengist was the villain), keeps your attention. The moment when the dead Hengist suddenly leaps to his feet from the Briefing Room table to grab an unsuspecting female crewmember was great, though slightly undermined by the fact she found it funny due to the effects of the drug McCoy had given her, and Hengist madly leaping and fighting like a caged beast was too easily noticeable as being performed by a stuntman in a rather shiny bald cap. But the general atmosphere of horror is well played and we haven't seen so much fog since, ooh, 'Catspaw.' For me, it's all the connections to other episodes, if only in tone and similarity, that makes it more enjoyable, as well as the historical notes that serve to enhance the series' sense of time and place.

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